The Jury Room

by **HGervais** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:43 pm

I hope I got that quote right. Granted the amount of people who have posted on these boards over the years has always been small in relation to the amount of people who read the main site but it seems in the last couple of months activity has gotten much, much slower. Has the natural life of this board just come to an end? Has facebook & twitter taken up the free time online that people used to spend here? Are new people intimidated by the old-timers? Is it a combination of all of the above? Something I have not mentioned? Just asking, so feel free to share.

by **Zanarkand** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 2:42 am

I think all forums go through cycles. Now would seem to be a down period of rthis forum. It will pick up again.
Facebook, Myspace, Twitter...yuck. Proud to say I would not touch any of them with somebody else's hand.
In my opinion, there is little to worry about.

by **Stubblecat** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 5:25 am

I was going to say the same thing as Z.

Late-August / early-September you've got Summer winding down, people readying for school and the doldrums in the theaters before the 'prestige' films start rolling out in the Fall. And on top of that, the new TV season (which used to start in September) now has a slower and later start, so our favourite shows won't be with us until closer to October and November.

Other than whichever celebrity died this week, there isn't a whole lot of excitement going on right now. Ergo, not a lot of forum action.

by **barnaclelapse** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 6:04 am

I'm a senior moderator for the largest Tori Amos community on the internet (there's actually more than one, believe it or not), and I can tell you that it's impossible to predict modes of activity for the forums. Traffic just kind of flies up and down. I think the forum here is just going through one of those quiet periods. It's almost like a coma. It could end tomorrow, or it could be a couple of months from now.

I definitely don't think it's anything on the part of members, administrators or moderators. I also don't think it's anything to do with Twitter, Facebook and the like.

by **Steve T Power** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:03 am

I'll be truthful and brutally honest. The old ringleaders seldom post anymore, and i find the majority of the discussions range from "meh" to "blah" these days. I try to post when i'm around (rather than shifting into pure lurk mode), but it seems like whenever an interesting discussion gets going it dies equally quickly.

The following is not at all meant as a slam to anyone, but the most regular threads generally have a pretty narrow range of appeal, and the old diversity of topics and speakers is gone.

I've tried starting up new topics in the past, but everything devolves into lists before vanishing altogether.

It's sad that the highest traffic was probably the same 4 people in the political thread, and that one made me (being Canadian) want to eat a bullet.

In terms of solutions, i'm sorry - at present, i have none. Hope that the old guard start posting again, and let momentum do the rest.

by **TemporalWisdom** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 10:43 am

I've noticed, Harold. I lurk, but not much compels me to post these days. We seem to have tired of the political arguments, going around and around with Mike. I am so over the Baker's Dozen thread. Besides that, I've recently gone back to school, finally, to get my degree. I don't know if it'll pick up again. I hope it does.

by **mkiker2089** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:36 pm

There just aren't enough people still here to keep it going I'm afraid. I don't want it to become like many other boards with trolls and such, but we need more blood in here. Especially with the larger topic base now. What good is it to talk about all the new stuff, if no one is listening?

How do we get the new blood in here? That I don't know.

by **mavrach** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:50 pm

I think it should be ok overall, but some adjustments might help.

Since you've experimented with the new board format for a few months now, would you consider merging some of them together? I realize they're there to highlight the different Verdict sites, but with a lack of traffic I think it makes those sites look bad. Do you really want to listen to the View from the Couch podcast if it has only four topics ever created there (and one is about why there are so few threads!)??

I'm still here and have been for several years at this point. But from my side it's a bit irritating to have to shift the forum so many times while visiting the site.

