RE: Are all RC forum's activity in decline?
I'll continue to read the rest of this thread as right now I'm only on page 2 and have to agree with a lot of what has been said so far.
With loading errors from links to threads that I've subscribed to up to the very slow loading of any link in the forums, that alone wants to make me not read or post as often as I used to. The majority of my post count was when I was a boating forums Mod here but have greatly declined the past year or so. It's not just this site with loading issues but have also noticed this on another Internet Brands RC forum site, RC Tech which is actually worse than this one! I use Google Chrome (which I'm on at the moment) as my normal ISP AOL takes forever to load this site or move around in here.
Most thread starters are new members of this site. Marc, are you seeing a decline in the numbers or are we reaching a zenith?
The moderation here lately hasn't been the best to be brutally honest. I report something and it takes days to see any correction or moderation done. I have a lot of members wishing that I was back controlling the boat forums but I just about lived on this site and not getting anything else done in my life.
RCG's moderation isn't any better by a long shot. A new member accidentally posts in the wrong forum and is attacked like a pack of rabid wolves.
I'm a member of maybe at least a dozen other forum sites and have seen a decline in members and the number of postings so this place isn't the only one.
New products in at least my part of the hobby aren't coming out like they used to so there really isn't that much to discuss.
Yes, the economy sucks. With travel expenses from gas to motel rooms to food it makes it harder for anyone who doesn't have a big disposable income to attend events. Trade shows like Toledo have seen less people in attendance the past few years. It used to be like trying to get to the stage at a rock concert elbowing your way through, not anymore.
[Update]
Seeing how I'm a boat guy mostly but do dabble in planes and heli's the biggest problem that I ran into while working as a Mod here was that this site seemed to be a joke from what I'd see on the other sites. These comments seemed to come from those who were more jaded and didn't remember that at one time that they were also new to RC. We seemed to take them in and help them where on those other sites they would get laughed out of them. I'm no pro but have enough experience under my belt to help out when and where I could. It's the members who can make or break a site or can help to form it into what it should or can be.