Life after whiteblaze? Is it a temporary obsession?

[illabelle]

Occasionally someone will resurrect an old thread, and if it looks interesting, I'll read through the posts. Unlike the current threads, it is usually full of names I haven't seen before, sometimes people with several hundred or even thousands of posts. So, I wondered, if they were once so active on WB, why aren't they posting anymore?

Having nothing better to do (not really), I methodically tallied info from seven pages of user accounts, 4 pages chosen at random, and 3 not, for a total of 700 (no, it didn't take hours, just some scrollin'). I found 592 who had post counts in the single digits, 80 in double digits, 20 in triple digits, and 8 in quadruple or more. For the 28 accounts with 100+ posts (surely these are the hardcore WB fans, right?), I looked to see when their latest post was:

2013 - 11
2012 - 4
2011 - 7
2010 - 2
2009 or earlier - 4

Calculating, I determined that a little less than 40% of the hardcore crowd have posted in the past 6 months, but more than 46% have been silent for 18 months or longer, effectively dropping out entirely.

What happened to them?

• Did they just get too busy for WB?
• Did they finish (or abort) their hike, and they don't care anymore?
• Were they bored with the same-old-same-old WB discussions?
• Did they find a better hiking forum?
• Was someone mean to them, so they went home?
• Were they mean to someone else, and got booted off the site?
• Are they dead? If so, do they haunt WB, and can they ghost-post?

What happens to us that are still here?

• Are we going to find that our interest in hiking has an expiration date?
• Are some of the people who post regularly going to abruptly stop?
• Or will they gradually fade like an old thread?

[Dogwood]

People come. People go. Happens in life...for whatever reasons.

Me, I'll always want to know what's going on in the hiking world. I'm a full blown addict.

[MDSection12]

I know my posting is very related to my work. Currently I'm posting a ton because I'm in the last week of my job and have time to kill... Next week I'll be off for the Summer and I suspect my posting will drop significantly. I don't suspect my posting will ever return to the rate it has been at lately, because I do not intend to work in front of a computer for long hours each day ever again.

[Gray Blazer]

OP-you only have 160 posts. You are a mere grasshopper.

[Drybones]

OP...with all those statistics you have to be a damned engineer...had a car salesman accuse me of that once...bad part is he was right.

The "why can't we get along" thread got me hooked....lot of laughs.

[BirdBrain]

Not a large enough sample.

[bfayer]

My take for what it is worth. Keep in mind I am not a thru hiker and never will be.

Most people that join WB have a romantic notion of long distance hiking. After a while 1 of 2 things happens.

1. They actually try hiking and find out carrying a pack up the side of a mountain is really hard work. So they quit and move on to their next hobby.

2. They actually thru hike the AT, lose interest in WB and move on with their lives, maybe to never hike again.

Then there are 2 other groups.

1. New members that get tired of the " hike your own hike as long as you do it my way" attitude of some outspoken members on here.

2. Senior members that stop seeing eye to eye with the mods and admins, and move on to other pastures.

Although I will say it does seem like we have some honest to goodness alien abductions. Senior posters that just vanish without a word never to be seen again. Very strange

[Old Boots]

I look at Whiteblaze quite often seeking answers to my issues. Over the time I have been on the blog most of my concerns have been dealt with. I have seldom posted as I really have little to contribute to a conversation where opinion rather than fact is often the purpose of the thread. I do appreciate the broad array of topics, but most do not apply to me. I love to hike and support Whiteblaze

[illabelle]

So far everyone commenting has many more posts than me (even you, Old Boots, but I'm catching up). I'm so in awe of you. It's humbling.
I'm working on it. Post #161 here:

Not an engineer, but I do have a math degree. Not that it matters, all I did was simple 3rd grade math. On second thought, considering the math skills of many Americans, maybe we could pretend that this was really advanced algebra.

True, the sample is too small to draw any conclusions, and I deliberately chose three pages that included some high-activity posters, so only 400 are actually random, but it's a big enough sample to have a discussion or an argument or something, which is all I was after. After all, I was bored. Thank you for participating!!

[HikerMom58]

Nice thread illabelle!! You did a great job researching and posting what you found!

What happened to them?

• Did they just get too busy for WB?
• Did they finish (or abort) their hike, and they don't care anymore?
• Were they bored with the same-old-same-old WB discussions?
• Did they find a better hiking forum?
• Was someone mean to them, so they went home?
• Were they mean to someone else, and got booted off the site?
• Are they dead? If so, do they haunt WB, and can they ghost-post?

Inquiring minds would love to know...

*I think that some got bored. (I can see that easily happening,if you aren't into interacting with the people on here)
*WB can suck up a lot of time... that's true.
*I think once someone has finished their hike they don't see the need for the site, as much. ( I like the ones that come back on after their hike to offer advice &
help)
*I don't think there is a better hiking forum. This is the BEST, IMHO. There are other FB hiking pages for the "people" person. I love them myself. It's more like the Hikerboy's Cafe except with a lot more people and hikers posting on it.
* People leave because they get their feelings hurt. Amen. People can be really mean.
* The really "mean" ones do get booted off. Some peeps can make you feel really stupid. I think that's why some get off. No one likes to feel stupid.
* I hope no one has died... that would be sad but I know it happens with FB accounts so... Yeah!

I hope you stick around for a long time.

