I think that one should consider the parameters of any Search, that an individual might put into Google, to find a Forum such as this.

It certainly would include words related to Computers or even Computer itself, but it is unlikely to include the word Tech, as Tech has associations with so many specialities as to be almost totally non-specific.

However, Tech is the shortening of Technical or Technician, so one could just as easily pick-up someone searching for a Tractor Repair Technician.

While I have no idea of the total number of Viewers to the Forum, it has become visibly obvious that there has been a considerable reduction in number, and frequency, of Postings to all the Forums except Speakers Corner which, as usual, is inhabited by a bunch of deadbeats such as myself!

I suppose most people must have taken part in the Poll or Referendum on those design features. Drat, I missed it.

I have been around since 2000 (started under a different name, which doesn't show up on the stats) and the FE is right when he says "We've had numerous threads speculating about a 'dying forum' over the years, and yet here we are, in our twelfth year of online life, still going strong". I have to agree with that statement.

I don't contribute that much now, it's because i've had to change my career and now don't work that much in IT, just when my services are required. So in some areas I don't have the current knowledge to answer the posts in say W7 or W 8 or the time as my learning for my current post is a million miles away from IT.

I hadn't looked in on PCA for quite some time and got a shock when I first saw the new look forums. At first I wasn't too sure as to which forum was which, but I have gradually got used to it. I can see why PCA have broken down the forums in to different pages, keeping it all in one forum was what we were used to. Times change and we have to move with the times for better or worse.

I still promote the site whenever I can as it taught me a lot when I first started in IT as I have found the members are freindly and very knowledgable which you don't get on quite a lot of sites. I think this is one of the main reason why PCA forums is still around and will stay around for years to come.

"visitors who never think of posting in the forum discussions"

Include me in that number now; the simple reason being that since the last major "upgrade" the posting procedure is just too user-unfriendly and not intuitive. In "the old days" I would add a comment if I thought it would be helpful, but now there are so many pitfalls in making a successful posting (witness the number of duplicate postings and posted links that don't work), that these days I rarely bother to post; I suppose I should study and absorb the instructions for posting successfully, but that was not normally necessary on the old site (in my experience).

So these days I still visit the site most days, but am mainly a lurker now.

Just my two penn'orth.