...we were surprised of the lack of good participants...
When I got away from BBS's and actually had internet come to town, forums were what I cut my internet teeth on. At that time there was no Facebook, no Twitter, or the rest of them. I'm an oddball in many ways. I don't do any of those popular sites you've mentioned with the exception of Reddit. There's just too much datamining for my tastes. To me the trade off of using the site is not worth the giving up of all your data.
Much of those today on line are of much younger generations who grew up with the internet always having been there. Instead of needing a set of encyclopedia's they had it all at the tips of their fingers.
I often wonder exactly what caused the change in this latest generation that is now pushing for political correct speech. Whether their mindset will change with the leaving of the educational system and having to join the working world. It seems to me the working world has always been the great leveler when it comes to changing attitudes and fashion.
I tend to think much of what you speak of is driven by all this. That's just pure speculation on my part, no more, no less. It seems to couple with the inability to actually say what is on your mind without needing a herd around for backup and reinforcement, no matter how strange the proposal or idea and that much of it is chained to being rude or just down right nasty; socially.
Maybe they grow out of it. Maybe they grow some spine to actually be individuals. Maybe there is no hope but I refuse to accept that answer.
Still you have a point, that's the future membership if there is to be a future. I can see where that would be a concern, easily. In many ways, the 'internet training' I got from use came over the years, like IRC in the late 90s. I met my lady just after that as she was my working pardner at a science forum, at the time the 300
th globally ranked forum. So much of what today's world is now using as the internet for a dating scene.
Chuckles My point in all this rambling and wandering of past personal history, is that long use and growing as the internet grew, gives one the ability to actually communicate thought, more so most often than emotion. Those types of users are few and far between. My history has given me plenty of time to hone my skills for forums into something that is as individual as I am. TBH I don't need to be told how unusual for a member I am, I know. Been to many, many, many, forums over the years. Long enough to hone those skills as far as how to communicate, how to lay out a post, how to say things
(rules or no rules there are always ways to say what you mean without breaking the intent and still get across exactly what you mean).
I mean that only visitors are enough...
You and I will have to disagree on this one unless I misunderstand your meaning. The quality of the visitor is often not displayed; it is the participation, rather than the presence, that provides the content to get others involved. If you can just hit that one pet peeve, or stroke that one thing people stand for as individuals you change them from visitor to participating member. To do that takes a quality that is rare to find. Very difficult to inspire that sort of reaction through text, as usually you are getting to the individual through some of their strongest beliefs.
One of the greatest things about forums, is not agreement. Instead it is the opposite. You can't have a good discussion with out disagreement. There has to be two sides in order to create a great conversation.