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I have been a member here for quite awhile now and have seen a lot of things and people come and go. I've learned so much from so many nice sharing people. There used to be hundreds of people on at any one time, I can't help wonder where did they all go??? Are there new sites people are going to or are there just not that many stampers anymore. I love this site and am not going any place. The people here are so helpful and nice. Thank you all just for being you and continuing to make this a safe and wonderful craft home.
Marcia
Marcia I have been wondering the same thing. Even member companies have left. It sort of feels like a ghost town. There are still quite a few people here but just not the volume as in the past. Even the gallery uploads are way down.
I have also noticed this.... although I am still here ;) I think the hobby is fading a lot and also there are some reasons that people just don't post as much here. Sad, really. This has always been my go-to place for stamping.
Wow I love this place, never short of answers when questions are asked. The only quiet time I find is the middle of the day here which is like midnight to 2 am over in America so everyones sleeping. By the number of answers offered and number of topics covered I could never say its a ghost town more a friendly neighbourhood.
I've been a member since 2007. I check the forums in the am, and again when I come home from work. Used to be, when I would check in the evening, I would be multiple pages behind from when I checked in the am.
Now the same posts stay on the 1st page for several days.
Nothing to do with the post, but Abbysgrammy, my middle name is Marcia, and you are only the second person I've 'met' with the name! lol.
On the subject of the post, I do agree and have thought the same thing a lot recently. Often times it seems there are no new threads for days, and I've noticed that most of all in the Techniques section.
I think more and more people are turning to Facebook groups for their crafting. The use of mobile devices also makes the Facebook groups more appealing because of the ease in which photos can be uploaded. I still love Splitcoast but rarely upload photos because it isn't a quick an easy process. If Splitcoast had a iPhone app, and even better, a stronger link with Facebook, I think the activity level would increase like crazy and it would return to being the busy site it used to be.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
I think without the Member Companies, the number of new threads in the General forum has died way down. I will miss The Cat's Pajamas when they leave. :(
I agree with you. I have noticed this greatly on many of the threads that I visit daily. I know some have had life changing events - birth of a baby, divorce, jobs, relocations, family/children activities and sadly some have passed away way too young.
I don't know if they have lost interest in the hobby or economically can no longer fund or support the hobby, but I see this as my therapy! Keeping me sane in a crazy world.
More often now I see postings in BST that ladies are liquidating their craft rooms - just don't stamp/scrap anymore. I know that a number of stamp companies have closed their doors. Very sad!
I guess it is just the changing times.
At the same time, I think almost every day at least a couple of people start a new gallery here! Not everyone is giving up.
And as a gallery mod, my perception is that the upload rate seems to have increased a bit just recently. Not to what it was when I started modding, certainly, but higher than it was for a while.
I think more and more people are turning to Facebook groups for their crafting. The use of mobile devices also makes the Facebook groups more appealing because of the ease in which photos can be uploaded. I still love Splitcoast but rarely upload photos because it isn't a quick an easy process. If Splitcoast had a iPhone app, and even better, a stronger link with Facebook, I think the activity level would increase like crazy and it would return to being the busy site it used to be.
Does the mobile version of the site not work in a similar fashion to an app? I have to confess I rarely use it because for me it has more ads, and I'm happy enough navigating the full site on my phone; but I've heard positive feedback on it. I know people upload photos from their iPads, iPhones and Android devices without any problem. (I don't know if there's still an issue with iOS naming all photos "image" so that you can't upload two on the same day or it confuses the gallery software and it doesn't know which one to display, but that's the only problem I was ever aware of).
I have been wondering the same thing. I have been absent for years but I need to finish a few scrapbooks. I came here to see what the trends are and get some inspiration. The first thing I noticed was that the current SU! catty doesn't have as many samples as the catty from say 2007. Then I noticed that the threads don't have the same number of posts. I went out to look for people that left SCS and they still have blogs.
Are blogs the way people are communicating these days? I am so out of it!
