Lonely

[tcpip95]

What we need is 305Boy to make an appearance. That will surely liven up the place.

Is he out of prison yet?

Where is Dalton Wayne?

Remember his "I was in a gunfight" post from about 5 years or so ago? Solid gold. "I heard the shots and grabbed my kit and headed to the fight"

[Miami_JBT]

Where did everybody go?

Forums are outdated relics of a bygone era of web 1.0 internet. Back then, the internet was a space where people collectively got together to allow the free-flow of information and ideas. People created their own personal websites and communities. Those days are long over. Everything has been commercialized and shifted towards giant social media platforms like Facebook, Tiktok, etc. Also, you have the general buyout of older forums themselves by larger corporate entities. Lastly, a lot of what made web 1.0 work, those folks are dead or dying. Websites, servers, forums, etcetera cost money and time. Hell, geo-cities went the way of the dodo bird a while back and everything built on that just disappeared into the ether of digital nothingness.

The ability of going on a search engine and typing in "GLOCK vs Beretta" or "Florida gun rights" and getting nothing but forum hits is not happening anymore. Now it is all AI generated for-profit pages that pop up with worthless click-bait.

It sucks, but it is what it is.

[Miami_JBT]

I think forums of all types have been cannibalized somewhat by social media. I've seen the same thing on a couple of non-gun forums where I have been a member for a long time. These things happen. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, Usenet was really hopping. Then came My Space and Facebook, and a lot of the discussion groups on all kinds of topics got clobbered. But the BST options here offer a foundation missing on most social media platforms, so I don't see FSN and the like disappearing like Usenet did.

ARFCOM and Reddit saw huge increases in traffic (not as much as pre-social media, but a significant amount of returnees that left for a while) after Facebook and the other SM platforms decided we're undesirable. FSN should have done the same. I'm not sure if the outages or lack of promotion played a part, but they couldn't have helped.

Arfcom as a forum is alive only for two reasons. The Equipment Exchange and General Discussion's invasion by 4Channers over the decade. Other than that, the forum is DEAD. All the subforums are much less active than they used to be. The HTFs are very dead. Arfcom is expanding into other media platforms as an IP for podcasts, commentary, etc... There's a reason why they have a few YouTube channels now and other media programs happening.

Heck, they restarted "Gunstock" as an event and it was 110% corporate. No crazy hijinks of yesteryear. No camping, no folks bringing their own guns and hitting the range, etc... It was corporate businesses mostly and very few Arfcommers in attendance. They had a good turnout of local Texans, but not many were Arfcommers.

It is just the way things are.

[Firemedic2000]

I think forums of all types have been cannibalized somewhat by social media. I've seen the same thing on a couple of non-gun forums where I have been a member for a long time. These things happen. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, Usenet was really hopping. Then came My Space and Facebook, and a lot of the discussion groups on all kinds of topics got clobbered. But the BST options here offer a foundation missing on most social media platforms, so I don't see FSN and the like disappearing like Usenet did.

ARFCOM and Reddit saw huge increases in traffic (not as much as pre-social media, but a significant amount of returnees that left for a while) after Facebook and the other SM platforms decided we're undesirable. FSN should have done the same. I'm not sure if the outages or lack of promotion played a part, but they couldn't have helped.

Arfcom as a forum is alive only for two reasons. The Equipment Exchange and General Discussion's invasion by 4Channers over the decade. Other than that, the forum is DEAD.

You are 100% correct. A lot of old time members that has been there for years have been banned. Life members have disappeared. I got banned from there by someone called The_beer_slayer. When he emailed me he basically just said I was to mean. I swear that's what he said. Didn't see that listed in coc as a reason to be banned. They intrepid the rules to suit their needs. I use to be a Oath Keeper member on paper only and had Oath Keepers in my signature line. I think that may have played a role also with the ban by senior staff and the ass that banned me.

I was calling out trolls and not even by name. I'd just say some people posting the same old stuff over and over and bam I was banned because that was mean. I heard they banned you from GD over something stupid. One of the good guys fighting for gun rights. Yet they even attacked you

These 4Channers have come on the site to basically disrupt it and do posts or replies to purposely trigger responses with the sole intentions of baiting members and getting them banned.

