Discussions
Why Are People Leaving BC?
Posted by deoangel • 10/12/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: bc, blogcatalog, discussion
I have been blogging for a bit over a year now. I have been a member of the BC family for the same amount of time. I have noticed that some people are saying bye to the forum.
Why?
BC is where I get most of my traffic from.
BC is where I get a lot of help to improve my blogs.
I am beginning to wonder is it the Discussion Bully's or people that don't know how to read that are sending people away. What Are Your Thoughts?
User Comments
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Have no idea.
I think most people get their traffic from a variety of sources including links and search engines, so they don't rely on blog catalog. People move in an out of blog forums all the time. -
I think it's a combination of the strict guidelines and people are hesitant to initiate or participate in "controversial" discussions, if such discussions even make it past the BC police. BC'ers attitudes, the incessant "make money" or "visit my blog" threads are extremely tiring and then it comes down to the mindless drivel that is posted as a discussion. I won't participate unless it strikes my fancy and it's hard to find something that does that.
So I started my own forum LOL - freedom of speech!-
"freedom of speech" = "a different person calling the shots"? -
I have a note at the top of my blog's forum stating the following:
Pretty much anything goes here – let's try to keep the insults and taking comments personally to a minimum. I will have NO tolerance for anything encouraging child porn and/or sicko shit like that – but beastiality is your own choice LOL We are all adults – keep the name calling to a minimum, comments don't have to be taken personally and if you drop your link, fine – if you drop it fifty times and aren't contributing, I'll drop you. -
That's a recipe for a forum that won't be around long. -
Its so anoying to get a "visit my blog" and "klick my ads" in my shoutbox. Its like getting spam in the inbox.
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Online community is a reflection of the global community. It is mobile and people are able to choose to remain, take an extended vacation, move on or return with changed avatars!!LOL -
I've been on BC for a long time, and have seen a lot of people come and go. It's always in flux.
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Funny, but the 'why are people leaving?' and 'I'm outa here!' and 'Wait, I'm back now!' threads aren't so much in flux, are they?
They're everywhere!
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There are literally millions of viewers that come to look at blogs that are a part of this beautiful community, BLogCatalog.com Having said this, you can get lots of people to visit and read your blog if you do these two things:
1) Write interesting posts.
2) Visit many blogs and read theirs.
As for leaving, There is a pattern to many peoples lives and it is whatever new captures their attention. Or, what can hold their attention. Some people are joiners while some just stop by, from time-to-time. Some people leave because they might not have agreed with another person, which I find sad. And finally it is easily believable that life and obligations or financial hardships occur and people need to take time to regroup. Many people are stopping by, but may not be joining in because of what is going on in their heads or in their lives. But this does not mean they have left. They resurface and when they do we are always glad they did.
BLogCatalog is whatever we choose to make it and when we all join in and want to have a great time, it happens. It's as simple as that. -
Didn't know people were leaving. It can get kind of harsh sometimes around here but the resources and friendships for me are paramount to my blogging. I love BC!-
You echo what so many of us feel. It's a great place to belong.
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What a great name you have.
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I've been here for a couple days and I can already see some forum politics at play. I'd just ignore the drama and focus on my goals.
Another thing is the lack of interesting threads and updates. Dubya tee eff people? heh-
A couple of days? BC goes through ups and downs, sometimes people are actually like...working...on other stuff and not glued to the computer. Sometimes people have just gotten burned out from threads that got very heated. Trust me, wait it out. -
Really curious, Tayman--if you've only been around for a couple of days and have already noted a "lack of interesting threads and updates", why hang around?
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MadameX - why jump on someone because he says that he finds the threads uninteresting?? maybe that's why involvement among members fluctuates - immediate attack mode rather than open-mindedness.
Also - as others have said, depending on how my work day goes, my involvement fluctuates. There are many factors at play here. -
Dear Tayman,
Please do give BC more time than just a few days. Seriously, there are so many amazing people here and they are talented artists and writers. Just sometimes, we need creative direction in order to keep the party happening.
Join in and host a few topics yourself. You'll see there are plenty of great conversationalists here.
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stjavo, why interpret it as "jumping on someone" when I ask an honest question about why a person would visit a new place, find himself bored by it, and decide to stay? It's a fair question and I'd like to learn what is so compelling about BC that people so often wander in the door, start tossing insults around, and yet choose to hang around.
