[Tuoder]

I thought I remembered visiting the forum a while back and having a lot more posts to wade through. Are there any traffic stats anyone cares to share?

[mduell]

Quieter than ever... Alt OS forum isn't even a page, only a dozen active threads in the Lounge today, etc.

Quantcast confirms traffic is decreasing: forums.macnn.com Profile - Traffic Counts, Audience Segments, Demographics, Geographic Breakdowns

[besson3c]

We need a petition to force Abe to be crazy again.

[ghporter]

Nah, we just need more substance to discuss. It's been a slow summer already. The iPhone frenzy died off pretty fast for some reason, in spite of having a really interesting new product that should have generated tons of discussion and (yes) argument. Maybe when iPhone OS 4 hits the street we'll have more on that to discuss.

I think the Mac platform itself is at a plateau at the moment. We get faster, more capable machines with each refresh, but we haven't seen any new "killer apps" in a long time. The iPad will continue to be a niche product for a while, waiting for something beyond book reader apps and cool games, though it may take off as more people get a chance to play with it.

I fear that a lot of our biggest traffic generators have not been technological issues, but belligerent users. Abe's tirades, Kevin's rantings, etc., have made for a lot of visits. Not real "content" or "discussion," but lots of visits.

[Dork.]

Or maybe we need more dead celebrities to discuss. Who's next to kick off?

[imitchellg5]

Abe.

[Brien]

If you click 'All', it looks like visits are only about 1/5th of what they were in 2007.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Nah, we just need more substance to discuss.

I don't think that's the reason.

It's not like we had more substance in the past.

The forum just seems to have lost appeal, and it definitely lost some personalities.

-t

[Brien]

Well, not to mention the parent site (MacNN) has seen better days, viewership-wise.

[Spheric Harlot]

I don't visit anymore since they implemented those awful pop-up underlined-word ads.

****ing annoying.

Now that they've added that user-tracking service (Tyne or whatever it's called) when you copy text off it - bleh.

[AKcrab]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

I don't visit anymore since they implemented those awful pop-up underlined-word ads.

Is there any way to block those? I find those even MORE annoying than flash ads.

[Brien]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

I don't visit anymore since they implemented those awful pop-up underlined-word ads.

****ing annoying.

Now that they've added that user-tracking service (Tyne or whatever it's called) when you copy text off it - bleh.

Still better than when they tried putting them on the forums, too.

[scaught]

Originally Posted by AKcrab 

Is there any way to block those? I find those even MORE annoying than flash ads.

According to Gruber, add this to your hosts file: 127.0.0.1 tcr.tynt.com

Daring Fireball: Tynt, the Copy/Paste Jerks

He also links to a safari extension....

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

.

The forum just seems to have lost appeal, and it definitely lost some personalities.

-t

Though I think quite a few people were driven off by some 'personalities' who have been allowed to post inane threads and offensive passive-aggressive attacks. I certainly spend a lot less time on here because of Besson3c. The atmosphere sucks with him around.

[reader50]

You guys need to do more exciting things. So we'll have stuff to talk about.

When we were growing up, we used to talk about infiltrating the regimes of 3rd world countries, or embezzling from Mexican drug gangs. Then we could talk about our use of Macs along the way.

Oh wait, maybe I've just solved why a bunch of members vanished.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by scaught 

According to Gruber, add this to your hosts file: 127.0.0.1 tcr.tynt.com

Daring Fireball: Tynt, the Copy/Paste Jerks

He also links to a safari extension....

That's something different.

I was complaining about the Tynt thing - thanks for the update (I read the Gruber article before the extension was there).

The other thing I mentioned and that he's talking about is the ****wittage of pop-up ads when you mouse over words with double-underlines on MacNN and hundreds of other sites that don't want readers.

Viz: iPhone 4 orders start shipping, others get canceled | Electronista

Scroll over the word "Apple" in the first paragraph.

