DegreeInfo no longer what it used to be

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Pilot, Aug 5, 2009.

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  1. Pilot

    Pilot Member

    I remember the days where people posted non stop.
    What do you attribute the dramatic drop in posting and traffic?
    What can be done to revive it?
    Let's brainstorm
     
  2. Woho

    Woho New Member

    Maybe it's just summer...
    But you are right. Really not much going on :/
     
  3. distancedoc2007

    distancedoc2007 New Member

    I for one am working on my dissertation and trying to get it done!! The tempation to procrastinate in here was overwhelming, so I am trying to be more disciplined. I still think this is an amazing and helpful community.

    I have to admit, though, that I have come to think that people spend far too much time and psychic energy debating among alternative courses of study and that it is better to get started on something and finish it off.

    Continued good luck to all, and I will weigh in when I have something to contribute! Cheers...
     
  4. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    Well, it is the summer so that might play a part but I suspect the economy is playing a role as well. Employers have cut educational benefits and people have less money to spend on things like classes. The regulars are all still here but I think a lot of the traffic comes from new people finding the site and asking questions. Maybe when things recover, we'll see more people here once again looking for schools.
     
  5. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    I do agree with you. I've searched and read this forum every way imaginable and have seen hundreds of threads asking about all sorts of programs. I wonder how many of those people actually end up starting one.

    Here is an interesting thing I've noticed thanks to the fact that updates to signature files take effect even on older posts. I found lots of posts from people that were enrolled or were all gung ho about a certain program but their signature indicates they have chosen a totally different direction. It's actually quite interesting to see.
     
  6. telefax

    telefax Member

    The economy and stress levels associated with it are a problem, but I actually see the number one problem as brain drain. Many people who finished their programs no longer drop by to share the knowledge they gained about the experience. I'm thankful for those that do.

    The discussion is also currently less open-ended. Some of the more informative discussions of the past have been about concepts, processes, and qualitative evaluation. More of the contemporary discussion is black and white Q & A, i.e., Where can I find this? How much is it? Doesn't lead to much discussion.

    The plethora of regionally accredited programs available is great from a consumer standpoint. However, when less was available, it seemed to stimulate discussion of the merits of nationally accredited or even unaccredited options. While I can't think of such a program I'd recommend as someone's best option, I think that their availability sometimes steered the discussion away from merely "is it regionally accredited" towards more abstract evaluations of quality. I know that kind of conversation would get tiresome all the time, but it's a healthy thing to examine, as not all schools are created equal - if we only use one criteria (even inadvertently) it artificially flattens the field.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2009
  7. friartuck

    friartuck New Member

    I agree on the economy and also perhaps with age or having reached academic goals, people just aren't as interested. My employer yanked all tuition reimbursement. With me within 6 years of retirement, it's hard to pull money from deferred compensation to apply to an advanced degree which may or may not benefit me in the future. I check in here to see if there are any good deals on education but there's nothing to write home about. Also, my dad is dealing with cancer so I kind of put things on hold. If I recall right others have had issues with aged parents, sick children, etc.
     
  8. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    I think one of the factors for this activity is that folks become more aware of options after asking questions and researching the threads and can gleen a lot of perspective from their choice. Certainly caused me to evaluate what I really wanted out of a doctorate program. So the search continues.
     
  9. mahharrouf

    mahharrouf New Member


    Lets talk about my personal experience....

    When Senior members like you will insult new members instead of helping by posting replies, no one will write again.
     
  10. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    I'm sorry you took offense to the posts where people suggested you work on your english and spelling but the people that told you that were nice about it and weren't degrading you. They just were trying to help.
     
  11. mahharrouf

    mahharrouf New Member


    I am using this forum from almost one month and I can see many post where people use broken English but no one replied like this. My personal opinion is and I hope you will agree too, when you don't have nothing to say or help others, just keep quite instead of speaking off the topic. I was in need of "opinion" from other, same message I sent several of other members in PM and they replied with their opinions, result... I joined worldcollege for BCS.

    Its like we consult to a doctor and that we have headec and need some tablets for headec and doctor give us tablets for stomach pain instead of headec.

