SW is Slowly Changing

One user's look at how things are developing these days.

I've noticed this place become more centered on a few loyal people. Some stay in the background in groups, while others just post stories and do nothing else. But the plain fact is that the Chatterbox, long known for its confusing, problematic, crazy and endless conversations, is now seeing a lot of complete downtime.

Sometimes I go in and nobody's talking at all. Or if I'm talking to MysticRae for a long period of time we notice that everyone else disappears. It's become somewhat of an inside joke between us that we repel people... mostly me because she's so lovable though. =P

It gives off the impression that Storywrite itself is dying, since the Chatterbox is somewhat symbolic of SW's community. I've been here long enough to remember the complex "SW Families" that developed and that people tried and failed to figure out, concluding that the whole structure was a loophole in itself. Yet the last I've heard about a fake sibling was when my best friend or "brother" called a week ago. And he's from my normal life and doesn't know about SW.

On the other hand, as I said before, other aspects of the site seem to doing... alright. I get a decent amount of messages. In terms of stories, it mostly consists of a few people who write a lot. I haven't heard about a new contest in quite a while. The Shameless and Featured boxes are still cycling through at a decent rate, I suppose.

Overall I'm starting to think that this place is getting a tiny bit sluggish. But you'd be surprised to find that this actually SUITS my small community taste. I see a few of the same people every day, and the occasional unfamiliar name or two. It's what I'm used to on the Internet, and many sites are caught off guard when I announce I'm leaving because they're too big.

I just wish this small community could keep going at a nice, steady pace... but then, that's what I want for all of my favorite small communities, no matter what type. To meet some of the other small Internet communities I'm referring to, just message me.

Most are smaller than this. But in fact, I've always thought of Storywrite as the big one. Sometimes when it seems too much that way I leave. But when I'm gaining close friendships (and more!) I gain a newfound loyalty to this place all over again. It's just not living up to what I was expecting out of it.

In that sense, this column may be nothing but the selfish gripe of a single Storywrite user. And honestly, anyone who's going to come on here and read a COLUMN is probably about as active as they can get. I don't think I want to ask anything from Storywrite... because as it is, it's an amazing place that attracts brilliant people. (And trolls, but hey, what website doesn't these days?)