Long time coming, and a return. Options

[Peter]

Hello everyone. It's been quite a while since I've posted on this forum (four years almost to the date from my last new topic, and just shy of three years since my last post. I absolutely adored this forum to no end, mostly because the community was one I was very familiar with (Jason knows what I'm talking about).

I sort of removed myself from the forums due to some growing up I had to do on my part, and slowly but surely found myself being a lurker. Now, after lurking for almost a year, I've finally decided to make another post and say hi. :)

I've been watching some of what's been happening, but I'm incredibly out of the loop. I started my 'come back' of sorts by catching up with Jason, and seeing what the state of things were. I also had messaged DPB on Steam a few times, just asking how things were. It's unfortunate that it's so desolate, when back before it used to be such a thriving community. One of the things I enjoy doing is taking projects like this and giving them direction in hopes to revitalize them back into a thriving community. I've done things like this in the past, and my most recent endeavor was with www.gamentrain.com, a website dedicated to gaming and fitness.

I'd like to do the same with this website, but not without properly understanding what's going on (and if that's something everyone else here would like to see). Obviously if there is no interest in keeping a site like this going, then it doesn't matter what I say or do, it simply won't go anywhere.

Before I get into any of that though: how the heck is everyone? Who is still regularly visiting? Who's only kinda sorta visiting? Lurkers, I know you're out there, who has been lurking. Catch me up on what's been happening, both personally and in the forums, if you'd like.

As for me, between the time I left, and now, I have graduated college with a degree in Business Management (go me). :) I was working at The Home Depot at the time, but found a job in my field doing entry level business analyst work within 3-4 months. It was with a healthcare firm that was local to where I lived. I did that for about a year and a half, and then took another position (within the same firm) as a project manager for an application they were developing to manage stroke patient care. This is where I started getting some of my project management experience, and realized that I liked doing that kind of work.

After another year and a half, we had finished the project, and it was about that time that I secured another job working for the largest health/well-being and sports nutrition firm in the nation (see: GNC). I am located right in their headquarters building, doing more PM work, as well as some database administration things, budget stuffs, and all kinds of jobs like that. They brought me in to do what I have been doing pretty much since I started working: look at something that exists today, and find ways to improve on it.

That's work life stuff; personally, I've still been doing a ton of gaming. You can usually keep up with my gaming endeavors here: www.backloggery.com/peterthomas6 and other miscellaneous things to keep me busy. There was a summer where I started taking lessons to play the cello, I bought a ukulele, took a cruise to the Bahamas, and so forth. I'd be happy to write more, but I feel like I've yapped your ears off for now. I look forward to hearing from you all soon.

Take care,
Peter

[Mizukithepanda]

Hey Peter, I remember you, though we never actually spoke back in the day.

As for what happened... all of the big dramatic shit that went down three years ago aside, mostly it's just dwindled gradually. Saffy ran a lot of people off with his actions, many people either started lurking or just stopped visiting altogether, and most new members would join up for a little while, but not stick around. Right now we don't really have anyone dedicated to getting new information on the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games, so if people come here looking for information, they don't get nearly as much as they hoped.

At one point, before Saffy left, there was a new main site in the works, but that was completely scrapped and there's been nothing since.

Honestly, right now I'm not sure what can be done to revitalize the place. I think, if anything, we need to focus on getting new members instead of getting old members to return, but even if we suddenly had a new flow of HM information and a shiny new site, that may not be enough.