Thread: Dream Views losing members?

Maybe some people are just idle because of work or school or stuff. I have school normally 5 days like everyone else in school so i dont really have any time at all to get on DV during the week. This could surely be said for may other people too.

Actually I found it was more like that a few months ago when I posted a couple times, there weren't many people but lately when I've scanned I've seen more and more familiars. Looking at this site though now, it feels like the past; and I don't really want that because you guys are fucking awesome and I'm totally serious when I say this website has changed my life, in a good way, of course.

It's pretty strange because I'm in chat a lot, not super active, but I'm there. The forum just feels different though, weird feely mood and nostalgia trip goin on..

Originally Posted by slayer

Why would anyone want to leave Dreamviews?

Well for one, I was pretty depressed when I was active. I had to get rid of my computer for a few weeks and seldom went online after that. It took me almost a year but I got my life back together finally. My internet addiction was certainly a factor in my depression.

What is interesting though is that I did notice the forum isn't active as it once was. It used to be ~25 - 50 active members at once, now it's ~10 - 20. It might just be a bit of a slow time for DV. Popularity with certain topics changes with time and I'm sure eventually DV and lucid dreaming will see a growth spike in the near future.

Anyway, I came back to check on the forum I used to be pretty active in. I probably won't be as active now but I'll come back occasionally to say hi.

Originally Posted by mooseantlers

The forum just feels different though, weird feely mood and nostalgia trip goin on..

I know what you mean. As soon as I logged in: instant nostalgia trip. Felt good though, lots of good memories here.

hi

Originally Posted by Catbus

you can never truly escape this place.

This man is right.

I can't lie, i've been in and out over the years.

Karloky - you nerve me big time - last occasion was you posting several condescending posts towards people who even consider using an aid for LD.
You gave yourself an aura of being a person who does it all with superior awareness.

But later - I came across an interesting post of yours:

Quote 10/30/13:

Originally Posted by Karloky

I never succeeded to lucid dream..... but I would absolutely want to in order to achieve peace and happiness....to explore many different things and dream worlds and to gain some experiences and get in some interesting situations in dreams it's fun...would like to have fun in dreams....and also to get to higher-self and try to better understand myself and to get mind peace .... sorry if it's written messed up I am really tired and ...idk ...

What is even more interesting - I found three posts of yours - earlier than the above - where you swing yourself up to a supposed expert and give others advice on how to LD.
Don´t get me wrong - one can give advice without having had success with it oneself - but at the very least you have to mention that fact.
Not with one word do you do so.
One is even you going into a newbie introduction thread and spreading your deep wisdom..

Originally Posted by Karloky

everyone can be lucid.... and I am sure of it....also there is no need of any devices or some serious supplements...the most important is to try to practice it as often as you can.....like meditating every day because it raises your awareness do RC's several times every day.....and trying to lucid dream maybe every few days.....also keep a dream journal ...preferably a paper one because it will be better way to track your dreams than electronical way......and write everything in it you dream anything you remember every time you get something.....you have to be really dedicated.....and don't quit so easily just be dedicated......and do it all the time.... I am sure anyone can be lucid .....

Since there is no mention of any LDs in your DJ - I suppose, you still didn´t "manage".
It is obvious, that you post the stuff you do in this thread only to justify yourself for having gone through hell (your words..) striving for LD in vain.
Therefore every other person, who does not have to - must be inferior to you.

The very gist of all your three posts in here is - it is all about getting lucid in the first place.
You want a medal for that achievement - and you want getting there to be hard.
Ever thought if you might be going about it in a less than optimal way?
Oh no - you of course know it all already. So you do not need to really work - like open a workbook - or even post on LD - it´s almost all off-topic..

You do not seem to expect any fun or benefit from LD - just "managing" seems the goal for you.
Then rather leave it be, if you cannot imagine, how and why LDing would be great.

The fun starts when you go on a journey - play with your imagination - try things out like flying super fast or summon or transform or whatever else there is to "learn" to navigate your dreams like you want to.
Or even more - insight, personal development, artistic inspiration - re-read your first post I quoted - that´s what it is about.

So - here a bit of the drivel you sprouted in this thread:

Originally Posted by Karloky

.. I don't know how would I then enjoy LDing like before anymore....hope that will never happen!!!
..where would then be the fun of trying to do it?

This again makes it sound, as if you knew what you are talking about - and you don´t.
Or did you get lucid by now, and were just too lazy to post one word about it on here - it being more important to belittle others?
And you are seriously talking about the fun of trying to do it?
After having told us, it would be hell, to try to??

Originally Posted by Karloky

what could you in the end say ....? I did LDing so what....!!!

So what??
Start exploring, having adventures - LD is not an end-goal - it is a means to have lucid experiences - getting there does not bring you anything except the "pride of having managed" - that is utterly worthless in the end, if you don´t build on it!

Originally Posted by Karloky

...maybe it can be a some kind of a hell while you are doing it but in the end when you succeed you could say 'yaaaayyy!!! I finally succeeded!!!'

