Re: Are the number of posts to comp.databases.oracle.server dropping off ?

On Apr 10, 9:39 am, Mark D Powell <Mark.Pow..._at_eds.com> wrote:
> On Apr 10, 6:29 am, Barry Bulsara <bbulsar..._at_hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hi, the last few years have seen a notable decrease in the number of
> > posts to comp.databases.oracle.server (cdos)
>
> > Seehttp://groups.google.com/group/comp.databases.oracle.server/about
>
> > I am really surprised given the increasing and numerous terse
> > impromptu posts from some of the more active regular members of this
> > group (normally about spam, marketplace posts, bad design, or lacking
> > a version number). Perhaps "omlet", arghhh don't mention his name, was
> > responsible for the all-time posting highs!
>
> > Why are the number of posts to this newsgroup dropping off.
>
> > 1. Is is the anal behaviour of some members that are scaring others/
> > new members off
> > 2. Is is that current versions of Oracle and current developers/dba's
> > require less help
> > 3. Is is that posters are using newsgroups other than cdos
> > 4. Is is that the Google stats wrong
> > 5. Something else
>
> > I appreciate it is more about quality than quantity but the quality of
> > response in cdos doesn't seem to be improving either.
>
> > Regards
>
> > David
>
> Actually I would say activity on the comp.databases.oracle.*
> newsgroups is higher recently than it was a year ago.
>
> Still activity is no where near where it was back in the mid 90's.
>
> Metalink and OTN have both been introduced since then and there are
> other forum sites.
>
> IMHO -- Mark D Powell ---

I think a lot of the high counts came from flame wars that moved to other modalities. Some of them were interesting and informative for flame wars, much better than the trolls Noons referred to. Others, well...

There is perhaps some fragmentation of community due to leading edge geeks doing the web 2.0 thing. We've gone from splitting up cdo into cdo.* to communities, blogs, forums, wiki's and so on. Most usenet groups have had varying levels of use over time, some even showing a life-cycle including death. A group needs a certain level of use or it will die. Oracle is a big enough subject this group probably has a lot of life left in it. I'm still wondering why there's been no apps equivalent on usenet, that has a larger population. I guess with the other modalities there never will be one now.

Not that there wasn't fidonet, listserves and C$erve... :-)

Some old-tyme BBS's required one to pass various tests to be allowed into the in-crowd. Perhaps there are members-only networks now. :-)

jg

--
@home.com is bogus.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/groucho_marx.html