__________________
Mary Kay
"Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think." Buddha
I have been wondering the same thing. I have been absent for years but I need to finish a few scrapbooks. I came here to see what the trends are and get some inspiration. The first thing I noticed was that the current SU! catty doesn't have as many samples as the catty from say 2007. Then I noticed that the threads don't have the same number of posts. I went out to look for people that left SCS and they still have blogs.
Are blogs the way people are communicating these days? I am so out of it!
Judging by the number of dead/inactive blog feeds I have, I think many people moved on to Facebook!
I think it has been dwindling down for quite a while. I joined in 2005. There were a lot of 'big' names around then but most are designing for the large stamp and die companies now. Moved on to bigger and better things I guess. I have also noticed that there are less descriptions on the uploads we do have. Just a link to their blog. That is rather disappointing too. Oh well...I'm still here (you lucky people)! LOL I don't have a blog..my gallery is my blog and have no plans to move on!! LOL We have some great new creators in the gallery with lots of fresh ideas. So I guess change is good.
I think another thing some might consider is that feeling of "Why bother posting when I get no views/comments in the gallery?") I've felt that way before and I try my hardest when I visit to post comments on entries.
I agree that it's been very slow lately. I think the reason for this is that many people now follow blogs and other forms of social media to get their stamping "fix." I still love Splitcoast, though, and I'm not going anywhere. I still check the forums several times a day and participate as much as possible.
As for the Gallery, I don't post much. It takes a bit of time, and as kerbear said, I don't get much feedback. (Not fishing for compliments here or bemoaning the lack of comments. Just stating a fact.) I also think that the reason for the influx of posters in the Gallery is that design team members are required to post in galleries as part of their commitment to the team. Splitcoast still reaches many, many people, so it is a good forum for dt members to fulfill their requirements.
Just my 2 cents. As I said, I still love it here, and I plan to stay.
And as a gallery mod, my perception is that the upload rate seems to have increased a bit just recently.
Yepper - your perception is correct Same with the forums.
I think a lot of people confuse interaction with presence. Since people have so many places to go online, they tend to comment less, post less, etc. but they're still visiting. But a lot of people think if they're not commenting they're not here and that's not the case at all.
When I started in 2007 there were a lot more postings and threads than there are these days. However, there were so many new products and people were trying to learn from each other how to use them. There were several die cutting machines with various sandwiches. New inks and techniques.
Now there are very few new products and most people know how to use the products they have so they need less guidance.
In any mature hobby there will be people who have lost interest in doing it or circumstances in their lives have changed
Posting in the Gallery takes time and many people just can't find the time to take the pictures and post them . They are force drying cards with their heat gun to get them mailed before the Post Office closes :grin:
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I know in my case, I got divorced, had to help my aspie son through high school and community college, became disabled, let my demoship go. I picked up genealogy during that time because it's easy to pick up and put down. The craft room needs a good cleaning. I would like to get back at stamping and more importantly scrapping. I am not limited by tools, color or paper anymore. It feels very liberating and I have a lot of stuff. I need to find that thread to pay it forward and get rid of something.
__________________
Mary Kay
"Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think." Buddha
I had to step away for a bit.....I went back to work full time for 5 years while my husband was unemployed. Just 2 months after he got a job and I went back to "on-call" hours, I had to start taking care of my elderly parents more....if I'm not running my 4 kids some where, I am taking my Mom somewhere. Dad to the Dr, etc etc......I am sloooooooowly getting back to some stamping time!!
I still look at the gallery almost everyday!
As far as uploading......SCS changed a bit the way to upload and I haven't taken the time to figure it out with my new camera, digital, etc. Maybe soon.....
__________________ We cannot do great things, only small things with great love.
Yes, I do notice traffic on the threads is way down. But all hobbies go in cycles. For example, right now I think knitting is on the upswing, ten years ago, not so much.
