Has the atmosphere changed?

[Chainsawmidget]

It hasn't changed since I've been here.   

[The Burgomaster]

We can divide the history of this forum into two time periods:

* BBRA - Before Brother Ragnarok
* ABRA - After Brother Ragnarok

Some of you will remember this esteemed contributor.  Someone help me here . . . wasn't he on a crusade to see that every copy of THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED was ultimately destroyed and removed forever from the face of the earth?

(Note: Please do not confuse the above time periods with "B-cup Bra" and "A-cup Bra.")

[HappyGilmore]

I think I've been here around four years. Haven't noticed a huge change, outside of a few new people coming and a few older ones leaving.

When I started here, most conversations were mostly in the good and bad movie areas.

Only 'big' change is now it's spread over to Off-topic and entertainment and tv sections more. That aspect doesn't bother me as much.

Probably the most 'pleasant' forum I've been apart of, in terms of fighting and such.

[Allhallowsday]

I don't understand the "I'm leaving" proclamation.  There's been at least a couple of 'em.   I've "left" a couple of times because I was pre-occupied or bored or had nothing to write about, but didn't announce it... (or did I?)  As Zombie #1 wrote (Gidget), it's just a web forum. 

The old crowd has dropped off more and more... being ignored doesn't help, or rehashing old topics.  And it wasn't that long ago I was a newbie myself. 

[Flick James]

Well, if anybody is leaving because of a change of the atmosphere, and if any of it is due to an increase in off-topic and political stuff, then I feel bad because I not only get involved in it, but I tend to instigate and be among the most vocal.

[JaseSF]

I think it's mainly because there's been a lot of new regulars (not that that's a bad thing) and that there's been a big influx of all the repetitive threads like the "games" and "ask me anything" crap. Things like that in my opinion have made reading the forum a bit more tiresome when I have actually found the time. I also think it's because lots of people have just become very busy in reality and haven't found time to check in and contribute more. We seem to have gotten farther and farther away from the thing that brought us all here originally.....Bad Movies! I see more of a focus on current cultural crap, so I find myself getting all angsty about subjects than all geeky and gushy over all the nostalgic stuff when I first joined.

But hey, that's just my take on it.  

I think it's true a lot of us are busy and also a lot of us have discussed the same old, same old time and time again. Some newbie will start again a new thread about something a lot of us have discussed plenty before. Personally I don't mind it and sometimes I'll find my answer different than before as I've perhaps discovered more films than before or whatever. I think you're right, we don't discuss Bad Movies as much as we once did but there are still movies getting discussed, just perhaps not the same movies. I've tried to encourage people, younger folks and all, to seek out older stuff in the past but the same applies to me, I shouldn't completely ignore new stuff either as you know there's good to be found in it (and bad movie good too) but I just find it harder to wade through personally. Sometimes I suspect I'm too close-minded and set in my own ways.

Also I think we've got to know each other a bit now so there's a lot more off-topic discussion not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just in the nature of getting to know each other around here and people wanting to share with one another.

 Every time I see one of these "this place has changed" threads, I feel guilty.  My own contributions are mainly in the area that gets decried.     It makes me sad to think that I may be part of the problem.

I certainly didn't want to signal anyone out here and certainly not you Newt as you're one of my favourite posters around here. Honestly I cannot really think of anyone on the board I really have a problem with aside from the trolls who post trying to push something or another or start something or another of a negative nature.  Sure sometimes certain posters may ride on me a little but I perhaps deserve it a little sometimes for being lazy and not reading a full thread before posting just for example .

Now personally I sometimes feel I helped contribute to this change in the forum as I know I do not post at the level I did once on other forums and I participate in a lot of the "silly" game threads just because I personally find them fun and it's mostly just me and HappyGilmore hanging out there, who has a surprising amount in common with me I feel, anyways. I admit my post count doesn't reflect the quality of my posts and I have far more posts that don't say a lot that those that do. Sometimes though I do find the time to say a thing or two about a movie or to discuss something else. Sure I've done too many lists, I always had a problem of doing too many. But yet some seem to enjoy so what's the harm really? I still enjoy this forum very much and it's one of the few places I can be myself and seem to be generally accepted. I had at least one negative experience at another forum where someone, obviously a troll yet he clearly had friends who wouldn't do anything to stop him, keep at me and at me so long I had to eventually leave because he personally took exception to me and the way I choose to live my life.

But the folks here are great, the old and the new, and there's a level of acceptance I haven't found on any other board. I think we'll discuss more bad movies in the future and perhaps a bit of everything else too and perhaps some of it over and over again too but then isn't life like that too?

