I think Kathy's evaluation of her experience here is pertinent and insightful, but I also agree with debernardis and the Captain : we have been through these growing pains before.

InternetTabletTalk got started in 2005 as a tribe of like-minded diehards hunkering around a mountain campfire, fascinated by that strange new beast, the 770, fighting incredibly beta software, united in their belief that this new idea of Nokia's should be made to work, despite a mostly uncomprehending outside world.

When the N800 and later N810 came out to more fanfare and achieved better notoriety, we already saw waves of people from the city arriving in their shiny SUVs, designer shades and sneakers, behaving like nothing had ever happened before them. That, and inducing resentment from grouchy old-timers in the process, are probably the two most common symptoms in the life of any community, online or not.

Twice, the forum adapted and survived, some of us have even been here from the start and stayed.

This latest tsunami has been largely predicted and anticipated. Quim, Reggie, the Council(s) and many other community members have been at work for the better part of a year to prepare for it, making changes to dampen the shock, including the move from ITT to TMO.

Yes, it's something of an unruly brawl right now, as it was then, and it's always at its worst between the announcement of a new model and its actual availability, with people spinning their wheels in expectation.

I guess things will settle down again when committed users actually have the gizmo in their hands, and most observers and passers-by have left for greener pastures. The new equilibrium will be different from the previous ones, but that's only normal.

So just stay with us through the brawl until we inaugurate the brand new saloon :-)

Can I be the dancer in the fancy frock?

Of course ! I'm sure Texrat, if duly pressured, could whip out a convincing French cancan for the occasion :-)

That would be a no.

That would be because I haven't started applying the pressure yet...

Just edited http://maemo.org/news/planet-maemo/aggregate_your_blog/

as someone who also has a zaurus and been watching that community fade away, I can say it's better to have "too many" people join (even if they ask the same old questions and don't know how to search) than it is for everyone to be old, jaded and bored and the community slowly wither away.

Honestly, I don't see the big problem. Before it was easier to just follow the New Posts list and pick the interesting topics (for you). Now even that becomes complicated.

In practice I'm sticking more to whatever comes to Community, Brainstorm, Development and Harmattan, with some look at Maemo 5 if there is extra time. Others will find their own preferred subforums. Most of the not-very-productive posts actually are concentrated in General, N900 and Off-Topic.

It is also expected that more signal activity will move to Brainstorm once it's in good shape.

Some months ago it was clear that people needed an announcement, now it's clear that people need a sales start, then at some point people probably will need a software update, then perhaps will be the time for missing Harmattan announcements... That's fine, and it's part of the own growth and maturity process. Nothing we were not expecting and nothing we shouldn't be really happy about!

I'm sticking to New Posts. Can't teach an old dog new tricks, but he can learn to filter better himself :-)

Kathy i'd really appreciate it if you stayed, cause you ask the questons that i don't.

Cheers ears