Posted on 03/07/2007 6:57:43 PM PST by Bob J
I have diligently watched the rise in size and influence of conservative websites, including Free Republic, over the last 7-8 years. I have been shocked and concerned over the drop in traffic at the most popular ones over the last year or so. There was good growth up until 2006 but since then there has been a steady downtrend that would crash any other market.
Anyone have any ideas as to what is happening? I'm out of explanations. The deficiencies in alexa.com are noted, but even if the numbers aren't accurate you're still comparing off numbers to off numbers so the decline is consistent.
thanks
The current Coulter threads might belong to another website altogether. Thuggish posters spewing vile invective and even homophobic bigotry in badly written posts.
If a new visitor to FR started out by reading one of those Coulter threads, why on earth would he or she bother to come back to FR?
To all the people I can't possibly respond to, good comments! Anyone notice (1 did heheh) how this thread has been downright civil!
Wish every thread could be like this, I'd go back to reading all the comments.
Maybe true conservatism is allowing people to make their own choices and not relying on laws to dictate personal behavior. Or maybe it's because not all conservative see the POTUS as a referrendum on states rights such as gun control and abortion.
I know how Jim could fix it tomorrow...the first poster to not add anything of substance (information, analysis, humor) to a post gets a 24 hour timeout.
That would put quite a burden on the mods, but something along those lines might help. I don't know. I have been sickened by what I've seen recently on FR, and I suppose I am hoping that the problem will solve itself.
Is the issue of a charity event even substantive to begin with?
To me it just raises questions about the poster's excessive interest.
(Personally, I think his lipstick was far too dark for his complexion.)
Maybe you should hold off on raising that subject on any of the Coulter threads. Just, you know, a little friendly suggestion.
I doubt that the posters I was complaining about are particularly adept at self policing.
I don't know how the abuse system works now. Is a poster banned for receiving a certain number of "report abuse" button pushes?
First, I'll say I think it's just that numbers are down cuz there's no real big political events right now.
But I do wonder if this primary/election is really going to be a referrendum on abortion and gays. There seems to be a significant movement here to force just that.
The 'Conservative' movement has always been a coalition -- 'social conservatives' and 'people who want a conservative use of federal power'. But one side is now trying to take full control of the 'Conservative' label. I keep speaking to socials here who are annointing themselves the "only true conservatives".
"If you don't agree with me about X, then you ain't a REAL conserative."
The socials are even threating openly to end the coalition. If someone pro-choice like Rudy is nominated, many have threatened to bolt the coalition. Never mind that he's a good, proven manager. Never mind that he'll certainly be one good choice for Prez based on experience alone.
They constantly threaten to kick us out of their "conserative" ranks. If you're pro-choice, you're demoted. If you're against calling folks a faggot in public, you're demoted. Often quite far. Several times I've been told I must be a D and I'm no different than the MSM!
It is funny, to me. In the absence of any real news, this has kept me posting.
Honestly, a fear of very bad times ahead, with no one real leader in which to turn. For me personally, (and I assume many others) there is a very unfortunate yet palpable disappointment in this Administration. And an even greater disappointment that borders on complete hopelessness toward Congress and local government. As Dennis Prager says: "There is a Dangerous party and a Stupid Party. And I'm a member of the Stupid party."
The world is surrounding us...and slowly choking us. China is preparing for confrontation, the Russians are up to no good, Europe is disintegrating, our borders remain unprotected, South America may fall to socialist/communist control, Islam is in near-full jihad mode... and while any one of 50,000 Freepers can see what is going on, these fools and bastards in Washington are too far removed, and have no clue how to attack the problem. The others want things to get worse, and hope (and are betting) that there is some semblance of America left when they get back in POWER--which is all they are worried about.
But while the donkeys attack and undermine the elephants, the islamic flies bite at the combatants, the Russian Bear waits patiently, the Chinese Dragon grows stronger, and the vultures circle above, waiting for either Donkey or Elephant to emerge from fighting each other too weak to fight again.
I asked because I know of a few but one that stands out - he was an awesome poster and banned because of a most tormenting poster. Of course, that one is here and the good upstanding one is gone.
It's gotten so in the past few weeks that is all too easy to spot them. It's naive to think some aren't here, specifically, to cause problems. Perhaps as payback for the wonderful work of freepers would did some 'good and needed' damage to the libs.
One more note: page views is technically page views PER USER, which might not be the best metric to measure things if the total number of users is falling.
Besides the natural divide and constant ongoing conflict, which has been heightened because an R is currently in the White House, between the small l/small government types and the social conservative types..
more numerous and more vocal cranks, grumpy social shut-ins, conspiracy theorists, and folks that just aren't all there. You can't have a rational discussion with them, unlike plain old social conservatives whom you can have a discussion with; heated even.
I appreciate people who can't in good conscience vote for (Rudy for example) because of his liberal views. But people get tired of thread after thread being spammed with multiple pictures from him in drag from a Saturday Night Live skit or charity ball or the Lord of the Rings pictures.
Stuff that is totally over the top, like people saying Catholics are not real Christians (usually with every other word in all CAPS), wild-eyed assertions that Christ is going to paint the streets red with the blood of sinners and liberals, folks claiming their peanut butter has been purposefully tampered with (no terrorism or foul play there, just a plain salmonella outbreak) The ones that want some sort of civil war.
The passive aggressive nuts that find something or someone they don't like, whether it be brown skinned or black people, liberals or moderates, judges, gays, teachers, libertarians, women, or "evolutionists".
And then post about "watering the roots of the tree of liberty", a sort of quote mined from Thomas Jefferson. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."-- Thomas Jefferson
All that kinda fringe stuff puts people off. Oh, and the Helen Thomas pictures. Dear God..the Helen Thomas pictures.
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