[ulthar]

I don't understand the "I'm leaving" proclamation.  There's been at least a couple of 'em.   I've "left" a couple of times because I was pre-occupied or bored or had nothing to write about, but didn't announce it... (or did I?)  As Zombie #1 wrote (Gidget), it's just a web forum. 

The old crowd has dropped off more and more... being ignored doesn't help, or rehashing old topics.  And it wasn't that long ago I was a newbie myself. 

I agree the 'parting shot' post is a little...odd.

Another forum that I used to peruse had them all the time.  It was weird.  It was like, folks were saying, "let's see ya'll have a forum without MEEEEE!"

Well, they had some problems there to be sure.  There was an inner core that could say anything they wanted (even insulting, vile stuff to other members) with no reprimand, whereas everyone else had a different set of 'nice rules' by which they had to play.

Now, I said "used to peruse" for a reason.  I have left (about the third time in 10 years I did so), and this last time I left...I fired my parting shot.

I was SO aggravated at what someone said to me that I just could not slip quietly away.   Maybe it was dumb, but, well, it's what I did.

That day, I received a phone call from one of the forum SUPER INNER CIRCLE asking me to stick around.  While he's a friend, and we've met in real life on several occasions, I have not been back.

So, I think I understand the parting shot a little better now...sometimes, you feel like a group is your friends and you are being mistreated...or something, and you want them to know you are upset.  I think some do it wanted to be begged to stay...to get some lift from the please don't go posts.

Usually if I leave a forum (for a little while at least), I don't fire one off like that...just slip away until (or if) the urge hits to come back.

As a relative old timer here, I know one thing that bugs me from time to time is that with the influx of younger users, there has been a shift towards the newer movies...and, a shift in the definition of "bad."  I recall the heady days of hero worship of Hammer Studios, Harryhausen, and other elements from "The Golden Age" of B-movies....we talked about effects, editing, direction, acting, production art, etc. in greater depth.  At least that's what I recall.

Now, it just seems that a higher percentage of 'bad movie discussion' centers on "that movie sucks," "CGI Sucks," "Remakes suck" or some variation...

We seem to have a lot fewer generic synoptic reviews, too, except perhaps in the "Recent Viewings" thread...ironically started by Trek.

Funny thing about that thread though....we all used to post 'em all the time.  Whereas now we have multiple Fame or Shame games and other little 'fun things' to post on, we used to all post a 'recent viewings' thread about once a week.  For me, I noticed a difference, a shift, when all that got buried into one thread.

And, for what it's worth, in recent years, I (and others) have posted reviews (or comments) on movies watched in the bad movies or good movies boards that have not gotten one single reply comment.

Yeah, there's been a shift....still a cool place to hang out, though...

[Flick James]

As a relative old timer here, I know one thing that bugs me from time to time is that with the influx of younger users, there has been a shift towards the newer movies...and, a shift in the definition of "bad."  I recall the heady days of hero worship of Hammer Studios, Harryhausen, and other elements from "The Golden Age" of B-movies....we talked about effects, editing, direction, acting, production art, etc. in greater depth.  At least that's what I recall.

Heck, I remember that from when I came on board about 3 years ago. The whole thing that brought me here in the first place was my search for the title of Psychomania. I found the "What was that film" forum and have been coming here ever since. Now, I will say I've seen an age shift and some of the accompanying generational differences in interests, but that's never bothered me in the slightest.

[Mofo Rising]

Has the atmosphere changed? Most certainly.

It often surprises me just how long I have been posting here. I originally found this site in 1999 or 2000, and I have been a regular poster since. I'm not a prolific poster, but it's been a constant to me for over a decade now. I am now a moderator on this site, but the only reason for that is because Andrew asked for help proofing his reviews, and I offered my help. He accepted, even though he really doesn't need much help at all. It's a small thing, but it's something I always feel good about.

TrekGeezer is one of the few that has been here longer than I have. Remember, ten years ago the internet was a very different place. At that time, there was a small constellation of sites dedicated to bad movies, of which badmovies.org was one. That was a tight-knit community, one that I really had nothing to do with, but I could see it from afar.

It's the sense of community that matters to me, and a community is people. People as groups are fluid, and they've definitely changed over the years.

It makes me sad that TrekGeezer no longer finds that here, but as he said, larger life goes on.

I value this community. I've never met a single other person this board in real life, but I consider you all as friends. Well, if not friends, other people I don't consider dips**ts. I like it here.