Also some of the most important threads are in the Off Topic forum when they shouldn't be. Baker's Dozen is one of the longest threads I've ever seen. It's primarily about movies, so why is it in Off Topic? I think shifting that to the Movies forum will bring some more attention to that forum instead.

by **Dimwitted** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 3:58 pm

As with everything else, there's the 80/20 rule and the 20 aren't as active lately. There is a bit of burnout happening as well. The Baker's Dozen will probably end soon as the topics are becoming much harder to come by without a repeat. It's had a magnificent run.
New blood would be nice but this is also reflected in the Studios: they've admitted that they're pulling back on DVD's because there's a perceived lack of interest in purchasing "hardcopy" these days. It means that the BluRay catalogue releases are going to be very limited. Too bad. Maybe when the economy turns around people's outlooks will become more positive and they'll participate again.

by **tucco** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 5:06 pm

Maybe the current situation points to a thread we had a while ago, which revealed that "we" are buying less DVDs than before.
And also the thread showed that people were culling there collections as well.

On the other hand, even though the website is called DVD VERDICT, the emphasis on the boards has mostly emphasized movies themselves rather than DVDs, most of the time.

I like the Baker's Dozen as it keeps you thinking which is a good thing.......maybe it should be moved to the MOVIES topic as mentioned earlier?

On the whole, we've covered so many topics it's hard sometimes to think of new ones.

by **Dan Mancini** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:39 am

Steve T Power wrote:I'll be truthful and brutally honest. The old ringleaders seldom post anymore, and i find the majority of the discussions range from "meh" to "blah" these days. I try to post when i'm around (rather than shifting into pure lurk mode), but it seems like whenever an interesting discussion gets going it dies equally quickly.

Seconded. In all honesty, I'd have left a long time ago if I wasn't a moderator and didn't feel some amount of obligation to stick around (although I don't stop by all that much anymore because there's nothing much to really moderate these days). For a long time, the boards have essentially been a forum for political rants and lists of what people have bought and watched recently. There's almost zero actual discussion of film, like there used to be in the old days. One of the most hilarious aspects of the great Jury Room conflagration of a few years back (which, admittedly, the communication of the changes was not handled well) was how deeply offended people were by the idea that they ought to discuss movies on a board associated with a DVD web site and save their political bullshit for personal blogs and posts on Democratic Underground or Free Republic. It's no coincidence that the JR has been on life support since the end of the Bush administration. Nearly everyone with an actual interest in film and home theater technology packed up and left a long time ago.

by **Andrew Forbes** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:51 am

One thing that seems to be missing is a desire for discovery among the JR regulars. I first started posting here because there was a whole universe of movies out there that I wanted to find out about. There are still dark corners of that universe that I haven't explored, and I'm interested in sharing my knowledge of what I have found, but nobody out there projects that same hunger for learning that powered the old discussions. I'm not trying to cast all blame outward. I'm not exactly filling the boards with insightful topics these days, but it's hard to work up the energy when all people seem to be interested in talking about is politics and dead celebrities. I'm sure that there are many JR members who would be interested in rekindling the kind of discussion that used to be commonplace around here, but the atmosphere is definitely one of fatigue. Oddly enough, browsing through the Movies forum, there are a number of potentially interesting topics, but they do tend to die out quickly. I don't think bringing the old guard back would fix the problem. I think an influx of young and hungry cinephiles would kickstart the old energy and that in turn could bring any lurkers back into the mix. Nobody is discovering postwar Japanese cinema or films noir or silents or historical epics or screwball comedies anymore. I actually find myself hoping that someone will bring up that 2001 review again, just to get the ball rolling.

Thus ends my two cents. Keep the change.

by **Chris_Sax** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:47 am

I think a lot of what Chamucamel is saying is the troof. I think he is roughly in my age bracket, slightly older, but I'm way smarter than him, so we both probably started getting into film in a serious way right around the time DVDs hit the market (late 90's?). A lot of our enthusiasm for DVDs was really just an enthusiasm for learning about film history and watching a ton of great movies for the first time. The movies just happened to be on DVD, and it was a great format for new film nuts, frankly I can't imagine what it was like for people like us (semi-nerdy young white guys with way too much time on their hands) before that. Going to revival houses, paying 800 dollars for Criterion films spread across 23 laser discs, sending letters to the editor about Jim Crow and the Teapot Dome incident. Crazy stuff.

