I guess that's that (Hey Louie)

[Doktor Howl]

Hey Louie,

I've been on this board since the day after it was up, way the hell back in 2002. That's coming up on 19 years this next December.  And while the board has had its ups and downs, it's been down an awfully long time this time.  The reasons for this are varied and sundry, but perhaps not as varied as they seem.

Possible reasons:

1.  The BBS format just flat up lost to Facebook and other modern platforms.

Problem:  I know of at least 10 other BBSs that still have hundreds - or in one case, thousands - of active users.  This is not the answer.

2.  Discordianism literally eats its own guts.  It feeds on itself, by its very nature.

  This is in fact part of the problem.

3.  This board and I are considered inseparable by many people who don't particularly care for me, either because they don't like me or they have been instructed to not like me.

I would dismiss #3 as maybe being a little over-sensitive, except that a certain person followed me to Debate Politics and busted out my troll in public a week or so ago.  Which was both rude, and an indicator that no matter where I am or what I do, this person's obsessive hatred of me will cause her to blast me wherever I go, if show up anywhere being recognizable as myself, or do anything at all that would in any way tie whatever I'm doing to my old accounts.

(It's worth mentioning that she is running a troll account composed of bullshit as well, but had no problem busting mine out.  I am of course less than happy about this, but what can you do?)

The solution is obvious.  The Doktor Howl/TGRR personas, as well as any accounts known to be linked to those have to simply be dropped, and I can start over somewhere else as someone else and not have to worry about being stalked by her or her adoring fans (and by adoring, people literally ask permission to speak with her or include her in a conversation, over on FB.  It's servile and cringy as hell.)

And as for those adoring fans, you can fuck right off until what happens to me, happens to you.  And it will, just as soon as she gets drunk and bored.  If you ghosted me because she told you to OR just because you didn't want to run afoul of her OR you decided I'm a big old bastard or whatnot, just die in a fire.  Or don't.  Just don't bother speaking to me again, should you trip over me somewhere on the internet or whatnot (this would exclude QGP, Cain, and Faust, of course.)  I am sick and tired of being the bad guy because one day almost 6 years ago I wouldn't agree with Nigel that my wife and my kids and I are all horrible racist Nazis because we disagreed with her about the 2015 primary race.

And while I will be here for a short while in the background, vacuuming up ebook material that hasn't already been backed up, you guys can safely assume that I won't be a bother.  You guys can come back, Faust can run a board that isn't a morgue, and I never have to think of you folks ever again.

That's a hell of a bargain, for the low, low, price of...well, nothing at all.

So that's about it.  Fuck off with yourself.

Yours Truly,
D.B. Cooper

[chaotic neutral observer]

Possible reasons:

1.  The BBS format just flat up lost to Facebook and other modern platforms.

Problem:  I know of at least 10 other BBSs that still have hundreds - or in one case, thousands - of active users.  This is not the answer.

Almost all of the traditional forums I've been a member of have died.  What's happening here doesn't appear to be materially different to what has happened elsewhere.  Fewer people post, so fewer people post.

3.  This board and I are considered inseparable by many people who don't particularly care for me, either because they don't like me or they have been instructed to not like me.

Frankly, the kind of people who aren't posting here because someone else told them not to, or because they don't like you specifically, aren't the type of discordian I have much use for.

The solution is obvious.  The Doktor Howl/TGRR personas, as well as any accounts known to be linked to those have to simply be dropped, and I can start over somewhere else as someone else and not have to worry about being stalked by her or her adoring fans (and by adoring, people literally ask permission to speak with her or include her in a conversation, over on FB.  It's servile and cringy as hell.)

I like reading your posts, and you're one of the reasons I'm hanging around here.  If I knew where you were transferring your flag (or at least this flag), I think I'd like to follow along, if only to lurk under a different name.

But, you would have nothing to gain from that.  I could give you my word that I'm not one of her adoring fans... but I know what my word is worth, and you don't.

[Lord Batwing Candlewaxxe]

Possible reasons:

1.  The BBS format just flat up lost to Facebook and other modern platforms.

Problem:  I know of at least 10 other BBSs that still have hundreds - or in one case, thousands - of active users.  This is not the answer.

Almost all of the traditional forums I've been a member of have died.  What's happening here doesn't appear to be materially different to what has happened elsewhere.  Fewer people post, so fewer people post.

Since Facebook/Twitter/Discord/Etc. became a thing, BBS style forums in general have been slowly dying.  Having one with a strong population of active users is very much the exception, not the rule, and these are generally driven by a narrow focus on a niche interest, or by a fairly tightly-knit community that exists primarily outside the forum.  Message boards are almost non-existent these days compared to, say, 15-20 years ago.  Hell even FB communities don't get the traffic they once did, as people are migrating to Discord.  In another 20 years, something else will take it's place.

[Faust]

Yeah, degenerate subculture bb's are still doing OK, they have all lost numbers barring the fanfic community.

I'm sure if we were actively looking for people or pushing engagement and continually working on the site we could bring more people in where in the past people found their own way, but thats if there was the will.

Its not you roger, why the forum is quiet, no more than any of us, separately, I'm sorry that years later she will shit on your troll on another website, that's bad form I wouldn't even do that to someone who Ive a grudge against

[TheAudience]

I for one have been enjoying your Billy Chronicles and this Hey Louie series and going through the gems of threads that you necro.

For what it's worth, Dok, from my point of view, you are the reason this place is alive at all at this point. The reason it is dying is for a myriad of reasons, most of which probably have a much larger affect than this beef between you and the butt-hurt person, but I won't fault you for assigning an outsized blame to the beef, you know more about it then I do anyway.

The way I see it, the internet is kind of headed in a sucky direction in general. You are either fed an algorithm tailored stream of pablum, Or you wander through the wild west of non-curated internet which is about 99.99% composed of blood pressure hazard and cyber syphilis. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir to re-iterate the obvious, individual humans don't get along well with most other humans. Trolls and haters have won, they've exhausted the mental energies of everyone else and now it is rare to see anyone willing to engage on illegible stages. Lines are drawn, people stand on their sides and watch trolls and knights fight.

I apologize for mostly being a vacuous and silent lurker and a leech. I guess I just severely discount the value of my own potential contributions.

[Doktor Howl]

Yeah, degenerate subculture bb's are still doing OK, they have all lost numbers barring the fanfic community.

I'm sure if we were actively looking for people or pushing engagement and continually working on the site we could bring more people in where in the past people found their own way, but thats if there was the will.

Its not you roger, why the forum is quiet, no more than any of us, separately, I'm sorry that years later she will shit on your troll on another website, that's bad form I wouldn't even do that to someone who Ive a grudge against

You're probably correct.  Yesterday was just a bad day all around.