I'm an rlc old fart. Hell, I pre-date zabies and dim rentals
IMO, not only has the population dropped over the years, but it's also so spread out now that it's much more difficult for new blood to find people of similar interests to talk to. Most of us would agree that the friendships we have made here are what keeps us here. If new people aren't finding that quickly enough, they will not stay.
No one wants to log into a sex/social site and be told that "Hey, you can decorate your own apartment....all alone. Hey, you can make clothes....logged into PS or Gimp and only needing to be in world to test them...all alone."
They come for the sex and the social. That is what is advertised. When they don't find it quickly, they leave.
When old timers like me, who know how to navigate the world, have a hard time finding groups of people with similar interests, who like to talk, who aren't locked up in PMs or on Skype, what hope does a newbie have?
So, I only VIP for special occasions, like the forum party. I don't bother logging in, when it's just a cartoon standing in a venue full of silent avis. It has to be something special to get me to make an effort anymore.
And, from what I have seen the past year, the special is reserved for Curio and RLC2. It's sad, but it's my truth.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. --Oscar Wilde Just because you wear a Persecution Hairshirt and carry a bucketful of bat-shit crazy does not give you the right to be offended on someone else's behalf.