I personally still haven't bought a blu-ray player, I don't care about 18.4 channel DTS Ultra, and while I still buy the occasional DVD, I'm not actively building my collection like I think a lot of people, myself included, used to be doing. There's also a lot less to discuss because the studios are basically scraping the bottom of their back catalogues now. I know some of you are into a lot of that stuff because absolutely no one can act now that the 50's are over, just like no one can play sports like they used to and no one will ever be as beautiful as Cleopatra. I think a lot of this fatigue was creeping up on people before the big switchover where all the archives were deleted, and that sort of pushed many of us over the edge.

I sometimes miss posting pictures of books about Asperger's syndrome and explaining how we should put William Sherman's face on the twenty-dollar bill for burning down the South. I sometimes miss having four-thousand-word arguments about the Iraq war with Dan Mancini and Future Man telling me how great America is even though 40% of her citizens hold treasonous views and will burn in hell for eternity. I sometimes miss Ichiwawa explaining that hunters silently weep every time overpopulation forces their hand and they have to kill an animal and Steve explaining that he was totally a jock in high school, just one who read comic books and played Star Wars roleplaying games. I sometimes miss 11336 explaining that Montgomery Clift was the reincarnation of Christ on earth and no one has made a good film in the last 30 years and Gobear being Rob Lowe from Wayne's World. I sometimes miss Erick Harper explaining that he would never let his children read Harry Potter books. Sometimes I miss these things. Sometimes.

by **Future Man** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 12:18 pm

Perhaps the "baker's dozen" and (as much as I have always said that dissent is the hallmark of our freedoms

) politics threads could be closed (if not closing off topic altogether) and see what rekindles. Also I think the first four forums--movies-television-etc--should be collapsed together again.

by **Jon Mercer** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:56 pm

I think we should bribe a bunch of crooked politicians into legalizing sports gambling. That'll save the forums.

by **mavrach** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 3:13 pm

Future Man wrote:Perhaps the "baker's dozen" and (as much as I have always said that dissent is the hallmark of our freedoms ) politics threads could be closed (if not closing off topic altogether) and see what rekindles. Also I think the first four forums--movies-television-etc--should be collapsed together again.

I was thinking about that, but the Baker's Dozen is both a good and a bad thing in that regard. Remember how many "list" threads we used to have? One person would ask what movies fit the bill of a certain description, and other people would just reply naming movie titles. These rarely sparked any kind of discussion, and weren't terribly useful in themselves. I think Baker's Dozen not only took away those threads, but it cleaned them up and made them fun. The downside is less threads.

Merging forums is the best thing to do when activity in each is low. Adding forums should ONLY be done when there's too much activity in one forum, not as a marketing effort.

by **mkiker2089** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 3:52 pm

I don't think closing anything will help. It's not what is said, but what isn't said. The BD and political threads have at least brought people back.

by **tucco** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:30 pm

I haven't posted a topic myself in I don't know how long, and don't really know the reason why..

I think combining the Movie, DVD and Television topics again as suggested above, would be a good idea.

by **Stubblecat** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:45 pm

I think some of you cats are really overthinking this.

It's a lull. Get over it.
Brainstorm some interesting topics to fuel some spirited debate, if you're desperate for constant engaging activity.

Or go to http://www.blu-ray.com and read the (literally) hundreds of new posts every single day. Hundreds of posts of nonsensical, illiterate jibber-jabber. And then ask yourself what you want out of a forum.

by **HGervais** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:52 pm

Stubblecat wrote:I think some of you cats are really overthinking this.

It's a lull. Get over it.
Brainstorm some interesting topics to fuel some spirited debate, if you're desperate for constant engaging activity.

Perhaps but there are few of us who have been around since the beginning of these boards and we can all tell you this is way more than a lull.

by **TemporalWisdom** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:56 pm

Dan Mancini wrote:how deeply offended people were by the idea that they ought to discuss movies on a board associated with a DVD web site and save their political bullshit for personal blogs and posts on Democratic Underground or Free Republic.