    Anyhow, no problem. Its okay. I just replied to OP's post, as my personal experience what I felt. Thats all, no ofensive.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 5, 2009
  12. KLM

    KLM New Member

    I think it is important to always try to be careful with words used when posting because it is difficult for people reading to always hear the "tone" of what you are saying without hearing it said out loud. For example,
    sometimes you send off a quick e-mail to someone and they fire back in bold letters all upset when they took your e-mail the wrong way. I have had to walk up to someone's office in the past because an e-mail conversation just escalated when that wasn't the intent at all. Words without emotion, tone of voice, and even facial expression messages can be taken in the wrong way by the recipient.

    Also don't forget that when putting something in writing it is a permanent record of what is said and cannot be taken back - whereas something spoken isn't a permanent record. We also have to keep in mind that for a number of people who post here, English may not be their first language. So, while postings may not be 100% grammatically correct, as long as we can understand what the person is asking - we can do our best to be helpful in whatever way we can. ~Kim~
     
  13. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    True. That was certainly the case for me. Why did I return or why am I still here now? I came back to try and help others along their educational journey.
     
  14. Go_Fishy

    Go_Fishy New Member

    I'm a fairly new member myself, so these are just my (highly subjective) impressions:

    1. The search function on this board answers many of my questions, so there is no need to open a new thread. This happens in a lot of well-established boards; no reason to worry because there will always be new programs, new concepts, new schools etc. to talk about.
    2. There are more and more websites interested in e-learning. When people google distance learning, they find a huge variety of articles and boards. I guess fewer people are channeled here.
    3. Much of the discussion here circles around price, rankings, and the ROI of college. I can understand that many non-traditional learners take a very pragmatic approach to higher education, but I perceive this type of discourse as not very stimulating.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 6, 2009
  15. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    If you ever take the time to scroll back through all the threads, you know, to the very beginning and then start reading forward you'll see two important things that might be contributing to the difference between the original degreeinfo and the degreeinfo of today. The first is that this board was formed by and for the people who used to post on alt.education.distance, the old usenet board. That unmoderated board was taken over by spammers and scammers and all manner of nasty folks. The refugees came here, to a moderated board where those nasties could be kept out. Even though you can't see it on your screens, we Moderators continue to ban people, mostly spammers, every week. Another difference is that back then the Moderators were a much more active presence in virtually every thread. Now, we tend to be more in the background. The Moderators used to be more provocative and controversial, now we typically leave that to you members. Degreeinfo has evolved through several stages and I'm sure there's more to come. If it seems different that what you want then part of the challenge to you could be to be more active and turn it into something that feels more like home. As someone said earlier, the nature of this board is for people to show up, get the info they need and then go on with their lives. They are quickly replaced by newbies looking for answers. We were all newbies once upon a time. It's especially important to help and be nice to the newbies because they are the veteran members of tomorrow. My thanks go out to all our members for your contributions whether they come in the form of questions, answers, research, news, etc. It's all great. Thanks again.
     
  16. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

    Well, I can say that it is summer and that I am spending much more time outside and spending less time on the 'net. I'm sure that the posts will pick up again come fall when the cooler weather returns.
     
  17. mattbrent

    mattbrent Well-Known Member

    I suppose I'd still consider myself a newcomer here, but I thoroughly enjoy this forum. I came here AFTER I had completed a distance degree. (Had I known what I know now, I definitely would have taken a different path.) I loved my experience with Walden. I enjoyed APU. I am really getting into WNMU. Without this board and its contributors, I would never have known about WNMU and probably would not have taken courses at APU because I was nervous about knowing nothing about the school.

    I'm no wealth of knowledge, but I try to do what I can here. I love promoting Walden. I may end up doing a doctorate there. Through the encouragement of people here, I've embarked upon the process to become an online instructor with UoP. So many great things have come out of this forum which have benefitted me, and I am thankful.

    I don't know what this forum used to be like before I joined a year and a half ago. What I have seen, however, is a new forum developed for CLEPs and new sticky posts on topics like education degrees. To me, it seems like this forum is growing, and I'm excited to be a part of that.

    -Matt
     
  18. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    For my part, I've just been extremely busy with other "offline" activities. Everybody's got another life apart from message boards, ya know?
     
  19. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    what is this thing you call "another life apart from message boards" ;)
     
  20. soupbone

    soupbone Active Member

    I tend to be the ever evolving noob here and I am always second guessing my decisions. The good thing though is that I always end up receiving good advice here. I wish I could be more helpful to people but I can't even get my own degree path in order. How am I supposed to help others? :D

    I know this though. I wouldn't have made it this far without this forum. I would still be debating what I needed to do. ;)
     

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