To me the biggest contributor to my lessening activity is the massive loss of custom builder/modder activity over the past few years. That was how CPF got started, and those innovators were the lifeblood of the forum for nearly two decades. They presented their ideas here, we bought and beta tested their gear, we helped them improve and refine them, communicated with them, became friends with them and with other members who also appreciated their work. There were thriving conversations in the Cool Fall, McGizmo, Dark Sucks, Okluma, Mac, Photonfanatic, MBI, Muyshondt, forums and threads, among many others. But almost all of them have disappeared, many to other forms of social media like facebook and instagram. I understand wanting a bigger customer base for selling lights and that is fine. But their original friends and fans, the ones who took a chance on their lights and helped to develop their craft are here. Or, were here. They wouldn't be where they are without CPF, and it is disappointing that they no longer see fit to visit or post here about what they are up to. To me this is a massive blow to the community. These are the lights and mods that many of us were interested in, and the friendships that we developed around discussing them were great. We talked mods, LEGOs, upgrades, usages for specialized lights, everything. There isn't a whole lot to be said about most of the boring soulless production lights out there other than how bright they are, so they don't foster much interesting discussion.
