Journal Shadow Wrought's Journal: Not with a bang, but a whimper... 29
I've been on the dot for over ten years now, and that's only counting me contributing to the conversation. I lurked for at least a couple, three years before even posting. During that time I watched it grow and flourish. It went from a site that was entertaining to read while waiting for jobs to finish to a site that I checked regularly. It was during this Golden time that Teh Circle grew and there would be 20-30 JE's a day from interesting people all over the world. Great discussions ensued and a pretty cool community was formed.
Then, slashdot started changing things. JEs became more difficult to post, discussions faded more, and finally there was a mass exodus to Multiply and beyond. Teh Circle was broken. I stayed and new people came to the dot, I met knew friends and continued to interact with those, like me, who just didn't make the transition.
I've since found a good chunk of Teh Circle hanging out on twitter and the discussions and interactions continue, albeit it in a different form. Teh Circle is even building on G+, which I will be investigating myself soon enough.
Where it will not be going, however, is back to the dot. Each change breaks more than it fixes. Each "upgrade" makes the experience that much worse. I used to post things here because, frankly, this is where I had the biggest audience. Now, I think maybe a handful, if not, read anything I post. I have the maximum amount of friends on slashdot, 400. Since Sunday, none of them have posted a journal. NONE.
So, I think I am finally done. I no longer think of slashdot as destination so much as a fond memory. Like a College Dorm floor, only everyone's graduated and moved on.
I'm sure I'll be back on occasion, but really, it's time.
Fare thee well...
Then, slashdot started changing things. JEs became more difficult to post, discussions faded more, and finally there was a mass exodus to Multiply and beyond. Teh Circle was broken. I stayed and new people came to the dot, I met knew friends and continued to interact with those, like me, who just didn't make the transition.
I've since found a good chunk of Teh Circle hanging out on twitter and the discussions and interactions continue, albeit it in a different form. Teh Circle is even building on G+, which I will be investigating myself soon enough.
Where it will not be going, however, is back to the dot. Each change breaks more than it fixes. Each "upgrade" makes the experience that much worse. I used to post things here because, frankly, this is where I had the biggest audience. Now, I think maybe a handful, if not, read anything I post. I have the maximum amount of friends on slashdot, 400. Since Sunday, none of them have posted a journal. NONE.
So, I think I am finally done. I no longer think of slashdot as destination so much as a fond memory. Like a College Dorm floor, only everyone's graduated and moved on.
I'm sure I'll be back on occasion, but really, it's time.
Fare thee well...
Teh Circle (Score:2)
Its nice that Teh Circle is still together. I too was frustrated at the changes Slashdot implemented.... and continued to implement.... Slashdot *could have* owned it, but for whatever reason, could not make the required changes while they insisted on changes their users did not want. Remember the Slashdot Moment in Time experiment on Jonesblog? http://prometheus.med.utah.edu/~bwjones/2005/08/slashdot-moment-in-time/ [utah.edu] That was an effort for more community that Slashdot made harder over time.
Come on over
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...for whatever reason...
Two words: bean counters - trying to drive their camel through the eye of the needle.
Okay, thirteen.. What do I look like, an accountant?
Can you do one thing for us? (Score:2)
Although it does seem likely that there might not be a "one place" for that in the future. Whether that is good or bad is unclear. Good luck with your travels...
You beat me by that much... (Score:1)
I didn't see your JE before posting something kinda similar.. The abandonment is part of the cause of the decline. For me there is no other place that supports the 'anarchy' of sorts that you find here. Indelible comments carved in stone and anonymous posting are just a couple of the things that makes it special, and most valuable. I hope you reconsider. Try to look past the surface. The only thing that makes it more difficult will be yours and the others' absence..
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this! Seriously, this is what I miss most on any other site. I like that philosophy and I tried keeping that stance on every other site I ever encountered, but to people not coming from here, it is incomprehensible.
I like it that you have to stand by your words.
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I don't mind the draught. I haven't been posting much. It would either be rants about my in-law family and usually I can vent with a Facebook update about those. They are insane and dysfunctional. I look at my slashdot messages and if there are no JE's there are no JE's. I can waste my time just fine with JE's ;-)
No JE's for 2 days. (Score:2)
Mon and Tues were DRY.
I couldn't be arsed, mysel'.
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I know some of what you mean... (Score:2)
I used to work in tech, and "teh dot" was an "in" group I could be part of - some of my friends here have been more real, more supportive, than some of my meat-space "friends", during one of the roughest times of my life. I still ghost, still read others' JEs and (oh, so rarely) post occasionally myself, but, yeah: it feels like Elvis has left the building.
