What the hell happened to ATS?

a reply to: Metallicus

Metallicus actually got it right, at least where I'm concerned. I have no desire to be put down, ridiculed or insulted for having a certain opinion or belief. That is the main reason I won't be starting a thread. What I really don't understand is the members who go into a thread already dead set on disliking it and totally in disagreement and proceed with the name calling and insults. There's no asking questions to see where the poster is coming from or to clarify. There's no attempt to explain why they disagree or offer perspective or facts.

"You're wrong and insane. Take your meds." Those sorts of replies.

That's not engaging in a conversation on any spectrum. That's just an attempt to shut down the poster and the thread. Sadly, often that sort of poster is among the first replies and that in itself seems to kill the thread, or entices others to join in on the dog pile of the thread creator.

The other issue I see is how often threads that have nada to do with politics get immediately sucked down into the political swamp by some posters. That alone usually kills a thread dead because it then goes so far off topic that there's no saving it among the members bickering back and forth.

Well, anyway...

My fav sorts of topics are the creepy, unexplained sorts of things that go bump in the night. I love, love that huge thread of scary stories posted by members. I have that one bookmarked.

Also, the unexplained disappearances of people from all over the world. Any sorts of topics like that.

a reply to: Hazardous1408
Ya ATS has been declining. To tell the truth only really here now a days because I got a cold and was and still am blowing snot and sneezing things up these past few days, kind of chair-ridden here. Don't or would not usually sit in front of a computer screen this long to bother to check ATS if it was not for that.

I would probably make some threads, but its not my thing and all that, against my religion to create content. However, it is not against my religion to encourage content. So ya, somebody should make all kinds of different threads, whatever happened to those story threads that used to be here, like the ones were they would write a story like they were in star trek or in a space ship and everybody would play a role or pitch in.

Oh! That or more threads about, bees, everybody loves bees, were they hell are the bees at? Oh, and maybe more bigfoot threads, but then again, bigfoot has been done to death. OK maybe, threads about the abominable snowman, the more furry and lovable cousin of Bigfoot, the white fuzzy polar bear of bigfoots. Oh ya, and more threads on bears, there are so few threads on bears as it is, i am sure that in itself is a conspiracy, as to why there are so few conspiracies involving bears we may never know or get to the bottom of that.

And well, crap, cant really think anything more as of this moment.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
I don't know about that, that may be a gross over-assumption of a great many people, but not far off most likely. Pretty much all I do now a days is use the computer to watch YouTube.

I find that it fills those snippets in social media life pretty well, and contrary to popular believe I have not written a knee jerk reactionary post online since 1999, though sometimes I like to play at writing knee jerk reactionary posts, makes me fell like I am in the "in crowd" you know one of the cool people. However I am not and never have been that cool.

Also a lot of YouTube videos involve a lot of reading. What gives? Whats wrong with these people making me read. Maybe I am just watching the wrong YouTube videos. In my younger days I used to read books per days, OK an over-exaggeration to be sure, it was only a book per day.

When I think back on it now, oh boy was I doing it all wrong.

a reply to: Subrosabelow

You, sir/ma’am (zir? lol) are the membership demographic I felt obliged to assist in creating a venue you don’t feel overwhelmed in (in terms of the deluge of political crap, I do not mean emotionally overwhelmed, my friend, lol)...

As I’ve said in previous posts on the last 2 pages, I do not consider myself a vital member, could be well known, most likely am, but not for any reason that could be considered consistently productive...

But I do also love this website and it’s entire membership, so I’m more than happy to give back in some way at least.

It occurred to me that this could be the best avenue to improve on just being an ever present smart arse and/or loudmouth.

Suggestions noted, Subrosa, pal.
I shall do my best for you when the time comes.

Thanks for participating.


Also, I fully agree with everything you said...
I want to harness my immunity to ridicule in a way that benefits those who do not wish to be verbally abused by, “sceptics”, who blatantly do not play the sceptic in a logical, polite or educative manner.

I don’t believe their presence here should put people off, I find it sickening, but the reluctance is completely understandable.


Thanks again, my friend.


a reply to: galadofwarthethird

galad, my friend, though you post rarely, at least from my experience, I do so enjoy your input a hell of a lot.
That’s hardly a ringing endorsement coming from me, as I’m a nobody really...
But you still deserve to know that you’re cherished here.

I’m not too sure about the stories threads, and being absolutely honest with you, I kinda despise the Bigfoot conspiracy.
But I will certainly look into it further, as there may even be an aspect I’ve missed that’ll seem interesting enough to work on.

Your following suggestions are duly noted.
Bees, especially!!!

