Why do some new members do this?

[Doctor XFizzle 8,670]

Like others have said, I think it's because they don't find friends right away or they receive an underwhelming welcome. If they make a few posts and no one quotes them or gives them a brohoof for it, it's easier to leave. 

Edited December 18, 2013 by Doctor XFizzle

[Moonlight 7,288]

Usually they join and then disappear for any of these reasons or other:

 

• They don't think they could make friends here
• They lose interest
• Stop liking ponies and they assume that's the only thing to talk about here since it's a pony forum
• Boredom
• Bad experience
• They just don't have time
• Family or friends getting in the way

Those seem to be the main reasons.

[Chevette 1,052]

I got this coach! PUT ME IN.

*tokes doobie*

 

Alright, this is very simple. I got a few different reasons for this one, so buckle up, grab a snack and hug a puppy.

I don't know if it still works this way, but when I joined this forum, you had to post in the welcoming plaza before you could make posts anywhere else. Maybe they don't want to do that.... Maybe they are afraid of overly welcoming members.. This is not my true point, my true point is what follows.

 

Alright, so the way I see it is like this: The forum (or anything) is a acquired taste, sometimes you just can't jump something into your routine and get it to stick, if you aren't familiar with it or still a little shaky about it, you either forget or are just lenient about doing it.

I saw other people say they feel like they can't make friends, I don't really know about that one, folks. It's the internet, it's whateverz, you can do what ya want. 

It probably all comes down to making it apart of ones routine. Or maybe they have better things to do than internet. Like toke doobies, or plow fields all day long, catch catfish dusk til' dawn, make their own whiskey and make their own smoke too. The possibilities are endless. 

 

It's probably nothing more than just making the forum a habit. It took me some time to come here as often as I do now. 

[Moss 95]

Semi-new member here,I had been a lurker for a year or so before I joined,because I couldn't be assed.It was around the end of S3 I think.I was really into the show mid-season 2,and I used to come to these forums everyday,but my interest slowly dwindled,and when I finally joined,I didn't find posting in forums as fun as I thought.I got enough posts and found life advice,which I guess you could say was interesting to me,even though I didn't have much advice to dish out.

 

These days,I'm still disinterested in the other sections except life advice.I do occasionally check them.My interest in the show is just that,a show.I will still catch the new ep but I'm not going to get all giddy about it.Heck,I remember at the S3 premiere that I missed the livestream then didn't bother to watch it until mid-day tuesday.

 

I'm really only here to contribute to the advice forums these days,and I'm still not very active,this is my first time on in about a week.I don't even visit when not logged in anymore.I'm just not really interested in the show anymore,and it also affects my interest in the mlp discussion forums.

 

Bit long,but I guess you could say that some people leave because the forums are not the blast that they thought it was going to be,or just lose interest quickly once the novelty wears off.

Edited December 18, 2013 by MOSFETv2

[DubWolf 17,438]

Well...can you think of anypony who has joined and then disappeared? Or have you befriended a new member but realized they haven't logged on for a few days?

 

They've probably lost interest or didn't think this website was all they imagined. I can't think of any forum I've joined and then immediately banished.

[Rough Pathway 157]

Most people just lose interest or are busy. I go into periods where I'll come on here everyday for hours, and then stop and not come on for a few days for no good reason haha. They might be shy, and don't feel very welcomed here for whatever reason, so thats a possibility too. I became friends with a person on here a few months ago because we could relate to each other a lot, but then he stopped coming on (and this is in his words) because he 'didn't understand anyone here'. They also might just lose interest in pony, or were never as interested in pony enough to talk and discuss with other people about it in the first place. There are tons of reasons.

[Smarts 1,623]

They probably just lost interest in the place. That or they are busy and don't have much free time. When they do have free time, the forums don't even cross their mind because it was easily forgettable to them. That's my theory.

[Fergus Mo 21]

I'll post here just to let y'all know I didn't disappear. 

[SS Patches 138]

hmm... i would say the reason why some don't come on is because they have people in IRL who are friends with and so they just hang with them and can't be bothered to come onto the forums unlike me who spends the whole day on the forums (mainly just hanging out at the homepage playing my DS) so i think it's also because they can't find anything that interests them i know it's a challenge for some to not get bored on the forums just my theory/opinion.

Edited December 18, 2013 by TrillbianKnight

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

Easy.

 

You see, just like most of everyone on the internet, they are shy at first.

 

Despite their happy introduction, you'll never know if that took them a lot of courage to say as they would leave the next day.

[Castle Bleck 19,386]

I belong to about 8 other forums or so, so I can understand the possibility of being too preoccupied.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

It's most likely lack of interest, not everyone is devoted to the site. Also, as they join the site they may get some warm welcomes or not and furthermore they might not be brave enough to simply message people so they loose interest rather quickly.

