Warning: This is going to be an unpopular opinion so tread carefully.
I stopped listening to MPU because the noise to content ratio was just too high. For new basic Mac users I guess it might be fun, but for people like me who’ve been around I don’t learn anything new anymore. Not a fan of subscriptions and can’t imagine paying for a Podcast that doesn’t perceptually doesn’t provide much value to me. With that said, I don’t blame MacSparky to try and monetize it to make it his full time gig.
I mainly some Reddit /r/'s and MPU forums at this point hoping for a little nugget of wisdom or knowledge that will help me.
I tried a labs sub for a month or two because I wanted some specific OmniFocus material David had added, never ventured into discord and basically the meet-ups were so US cetric the time difference made them unviable.
I use here because it seems to have mature and knowledgeable member base, I use Discord because I wanted access to the Noteplan community. I also read regularly and post rarely on the GSAP animation forum which is well run and a treasure trove of information.
If I recall correctly, a few members left because they could not put up with some other member’s confrontational styles (some bordering on personal attacks). Additionally, I think the moderators address issues with personal warnings before banning anyone. I would think that banning someone is not an easy decision for them.
I’ve had a few “rough elbows” thrown my way, but I try never to respond in kind and move on or respond politely. There is far too much conflict and polarization in our world as it is; I certainly don’t need to add to it unless a significant legal or moral issue is at stake. The pros and cons of markdown don’t meet that standard.
That said, the VAST majority of everyone on this forum have been great citizens. I know I have profited immensely from everyone’s contributions, including from the ones with whom I may disagree.
That’s how I remember it too. Very rare and occasional actual bans, but a number of people who just got tired of getting beaten up over (functionally) nothing of importance.
It’s also interesting that there’s no actual way to truly “block” a user in Discourse - at least not in the standard sense. If I block/mute somebody, they can still see my posts. They can leave whatever comments they want on those posts. And I still functionally see their replies as a little line item that tells me there’s “ignored content.”
My MPU listening habits are mixed. When I first started listening, I eagerly listened to every episode. Now, I more frequently skip entire episodes or fast forward through many of them. I think there are several reasons for this:
I know a lot more about using Apple software and hardware than when I first started listening to MPU. This is a compliment to MPU as I’ve learned a lot. The down side is that there is less and less for me to learn, relatively speaking.
I tend to skip most of the workflow episodes with guests. Though there are outstanding exceptions, I find most of the workflow episodes to be irrelevant to my interests and needs. This is not a fault of the hosts, it is a function of my interests and needs. No podcast can meet the expectations of a diverse and evolving audience; accordingly, this is in not a criticism. It is just a fact based on my evolving interests and needs.
Before I proceed, I need to give an important caveat. I understand completely that the nature of the hosts’ work—producing podcasts and other tech related content—makes the high number of subscriptions they use important, perhaps even necessary. With that caveat stated, I find the amount of subscription apps used and discussed by the hosts to exceed anything I’m willing to consider. The result is that the episodes that deal with so many of the same subscription-based apps are generally not of interest to me.
Nothing I’ve stated above is a criticism and should not be interpreted as such. I am only sharing my reasons based on my interests and needs for listening less. I have the utmost respect and appreciation for David and Stephen.
That pretty much sums up my position as well (thanks for saving me the time to wordsmith it! ).
I’ve also noted before that the hosts need to break out of their comfort zones. As an example, they had an episode on Raycast. As an Alfred user I was very interested in what the new shiny thing might have to offer. I was disappointed for sure (although not in Raycast). While it was good that they both tried the app, in my opinion it was a missed opportunity not to have a Raycast champion on to do a deep dive into the app. I learned very little.
And in a similar vein, I’ve suggested before on this forum that a show on using the Terminal and Shell would certainly fall under the rubric and be in the tool set of a “Mac Power User”. It wouldn’t be for everyone, but then neither are the current shows.
There is more to using a Mac than note apps and task managers and Markdown!
Finally, I think your point 1 is true in many cases where one moves along the spectrum from novice to expert. And likely a key driver of turnover in a forum such as this.
I’ve noticed the trend as well. I like this place a lot but we have all the usual tropes/problems forums have, just in our own polite and helpful flavor. Yes, I’m talking about YOU, dear member or moderator. (I’m not talking about you. I mean, I am, but don’t take it personally.)
