Chipping in my two penn'orth on this...

The answer is probably yes, PM is in terminal decline. It isn't alone. I am or have been responsible or shared responsibility for a number of Internet forums and every single one of them has seen an exponential decay in participation. In some cases we've come to an amicable agreement that the forum has fulfilled a valuable function but that its time has been and gone and we really ought to lay it down and move on. In other cases (I'm thinking of one particular non-technical Usenet newsgroup in the .uk domain) we have noted the decline but have decided that that it still fulfils a valuable function and because thise of us left like it that way, have formed a useful network in the real world, seek help when in trouble, attend each others weddings and funerals, stay with each other when we travel around Europe. and have no appetite for That Other Place which has sucked so many of our friends out of the comfortable places on the 'net into the void, Inevitably some of us feel we have to maintain a presence in the void tyo keep in touch while others flatly refuse to go there. We like it where we are, unencumbered by advertising, pictures of kittens or the banalities of pre-pubescent celebrities. Most of use were early Usenet adopters and inevitably we're getting on in years.

I may only be a humble acolyte – actually I'm a Quaker so have no use for such tags in principle – but I have been lurking for eight years now. Well, not just lurking, I have learnt a lot for being here and it's only recently that I've made up my mind to hang around a while. I have seldom if ever sought Perl Wisdom explicitly and I haven't dared to write a node but I have judiciously used the search facility to solve problems I've encountered. As others have said, most of the best questions have already been asked and answered. But I still think PM is a cool place to spend time. I like its quirkiness, something I'd be very sad to see die.

With my Quaker hat on, I say don't rush into anything. I counsel careful, monkish reflection on what value the Monastery still has.

In reply to Re: Terminal decline? by Enitharmon
in thread Terminal decline? by BrowserUk

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