I've received a few emails from people complaining about how things are getting off-topic as of late, and how a few certain individuals are "monkeying" around a little more than they should.

Here are some questions to get this town hall meeting going:

Are the topics insightful?

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?

Are there too many off topic postings?

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?

Are your visits beneficial?

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed? Speak honestly on this subject if you must - I won't get all defensive, don't worry.... there's only so much a FishChip can do before he breaks into pieces!

I invite everyone to speak openly and truthfully, without being abrasive. I'm not asking for fingers to be pointed at all, this is just an assessment, and since most of you guys and gals spend a lot of your time here, this place better be worth your while. If you want to speak your thoughts privately, please email me.

The purpose of this townhall meeting may not be warranted at all, as everyone may be pleased with the place as it is. However, we haven't done anything like this (officially), and I think it's a great way to really make these boards even better.

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?
Some of them do.

Are there too many off topic postings?
Haven't noticed

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?
About the same, all round

Are your visits beneficial?
Most of the time.

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?
"Just right"

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?
Not necessarily.

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?
I like it.

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?
I consider y'all more like acquaintances, and no, it doesn't make me hold back for fear of being bashed.

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy?
I like you Peter, I really do. Liked you back when you were Dr. Toons. Never really understood the Fish Chip business, except thta maybe it was a slap at Ford in some weird indirect way. But, hey, if that's the label you want to put on yourself, go ahead.

To put is succinctly, I'm a status quo kinda guy when it comes to this board.

quote:

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Originally posted by PeterK:
... and how a few certain individuals are "monkeying" around a little more than they should.

---

As for the rest:

Are the topics insightful?
In most cases, yes.

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?
Yes, they do. But, these drift offs can oftentimes be more interesting than the original topic. As long as they remain more or less serious, and cover a certain topic rather than degenerating into useless one liners with no real pertinence.
I'm not saying a fanny one-liner from time to time is a bad thing. What I mean is that when you have 25 consecutive posts, all containing one-line statements which lead nowhere, it could get annoying.
(eg: that old topic about the showers of a few weeks ago. I think it was about the time "Along came a Spider" came out. the whole thing made no sense.)

Are there too many off topic postings?
Not necessarily. It happens often, but if they lead on to another subject, it does not matter whether there are many.

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?
When I registered last summer, I posted a few messages, then moved on to another board (http://www.traxzone.com/forum) for a few months. But that was only because there were less people there and I could follow topics more easily. Now, I try to visit about once a day.

Are your visits beneficial?
Most of the time, yes.

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?
More on the loose side I think. Though not much.

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?
Depends who.
Seriously: yes. As long as quality dominates quantity.

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?
!!!OH MY GOD THIS IS A COMMUNIST BOARD!!!!
It's nice. People rarely seem to attack each other. There are disagreements, but no lasting rancor. Interventions are sometimes passionate, but I have not seen the type of insulting present on other boards.

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?
I may not consider people here my friends, though I do think there is a very friendly atmosphere.
I never hold back only because I fear bashing. I have not seen any serious bashing here. (except when it comes to bashing Horner and Zimmer, but they don't post here, and they deserve it, so it doesn't matter). Though I will admit, I consider the people at TraxZone more like friends. But that might be because I spend more time over there than here. And therefore know many of them better than I do MM members.

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy?
Yes, very much. He's friendly, and when he intervenes, it's either to make some silly (but funny) joke, or to give a more moderated and objective opinion on a subject.

Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed?
No elections. Elections are too deeply involved in politics. And I'm allergic to politics and politicians. I want a royal fishchippy dictator.

(Brian raises his hand and stands up with out bring called on)

Ok, well I must say this will be a fun topic, (drinks from the water bottle at his feet) I agree that yes most threads now are getting off topic too fast with lame jokes and ramblings (Brian leans over to Shaun and his boyfriend(s) and says "But the jokes are very funny I might add) but, the internet is a place for free speech, so what if we get off topic a little bit, can't we have a little fun here? I mean really, how many times do we have to tell the Horner and the Friendly Staff at Xerox?

(Brian takes his water bottle and moves to the front of the room. Scott brings out a soap box that Brian stands on)

Ok, I will admit that I can be a lame weirdo sometimes (Jeron yells from the back "Sometimes?! HAHAHA!" Kyp, sitting next to Jeron, jabs him in the ribs. Jeron glares at Kyp then sticks his tongue out at him and turns back to Brian) but I feel that I do add to the good embodiment that is MovieMusic. I feel that I have good things to say and people know and respect me, and I try to post good topics to chat about.

I have noticed in the last few months that yes the topics have been, well, lame. There will be those few that spark a fun and good debate (Justin stands up "Like the Pearl Harbor ones?" Brian responds, "Yes like those.") and I believe that's what we need more of, not just ones to debate on, but fun ones too. Yesterday, I was in my car with my good friend and I had "The Mummy Returns" on. She made a comment that it sounded like "Star Wars" and then went to hum the "ST" main theme. So we got into this debate yesterday about "Does Mummy Returns sound like Star Wars?" While I don't think it does, she did. She has a point that she spoke to me about, I would find that an interesting topic.

