Have you compared then and now on DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Maybe this is something AI could do at this point, but I’ve wondered if Jeff has ever analyzed (outside Politics) how attitudes about certain topics have evolved over time on this site. For example, are parents today more or less strict about certain things than parents from 15+ years ago? Do new moms still worry about the same things?

Seems like DCUM has been around long enough to do retrospectives on certain topics. Just curious.

[Anonymous]

I’d be curious when the college board started because that is definitely crazier now vs 15 years ago.

I actually feel like there is less WAH vs SAH fighting now?

[Anonymous]

It would be hilarious to pull stats on names (as in baby names in a very DC centric way) but the name Larla would be a mysterious spike that the SSN records would only puzzle at.

[jsteele]

We have not done such an analysis and I am not sure how it would be done. One issue is that the demographics of users change over time. So, changes in forums may not reflect changes in attitudes so much as they reflect different types of users. For instance, today's users from northwest DC may have the same attitudes as users from northwest DC 15 years ago but the parenting forums now are more likely to reflect the attitudes of posters from outside that geographical area.

[Anonymous]

I've been around since the beginning and now have a 30 year old son.

The forum was much more helpful and kind in the beginning. More like the large mom groups on Facebook.

It's mostly college now, very little toddler and preschool which is what I am now interested again as a grandma.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:We have not done such an analysis and I am not sure how it would be done. One issue is that the demographics of users change over time. So, changes in forums may not reflect changes in attitudes so much as they reflect different types of users. For instance, today's users from northwest DC may have the same attitudes as users from northwest DC 15 years ago but the parenting forums now are more likely to reflect the attitudes of posters from outside that geographical area.

That is interesting.

Understandably, the site demographics may change, and that, of course, changes content.

Anyway, just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been around since the beginning and now have a 30 year old son.

The forum was much more helpful and kind in the beginning. More like the large mom groups on Facebook.

It's mostly college now, very little toddler and preschool which is what I am now interested again as a grandma.

Also, interesting. Have the types of things discussed in those fora remained basically the same, just from a grandparent POV?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d be curious when the college board started because that is definitely crazier now vs 15 years ago.

I actually feel like there is less WAH vs SAH fighting now?

Agree with this.

[Anonymous]

Am I in a small demographic? Texas posters
Maybe I just notice extra when they mention it