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What I see is a lot of people who like to throw insults around and I assume it's because they have something going on in real life they have no control over, so it's easy to go online somewhere and try to wield some power. I don't tend to see this in topic specific forums. It's interesting to observe though.
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lol, wow.
Why would anyone take what I said as a personal insult? I'm hanging around because I'm networking with some good people. If you don't like my opinion, *tough*. -
Where did you get the idea that anyone took it as a personal insult?
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I'm trying to ignore the drama behind the forum politics as well.
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I think some people like to make a grand exit and announce they are leaving so people will ask them to stay. Once people 'leave', you can see they are always logged in anyway, or 'last seen five minutes ago' - so I think it's about getting attention.
The only way to really find out why people are leaving, other than guessing why, is to ask them - but who really cares - there are always new people joining.-
You see many things with that clever eye. You did say is isn't real ... didn't you?
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you never know...
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Eeeew. Never say!!
It's like a scary movie ... a little bit. -
I know, it looks a little squishy...
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It is the forums. The forums make a lot of people leave. I left two sites myself over the years because of the forums. Certain people they don't like what they write, weird people, and so on...-
Yes, it would make sense, as a blogger, to drop the forums if they are driving a person crazy, but keep the blog listing. The all-or-nothing attitude towards BC doesn't make much sense in most cases.
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oops ! wrong place.
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I don’t think you can judge who is coming or going by this discussion forum because not everyone participate all of the time.-
True. Gotta visit profile pages too. And even then a person might be visiting without being logged in. But if the account and avatar are gone, well, that's another story.
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Too many members who are on high horses. It makes it hard to hear them. Or some of them have sticks inserted in there rectums-
amen! what happened to just have some great conversation and not taking everything to heart??
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(thinks to himself " oh god not her... I can't believe she is talking to me... just smile, and agree, smile and agree")
Who knows taco, who knows. -
It's the pansy revolution. We're now being encouraged to cry, when in the past, we were told to not be a pansy and to suck it up. On a positive note though, Kimberly-Clarks stock is forecasted to skyrocket as a result of booming sales of Kleenex tissue. -
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Here, here. I totally agree. -
smartass lil devil
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Thank you taco
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My way or the highway usually means the highway. -
Work. Unless you take a day off like me.
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People need change. They get tired of the same o same o -
I think it's fine if someone says the discussions could get better. I couldn't believe how I was attacked a while back when I suggested people could try a little better to make the discussions interesting and intelligent. I think jumping on someone instead of upping the rhetorical quality is a sure formula for stagnation and lowering the level of the conversation. The secure response is to listen and maybe grow from criticism. The defensive response is to be catty and hurtful.-
Except, as someone pointed out to me when I questioned a certain type of thread earlier today, many people come here specifically for empty, lightweight banter to pass the time because they have plenty of more serious stuff in their offline lives. So my initial question remains--if someone wanders into a room, says, "Hm, all of the hundreds of people talking in here are too lightweight and boring for me--I'm not interested in a single thing any one of them is saying", does it make more sense to look for a more compatible crowd or to jump up on a table and start shouting that people should talk about something more interesting to you?
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I love cheesecake
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me too. mmmmm cheeeeesecake
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Ooohhh what about strawberries on top....yummy 2 my tummy
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Oh god... Ohhh yessssss that sounds sooo gooooood... Or cherries... oh god, ohhhh god thats sooooo gooood
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drizzled with raspberry sauce =) i want one!
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Ooooh guh hush ur mouth. I just had to make me a peanutbutter and hunny samich....I gotta sweet tooth after thinking bout cheese cake
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I know....dang I'm just gonna have to break down and make one before thanksgiving
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Why do people leave? Regular non-nefarious cycles of waning interest and sometimes a wee bit of drama.
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Of course the recipe swapping is not to believed. After all the heavy intellectual activity that most BC discussion participants engage in all day, is it any wonder that it's all they can do when they sit down to the computer but be silly? I know that always makes me feel better. That and making mud pies. I've got a great recipe...
I personally find a day in which I get to engage in lot's of mental challenges to be invigorating and I would suggest that if one's days are so stressful that the only relief at the end of them is to behave like a sophomore, perhaps there's something wrong with the way they handle pressure.