This way of interacting with people, sharing a common interest, is fairly new. I don't know how it will affect me, long term, since I've only been active about 1 year. If Hikerboy Cafe ever goes away, (I hope not EVER) I don't think I would be so addicted to the site b/c it will harder to interact with the friends I've made on here.

[Kerosene]

I've been here since close to the beginning, and there are other frequent posters who have been here just as long and are active. I still check WhiteBlaze almost every day (including the Gallery), but I do find that I'm responding to fewer threads than before, especially if others have already helped address the topic. I have fewer than 5,000 posts, but I (typically) limit my posting to topics I know something about and can add value to, as opposed to opining about every little thing.

A lot of long-timers have moved on. Some due to what they felt was excessive moderation, some due to moving into a different phase of life, some due to age, etc. There are a lot more people that register on the site, post a few things, and then forget about it.

[illabelle]

#162:
I'm not a thru-hiker either. I'd like to do the whole thing, and I've actually completed 500 miles (which I'm very proud of, by the way!!!). But it will take at least to 2019 before I can finish, because of time/job constraints. I think WhiteBlaze will still be part of my daily routines for a while, for at least another 500 miles anyway.

For now, this grasshopper is an addict, especially now that I've overcome my obsession with fake farming on facebook - kind of embarrassing to admit .

[turtle fast]

Of the many I have hiked with that were on Whiteblaze as well mostly move on with life to other things and Whiteblaze takes a backseat to life. For many hiking the AT is done in a period of transition in their lives....whether retirement, time off from college or after high school ends , after a job loss, or major life change. For them the trail allows some time to clear their minds and have a major adventure...some never go hiking again, while others it becomes a lifestyle, some its a once a year hobby.

[illabelle]

I've been here since close to the beginning, and there are other frequent posters who have been here just as long and are active. ... There are a lot more people that register on the site, post a few things, and then forget about it.

I'm pleased to "meet" you, Kerosene. Being an old timer, you're just the sort who has seen the coming and going over the years. I appreciate your perspective.

Calculating once again: 592 of the 700 had single-digit post counts. 672 includes single and double digits; that's almost 96% who stopped in briefly. And that doesn't even begin to address the casual visitors: at this moment, "There are currently 565 users online. 133 members and 432 guests". Understanding that this is a snapshot, only 24% of current users are members. If 96% of the current members will post fewer than 100 times before disappearing, that's 128 of the 133 members who won't stick around (or may lurk in the background without posting). Only 5 of the current 133 members will be long-term.

Of course this is a snapshot, based on a few unsupported assumptions. Numbers can be made to lie. I know this very well, so don't beat me up over it, pretty please.

[max patch]

All those "guests" may not be of the human variety.

[illabelle]

Nice thread illabelle!! You did a great job researching and posting what you found!

I hope you stick around for a long time.

This way of interacting with people, sharing a common interest, is fairly new. I don't know how it will affect me, long term, since I've only been active about 1 year. If Hikerboy Cafe ever goes away, (I hope not EVER) I don't think I would be so addicted to the site b/c it will harder to interact with the friends I've made on here.

Thank you, HikerMom! Two of the non-random pages I tallied were selected specifically to include you and HikerBoy57 since you both are really active. There are so many hiker-this and hiker-that user names that it took two pages to get from HikerB to HikerM. He was the only 4-digit or more on his page, but you had more company.

[rocketsocks]

So far everyone commenting has many more posts than me (even you, Old Boots, but I'm catching up). I'm so in awe of you. It's humbling.
I'm working on it. Post #161 here:

Not an engineer, but I do have a math degree. Not that it matters, all I did was simple 3rd grade math. On second thought, considering the math skills of many Americans, maybe we could pretend that this was really advanced algebra.

True, the sample is too small to draw any conclusions, and I deliberately chose three pages that included some high-activity posters, so only 400 are actually random, but it's a big enough sample to have a discussion or an argument or something, which is all I was after. After all, I was bored. Thank you for participating!!

This is just my first thought an post in this thread, an boy am I looking forward to this one...good topic Illabelle.

I personally got here wanting to get off my duff and walk, as I was stuck in a chair...but I stayed for the comradere...now I'm back in the chair just waiting for the next hike. Again first thoughts...cause we all know it's hard to post just once!

[rocketsocks]

Second thought;

Others have already nailed the topic (answered the questions) of why one leaves, but why do they stay?
when I first came here it was said to me that all the questions have been answered (as far as anything hiking goes), and for the most part this is true...excluding new gear, places to hike, and some oddball queries...guilty. So why do people stay here?

Not all who come here do so to be johnny Joe hiker with all the credits the trail will offer. So come to merely hang out, BS, and wait for the next hike to start. Bouncing ideas off each other, and hopefully learn something in the interim is a plus for me...I learn lots here, and not just about hiking, but environmental issues, even politics..vague as they are conveyed. I've learned to use a computer, type, eat healthier, work outs and exercising, and best of all to keep and open mind and reaize my opinion is not the only one that matters.

Now all this said, one day I too may just "up and fly away", but I suspect like many, I'll always check back every once and a while just to see how some old friends are doing, even if only behind the scenes lurking...lots of guests out there on the outside looking in...

[jj2044]

I think a lot just leave, they get tired of seeing the same questions EVERY YEAR " Can I make it on $1,000" is my personal fav. or the "do I really need a tent " thread is always exciting. lol

[Drybones]

have a discussion or an argument or something, !!

Discussions are too boring.....we prefer to argue.