Lack of activity on the forum

[peach2218]

I know that forums are mainly a thing of the early internet, but I have no idea why. I’ve been around since somewhere around 2008 and this is still the best platform I’ve ever found for fetish discussion. 
 

It seems like the forum is well past its prime in terms of engagement, and that’s depressing. There used to be several new posts per day, and that’s declined. There’s nowhere else that I’ve found that is nearly as good for sharing obs and discussing the fetish. Do people just not know about this page anymore? Or have they all moved to other platforms? 

[webmeistro]

I think it's mostly because of the alternatives present today. Way back in '04 or '05, I would come in and read the posts, then go to Bondi's WAV Page in hopes of new WAVs, then head over to the chatroom, hang out and chat. Sometimes I'd start talking in private with someone, and once in a blue moon we would head off to a terrible video chat site like Tinychat for a bit of naughtiness.

Nowadays the posts are still there, but people go to Youtube for material, or buy it from places like Onlyfans. The live chat has moved to Discord, while the hookups are... um... does anyone know where the sneezy hookups all went? I'm asking for a friend.

[LapidotLover22]

I've mostly come here for reading material (since 2015). Anyone know where that's happening? Is it Tumblr? I feel like it's Tumblr.

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

2 minutes ago, LapidotLover22 said:

I've mostly come here for reading material (since 2015). Anyone know where that's happening? Is it Tumblr? I feel like it's Tumblr.

it's tumblr

[Chanel_no5]

Well, members need to engage too, many new posts made don't get any replies, or they get really short replies that you can't really get a discussion going from. And often there's someone who just has to butt in to make a semi-creepy comment about something you weren't even touching on in your post. And when you post fics/art/wavs, there's very little feedback, many comments are about "can't wait for next part" or "for your next, can you do this and this?" instead of focusing on the thing that the person just created and went out of their way to show you. It's great that people liked it and want more, don't get me wrong, but when you just created something, you want to talk about that, not what you may or may not make in the future. Edited to add: I don't mean that all commenters just demand more, there are very lovely comments too, but that's a thing that can be a bit disheartening when you put in effort and all people care about is what you can do next. 

I'm guilty of not engaging too, especially lately, but these are some points that I've been thinking about.

I definitely prefer the forum format over Tumblr's format and I'm not leaving the forum (I still have friends here that I treasure and want to talk to, who won't go elsewhere), but right this moment I'm having more fulfilling conversations and feedback at Tumblr than here. 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Chanel_no5

[sneezysunshine]

10 hours ago, •.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.• said:

it's tumblr

I find Tumblr to be a bit hard to navigate sometimes, like there is SO much stuff and it's hard to find it if you don't already have authors or people that you follow (which I don't feel like I do, at least not enough). I at least feel like I'm a bit... on the side of that community?? If that makes sense. Like, I find it hard to interact with people. I find that easier here, but then I have also only been on the forum for a couple of months so maybe I'm not the best judge. 

[jano]

42 minutes ago, sneezysunshine said:

I at least feel like I'm a bit... on the side of that community?? If that makes sense. Like, I find it hard to interact with people. I find that easier here, but then I have also only been on the forum for a couple of months so maybe I'm not the best judge

As someone who's been on and off this forum for quite a few years, I feel the same way about Tumblr. Forums encourage drive-by discussions that are viewable to anyone using the site, while Tumblr conversations are limited to someone's post hosted on their blog, which you must look for yourself in order to get similar posts on your feed. On top of that, the proximity to non-fetish blogs always made me feel way too shy to do anything other than quietly read posts. I greatly enjoy the security of this forum.

I do see how that can foster more chatter on Tumblr, I also have observed the same thing Chanel_no5 has where fic discussion is far more robust there. That's because people who are interested in your fic's content will be the first ones to see it on Tumblr, rather than displayed for a big pool of people who aren't looking for what you are posting. That kind of steady feedback is really nice. The laid back nature of making a Tumblr post over a forum post can also be enciting to some, I do like reading people's random sneeze related thoughts.

For video/wav content, Youtube's algorithm these days has lead me to so many channels who post their own sneeze content, who don't seem to have any other presence aside from chatting apps. Back in the day (and not as old as other users as I only started lurking in the 2010's) I found almost all my favorite audio content on this site or Bondi's. Now, I can just use the Youtube search with filters...

I am not as active as I'd like to be on here, but I'd like to throw my hat into the ring of saying I still prefer forums over social media. But when I see threads like this, it inspires me to get my writing pen out again 

[peach2218]

2 hours ago, sneezysunshine said:

I find Tumblr to be a bit hard to navigate sometimes, like there is SO much stuff and it's hard to find it if you don't already have authors or people that you follow (which I don't feel like I do, at least not enough). I at least feel like I'm a bit... on the side of that community?? If that makes sense. Like, I find it hard to interact with people. I find that easier here, but then I have also only been on the forum for a couple of months so maybe I'm not the best judge. 

I never figured out how to use Tumblr so maybe that’s my problem. But I’m not really in to fics, mainly obs and discussions like we have here on the forum. 
 