I remember arfcom was wanting to expand the life membership at some crazy price. But decided against expanding life membership base. But then life members started getting banned and new life memberships being sold at those crazy high prices.

They allow trolling over there to the point it was crazy. But alot and I mean alot of members that had been there for years are gone, banned. I'll never go there again.

I believe It's also a information farming forum on gun owners. A lot of posts asking, how many guns do you own, post picture of your collection, how many guns did you buy this week, post pictures, how much ammo do you own, how much ammo did you buy this week, how many rounds of ammo in each caliber do you own ect...ect...all kinds of posts wanting to know what you own. These were being posted by some fairly new accts to. That seemed to ask these questions a lot. I've honestly thought at one point arfcom must be collecting data for the government.

I went there several weeks ago just to see how it's changed and everything that old members were banned for is rampant on there now by newer accts and the same trolls from back when I was there.

Your right but I believe it's because of EE not GD that arfcom still exists. GD is nothing more than a Democratic party platform now. They bash all Republicans now and not one republican is worth voting for. So why vote posts. All kinds of posts trying to convince people not to even vote because it won't matter. They rip apart more conservative candidates than they do Biden and the Democratic party. Not to mention all the censorship and bans to those who spoke out during covid.

It blew me away how many old arfcom accts of good people that had been there 15 plus years were gone.

There's definitely something going on there. The_Beer_Slayer can F off he'snothing but a liar. Banning people for made up BS not even coc and not at the time wanting to have Oath Keeper members on the forum. No I was not in Washington and longer a paper member. I joined because it was for FRS, LE, MILITARY, FIRST RESPONDERS. But the government calls us all domestic terrorists and a threat to their ideas of a democracy now. While worshipping thugs, criminals and now terrorists organizations.

[Gunnyhiway]

I'm still here. I post on the Song Train and look at the For Sale a lot but I've backed off of the political debates.

You guys are right, FSN is not what is once was.
Those days are gone forever.
I stop here, the M14 forum and American Longrifle forum.

I still shoot but not as often.
I'm currently on a XM-177A2 kick.
Never a boring moment.

I was into M40 sniper rifles for a few years and was on that forum and Snipers Hide also.
That's a clicky bunch that portray their so called expertise concerning sniper weapons to be without comparison and regard themselves as Gods of the subject.
I was banned for disagreeing with one of the chosen click mob regarding some reloading information.
I'm no expert but I am knowlegable on the subject.
I was accused of spreading "asshattery" and "non factual" info.

IMHO that site is run by a group of jokers and lightweights, strictly small time.

I'm glad you old timers are still here.

[revelation]

I feel that Rent was such a asset to this forum. Many times I would sign in just to see his comments. The level of sarcasm he had was unapparelled both on the board and some direct messages. His since of humor was awesome. I bought a Marlin .22 from him and will never sell it just because when I plink with it I think of all the transvestite tugboat captain or tricycle races we kidded about.

[Legio]

FSN should have done the same. I'm not sure if the outages or lack of promotion played a part, but they couldn't have helped.

What should have been done in your opinion? There are plenty of things that can't be done with this free software.

[Legio]

Rent was a prodigious poster here, number 1 in volume I think, but also high quality. He knew as much about guns as anybody (esp. AKs); would post good shit-stirring posts on non-gun subjects; and was like the #1 organizer of shoots, builds, etc., in his day. His passing was a major loss to us all and to this forum.

RIP, Mark.

Yeah, Rent was a real asset to this forum.

[Legio]

Wish there was a like button.

Wish there was one too.

[George W]

FSN should have done the same. I'm not sure if the outages or lack of promotion played a part, but they couldn't have helped.

What should have been done in your opinion? There are plenty of things that can't be done with this free software.

We've talked a few times about members paying in something to keep FSN running and stable. I am all for it. I'm not sure if the software allows it, but if so, vendors could buy in as well with some advertisements for their businesses. In turn, hopefully, they would link to FSN from their own web pages. There's also X. Having a presence there wouldn't hurt either. FSN has (maybe had now?) a FB Group. There isn't much the Zuckerberg would allow, but maybe it could be used to drive traffic.