Disclaimer: I have had a fair bit to drink.
I had to walk down to an NTB (national tire and battery) to get a battery for my car (about 2 miles in 110 degree heat). Fortunately, the clerk took it upon himself to offer the lady behind me a free rotation in exchange for giving me a lift home, so I got back in one piece.
So, I've had a good bit of alcohol to cool off. Don't worry I drank plenty of water first.
Anyway: Seeing this thread, I thought of something.
I abandoned the village for about a year without saying anything. Not because I was upset or anything really, but I had posted some creative writing and music in the hopes of getting some feedback, and got something like 30 views with no replies. I assumed people were just deciding to be polite and not trash my work, but I figured, "You know what? I can get silence from no one." So I left.
I think that's one of the complaints, is honestly that people feel as though they bring up discussion points and the village tends to lurk or just make "me too" posts. Honestly, I don't think this is the fault of the village: I think it's the fault of the format.
What do you say? It's a forum, which is really meant for discussion (via internet, read RAGING NERD ARGUMENT), and there are only so many topics available for discussion on this format. I think that we should really transition to the future. But that's just my 2c. I'm not sure what that means: Google plus? Facebook? Something that allows more methods of interaction than just "ha" or "me too."