What is the short term/long term future of a2k?

When Abuzz folded, a man who was also on A2k for a time, tried to recreate that site, without stepping on any copyrights. After a number of months he had to give it up. People called him anon, but I'm not sure of his exact monicker on here. It takes a lot of know-how and it helps a lot if you have a ready made membership, as Craven had when he started this site.

I don't expect a literal clone of a2k like maybe able2know 2: the Wrath of Khan. So, copyrighting would be the least warranted concern for a replacement forum.

I wasn't suggesting how to do it, just telling of anon's efforts.

Craven suggested a few years back that it is far healthier for a2k to start lots of threads instead of putting so much of it in monolithic ones as so many of us do.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean or how that applies to the future life expectancy of a2k. Robert AKA Craven hasn't posted under the Craven in 12 years (so a few years back is mildly erroneous). We have plenty of new threads published every day (as opposed to solely relying/exclusively posting on very long threads).

Asking from this point onwards. Are we at the half-life stage of a2k or well past that? With the thumbs up/thumbs down system being occasionally hidden under the Harry Potter cloak of invisibility? Is that a glitch due to negligence? People are pooh-pooing it as a possible upgrade.

Something is happening, or maybe not happening at all.

Nit pick nit pick
He said the forum is healthier with as many new threads as possible. So a healthier site may have greater longevity. Lots of regular posters confine most of their efforts to neverending threads.

I am curious about what features people would want on and a2k-type forum.

The uniqueness of Able2know is that it allows anyone to post on any thread with a moderate amount of moderation. This has caused much consternation, but it also may just be what keeps this forum going.

1. I would like to see "threading". This means that posts could branch out into subthreads, and tangents could be discussed without muddying the mainline post. If threading is implemented correctly, all the back and forth "you're a fascist, no you're the fascist" interactions would get put on a separate thread that would be easy for anyone who isn't interested in who the fascist is to simply skip.

2. I have already made my opinions known about the thumbs. My preference is to keep the up-thumb and just get rid of the down-thumb. Maybe anyone could choose to collapse a post or subthread for themselves, but it would be private and not effect anyone else.

3. I have been thinking about a way of differentiating between types of posts... a rebuttal vs. additional information vs. accusatory rant. I am not exactly sure how this would work... but I have been thinking about it.

4. A new forum, of course, needs to be successful in drawing in new blood who will stay here. That is not my area of expertise, but someone needs to think about this.

In the worst case, we might identify another existing board to move to.

Myspace and then Facebook happened. A number of our early members loped over to them. Well, Facebook at least.
Then came smartphones and instant into and texting. And Twitter. The world and the internet changed. Forums to some degree became less important to folks. Others became heavily themed in their political views - right or left... although there are some out there which have great diversity of topics and members.

Additionally as stated by edgar, more threads and different types of subjects would be helpful. There are several Coronavirus threads, a few saying the same exact things. A prospective member might come by and find 3 or 4 at the head of the page. Open each and find the same (or near to the same) post and news link. What would possess them to hang here?

The same holds true in political threads. Too many on just one or two (sometimes three) topics.

As for the future, time will tell.

I guess I'm not understanding this thread at all.

It's taking a non issue, saying I don't want to make it an issue, but let's talk about something that doesn't even exist.

Please don't take that as snarky or negative, I sincerely don't know what it is you want to discuss.

Do you want suggestions to make the site more popular and vital?

That might be useful. As it is, I kind of wish this thread hadn't been started.

I kind of feel the same way, but only in a "kinda" way.

I don't know what I'm supposed to feel honestly.

Yeah, I have suggestions, but don't want to say anything until I'm told it's ok to do so.

Well, not ok to do so, as in permission, but if that's what might be expected.

Really? Really? It's not that difficult. I'm suggesting based on ... let's call it anecdotal evidence and a couple of whispers that Robert isn't trying to keep a2k from eventually shutting down completely.

I really don't understand how you think anything I wrote mentions making the site popular or ... um ... vital?? Bizarre choice of a word which is yours, not mine.

Asking about the worst-case scenario if the site is finally closed and what other sites would someone consider using as an alternative to a2k? If they would actively want to find a place to interact as a community if that happens? Or just move on with their virtual lives and not find an a2k replacement. I was trying to be a bit tactful as I don't have any hard evidence other than a turn of phrase dropped in another thread.

Just a thread based on relative morbid curiousity.

https://able2know.org/topic/323179-1

Geez tsar...are you really mystified by her question. She was very clear that "Please don't take that as snarky or negative, I sincerely don't know what it is you want to discuss." and you respond as if you're offended? All any of us have here is the written word, we can't hear the voice, the inflection or see the facial expression or body language.....so relax a little. Asking for clarification is not defiance or an insult....sometimes we all need a little more information.

By the way, it also seemed like a doomsday proclamation to me as well. We've all been dining out on Robert's generosity for years, I would hate to lose this site, but nothing lasts forever. I'm comfortable here and I've been here since 2002...I like it, I've known some members since 1998 from other forums that no longer exist.

I truly doubt she was trying to provoke you, Chai is very direct and it seems to me she was looking for some additional information. I'm asking you to relax a little, we all love you...sometimes, a fellow member might just ask for a little more.

Yeah, chai can be pretty direct.

You don't have to guess where you stand with her. I admire that.

Well, ok, so being direct here....WTF is it you do want to know?

From the start you are pretty all over the place.
Long term, short term, will we be abandoned without notice, the buzz around town, don't read into this, minor dialogue, hypothetical maybes, etc.

And then after all these vague words, and more, you seem upset that I didn't know what you expected of this thread.

No, you didn't say you wanted anything. That was a big part of the problem for me. So I stuck my neck out and asked if you were looking for ways to make this place more popular, and if if so, I had one or 2 ideas.

As a matter of fact, I asked you, as in a question, if what you wanted was suggestions of ways to make the site more popular and vital.

Don't know why you had a problem with the word vital. Wouldn't that be a good thing? To have a more vital place?

What is it you want? All I can make out is saying other vague stuff that leads to nowhere. It's how I feel right now.

Where are we going with this?

With the general state of the world, some things in particular, our own personal problems and goals, and we're supposed to give some of our thinking capacity over to this like "well I don't know, it may happen, it may not, it's sort of a minor dialogue with no clear destination or even claiming there's a destination, let's just say something that doesn't indicate one thing or the other."

No, I wasn't trying to provoke you at all, as glitter said. However, I start to feel provoked myself when I'm presented with a amorphous blob that continues to just sit there doing not much of anything.

Yeah, I like you an awful lot tsar, you're one of my favorite people here.

But all I can do with this is just sort of gaze at it wondering if it's going to move, and if it does, what direction?

I don't know. If a2k disappear by morning, I guess life would just go on.

Wouldn't it?

Direct is honest and it is usually because you need to understand. I'm direct, I am not skilled in waffling or insinuation. Let me clarify, I'm not skilled at waffle and I'm impatient because I really just want to understand. I don't think anyone can grasp an issue unless it is accurately conveyed.

Never in a million years would I describe Chai as 'direct' as a negative....She is honest....all tzar had to do was expand his concerns......he didn't have to actually expand, he could have just pretended he didn't see her question.

Oh suffering spitballs, am I the only one on A2K that thought Chai's question was just a request for clarification?