What the heck happened here ??? LOL

TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
edited September 2007 in Community
We used to have 30 to 100 members and MAYBE MAYBE 60 guests online.

Now we have 5 members and 300 guests? Hardly any serious storage or hardware posts?????? Is hardware that good now that nothing breaks these days?? (wink) Wouldn't THAT be cool !

I figured it was the spyware forum area (you guys are the best on the net btw....) And people do not have to be members... If you can read you can probably fix it now with all the previous posts! (you guys are the best and I tell EVERYONE that!)

But what the heck happened to the hardware crowd? Did Thrax scare everyone off??? wink

Crap I had DAYS here that I did a hundred serious hardware posts here...... (ok so maybe 20 as a supermod here were spanking someones b u t t in OT LOL!!!! .....what was that obnoxious kids name again ..."cherry" I think me and MM banned him multiple times... LOL ) but.... Now you gotta struggle to do 6 posts! LOL!!!

We gotta fix this guys ! (smile)

Is this all because MM is gone? I mean I was not big on many of the net reviews etc.... But I know many came here because his reviews were so good on new stuff...... He was KILLER!

We have so many talented folks here.... How can we get the traffic again?

I have to resort to cutting up with the old guys now down in the pub...

I swear I may have to move to Alaska and start a computer repair biz with LEO ! (wink)

Kindest Regards

Cowboy

Comments

  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited September 2007
    Tex, my man, I hear you and have wondered as well. From what I've put together, I'm not sure if this is the place to kick around what is entirely in my head.

    What I feel free enough to say is that this site IS in transition but I'm not certain how it is breaking.

    I also think that you may be partly on to something even if you are in jest- there are more sites and info on PC repair and maintenance than ever. People are becoming more handy with the web as well as with their machines. Some sites also prefer Skype, etc. to the forum and so there may be another fundamental shift going on.

    At any rate- change happens.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited September 2007
    I think that another reason for the dropoff in people that are trying to overclock their systems is twofold, Tex. First, today's systems from both AMD and Intel are just ridiculously fast compared to what they were 3-4 years ago and people don't perceive a need to overclock their systems for better performance, as you have pointed out in another thread. And the difference in performance for the majority of people isn't really noticeable except for very cpu-intensive tasks such as rendering (or folding/crunching in DC projects). Second, today's motherboards make it ridiculously easy to overclock with compared to the previous generation's boards. Gone are the days when you had to overclock by setting jumpers or connecting or cutting traces on the pcb of a processor. And both AMD and Intel allow you to use lower multipliers nowdays for overclocking ram or otherwise optimizing performance with the motherboards now available. Hell, I have a system running a C2D processor that the motherboard cost $50 and have it overclocked 25% with no problems; just set and forget.

    I've also seen a big dropoff in people at other tech/overclocking forums I belong to also, so this situation isn't just confined to Icrontic.:sad2:
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited September 2007
    muddocktor wrote:
    I think that another reason for the dropoff in people that are trying to overclock their systems is twofold, Tex. First, today's systems from both AMD and Intel are just ridiculously fast compared to what they were 3-4 years ago and people don't perceive a need to overclock their systems for better performance, as you have pointed out in another thread. And the difference in performance for the majority of people isn't really noticeable except for very cpu-intensive tasks such as rendering (or folding/crunching in DC projects). Second, today's motherboards make it ridiculously easy to overclock with compared to the previous generation's boards. Gone are the days when you had to overclock by setting jumpers or connecting or cutting traces on the pcb of a processor. And both AMD and Intel allow you to use lower multipliers nowdays for overclocking ram or otherwise optimizing performance with the motherboards now available. Hell, I have a system running a C2D processor that the motherboard cost $50 and have it overclocked 25% with no problems; just set and forget.

    I've also seen a big dropoff in people at other tech/overclocking forums I belong to also, so this situation isn't just confined to Icrontic.:sad2:

    But but but... (grin)

    Even after the fallout when Icee and OP left etc....

    We still had TONS of hardware posts..... now we have a tiny trickle......

