Why is there so little recent and new topics on ATS anymore?

Just an observation on my part.. It seems things started slowing down after the Snowden revelations about NSA having everything you have ever posted or sent via email locked away someplace for a Snoopy day. I noticed a progressive tenancy for comments in threads to be reduced by some significant number across the board..

Used to be people would comment just to comment in a thread that interested them. Now there are more drive by flagging and stars without comment.. I am guilty of that myself and spend as much time flagging and staring things as I do replying. Also I tend to post things that teach me something or make me consider a different thought on a subject; sometimes just something I find interesting. I am not a researcher other than living a long life... So as anyone I can certainly be fooled on a subject.. If I were you I would not be concerned with trolls or shrills or whatever... If something interest you then go for it... If you catch a bunch of flak then you just might be over the target... Either way you brought something up that might be of interest to someone besides yourself.. There are great people here and conversely some that no matter what you post will try to divert or detract from the subject. What difference does it make ? Kinda like leading a horse to water; you can not make him drink unless he wants to... I found if you run them (a horse) for awhile they will drink.

originally posted by: FlyersFan
Lovely. If it's so dang bad .. then nothing is keeping you here.

I sharn't be scared away so easily.

Sometimes there just isn't a lot of news. I'm also afraid with all the posting rules, there is a bit of a learning curve to properly post a news article. I do not remember everything that needs to be done. It takes a good deal of effort and by the time you figure it all out, the story has likely already been posted or been reported on. If others feel this is a major issue, maybe we should have a practice news forum so that everyone learns the ropes on posting pictures, properly quoting good sources, referencing other online sources, or whatever else they want to add such as embedding pictures. I screwed up the first time I tried to do certain things and had to edit my posts. Maybe there is a practice forum on here already and I missed it. I do not visit this site every day.

As with any online site, it evolves and changes all the time.

I believe several people have commented on the change of seasons and how it has an effect on here. Being a long term member yourself, you should see this too. I've noted that summer time here in the northern hemisphere results in many more short, less quality threads, where as cooler weather results in much longer thread creations.

I also think that what is going on in the world helps drive what we see here at ATS. When I first joined at the very beginning of 2012, this place was jumping quite a bit. You had the US presidential election going on and of course the year 2012 was suppose to be, well, "The End" according to a lot of people.

After 2012, I noticed a significant drop in a lot of thread producers, especially the end of the world crowd. Some moved on to other subjects (Chemtrails, Cropcircles, etc). Others just went away and do not post on here anymore.

Towards the end of 2013, we had a big increase in the amount of comet ISON threads, and when it died, so did many of those threads.

There has always been partisan threads on here, but of late you have threads that mostly are all hate: Right attacking the Left. Left attacking the Right, which almost all drivel down in to name calling.

Global Warming threads. Majority of these threads now a days are nothing more than attack threads: People attacking the AGW crowd. People attacking the skeptics. Both with lots of name calling and insults, and every thread boils down to a "Yes it is!", "No it isn't!" flavor. Get's a bit boring after a while.

Because ATS is user content driven, and because people come and go, interests change, we see that reflected directly on here.

If I create a thread, I try to pick a topic that interests me. I don't parrot news items too much as I know there are plenty of people on here that will do that. But when I do create a thread, I normally want to create a quality thread which takes time to do right.

Most times I've been seeing the: Post a YouTube video and then a single line of "What do you think?". Hate threads like that because I may not have the time or the ability to watch said YouTube video.

Whether you stay or go is up to you. The only thing I can ensure to you is that ATS will continue to change and other people on here come and go. Whether it changes back to something you like, or further becomes a place you don't like is something only you can decide.

One of the biggest reasons I contribute very little anymore is because I have found that a moderate voice gets ignored. The only way to spark discussion is to polarize to one end of the spectrum or the other, and that's with all the forum's, politics, ufo's, philosophy etc. I have found my own posting style getting more abrasive just to get a response, which I don't like, so I keep to myself and look for the occasional gem which is getting fewer and far between.

originally posted by: ~Lucidity
I agree that this place used to be a lot more cutting edge, polite, accepting, and just...well...different. Now its becoming overwhelmingly hostile, predictable, repetative, and mundane, and what I dislike most about this is my reaction to it. Maybe this is ignorant, but I blame the "FaceBookification" of ATS, at least in part.

