[stmercy2020]

[LONG RESPONSE]
This is kind of a difficult topic to address because there are any number of reasons why participation has dropped.  Some of it is seasonal- if you look at trends, the FM community (if it really is a community) seems to be most active during the summer months and, at least a bit, right around New Years.  Why?  because a lot of the FM community draws from students- both in high school and university/college, and that's when students have the most time and the least stress.  Right now, we're about in the middle of the Spring semester, so naturally students are focusing on their academic work and some of their extracurricular interests may be taking a bit of a backseat.

Another factor may be the economy- sad as it is, a lot of people have been feeling the pinch.  It's hard to find the motivation to work on things when you're honestly more concerned about how you're going to keep your bosses happy and satisfied, how you're going to present yourself as a desirable employee or potential employee, or how you can keep from rocking the boat and making yourself seem expendable.  When you're spending so much time and energy just keeping yourself above water and trying to blend in, it may be a little difficult to break the cycle in relation to even just one aspect of your life.

And, yes, there are other factors too numerous to mention.  Doldrums, more exciting or newer prospects in other venues, loss of interest… the list goes on.

That said, it's also not really an excuse- or at least, not entirely.  One of the things that I think has hobbled us as a forum has been the trend towards consensus.  It's odd that I, in particular, should feel that way, especially given how much I dislike strife and discord, but there has been a marked shift towards the middle both when stating opinions and when responding to the odd right- and left- wingnut postitions that have come up.  For the record: yes, I do have political views.  No, they probably are not the same as yours, regardless of what yours are.  The same is true about religion and education and science.  Feeling unsafe in expressing (possibly dissenting) views may be another reason why people have tended to shy away from this forum.

Ironically, one of the things that might make us more active would not be to shift away from the center, but for the various wingnuts to be a little more open to the reality that people on the other side of the aisle (and even most people in the middle) are unlikely to be swayed particularly by impassioned zealotry and are more likely to give attention to DISpassionate argument.  Just a thought.

Also, it's not a wise idea, I think, to belittle, discourage or downplay the contributions of people who don't have the skills or time (or time to learn the skills) necessary to contribute in a graphic medium.  Yes, obviously, it would be nice if everyone could provide visual art.  Personally, I've already made some fledgling attempts at drawing (pencil & pen & paper stuff, very little amazonian at all, and really nothing noteworthy), and I can say from experience that it takes work and commitment.  That said, it takes at least as much time and effort and commitment to turn out a quality story (although the majority of FM consumers are unlikely to take the time to actually read through it,) and it's extremely rare to see more that a couple of comments of any sort on any given author's work lately, let alone constructive criticism.

Yes.  It would be nice if people could and would take the time to learn skills that could and would then be put to effective use within the Amaz0ns community.  At the same time, I think it's also worth mentioning and praising people who regularly contribute- even if it isn't through picture, video or even story.
[/LONG RESPONSE]

[SammiChung]

ok, here's a bit of knowledge…I'd like to pass on.

Reason Wreckshop's forum was so popular because big named artists, and big names in the FM and growth community strolled in plopped a pic up let the masses drool and kept doing that when ever they felt like it.
Doesn't it seem like we should all be more appreciative…of those who post anything relevant here?

Can the FM project happen? Yeah it could…but as its been pointed out the economies of all major minor nations…are shattered…pieces continue to fall off at an alarming rate… so just keep planning and be ready for the day someone says, I got time… and others say we got funds.. *it could happen*

I write constantly…not all FMG material but some… and I posted my finished polished edited stories at my dA and FA pages because of Lingsters prohibiting full length stories being posted here…

I cannot draw…really I cannot…I sometimes can't make comments on works because they seem so inadequate, I know artists work hard! I do too..and right now I need to go earn a paycheck to tread water…

So what do we do? We do what we can, when we can, how we can, I do think that comments should be required to remain on the board as a user, I make comments, and in some cases I promote myself a little now and then "I added my links to the forum topic with the links provided by Muscle Growth Nut and others.

Trust me I don't find anyone at fault here, I can only do what I can and so can you so just try…we should get something started but we need leaders…and motivators…

and followers of course.

cheers Sammi

[Tigersan]

Hey! I'm not a good "writer" so i wont write long post.

All i wanted to say is that Id like to invite everyone who hasnt tried yet, or tried but gave up
to create… the more we create the better the community will be…

Thanks for mentioning my lazy ass in one of the comments :). I try to give something from me. I cant
write, i can draw but im too lazy for that since poser got better… And even tho i got my paysite open
I'm still posting new stuff on my DA site. And it wont stop I will always have time and will to post
some stuff on DA or forums…

So once again, start creating ,wether its a drawing or a story or an animation – whatever. Noone will
laugh, everyone started at some point… 😉

[ratlaf]

It's interesting, LordDraoth/Solarian and I had a similar discussion about this recently. I've been in this scene for well over 15 years and I think that part of what StMercy said was right, the economics of our times are a little influential on the luxuries people indulge in.  This is a luxury and lately I have been worried for my job, so I focused on finding a new one which i have now done, so there may be more from me in the near future.  Well, maybe not these first three months, but if I land a permanent position then maybe more.

Also there are many other life changing events that can cause a person to drop out of this scene.  Personal, romance, family, depression, disease etc etc etc…

By the way, check out all my stories and pics! There's a link at the bottom of my post.  It's all at DA because of the size restrictions here.

