It depends on how much activity you want, but these are my thoughts on why we are seeing limited activity here:
* The subforum name itself points to this being a gear forum rather than a photography forum. This is why so many queries here are about buying a camera, after which you don't hear from that person again. Once they have the camera they want they don't have much incentive to come back here.
* Gear forums also suffer from being brand or platform dominated. E.g., if people here keep recommending Nikon DSLRs, there is very little reason for Canon, Sony, Panasonic, of Fuji users to participate in any discussion. Analogy: I'm a Windows Phone user. I will never come to this website for WP news or tips & tricks because it is dominated by Android. There are other places on the net where I can get what I want, including a very vibrant community of Indian WP users.
* Many 'photographers' (especially amateurs) are not interested in improving their skills. They are only chasing Facebook likes and that is less a matter of competence and more a matter of popularity. Building a community of photographers interested in the art and craft of photography requires first finding and attracting such users; a technology forum belonging to a tech magazine is not the obvious place to find, or expect, such users. We're the exception, not the norm, here.
* Many successful online photography (and other) groups have a strong offline presence as well. It helps for people to meet and share experiences; it validates and grows the community; and it keeps the flow going. This could be difficult here - as far as I know none of the regular posters here are in the same city/town.
* Users are increasingly turned off by forums. This is partly because of the inconvenience of using them, and the anonymous nature of most internet forums that make users fear abuse (particularly true for female users). Many photographers are moving to closed groups on Facebook. People are often careful about what they say when their words are accompanied by their true identities. Admins also find it easy to verify if users are genuine before accepting them into the group, and to remove them if they misbehave. There is greater participation as well as people check FB frequently and keep seeing group activity in their feed. I believe a similar move is happening in the corporate world towards closed groups on LinkedIn.
* Online communities rarely grow by themselves. It usually takes a few people who plan and create engaging content and interaction, as well as promote the community.
It's tough building communities, but I think a group that encourages photographers, especially beginners, to learn and experiment would be worthwhile. It does require a bit of work, though.
you are one of the most active member and you post pics very rarely.