I tried to get in to Tumblr in like, 2015 ish, but the content in general wasn’t my thing and it felt like it was meant for a younger crowd, even though I was 18-19 by that point. 

[iojo]

I want to reply to this but I don't have the facilities atm so I'm writing to hopefully remind myself when I come back 

[Likesn]

I can only speak for myself, but here goes:

Adulting can be really time consuming. When I have enough time to engage in fetish-related activities, this forum would be my go-to place. Different people use the forum for different things. In my case, it's either trying to find content, commenting on content that I like or (if I have some spare time) create some content that I enjoy and hope others will too. Discussions have never been a priority to me, but if I see one that I'm interested in (like this one) I'd probably engage. Other platforms (such as Tumblr) satisfy specific needs that I have, but there is no place like the forum when it comes to sneezing fetish, at least no for me. As a verbal person who writes stories whenever he can, verbal feedback is important to me. When I write a story, I'd like people to tell me what they liked about it and what their general thoughts about it were. You can't really get that on Tumblr, at least from my experience. That's one reason why I prefer to write my stories here. Another reason is that the forum is much easier to navigate than places like Tumblr. Furthermore, since the forum is dedicated to the fetish it's easier to stay on topic (which is what I'm looking for). When I'm on the forum I know I'll most likely find what I'm looking for, without having to go through a lot of stuff that are unrelated or that I really don't want to see. There's also a stronger sense of community here than in places like Tumblr.

Again, this is just my personal opinion.

[Guest]

Honestly technology and attitudes have just moved on.

This is still a great resource for people who are discovering the fetish/kink, and there are many positives to this commity existing, including those posted in this thread already.

But web forums are more than a generation out of date as a medium now. This forum's approach to preventing minors or other vulnerable people from being preyed upon is very poor when compared to a lot of readily available alternatives. And the sheer ease of finding sneeze content without ever visiting this site robs it of a lot if its purpose.

I only visit out of nostalgia really. All my actual engagement with fellow kinksters is 100% divorced from this site and I've spoken to more than one person who has never had an account.

ETA plus you don't need to wait months to be validated to access Tumblr, Discord, or OnlyFans.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Shining Light

[peach2218]

2 hours ago, Shining Light said:

 

ETA plus you don't need to wait months to be validated to access Tumblr, Discord, or OnlyFans.

The validation process does suck. 

[aggedy_ann]

A lot of what @Chanel_no5 said.   Posts either have responses that don’t lead to further engagement or they barely get a glance at all.  
 

I will admit I’m also guilty of participating less recently.   My engagement varies depending on what is going on in my life outside of here.   
 

I’ve tried tumblr, and I’m going to keep trying it but I just don’t “get” it.   
 

Maybe I’m too old for something new and that’s why I keep sticking here. 

[NoV]

I suppose a lot is down to whether people see the forum as a source of content or as a community. Increasingly, I feel people have been using the forum like YouTube or other sites hosting fetish material - a sort of smash and grab approach of getting hold of sneezy content without commenting or contributing. In the early days it seemed as if there were far fewer of us and so building a community to interact with other fetishists seemed an exciting and important thing. The growth of the internet and exposure of sneezing as a fetish has now led many of us to realise that there are actually quite a number of us out there, and consequently the vast growth in availability of content has led to people feeling it is less essential to foster a close-knit band who can alert each other to what was available.

The fact that Bondi's Wav page was pretty much the only source of sneeze wavs available when I first started interacting with the community shows just how much things have changed in such a short time! 

[Mygyn]

🫣 I have like 2 threads i follow and have conversation on. 😅. I just don’t have a ton of band width to comment on all the things 😅 

 

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

6 hours ago, Mygyn said:

🫣 I have like 2 threads i follow and have conversation on. 😅. I just don’t have a ton of band width to comment on all the things 😅 

 

Pretty much this for me, too: I just don’t have the spoons these days to participate the way I’d like to. But I do read many threads, and I appreciate everyone who participates in them, even when I can’t say so!

[Inducer]

I lurked on this forum for a few years, before finally creating an account...  But, I'm of an age that this type of forum is a format that I grew up with.  I do like that this is a private space for a specific purpose.  I have a hard time adjusting to new platforms, and I'll admit that after reading this thread, went to check out Tumblr for the very first time.  It's ok...  but I really prefer the dedicated nature of this site.

However, it does seem like people are more just searching for content and less inclined to engage in conversation--but I don't think that is a problem specific to this forum.  I think its just how disconnected the internet has made us...  ironically.  I would love to see more engagement here, am I'm trying to contribute when I can.  But, also, the amount of time and energy I have for such things varies beause of real adult life.

[Bondi]

On 11/25/2023 at 3:24 PM, peach2218 said:

The validation process does suck. 

