Just thee and me now then is it?

Well Cyfrifia it looks like it's the end of the road for this forum doesn't it. The last time Hinch asked for donations to help out I did so - and wouldn't be averse at continuing such if I thought the forum might somehow become more active. But it looks as if the others have found more lucrative outlets for their brain food. Ah well!

It is a bit quiet.

Oh God. I really will have to start posting. I've fallen into the Facebook trap.

Facebook is for people with too much time on their hands. You never struck me as 'one of 'them''.

Facebook's more convenient. There's more going on. I can take part in discussions, check in on what others are doing, and all just seems a bit easier

Too public for my liking. I prefer small but cozy.

A smaller audience. I have a Facebook page (in fact 2) but I rarely visit unless one of my relations needs to contact me for family etc etc. I'm notified if my presence is requested.
Probably the same reason I won't have a mobile phone or tablet or whatever is the latest 'must have'.
I'm funny that way.
One reason why my books only sell slowly but regular - - or is it? Hmmm - - - ?

The problem with small and cozy is that it's easier to get 2 or 3 personalities dominating discussions. Often I can't be bothered continuing discussions ad infinitum when the main points have been made and someone justs keep coming back with endless points.

Yes. True enough. I suppose it's a question of individual taste.
I don't spend much time on the computer, an hour a day perhaps, as I have many other things that keep me occupied and therefore wouldn't want to get 'drawn-in' to a larger audience or the resulting discussion which I have to say I would feel duty bound to enter into. Small suits my life style. I have no real hankerings to be 'known' or 'famous' and therefore don't wish to put it out there in the first place. I'm funny that way.

I guess the RO forum had enough users and posters to avoid people dominating but it also had the rest of the site to entice people in as well.

The problem with this sort of 'old fashioned' forum is the kind of people that use it. Tends to be more thoughtful and sensible people, so when people look to see what's being said, they just think, "Well, that seems to an entirely sensible point of view, quite right, nothing to disagree with there.", and on they go.

Or, alternatively, some views are so different people think, 'I'm not going to go there, I wouldn't know where to start and I can't be bothered'!

I along with Hinch, admit to have having succumbed to posting on Facebook sites.  Not because they are better, far from it because I agree that the posts on here are usually far more measured.  The lure for me is that the responses are instant, it is rather frustrating to post something and then have to wait (possibly for a day or two in light of the limited number of members on here these days) to see any response.

Perhaps there is something in the idea of using a small local forum rather than huge multi-million dollar organisations like facebook or twitter. Yes, this is much slower here at  the moment, because of the choices people make. If more people used this sort of forum, there would be quicker responses. It's down to customer choice.

Those individual choices add up to how things work, if people want instant convenient food, the place becomes covered with takeaways, if they want local organic vegetables, there will be greengrocer shops, sort of thing.