What I don't get is in nearly every forum in the universe there is threads which exist either for people to post because they appear to be addicted to it in some form or another "I just ate/drank/watched/cooked/read/made/met/brought on ebay/sold/lost/found/installed/given up on" type threads which do exactly what you expect - simple short pointless posts. However these threads are generally VERY easy to spot (They start the topic name with "I..." ) and can be ignored.

The help I've gotten here has been first rate, and I've even started working again on things I'd given up on in the past as I now feel more equipped to take on the problems I've encountered and that's partly because I believe I can rely on this site as a good strong resource.

As for people coming back after their problem has been fixed. Why would they unless they want to learn deeply about what they have just found out? With a car analogy I could have my dad fix my car, after he's fixed it I have two choices - Enjoy driving around happily as its no longer broken, or I can ask him to show me what he's done to fix it. While it would seem sensible to someone from the Linux universe to find out what went wrong and how to fix it you've got to remember that alot of "newbies" in the forums are exactly that, new to Linux and used to the ways of working of Windows, or other O/S's where generally the answer is just a click away online. If you don't like this fact you can either try and charge people for your help (which wont work, as everyone else is happy to help freely) or stop offering your help/limit helping only to where you feel it'd be appreciated/reprobated back to yourself.

While its true the site couldn't exist without the users, the users wouldn't be here without the site providing them with whatever it is that keeps them coming back. If that's social networking tools (and I don't get how the LQ spy can be called social networking - Maybe Web2.0?) then I don't have a problem with that _UNLESS_ its stops me doing something I previously was able to do. Last time I checked no one complains when extra tools are added to their Distribution UNLESS it breaks something - everyone is still free to not use them if they wish to.


Wow. I've written a large post, I hope it all makes sense and people understand the point I'm trying to make. I think some people may burn out because they try to keep up with too much stuff - I know I used to with many forums and the sheer number of threads would become unmanagable - but subscribing to threads seems to work really well on this site for me so thats the route i'm taking these days.

1 members found this post helpful.

If I recall correctly is was a thread making Digg, /. and a variety of other news sites at nearly the same time.

--jeremy

That's much appreciated. You keep participating and we'll do everything we can to make that participation rewarding and enjoyable.

--jeremy

Hi all,

I have to say that I do relate to syg00's view. Like syg00 I also feel that LQ has become more of a social network then a Linux Question board, especially the last couple years.

Tastes differ when it comes to the changes that were made and maybe that is all there is to it. I've managed to remove/hide some of the newly added parts I don't like/need/want, but other parts are still there and, at times, a personal annoyance.

I've taken several breaks from LQ over the last years, some lasting a few days others weeks and at various times in the last 2 years or so I have seriously considered quiting LQ altogether......

Up till now I do keep coming back. Helping others with linux related problems still has its appeal and being a member for 7 years also makes it harder to quit. But I do notice that I'm not checking the zero reply list as much as I used to and I'm also not answering questions as much as I did before.

Maybe LQ is loosing its appeal (for me), maybe its just a 7-year itch. I truly cannot tell which, but I do know I'm having the same doubts that syg00 has.

PS: I do love the lq-spy option

Well, then there you go, that's the definitive answer, LQ is going up not down.

Many thanks to Jeremy for continued excellent management of LQ. Long live the king

It's time to vent . i guess
it happens .

Poor choice of words on my part - I was fishing for an appropriate term, hence the quotes. Maybe "thrive" would have been better.
Apologies if I seemed to be imputing anything else.

Couldn't resist returning ... but it's likely to be intermittent.

That's good. Another successful sense-of-humour bypass operation. You don't HAVE to read anything in any forum that doesn't interest you.