Okay, at this point, I'll bite.
This is sad, very sad only.
Let me start by saying something, which may or may not be obvious. I have thought long and hard about posting in this thread, because I feel very awkward about doing so. I suspect a great many other people may feel the same. Why? By posting here, it becomes blatantly obvious that one does not have the NotW sign. That's a curse in this regard! I realise that by making this post that I'm probably making myself ineligible for NotW and, if that is the case, I accept that graciously - but ultimately that is a decision for others to make. However, those of us who haven't been NotW'd need a voice on this too, and there's only one way that voice can be heard - by posting in this thread. So, I'm willing to sacrifice myself for this cause. What follows is my take on this. If others who haven't been NotW'd also feel awkward about posting here, and want to PM their views so that they can be posted anonymously through me, that is something I'm willing to do for the next week
only.
This talk of closure saddens me greatly. What concerns me is that if NotW is to be closed, it is closed for the right reasons. The reason currently being put forward doesn't feel like the right reason to me given what I've seen from the current chain breakage.
First, there is a wealth of statistics on this forum here:
http://forum.learnnavi.org/stats/ While it shows a reduction in the number of posts and new topics being created, it doesn't show a reduction in the number of people signing up to the forums. For example, January 2013 shows 302 new members, which is above average - even if you go back to 2010.
So, I suggest that the current problem is one of finding the next willing candidate. Certainly, it
appears to be that the previous NotW holder left the forum mid-reign and hasn't been back. I suggest that they didn't choose a successor at the start of their reign as the rules and traditions recommend.
Secondly, I have, on the odd occasion, been looking at the people who have been online around this sort of time - in the evening in the UK. On the occasions I've checked over the last week or so, there have been three to four people who don't have a NotW tag in their profile - out of 8 to 12 people online at that moment. Right now, while I compose this reply, there are 7 users here, 4 have been NotW'd, 3 haven't. So, I put it forward a different argument - there
are people to be NotW'd, the problem is
knowing how to find them.
Maybe a suggestion - a slight change to the rules and traditions is what's needed. When someone is nominated for NotW and accepts, the previous incumbent should notify the moderator who has accepted to be the next NotW. They then get one week to find the next candidate, and they must notify the moderator who that is before posting their NotW thread. While this means that the moderator gets to know who should be the next NotW, it also gives some chance to provide some assistance to find the next holder of the title.
In other words, what I am suggesting is this:
1. Current holder chooses the next holder of the title, and PMs the next holder.
2. Next holder replies, accepting/denying the request.
3. If the current holder receives an acceptance, notify moderator, otherwise try and find someone else. If there's a problem, notify the moderator and ask for assistance. Go back to 1.
4. Current holder posts their NotW thread (This must only happen once there is acceptance by the next holder, and after the moderator has been informed.)
5. At the end of the week, lock the thread in the normal way. This signals to the next NotW holder that their reign can start, provided they themselves have completed 1 through 3.
This has a built-in incentive to the current holder to find the next one, in that they're not allowed to post until they've found their successor.
It has one problem though - it has the possibility for a long chain to form - the exact opposite of the current supposed problem. The solution to that is to require that you only start step 1 a maximum of one week before your reign is due to start.
How does that sound? Yes, it's a little more complicated, but if it solves the problem, it can only be a good thing.