Nice callout! That community does polite plus technically correct very well, and the level of activity is no lower or higher than it needs to be for a mature library.
To your point about not being able to meet everyone’s expectations… These episodes are the ones I find most interesting because I’m interested in how other people — non-podcasters — do things. I would like it if every single episode had a guest.
As per the suggestions about talking about different types of apps, I want to hear from actual users of those apps instead of the hosts that tried them for month.
As per the forums, I’m here less and less. When I am here, the number of new posts is also less and less.
This is one of my favorite forums on the internet, so I hope this discussion isn’t true or just an indication that summer is here and people are spending more time on the beach!
I no longer listen to MPU as I never quite adjusted to Katie leaving. I preferred the dynamic between David and Katie more than the dynamic between David and Stephen.
I have joined Labs to support David but have to drop my membership from time to time to keep subscriptions manageable.
I do enjoy these forums and the knowledge here and recognise the limit of my knowledge hence I do not feel able to comment on many posts.
Another factor could be the overall current stability of the Apple ecosystem.
After a very turbulent climb out of the 2010s, Apple seems to have reached cruising altitude and turned off the fasten seatbelt sign.
Overall, most current Apple products have reached maturity and after the introduction of Apple Silicon there isn’t a ton of exciting new features to talk about.
We have all settled our disappointment with the iPad as a laptop replacement and moved on from that debate.
MacBooks are now pretty awesome regardless of the price and at all levels they meet the expectations of the purchaser.
I don’t know that many of us are interested in whether the Mac Pro can run third party cards.
My Apple Wishlist is pretty short right now. I’m a satisfied customer and that probably doesn’t generate a ton of conversation.
Does that mean we need Apple to start releasing weird new devices so we can have something new to talk about (I’m joking, but I do wish they’d make an e-reader already!!)
I think something can be inferred by the fact that a thread with some obvious insight into potential problems has not even elicited a response or input from a moderator?
As of the last few months or so this forum and the DevonThink forum are the only internet community spaces I’m really on now (except for the forum I moderate for work, but that’s a job thing and doesn’t count). I lurk in a couple of other community-based spaces (e.g. Tumblr), but don’t post, so I don’t think that really counts.
I think possibly there is also something about this community ageing: life changes, and people move on, etc. I know my internet use has gradually been dropping the last few years, mostly prompted by Twitter’s decline (it had really become my main online presence over the last decade so its gap is obvious).
There are a few Discords I’d like to be part of, but it annoys me that you can’t see in advance of creating an account what a space might be like, and I am old and grumpy and can’t be bothered
P.S. I’ve never listed to the podcast and arrived here organically from somewhere else so this space is somewhat visible if you’re a Mac person rummaging about online.
I guess there’s only so much to write about using Onmifocus and changing between any of the three Calendar apps available on the Mac. Oh, and I almost forgot note taking apps.
This place has been running around in circles for quite some time. Looks to me that’s more of a reason than another place being around.
It doesn’t mean this forum has no place on the net. It just isn’t mine anymore. Although I obviously do visit it every now and then.
For me - and I suspect for many others on here - there’s a maturing. The cost of switching apps is high, as is the cost of trying new methodologies/workflows. I’ve done Zettelkasten and PARA and built my second brain. I’ve tried Obsidian/Apple Notes/Zettlr/Emacs (OK, not Emacs ). I’ve now found a set of tools and a workflow that works for me, and I’m reluctant to change it. I’m aware that following the next shiny thing is not a good idea (and there don’t seem to be many shiny things that aren’t derivatives of things I’ve already tried).
I used to listen eagerly to the podcast, but I can’t say I’ve listened in weeks. I can’t say there’s a specific reason, other than nothing has grabbed my interest recently. It’s possible it has found a new audience that isn’t frequenting the forum, which is great.
The only social media I use now is Reddit, other than an increasingly occasional visit here, and that’s because it covers a range of interests beyond technology. Even then, I don’t use it every day.
).
(I’m joking, but I do wish they’d make an e-reader already!!)
). I’ve now found a set of tools and a workflow that works for me, and I’m reluctant to change it. I’m aware that following the next shiny thing is not a good idea (and there don’t seem to be many shiny things that aren’t derivatives of things I’ve already tried).