Thetownend.com

Been mentioned on here a bit recently that these threads have killed the forum and i'm starting to think it may be a factor after dismissing it previously.
Although I think Twitter and Facebook along with alot of the forum old guard no longer posting are the biggest reasons it's quiet here, The two threads could also be a factor?

Just throwing it out there maybe a poll could be created or i'm talking shite?
Discuss...

 I'm not sure the TEF is that much more quiet than previously...look at these stats..

http://thetownend.com/index.php?action=stats

Scroll down the page for new threads/posters/number etc.

The forum is too quiet so let's close the busiest threads... Genius.

The forum's slow decline is nothing to do with 2 threads. Good posters have left, other previously good posters are still here but have turned in to mongoloids, coupled with too much pallyness (if that's a word) and backslapping over the last few years have rather sucked the life out of this place.

Instead of adding to those threads individual ones could be created though. Some of the trivial things get no response which i think they might if threads were separate.

While we're at it we could make Dostoyevsky a mod too.

I see the point that potentially good stuff can get lost, and retrospectioin is made difficult as no-one is going to go back through 100's of pages...but it does look untidy when there's lots of topics with only a few replies.

The trivial threads stifle discussion but at the same time encourages stuff out which would otherwise not be posted because it's too trivial for it's own thread. I'd be happy to see the back of 'em

It's the posters who make a forum, that is all.

They are many tedious threads on here.

Close 'em.

Sippo might get annoyed at the number of new tedious threads, but so what, he can ignore them. At least if stuff gets posted it can prompt a bit of debate/discussion rather than get lost amongst everything else in the thread.

Not fussed but if asked to vote I'd leave em. People just need to post more.

What really needs to happen is for the team to start losing on a regular basis and the board to fuck us over like many predicted. There'd be thousands of posts then.

With this in mind, it's nice that it's quiet sometimes.

 No-one's commented on the stats yet, but for example can anyone explain why over a 3 year period, December seems to be a quieter month, whereas Jan and Feb are busy.

Is it, for example, connected to the supposed dip in attendances at the CG for the same period, because lapdog fellas get dragged off shopping by the misssus?

Those stats show new posts are down now in comparison to other years. Take October as an example.

 No idea why things drop off in january?

They don't drop off in Jan/Feb, but in December...it's true that posts for this October are low, but then again, they were low for October 2011. The point and I stand by it, is that it's a bit soon to write off the TEF, based on the evidence.

I cocked up saying january. My mistake.

Posts are down this year for sure. Also when i look in which admittedly is less than i used to there seems to be less names viewing too.
I'm not writing it off, just seems it could do with a kick up the arse.

People always seem to post more when we are doing badly or something is happening at the club.

We had the season of despair with Wilson, followed by PDC and then the exit of PDC. For once the club seems quite stable and people don't have much to moan/worry/speculate about.

Roll on January when everybody wants to buy Wes/Mass/Kasim

The evidence however shows that historically most posts are in the Nev General Discussion forum followed by Match Day Action...ok if there's something on players and the boardroom, it will generate some posts, but historically the TEF has been about bollocks...so more bollocks needed.

in comparison to other football forums, there is a big lack of football threads! i usually only read the match day thread and transfers rumours.

I have to get my dog castrated - you can have them if you like

Now a days it's all about trolling, getting a reaction and being argumentative. No one really wants to post about the football.

Also, a few years back if you weren't at the game and local enough to get the radio - this was how you kept up with the games. Now World works better, there is also twitter, Facebook and mobile apps.

I think in part there is just a little bit of acceptance that we've found our place and without huge investment nothing much will change. Championship and a new stadium are I pipe dreams that won't happen.

Plus I think people just lose enthusiasm for football. This is my third season without a season ticket and I've not missed it one bit. My life no longer revolves around STFC which is probably a good thing...

There's definitely less threads about the wider world of football than there used to be. Maybe because people discuss it elsewhere and maybe everyone's become more insular?

Everyone has just grown up. I bet there aren't many under 20's posting on here any more. (well maybe Dave Russell mentally)

Agree with this. Although I don't think it's had a huge effect on the forum. That said, I used to spend hours posting in the Players/Matchday/Boardroom areas and now seldom ever venture beyong 'non-footy forum'

There is a distinct lack of alcohol-fuelled posts.

