Dan's right.
As one of those 'old-timers' with a post count over 7,000 and a member of seven years standing, as well as being a former moderator and administrator on Mustang Works, I agree that no site or messageboard forum should have to be dependent on a handful of members to keep it vibrant and active.
Back in the day, I spent a lot of time on the Mustang Works site, mainly in the 'Tech' forum. I was one of the people instrumental in building up the Windsor Power (and Blue Oval Lounge) forum(s) by responding to almost every tech question personally and posting lots and lots of stuff in the Lounge. Some of it was even interesting. Eventually, other people started posting more, too and after a few years, we had a host of knowledgable posters visiting tech every day and sharing their knowledge so my personal participation became less necessary, although I still posted there for quite some time and remained the moderator.
Here on the BOL I got into all sorts of interesting and sometimes pretty hard-edged discussions on various cultural topics with a variety of people; some great guys and gals, some very much less than great. As time went on more and more foks joined MW and of course the BOL grew, along with the other forums. This is typical of a growing site. After five years as an unpaid moderator and later, administrator, I resigned my posts and pretty much quit visiting MW. Part of that decision was due to time constraints stemming from my wife's deteriorating health (nothing life-threatening) and, frankly, my frustration at feeling constrained from posting on controversial issues when I was a part of the staff and representing Mustang Works to the world, as it were. As you might expect, I also had problems with a few members that I felt made the 'job' a chore and once that happens, especially in an unpaid position, it's time to go. So I did. Dan understood this and has remained a friend.
Unfortunately, for reasons not quite clear to me, we've lost a lot of regular posters over the past year and the Blue Oval Lounge seems to be rather empty, as many have noted. That's a shame, because - and if you're reading this, you know - MW is a great Mustang site and the BOL is good place to visit but it needs less lurkers looking for interesting posts (and leaving when they don't find any) and more posters willing to take the time and effort to post interesting, even controversial topics and engage others in
civil debate.
TV show comments, movie reviews, political opinions, personal stories that are amusing or just informative are all needed. Gay marriage - right or wrong? Bush or Kerry? Terrorism, Janet Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction' and the ensuing crackdown on obscenity by the FCC, all these and many, many more are hot topics that make for lively debate - but that takes time and moderators have to be willing to monitor and quickly close off threads with personal attacks and trash talk in order to keep the debates worth having and not becoming simply a stupid name-calling brawl.
In short, it takes
work to keep a messageboard interesting and fun to visit. Posters who sit back and wait for someone else to start a 'good' thread or just want to read other people's opinions are fine but we need leaders here; MW members who can write a coherent sentence or two and have enough knowledge and the maturity to to engage others without getting their feelings hurt when they are challenged on a pet idea. A messageboard leader is also one who can keep a sense of humor and not take every post that disagrees with him or her as a personal affront to their manhood (or womanhood, as the case may be). Yes, that takes a little maturity and some extra time spent on Mustang Works. I did it for years and I (mostly) enjoyed it. Others did it too, and they were an asset to the board. O.K., the pay stinks (none) but you get an audience of thousands and help the Mustang community in many ways. I recommend it.
I'm afraid that after 7 years, my time as a 'leader' on Mustang Works has passed but I hate to see the forums, especially BOL, diminish in activity simply because our many members don't want to put in the effort. I'm sure there are some good writers with lots of opinions out there reading this right now. Guess what? It's time to stop lurking and start posting! Mustang Works is a vital site and one that deserves more attention than it sometimes gets. You can help rectify that and be a leader. Never mind titles, be a
de facto leader by virtue of your posts and you'll be well-recognized by all. Dan McClain is a great 'boss' and will appreciate your efforts, I can assure you. You
may even receive a coveted MW tee-shirt!
Be a leader. Don't just complain about the lack of posts on the Blue Oval Lounge...
do something about it and stop waiting for someone else to take the lead. Good luck to all - and I look forward to seeing those great posts!