Is the site primarily using private messages or the mail system now?
As a new member, I like the forum format and have gained valuable insights from it. However, I’ve noticed that many new posts are a couple of years old, and I'm hesitant to bump them up.
Do you have any suggestions? Is it appropriate for me to revive older topics or articles in hopes of getting more responses from members?
I think the handful of members there are do more private messages and the mailing system. The issue with forums is that a lot of the Internet has moved away from it and have gone to places like Discord, GroupMe, and other applications. I would encourage making threads, sharing insights, etc to help boost engagement instead of digging up old posts. Although, a lot of information is already available from years before which has turned this place into a good Encyclopedia.
Seems like overall website traffic has declined since 2020, from what I can see. I’m sure the rise in popularity and preference of platforms like TikTok and Discord have much to do with it, as they’re mostly unmoderated in terms of content accuracy and integrity. People can post whatever they want— questions, information, advice, etc.— without fear of an appointed moderator removing their post or banning their account for being off topic or phrasing things inappropriately.
The problem with such platforms is that there is no proper moderation, so there tends to be a bunch of conflicting information with no context attached or constant conflict over misunderstanding and miscommunication. And people still haven’t quite figured that out yet.
I would honestly say, unless a post is locked, go ahead and respond to it and see if anyone bites. I tend to check the New Post tab on the Forums page every time I log in here when I remember too. Sometimes new insight, even in old posts, are still valuable. Even if the whole website is kind of just an archive these days.
In the past when there was more activity, my preference has usually leaned towards the forums or chat. Now most of the time it seems I'm using the messaging system.
@voidvagabond
I agree with you. I’m not a fan of Discord, and TikTok for this kind of topic either. There's often a lot of conflicting, and confusing info and unnecessary drama when moderation and context are lacking.
That’s helpful to know about replying to older threads. I’ll definitely go ahead and respond to relevant posts.
@Ictos
Yeah, I’ve noticed the forums seem a lot quieter now too from what the veteran members have described, so I wasn’t sure what the best way to reach people was.
Do you mostly use the messaging system because you already know who to contact, or simply because the forum and chat don’t get as much activity anymore?
@ToxicHydra
That’s good to know. I’ll start reviving older threads when they’re relevant and see if it helps spark more interaction.
Out of curiosity, what was the forum like back when it was active (more members, more daily threads, active covens, etc.)?
Also, do you have any tips for finding older threads? Right now the only way I can reliably find anything is by using the search function, and it’s pretty hard to browse older topics otherwise. If there’s a better method like categories, tags, an index, or something, I’d really appreciate it.