So damn important and non-existent almost.
I’ll definitely work on that for you, mate.

However I am not and never have been that cool.

Only the truly ultra-cool people deny being cool.

I’m not sure of your age or internet experience, but I must tell you (in case you’re unaware) that the YouTube comments section is the most rancid corner of the WWW this side of the DarkWeb.

I’d avoid it at all costs.


Thanks for the input, pal. Much appreciated.
I hope your cold clears up pronto too.

2 last things to note in regards to this...


Firstly, it must be said, while I’m absolutely fine with/happy to create threads for others...
There is no sure way of doing so in a way to guarantee discussion and traffic...
The thread could easily die on its arse.

So just bear that in mind.


Secondly, and almost contrary to the above...
Thread creation stature really isn’t that important 100% of the time.

For example;
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I truly expected that thread to be completely ignored, or thoroughly ridiculed from the get go...
But it was actually rather successful and the discussion was genuinely respectful.

I was very surprised. Very!

& if you look at my threads created page, I’m pretty far from high in stature in the creation department...
But that thread is an example of proving the fears wrong.

I don’t expect this to convince you to create your own threads.
But just keep in mind anything is possible, even very good outcomes, when you’re thinking the worst.



Have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night, wherever you are.
Peace!

a reply to: Hazardous1408

Thanks to donald dumb!

a reply to: Hazardous1408
What you're addressing here is the real cause of the unrest, viz.the gap between thread readers and thread writers.
Threads about Trump predominate not because "that's what the owners want", but because that's where the people who write threads are focussed. Those who used to write more about UFO's or HAARP have disappeared or gone silent.
On the other hand, the people who want to read threads have still got a wider range of interests, and that's where the grievance is coming from.
Frankly, one major reason for the decline in non-political topics is the fact that time continued after 21/12/2012. The impact of that disappointment (for many) was visible within months. It can't be reversed easily.
There are still people persevering in other topics. At this point I usually post a link to my latest thread.
Your generous offer may be a good way of stirring things up further.

a reply to: Hazardous1408

With the additional traffic come the troll's,and all the millenium's,of later years seemed ATS valued quantity over quality,always boasting of it's size,but the truly gifted and good writers did what anyone with any skills,they went elsewhere,a few stayed,very comical here,kind of an extension of Facebook

Actual proof of aliens
Alien races
top 5 most compelling UFO sightings

originally posted by: Kalixi

Actual proof of aliens

If I had that, I’d be a billionaire, and not on ATS...
Or more likely buried in the desert somewhere.

You’re setting the bar a little high, lol.

Alien races

Very interesting.
I shall work on it, ASAP.

top 5 most compelling UFO sightings

Hmmmm, that would likely be a very subjective topic...
Duly noted though.

originally posted by: Hazardous1408
please tell us all what threads you’d really like to see...

What about a thread on the Illuminati?

Seems like the vast majority of ATS does not believe they exist which seems bizarre in a way.

It also directly relates to your Luciferianism thread as well...

Past presidents of the United States and other high profile political leaders have repeatedly issued warnings over the last 214 years that the U.S. government is under the control of an “invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.”

According to six of our former presidents, one vice-president, and a myriad of other high profile political leaders, an invisible government that is “incredibly evil in intent” has been in control of the U.S. government “ever since the days of Andrew Jackson” (since at least 1836). They “virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes. They practically control both parties… It operates under cover of a self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies, schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.”

As a result, “we have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated, governments in the civilized world—no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and the duress of small groups of dominant men.”

“A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various powerful interests, combined in one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in banks.” – John C. Calhoun, Vice President (1825-1832)

From Washington to JFK: Former Presidents Warn About Illuminati

“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”— Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

"Governments do not govern, but merely control the machinery of government, being themselves controlled by the hidden hand." ~ Benjamin Disraeli; Prime Minister of England

"Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the fields of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it." ~ Woodrow Wilson

“It was not my intention to doubt that, the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am. The idea that I meant to convey, was, that I did not believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country had, as Societies, endeavoured to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first, or pernicious principles of the latter (if they are susceptible of separation).” ~ George Washington

George Washington's Warning About The Illuminati

originally posted by: Murgatroid
Fletcher Prouty called it ‘The Secret Team’. George Washington called it the ‘Illuminati’. Ralph Epperson called it ‘The Unseen Hand’ Benjamin Disraeli called it ‘The Hidden hand’. Danny Casolaro called it ‘The Octopus’. JFK warned us about a “monolithic and ruthless conspiracy”. "They" were also referred to in ancient times as the ‘Brotherhood of the Snake’, or the ‘Brotherhood of the Dragon’. Jesus more appropriately called them the ‘Synagogue of Satan’. AKA: NWO or the Shadow government.