Me, I spend the majority of my time on Facebook these days...
Read-only (Score:2)
I still read your stuff. But you're right, there is little incentive to post anymore, and more and more people are getting fed up with the site, the editors, the silly rules and everything else here that slowly put a strangle hold on this site.
I was never a major player in the community. The posts that seemed to say little garnered the most response, where I tried to post meaningful things and often found myself wondering if I was being read at all. It was still fun, though - until the site changed so much
Understood (Score:2)
I no longer think of slashdot as destination so much as a fond memory.
That pretty much sums it up for me as well. I started posting JEs regularly in 2004, made this my home for a long time. However, in recent years I've found other outlets for my urge to blather and found better venues for my desire to connect with the like-minded.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
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Heavy [relapse.com]
I'll be staying (Score:1)
Still, I can understand... I still come here for the news and the front page. Yes, that might sound insane or masochistic, but I still can distill useful stuff from it. Not as much as in the golden days, but I've told it before to others who have left. Slashdot itself didn't change all that radically, at least not from the audience (the site itself, well... obviously). We changed, back in -damn I'm don't remember when I started reading slashdot- 199x, everything was techy, sciency and interesting was po
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I'll be in the back, drinking.
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Sorry, but belonging to the Circle is like Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave, because you're a part of it.
If Anonymous takes out Facebook, you won't see me complaining. /. ... that's another story. Part of what makes it (The Circle) unique is people like you. You could completely abandon tech tomorrow in every shape and form except for carrier-pigeon email, you'
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Well, in Hotel California, I'd check out, sitting on the porch waiting with my luggage and drinking soda... After all, there is no wine and there hasn't been any since 1969.
Moved on (Score:2)
I've moved on to Hacker News (different username, keeping them separate)... while it comes with its own idiosyncrasies, the generally discourse is far more civil. Trolls are very short-lived and memes/lame jokes are modded into oblivion. People being rude or uncivil are called out on it. I still come here once every week or two and browse various sections which interest me and which aren't generally covered there such as the Games section. Much of the content on HN is similar, but with a leaning towards
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Another pet peeve: bring back the messages on the top of the home page. Unless there's some configurable setting I've missed right now I have to navigate to a story to see the Messages panel on the right.
I'll still be here (Score:2)
My activity has slowed down but I wont leave completely. Slashdot has just moved down my list of hang outs a bit but not off it completely.
I like the circle reforming at g+ but I don't know everyone's names. I just remember nicks from here - so I'm not sure how to figure out who I should add to that group in g+ Right now I have one person in it because they mentioned slashdot. If anyone is looking for me over at g+ it should be really easy - but JR Peck for those that might need more help.
I notice today tha
Not withstanding your taste in trek (Score:1)
I am around right now it is getting hard and harder to keep up with my life.
Like others have said maybe we have changed not really /. Most of the stories may be technically different (except the dupes) but I think I could just about predict most of the comments. Some stuff is good if you dig - but who has the time? Come back after a few days and read at +3 ?
Anyway am on G+ and twitter if anyone wants - my email address has been up here for years as well
meh (Score:2)
I've been here seemingly *forever*. I started coming for the tech news. I stayed for the commentary. I never wrote much (wasn't in the JE Circle, anyway, though I knew some of you), but I used to take part in the story discussions. So what killed it for me over time wasn't the silly stuff with the UI; most of that I could opt to revert. It was the rise of fanboyism and then deliberate trolling and even griefing. Slashdot isn't the only site that's had this problem, of course, but its early atmosphere of int
Posting JE... (Score:1)
How the hell do you post a JE now? Anyone have a link? I'm looking everywhere and I can't find it!
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When in doubt, start at the beginning [slashdot.org]. Only there will you find true religion [slashdot.org] (Write in Journal) - this hint brought to you by.. CS
Man, I feel like I'm telling my grandfather he left his dentures in the refrigerator again..
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THANK YOU! I have bookmarked this page and will now send it to myself over email so I can write in my journal. :)
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I have put those in the customizable slashbox. Best decision ever... ;-)
Where to go? (Score:2)
Like others in this thread, I would like to know where to go.
For me, Slashdot has always been a source of interesting news, educative discussions, and insightful comments. And the occasional funny meme, too.
However, in the past couple of years, Slashdot has gone from a site that was accessible with any web browser I have ever thrown at it to ... frankly, a site that works right in no browser. Comments don't attach to their parents, sorting doesn't work right, and, recently, I can't even moderate anymore. Th