Where'd everybody go?

[WilliamL]

I see that 196 users were online in the last 24 hours.

In 2016, the high of 3238 were online.

With so many people being forced to stay home these days, it would seem that more people might be using this site, not less.

So, I'd like to hear your opinions on why people are using this site less and less.

[Leenaa]

This is a great site and My first choice for bible studies. However, after a while I did take a longer break. Trying to find it again I had forgotten the name and instead just searched for "online bible studies" or "Christian online forum". Couldn't find it. I think that's where the problem lies and where some work could be done. In the end I found it looking through My emails. Thank God. 

[enoob57]

We know the devil wars against truth and seeing many, many here treat God's Word as God's Word the truth is within these walls... thus satan does his best to turn people away from this place...

[Aimes]

20 hours ago, WilliamL said:

I see that 196 users were online in the last 24 hours.

In 2016, the high of 3238 were online.

With so many people being forced to stay home these days, it would seem that more people might be using this site, not less.

So, I'd like to hear your opinions on why people are using this site less and less.

Honestly I think this site isn't really what most people really want it to be, they're looking for another social media site or a site to make them feel good about being a luke-warm believer. Like @enoob57 said, this site has people who will uphold the Word of God and will challenge any who come here desiring to spread falsities. Rather than staying here and learning, they leave to go find something that is more fitting to their "needs". 

 

Plus, people are generally busy. Some join, stay around for a bit, but life gets crazy and they rarely remember or have time to come back. 

[missmuffet]

Some people are turned off by the "truth". 

[JTC]

On 9/22/2020 at 2:40 PM, WilliamL said:

I see that 196 users were online in the last 24 hours.

In 2016, the high of 3238 were online.

So, I'd like to hear your opinions on why people are using this site less and less.

I'm afraid I have to question your logic. You said 3238 was the high number of users online in 2016 but how do we know whether or not the past 24 hours had a lot of users online or a very few, maybe the past 24 hours was a real slow night here at worthy?

   Nevertheless, I think the pandemic has made all religions unpopular. When this started I had hoped it would make the average person turn more to God, but I don't hear that. People are instead putting their hopes in science to develop either a cure or a vaccine. Sure, these 2 things are important but by now I hoped to hear the average person mention God more often, but they aren't. In fact I never hear anyone say God, even some believers I know, don't seem to have much faith in God. This is terrible because our true hope to get out of this crisis is through God, regardless of how He does it. Maybe this has something to do with Worthy being slow lately.

[JohnR7]

On 9/25/2020 at 3:22 PM, anynmsfmly said:

Obviously nobody knows everything, and not everyone will know the complete truth, That is reserved for God ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

They say there are huge libraries in Heaven filled with the truth. Truth is more difficult to find here on the earth. I went to a Christian book store and after an hour searching the only truth I could find and the whole bookstore was one author. (Stormie) They did end up going out of business. They were next to a mall and the whole mall shut down. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by JohnR7

[WilliamL]

On 9/23/2020 at 4:46 AM, Leenaa said:

This is a great site and My first choice for bible studies. However, after a while I did take a longer break. Trying to find it again I had forgotten the name and instead just searched for "online bible studies" or "Christian online forum". Couldn't find it.

I did a google search (not because I use it, but because it is the most used) for "online Christian forums." Worthy was listed #3, but two other sites -- "Top 50 Christian Forums" and "Top 12 Christian Forums" did NOT have it listed at all. I suspect a bit of good old Christian blacklisting and/or favoritism going on there.

Having worked many Christian web sites over the last 20 years, perhaps 20 or so, I can testify that Worthy has not only more members than any other I've seen, but also is the most open to the widest variety of views.

But maybe that openness is now what is causing people to go elsewhere, because it seems the greater the stress level, the narrower people's viewpoints become, and the more critical they are of the beliefs of others. At least that is what I am seeing in the local Christian community where I live.

[WilliamL]

22 hours ago, JTC said:

I'm afraid I have to question your logic. You said 3238 was the high number of users online in 2016 but how do we know whether or not the past 24 hours had a lot of users online or a very few, maybe the past 24 hours was a real slow night here at worthy?

Nope, sound logic. Been following the numbers at the bottom of the site page, and they've consistently been near 200 a day for quite a while.

22 hours ago, JTC said:

... by now I hoped to hear the average person mention God more often, but they aren't. In fact I never hear anyone say God, even some believers I know, don't seem to have much faith in God. This is terrible because our true hope to get out of this crisis is through God, regardless of how He does it. Maybe this has something to do with Worthy being slow lately.

Like I mentioned in the prior post, stress makes people more narrow-minded, because stress makes people shut out all but the most important things to them, and ignore or reject everything else. (Take it from a former/reformed psychologist.) Clearly, God  and fellowship are some of the things being shut out as non-essential.

[JTC]

2 hours ago, WilliamL said:

Having worked many Christian web sites over the last 20 years, perhaps 20 or so, I can testify that Worthy has not only more members than any other I've seen, but also is the most open to the widest variety of views.

As George has often said Worthy is an experiment, is it possible to bring people of different beliefs together and have them get along. Or at least be civil to each other. I bet 2016 was a time of tremendous fighting, with all those members. I can easily believe there are many less right now because (these days) the mods are quick to crack down on those who want to be nasty. I think this is good. As Christians we're supposed to be loving and tolerant.