I got in to stamping 15 years ago. It was a rising hobby then. Now it is a bit in decline. Well over half the people that I used to know who stamped, do not any more. Various reasons. Sticking with a hobby for a decade and a half is a bit unusual. But the cycle will swing again. Those of us still stamping love this hobby with a passion, but even we are expanding (to mixed media, journaling, etc.)
I agree it seems posts stay around for days with nothing changing and I recently took a job (though I just move from my craft desk to my office desk) So I know life circumstances play into it all. But the gallery is in full swing...lots of good inspiration there. And for me, who usually has a hard time with lots of stuff, uploading a photo in the gallery is a breeze... but maybe I've just done it for a while so it's something that sticks in my brain
As for the Gallery, I don't post much. It takes a bit of time, and as kerbear said, I don't get much feedback. (Not fishing for compliments here or bemoaning the lack of comments. Just stating a fact.) I also think that the reason for the influx of posters in the Gallery is that design team members are required to post in galleries as part of their commitment to the team. Splitcoast still reaches many, many people, so it is a good forum for dt members to fulfill their requirements.
Just my 2 cents. As I said, I still love it here, and I plan to stay.
Sure, there's a fair amount of DT stuff. But there are also plenty of non-DT people starting new galleries all the time. Some don't always keep them up after a while - maybe because of the lack of interaction? I know that cards for challenges get more comments, but new people don't always realise that and anyway the challenges don't suit everybody. Some of the Dirty Dozen alums do a fabulous job of commenting on cards for a new gallery. Sometimes they've even already commented before I get a card approved!!
I agree with the others who have said social media and blogs have taken away many. I noticed once Facebook became BIG a lot of people just stopped posting here and have disappeared. I miss it, too. In fact, one of the 'chatting' groups I participate in has left SCS. It does make me sad. I love this site and always find inspiration and answers.
I think most message/bulletin boards are seeing their numbers decline. People are moving over to social media--Facebook, blogs, Tumblr (whatever that is). I like boards because they are interactive and spur discussion.
I agree. I just spent a little while on FB looking at stamping groups and it's really hard to read through and look at samples. I like this forum better, but I've been around a while.
__________________
Mary Kay
"Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think." Buddha
There seems to be a general decline in scrapbooking/card making. I base this statement on the number of companies that have gone out of business in the last couple of years. Not only on-line, but independent and big box brick and mortar stores/shops. At Michael's in our area, they have moved depts within the stores. Where paper crafts used to be "front and center", it is now jewelry making and yarns....paper crafts is back in the far corner. I'm sure they have analysts who are looking at trends and design their stores accordingly. Just an example.
As for the SCS forums, I, personally, do not usually participate. I'm not into social media...the less about me "out there", the more I like it. I do many daily challenges, but lately I feel some have become redundant. Also commenting on others cards takes time, if one leaves more than one or two words....those always signal to me "I've commented on your card, now comment on mine"...no sincerity whatsoever. At times, commenting becomes an onus. Obviously, some SCSers are much more involved than I am...what I do is enough for me.
Marcia I have been wondering the same thing. Even member companies have left. It sort of feels like a ghost town. There are still quite a few people here but just not the volume as in the past. Even the gallery uploads are way down.
yeah... me too :(
I don't upload here because it is a real hassle compared to pinterest... to resize pics, can't upload directy from my phone. But I miss all the chatter too
With most forums, I've noticed that seasonal times tend to keep folks away. So now that spring is supposed to be here (go away! snow!)...perhaps it will slow down just a bit til folks start thinking about the next big card season.
Early January, lots of folks were cleaning out their craft rooms. Now it seems maybe one or two a day are posting about the same thing.
I've seen a difference here...about 8-10 years ago we were having 900-1400 uploads to the gallery in a 24 hour time frame. Now it's about 300-500. Lately I've been bemoaning the smaller gallery, except for the fact that I can see every post in a much shorter period of time. ;)
I'm of the opinion that as more and more people started blogs, and more and more companies (there's gazillions of choices now!) are in business and have design teams, that many people have focused more on their blogs or are busy with their company/design team and have quit or become much less active in their galleries here. I know that's true with many people whose work I've followed for a long time.
