Have you noticed?

[AspieChris]

I’ve been a frequent flier here, but only for a few months. There’s another site that is basically the same format as this one that I have been using for a decade where I started to see this pattern:

Has anyone else noticed that new threads get a LOT of posts in the first few days to weeks, and then there’s some sort of cliff where it just stops getting any attention?

I thought it was because of Google’s algorithms. But us Aspies aren’t using a search engine to find stuff here.

Obviously the topic usually defines how many people will join the discussion. But it seems like the pattern still follows: Lots of attention and then it just dies overnight.

Am I wrong?

 

[Misty Avich]

I've noticed that. Even if I add a reply to my thread like a couple of weeks after everyone else has stopped posting in it, it still remains dead. It's a shame because sometimes I enjoy a topic and want to discuss it further. The same happens on Facebook too.

 

[Rodafina]

It seems like a logical pattern to me. Novelty is something that most humans are drawn to to some extent.

Sure some threads do not resurface with any particular might, but some topics are consistently returned to. I think time lessens this effect you are noticing a bit.

If you look at the games for example, some of them have been going on for a decade.

Some of the other more neutral threads like “how do you feel?” or “what is your pet doing right now?“ also get consistent traction over time.

 

[Misty Avich]

Games threads or the "what are you doing now?" threads are an exception, but I've never really cared for those types of threads. I like the "true or false?" thread though, although I can't always think of a statement to put for the next poster.

I think I enjoy threads that I'm likely to get a response from. I enjoy engaging in discussion or talking a bit about myself and comparing experiences.

 

[tazz]

In a site I used to be more active on, they had a specific set of forums for long-form in-depth conversation, which would provoke longer comments and the topic would hang around for years, resurfacing every now and then when someone wanted to talk about a related point.

 

[AspieChris]

Maybe it’s just that new people to any thread are overwhelmed by too many pages to read through before they allow themselves to join into the conversation. So it goes dead after those who got into it at the beginning have said everything that they have to say.

 

[Progster]

That's why some threads are stickied I guess, so they always stay on top and get due attention.

 

[Misery]

Honestly this is just how forums work.

Threads can remain active while they're in the "new" listing and such, or at the top of a given forum section. They slow down as other new topics push them further out of those spots. There are always exceptions of course, threads that just keep going, but those are usually just very simple & universal things like "what are you wearing today" or such.

Even in many of the oldest forums out there, that's just how it's always worked.

 

[Slime_Punk]

This is definitely pretty common with forums. What I like to do is go back and spitball in my older threads (or even other peoples' relevant threads) to get them up and running again, but it can be a hit-or-miss pursuit (which is usually perfectly fine both ways).

A lot of people probably just browse the 'new threads' section, but I tend to enjoy doing the opposite unless there's a general question I can attempt to answer or something.

I do sense the cliff being a little steeper in places like this, but it might also be due to the large number of specific niches that people on the spectrum have. Sometimes it's harder to piggyback on someone else's thread when your experience is just that much different from theirs.

 

[AspieChris]

I do sense the cliff being a little steeper in places like this, but it might also be due to the large number of specific niches that people on the spectrum have. Sometimes it's harder to piggyback on someone else's thread when your experience is just that much different from theirs.

So true. No two Aspies are alike.

 

[Nitro]

So true. No two Aspies are alike.

True, but no two humans are alike either.

Forums tend to have dynamics that are constantly shifting.
After a topic has been opened up and input has been added, simply adding more to it from some posters would tend to dilute it and potentially steer it off topic which in turn would be a nightmare for someone searching the archives for a specific topic.

Someone once asked me in our chatroom why some of us talked about boring everyday stuff in it.
My reply was that many could care less to hear about flame front propagation in various combustion chamber configurations and their effect on complete burn cycles in an internal combustion gasoline fueled engine and the cylinder wall wear involved when a piston is shoved off-center to it's bore as a result of a weak at best design. Too much offset equals a geometric loss of efficiency due to poor connecting rod angular geometry with a greater instance of wear on the piston skirt and cylinder walls. Not enough will defeat the purpose of even having an offset pin while at the same time will give it a greater power advantage over the further offset pin.
Hemispherical combustion chamber cylinder heads push directly down on a piston eliminating the need for an offset wristpin location which in turn alters the geometry to the point where the piston just floats down the bore with less friction than the piston in a wedge-type configuration.
Loads of power with a disadvantage of piston slap as the piston and bore start to wear.
The wedge style engines don't have that disadvantage but at the same time suffer parasitic friction losses which in turn reduce final power output.

Were you aware that the 500 cubic inch displacement 11,000 plus horsepower hemi engines in a topfuel dragster are actually based on the physical dimensions of the cylinder block of the original Chrysler 426 street hemi?
Heck, it takes more parasitic horsepower loss to run the Roots style supercharger on one than the street hemi can produce to put it into perspective.
Really interesting stuff when you start to dig into it, if you are into it.
.
While very interesting to me, most would have walked away from my monolog long before I got to the end, and actually that is only the beginning.
It's more of a need to know only if you need to know it kind of topic.