[AKcrab]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

The other thing I mentioned and that he's talking about is the ****wittage of pop-up ads when you mouse over words with double-underlines on MacNN and hundreds of other sites that don't want readers.

Yes, thanks Spheric. I can simply edit the copy/paste and go about my life. But the mouseover popups drive me batshit insane.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by AKcrab 

Yes, thanks Spheric. I can simply edit the copy/paste and go about my life.

The company tracks you.

[Spheric Harlot]

Okay.

1. Tynt.
The Tynt extension crashes Safari for me. Out with it, everything's fine again.

2. Pop-up ad crap
Mousing over one of them shows they're by Vibrant Media.
Googling that and Safari and deactivate turns up this post on macosxhints by our own chabig:

09-30-2009, 02:51 PM #4
chabig
MVP

Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,071
The Vibrant ads contain, within the pop-up, a feature to turn off the pop-ups. When a popup appears, click on the help question mark and a new window opens with help info. It contains an option to turn off the ads.

That appears to work.

[Kerrigan]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Though I think quite a few people were driven off by some 'personalities' who have been allowed to post inane threads and offensive passive-aggressive attacks. I certainly spend a lot less time on here because of Besson3c. The atmosphere sucks with him around.

I agree. Things got pretty weird during that episode involving him and wdlove, and I began to view the forum differently after that.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

I agree. Things got pretty weird during that episode involving him and wdlove, and I began to view the forum differently after that.

Surely you have me mistaken for somebody else. I have had no interesting history with wdlove whatsoever.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Surely you have me mistaken for somebody else. I have had no interesting history with wdlove whatsoever.

Say what? Weren't you the one who even got a temp ban for baiting him with this adoption story ?

-t

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

I have had no interesting history whatsoever.

This much, at least, is true.

[Kerrigan]

I believe he and cubeoid were, yeah.

I miss the old days when Salty was in the closet (and a homophobe, lol). Those threads were always entertaining.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Say what? Weren't you the one who even got a temp ban for baiting him with this adoption story ?

-t

He was going to adopt Cubeoid, I had nothing to do with his decision to do that. In fact, I encouraged Cubeoid to let him on that he wasn't serious, which he eventually did.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

This much, at least, is true.

There was this one time where I got my head stuck underneath the closet door in my fourth grade classroom... They had to get the janitor to come and unhinge the door. True story!

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

There was this one time where I got my head stuck underneath the closet door in my fourth grade classroom... They had to get the janitor to come and unhinge the door. True story!

That explains a lot.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

There was this one time where I got my head stuck underneath the closet door in my fourth grade classroom... They had to get the janitor to come and unhinge the door. True story!

And you learned a valuable lesson that day:
Sticking your head where it doesn't belong can get you into trouble.

[andi*pandi]

I think in general forum use is declining, as people adopt facebook and twitter. There's only so many places you can check and update and follow, really.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Brien 

If you click 'All', it looks like visits are only about 1/5th of what they were in 2007.

...and God knows people were saying MacNN was becoming a ghost of itself back then.

[MacNN is dying]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I think in general forum use is declining, as people adopt facebook and twitter. There's only so many places you can check and update and follow, really.

Maybe so... but dedicated web forums are still thriving. We all have friends and ppl we know, contacts etc via twitter et al, but there is still a strong market for specific information sites.

Unfortunately a few over zealous moderators and certain members acting like keyboard commandos killed what little community spirit was left at MacNN. Sad really.

[The Final Dakar]

Anonymous poster or previously banned?

[MacNN is dying]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Anonymous poster or previously banned?

Nice hook

[The Final Dakar]

wat

[MacNN is dying]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

wat

How did that make no sense?

[The Final Dakar]

Thanks to over/misuse of the winky emoticon I already have an instant dislike of you.

[MacNN is dying]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Thanks to over/misuse of the winky emoticon I already have an instant dislike of you.

Oh dear.

Funny how you didn't address the points in my original post and just replied with some nonsense about me being anonymous or previously banned.

Despite being a seasoned keyboard commando, i don't dislike you.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by MacNN is dying 

Oh dear.

