So quiet in here. Why ?

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solo_birdlover
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So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by solo_birdlover » Thu May 02, 2019 12:31 am

I don't know if this is the proper section to post but it says "general questions", so...


It's been a long time since I came or posted here. Life problems and health issues forced me to get out of the hobby but the memories keep pulling me back. So, I came here to bring back some memories but I see things aren't what they used to be here. It's kind of quiet and not as active as it used to be years ago. Not as many new questions and not many answers.... I hardly see any of the names (members') from the past. Why ? This makes me feel sad.

I was trying to encourage myself to get into the hobby again.

Icearstorm
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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by Icearstorm » Thu May 02, 2019 10:44 am

solo_birdlover

Surprisingly, this is the most active it's been in a few months. There was a time where there were only 2-3 fairly active people for a month or two, and weeks where the active topics only had 4 posts. The forum also had to change ownership about a year and a half ago, although membership didn't seem to change because of that. There was also a technical issue that may have been preventing people from joining, but it's probably fixed now. But it looks like people are starting to come back.

I wish this forum was more popular, but it seems like most of the finch people are on Facebook. There are also a few on Reddit and Discord, but most of them are more of casual pet-keepers than hobbyist aviculturists.

It seems finch aviculture has been declining in general. I wouldn't be surprised if the trend continues; most serious finch-keepers seem to be middle-aged and older adults. Many only talk about aviculture on Facebook, while the younger generation tend to use other sites, so there's not as much ability to share interests across platforms. This forum could serve as a connection between the two, as there does seem to be a range of people who use it. But that would require more people to know about it.

wildbird
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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by wildbird » Thu May 02, 2019 10:37 pm

solo_birdlover: I hope that you do get back into the hobby. We need more interest in raising finches. As Icearstorm stated above, most people in it now are older adults. The younger people aren't interested in the responsibility of raising birds. They're too busy looking at their cell phones. The world is changing and not for the better.

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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by Icearstorm » Fri May 03, 2019 12:40 am

wildbird

Hey, it's more complicated than that. Many people I've talked to are expressing fears about their future, to the point were taking on more responsibility is, frankly, irresponsible. If you're talking about the US in particular, rising student loans, academic inflation, increasing income gap, and other social and financial issues are making it where people are delaying taking responsibility for other beings. Finches might not take much work, but I've been seeing people looking for companions more than animals that are mainly for watching when they are in the position for more responsibility. Small hookbills remain popular for this reason. Though isopods are also on the rise, so this trend may not hold true in a few more years.

As far as the cell phone thing in particular goes, yeah, a lot of people have short attention spans and sucky social skills. I've met people who were given phones at a young age and never really learned what it was like to make friends in person. So they stuck to what they knew best. I've heard of people that never learned how to deal with the new technology, people who did not get the chance to mentally mature enough to be prepared for all the psychological tricks marketers use to keep us consuming. I've met people that use technology to try and cope with or escape from their existential dread coming from an age where the environment is being destroyed, humans are being replaced by robots, and the average Joe can do little to change the system. I know I do. Yes, we all need some personal responsibility, but understanding goes a long way to being able to combat an issue. But at the same time, many are using technology to keep contact with people all over the world, or to share information to better themselves; it's a double-edged sword.

We're reaching a tipping point where the future is almost definitely going to get worse for everyone who lives long enough; it's the problems that have built up from not only my generation, but also all those before that have contributed to the current state of the world. Like it or not, we're in this life thing together, so the implied "us versus them" mentality probably isn't the best path to take if things are going to end up less sucky than expected.

RIP this thread; hopefully I didn't derail it too much... If so, there's always off-topic.

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lovezebs
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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by lovezebs » Sat May 04, 2019 2:30 am

solo_birdlover

Sadly a lot of members left at one point over differences of opinion, others have drifted away over the last few years.

I have to admit that I haven't been around as much as I used to be.... hardly at all in the last few months.

Like you, due to health reasons I am attempting to scale down :( .
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by Icearstorm » Sat May 04, 2019 8:22 pm

lovezebs

Welcome back!

It's unfortunate that a difference in opinion has made people uncomfortable to be here. I appreciate a good debate on occasion, but hopefully none have gone too out of hand... Tone can be hard to judge online, and I've definitely screwed it up at least a few times :/

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lovezebs
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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by lovezebs » Sun May 05, 2019 12:37 am

Icearstorm

No hon,

This was way before your time :) .

You've done nothing wrong.
~Elana~

Linnies~ Canaries ~ Zebras ~ Societies ~ Gouldians ~ Orange Cheeks ~ Shaft Tails ~ Strawberries ~ Red Cheek Cordon Bleu ~ Goldbreasts ~ Red Brows ~ Owls ~ Budgies ~ Diamond Firetails ~ Javas ~ Forbes Parrot Finches ~

Icearstorm
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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by Icearstorm » Sun May 05, 2019 7:12 pm

lovezebs

I've done plenty wrong, just maybe not on that specific issue on this site :/

wildbird
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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by wildbird » Sun May 05, 2019 10:22 pm

We're all learning, that's why we're here.

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Re: So quiet in here. Why ?

Post by Sally » Sun May 12, 2019 1:18 am

As others have said, many in this hobby are older, and due to health problems or other issues have had to downsize. I used to have well over 100 finches, and I am now down to 9. Most of them are senior citizens, and I'm not replacing them as they die off. I was planning to get out of the hobby, but I may find that I want to have one or two pairs as pets later on. For now, health comes first, plus a move to a smaller property is in the fairly near future. Some 55+ communities don't allow much in the way of pets.

Our local bird club recently closed down due to lack of active membership. It was the same few who came to meetings, put on marts, put on the annual show. People just have such busy lives these days that club meetings weren't a priority. From what I hear, many clubs around the country are having the same issues and many have already shut down.
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