Even Blinkpip has learnt to spell

Firstly we need to remember this is just a forum to spout bollocks on, all the talk of stats and visits in certain months does sound a little corporate,  someone will suggest that we set up a modernisation focus group in a minute to improve our profile and marketing strategy.

I think these things are cylindrical to a degree and posters come and go,  I have never been prolific on here but with a baby now I do look less,  plus with the town reasonably stable at the moment I am a content. Equally being a long absent fan I used to depend more on the site for updates on match day but now with twitter its less necessary.  That said match day threads do seem much quieter this year so cannot just be other social media. Equally I am generally just a bit meh with football at the moment.

I tend to use the site more at the moment to discuss wider general non town things with people who I know I have something in common with,  however as someone who does pop in and out of the forum the trivial threads do mean stuff gets missed as I cannot be arsed to delve through ten pages when I haven't been for a day or so.

For me a huge part of the TEF is the strange community we have with (in my case) people I have never met and probably never will,  the whole Neville collection thing was something which I think sums up the forum.

So the conclusion I would make is that if the topics go its up to people to continue to post innate rubbish to keep the things going.

Are you Andy King in disguise? Top bollocks.  :clap:

Just the other day someone from here came up & introduced themself to me in Asda! I'll never get bored of that!

I do think that if they are closed people won't bother to start up a new thread to just moan or delight in something that has happened and that we may all find amusing.

Just saying........

Have you always wanted a stalker?....

It's normally me doing the stalking Reg so it's nice for a change!

Tell me about it...

Well I do try. ....

I think the trivial threads should be shut, and they do little to help discussion. Kind of negates the point of having threads.

However, given the rise of other internet mediums for people to spout off on - particularly facebook and twitter - I don't think people feel as inclined to talk as much on here.

Things seem to be a lot more sensible and duller now than they used to be in my onion. Although perhaps that's just life.

Definitely reading far too much into an internet forum ffs.

How did they know it was you? 

I often wonder if I've ever met any TEFers without knowing or know people who post on here without realising it's them.

I served them in Melksham Asda! There's 2 people that post on here that have introduced themselves to me there actually!

Was it 4D? I bet it was 4D.

Nahhhhh he's a Calney isn't he ?? As far as I'm aware I've never met him?

Needs more Dostoyevsky.

 I like the threads...it is usually trivial stuff so instead of lots of trivial threads keep it at it is in my opinion.

The stat's tell a story, sure enough.  But if there is a decline, I wouldn't pin the blame on those two threads.  Internet discussion forums (incl football forums like this one) are essentially a 1990s innovation.  This forum and others before it (like www.myonlyswindon.com) took over about 15 years ago from the STFC E-mail List as the main way of getting STFC related gripes off your chest.  And since the late 1990s, discussion forums have themselves been superseded largely by twitter and facebook discussion.  It still serves a purpose - which is one of the reasons we're still here - but the 'heyday' has come and gone.

I wouldn't mourn it.  Everything moves on eventually.  But I'm also fairly sure that this forum will exist in some form for some time to come.  I've been posting as Ardiles for probably around 15 years on here and MOS (and a few other places).  And I'm still bumping in to people at matches and realising we've been swapping posts on here for years (most recently Paolo69 at Oldham).

All basically a long-winded way of saying I don't think the two threads in the Nev forum are to blame.

maybe we've just covered so much over the years that we've kind of exhausted many of the avenues we use to explore?

maybe it's a lack of new members coming through?  there was a time a few years ago that i was pretty prolific in my post count but after time i've not felt compelled to contribute so much. 

in the formative years there were new members popping up all over the place with new things to be said.  have we just reached critical mass?  we are a fairly small fanbase after all.

i often think of something i might post about but then remember that it's already been covered at some point.

i still read the forum every day and because for half the year i'm 60 miles from swindon, and for the other half in another country entirely it's still a great resource for me.

i think comparing forum life now to the 'glory days' is silly really, things always change, so long as people are still using it, whether it be to talk about manatee sandwiches, cherry popping holidays, orange hats or just bad drivers it's still a valuable outlet for us.

ardiles is right, the two threads aren't to blame, nothing's to blame it is what it is.  maybe in a years time we'll be pining for the normality of moaning about some idiot not having their money ready at the till, another fB/spacy/even fatbury might be just around the corner.

