Crow sister: that's the main thing younger internet users expect - efficient technology which is neatly organised and simple to navigate in order to access exactly the information you want) especially when you consider the presumptions about what young people like or want to find on an internet site such-as "glitz", "bling", "fancy stuff" and so-on.

Exactly. All they want is hassle-free navigation/ use....I don't know where these "straw man" ideas that they want "bling" and "glitz" come from

Crow Sister: The site is very cumbersome and disjointed, it is something the average young punter will go "wtf?" at, and sail on by (I initially went "wtf?" at it, but didn't sail on by for reasons stated). But I think attracting younger members, is possibly not something that the folks here are too bothered about - it would inevitably change the feel of the place if the membership included lots more young people, and I imagine that might not be desired? And indeed, I guess that's fair enough.

You stuck with it because your motivation to learn from the older community overcame your "wtf-ness". My kids are probably a decade to a decade and a half younger than you, and consequently have even less patience than you in a site with a high level of "clunkiness". You probably at least came across HTML in your introduction to computing. My youngest (17) had never even heard of it until last night, though she spends hours on the computer every day. It's just a tool to her, and like a toaster or an oven, she expects it to work intuitively!

Maybe you're right about younger members not being particularly wanted (they're certainly not *understood* judging by some of the comments here)...but I find that a shame. I've always been against "age-group ghetto-isation". Most of my climbing and music companions are in their 20s and 30s and a look at my Facebook Friends list will show a broad range of (unrelated peoples') ages from early 20s to late 70s...which is the way I like it. Cross-generational fertilisation of knowledge and ideas (in both directions) is something very close to my heart.