Ha! This is what I was thinking.
I can only speculate from personal experience, but to address some of the previously mentioned issues:
I came to MacFixIt years ago from a magazine referral. It was listed as one of the best sites for Mac help.
After I found out how to solve the basic and frequent Mac problems (OS 8.5), I gravitated to the Lounge – from curiosity and habit. When the Lounge became uncomfortable, I found other ways to spend my time.
I came to MacFixIt from magazine referrals. Does anyone read a magazine for Mac help anymore? I find the easiest way to solve a Mac problem these days is to search Google. Instant links to discussions of similar problems pop up, as opposed to waiting for someone reply to a post on a tech forum.
The other site I frequent is MacOSXHints. They have more traffic than this site, but it can be real slow, too. They don't seem to have as much (if any) bickering among the regulars. (This is an observation, not a criticism.)
I don't think Twitter/Facebook is the solution, unless the prime movers here are committed Twits/Facebookers. It doesn't seem to me to be a place where I'd go to get my computer fixed.
The main computer magazines have an online presence. Maybe a PR campaign – personal letters to the editors from tacit would help increase the profile here?
To my mind, tacit is famous, an icon. And reliable. And he never got involved in the political aggro, as near as I can recall. He just knows how to fix your computer.
This is this site's USP. Market it (with tacit approval).
And apologies to all the other mainstays of this site. I know that there is plenty of expertise here, but when you read one of tacit's posts, there is a certain clarity and authority that certainly makes an impression.
You need more visibility on the search engines, I my opinion. One-on-one TwitFace referrals are not the solution, I fear. And I have used Facebook (until I got burned). The movie, Social Network, was excellent.
It took a long time to build up that MacFixIt brand. A google search takes you to cnet.