    You mean to tell me that stuiff just runs perfect these days? That they somehow FINALLY fixed XP? (rolls eyes.....) That Vista is the cats meow right out of the chute...... That Intel and AMD now got into bed even with ECS and the lowend motherboard companies to make everything just work right out of the box?????

    I rarely posted in the OC forums here.... I fixed hardware and software...... Now it looks like we fold and fix spyware.... BOTH !!!!! of those things are great btw...... I was just wondering what the heck happened to the hardware/software probs? Do you guys really think MM's great reviews were not pulling more of that crowd in? I do ! I think we miss him bad.... When we had more posts we also showed up on search engines when people searched for solutions to problems....

    Now...... In a good day we get maybe a dozen or so pure hardware software posts....

    Now I could be wrong but..... (wink) I do not think XP has been fixed or that Vista is perferct out the chute....

    Or that MB's and CPU's now work perfect and never fail..... We get a couple posts a week in storage..... I used to get 10 to 20 new posts a DAY in storage..... Did hard drive technology and raid magicaly cure themselves...... I don't think so.......

    (grin)

    I agree the need to OC is now just a hobby niche thing BUT !!! This site used to be more then that.... WE FIXED STUFF!!! LOL !! And it wasn't that one sorry old ABIT motherboard we all owned that started this joint.

    Cowboy
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    I've also seen a big dropoff in people at other tech/overclocking forums I belong to also, so this situation isn't just confined to Icrontic.:sad2:
    Oooh, wow. I didn't know that.
    That Intel and AMD now got into bed even with ECS and the lowend motherboard companies to make everything just work right out of the box?????
    Compared to five years ago, YES.

    Off the top of my head, here are some tech changes that have made a huge, positive difference: nVidia has usurped VIA for motherboard chipsets, cutthroat competition amongst motherboard manufacturers including quality efforts (even Gigabyte kicks out high quality now), better developed CMOS BIOSes, and Windows XP is dominant instead of 98 (or even 95). If you look in ours and other forums, some first time builders are doing minimal research, ordering parts, and slapping systems together without even reading the motherboard manual. Some of these guys fall into trouble seek immediate assistance. Some of them have success right 'out of the box.' You wouldn't have seen this in the Win98 era, especially when VIA was prominent for AMD builds. (I never understood how truly bad VIA was until I switched to Intel and nVidia chipesets.)

    I think the comment about computers being so much more powerful straight off the shelf was also a ringer.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    I left the PC scene and got a Mac, so no hardware problems annymore ;)
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    fatcat wrote:
    I left the PC seen and got a Mac, so no hardware problems annymore ;)

    I'm working on the switch as well as I don't need PC's for what I do anymore and Apple sells sexy.:p
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited September 2007
    Demons have taken over your souls! LOL ! Lucky for you I also do exorcisms! CHEAP !!! lmao

    I work for beer....

    Cowboy
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    Most often people post and we help them so fast it’s like it never happened... Our site has just about every issues XP has for the most part, and I would say the majority of people are finding us from sites like Google search and reading through posts to find the answer to their questions.

    But outside of that the site has just re birthed itself as Icrontic and is re establishing its name in the community. If you noticed when questions are posted responses follow, we are all here just not that many issues these days :)
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited September 2007
    Sledgehammer70 wrote:
    Most often people post and we help them so fast it’s like it never happened... Our site has just about every issues XP has for the most part, and I would say the majority of people are finding us from sites like Google search and reading through posts to find the answer to their questions.

    But outside of that the site has just re birthed itself as Icrontic and is re establishing its name in the community. If you noticed when questions are posted responses follow, we are all here just not that many issues these days :)

    Were you around before? We used to get to get 150 to 200 NEW hardware posts in a day at times.... And YES I had like 12,000 posts at this site before we morphed to S-M and then back to Icrontic.

    Glad you guys fix the dozen you get now a day fast!!! (rolls eyes... gee that was tough....) That was not the question. We USED to get TONS of hardware and software posts.

    Now we get diddly squat.....