As for walking into a room 200 people and finding lots of them to be engaged in banal conversation, the law of averages says that indeed most will offer lackluster repartee at best. But if one sifts through the sands, there are bound to be a few gems. Rather like BC discussions, some of the participants are brilliant, some are attention starved and a little malicious, many are well meaning and are attempting to grow stronger in their communication skills. There are definitely a couple of participants who seem to be at a stage of arrested development most reminiscent of early puberty. One suspects that they have been reduced to acting out on the internet since their behavior in the real world of adults has left them shunned.-
And some, of course, are just straight up pompous asses.
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You are a fantastic writer! Nor do I think you're a pompous ass - I think you're just voicing your opinion!
I agree with what you said but can understand that some people are just "too tired" to carry on a stimulating conversation - that's fine, stick with the recipe swaps or whatnot.
I like to be stimulated (heh heh). Nonsensical discussions are fun, but so too are the debates that get the blood stirring and the intellect swarming. I don't like to sit in front of my computer and drool.
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Freedon and Democracy are maybe lacking here for people who have a different view what a blog community could be.
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People are leaving? Man I miss all the trends.-
You do appear to be catching the tail end of the great BC gnome-fest of 2009.
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BC isn't the only game in town, but it's sad to see people leaving for disgruntled reasons. -
I haven't noticed many leaving... but I have noticed many being asked to leave... hmmmm.... -
the people who leave on their own accord always come back -
We have lives, and we need to get livin 'em! -
busy and bored. -
hmmmm discussions from yesterday are locked, the TT discussion has vanished (talked to her last night by the way).... Heil Hitler! geez i guess it's discussions of pancakes and name games to keep the regime content. *sigh*
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sjtavo, I talked to TT also. I'm still in shock...Dan said on my discussion he is not working for BC anymore but he acts like a policeman.
I had writen a letter to webmaster asking to cancel my account after four freaks from BC sent me e-mails telling me I would be the next to be ban. After relaxing, I realized I must stay and let it be. What could I do to be ban? I have registered on your forum.
There are three women here who must have emotional problems because BC seems to be their life and they have been teasing me since I start to post on BC. I will change the way I reply their insults.
Have you noticed that there are a few people on BC who can do EVERYTHING and nothing happens to them. What is the secret? I'm very much curious.
They locked my discussion under the argument it became very inflamatory I supposed. -
I really don't take anyone's comments to heart - nor do I judge anyone here. I like to question the motivation behind responses and defend myself, but I certainly don't get emotional over this stuff.
Mostly I laugh. I laugh when someone is appalled at my promiscuity - it's as though they think I'm selling my tail on Cherry Avenue - I'm climbing the corporate ladder and have three college degrees - a stupid twit I'm not. Do I manipulate men? Yup. Do I really care what people think about it? No, but it does make for some stimulating conversation.
BC has been invaluable in increasing readership of my blog and I've been in contact with some fantastic members because of it - BC is not my life, I'd just like to see it become a center of Scintillating conversation.
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me too I am missing most of the old members -
BC been working for me very good -
I think scintillating conversation is the way to go- and amusing, provocative, interesting, stimulating...
As far as what used to be, I don't care, let's just move forward with the good stuff' TT was a bit of a control freak and it certainly is understandable that she might have had an ego clash with admin. She certainly seemed perky enough to organize her own blogger site and if she does maybe that will work out well for everyone.
And now for that scintillating stuff. -
I took a break for a while, and the reasons: Too much religious debates with no real consequence, a large amount of complete junk on the forums, too many topics that are completely incomprehensible due to bad English, and the amount of "that can't be discussed here, or this is in the wrong forum or this has been already talked about" -type of comments. (They annoy me even when they're not aimed to me.) Another thing, it seems it's hard to get your voice heard with all the noise here. While I enjoy nonsense and joking around as much as the next guy... The forum is quite badly structured and organised to make it possible to take part in the type of conversations that are of real value (and I'm not talking about blogging help -type of topics, who wants to talk about blogging all the time?)
All and all, I think there's just too many people on a badly managed and organised forum. -
I'm new to BC - less than a month, but mostly I like it. I agree that there are some negative forum politics, just as there are some boring discussions. There are interesting things going on as well.
If newer members don't get scared off - as in, I hope I never comment incorrectly!!! - the discussions will evolve (or devolve) - maybe even be scintillating. -
how to get back people? dig up their old posts for discussion! -
Discussion bullies? They have got them in schools and communities. They will have them in BC. Have had my share of experience but it did not stop me from blogging. It only made me find out how else I should find my way around in this blogosphere. Learn to switch off. I did not leave, in fact, I have written two posts praising the works of BC. We look up to BC not the bullies, if indeed there are any.
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