I actually tried to post this in reply to the blog “Sticking Around” but it spat it back at me and left me with a blank box every time I tried.

While I am not entirely sure I fall into the category you wanted to hear from I none the less have my own opinions to share. (Doesn’t everyone! )

I am sure that there are issues such as real life time constraints, the excessive need to video game and or lack of interest in the subject matter itself that causes at least some of the decline on any website. However everyone here can probably relate to the fact that if something intrigues us enough it is in human nature to make time for it. Be it a video game we are putting off going to bed early to play or a rousing chat conversation we can’t seem to pull ourselves away from in order to do the chores.

In my opinion the site is dusty. Yes I said it! Dusty. Filled with cobwebs and hidden corners of silence. It feels a bit like a well-loved classic book. Well versed, beautiful cover, glowing recommendation but read to many times to be of any real use so you have set it in its honored place on the shelf and allowed it to collect dust. You pull it out from time to time, brush off the cover with a nostalgic sigh and place it right back in its place of honor going instead for the newer and racier novel you snagged on sale at the drugstore last week.

Todays society is all about instant gratification. We have Facebook, twitter, texting and apps. All things that afford us an instant response from our vast social networks and immediate entertainment for the five minutes we are waiting in line at the local Starbucks. Or the two hours we spend pretending to watch the little league game, while secretly writing a full page email on our blackberry about how we can’t wait till it’s over so we can get home put the kids to bed and play the latest edition of Dragon Age. We are on the go all the time!

The average human being has an attention span of about 30 seconds. You post a comment, log in to chat maybe play a word game. Then what? You mean I have to wait for a response? No way? And they’re gone. Moved on to Facebook, twitter, or whatever other means affords them an instant response to little Timmy’s latest cuteness or how much their life just isn’t going the way they want it to.
We can all see why people should stay here. The games of course! And the amazing information content that obviously took a lot of time and love to create! That is the entire purpose behind the site. But what entertains them while they wait for next weeks post?

My suggestion? More instant gratification! There is almost nothing in the free form games. There isn’t so much as an annoying robot in chat to bounce conversation off of. No Facebook or twitter connect with snazzy daily quotes. No silly flash or java games to eat our time. No app to download so we can obsessively check our messages on the go or to send us push notifications about the latest forum update. Nada.

I know that the owners and or moderators here are likely very busy people. Perhaps you need more mods with a little more time on their hands or fresh ideas.

Talk to the Newbies! (I know the horror right) Maybe some of the mods could volunteer a little time each day to sit in chat and make conversation with people that log in. Probably not how anyone wants to spend their day but it would help.

Make up new games! Sure we all cringe at what might be a 15 year old with a God complex jumping in on our well thought out game plan but it’s a necessary evil. Give them somewhere to do it no matter how sour a taste the idea leaves in your mouth. It doesn’t have to be perfect or a labor of love and 1000 words, just something to give the people intimidated by all the long posts and well written games a place to write. Maybe each mod could run one free form game. It will give you something to Facebook about later in shared agony.

If you really want fresh faces you have to take a fresh approach. You have an amazing site! Better than any other D&D site I have run across. You just have to keep people around long enough to realize it!

I wholeheartedly agree with the bulk of your post, I disagree with a few items... and by and large, I appreciate your input.

I reserve the right to come back and make a more thoughtful response expanding on my comments above.

I dont expect everyone to agree with me.
I don't even think I'm a hundred perent correct on anything in the world. It's really just my honest opinion and review of the place.

I have been told that this is just a slow time and things pick up in different seasons as well. I've only been here a few days. So this is what I've concluded from what I've experienced briefly.

I should probably have also noted that all of that is not neccasarly MY opinion considering I don't even have a twitter account and I love little league to much to message through it. ( though I have seen plenty of others doing it!)

I echo pretty much exactly what Olan said, including the part about expanding later on. Too long of a day at work to think straight xD

You are the third person to say that! An Aryn person said it as well! You are indeed busy folk! no worries I wasn't posting it expecting or needing any lengthy reply just trying to be helpful. Go relax it's a Monday they always seem to be hectic!

I love the site.

I like the format for the games - it works well for my life style. I also really like the writing that can go into it.

I also freely admit that I might be a bit older than a lot of the kids demanding instant gratification. I don't know, is 39 old for this site? I've wondered that for awhile.

Keeping games alive is critical. This is a bit of Catch-22. Games that die will chase people away. But games die unless people stay. I don't know what you do to keep people, but I do know that another game down the tubes could reach my breaking point. I sure hope you figure this one out as I'd love to have a game truly survive and become long-term.

I love it! I will probably be reading audalis (might have spelled that wrong but it's more work on my phone to go check) content for the next year! Very informative , very entertaining site. I'm also closer to your age than some of the others who I've spoken to on here. I enjoy reading and writing as well.

Sadly for many of the younger generations and probably some older ones too that just Isnt enough.

Don't get me wrong I'd love to see more activity and an iPhone app but the lack of these things won't keep me away. My nearly 16 year old on the other hand asked where's the like button (which sparked a who actually emails there friends links anymore type of conversation ) and snubbed his nose at the lack of an iapp and hasn't returned sense. Kids!

A dusty novel hmmm. Some aspects to the site seem dusty. You've all created a wonderful setting in Audalis but there currently isn't a live Audalis game. On the other hand there are not so dusty elements to the site. I was recently invited to join people in Chat. I still have the PM for it. I admit I didn't join because I wasn't really on at the time. Sorry for that. I've also seen since I started 3-4 games go from recruiting to game thread, and one idea thread that has gotten a lot of comments. Of course this is balanced in my newbie mind by the game I was most excited to join not quite launching. Sigh. As far as figuring out how to keep a game going....that is a bit tricky, but it doesn't seem impossible. I've been reading through other games and it seem Tann has a bit of the secret in Trilogy. That seems to be a game that has been going on for a while. It isn't the only one either. Though I admit I haven't seen any games that have actually closed. Maybe the answer is more into that instant gratification thing. If you have a great group with a proven reputation for staying and struggling through an epic campaign then give them something for the years but for those others of us maybe a single adventure or two. Just something to make a cool character and either get it killed or rich quick. I've found in tabletop you have groups that are just better rolling a new character every couple of months. Guess it all depends on the story the group ends up wanting to write. A mod running chat would be interesting. The blogs and webcomics are cool. There's a lot of potential for both instant gratification and quality gratification on this site. Some of it is going as best it can considering the factors, other bits of it aren't being utilized fully. But on that note Olan did make a call for creative people to help bring dust off some of those elements that have fallen into decline.

Booo! Hisss! Kick her off! LoLz Well, as a "newbie" i can say that the reason i haven't been active very much since i joined is because i haven't made this site part of my daily routine yet. Which is how it is whenever i join a new site, i take a look and if i feel like i may want to revisit it i add it to my faves bar, but it might take a bit for it to make its way into my daily webz perusing. But right now it's just this place, another forum, and of course facebook.

Other than that, what skye said.

Way to try and get me kicked off! Lol

I predict it will become a part of your daily routine as I declare it shall be so!

So it is written, so it is done.