I notice that while posts on this forum get as many as 450 views, as I scroll through the posts I see maybe 10 unique names, over and over again. Who are these 400+ lurkers, and why aren’t they participating?

This dynamic is not unusual in online forums, and in fact is probably why you don’t find too many online forums around anymore. The same thing happens in real life, and people have looked into the question of why, in brainstorming sessions for example, it’s so difficult to get people to participate and avoid the scenario where one or two loud voices dominate. What they’ve found is the reason the quiet people don’t participate is because the loud people are acting as gatekeepers - they’re telling them to “shut up” and so they do.

Of course, it’s not the case that all ideas are good ideas - so the challenge is how do you respond to the dumb ideas without shutting down the conversation entirely? One strategy is the “Yes, and…” approach - I once had a creative director who insisted that all responses begin with “Yes, and…” It felt awkward, but it forces you to be aware of whether you’re actually trying to redirect the conversation somewhere more constructive, or if you’re just trying to shut the speaker down.

The reason I bring this up, is while Rob not long ago responded to one of my posts with a literal “Yes, and…,” on several occasions now the response has been “You’re over-thinking it” or something similar. Now, I ascribe no ill intention to the people who wrote that - I’m sure they’re nice guys, in fact I’ve seen evidence in other posts that they’re nice guys. However, the way those responses functioned within in the flow was as “stoppers” - I was clearly being told to “shut up.”

Now, I know you guys have been doing this a long time, and you’ve got a comfortable thing going, and maybe you don’t really want more participation - maybe you’re perfectly satisfied with things as they are. If that’s the case, then by all means carry on - you built this place, you’re entitled to enjoy it in the limited time it will have left. (I’m not saying that to be a jerk, and I’m not being sarcastic - I sincerely believe you’re entitled to that option if you choose)

On the other hand, if you do want more participation, then I’d suggest giving some thought to this. I’m not saying everybody needs to be all nicey-nicey or whatever - I’m just suggesting that posters consider their word choice, and think about whether they’re trying to further the conversation or stifle it - and if it’s a “stifle,” maybe give it a second thought.

You might think I’m being thin-skinned, but it’s actually the opposite - I’ve been told to shut up several times, and yet I’m still here. Most people give up after the first time - in fact, just seeing others get “put in their place” is often enough to inhibit people from investing the energy to participate.

For me, I think this is a really great group, and I feel like I’ve “met” some very cool, very interesting folks here - including those who have told me to “shut up,” I’d have a beer with any of you in a minute, it’s an “online posting style” thing I’m talking about not a criticism of anyone’s actual personality. I’m only posting this because I’ve seen so many of these groups go by the wayside for exactly this sort of reason, and I’d like this one to continue on.

Thanks for reading this.
--Steve