I personally have been trying to contribute because it's been slow here lately, but I also think it's just a wave and that community participation will resurge sometime soon.  Be strong and we will get through whatever this is!!

[elee0228]

I was a lurker in the old wreck-shop forums for quite some time.  During that time, I tended to feel that there was nothing I could contribute since I was not an artist or a writer.  But some of the coolest stuff on wreck-shop and amaz0ns was the stuff that people managed to find in the farthest corners of the interweb.  That was the stuff that really interested me, and I thought, 'I can surf the web as well as the next guy'.  I started posting some of my finds, and that's when I really felt like part of the community. 

Don't let yourself fall into the trap of thinking you have nothing to contribute.  Everyone can and should bring something to the table.

[Reason]

I think there's something to the theory that the global credit crisis is having effect, as I've noticed a downturn in other creative communities I'm a member of. I also agree that DeviantArt is a big factor as well as has it taken a lot of the the higher-profile artists away from here, and a lot of their audience with them, so there is not as much incentive for us amateurs to post our work here.

However, there was never that much true collaboration, even in the old WreckShop days. They were mostly themed contests or collage type projects. Perhaps it's because artists are generally solitary creatures and prefer to spend their free time creating their own artistic vision instead of someone else's.

Anyway, my only advice is be the change you want to see and hope that you inspire others to contribute as much as you do.

[ironb667]

I'll say this, as someone who has posted quite a bit of content to this forum over the last couple of years, I feel that most of my stuff is met with apathy. Which to me is disheartening, cos I toil to for hours to make a image and then sometimes I don't even get one response for any of my images. Just when I tell myself I will no longer post here, I do get a few response and that convinces me to post again. I know other people feel the same way, cos all I have really ever gotten from my morphs are people responses, and when I don't get em, I feel like I could do other things with my time.
But its not fair to compare this forum with the wreckshop forum, at wrecks they had that monthly community contest where artists and morphers would all create pictures around one common theme, that as voted on by the members of the community. Which I think kept people more active in the community. However, even if we had something like that, I doubt there would be enough artists to make it work.

[Tonus]

I don't think there is any one reason, or even one overarching reason, for the level of interest.  I think it's hard to compare to a few years ago at the Wreck-Shop forums.  My impression at the time was that there were a few pay-sites (Diana, LH Art, Awefilmes) and a few usenet groups that were not always very friendly to newcomers.  Wreck's site developed a community that was active, close-knit, and yet welcoming to new visitors.  I suspect that a number of the artists were like me at that time, having recently discovered the femuscle/femdom community and producing lots of work and participating just out of sheer enthusiasm and the desire to be a part of something that was growing before our eyes.

The community is more scattered now, and that's both good and bad.  It's bad to have it spread so thin, which can hurt many sites and groups.  But it's good that there are so many places to go, whether free or pay sites.  And with software making it easier to produce content (be it animations, movies, 3D models, digital coloring, etc) there seems to be more contributions from people who would not want to pick up a pencil or a paint brush.  I think that there is a pretty good community here at Amaz0ns, but I admit that I'm not very involved so that I may not have a good view of things.

As for participation, I admit that I feel like ironb667 to some degree.  While artwork is a labor of love, and therefore a reward all its own, most artists want to be recognized.  A view, a comment, a critique, anything that indicates that people are paying attention can be a real ego-boost for an artist.  I prefer not to ask or complain about attention, because I think that if artwork is good enough it will draw an audience (and perhaps a following) over time, and I prefer to let that dynamic play itself out on its own.

I think that this is where a site like deviantArt is useful, since it provides tracking information that can help you see what it is that people like.  But the one thing that I think dA lacks is the sense of community you get at a place like the old Wreck boards or Amaz0ns now.  At dA, the community is all about YOU.  Your site, your artwork, your comments, comments about you, statistics about you.  When I am here, I'm part of the crowd, and the recognition means a bit more.  I see a place for both types of community.  I think that over time people will settle in and that this place will be as healthy as ever.  I am hoping to be here for a while, myself.

[TC2]

Yeah I don't buy the whole "economy" thing because in all honesty it was like this waaaaay before we got into a deeper recession.  But Iron, Tonus, Elee, and Tiger all hit on points I strongly agree with and hence the reason why I even made this thread.

But the economy thing is just an excuse right now.  Currently yes it's understandable that things are a mess and people aren't going to participate.  But what about after?  I'm willing to bet if people aren't going to step up to the plate it will be just like it was before the economy tanked, inactive.

[Lingster]

Well, you guys have to realize that probably 95% of the people who visit this forum never set up an account.  And 95% of the people who do set up an account either never post, or post fewer than ten times during their tenure. 

I have a ton of ideas about what to do about the "lack of community", but it's a significant time commitment for me to do it.  Also, it would involve work in Joomla, a platform I no longer have much interest in and haven't kept up with.

However, assuming I eventually get to it, the gist of what I want to do is get rid of the current forum architecture and replace it with Fireboard, which runs native under Joomla and thus consumes fewer system resources.  Additionally, I would install Community Builder, so that each member would have his own profile page, with the option of posting images, blog entries, stories, possibly RSS feeds, etc, and even setting up Yahoo-style groups.

When I need testers I'll be sure to contact those who have posted on this thread.  🙂

[Author]

Posts