Topic: This Site is not very active is it?

[hassanradwan]

I came here in 2002 - and also visited ummah.com - both were fairly new.

Today ummah.com is flourishing and very busy.

This place - 5 years on - is still pretty dead.

Why do you think that is?

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

I came here in 2002 - and also visited ummah.com - both were fairly new.

Today ummah.com is flourishing and very busy.

This place - 5 years on - is still pretty dead.

Why do you think that is?

it hurts, but you are right.

we are trying, but we don't have neither the same budget nor the human resources.

be our friend and take up a helping position in our moderator's team.

[hassanradwan]

it hurts, but you are right.

we are trying, but we don't have neither the same budget nor the human resources.

be our friend and take up a helping position in our moderator's team.

I don't think making me a moderator will help, Abdullah - particularly as I myself have lost my faith in all religions.

[hassanradwan]

May I also say that I don't think it has much to do with money - ummah have been struggling financially too and have nearly closed down several times due to lack of funds - but because they are so popular they have been saved by donations.

Perhaps you need to think hard about why this place has not become as popular.

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

May I also say that I don't think it has much to do with money - ummah have been struggling financially too and have nearly closed down several times due to lack of funds - but because they are so popular they have been saved by donations.

Perhaps you need to think hard about why this place has not become as popular.

help me ....  tell me why you think it is.

[hassanradwan]

help me ....  tell me why you think it is.

Well when I came here 5 years ago, I was put off and didn't come back until now because I found the whole atmospehere here very wierd with people talking in a sickly sweet manner to each other and praising and patting each other on the back - but there were no real meanigful discussions or real difference of opinion.

The whole forum seemed to be very controlled and rather than allowing free discussion - it was either you agree with what you and a couple of other posters say - or your ingnorant or wicked.

People come to a forum like this to discuss and debate - not to be preached to in a condascending manner.

That was the impression I got 5 years ago.

Now that I have come back I find the place dead - and I can only think that if others got the same feeling then no wonder.

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

Well when I came here 5 years ago, I was put off and didn't come back until now because I found the whole atmospehere here very wierd with people talking in a sickly sweet manner to each other and praising and patting each other on the back - but there were no real meanigful discussions or real difference of opinion.

OK, why did not you yourself start a true debate over any subject you wish?

I wish you did.....

The whole forum seemed to be very controlled

no, this is not the correct choice of words.

you may say that the whole moderation team then was one color. I can't deny that.

and rather than allowing free discussion - it was either you agree with what you and a couple of other posters say - or your ingnorant or wicked.

.... this rips my heart. I am terribly disappointed by such behaviour.

I many times gave clear directions to the moderators to allow as much as possible debates, as this is at the end of the day what the whole idea of forums is about..

I don't pretend I myself did not at times commit some errors in this regard.....

Please accept my apologies for any harm done.

People come to a forum like this to discuss and debate - not to be preached to in a condascending manner.

this is the keyword..... I thank you for saying that.

you are perfectly right and I agree with you

That was the impression I got 5 years ago.

Thank you for talking about it.

Now that you have said this clearly, may I ask you for advice to improve?

We recently cancelled all of the previous bans, most of the restrictions, allowed higher level contacts, and private messages, direct contact through instant messaging systems, and even went further to allow public display of personal data such as email address and more for those who wish to do so.

We even opened to the huge public the door to the moderation team.

Still the answer was far less than expected.

What is missing?

Now that I have come back I find the place dead - and I can only think that if others got the same feeling then no wonder.

it is not dead, it is just lazy.

I reckon some shortcomings, yet if you check professional tools such as alexa, we are not far from umma's stats. After all, forums are only a sector of our site's activity.....

[princess123]

Welcome  hassanradwan

Well when I came here 5 years ago, I was put off and didn't come back until now because I found the whole atmospehere here very wierd with people talking in a sickly sweet manner to each other and praising and patting each other on the back

Think this is because many members actually knew each other personally and did indeed care for each other. What you may see as sickly sweet could be genuine kindness.

The forum has become more quiet, many members are simply busy and so cannot participate as much as they used to.

Any suggestions hassanradwan, how can we improve?

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

nice answer bash. thank you

you ended up on a very positive note: how can we improve?

like.....  let us stop arguing and move further......

[hassanradwan]

Not sure what needs to be done, but first of all make sure that people can air their views (so long as they don't become abusive) even if those views are painful.

I have to say I don't like the layout of the forum - it's too fussy, I don't like the picture icons on the forums and there also seem to be too many forums (sorry top go on about it but look at ummah.com's layout).

Also joining the forum seems to take forever. With most forums you sign up get an email reply to it and BANG you are away.

I actually signed up as a different user this time coz I forgot my password (I remembered it later) and I got the email and clicked the link and was told my account would be activated  - but it hasn't been activated yet. Fortuanetely I remembered my old password - otherwise I would have just moved on. If others have had this experience then you have probably lost plenty of potential members.