    I asked if that was because MM left? He was a HUGE draw here as a review writer etc...

    YOU GET NO POSTS anymore in software and hardware... a dozen or so NEW ONES a day that are serious hardware or software. We USED to get that in just storage at times in a day..... It's not how fast you service them.... Gee you could of done this in 30 minutes... (grin)

    You have very few new posts. I am not picking on anyone. I have been away and wondered why.

    Cowboy
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    But outside of that the site has just re birthed itself as Icrontic and is re establishing its name in the community.
    I think that's irrelevant. The symptoms Tex described in the thread opener where present at Short-Media before we changed the name to Icrontic.

    I've noticed it too - much less hardware discussion and less software discussion and much less member interaction than a couple years ago - 'old' Icrontic or Short-Media. The good news is that visitor activity is very healthy.
  • ZuntarZuntar North Carolina Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    Ok, there are a LOT more sites out there now Tex!

    Most manufacturers have good forums now where it was up to sites like us to solve problems before.

    Most of the time a simple search will take to the solution.

    Systems are in general less problematic.

    My 2C.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    Most manufacturers have good forums now where it was up to sites like us to solve problems before.

    Most of the time a simple search will take to the solution.

    Systems are in general less problematic.
    Yes. Those are key differences from even just five years ago. When I first started using tech forums in 1999, the few good ones were the ONLY places to get good tech advice apart from custom computer shops and knowledgeable friends. Huh huh - at least for me, back then, 'knowledgeable' friends were those who knew the technical difference between brands of off-the-shelf PCs.

    But yeah, do a Google search an almost any ordinary computer software or hardware issue and several pages of results will pop up.
  • scottscott Medina, Ohio Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    Hey Tex
    nice to see you back !

    Zuntar wrote:
    Ok, there are a LOT more sites out there now Tex!

    Most manufacturers have good forums now where it was up to sites like us to solve problems before.

    Most of the time a simple search will take to the solution.

    Systems are in general less problematic.

    My 2C.

    I second the motion

    I just built a new PC and a few searches with key words like "best 775 motherboard" Will take you to many sources of good info . With much less trouble than starting a post. Somebody already did .
    So I ordered parts "slapped" it together and it runs like a raped ape. With all sata devices it really is plug and play. And strike me down if I'm wrong but I love Vista. Simple install , found everything, Runs great. I am running a quad core at 3.2 ghz at less than stock voltage with incredible benchmarks and it was the easiest build I have ever done. The Gigabyte bios was not as intuitive as I had hoped but a couple more searches and all was good.
    But on the bright side after zeroing in on the Gigabyte GA-P35 DQ6 and doing a few searches on that, one of the returns was to here and a post by Thrax......I was sold.

    So yes ,I think stuff is better and there is lots of info out there to be had with just a few searches. No need to register and post.


    fatcat wrote:
    I left the PC scene and got a Mac, so no hardware problems annymore

    You will surely burn in hell :rarr: blasphemy !!!
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    scott wrote:
    You will surely burn in hell :rarr: blasphemy !!!

    yep...but they have internet in hell...so...:bigggrin:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    but his hell will have beautiful, artsy, expensive plastic moldings!
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    Leonardo wrote:
    but his hell will have beautiful, artsy, expensive plastic moldings!

    no imac's, ipod's, apple etc is all pretty metal enclosures now!

    ;D
  • stoopidstoopid Albany, NY New
    edited September 2007
    Well, I made one suggestion but haven't heard anything either way:

    http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64145


    I'm with most people here: google has been a life saver for those in need, but it's also spread things out across the internet more than ever before. No longer is there a need for a huge tech forum when people get answers based on search results which cross all forums of all sizes. So it's solution oriented more than community oriented now. And with so many tech forums available it just makes finding the solution easier. Heck, most of the time you don't even have to register to get an answer.

    What's funny is reading the posts ehre - wishing for problems while at work I'm hoping to avoid service orders. :p
  • stoopidstoopid Albany, NY New
    edited September 2007
    PS - I'm also active on other computing forums (ocforum.com being my primary one) and we've also noticed a drastic reduction of new members and visitors overall. Same exact symptoms and issues as here.