I think people felt that the new rules were too constricting. The Off Topic forum made things interesting. Sure, it had nothing to do with movies, but I think removing it was like having fries without ketchup, you know what I mean? Eating the fries is the point of eating the fries, and you can get along with plain fries, but you still wish you had some ketchup or something.

Dan Mancini wrote:It's no coincidence that the JR has been on life support since the end of the Bush administration. Nearly everyone with an actual interest in film and home theater technology packed up and left a long time ago.

A good point. Once Bush went home, stocks in outrage took a dive. Well, the fundie loons are managing to find things to be outraged by, but most people (including me) took it as a cue to go back to their normal lives.

by **Future Man** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 5:02 am

TemporalWisdom wrote:
Dan Mancini wrote:how deeply offended people were by the idea that they ought to discuss movies on a board associated with a DVD web site and save their political bullshit for personal blogs and posts on Democratic Underground or Free Republic.
I think people felt that the new rules were too constricting. The Off Topic forum made things interesting. Sure, it had nothing to do with movies, but I think removing it was like having fries without ketchup, you know what I mean? Eating the fries is the point of eating the fries, and you can get along with plain fries, but you still wish you had some ketchup or something.

Dan Mancini wrote:It's no coincidence that the JR has been on life support since the end of the Bush administration. Nearly everyone with an actual interest in film and home theater technology packed up and left a long time ago.
A good point. Once Bush went home, stocks in outrage took a dive. Well, the fundie loons are managing to find things to be outraged by, but most people (including me) took it as a cue to go back to their normal lives.

Helpful!

by **Chris_Sax** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:19 am

TemporalWisdom wrote:A good point. Once Bush went home, stocks in outrage took a dive. Well, the fundie loons are managing to find things to be outraged by, but most people (including me) took it as a cue to go back to their normal lives.

by **Stubblecat** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:08 pm

At the risk of being on the receiving end of loads of abuse (which I'm sure I will be), I'll state an observation:

Any good forum lives and dies by the turnover of its members. Some forums become an exclusive club of like-minded buddies and new members get shunned because they haven't been there for years already.

That mentality leads to a slow demise of a forum. A few people get married, have kids and/or generally have less time to make dozens of posts a day, and then the holdouts lament how great things used to be, instead of welcoming and encouraging new members.

That's a generalization, BTW. Everybody here has been very welcoming to me, and I personally like the pace here. I can check in once a day and not have to sift through 3 pages of off-topic 'buddy' threads.

Okay - Tear me apart.... NOW!

by **Steve T Power** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:21 pm

Stubblecat wrote:At the risk of being on the receiving end of loads of abuse (which I'm sure I will be), I'll state an observation:

Any good forum lives and dies by the turnover of its members. Some forums become an exclusive club of like-minded buddies and new members get shunned because they haven't been there for years already.

That mentality leads to a slow demise of a forum. A few people get married, have kids and/or generally have less time to make dozens of posts a day, and then the holdouts lament how great things used to be, instead of welcoming and encouraging new members.

That's a generalization, BTW. Everybody here has been very welcoming to me, and I personally like the pace here. I can check in once a day and not have to sift through 3 pages of off-topic 'buddy' threads.

Okay - Tear me apart.... NOW!

Maybe 7-10 new members of your caliber and we'd probably be back to the way things once were.

by **mkiker2089** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:13 pm

Stubble, I don't think that's the problem here. We all seem welcoming. Trust me, on any forum I belong to I give even the mods a hard time for noob bashing for the very reason you brought up.

I think the issue is in numbers period. How to get new blood in. Invite people from other forums? Make the forum more prominent on the main page? What? I have no clue myself since advertising was never my strong point.

by **Zanarkand** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:27 pm

Stubblecat is right. All in all there is nothing to worry about. I have seen a forum going through the throws of death,
and this is nothing like that.

by **Chris_Sax** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:31 pm

Stubblecat wrote:At the risk of being on the receiving end of loads of abuse (which I'm sure I will be), I'll state an observation:

Any good forum lives and dies by the turnover of its members. Some forums become an exclusive club of like-minded buddies and new members get shunned because they haven't been there for years already.