Yes you have, I trod on your foot in the Kings arms. You know of my wife too  :)

I regularly read the forum, though I find the trivial threads tedious after a while....I tend to have a blitz on them when Ive got nothing better to do, just in case there's something interesting on them.  I only post very irregularly on the principle that if I'm bored by what I've got to say, so will most readers be!  And, while I like an argument, I don't like the personal abuse that often accompanies them....Trouble is I know that some posters know each other very well, and the abuse can be placed in that context, but I don't....and I suppose I've spent a lifetime trying to get people to listen before they spout...and that applies on trivial issues as well....hopeless i know; and I will go on feeding my habit for as long as TEF lasts, especially when we move on from here, which will be in the next month....

What are you gonna change your username to now? I think I suggested the RWB one  :)

Looking at those stats, I'm very surprised to see I'm in the top 10 posters, as like many others I don't post all that much any more - just the odd worthless contribution here and there! For me, it's a result of leaving uni and being in full time work for the past 3 years.

Living away from Swindon means I'm slightly less involved in what's going on, and talk about STFC less on a day to day basis, and that probably reduces the time I spend on here. The forum is still an important resource for me though - nothing like hearing first hand reports of a great performance, an amusing incident in the crowd, or another Aden Flint error.

Some good posts here. I keep changing my mind as I read each one.
It's trivially annoying and amusing me

I've got something that's mildly annoyed me today. Do I start a new thread or use the existing one?

Live dangerously Samdy...start a new one.

I am a daily lurker but generally don't bother logging on to comment, I wonder how many others are the same and why they don't comment? I don't use the player to listen to games on matchdays as apparently its mostly shit and I'm too tight to pay for it, so I follow updates on here and the BBC. I also enjoy reading other people's nonesense during my lunch hour at work, it beats reading the news or facebook as I occassionally get a laugh out of these pages.

I particularly enjoy outrageous and drunken rants and general politcal incorrectness you can get on forums... but there is a danger of cliques killing off this kind of behaviour that makes for interesting reading someimtes :-) I like Chang and Dossy for posting their stuff..!

Someone bumped the classic threads, thread a while back - some of them were laugh out loud funny!

Regarding the cliques,this site was never busier as when they were most prevalent. Maybe them engaging in other forms of internet chat is a factor in it getting quieter here? Actually, i'm sure it is.

Busier doesn't mean more interesting.

The cliques were/are a load of dull mutal backslapping. Granted it has died off over the last couple of years.

Them ganging up was funny though

Oh look at arriba and DMR getting all cliquey ;)

Nah, we just talk in code through the 4D Q&A section. 4D doesn't really exist, it's just a made up account which only fully-fledged clique members get access to.

Please don't confuse 4D even more.. he will be on here in a minute asking whether he is real or not.  ;)

4d is Keyser Soze.  And the bloke out of fight club. 
 

Cliquey bastards  :)
You can call me Casper

I've not noticed the Trivia threads

I'm in a Clique with DMR and J1mmy

Lets be honest, you fuck it up by not doing any late night threads. These became the talking part the next morning.

FFS still second for time online. Genuinely embarrassing, even if I have four years of student life to blame (and I've never flipped out and deleted my account, which I'm fairly sure has knocked out a few people who would be ahead of me).

Time to log out.

I'm not sure whether to be proud or ashamed.

Means little.

My account is relatively new on that list but I am still 3rd. It's just that my PC is on a lot as I download all the time and I am logged in while not even at my PC.

I'm surprised the male to female ratio isn't higher.  There's barely any females who actually post.

What happened in January 2011 to draw so many new members?

I think that was when Bushey Boy posted that picture of his balls.

It was him, wasn't it?

Yeah, you soon backed off when me and MIldew threatened a restraining order!

I am happy with the threads, as I am away at the moment and can keep up with the updates/troll (delete as necessary).
For the record, hiw about moving threads with no posts for over a month into a temp folder then archived/deleted if there are no posts over 2 months