That's the gallery. As for the forums, I would think that since we have subdivided down many of the forums, each one might see less posts in a day. I know I have my areas that I visit...and areas I almost never visit. And many of those are sub-forums for specialty topics. But there's many people who are very frequent visitors to the forums.
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I love it here and enjoy it so much more than the FB stamping pages. That said I don't visit the gallery as much as I used to. Now I google the name of a SU set and instantly dozens of photos come up. It's so quick and easy.
I don't do much on Pinterest either.
Will always love it here!
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
I don't upload here because it is a real hassle compared to pinterest... to resize pics, can't upload directy from my phone. But I miss all the chatter too
You shouldn't need to resize your pictures ;-), since the new uploader was introduced the year before last, there has been no size limit. It's also possible to upload from a phone or tablet!! I haven't tried all-the-way uploading a photo taken with my camera because I like to watermark my photos, but I've got as far as being ready to hit the submit button in testing it, and I know that other people do upload. And I regularly upload photos which I have watermarked on the PC and emailed to myself the night before, using my phone. I just did that now.
I have been wondering the same thing. I have been absent for years but I need to finish a few scrapbooks. I came here to see what the trends are and get some inspiration. The first thing I noticed was that the current SU! catty doesn't have as many samples as the catty from say 2007. Then I noticed that the threads don't have the same number of posts. I went out to look for people that left SCS and they still have blogs.
Are blogs the way people are communicating these days? I am so out of it!
The closing of every brick and mortar LSS makes me cry and the last one anywhere near me is closing in May. I will stamp and scrap forever but I miss the hands-on shopping and crops of the good ol' days.
Mary Beth
Back in 2008 when I first joined SCS, I just had a computer that was connected to my wall & we were on dial-up so the Internet was incredibly slooooowwww - & my mobile phone was just for making phone calls/texting because it wasn't connected to the Internet. Now everything is mobile & we are constantly getting the latest information. I think people still have the same amount of time - but it is spread thinly over all the different forms of media eg: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, alot more blogs/blog-hopping/frequent new releases, Design Teams, You-Tube etc. - whether they are sharing or receiving the information.
Personally, I am still on SCS the most - this is my go-to place & I would be lost without it - but I know alot of people who are active on all the different forms of media & they still blog because they are on a DT - but they don't upload here anymore & aren't active on the forums. So much has changed.
Does the mobile version of the site not work in a similar fashion to an app? I have to confess I rarely use it because for me it has more ads, and I'm happy enough navigating the full site on my phone; but I've heard positive feedback on it. I know people upload photos from their iPads, iPhones and Android devices without any problem. (I don't know if there's still an issue with iOS naming all photos "image" so that you can't upload two on the same day or it confuses the gallery software and it doesn't know which one to display, but that's the only problem I was ever aware of).
I've not tried accessing the site via safari on my iPhone. I must look and see if it is any easier to upload pictures this way. Thanks for the suggestion. I would still love to see an app similar to what Two Peas (I think that was the name) had before they closed down.
__________________ Leslie Harnish
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Canada
You shouldn't need to resize your pictures ;-), since the new uploader was introduced the year before last, there has been no size limit. It's also possible to upload from a phone or tablet!! I haven't tried all-the-way uploading a photo taken with my camera because I like to watermark my photos, but I've got as far as being ready to hit the submit button in testing it, and I know that other people do upload. And I regularly upload photos which I have watermarked on the PC and emailed to myself the night before, using my phone. I just did that now.
Ooo! Can you help me with a sort of step by step? I have an iphone and directly upload to my Pinterest board. Is it similar, or what do I have to do? I could update my gallery by a hundred pictures or more... ;) but I won't do that many! I haven't done any watermark on mine so that isn't taken into consideration.
Where did everyone go???