Absolutely spot on... that and it now being mostly a political site.
A vast majority of threads on here are political and the conspiracy/paranormal stuff has all but died out.
ATS made a calculated move to attract more members because more members means more money.
The quality of posts and topics has literally no bearing on the financial side at all, because people just spend all their time arguing politics, religion, homosexuality and whatever else is front page on ATS and every time one fantastic, insightful member leave, five more members join, so it really doesn't matter to ATS as a business.

The site is literally unrecognisable from the one I first lurked on and then joined some 6 years ago.

As someone said, all of the best posters left, all of the FSME have gone, all of those with something REAL and intersting to say were either banned, quit, were bullied away or just had enough... and we're left with just egotistical posters clamouring for flags and stars or the lowest common denominator, making divisive, offensive and sensational threads for no reason other than to antagonize.

There are some quality members and posters here, but they are getting less and less all the time.

originally posted by: logicequals

The Mod's are not GOD's why do you kiss their butt ox? a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

This is the reason I never contribute my own threads.

When did saying "because of the high standards of the moderators" start to mean you worship someone as a God!

This kind of post gets stars, pointless responses that did not even have an understanding of what was said. Most of the time derogatory one liners, disrespect and personal attacks.

I think people are not contributing anymore because of constant abuse and no moderators can keep up with the amount of it now.

I actually noticed a major decline in activity and, perhaps quality, after Bama's failed war push with Syria. After that, it seems things majorly slowed down, and it doesnt seem like they have picked up again.

originally posted by: Char-Lee

This is the reason I never contribute my own threads.

When did saying "because of the high standards of the moderators" start to mean you worship someone as a God!

This kind of post gets stars, pointless responses that did not even have an understanding of what was said. Most of the time derogatory one liners, disrespect and personal attacks.

I think people are not contributing anymore because of constant abuse and no moderators can keep up with the amount of it now.

I think the first part of the bold is correct, but not the second part.

I have reported numerous posts over the last couple years, with the reason being that those posts were harassing, trolling, baiting, and condescending towards the OP, and posted solely to make the OP feel bad, and get others to hop in and start bashing the OP as well.

These threads were those "fringe" topics talked about in the OP.

And guess how many of those posts, designed only to make fun of the OP, make them feel bad, and shut down any meaningful conversation, were removed?

Very, very few. Almost none, that I can recall. Maybe 1 in 10?

So yes, there is constant abuse of posters who deviate from the norm. That is ATS now; it has gone mainstream. But no, the moderators are not overloaded... they choose what to remove, and what not to remove. Im sure everyone has noticed how exceptionally fast forbidden topics are deleted without fail... yeah, there is no shortage of mods, and no overloading of mod capacity. Reported posts are read very quickly.

The abuse is allowed, is what it comes down to. And by not removing the abuse, the mods and admins give their tacit approval to it.

Several indicators of problems other than what been noted....


You will see a person make a post that gets no star response. Another better known poster comes in just a few posts later and says basically the same thing and gets all stared up. This certainly does not go unnoticed by the first poster who then sees the whole thing as a popularity deal. As well I have seen rather trite threads on a topic get all flagged and started up by a famous poster but you just have to wonder where all these lovers are when some unknown poster makes a good thread in the same field. No one is going to stay around if only several posters are recognized for contributions in a field. That's our responsibility.

Many of the better informative post on topics that are not sensational for one reason or another end up being discussions between several people. Now this is not a bad thing but it seems to show the low number of well rounded informative posters and eclectic types in here anymore. That could certainly be our fault. I don't see where that's managements responsibility.

originally posted by: Logarock
Several indicators of problems other than what been noted....


You will see a person make a post that gets no star response. Another better known poster comes in just a few posts later and says basically the same thing and gets all stared up.

I have noticed the "groupie" problem as well.

It seems some people, no matter how trite and banal their postings, get mammoth numbers of stars and flags, for little discernible reason other than their name.

They have groupies....

It is difficult to post and discuss a wide rage of topics in a forum where groups leaning to one ideological spectrum or another come out of the woodwork to both attack the topic and the members who post it, or post in ways contrary to their own skewed perspectives. People are more interested in drowning out the voices, opinions, and perspectives of others by attacking and derailing civil discussion than actually confronting the topic itself.

Sometimes you find a thread here that has many flags and stars and not much discussion, why?

