10-18-2016 12:22 AM - edited 10-18-2016 12:23 AM
10-18-2016 06:57 AM
It's been going on for about 6 years. People, slowly but surely, have been leaving, and virtually no new posters have showed up.
T.S. was once a vibrant, thriving place. No more. Only a very few diehards are left.
10-18-2016 04:52 PM
I chalk it up to the improving economy.
When the economy sucked, why not spend a bunch of time spouting off on eBay chat boards?
Now more people have real lives.
10-18-2016 07:12 PM
Actually, when you have lost your job and your home, and are living in a cardboard box out by the railroad tracks, you find that WiFi reception is spotty at best.
10-18-2016 09:29 PM
mass shootings don't get a thread anymore
no point in starting a political thread ... they are the same in the end
we've seen everyone's favourite music
what's left?
do you think the facination with the internet for discussion groups will last forever?
I don't
10-19-2016 06:58 AM - edited 10-19-2016 06:58 AM
do you think the facination with the internet for discussion groups will last forever?
It actually might.Some people on the exiles board think that most people just post stuff on facebook these days, so there's less need to topic specific chat boards.
And Twitter, of course.
10-19-2016 07:15 AM
I think that your initial answer was the closest.
Ten or fifteen years ago, when Town Square was jumping, there were only a relative handful of boards on eBay. TS, The Soapbox, The Park... were among them and all got new posters almost daily. Since eBay added "Groups", there are now far more boards to choose from. TS is no longer promoted by eBay and has lost its' place in the "short list" that no longer exists.
It's just too hard for new folks to find.
10-19-2016 09:40 AM
TS became automated gain saying
people with intelligence grew annoyed
wise crackers needed a new audience
If Trump could not revive TS, nothing can
10-19-2016 12:33 PM
In its' heyday, TS was far from being populated solely by "people of intelligence".
Rather, there were any number of diverse individuals and cliques. This board even had it's own moderator, or "Pink", as she was called, who went by "Maeve". There were several "wars" between battling sides that ended in suspensions, expulsions and general hard feelings on the part of those involved.
It wasn't all about politics, either. There was a very large religious group here, as well as many others who seemed to just want to chat and pass the time.
There were also lots of new folks stopping by who, believe it or not, wanted to ask a question about the workings of eBay... sometimes they even got answers.
I think of that time as the "Wild West" days of TS. Never dull, that's for sure.
10-19-2016 12:38 PM
@chl_only wrote:mass shootings don't get a thread anymore
no point in starting a political thread ... they are the same in the end
we've seen everyone's favourite music
what's left?
do you think the facination with the internet for discussion groups will last forever?
I don't
I think it's got a while to run.
Some people like to listen to the sound of their own voice (hmm ... like to read their own words? There, that's better).
Some people like to argue.
Some people are lonely and want to connect on some topic they have in common with others (or not).
And some of those people don't like Facebook, which takes away that platform.
10-19-2016 12:42 PM
I think you will find that the majority of posters on these boards were regular sellers (albeit with some using different ID's) so we spent a lot of time on the site. I believe the drop-off of posters reflects the loss of regular sellers overall.
10-20-2016 06:49 AM
I believe the drop-off of posters reflects the loss of regular sellers overall.
Could be. Heck, even the great john wade was a seller. Or maybe THEY finally got him.
10-20-2016 08:14 AM
I actually bought a number of things from wade (using my other ID). Always wondered how someone who seemed to have so many... um.. issues...could run a successful business. Lent credence to my suspicion he was just yanking our chains.
10-21-2016 06:41 AM
Lent credence to my suspicion he was just yanking our chains.
Could be. Then again, some people can live very compartmentalized lives. They can be a successful business person in the public eye, yet be all kinds of other things when elsewhere.
12-21-2016 11:29 AM
You got that right about being hard to find. I used to be a regular here, but joined up with one of the many breakaway groups years ago. This used to be the place to be for all things fun exciting edgey and a darned good place to brawl.