Seems the Board is Slowing Down.

[cschin4]

Sad to say. But, the board seems to be pretty slow. Not much new posting, responses, etc. Too bad as I really enjoyed it.

[Aleta]

Yes, I've noticed that as well and it just may be that time of the year when people are busy getting ready for winter and the holidays. I also think that when the Fed lowered the rates, that it really put a damper on savers who were feeling pretty good for a while. First time in some years that our savings were really making sense for us.

Also, the whole housing industry is a mess and there are those who probably know someone affected by the current conditions. Even if you're not the one with the sub-prime situation and flipping houses, you are affected by it when you want to sell your house.

[disneysteve]

I've noticed fewer postings also.

Personally, Aleta, the Fed rate cut has been a great thing for investors, if not for savers. My investment portfolio gained 5-figures after the cut. That more than made up for any decrease in interest on my money market (which is still at 5.21% so far).

The housing mess has definitely had wide-reaching effects, but I expected it to be more of a topic of discussion around here and it really hasn't been.

[sweeps]

A lot of people post to the blogs now instead of the forums.

[sweeps]

Also I think there's been more of a trend toward adding to existing threads instead of creating new ones. There are probably some interesting posts in some of these long threads (like "What frugal thing did you do today?") but they don't get noticed.

[marla]

Weekends always tend to be slower here. I also think it's because everyone has posted a ton of quality information. Almost any question I have these days I can do a search and find a thread that has already covered that topic.

[herm4]

I'm fairly new here, so I haven't noticed the slow down.

[Aleta]

Steve: While I quite agree with you about the stock market going up which did increase most people's portfolios, I still think that there are those out there that may need that short term cash. The stock market has a more long-term view for most people.

I can remember when passbook savings accounts were at 5.25% and people were complaining about that rate as being low compared to all other rates. People were actually bored with the rate. I'm sure that IMA SAVER can remember that time.

Like you, there hasn't been much discussion about these topics. I personally have a nephew affected by this mess in the housing market. He has a 5 year old son and is hoping to sell his house so that they won't foreclose. He is a very hard-working man with a nice family and a new business. So, many of us are affected. I think there are those whod that just haven't come out and admitted that they are in the middle of the mess for what ever reason (maybe pride or embarrassment).

[Broken Arrow]

Yeah, I still get confused from time to time about where to post something. For example, I had a blog entry asking about what people thought of H&R Block classes, but in retrospect, the forum would have been a better place to ask.

I also don't read the "perpetual" threads, although now that I think about it, I probably should too.

Finally, I notice that there tends to be a bit of a lull in the weekends. I guess that makes sense since I'm personally not much around myself.

[LuxLiving]

And then there are people like me who are in and out as time available and inclination vary.

[TBH]

The forum being slower makes sense now that the blog community has grown. But I hope the bloggers come back here! I almost never read the blogs.

I stop by this site only a few times a month now, but I do really like it and save it for when I have a little extra time and need a treat. I hope it never gets as slow as, say, the Kiplinger Community forum. That place is dead.

[kv968]

Originally Posted by sweeps

Also I think there's been more of a trend toward adding to existing threads instead of creating new ones. There are probably some interesting posts in some of these long threads (like "What frugal thing did you do today?") but they don't get noticed.

The board does seem to slow down, understandably, over the weekends. However I think Sweeps' comment above, the fact that a lot of "common" questions have been answered already and the back and forth going on within the blogs are the major culprits of the slowdown. I know that I'm guilty of sometimes going off on tangents in some of the postings and not adhering to the posted topic, dragging the conversation right along with it. If I find that happening again, I (and hopefully others too) will try to start a new thread with the "morphed" topic in order to attract others if they're interested. That is if the "morphed" topic is of interest

[disneysteve]

It is interesting that some of you think the blogs are a cause. If I have a question or am looking for opinions, I post to the boards. It means the difference between getting 2 or 3 responses (on my blog) or getting pages and pages of responses on an active forum thread. I use my blog more to report progress - things that don't need a response.

[humandraydel]

We have blogs? (and yes, I'm kidding. Though I've never read a blog here.)

[Aleta]

Since it has slowed down, I have started exploring the sites listed on the home page. I think that we get so caught up on the forums, that we forget about all of the sites mentioned by Jeffrey. It gives you a chance to catch up on other sites I started exploring a few that is mentioned on the home page. One is DivaTribe. It's good to check them out. I have been enjoying it.

[Scanner]

A suggestion to the Administrators. . .I do think the number of forums is just a bit too much.

On a positive note, I think this forum gets a little less posting compared to other forums because it's well-moderated and there's little argueing. That's the double-edged sword; I kind of like to argue but I purposely tone it down because everyone here is so civil and I don't want to be the disruptive one for a change.

I realize not everyone is as arguementative as me either.

[Aleta]

I agree with you Scanner. I think that for the most part that people here are more helpful than argumentative. Maybe that's a good thing.. Reading posts from 1st. timers indicate how welcome they feel here and think that they can get good information from this site.

[kv968]

Originally Posted by Scanner

On a positive note, I think this forum gets a little less posting compared to other forums because it's well-moderated and there's little argueing. That's the double-edged sword; I kind of like to argue but I purposely tone it down because everyone here is so civil and I don't want to be the disruptive one for a change.

I realize not everyone is as arguementative as me either.

You don't want KV and Pundits to fire up the band do you Scanner?

[humandraydel]

Originally Posted by Scanner

I realize not everyone is as arguementative as me either.

I like a good argument now and again....as I'm sure you know

You're right though - this board definitely doesn't have the childish arguments and that's a good thing, but a bit of informed debate never hurt anyone!

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by Scanner

A suggestion to the Administrators. . .I do think the number of forums is just a bit too much.

In regards to posting or reading? Note that if you want to just see the latest posts, you can click "New Posts" near the top of the page. If you're referring to posting, you could have a point -- some posters may be confused where to post their comment or question.