Funny how you didn't address the points in my original post and just replied with some nonsense about me being anonymous or previously banned.

I didn't realize you stating your opinion merited addressing. Wouldn't "addressing" them be "keyboard commando" behavior? Anyway, I thought the opinion was fine as is.

Further, I didn't reply to you. That was more a general statement (or theory) made for the entire forum.

Originally Posted by MacNN is dying 

Despite being a seasoned keyboard commando, i don't dislike you.

Let me guess, you're one of those people who doesn't "dislike" anybody.

[MacNN is dying]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I didn't realize you stating your opinion merited addressing.

Thank you for showing first hand how some members on this forum have killed constructive discussion.

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Wouldn't "addressing" them be "keyboard commando" behavior? Anyway, I thought the opinion was fine as is.

Further, I didn't reply to you. That was more a general statement (or theory) made for the entire forum.

Granted, a double edged question can always provide cover to a response.

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Let me guess, you're one of those people who doesn't "dislike" anybody.

Not really. There are people I dislike, but to dislike someone for using a winking smiley is just preposterous.

[Big Mac]

I think you're taking the Forums way too seriously, friend.

[besson3c]

Is the participation at other Mac boards down as well?

As the Mac has gotten more mainstream, there have surely been more competitors established, and as OS X has matured there have been been fewer problems with it. A big percentage of our audience consists of experienced Mac users. The newbies either perhaps don't use forums in general, or maybe participate at a place like MacRumors that perhaps has done better with a less experienced audience.

I don't read the parent MacNN site because I find Mac news in general extremely boring. Maybe as OS X has become more established the news has gotten more boring too?

[besson3c]

MacNN also seems to be sort of in between the uber geeky ArsTechnica crowd and the newbie MacRumors crowd. Maybe it is best to sort of focus on one or the other? I think a place like Ars really has the geeky crowd pretty well wrapped up, and I'm sure it is fairly small anyway.

[The Final Dakar]

Without trying to insult the owners and administrators (and being too damned obvious), I imagine the big problem is the "birthrate" is declining. We're losing members faster than we gain them, and I'd posit that's mostly from MacNN not being all that famous as a news site (IMO) and partly because the social landscape may have changed how/when people use of forums.

[SpaceMonkey]

Show of hands of active forum members who actually read the MacNN news pages? Not me.

[The Final Dakar]

Probably not regularly since 2005. And I know there was a point in 07 or 08 where someone mentioned it and I was flabbergasted as I had completely forgot this was a news site.

[besson3c]

Maybe MacNN needs to think about reinventing itself, not just in terms of rethinking its audience, but rethinking the nature of its content?

Last I checked MacNN would carry stories along the lines of "____ now offers new iPod carrying cases" and news about other Mac related products and software updates and stuff? No offense, but this is incredibly dull, especially as the Mac has gotten more mainstream.

Maybe it would be better to focus on industry news such as how Macs are being used to do cool stuff - where and how they are being used and by whom? As long as this didn't turn into a Mac cheerleader thing this could be interesting. A source of information as to *how* to do some of these things couldn't hurt either. Any information that people might Google for while trying to scratch an itch where they discover MacNN in the process is a net win, even if this was just an aggregate to other stories.

[MacNN is dying]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I didn't realize you stating your opinion merited addressing. Wouldn't "addressing" them be "keyboard commando" behavior? Anyway, I thought the opinion was fine as is.

Further, I didn't reply to you. That was more a general statement (or theory) made for the entire forum.

Let me guess, you're one of those people who doesn't "dislike" anybody.

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

I think you're taking the Forums way too seriously, friend.

I hear ya Mac... Keep the faith.

[The Final Dakar]

The obvious answer is this place needs to steal an Apple prototype.

[SpaceMonkey]

Or at least pretend that they did, in sort of a "Wag the Dog" way.

[besson3c]

It probably wouldn't hurt if that Apple prototype happened to have a little child porn on it, huh?