[Menard]

the important thing is to not take it too seriously IMO.  after all, it's 'only' a messageboard...getting hung up on it is probably a sign of investing too much emotion into a bunch of words on a screen. - not to take anything away from this place however, which is probably the nicest/friendliest messageboard community of any that I'm a member of on the net...but at the end of the day it shouldn't be a reason to stress out if you percieve it to be 'different' from before...

We've had this conversation before, it has been answered, yet there are some people on this board if their heads were cut off, they still wouldn't realize it.

One of the primary reasons this board changed is because of an influx of Zombie #1's attitude: it's only a message board, so it doesn't matter.

A community is a collection of people sharing, and that matters. Many of us on here have gone through our tragedies and triumphs, trying times and good; and this was a place where we made friends whom we never met in life, but through all oddities we found a common bond and shared things they were our next door neighbors or long time acquaintances.

This started out as nothing more than a threaded message board without topics. Off topic discussions were simply marked as OT, and Ash was the leader of that domain. There was no rules summary, the members policed the board themselves; when there was a troll incident, and there were some outlandish troll incidents years ago, the members would find ways around it and if a member was being attack, we would come to their aid, not sit back and watch in entertainment.

Of course, some of those incidents also were turned into humor; such as Buffy Knight or a thread that pops up ever now and then in the Bad Movies topic where someone created a bogus user account to promote some video of their's, and instead we decided to hijack the thread and change the topic of it and it has been a running joke since.

When I first joined the board, I was not one to use profanity on the board or to fight with people (who fainted?). There was an incident where a troll came onto the board and specifically went after Ash. Although she seemed to contribute in other ways, she would not let off of Ash, even though he hadn't been on the board for a while to even defend himself. I got sick and tired of her and ripped into her, and she departed in short order. I was not so amiable after that.

But what happened with the board? Why did it change? Who's fault is it?

The old guard let it languish. It got to a point where you could check on the board once a day just to see if something had been posted. Change was inevitable; if the membership was not going to keep things running, and Andrew has a website to keep up and the board is a vital part of that website, then things had to change to keep it going, to update it.

Expanding the board brought in new people, and even had some of the old ones returned because there was activity taking place. But, with any expansion, some get lost in the shuffle, things get too busy, and that place, like a favorite hangout, rather than being a place where you can sit down with a few friends for a casual conversation, you find yourself being bumped about and lost in the crowd (being lost in the crowd has never been my weakness as I will make myself known).

Things do change. You can't keep holding onto the past if it's not working; 'staying the course' was not only a stupid political philosophy, it stands in the way of progress. The internet changes and grows, and in order to survive with it, much like the world, websites and message boards need to adapt right along with it.

As the internet changes, so do we. The internet has become more integrated with our lives, offering more sites and more interactions, and where message boards were the apex of online interaction so many years ago, a lot of the internet has moved beyond them now.

It was a close-knit community so many years ago, and that's not saying that does not still exist within it, but that community has changed. That doesn't make it a bad thing, it's just somebody else's community now, somebody else's hangout.

But a community, the people who make it up, the things they have shared and the memories of them, that isn't just nothing. A message board is not just another message board like a hangout is not just another hangout. A corner shack is built from wood, and a message board is built from code, but its construction is immaterial as what makes it up in reality is the people and the community they bring together and if you truly want to get what has changed: a little too much of "it's just another this or that and it doesn't matter" attitude.

Zombie #1 wasn't wrong, but hit it right on the nose. This used to be a place, for some of us, that was where we met with friends and talked about trivial and important things. That doesn't mean that it is still not that for many of you, but it has moved beyond some of us. I used to care about this board, but, anymore, if it wasn't here tomorrow, it wouldn't bother me one bit.

The question of "has the atmosphere changed?" is oblivious; and the answer is not singular.

For those who do find it a community, a place you cherish, hang onto it; keep it going.

For me, I'll just be hanging around as usual to torment (just because I love tormenting you b***hes) and of course for the free boob shots (HINT!!!).

[indianasmith]

You just had to turn off yer stinking karma!  Because that dissertation definitely deserved some!

[Trevor]

We can divide the history of this forum into two time periods:

* BBRA - Before Brother Ragnarok
* ABRA - After Brother Ragnarok

Some of you will remember this esteemed contributor.  Someone help me here . . . wasn't he on a crusade to see that every copy of THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED was ultimately destroyed and removed forever from the face of the earth?

(Note: Please do not confuse the above time periods with "B-cup Bra" and "A-cup Bra.")

Here is our venerated brother: http://bbm.monoperative.net/bios/ragnarok.html

Scroll down and see what he has to say about his Canadian DNA test results. 