That mentality leads to a slow demise of a forum. A few people get married, have kids and/or generally have less time to make dozens of posts a day, and then the holdouts lament how great things used to be, instead of welcoming and encouraging new members.

That's a generalization, BTW. Everybody here has been very welcoming to me, and I personally like the pace here. I can check in once a day and not have to sift through 3 pages of off-topic 'buddy' threads.

Watch your mouth, rookie.

by **Dimwitted** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 5:35 pm

"Throws of Death?" You must be a real winner at the craps table.

Throes Z, throes.

I don't know. Panicing and changing things willy nilly to try and attract traffic seems to be the way to kill the board. Maybe collapsing some of the it may be the answer. Can one of the mods chime in with any relevant stats? Given the huge pageviews that BD has gotten it certainly doesn't look like there's a traffic problem, just a posting one and that could be fixed with some new topics tomorrow. Or not.

by **tucco** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 6:14 pm

That's why I started a couple of new threads after not doing so for a long time.....got some responses so it probably could be turned around tomorrow like Dimwitted said.

Collapsing the movie, tv and dvd forums again would probably help. No huge overhauls would do anything to remedy the situation though.

by **Stubblecat** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 6:56 pm

Chris_Sax wrote:
Watch your mouth, rookie.

Thank you! I was worried that people wouldn't savage me.

I don't know if collapsing or expanding sub-forums makes any difference. I think exposure might be the culprit. I found this place originally by complete accident (it was a weird experiment to try to enter at least 100 online contests a day for a year. I abandoned it about 2 weeks in).

This place doesn't come up easily in search engines. In fact, if you don't specifically type in 'DVD Verdict', you probably won't get here. Is there a way an Admin can tweak things (I'm a tech dummy, sorry) so that when someone does a search for, say, "DVD and Movie Forum", this place will show up within the first few pages?

More active members is a mixed blessing. It's nice to be somewhat nichey, but the new blood (and the associated riffraff) add the spark.

by **Zanarkand** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:18 pm

I found this place looking for Movie/DVD news. It is not the most easy place to find, but it can be done.

by **Steve T Power** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:45 am

I found this place looking for DVD reviews in 2000 after buying my first player. I just typed "DVD reviews" into whatever engine i was using at the time.

It was the first one that popped up.

But this was over 9 years ago.

by **Dunnyman** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:31 am

For me, it's the overkill. What are we watching now has to be spread over two or more forums? Too much effort for me. A Blu Ray specific section? From The Couch? Huh? So if my evening of viewing involved a movie on Blu-Ray, a regular DVD movie, a broadcast TV episode and three episodes on DVD, I have to post it in three or four forums?
Plus, Pixel Verdict, Cinema Verdict, TV Verdict, DVD Verdict, Porn Verdict, Sports Verdict, Wank Verdict, etc. is way serious overkill.
Anyone remember the last big overhaul of the forums that ran about 80% of the people out of here?
Simplify it, but there's also a point that I don't think anyone's brought up; we've all gotten older. Some of us have added spouses, kids, mortgage payments, etc. and there's not as much time to spend here.
How do we fix that?
I have no idea, BUT, we could use a bit more visibility.
How so?

I've been posting here for five years (I think), and I've told a lot of people about us, but I think it'd be cool to have some t-shirts or other gear to wear with the URL nice and prominent on it. I'd love to make sure to grab my Verdict hat when I head out to Scarecrow Video or a showing at the SIFF Theater (or any other theater for that matter). No, I don't expect it to be free, but dropping some cash to support and help expand a site I've gotten so much pleasure and knowledge from is NOT an issue.
It might spark a conversation or two, and bring in a few new people as well.

