As of late, it seems the same threads are being posted in horrid repetition over and over in the forums. Vampires, werewolves, mermaids, flying spells, etc have become the main discussion and are currently the forum postings which attract the most views and the most debate. This, to me, is a bit bothersome and upsetting. I, for one, spend most of my time on the forums rather than the chatter and it seems to have been slowly working its way towards stagnation for some time now.
Not too long ago, a topic came through the forums called "Sensible People Stand Up"- and it discussed why we need to take some sort of action. If we really want the forums to be a place for learning, we have to shape it that way. And currently, I feel it has simply become a place of "ask your question that has already been asked a multitude of times" or "post on something that you have not looked into" instead of what it should be. It feels as though the forums are simply a cesspool for cognitive misers- where people prefer the quickest, simplest answer instead of exploring and discussing things. These topics are a bit angering to those who are tired of seeing them posted, and tend to spark more arguments than anything- pushing more people away.
So the question is: How do we turn the forums around and draw in the activity and learning we want to see again?
I wanted to know what others who have been around the site and have seen the recent forum posts think we could do as a whole to improve the quality of the things being posted. And before you think I am simply complaining and not taking action: I try to occasionally post informative articles, but even those take considerable time to write up and post, with the including of sources and whatnot. And even when something new has been posted or written up nicely, it does not bring in the same results these repetitive threads have been. This isn't so much a rant as a call to action, or a plead for advice. Personally, I will remain watching and trying to add to the forums where I feel I can- as the forums usually seem to go back and forth between good discussion and other- but as of late, it has really been a bit disheartening.
Perhaps people simply need some encouragement to take the time to write their own forum posts and spread new and interesting topics around the forums? Or perhaps we need to start trying to post on things that are rarely discussed to provoke more intellectual debate and ignore the posts we have been plagued with as of late? What happened to studying, researching and writing?
Any ideas on what to do to help speed up the forum recovery?