 

I never planned on becoming a regular on here, it just sort of happened.

[Wayzer 1,418]

I really don't know why they do that. I was kinda active since I joined 3 weeks ago, and I haven't been online for less then 2 hours a day by now!

[Commander Tangent 861]

I actually did this here almost a year back, I felt somewhat intimidated by amount of friends on this place, and I was afraid that I wouldent make any and be the odd one out. That, though, was obviously wrong, as I have a good amount of friends now.

[Guest]

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Edited December 22, 2016 by plzremoveaccountfdfd

[Malinter 3,064]

I don't think all of them quite disappear, i only respond to folks in topics when that notification tells me, unless someone on my friends list makes a status or someone posting on there status, i'm non the wiser to them even being online.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Sometimes people don't feel as though they fit in. I actually joined one or two pony forums before this one, and ended up not sticking around one because it wasn't particularly active, and left the other because my first impression of the people who frequented it wasn't the best. This place seemed to not have either of those issues, though I'm sure some people just want a different feel or aren't the hugest fan of forum based discussions. I've left many forums in my time, or drifted into various states of lurking, and it all more or less came down to my not feeling wanted or welcome for whatever reason. Goes to show how important it is to present a good face to any new members, keep interesting discussions flowing, and to try to be a decent person.

[FlutterDash4072 189]

I've done it before. Usually boredom is the culprit. I'd create the account, post in the threads I wanted to, and then it'd move too slowly to keep me interested in visiting the place again and again. Luckily this forum is very active.

[WarriorShy 48]

Im new and some time Im not online because im doing another stuff, studing for finals, or whatever

[Skylar 1,641]

I suppose its their choice really, maybe they just dont fancy hanging around  

[Blackcat 205]

Some, like myself, just tend to lurk. I have very little to say in response to the topics posted here. Sometimes months will pass before I see something that I feel warrants a response. 

 

Quiet observer in real life, Quiet observer online.

[Klopp 2,050]

Sometimes a place looks nice at first, then shortly after joining they realize it's just not a place for them. For one reason or another they don't like it, so they leave. They aren't obligated to stay, and neither is anyone else on the forums, for that matter.

 

It's like getting a sample of food, really. They come in, have a quick taste, then find that it's not to their liking. So they don't take part in the full course. It's as simple as that, really.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,836]

Well, it's highly possible that they just didn't have the intent of staying because they didn't like the forums. I'd be more surprised if a long-time member did it then a new member, honestly. Forums in general aren't something that everybody likes, they were much more popular in the very late 90s/early 2000s than they are now. Sometimes their leaving is only temporary anyway.

 

Only thing we can really do is cross our fingers that these users will come back some day. 

Edited December 19, 2013 by Harmonic Revelations

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I've left many forums with just a few posts like that, and I can tell you why I did that, which would apply to why people do that here:

• It doesn't feel like a proper community, and I don't feel welcome. Everyone's inside of their little cliques with all of these old members interacting together and I feel left out. I feel like I can't really get into this group of friends that's so closeknit. 
   
• I don't feel like there's anything for me to discuss. Looking at all of the topics, I just can't find a damn thing I'm interested in talking about or a thing I have anything to say about.
   
• The layout is horrid and I can't stand to look at it for another second. Although this usually stops me from joining in the first place.
   
• Too many forum sections and clutter everywhere, which makes it look like the place is far more inactive than it actually is. Leading to the next point...
   
• The forum is too inactive and I barely see any responses to anything.
   
• One I can see applying to this place: Too many damn people. I feel lost in this gigantic crowd and like I'll never stand out from all the gadzillions of members.
   
• Lack of post quality, people who post with inproper grammar and just generally post about stupid things I don't care about, making short brief responses that have no substance.
   
• Related to the reasons above: Nobody cares about what I have to say. Everyone's just so caught up in themselves that I don't feel as if I'm being listened to or my posts are being read, so I just kind of give up.

Those could be potential reasons for others. And yes, there's also work and life busy and stuff, though that doesn't really apply to my own personal reasons for losing interest in a place. Also, they could just be people who aren't really INTO forum communities or internet culture. They just casually join them to ask a question and don't really care about being part of an internet community as their real lives are more fulfilling or something. Or maybe they're just more into Facebook. I dunno.

 

The point is: Not everyone is going to like this place and that's okay. As long as a forum gathers up a decent amount of regulars who DO like it, it can stay active for a long while.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Arylett Dawnsborough

[King 5,625]

As with generally all activities, the magic of it disappears for some...they get bored, or cant fit it into their schedule. It's fairly common on most forums.