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I blame it on the google generation and the web 2.0 experience.  Ten years ago sites like this were some of the only ones to go to.  Now everyone seems to divide their time up between 10+ other forums and social networking sites…not to mention Google and Wikipedia.

I myself am guilty of spending extra time on Wikipedia, Google, Linkedin, and DeviantArt…as you can see each site is a subject matter distinctly different from the other and my time is divided.  On top of that add work, family, and my own personal time.

I just got a new job and I am getting busier at work. I do frequent the site a lot because I am learning more things so I need help with more stuff. But I know as I get older, do the whole family thing etc.etc. My time will become limited and I won’t have as much time to browse not only this forum but other sites as well.

I do know a lot of the top dev’s here have been a little quite but thats because client work takes top priority.

I have no excuse

Edit: Whoops, this is the Flash forum - in that case, I have.

I’m still here

Work is keeping me really busy.
But I am still lurking here for a good .5 - 1 hour a day.

I’m just amazed.  It just seems like its changed since the site first started about 8 years ago.

for reals man, i noticed that too… i think maybe they could of left up the submissions part of the site.. i mean if there are no tutorials and no open source, what reason would a new designer have to stick around very long when there are plenty of other sites that offer these very helpful resources.. i believe that unless your already at least somewhat intermediate. . you would most likely end up going somewhere else before posting anything here

http://www.ultrashock.com/forums/tutorials/
http://www.ultrashock.com/forums/tutorials/ultrashock-tutorials-index-91359.html
http://www.ultrashock.com/tutorials

But I think we need to come up with a better way of displaying the tuts.. the forum solution isn’t enough I think.

yeah.. i knew they were here.. but i was trying to speak from the perspective of someone new to the site

It is really sad if people only come to UltraShock to find free stuff and tutorials, considering the forums have been maintained from the begging with the time of professionals that take time from their free time to help others, so i get angry each time people complain about how there are no new tutorials, and never recognize the amount of time some of US members have taken to help them or help any one who asked for help, and the amount of time, work, and money US owners have put into the site to give everything for free, so many people have started their career with the things they have learned here, and so few have given something in return to the community.

The problem here imo, is that people want to be helped but dont help, want tutorials but have never contributed with one, etc etc, its very easy to talk and not do, and everything has a limit, members that contribute to US also have one, like Nutrox who i can bet has helped everyone who has ever asked a question here, and had to take a break lately since he was basically spending more time here than doing his stuff, and then came to the forum and read people complaining about how there’s no new tutorials, come on.

I am also concerned about the participation in the forums, i also wished there where more people contributing helping, sharing interesting stuff, or just chatting for fun, that where creating new tutorials etc, but i really dont see people willing to do any of that.

I don’t think there are many people like that Anik. I think ultrashock is too professional for the mass now. If I ever decide to start with Flash again this isn’t the place where I’ll be studying action script, this information being exchanged here is like Tier 3.
I think it’s the lack of people on a lower level (who are into free stuff and tutorials) on this forum is causing the ultrashock community to grow grey.

edit: illustration, rolf.

Mijiru - you actually made me laugh at the Tier3 mentioning, thanx.
Well, i’m back in after so many years of wondering about in other forums or in none. I think there are a good bunch of people who now tend to cast their questions as if the members of a forum (any forum for that matter) were there to solve their problems. Or even worse, they come up with any free code they found around, and want you to decode the free script, and make it work to their specs. Some of them don’t want to know how it works, they just want it done.

In other places, i’ve seen the core members refusing to explain what a given code does when its obvious the user doesn’t really know the basics in the first place… which sometimes its a bit rough, but fair enough to those who really want to help and get help back.

Anik, i agree with you to an extent. you must also consider the “fun” factor as well, submitting something cool for someone else to learn from is fun in my book.. i did it plenty at flashkit back in the flash 5/6 days. i got enough work doing complete projects to actually care about someone using a menu with xml sample or something so isolated, submitting is just as much a learning experience as is decompiling (for what ever reasons) and editing/piecing apart fla’s just on diff. levels *consider the manuals a developer must create for his software.. What i miss is the experimental submissions.. stuff that most people wouldnt really be able to use on a site except in very rare occasions . i mean, thats what i learned the most from, seeing how things so abstract where constructed to inspire my own creativity.

we must not forget this is a science.. and people will gain more of an interest when that is reflected more so in this site upon first glance, like the old version of it did…

I think mijiru hit the nail on this, at least partially, contrary to what you say enkriptid, i think US apart from the low participation of its members, has grown too advanced on the questions and most n00bs cant find what they are looking for since its not much of a place for starters anymore, the more scientific and specific you get the less people will understand it.

The fun factor is lost because people dont post, they just get what they need and leave, laughing alone is not as fun as laughing with other people, so having a fun thread, even if it is the most fun, or interesting, or good for learning thread with just 2 posts will never transcend.

What we must not forget is that this is a COMMUNITY, and a community requires participation, just like in real life, you dont stop going to the cinema just because they painted the walls with a color you dont like, or do you ?

Well I agree that the questions on here are getting quite advanced. It’s not like “how do I make a mouseover menu?” anymore.

As for people not posting, I almost have to agree with that too. I can point you to several threads in the past few weeks where someone posted a question and then had a lot of flurry of activity in the days after the first initial post until the question is answered. Then not even a “thank you” reply. They just leave. This attitude also contributes to the forum as not only does it makes the contributors to that thread mad, but it contributes to the overall attitude of the forum in a negative way. (However, usually these posters have done the same thing in the past - post only to ask questions and disappear once they have the answer without even a simple “thanks” reply). It doesn’t become a community anymore but rather a help desk.

So I agree with Anik, we must start getting more fun threads and people posting random things like “I just bought new shoes”. Ok that might be dumb but at least it’s part of a community. A community is about sharing and to keep a community going, we need to be as sharing as possible. ...which is why I created this thread: http://www.ultrashock.com/forums/random-chat/107537-fun-giving-away-itunes-gift-certificate-new-post.html