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As a person who doesn't use SO much, can anyone clarify why there's such a seemingly passionate community of people still around to discuss this after this mess

by evmar 7y ago

As a person who doesn't use SO much, can anyone clarify why there's such a seemingly passionate community of people still around to discuss this after this mess? In particular, why do they continue to devote even more free labor to the business rather than just exit and go contribute to something else?

rahuldottech 7y ago
It takes years to make such a community, and there doesn't exist any one alternative where all of us can move instantly. And then there's the reputation of SE as a trustworthy network of high quality content. Such a reputation also takes time to build. While a few replacement platforms are in development, they aren't going to take off anytime soon, and many community members (including me) just want SE to go back to what it was a couple years ago, and before Sara Chipps (a complete outsider) decided to cause all this drama.
- zozbot234 7y ago
  There were plenty of such communities in the past. Google Answers, experts-exchange, Quora (which is still around though maybe not what it used to be) etc. It may indeed take "years" to get a new venue established, but not much longer than that.
- K0SM0S 7y ago
  > many community members (including me) just want SE to go back to what it was a couple years ago So say we all. But that's not gonna happen, though, is it? If anything, the SE staff seems onboard with the new way, actually doubling-down on it judging from the legalese they've been serving ever since. I agree with zozbot234, it only takes years, it happens. Natural cycle of creation / destruction, or rather things changing (sadly in business, usually the more successful / corporate, the closer to the bottom we get generally but that's besides the point I guess). It all just reminds me that "this is why we can't have nice things" (fact: it's not easy nor natural to run a corp like your local gaming club, spirits and all), and that there's a reason why "new things" will keep emerging and have that "freshness" about them, a circumstancial best-fit. Hopefully we'll still be able to browse existing SE pages, but activity may progressively shift elsewhere. And again. And again. Oh look, it's 2035 already.

by evmar 7y ago

rahuldottech 7y ago

It takes years to make such a community, and there doesn't exist any one alternative where all of us can move instantly. And then there's the reputation of SE as a trustworthy network of high quality content. Such a reputation also takes time to build. While a few replacement platforms are in development, they aren't going to take off anytime soon, and many community members (including me) just want SE to go back to what it was a couple years ago, and before Sara Chipps (a complete outsider) decided to cause all this drama.

zozbot234 7y ago
There were plenty of such communities in the past. Google Answers, experts-exchange, Quora (which is still around though maybe not what it used to be) etc. It may indeed take "years" to get a new venue established, but not much longer than that.
K0SM0S 7y ago
> many community members (including me) just want SE to go back to what it was a couple years ago So say we all. But that's not gonna happen, though, is it? If anything, the SE staff seems onboard with the new way, actually doubling-down on it judging from the legalese they've been serving ever since. I agree with zozbot234, it only takes years, it happens. Natural cycle of creation / destruction, or rather things changing (sadly in business, usually the more successful / corporate, the closer to the bottom we get generally but that's besides the point I guess). It all just reminds me that "this is why we can't have nice things" (fact: it's not easy nor natural to run a corp like your local gaming club, spirits and all), and that there's a reason why "new things" will keep emerging and have that "freshness" about them, a circumstancial best-fit. Hopefully we'll still be able to browse existing SE pages, but activity may progressively shift elsewhere. And again. And again. Oh look, it's 2035 already.