Afraid to jump in?... Why?

It's just another of many signs of the times and the new reality we are currently in.

The silence is deafening...

What can ATS do?

Short of allowing members to remove the gloves and fight back against it... Nothing!

a reply to: CaticusMaximus

I am serious when I say this. It looks like the old admonition to deny ignorance is coming back around. There were calls a few years back on a regular basis to avoid the left/right ditch in the face of an ever widening chasm.

But of late there has been enough evidence in the news that defenders of the left/right points have been tooled once again. Its clear more than ever that much of whet goes on has zip to do with the paradigms.

Many of the news outlets do not source here anymore. There have been many advancments in tech and offshoots of this site that lead the main news gathering crowd away from here because of the regular folk here. Does anyone remember that other site the owners came up with? That along with the new site layout with search function being basicaly hidden and alert nodes basically gone. People do not like much change.

One way to look at it is all of the cool mind blowing topics have been covered already and now all that's left is to cover news and current events. There are new discoveries and still new things to discuss but not on a daily basis. I too have noticed that ATS has lost its edge for the time being, that's why I try to post topics that make people think but it's not always easy. The old guard seems to have left so now it's up to the newer members to make ATS into the type of place we want it to be.

You get out of it what you put into it...........

Because the 2012 hysteria has ended.

Yikes OP.. You hit on a real issue!

As someone who personally conrtibuted as many as 10 or more threads a day frequently before, I suppose I'm part of this problem, to be honest. Not a big one, as no one person can be here...but every one adds to it.

In my case, it's real life intruding and just raining all over my writing parade. I know a couple others who were in the top rungs of the old 'WATS' list that have similar things that have come up in their lives. We've discussed it a bit in U2U.

Collectively, I'm afraid it does make a big glaring hole for what was there and isn't now...without necessarily being obvious for who or why. It's just not there.


@ Thread

I'd say anyone who sees a nifty, neat or just ATS worthy story ought to take a chance, spend a few moments and throw it up for all to enjoy as much. Anything new or neat in the natural world? Space? UFO day was just a few days ago.... What happened for it? Anything especially cool?

Sadly..and again, to thy ownself be true...politics has so overwhelmed everything, in all areas of life, that it's a challenge to recall there really is a whole interesting world beyond rights, lefts and votes to nowhere.

So contribute! Share! write some new copy for us all to 'ohhhhhhh' and 'ahhhhhh' over. (and if you spot a duplicate..REPORT IT please! We don't see everything but even staff threads get trashed on dupe issues. Ask me. I have more than one thread in the dumpster because I missed an earlier one covering it.)

I think there are a couple of reasons.

As someone else said summer time, family fun time might be keeping people away. Also the ads are very intrusive and annoying, they keep a lot of people away and will likely continue to do so.

But I think the main reason really is that the threads seem to only invite the opposite of what the op intends. It is true that all members should be able to jump onto any thread and debate, but someone will spend their time putting together a great thread just to have people come in and say they are wrong, but in a more argumentative and downright nasty manner. This happens in politics, religion, conspiracies, ghosts etc... people are getting really nasty. Who wants to put together a great thread just to have people treat them like crap over it? Debating is great, but you can not debate with a... NO, or a "you are dumb" etc...


Also being that this is a conspiracy site that has apparently disallowed the use of many of the conspiratorial news sites, etc... Less things can be shared and debated about on here.

originally posted by: MichiganSwampBuck

My question: What has happened to make it so lame here on ATS lately?

There are no more conspiracies... they have all been solved!

We all know global warming was used to raise taxes, 9/11 was an inside job, the U.N. is trying to create a world government, the Bermuda Triangle is no more a mystery, George Bush is a alien reptile, Obama is from Kenya, chemtrails are real, the moon landings was a hoax, Oswald was set up for the Kennedy assassination, Jesus and Mary Magdalene were actually married, world governments are hiding flying saucers from the public. USA has turned into a fascist totalitarian state, Bigfoot is a time traveler! etc....

So yeah all solved, nothing left to talk about....

I think some people may have left out of fear. Let's face it, every day brings us more and more into a society that anything we express, say, anywhere we go, anyone we talk to, etc. is recorded in the anals of time for posterity. People are waking up to this fact and becoming quieter.

I could tell it was dying when people respected Arken more than Phage. Just saying.