I think most of the bugs erogenesis mentioned were fixed a couple SRs back, from what I've read. I don't think I've run into any of them while developing my own figures (except for possibly one), so I'm not really sure what all they entailed. In my case I was able to correct the issue on my own but still filed it in mantis.

The core of the problem is that SM doesn't even truly have a horse in the race these days as far as a professional 3D human figure bases go, leaving content development for the platform somewhat stifled.

Poser is an open platform available to anyone that is willing to take the time to learn the toolset and create what they want. Why do creators need to be boxed in to a specific set of criteria or tools in order for their work to have value?

This leads to the question of, if Poser is no longer a staging platform for professional modern content with user orientated content tools, What is it?

What gives you the impression that it is not "a staging platform for professional modern content with user orientated content tools" ? As a content creator, I can say first hand that Poser provides the tools necessary to create that modern content. Like any software, or pencil or jar of paint, Poser is a tool. It's the user's responsibility to provide the talent and creative vision. There is no "make art" button in Poser, or any other software.

If Poser is the best platform for making content where is that content?

All over the internet, and in every store that sells Poser or DS content. Poser is not a closed system. It's not that difficult to convert most any content for any platform for use in Poser. It doesn't require a college degree, just a desire to do so. Some might be a bit more involved than others but it's possible as long as that content can be converted to one of several formats that Poser can import. And Poser may not necessarily be "the best platform for making content" but it's certainly not the worst either. Some people prefer it over other software while other people prefer other software over it. All of that is subjective and up to the end user. But you can't just look at the stores or the forums for measurement of Poser's sustained usefulness or interest because there is no way to accurately measure how many people are buying DS content or content from CGTrader or Turbosquid or even Blender and converting it to Poser on their own. You also can't accurately measure how many people are building and/or modifying their existing content to their own specific needs, and really that is what every Poser figure has always been intended for. But you can find plenty of examples of it all over the internet if you just spend a little time looking. And you can find examples of how Poser is being used in various mediums, from comic books to film and product marketing. Its usefulness and validity extends a lot further than how many content vendors are still making Poser specific content.

How many threads have we seen and continue to see, asking how to convert genesis to Poser? If Poser was losing popularity among the end users then they wouldn't be asking this question over and over. If you want exact sales figures of the software then you'll have to ask Smith Micro. I don't think they publish those numbers anywhere, but if the sales were as tanked as some would like us to believe then Poser would have either been sold off, redesigned or shelved by now. Instead they continue issuing updates to it on a fairly consistent basis, so their sales must still be high enough for them to justify doing so, which tells me that their longevity is not as dependent on an in-house work horse figure as you and others seem to think. I'm not saying that having that in-house figure wouldn't be a significant benefit to the software and the user base, if it was designed well and was well received, but there are drawbacks to that business model too. The software and the content have always remained separate entities for the most part and by keeping it that way it allows for more diversity as well as the ability for most any artists out there to build their own brand on the platform.

I think what's most important is that content artists focus on building their own brand and their own audience, regardless of what platform(s) they choose to host or focus their brand on, and most importantly learn how to market themselves. Nothing wrong with building support content, obviously, but why is that regarded as being the only path to success for a content artist? Where is the freedom in that? There are artists out there that build for any number of platforms and manage to make a comfortable living doing their own thing. This seems to be a mindset that only exists within the Poser-verse and personally I find it extremely self-limiting and depressing, and is really the root of why we aren't seeing more Poser content offered in the stores lately. It's definitely not because Poser doesn't provide the toolset you need to create almost anything you want, and to say that it doesn't simply means you haven't taken the time to fully learn the software's development tools. So many content artists have some irrational phobia of social media that only serves to hinder their own efforts. Relying on whatever brokerage you're selling through to do all or most of your marketing for you isn't the answer anymore. I'm not trying to insult anyone here but the way I see it is that if an illustrator on youtube can make over $20K a month just drawing fan art - not even selling anything - then a competent Poser content artist can find a lucrative market for their work, in some form or another, and anything less is just an excuse for not putting in the effort it takes to be successful.