No the AB vets are currently on a TROLL HUNTING EXPEDITATION! and will return someday, Hopefully with a large amount of trophy troll heads and hands ( the hands make great ashtrays (for those of us that still smoke)

No, they are stronger than that. The majority of them just have new jobs, relationships or changes in their lives that have made it a bit more difficult to come on here as often, or at all. A few of them are on hiatus while studying for exams, also. They'll be back.

Some have gone as far as they could then made new profiles some have just left. I hope being a vet I have thick enough skin to laugh off trolls and I hope others could to.

I noticed Pretty Pirate is gone..Nevets is on break.

Trolls have zero to do with it. I can tell you that from experience. Trolls make life interesting sometimes with their wacko questions and answers and ridiculous downrates but they are not nearly strong enough to make the average person leave or take a break.

Most AB vets are not points conscious. Trolls are cowards and Jealous. Even when they get downrated ,they just don't care...Most of them dissappear only due to personal affairs.

I do think trolling has driven away some older users. It takes a fairly thick skin to do be active and well-known on Answerbag, where anybody with a keyboard can walk up and "stab" you with ratings and/or malicious, argumentative, or thoughtless comments. I think the truth for all of us is that trolls do manage to issue some sting with their barbs -- nobody likes to be misunderstood or unappreciated, and trolls sort of represent the opposite of warmth, generosity, and frienship. So those who are more sensitive to that kind of thing are more likely to be bothered enough to have it be a factor in their decision to leave. I know from having been around many "parting conversations" with older users that trolls are regularly cited as a factor. Certainly I don't like trolls either... but each time I find myself thinking "this Answerbag stuff is a pointless and painful waste of time", another voice chips in -- the voice that recalls all the wonderful people met, the fascinating or amusing conversations, the occasional opportunities to be truly helpful, and the incomparable platform to explore the strange and colorful corners of the human heart and mind. So I don't expect to be leaving anytime soon. Bring on those anonymous down-raters! :-)

Who cares about trolls? It's their opinion that the site has gone "down hill". I think they are all on another site they made secretly and didnt invite us.