Why has the forum come to a snail's pace?

[AndrewP]

I think that this place has in some ways been overtaken a bit by other venues such as Reddit for those who are computer savvy.

I don't hang out in Newcomers any more, but the MWD team also used to be a lot more proactive in offering counseling and support to those who come here in pain and with a lot of questions. Christy's quick offers of support and direction on where to go were usually one of the second or third things people would see.

A few years ago I and another poster speculated on some of the metrics on the site. How many new visitors, how many got help from MWD, how long people stayed on here for etc. If they have those stats that might reveal a bit more.

MWD's team should already have stats on file on how people found this place, key search terms etc. I expect that some of the alternative sites both with similar and different messaging are perhaps getting the traffic first. I used to joke that having a site on the interwebs is like putting a billboard on your front lawn. Marketing, getting those search terms promoted costs money, takes time and from a business point of view, that investment needs to have some payback. Without that though, people don't find you.

Just my 2 cents.