Suggestion: A reduced number of forums

[rubber soul]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

Providing a forum is easy. The hard thing to get is a community. Without one, this site is nothing and it's also something Lech doesn't own and can't feasibly replace if lost. It's a huge leverage the MB community has in dealing with Advameg, but it's never been wielded. Instead, we're just acting like the perfect flock of self-policing sheep.

Well, yeah, this is a community albeit a small one. We all have different interests only united by our basic love of music in general. I do think it's insulting to be called a bunch of sheep just because we don't endorse your view on what the forum should look like.

By the way, do you ever post in the actual music forums or do you just come on here to bitch about how the forum is run?

[Guybrush]

Originally Posted by rubber soul

By the way, do you ever post in the actual music forums or do you just come on here to bitch about how the forum is run?

A bit of both, I hope.

You may find the analogy condescending, but consider it. If any one of us get too rowdy in any way, he or she gets quieted by one or more other members. From Advameg's point of view, the MB community as a whole doesn't make much in the way of demands, is well behaved and requires little to no maintenance. All the while creating content and enough activity to generate visitors and some income from ad clicks.

It's a relationship where we're working for Advameg, especially the mods, and they have the luxury of giving us basically nothing in return for the last 10-15 years.

It just doesn't sit right with me.

[Janszoon]

Originally Posted by elphenor

does this place even run ads?

I don't recall ever seeing one, maybe it's my ad blocker

It does for people who aren't logged in.

[Lisnaholic]

Originally Posted by Guybrush

Providing a forum is easy. The hard thing to get is a community. Without one, this site is nothing and it's also something Lech doesn't own and can't feasibly replace if lost. It's a huge leverage the MB community has in dealing with Advameg, but it's never been wielded. Instead, we're just acting like the perfect flock of self-policing sheep.

I think we'd all agree on this, and also that the community activity has been dwindling for years. My son used to have a computer game where you had to build up an armed force of Crusaders, starting with a bakery, cows etc. I knew when he wasn't getting it right because I'd hear the computer telling him, "People are leaving the village, sire." So that's a bit like MB.

Originally Posted by rubber soul

Well, yeah, this is a community albeit a small one. We all have different interests only united by our basic love of music in general. I do think it's insulting to be called a bunch of sheep just because we don't endorse your view on what the forum should look like.

By the way, do you ever post in the actual music forums or do you just come on here to bitch about how the forum is run?

In fairness to Guybrush, he's still active in the music forums and, historically, has been a major source of music-based MB activity.
What happens of course is that when Guybrush posts in the music threads these days, the response is limited. A thread like this one, though, generates a lot of chat, so he's more visibly active: like most of us, he's got caught up in an up-and-running debate, while his -and our- music-forum posts so often languish without much attention.