As some know, I joined AS back in late 1997.

It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Back then, AS was new, exciting, vibrant and electric. So many of us ancient history freaks finally had a home. We had a place where we found not only acceptance, but approval and a good bit of ego boo. We could casually toss off Classical allusions and people would get it instead of being met with blank stares, or worse.

It was heaven.

We had people who really knew their stuff--Pomponia, Trim, Freddy, FeAudrey, Maria, Papa G, Strabo, Jo, Bibaculus, et al. We had smart, non-traditional Classicists who came from other fields.

In short, it was a Golden Age.

Of course, "golden ages" are always short, fleet and ephemeral. Vide The Vines.

When AW came up, we lost a few at the start and a few more later. Larry was gone, tragically dead and buried before his time. I still feel that if he had made it a few more years, he would have come back. His puppy-dog acolyte, Magnos chose to disparage the resurrection from afar, to no one's surprise. Many of the old faithful came back for a while, but times had changed, as had lives (marriages, new kids, job changes, the economy, etc.) as well as the 'net itself. There are so many other options than there were back in 1998. There are so many other competing interests now, ten years on. Some working one job back then are now working two, like me. Some are dealing with increased family situations. Some are just too tired to do the work to post real, scholarly posts and just don't or fall back on role play and say the hell with it.

In short, things change. While I don't particularly care for role play or festival stuff, I'd be the last to try to stop either. Then again, if there is a lack of interest in festivals for the various areas/hoods, I would not be adverse to just dropping them.

Sites, like organisms, evolve. Not all will be happy with it, but it happens. If you want to keep AW like AS or steer it another way, post in that manner, dammit.