Is TechExams dead?

draught

I notice the cisco subforum is really dead compared to what it was maybe five years ago. That may be due to the changing nature of certs and how various cloud certs or vmware are more valuable for the average IT person. I was studying at the time I first came here so you would need to ask a new member what they think.

I'd personally remove most of the subforums and just group the more obscure certs into a misc section. All that deadspace with no posts since July makes the forum look really dead.

LonerVamp

Two things.

First, I lurked a while before actually joining here. And I joined because I saw it was a general "tech exams" place. The name right now, if I were to find this on my own today, I would be turned off thinking it's just for Infosec Institute tech exams. It's really unfortunate the domain was switched. The domain means more to me than the branding (which is a pragmatic way for someone in infosec to look at it).

Second, I'm a huge believer in streamlining the experience. I hate seeing dead forums or channels in something. If a subforum or whatever is low traffic, it should be rolled back up into General or something.

These days discords, slacks, forums, and other places default to have 100 channels broken out into all sorts of topics, and like 1 post in each in the past 6 months. This means there's not enough eyeballs to start contributions, and people aren't going to "watch" 100 channels all the time. I'll almost always just idle in the forum or channel that either shows me activity in all the rest or is the most active. And it's activity is usually reduced due to that same splintering...

NetworkingStudent

LonerVamp said:

Two things.

First, I lurked a while before actually joining here. And I joined because I saw it was a general "tech exams" place. The name right now, if I were to find this on my own today, I would be turned off thinking it's just for Infosec Institute tech exams. It's really unfortunate the domain was switched. The domain means more to me than the branding (which is a pragmatic way for someone in infosec to look at it).

Second, I'm a huge believer in streamlining the experience. I hate seeing dead forums or channels in something. If a subforum or whatever is low traffic, it should be rolled back up into General or something.

I'm not sure how to breath life back into TE.  Several of the TE veterans stuck around before the domain change, ownership change, and platform change.  I think the TE veterans enjoyed having control of the forum.  Everyone had someone control of the TE forum, and I think that's why everyone stuck around.  Fast forward to today, and several of the TE veterans have left the forum. 

Suggestions:
Maybe add some SEO, or run Google ad words.
If all of the TE forum members made one post a month, that would probably help draw traffic back here.  I'm just making suggestions.  I don't think this a long term solution.

These days discords, slacks, forums, and other places default to have 100 channels broken out into all sorts of topics, and like 1 post in each in the past 6 months. This means there's not enough eyeballs to start contributions, and people aren't going to "watch" 100 channels all the time. I'll almost always just idle in the forum or channel that either shows me activity in all the rest or is the most active. And it's activity is usually reduced due to that same splintering...

 Rolling sub forums into other forums will not bring traffic back here.  Honestly, I really don't know the true solution to this problem.
I have been using Reddit lately.  Yes, there are several sub Reddits that are dead, but I have move on to the active ones.  Recently I made a post in one sub Reddit that seemed dead, and someone answered my post with in a few hours.  

thomas_

It does seem like there is ‘t as much activity even when compared to right after they did the cutover.

TechnicalJay

I use to visit tech exams everyday and lurk on the CCNA section. There was quite a bit of activity before the change and now there is hardly any activity there. I visit this site maybe a couple times a week now to see what the recent discussions are. If nothing good I just leave. 

E Double U

certforexxx said:

Most people here were leeches

They came in as they were starting their careers

Once they did and moved up those leeches just left and never contributed

You say that in past tense like it isn't the case now lol. 

I believe a lot of people moved on after the change. I even check it less now after the switch. 

itdept

I think the branding has a lot to do with it as site site comes off more about Infosec and buy our training packages - https://www.infosecinstitute.com  People just have so many choices these days with Reddit, discord channels and not to mention all the dvmp sites that steal traffic. Just think about all the choices for TV, movies, music, sports, etc. This site is no different, everyone is competing for clicks and views so it is probably just the nature of things.

blargoe

Howdy.  Hope ya'll are staying healthy.

My decline in participation here honestly started before the "changeover".  TE had been part of my near-daily or at least several times per week routine for a long time, if nothing else but for current events, man-on-the-street kind of chatter, and sometimes, I might have had some insight that helped people.  For a good long while now, I simply do not have the time for the 20 or so minutes I was spending during the work day on things like that.  My work keeps me pretty busy. 

Even before the "changeover", I was finding myself hanging out in the Gen Discussion and Careers topics and very little in the Certifications forums.  After the changeover - well - I'm not in an InfoSec role or seeking InfoSec certs.  I can find better discussion of AWS and Red Hat elsewhere.  Only recently have I regained a focus on certs with a recent role change, but still not as gung-ho as I was when I was earlier in my career.  

blargoe

UnixGuy

@blargoe always good to hear from old timers! I still find good discussions so it keeps me coming back! Good to see you're doing well mate

Alisona

I think it is still active and not dead.

FluffyBunny

Alisona said:

I think it is still active and not dead.

That being the last post in almost four years is slightly ironic.

But no, the forum isn't dead-dead... it's just the way things are these days: Discord is for a quick fix, Forums are for people who want to stay around for a longer while.