Were you aware that offsetting the crankshaft centerline to the cylinder bore centerlines on an inline four cylinder engine will actually increase the power cycle duration?
The only problem with that configuration is the loss of the dynamic balance that in the end would only serve to tear the rotating assembly to shreds.
I'm sure if someone took the time to work out the math on a dynamically tuned balance shaft it could be a winner, but for now, manufacturing will likely only stick to a tried and true formula.

What makes an inline six cylinder engine superior to a four is that the rotating mass balance and the dynamic balances have a way of cancelling each other out because of how the power pulses are spread out over the 4 cycles that are involved.

I think that says about enough to see where topic drift could be a problem, plus who actually wants to read a wall of text?

Or, picture a sales catalog without any order to the index, which in the end might prove to be useless to most.

 

[Misty Avich]

This is where I miss the forum I was banned from. There, threads often lasted, and if one did die and you bumped it again it would often come back to life. That's what I liked about the site, although the only downside to that was when people would bump very old topics giving advice to a person who has long left the site and whose question or problem in their OP has probably been answered or resolved a long time ago lol.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

When I get bored look search the threads foe something that may be interesting kick stars it. minor interests of mine that may be shared by others. must admit my covid thread keeps growing as the renewed hype keeps some checking it out lots of data good available. I would love others top do some analysis, my five sigma was an eye opener.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

True, but no two humans are alike either.

Forums tend to have dynamics that are constantly shifting.
After a topic has been opened up and input has been added, simply adding more to it from some posters would tend to dilute it and potentially steer it off topic which in turn would be a nightmare for someone searching the archives for a specific topic.

Someone once asked me in our chatroom why some of us talked about boring everyday stuff in it.
My reply was that many could care less to hear about flame front propagation in various combustion chamber configurations and their effect on complete burn cycles in an internal combustion gasoline fueled engine and the cylinder wall wear involved when a piston is shoved off-center to it's bore as a result of a weak at best design. Too much offset equals a geometric loss of efficiency due to poor connecting rod angular geometry with a greater instance of wear on the piston skirt and cylinder walls. Not enough will defeat the purpose of even having an offset pin while at the same time will give it a greater power advantage over the further offset pin.
Hemispherical combustion chamber cylinder heads push directly down on a piston eliminating the need for an offset wristpin location which in turn alters the geometry to the point where the piston just floats down the bore with less friction than the piston in a wedge-type configuration.
Loads of power with a disadvantage of piston slap as the piston and bore start to wear.
The wedge style engines don't have that disadvantage but at the same time suffer parasitic friction losses which in turn reduce final power output.

Were you aware that the 500 cubic inch displacement 11,000 plus horsepower hemi engines in a topfuel dragster are actually based on the physical dimensions of the cylinder block of the original Chrysler 426 street hemi?
Heck, it takes more parasitic horsepower loss to run the Roots style supercharger on one than the street hemi can produce to put it into perspective.
Really interesting stuff when you start to dig into it, if you are into it.
.
While very interesting to me, most would have walked away from my monolog long before I got to the end, and actually that is only the beginning.
It's more of a need to know only if you need to know it kind of topic.

Were you aware that offsetting the crankshaft centerline to the cylinder bore centerlines on an inline four cylinder engine will actually increase the power cycle duration?
The only problem with that configuration is the loss of the dynamic balance that in the end would only serve to tear the rotating assembly to shreds.
I'm sure if someone took the time to work out the math on a dynamically tuned balance shaft it could be a winner, but for now, manufacturing will likely only stick to a tried and true formula.

What makes an inline six cylinder engine superior to a four is that the rotating mass balance and the dynamic balances have a way of cancelling each other out because of how the power pulses are spread out over the 4 cycles that are involved.

I think that says about enough to see where topic drift could be a problem, plus who actually wants to read a wall of text?

Or, picture a sales catalog without any order to the index, which in the end might prove to be useless to most.

While I am aware how manufacturers try to fine tune the flame front dynamics in a cylinder, I only knew the hemi by reputation without understanding the dynamics you discussed. Thank you.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

True, but no two humans are alike either.

While we do not play the same notes I think we Harmonize.

 

[Fino]

People express themselves then move on. It makes intuitive sense to me.

 

[Sherlock77]

Yup... In any forum, even NT ones, posts tend to run out of steam most of the time...

 

[Tom]

I just see the newest threads on the page. Out of sight out of mind mainly I think. I see older threads people post on as zombie threads. The OP and responders are almost all long gone usually because we have a continual turnover. Plus I am not going to read thru a ton of posts to catch up on what has been already said.

 

[SusanLR]

There are always new members joining and older members dropping out.
I often see posts about things or questions that have been discussed a number of times on older threads, but that's alright by me because @Tom has a good point.
The turnover rate and length of some of the older threads.

The new members may have questions or things they want to talk about with members that are alive and kicking currently. Not older threads that may be on the same subject, but full of posts from people who are no longer around and active.

I will say, when the mods list older threads on the same subject it can be very helpful as some new members may want to read on the topic before making threads of their own. And I thank the moderators for doing this.

Personally, I look to the newer threads and if there is something I find interesting or feel I have an experience to contribute, I do.
Sometimes I think a thread may be short lived, but that is the way most forums are.
Picture threads are always fun and can be long lived.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Longer threads are usually do to hitting a topic a number of other or a particular individual may find interesting leading to a conversation which other contribute or join in example my thorium thread. if the thread is interesting many do not comment but it generates a lot of views.