I was on staff at the time this policy went into effect and at the time we had very good reasons for implementing it. That said, it's been over 17 years now, and sometimes it's good to reevaluate policies from time to time rather than sticking to the same ones we've always had. Asking is this effective vs. what are the drawbacks of it? It does seem to cause a lot of friction and frustration for newer members who do want to engage with others here and then a lot of them just give up and leave, thus we don't get as many new people to keep the community going and replace the older ones who just disappear. If it's something that some people feel absolutely has to stay in place, then could there be discussions on a better way of implementing it?

Obviously, this is not the sole factor for the forum not being as active as it used to be and there are a lot of other factors in place, as those mentioned in this thread, but it is a contributing factor, one in which something could be done about. 

[peach2218]

14 hours ago, Bondi said:

I was on staff at the time this policy went into effect and at the time we had very good reasons for implementing it. That said, it's been over 17 years now, and sometimes it's good to reevaluate policies from time to time rather than sticking to the same ones we've always had. Asking is this effective vs. what are the drawbacks of it? It does seem to cause a lot of friction and frustration for newer members who do want to engage with others here and then a lot of them just give up and leave, thus we don't get as many new people to keep the community going and replace the older ones who just disappear. If it's something that some people feel absolutely has to stay in place, then could there be discussions on a better way of implementing it?

Obviously, this is not the sole factor for the forum not being as active as it used to be and there are a lot of other factors in place, as those mentioned in this thread, but it is a contributing factor, one in which something could be done about. 

Oh man, I hope you don’t take what I said personally! This forum wouldn’t be what it is without you, and you have done a fantastic job of helping to establish this community. 
 

 I do think that there has to be some form of validation just to keep our community safe, but it is pretty frustrating to have to wait for so long for validation. Of course the mods and admins have better things to do than sitting around all day validating the occasional straggler who wants to post, so they aren’t at all to blame. 
I’m not really sure what the answer would be here. 😕

[Bondi]

@peach2218

No, I don't take it personally at all. My point was that at one time the validating process was very necessary and done for a good reason, but right now with circumstances being what they are I also understand that the frustration of some newer members that would like to interact with the community at large through the forum. I'm not sure I have any concrete solutions at this time but do feel that such a situation could warrant reevaluating current processes and having discussions as to how it could maybe be done better. Just a suggestion, of course. But I didn't take any offense, don't worry.

[Inducer]

14 hours ago, Bondi said:

I was on staff at the time this policy went into effect and at the time we had very good reasons for implementing it. That said, it's been over 17 years now, and sometimes it's good to reevaluate policies from time to time rather than sticking to the same ones we've always had. Asking is this effective vs. what are the drawbacks of it? It does seem to cause a lot of friction and frustration for newer members who do want to engage with others here and then a lot of them just give up and leave, thus we don't get as many new people to keep the community going and replace the older ones who just disappear. If it's something that some people feel absolutely has to stay in place, then could there be discussions on a better way of implementing it?

Obviously, this is not the sole factor for the forum not being as active as it used to be and there are a lot of other factors in place, as those mentioned in this thread, but it is a contributing factor, one in which something could be done about. 

Thank you for your input and perspective on this!  As someone who is currently suffering through the process of validation, I absolutely think the policy does discourage some members.  On the other hand, I'm sure it does some good too.  I appreciate the efforts that have been taken to make this a safe forum, even if it is a bit cumbersome and outdated.  I've been part of some organizations that have fallen apart and disbanded because they weren't able to adapt, modernize and attract new/younger members, and online groups are particularly dependent on the ability to adapt to new members/technology/platforms.  This is such a great community and hopefully we can figure out how to bring it back to it's full potential!

[Chiguy]

I don’t want to reveal too much internal discussion, but we did recently debate the number of posts necessary for validation. The thinking is 50 remains a good number to give us a sense of who people are, and their intentions. 

Part of what members don’t see is how much our process does shield you from the “awkward squad” who come on too strong, and who drift away because they don’t become full members. There’s also many sketchy non-fetishists who want to prey on the community. It’s not a perfect process, but this a generally safe place for the Internet. This is also a welcoming place not dominated by an insider clique.

So, I did laugh at the comment suggesting we’re not protecting the community. And I also note for that person, minors are not supposed to be here. End of story. Again, you’d be surprised how many underage applicants get screened out.  We also don’t allow underage content to be posted on this site, and are vigilant about enforcement.  We may have issues, but that’s not one.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Chiguy

[Plop68]

For me it is very discouraging I can’t access many features because I have only half the required amount of posts.  It is hard to create meaningful posts that I am happy with.

[gingerdean]

I still lurk here from time to time. But life is hectic and I have very little private time, so I've otherwise disengaged, indefinitely.  I've never really moved on to anywhere else. Discord didnt hold my interest for long, and I've never figured out how to easily search reading material on Tumblr. The format here is great in my opinion, but I'm old school, lol.  If something works well for me, I see no need to move on 😅 Other than that, I stay in touch with people that I've befriend here in other ways. 

[Guest]

Yeah, for all I said that the forum is poor for protecting people, the existence of a validation process in general is a good thing even if it's poorly implemented nowadays due to lack of staff. You do get creeps on Tumblr and Kik, and some Discord servers are a nightmare.