Are all of us linking to the site on our blogs or personal websites? (not that I've updated since....2008, but it's there)

Annnnd.....lastly, if any of those still posting can drag a few former regulars back kicking and screaming (or willingly) that'd help, and I refer to: Mike Jackson, retired from running the ship, sure, but POST man! Addison deWitt, where the hell are ya??? Sara? Where'd you go? Maintcoder? You and your fedora are needed! Barlowe?? Your insanity was really missed, well, no, just kidding on that last one, but if there's anyone who knows a former regular, tell 'em to stop by!

by **mhansen** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 1:18 pm

We did the whole shirt/hat/etc. thing a couple of times and the sales equaled about zip. If this is something people are interested in, we can give it another try. Let us know.
Also, if you are interested in supporting the site, please see the Support DVD Verdict link on the front page. Thanks!

by **BenShultz** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:15 pm

Dunnyman wrote:Annnnd.....lastly, if any of those still posting can drag a few former regulars back kicking and screaming (or willingly) that'd help, and I refer to: Mike Jackson, retired from running the ship, sure, but POST man! Addison deWitt, where the hell are ya??? Sara? Where'd you go? Maintcoder? You and your fedora are needed! Barlowe?? Your insanity was really missed, well, no, just kidding on that last one, but if there's anyone who knows a former regular, tell 'em to stop by!

Personally, I miss the good ol' days of Thingfish...

by **Dunnyman** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 2:26 am

mhansen wrote:We did the whole shirt/hat/etc. thing a couple of times and the sales equaled about zip. If this is something people are interested in, we can give it another try. Let us know.
Also, if you are interested in supporting the site, please see the Support DVD Verdict link on the front page. Thanks!

If I recall correctly, it was a CafePress El Cheapo deal, which I don't go for, I prefer good quality stuff, come up with a nice design (Piekos can rock that for ya) and put it on a quality shirt with good printing and yes, I'll buy one. Give me a quality embroidered cap, and I'll buy it as well.
Oh, and the DVD Verdict front page? Hard to get there from the Jury Room as we have no link to it. A decision I still don't get...
However mhansen, you yourself are part of the problem, you're listed as Chief Counsel and you recall way back when, but only 17 posts?

by **mhansen** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:49 am

Dunnyman wrote:
mhansen wrote:We did the whole shirt/hat/etc. thing a couple of times and the sales equaled about zip. If this is something people are interested in, we can give it another try. Let us know.
Also, if you are interested in supporting the site, please see the Support DVD Verdict link on the front page. Thanks!

If I recall correctly, it was a CafePress El Cheapo deal, which I don't go for, I prefer good quality stuff, come up with a nice design (Piekos can rock that for ya) and put it on a quality shirt with good printing and yes, I'll buy one. Give me a quality embroidered cap, and I'll buy it as well.
Oh, and the DVD Verdict front page? Hard to get there from the Jury Room as we have no link to it. A decision I still don't get...
However mhansen, you yourself are part of the problem, you're listed as Chief Counsel and you recall way back when, but only 17 posts?

Yeah, it's a catch 22, we can't invest in merchandise if people aren't going to buy it. If we knew that it would be worth it, sure, but how can we know it's worth it until we invest in it?

In all honesty, I'm confused. You want to support the site, but you don't read it?

I'm not big on posting in any discussion forums. Just here to answer questions or provide info if I can.

http://www.dvdspot.com/member=PaulKile · by **Paul Kile** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 7:13 am

I came here to find DVD reviews, and that's exactly what I got. But recently it seems there are fewer and fewer discs being reviewed that I have any desire to buy. When I started perusing the daily lists 3 years ago, I would find good clusters of classic films that had a good chance of finding their way to my shelves. Now it seems the lists are full of seasons of TV shows I never watched when new, and have no desire to watch now. It is also a bit jarring to read the reviewers waxing nostalgic about a show from their childhood, when I realize it first hit the airwaves when I was in my 30s!

I came to the Forums a bit later, and it was here that the differences really showed up. It was easier to open the main forum and check everything out, then go to the Off Topic area to have a little fun. Now I have to check out Movies, Television, DVDs, then jump down to Off Topic. Blast Processing? I don't think I ever have played any video game all the way through in my life, so that one is totally lost on me. The Couch? Don't have kids, just cats and cars, so that thread is of little use to me. The Politics thread is not as fun now that we have settled into the Obamanation, no one seems to have much to gripe about now. I used to cringe a bit when everyone seemed to gang up on poor Future Man. But I still enjoy contributing now and then to the Baker's Dozen, even though I never seem to be #13.