[Mofo Rising]

Menard hit it right on the nose.

I wouldn't take it so easy if this community disappeared tomorrow, but he's still pretty much right about everything.

The community is people, and you who contribute are my people, and that should be explored.

[Trevor]

the important thing is to not take it too seriously IMO.  after all, it's 'only' a messageboard...getting hung up on it is probably a sign of investing too much emotion into a bunch of words on a screen. - not to take anything away from this place however, which is probably the nicest/friendliest messageboard community of any that I'm a member of on the net...but at the end of the day it shouldn't be a reason to stress out if you percieve it to be 'different' from before...

We've had this conversation before, it has been answered, yet there are some people on this board if their heads were cut off, they still wouldn't realize it.

One of the primary reasons this board changed is because of an influx of Zombie #1's attitude: it's only a message board, so it doesn't matter.

A community is a collection of people sharing, and that matters. Many of us on here have gone through our tragedies and triumphs, trying times and good; and this was a place where we made friends whom we never met in life, but through all oddities we found a common bond and shared things they were our next door neighbors or long time acquaintances.

This started out as nothing more than a threaded message board without topics. Off topic discussions were simply marked as OT, and Ash was the leader of that domain. There was no rules summary, the members policed the board themselves; when there was a troll incident, and there were some outlandish troll incidents years ago, the members would find ways around it and if a member was being attack, we would come to their aid, not sit back and watch in entertainment.

Of course, some of those incidents also were turned into humor; such as Buffy Knight or a thread that pops up ever now and then in the Bad Movies topic where someone created a bogus user account to promote some video of their's, and instead we decided to hijack the thread and change the topic of it and it has been a running joke since.

When I first joined the board, I was not one to use profanity on the board or to fight with people (who fainted?). There was an incident where a troll came onto the board and specifically went after Ash. Although she seemed to contribute in other ways, she would not let off of Ash, even though he hadn't been on the board for a while to even defend himself. I got sick and tired of her and ripped into her, and she departed in short order. I was not so amiable after that.

But what happened with the board? Why did it change? Who's fault is it?

The old guard let it languish. It got to a point where you could check on the board once a day just to see if something had been posted. Change was inevitable; if the membership was not going to keep things running, and Andrew has a website to keep up and the board is a vital part of that website, then things had to change to keep it going, to update it.

Expanding the board brought in new people, and even had some of the old ones returned because there was activity taking place. But, with any expansion, some get lost in the shuffle, things get too busy, and that place, like a favorite hangout, rather than being a place where you can sit down with a few friends for a casual conversation, you find yourself being bumped about and lost in the crowd (being lost in the crowd has never been my weakness as I will make myself known).

Things do change. You can't keep holding onto the past if it's not working; 'staying the course' was not only a stupid political philosophy, it stands in the way of progress. The internet changes and grows, and in order to survive with it, much like the world, websites and message boards need to adapt right along with it.

As the internet changes, so do we. The internet has become more integrated with our lives, offering more sites and more interactions, and where message boards were the apex of online interaction so many years ago, a lot of the internet has moved beyond them now.

It was a close-knit community so many years ago, and that's not saying that does not still exist within it, but that community has changed. That doesn't make it a bad thing, it's just somebody else's community now, somebody else's hangout.

But a community, the people who make it up, the things they have shared and the memories of them, that isn't just nothing. A message board is not just another message board like a hangout is not just another hangout. A corner shack is built from wood, and a message board is built from code, but its construction is immaterial as what makes it up in reality is the people and the community they bring together and if you truly want to get what has changed: a little too much of "it's just another this or that and it doesn't matter" attitude.

Zombie #1 wasn't wrong, but hit it right on the nose. This used to be a place, for some of us, that was where we met with friends and talked about trivial and important things. That doesn't mean that it is still not that for many of you, but it has moved beyond some of us. I used to care about this board, but, anymore, if it wasn't here tomorrow, it wouldn't bother me one bit.

The question of "has the atmosphere changed?" is oblivious; and the answer is not singular.

For those who do find it a community, a place you cherish, hang onto it; keep it going.

For me, I'll just be hanging around as usual to torment (just because I love tormenting you b***hes) and of course for the free boob shots (HINT!!!).

Virtual karma for this, Dr Menard.  

[Trevor]

Menard hit it right on the nose.

I wouldn't take it so easy if this community disappeared tomorrow, but he's still pretty much right about everything.

The community is people, and you who contribute are my people, and that should be explored.

To tell you the honest truth, Mofo: if this community vanished tomorrow, I have no idea what I would do. If I get angry at work, I log on here and I calm down very quickly.