Originally Posted by
Stellata
And, hey, the world IS a more depressing place, not just RYL.
Fact. I think.
A lot of people also moved to Facebook.
When I joined RYL, web forums were still new and all the rage. Computers had just become cheap and broadband widely available. There wasn't even a MySpace yet. Even Yahoo Groups were popular (the place I learned of RYL). Once MySpace and especially Facebook began a lot of people join networks there.
More specifically, forums seem to have an arc. If they are lucky enough to get popular, more of a strain and demand for resources (money) is placed on owners. In almost every forum I've belonged to over time, the owners burned out or needed to tend to other things - especially if they need to make a living that the forum doesn't give them.
I thought some very wrong turns were made back in 06 and made a fuss but that only went so far. Harley doesn't owe anybody anything. If he doesn't show interest in the place then be glad its still running because the way things are going in the world there's no telling what might go away next. In the meantime its still people that make a forum go. Even though the owner is important lots of bells and whistles wont mean much if the spirit of a place is empty.