Nobody ever has succeeded - nobody can - the way is the goal - but not the way to LD - but the way in LD.
It is an ongoing process - being there is just having arrived - now your lucid life starts!

Originally Posted by Karloky

while being proud ....you would look on that all with respect and being proud of what you did..

What is that good for?
You are proud, because it didn´t come easy to you?
And somebody dreaming lucidly since childhood and having no problems LDing - being much advanced to most late-starters in terms of dream-control - they have nothing to be proud of??
Or somebody starting out and having a knack for it and having success in days or weeks, while others struggle for ages - no reason to be proud of that? Quite the opposite is true if you ask me.

Originally Posted by Karloky

..but when it would all be so easy that you just snap your fingers and you've done it where would then be that beauty that effect .....where?
It would take all joy away...... it would become like I did LD so what nothing special :

You can not be serious - you do not yet have any idea where the beauty of LD lies, when you say such **** things.
Taking all the joy away..
If really the only joy you seek, is getting lucid shortly in some dream - get another hobby!
Rant over for now..

Originally Posted by NyxCC

I think that lding is something very special and well worth the effort. People should be informed about it and encouraged to make that effort.

No pill or gadget can make up for all the work that you have done because it isn't just about plugging in some sort of simulation or game, but a journey of discovery whereby you enhance your awareness and expand the knowledge and appreciation of all the elements of both your internal and the external world. That is the magic of lding.

like.jpg

Originally Posted by Quantiq

Well for one, I was pretty depressed when I was active. I had to get rid of my computer for a few weeks and seldom went online after that. It took me almost a year but I got my life back together finally. My internet addiction was certainly a factor in my depression.

I know what you mean. As soon as I logged in: instant nostalgia trip. Felt good though, lots of good memories here.

There.
That is important - thank you for bringing it up!
I have a deadline - not sharp, but in etwa - when I will drive my activity on here down.
Since I for once am not depressed and have concrete plans for my future - I justify spending so much time on the forum with my clear plan, to use this time to learn LD.
But I notice, I almost don´t read any more - and even do not enough real LD-work.
That is sub-optimal - it works in the sense as I get lucid a bit - but maybe reading outside of DV is in order.
Got to say, I enjoy writing things - something I wasn´t aware of - thanks DV for that as well.

Forum-addiction specifically is a pretty well-known phenomenon - and it is good, when people get a handle on time "wasted" on a forum - after the normal initial over-enthusement stemming from finding such a wonderful place..

This means I will be "gone", too - or at least only sporadically active for a while - next spring.
But surely more intense phases will be interspersed - esp. if I will need further help with LDing.

Yeah, i do remember he has challenged my nerves with his kind of fundamentalist aggro position.

You managed to articulate it much better than me, oh he doesn´t have any chance now

Hope he had,at least, achieved some peace and happiness

Originally Posted by JoannaB

"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." Should that be added to DV rules?

HaHa This is The Hotel California:

***

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0G1...e_gdata_player

*** WITH LYRICS
(6:32)
2 Million+ views since july wow!

I'm pretty sure the Admin. has bad breath and that's probably why a lot of people left.

/me pops a beer mint.

People come and people go. Lots of them stay and lots of them come back. Those who stay or come back, ARE lucid dreamers. Others are hobbyists.

Originally Posted by gab

/me pops a beer mint.

Those who stay or come back, ARE lucid dreamers. Others are hobbyists.

I'd disagree, I was at a point where I'd given up and it was my most active times on this site, I stayed for the community. Might try LDing again soon, but I'd definitely only consider myself a hobbyist.

Originally Posted by mooseantlers

I'd disagree, I was at a point where I'd given up and it was my most active times on this site, I stayed for the community. Might try LDing again soon, but I'd definitely only consider myself a hobbyist.

Oh yeah, that too.

^^ your the reason why we're losing members, mooseantlers. i mean do you really think you can roam around the forums typing whatever you want? what the hell is wrong with you?

dreamviews is serious business, this is not a joke.

^ Bingo. Somebody email me when he's gone so I know to come back.

Dreamviews has been going downhill for a long time. Though there have been spikes in membership every once in a while. Honestly, I don't really care how many people are on here, it's more the quality of those people. That's been going down for a long time. No offense, not trying to say you guys are lame, just that a lot of really cool people have left the forum due to some of the bullshit over the years. I think that some of this has even come out of changes made to encourage people to join.

A lot of this is subjective, I guess if you get on this site only for the on topic stuff it might be different.

Et tu Darkmatters???



So crushed!!

Merry Fucking Christmas!! D':

How dare you speak French at moi!! Touché Étouffée, eh?

Many good points being made on this very green and red day. Or red and green, whichever you prefer. Lets take a gander at good ol' google. Also, say some more words that start with g.