    I used to frequent 10 computer forums, but now I'm down to just a few. Lack of time and overall interest in overclocking has been steering me towards using my PC rather than tweaking it, and I've actually managed to get some stuff done (like record full albums, manage 3 websites, etc). lol
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited September 2007
    Damn stoopid, I didn't realize your were who you are at ocforums. :cool:

    I just looked up your heatware from the link in your sig. :D
  • ThelemechThelemech Victoria Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    mmonnin wrote:
    Those 150-200 new posts came because the old IC was on the bleeding edge, not so anymore.


    ...is it possible to put Icrontic back on the bleeding edge?
  • SPIKE09SPIKE09 Scatland
    edited September 2007
    Thelemech wrote:
    ...is it possible to put Icrontic back on the bleeding edge?
    I think "gets out crystal ball" that is the desire of the beloved leaders Keebs and Prime. Get icrontic back to a more prominent place in the technocracy.:bigggrin::cool:
  • stoopidstoopid Albany, NY New
    edited September 2007
    Thelemech wrote:
    ...is it possible to put Icrontic back on the bleeding edge?

    Probably not unless someone here has deep pockets or ins with a lot of part manufacturers willling to donate stuff. Otherwise you're dependent on commited overclockers to buy, use, and sell top end gear over and over to keep the content and their knowledge current. That is the primary problem I had with continuing to overclock - the cost benefit for me wasn't there anymore, and that's why I originally did it - to gain mhz with minimal $$ spent. Nothing I do requires #ghz of power so why would I spend a ton on good overclocking gear to get there?

    Therein lies the larger problem. This is happening across the board, which tells me that the percentage of people overclocking on a whole isn't going up. So with more forums and let's say the exact same number of people there were 4 years ago overclocking, then the math simply dictates that the enthusiasts are being spread thin.

    Ocforums is facing the same issue. It seems that the only thing to do is keep the lights on and draw people into the community. If there's a strong community then some may stay. If not for sharing knowledge, at least to have a good place to hang out on the web.

    What would icrontic do that isn't already being done at extremeoverclocking, hardocp, etc?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    Icrontic does not compete with the bleeding edge. Take that for what you will.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    ...is it possible to put Icrontic back on the bleeding edge?
    To whatever level we can, Icrontic has a standing offer of $50 for every article published. You don't have to be an expert to get 'published' at Short-Media. If you have something to say that makes a difference or that may not already be noticed somewhere on the Internet, then put it into words. Our staff will help you with the final form.
  • WingaWinga Mr South Africa Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    Could the CPU price war also not have something to do with it?
    It's so easy to pick up high-end chips for bargain prices nowdays, that the need to overclock your lower-end and more reasonably priced chip, to run as fast as their more expensive cousins isn't as essential.

    Back when you had to sell a kidney to buy a decent chip, overclocking made a lot more sense.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    High-end chips are not bargains. Getting 3.5GHz out a $150 CPU with low-volume air cooling is a bargain.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited September 2007
    Thelemech wrote:
    ...is it possible to put Icrontic back on the bleeding edge?

    Where the **** did my original post go? God damn ****ing censorship around this damn place anymore.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    You know, posts like that -- which don't help -- are what get you "Censored." Censorship itself is a very convenient claim that overlooks the real reason why it might have been deleted.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited September 2007
    Tell me what the hell was wrong with the post that was deleted. Saying that Icrontic is no longer on the bleeding edge does not require censorship when everyone agrees upon it, even YOU!
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited September 2007
    mmonnin wrote:
    Where the **** did my original post go? God damn ****ing censorship around this damn place anymore.
    The post wasn't reported, and it was physically removed from the database so I have no record of it. I've disabled posts being physically removed from the database so it won't happen again without Brian or I knowing. Not knowing what it said I can't apologize for it being removed (especially since you tend to say some pretty brash things at times, like what I just quoted), but I apologize for the lack of explanation for it.
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