Zer0

I think it will be a great idea. A nice attractive homepage with pictures, links and other stuff would make this forum seem a lot more attractive on first glance to newcomers and it may lead to a rise in new members joining. You could include a list of the latest posts on the homepage, you could also include featured threads and links to album reviews in the review section.

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Dirty

I'm kinda indifferent to the idea. I think it's pretty simple for new members... Click on the music genre you are interested in, find a thread that interests you, then comment.

On one hand, a homepage with a little flash to it might be more appealing to some people. More attractive and maybe that would entice some newer members to look around more and stick around. On the other hand, I used to post on a forum bigger than this. It was a lyrics site first and foremost so it was a little different, but the admin added a ton of stuff and tried to make it a poor mans myspace and it sucked. Just don't wanna see things start going down a slippery slope and get out of hand to be honest. I think simplicity is really nice most of the time.

*shrugs*

s_k

A good portal is never a bad idea.
Feel free, mods!
And good luck creating it .

Just one thing: No flash animations please. Keep it simple .

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Dr_Rez

I wish we could update the top banner first.

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Freebase Dali

We don't have that kind of power. That's site developer territory.
I don't expect a front page would ever happen, but I agree that it would be nice.

Urban Hat€monger ?

I think a lot of that blame should lie with both the previous & current admin.

In both cases getting them to do something to benefit the forum was like pulling teeth. And in the case of the current ownership getting rid of a lot of features that did originally exist (chat room, arcade, member lists, email verification...and so on).

This place was great when it was owned privately by someone who actually gave a shit. Sadly that hasn't been the case since about 2006 and to be honest this forum looks like a relic from that time too.

The only thing keeping this place going is the people here, as far as the owners go we're just one moneymaking tool amongst many who occasionally needs throwing a bone.

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Dayvan Cowboy

agreed.

Dr_Rez

Any idea how many forums they run?

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TheBig3

I don't, but I think they now own the city-data sites. I think we're the only music forum, and we're not that easy to market.

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right-track

Had I known greg was selling MB back then, I'd have bought it in a heartbeat. While it was still affordable.
This place would have changed dramatically without losing the forum community, which in my opinion is the backbone of this site.
These boards would have been run by the people who love it and not by some anonymous, faceless entity with little to no interest.

My vision for this site would look something not dissimilar to this...Soul Source : Rare Northern Soul Music.
For MB, the front page would contain (or would have had) current music news along with latest reviews by members including among other things, band interviews.
The latter part sounds over ambitious, but not unachievable providing this site was sold as a music lover driven forum, run by regular people.
That would have been it's appeal. I doubt there's anything on the web similar.
Especially to a musician/band just starting out it could be a great opportunity to put themselves out there to the many countries that the members here reflect.
In my opinion, that's how this site would have cut it's teeth and earned it's reputation.

It would have been a labour of love made easy with some of the knowledgeable and passionate members we have and have had here over the years.
There's more than enough radical thinking individuals here to have pulled it off.
It's just a shame that the current owners have no ambition whatsoever, or any inclination to change the status quo.