What has happened?

If the introduction of a "General Chat forum" is under consideration for the future then that alone speaks volumes on the thinking of the Pentax User people.

General chat sub-forums are untested territory. Millions of forums across the world already successfully and sensibly have them. It's not really something that requires any in depth consideration.

Even if I had access to the detailed information I wouldn't be able to tell you because it would be confidential.

All I can say is that in the past few years PU has grown very considerably and we should all be pleased with whatever contribution we have made to that.

Probably the greatest general chat forum might be Facebook, and that's where I do my general chat. I do a fair amount of photography on there as well.

If you want to know what I'm having for breakfast, that's the place to ask. I might even tell you....

I'm also on Twitter, YouTube, Flikr, Google.....quite enough general chat for me personally to be very glad it doesn't clutter up PU.

I was talking to Ken earlier, and as he said, if we want to talk about our cars we go to a car forum, where people know something about cars.

If we want photography, we go to photography forums.

A "general chat" forum will take ten minutes to set up and will instantly tidy all the boards up, leaving the photography areas for just that. Surely that is all the consideration it needs - it'll make working lives easier - a "no brainer" in my book...

I use Twitter and that is more than enough "social networking" for me. I'm a bit old fashioned, I prefer to interact with people in the real world, not hide behind a screen, trolling...

If I were to have one wish granted, it'd be the addition of an "ignore poster" button. You would be the second person I'd use it on.

So when you go to your camera club you talk about nothing but photography?

If trolling behind a screen is the only alternative to interacting with people in the real world then you don't really understand social media.

Firstly not everyone is healthy enough or able enough to get out and about in the physical world. secondly for my own experience of facebook I've got back in touch with people from all eras of my life, from school onwards. msot o them live all across the world and it isn't possible, for example, to nip to Thailand, Dubai or the USA to drop in for a cuppa and a chat.

My personal thoughts on this John, is that yes you are correct in saying if we want to talk about other things then we visit said other things web site.

But as you have stated the forum is growing, that means the PU community is growing and out of that friendships are born, so what if I wish to share my thoughts on something that is not Pentax/photography related with friends on this forum, things that others may have a similar interest.

And then instead of logging off this site and visiting someone else's site, we stay logged onto this one for longer each day,which advertisers would just love.

What about even a trial run for say a month to see how it fits in as there does seem to be a lot of support for it.

Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.

Patronising in the extreme.

I'm not the one suggesting FB style features be introduced over here in PU land, but don't let that stop you using your scatter-gun

I'm sure FB has many wonderful qualities and seemingly it is more important to a large swathe of the population than speaking to each other. You know nothing about me so to suggest I don't understand social media shows your arrogance has not diluted over time. DougF8 would be the second to get my wished for "ignore" button used on them, but first place was reserved for you.

In addition to your twitter, I think you'll find you're "social networking" on here.

If I had a magic finger that granted wishes, I'd be sure to wave it at you.

Nothing patronising about it. Someone who understands social media wouldn't have made the statement you did regarding the alternative to interacting in the real world is trolling behind a screen. I don't claim to know anything about you past what you publish here.

It's also very ironic that you're unable to to ignore the very two people you proclaimed you'd use an ignore button on.

The forum isn't growing. I've been here since 2009 and I've seen people come and go and periods of quiet and periods of increased activity, but on average it's stayed roughly the same.

This forum has a huge potential to grow given it caters for a specific brand but one of the reasons it hasn't is because of the issues we all know about and have discussed in various threads over the last week or so.

Ironically the periods of increased activity ususlly conincide when those issues which are normally fermenting undercover boil over and come to a head.

Don't the various threads over the past weeks demonstrate that numerous members want a proper general chat forum now, and not just to be fobbed off with "it's under consideration for the future".

The general chat forum that is in place now has been the source of many thread deletion issues in the past because people go there and post believing it to be what it's name suggests, just change it's name for goodness sake. Leaving it as is is prolonging the agony for everyone. Just change it, the T's & C's state that it is easy to do, so just do it.

If its name remains unchanged you can just expect more of the same because it puts peoples backs up when a mod deletes a thread and offers no explanation to anybody as to why it's been deleted. Perhaps a change of procedure is needed. Instead of just deleting a thread, lock it and give a reason for it's locking. Then after a short period, delete it. It's the not knowing why that really upsets people and is driving them to other sites, many of whom have been core contributors to the growth and development to this site.

This site may be successful now, but that may not last if you carry on treating us the way you have been. It's dictatorial and undemocratic, please stop it.

I check Facebook every so often to see who else has died. The list of "expected names" gets shorter and shorter

Stan, have you posted this on the right place, on the right forum?