a reply to: lostbook

Lol this post made me think of this extremely popular veteran news anchor of my country,Riaan Cruywagen.Even in my unaware-of-such-things country,some people through the years have wondered about him.Idk if he's still alive,haven't watched tv for years..but ya he had this look and vibe that made some South Africans wonder

Great idea Haz I cannot think of anything off the top of my head,my chief interest is paranormal and aliens+ufo subject matter,which is still available even if one has to dig into the older pages of relevant forums on ATS.I would love to hear more of the experiences of other abductees,but that is something that comes along when it comes along.

a reply to: Hazardous1408

The problem as I see it is threads that aren't based on political partisanship require members to think and form an opinion rather than fire their weapons from the safety of their entrenched views , political threads are easy to respond to.

I've tried to be the difference but while some of my threads get S+F's the participation is minimal compared to the Trump , Hillary , Obama threads.
I don't create threads for S+F's I create to bring something I find interesting to the boards in hope they will inform and create discussion but if only a few participate the thread soon dies and disappears into the ether which makes me call into question why bother.

It's all very well being the change but if people don't want the change you're offering what's the point.

My account is old and I lurked a good few years before making the account. I don't think there is a way to "save" ATS.

originally posted by: Hazardous1408

So this is an invitation to those members to comment below, and rather than reminisce on the good old days, please tell us all what threads you’d really like to see...

...Well for starters I'd definitely like to see threads with MORE COWBELL!

It´s sad to say, but evidence is out there. It is not worth anymore to write any threads, nobody will read or comment them if they are not pro Trump or pro rightwinger nowadays. Why should one do maybe hours, days or even longer of work for a thread, if the only thing you have to do is to copy any pro Trump or pro rightwinger MSM news headline and "sell" it as a thread nowadays.

My thought was that ATS maybe was to effective, working too good. Something that circles within the "U"SA, TPTB, didn´t and don´t like. So you just have to flood ATS with huge numbers of new "members" that flood ATS with MSM headlines, mostly pro Trump and pro rightwinger MSM headlines. Everything else is communism. Everybody that critizes Trump and Trumpistan is called a leftie, a liberal whatever. Problem is, everything that is evil communism and leftwinger extremism in the "U"SA is the normal middle, mostly everywhere outside of the "U"SA. So users from outside of the "U"SA can only shake their heads nowadays, reading the mental excesses coming from some "U"S members on ATS. Logical, rational thinking is not "hip" anymore, hate rules, insults are great, to not say tremendous nowadays, name calling and all that.

What we experience here is a mirror of the actual "U"S society.

It doesn`t make sense anymore even to critize the "U"SA, Trump and his Trumpistan from the outsides, from the point of view of the majority of people outside of the "U"SA. To tell how the "U"SA is in reality seen by the rest of the world. A world that sadly is affected by the behaviour of the "U"SA. Then you are just a leftist and "U"SA hater, even if you deliver sources for the hard facts and can tell often enough that you don´t critize the average "U"S citizens, that often have to suffer because of the decisions made by their military junta and oligarchy government.

In addition to that, if somebody writes a good thread nowadays, let´s say about the UFO phenomenon, you will find a comment on the first page of the thread, that tries to turn the discussion into a left vs right, a Trump or into a but, but Hillary/Obama/liberals/leftists/communists thread.

That all looks a bit like sabotage from the outsides.
And hey, what could you use better to destroy whatever than the Trump reign, as we can see.
And since the reign of Trump started, and in the election campaign before, the former ATS got destroyed.
ATS is divided like the "U"S population is divided!

And who rules by "divide(the people) and rule?

a reply to: Hazardous1408


I'd like to see a thread on how Masons are grooming society to be sandwiches for the End Times.

a reply to: Nucleardoom

Oh dear... that gave me one awesome belly laugh -- thank you!

Definitely -- more cowbell!!!

Perhaps this is a cop out but when I read the level of detail and intricacy of the threads on ATS I get a little intimidated and yes I do fear ridicule because I dont think I could write something to that level of excellence. The sort of subjects I joined to read perhaps have been done to death but they still fascinate me and I cant claim to know everything about them. I dont post anything about these subjects mostly because I feel there would be comments of "fer chrissake not this again". Im pretty much a non combative kind of guy you know the type "if you cant say something nice, dont say anything" so perhaps not thick skinned enough.

So what interests me ?

Watergate
JFK
Ufology
Cryptozoology - bigfoot/sasquatch in particular

I do of course enjoy various other conspiratorial subjects such as those mentioned by Subrosabelow but I would say the above are my go to subjects.

There I said it