I noticed... and I stopped hanging around so much, too. (Although, the last few days, I've been here more. I had high hopes for Blue's Grab-a-Guru concept and I'm interested in watching (WATCHING, I said!) ReyRey's resurrection of the H2H challenges.)

(hmmmm... and me, too. )

I agree. I also agree with Tarmac's playground analogy. But that doesn't mean we all have to accept the hooligans or the spoiled brat crybabies or the bossy busy-bodies taking over and ruining other people's fun.

There are several rotten apples (people and issues) in this here FRUIT BOWL and people have just as much right to COMPLAIN about the PRODUCE, as they do to just keep nibbling around on the bits they still like or LOSE their APPETITES and LEAVE.

yeh !

Yep.

If you decide you don't want to be active on the site anymore, then just... don't be active on the site anymore.

I've never understood why people feel the need to make a big dramatic speech about it, and declare that they're "leaving".

This is the internet, people. It's everywhere. You couldn't get away if you tried.

Oh, and I have TRIED AND TRIED and no matter how far ahead you get it is still there in front of you.

Or something like that.

One thing this thread is generating is some CHOICE metaphors (or should I say NETaphors? )...

Yup - much like on a playground where a few kids keep serving up rotten fruit the OTHER kids might decide to do something ABOUT the rotten fruit providers. One thing is to ignore them (but if they are THROWING the fruit at you that can be hard to do) or the OTHERS can ORGANIZE a PLAN OF ACTION against the Evil Bad Fruited Ones. Sadly, this requires ORGANIZATION and perhaps a LEADER and some kind of FOCUSED MODERATION. At the end of the day night comes. We all sleep.

oh teh drama!

simply put and well said. There doesn't need to be any drama for taking a break. Just go take it OR let the people who chose to take their break. It's ok.....oh and Reinman...yes I noticed you gone but you have a habit of sneaking off alot doing probably something really cool with an accordian trio or something like that. Plus I've seen you elsewhere

I know. Right?

add tofu and kenetic_be to the list

Well,that's pretty easy.....They crave the attention...maby they don't get enough in their real lives.....who knows.

Or you know, sometimes by pointing out why they're leaving, they still have SOME hope that a few others will take a look at themselves, their behavior and interactions and JUST MAYBE say, "Hey, you know, he's right! I'll try to stop doing so much of this and do more of that..." and perhaps a few members in general JUST MIGHT say, "Yeah, he is right. This site has deteriorated in these certain aspects. But you know? I still have the energy and gumption, I'm going to try to do something about it, and help improve the site how I'd like to enjoy it more."

And tomorrow everybody will look at the calendar and say" Oh, look April fools day."

Yeah...sure...I don't disagree with that, but...
Here's a hypothetical of why I said "They crave the attention".

Say for example , you've lived in the town or city you live in for some time and in that time you've gotten to know a few people and consider them your friends, people you converse with or see on a regular basis. Say, you're going to move away from that town or city.....*question* Do you announce it to the whole town/city that you are moving away?...or do you just tell the people you consider friends and want to keep in touch with, that you are moving?

That's what I meant by "crave attention"

I don't disagree that a lot of people who have left PSC HAVE simply craved the momentary attention when they announced; that's absolutely true. Sure, when leaving town, most people only tell their friends. But what if you really loved that town, poured your heart and soul into it, and it was the town's overwhelming deterioration in your eyes that finally wore you down enough to leave? Mightn't you write one last open letter to the editor about that? Even stand and point out the reasons why you were leaving at your last town meeting? Try to serve as one last, desperate wake-up call to your beloved town, in other words? It depends on your own passions, hopes, and disappointments, I guess... as does recognizing that person's farewell message as such.