What's happened to ATS??

Hi ATS,

This is a rant, but since I can't post anywhere else, here it goes in the Introductions forum.

I've been enjoying ATS for over a year now but am generally a lurker, here and on other forums.

What is going on? The front page ("Home") has had the same top topics for days now! Missing girl (known to be dead for two days now), a vet's therapy session, sirens in Athens, BBC crew's antics at Roswell, Obama's ring, 11 lies about the Fed, VP debate thread. Top topics! For days!

So perhaps the "home" page's algorithm is stuffed. So I click on Top Topics. Yay! Something about David Icke is the top member pick, but everything below is the same old stuff on the home page. So I click on Hot Now. 14 pages about a bus driver hitting a woman. Seriously?!!! Hottest topic?? What the heck? Thankfully it got closed by a mod but it is still the hottest topic.

I like to get my news feed and opinion of the world from this site. I don't have TV and almost never go to an MSM news site unless it is linked to from a conspiracy forum. OK, how about Breaking Alternative News? Texas RFID at schools, Tel Aviv UFO, father picketing a school, BBC film crew. (Sorted by last reply). Old stuff. Top topics. People are posting replies.

So why don't I go somewhere else if I am not satisfied? Well I like ATS. I like most of the posters. I like the respect and civility and restraint from profanities. I like the quality of OPs. And I've never seen it to be so stagnant and focused on non-issues for so long ever before.

Well, I do go elsewhere now if I want to see what's going on in the world: GLP. There I need to wade through huge amounts of profanities, hate, racism, useless posts, stupid images, etc. but things are a happenin and I can instantly see what's going on in the world in the areas that interest me most. Those things you would expect from a conspiracy forum you know: the various flavours of doom probabilities (economic, incoming NEO, strange observations in space, earthquakes, sinkholes, weather, etc), TPTB conspiracies (why is the president's schedule empty and who's in Denver?), etc. I know I can find all those topics here, but they are quiet and no one wants to post new threads because that would be frowned upon.

It is like members are being funnelled into the "top picks" and "hottest discussions" and if that isn't interesting you have to go search for interesting topics, but those will usually be old threads with little ongoing discussion. If it is such a sin to make a post about something that's been covered before, the interesting threads will naturally get buried in the search engine.

I think what is working for GLP is that people pin the most interesting topics but those get unpinned every day sometime early morning for a fresh new day. Here on ATS the flagged topics just stay on top for days and weeks.

While writing this, I've discovered I can go to a specific forum, say breaking alternative and sort by flags or replies. Almost what I want! Except the top thread's last reply was April 1. And I would have to do this for about a dozen forums that interest me.

Oh well. End of rant. Thoughts?

I've noticed the front page being broken too, it's almost as if no one has noticed it or there's no mods anymore? What's going on with ATS? It's been broken for the past few days...

The front page isn't broken, there's just no new content being added.. I.E - user content.

reply to post by Sinny


How could that be possible? This is ATS surely people are posting new content? Has something Happened I am really not aware of, why would traffic be dead at this time?

/edit

Missing Child Jessica Ridgeway
'Posted 34 hours ago'

That's the top topic on the front page right now, the post date is inaccurate surely that indicates there's something wrong with it? The topic is like 3-4 days old.

some items are interesting but not worthy of a thread//

www.foxnews.com...


www.cbsnews.com...

www.pakalertpress.com...



there's just 3 of the dozens of links i've found interesting in the last 3 days...see...i happen to scan all over and just augment my web presence with ATS...i mostly ignore the din of noise around me even if its the ATS 'Most Interesting'

ATS is now mainstream. I know a dozen members who we're the back bone of this site, but their now banned. Its unfortunate that the only high contributors are the ones who post political mainstream garbage. ATS was at it's peak in 2005 to 2010..Now, its hard to find a decent thread about lost civilizations or UFO's, because now its all middle east issues, US politics/elections. Due to this fact, I now only visit ATS in the morning/mid day to read new topics because soon as the Americans start logging on, the new topics sections is just inundated with crap I can read on a mainstream media site.



In comes the guy to point of the obvious of, "if you don't like it, lump it" . . Which is partly what most are doing, genius

reply to post by St Udio


Awesome! Those 3 links are very worthy of new threads (at least in a breaking alternative news type thread).

Link 1. I'm nuts about archaeology and ancient architecture and mysteries.
Link 2. I am gluten intolerant (nearly died as a baby) and believe wheat (and sugar) causes most of today's diseases.
Link 3. My profession is mapping and I'm totally into ancient maps (eg. the Piri Reis maps).