And I've even forgiven Dunnyman for blasting me out of the water for professing my love of commercial aviation in the 1950s (it being such an evil, elitist, non-Democratic form of transportation!).

But the best thing about this site is using it to justify my ordering something on Netflix to my wife. The dialogue usually goes something like this:

Wife (after spotting a newly arrived Netflix disc): What's this?...I didn't put that on the list!"
Me: "It's a movie about______...supposed to be good."
Wife: "Who says it's good?"
Me: "The guys on DVD Verdict voted it Not Guilty...they liked it a lot."
Wife: "Oh, those weirdos...now I know I won't like it!!!"

by **the5thghostbuster** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:34 pm

Tis a lull. I myself go through phases where I want to post long, thought out posts and others where I just sit back. the way of net life.

by **Dimwitted** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:04 pm

So, there's bemoaning about the lack of postings and/or responses. Someone decides to restart the Politics thread and it gets locked once there are postings again.
Is it just me or doesn't this rather defeat the purpose? What gives?

by **HGervais** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 7:00 pm

Dimwitted wrote:So, there's bemoaning about the lack of postings and/or responses. Someone decides to restart the Politics thread and it gets locked once there are postings again.
Is it just me or doesn't this rather defeat the purpose? What gives?

It was starting to degrade into the same old thing which drove people away from it in the first place because it was the same 4 or 5 people arguing over the same things. If more people were actually participating in the thread it probably would have ended differently. I'm sorry if you think it was wrong but I'm willing to bet most people will not shed many tears over that thread getting locked down and if they are, they are more than welcome to start another one.

by **Dimwitted** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:00 pm

Not wrong but just ironic.

I don't have a dog in that fight, but I wondered about it.

by **Steve T Power** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:00 pm

Was was hoping it would have been locked in more suitable fashion...

by **Andrew Forbes** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:46 pm

Steve T Power wrote:Was was hoping it would have been locked in more suitable fashion...

It's the only way to be sure.

by **MaxQz** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:55 am

Just to add my 2cents...imo the JR forum was going ok before the changes in 2007 were applied, and after that basically screwed things, but that's history now. Damn, I was still reading threads from the old JR and it never returned again for me to continue. If there's lots of traffic on a forum you can have multiple categories, but around here having the format like it was before the 2007 changes is the way to go imo. 'The little forum that could'

On a personal level I'm more of a forum reader than a poster and only feel inclined to post if I can post more than a paragraph of text that's remotely interesting to continue a thread without killing it. I deem it a pointless exercise otherwise, unless the post can be done as witty as possible or as a very quotable line of text.

"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

by **Caramel12** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:32 am

In all honesty, I'm confused. You want to support the site, but you don't read it?I don't think so to do this.

Regards

Albert

_____
Pret immobilier

by **Stubblecat** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:00 am

I've also noticed a slight uptick of spammers showing up here lately. Hell, one of them even has a full active thread right now. Keep an eye on the 10-posts-or-less folk with signatures that are ads.

by **mavrach** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 2:42 pm

Stubblecat wrote:I've also noticed a slight uptick of spammers showing up here lately. Hell, one of them even has a full active thread right now. Keep an eye on the 10-posts-or-less folk with signatures that are ads.

And what's with the bad grammar? Are these LOLCats?

by **Boba Fett** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:18 pm

I'll admit, I've gone from less frequent posting, to even less frequent lurking, which is odd for me, since this was one of my most frequented sites a year ago. I can attribute part of it through a year of grad school and trying to find a full time job, but another part stems from writing for another site and spending a lot of time on their forums.

I still listen to the podcasts religiously though and would hate to see the forum completely die. Personally I used to love the movie/TV discussions here and avoided the politics like the plague, so I can't say that's what kept me coming around for as long as I did.

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