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=lucid%20dreaming

You can see where interest in lding was reaching a peak in early 2012, there was also a corresponding peak in dreamviews activity with our own personal peak of peaking power, the end of November, 2012. Activity has leveled off, however the longer term activity of lding is generally rising. As more people become interested, those peaks will be more common. Many people suggest Inception is the cause for the spike interest. Except Inception was released in 2010! *iNception Sound*
As general interest rises, a population begins searching for answers with which a demand is created for lding. Teachers, book writers, forums, coffee shops, etc., people will search for it wherever they can find the knowledge. In recent years, lding has been in the news more, its being written about more, talked about more, and practiced more. So generally speaking, lding as a whole is coming closer to the mainstream. Perhaps it will be lding that will bring along with it the interest for all the rest of dreaming.

On the subject of activity on dream views, I look at it this way. Lding is an ability and like many abilities, people can form them into hobbies. They can also form those abilities into a lifestyle, or anything in between. Lding is a mind skill much like meditation. And like meditation, it requires some level of practice. Without practicing, a person will not be able to move on to greater levels of ability. Not everyone wants to go all the way in an ability, and some people won't stop until they are dead. Both are fine because its your choice.
That creates two sections of DV, on-topic and off-topic. DV is a place for lders to come to be able to talk to other lders. We are humans and so lding is not the only thing we talk about. We as humans, talk about all sorts of human things. While some things within reason are restricted, most anything human related is tolerated.
There will undoubtedly be people on each extreme and many more spread all juicy-like all over the middle. That is what makes DV what it is: a community.

Perhaps some people who were here in the past no longer felt that community. Perhaps they became disinterested in lding and moved on. Perhaps they were completely fucked up every time they logged, then one day suddenly sobered up and never used the internet again. Ya know, even odds on all three really.

Here is what I have seen. There people in a community that serve as pillars. They connect everything together like a web. Those closer to the center are usually connected to more people and vice versa. That is the way a web is built. What I have seen is that some of those pillars have gone. Each time you lose a pillar, you lose countless others. Malcolm Gladwell calls these people connectors, and they are essential building blocks of a community.
Some might mistake staff for those pillars. While many pillars do end up becoming staff, it is actually more valuable to remain outside the management of the community. The real power is not in the white house; the real power remains on the streets.
What I have seen is these pillars leaving for other communities, and some create their own. As long as DV makes a place for ever piece of the web, then the entire structure will fail.

Google trends tells one story, and our forum tells another. Take a look in the community team forum if you have access. Take a look at the activity in that forum over the last 5yrs. Only now has it become basically silent. All those active connectors, investing themselves into the community, were the ones who posted there. That was their place to discuss their forum. Staff is only management and ownership only wants the cash. The people choose whether the beast lives or dies because once all your pillars are gone, there is no web, therefore nothing to manage and nothing to create a cash flow.

At the end of the day, DV is a place for people to come together. It is not a school, although we have one. It is not a dictionary, although we have one. It is not a repository of dreams, although there is one. DV is a community; a place for people to come together.

Not many members post, true.

But I sometimes (often) I poke every username who is logged-in. Many of them have never posted.

What are they doing when I go to their profile (???).

They are actuallu sending emails to other members (!!!).

So,

the site is simmering away quite nicely.

Go poke some usernames and see what they are upto right now.

I guess i miss some of the old members and a bit of the excitement i had felt when i joined this forum.

If i knew how this site of financed and how much money run through and what motives the admin has for this site i could make a guess if advertising would be a viable option. I definitely don't want this place to become barren. And i have utmost belief that with proper administration this site can regain the popularity that it once had.

Perhaps i was seeing the internet through a rainbow computer a few years ago, though. It's just that DV has actually been a major part in my life. Atleast it had a massive influence, cliché as it sounds. Ah well.. As long as we can have dreams it's fine

Originally Posted by Chimpertainment

While some things within reason are restricted, most anything human related is tolerated.

I really think this is what's drove people away from this site, if it does have anything to do with the site and not just the people or trends. There are beneficial forms of tolerance as well as harmful forms. I think that we've come to tolerate crappier threads because of the absence of better threads. And while you can still talk about a lot you can't talk about as much. DVs has more rules now, it's a fact.

I think a big part of the problem is that moderation has been about safety/morality/political correctness/etc rather than about the quality of discussion. Which I realize is a very hard thing to moderate, but still. I think some people make a ton of shitty threads, maybe warn these people, I dunno. I don't envy the mods, definitely a hard job with few benefits.

DVs definitely used to be more "adult". There was a point in time where mods were making a conscious effort to make the site more kid friendly, I think this drove some of the best people on the site away(and got some people banned). And when I say this I'm not saying that they were like me, thinking to themselves, "This is a really stupid thing to do" and this made them choose to leave. I think there have been unintended consequences from trying to get more members from certain demographics and more members generally. More posting is not always a good thing. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to discussion.

I dunno, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, I don't get on this site much anymore.

Originally Posted by Darkmatters

How dare you speak French at moi!! Touché Étouffée, eh?

Wouldn't that be Latin?