HOW DID YOU KNOW TO SEND ME THESE 3 LINKS???? :-)

All 3 links beat anything going on on the home page right now!

How did you guys even see my post? Do you keep an eye on the "Real time" column under "New topics" ?

Thank you for the responses!

What happened to ATS? I didn't join until last year but I notice the threads that started over a week ago still have posters on there defending their opinions and stats, which usually end up with name calling and other unpleasantries. It's sad. I've been called dim-witted and humorless. Whatever happened to respect? We all think in different ways and come in at a different perspective.

I could start a new thread but the threat of it getting out of control is very high and it ultimately winds up ruining the thread.

We all want everything to be nice and linear and predictable; it gives us a warm and cozy feeling. Well, that is not how universe works; nothing is warm and cozy and linear, except the illusion we have created and demand that universe comply with. Think of it as a surprise, where no one knows what will happen and when it does, everyone is astonished. That is what we exist in and none of us are going to get it right, although in hindsight, we will all recall how we saw it coming. LOL The bumps in the road and the annoyance it is to our pretty picture of what should be, will never be satisfying, unless we can retreat into our castle in the sky, where everything is always, just the way we knew it would be. Remember that universe always rewards courage and constantly seeks higher complexity. Our perception of universe is so narrow, that we cannot be expected to "get it". One so low, would best focus on true humility and work towards valuable goals, with a truly humble heart.

reply to post by paulvh


There are many reasons that little new content has been added the last few days. For one it is hunting season and a lot of people are in the woods right now. Secondly it's a beautiful weekend and people are off having fun with their families. Also it's football season and other people are getting ready for viewing parties or the lucky ones are getting ready to go to the games (not to mention Friday night was highschool games and Saturday was college games besides today being NFL games).

The only reason I'm here and not somewhere else is the spouse has to work all weekend and I've had the grandkid all weekend. I'd take her to the woods but she's a handful when I don't have help to chase her around out there. So while she's playing with toys I'm here.

i rarely come here now, I used to be here reading every day.
it's just junk now. too bad.

I have been here a few years and your right about the rut we are in. Maybe its the quiet before the storm. Maybe we are being censored and don't know it. I do know though that when I first discovered ATS it was different.

reply to post by tidycat
I know my tidycat name only shows a 2011 begining but I have been here since at least 2007.

reply to post by St Udio


doesnt seem to be an issue for me ....

ive subscribed to the 2 RSS feeds for new topics and top topics ...

depending on what mood im in .. i just have a glance in either folder .. in new topics folder, is every single topic created (even a snapshot of the since deleted ones) ... i can peruse these to my convenience, without even going near ATS ... and open whichever takes my fancy ... i choose to automatically delete anything over 50 days old .... so theyre pretty much always there for me when i want ...

in the top topic folder ... are the ones that got many flags .. not sure of the criteria ... i look in here for obvious reasons .. and automatically delete anything over 90 days ...

maybe this isnt exactly what you want ... but works well for me

ETA - i use MS outlook for my RSS feeds .. so can use outlooks lame search utility also .. before going into ATS search ... just a slightly aditional search functionality

I post quite a bit, and ats is still my go to site for breaking news, but I hardly ever post new threads because its just pointless to do so if they immediately get sent into the trash bin, off topic, or if it gets past the mods, the derailers just come on and spout nonsense.

reply to post by tired

I come here frequently, but mostly as a lurker like you.

I admit we seem to be in a bit of a news slow down lately, and maybe it's because if it is not the US POTUS election, it is not news.

I don't know.

But, I do know that if I felt as you do, I would consider leaving the lurking and posting myself.

ATS is nothing without member content.
Gee, maybe I should take my own advice

reply to post by n00bUK


I think some of these political "contributors" work for political campaigns themselves.

There is too much muck being posted and it's usually wildly biased and poorly-researched.

So why don't I go somewhere else if I am not satisfied?

There is another raft somewhere in the galaxy?

Wow..I was thinking this the past few days, myself.

I mean, I check the new topics page, and Im only there for a minute..then out. Same ol' stuff.

Of course, there are other sites to get news from..but I'd like to see ATS back on the top of the "underground" news.

This happens every 2-4 years. US elections. 4 years for sure as it involves the POTUS. 2 years if the House presence is important. Breathe and say with me, "Just 1 more month. Just one more month." $50 says the 2012 forum lights up after that.