As for the people here, I love most of you, while others annoy me. There is a word for this and it's called LIFE. For the most part this place is great, I like to think of all of you as my "net" family as crazy as that sounds (We hear Jeron laughing in the back row).

As for people bashing me, it only happened once, with that guy who was here for a day and left, anyone remember him?

Finally (Brian looks over at Peter "FishChip" Kelly and sees the row of axes behind him with Peter wearing a devilish grin) to Peter, our own FishChip. while I believe you should release more of the BB's functions and I think you police us well, with the exception of that "thing" you revert to when you and a certain other person are having your "hissy fits." You’re a good friend and that's that. I am glad to see that Marc is not the only one confused by the "fish chip" thing, I was beginning to wonder if it was only me.

(Brian gets off the soapbox, Garfield and company remove it)

So, I think I'm done. Let's see how this goes in the grand scheme of all things MM.

(Brian walks back to his seat, drinking his water bottle and sits down.)

--Brian

Are the topics insightful?

Absolutely, yes.

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?

Not at all. Take the Atlantis and The Mummy Returns threads: both remained more or less on topic for two pages (and most topics don't go that far anyhow).

Are there too many off topic postings?

No. In fact, there seem to be fewer lately than usual.

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?

About the same: daily. Sometimes twice daily.

Are your visits beneficial?

Yes indeedy!

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?

A little loose, but then, I don't feel anything tighter is called for. In my personal opinion, the board moderates itself just fine. Unless things get REALLY out of hand (personal attacks, barrages of pointless posts, etc.) I feel moderation is unneccesary or unwarrented.

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?

I would always be interested in more opinions on the boards.

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?

Great! One of the main reasons I'm here in the first place!

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?

I never hold back, and I likewise never see bashing. Everyone here, while sometimes engaging in heated debate, seems to respect everyone else a great deal.
As for friends, I often think of the whole community here as sort of extended family...

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed? Speak honestly on this subject if you must - I won't get all defensive, don't worry.... there's only so much a FishChip can do before he breaks into pieces!

Yup. FishChip is good. (I'm jealous though! I think we should be able to have titles, too! )

NP: Dave, JNH *****

(Are the topics insightful?)

Some of them are, but there are others that are just plain weird.

(Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?)

Not really! Of course, there are those that do though. But, this point doesn't really matter to me, as long as the original point of the thread doesn't get left in the dust, and gets a amount of closure.

(Are there too many off topic postings?)

Not IMO, there are too many off-topic threads on occasion.

(Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?)

I'd have to say less! Mainly because, when I started to use this and the FSM board, these were the only two I visited, However, now I read multiple boards and not enough time to check them out as often as I would like.

Then there is the search feature and it's removal. That too has effected my visits here, since I am always looking for older threads to see if a topic has been discussed before, and for misc. info. Without it, I had been going elsewhere for that type of postings.

(Are your visits beneficial?)

Yeah! Talking with people about this stuff and acquiring knowledge about scores I don't know about, can only help. In fact, in my case this is why my collection has multiplied as fast as it has since getting online and the boards in particular.

(Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?)

Well, I was thinking it was light. Since I didn't notice any sort of moderation at all. There was a removal of one my posts lately, one that "was" on-topic, the only one within the thread in fact. So, I am not sure anymore. I guess you all must like OT posts methinks!

(Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?)

Well, of course. However, the more that do come and post, means there might be more problems that will surface. I just hope this doesn't happen. Staying cilvil and all!

(How do you feel about the comaraderie here?)

It's great! I just wish some would respect others choices as to who's music they like, not needing to feel the need to post a derivative and diatribe post to piss others off!

(Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?)

Some I do! Most here I really don't know enough to say one way or the other. I sure don't hate or even dislike anyone in any case. That said, I find anyone who likes this music someone to listen to and be friends with. Having similar tastes in the music really helps though.

(Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed? Speak honestly on this subject if you must - I won't get all defensive, don't worry.... there's only so much a FishChip can do before he breaks into pieces!)

I don't really care either way. Just do your job, and you're okay in my book.

Regards,
Sean Robert Abbey

One of my posts got lifted a while back (I was bickering with Andre Lux - as usual - and was not upset at all to see it gone...). But it took me a little while to figure out what exactly had happened. A little note to know that we have felt the hand of the moderator would be helpful.

"Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?"
PeterK and Dan Goldasser are f*cking retards.

"Are there too many off topic postings?"
How many of us here get laid more than once a year? Raise your hands.

"Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?"
I visit this site in between my frequent stops at www.look-at-them-there-boobies.com and www.wangexpansion.org. So, just as regularly as last year.

"Are your visits beneficial?"
It's fun to learn which posters are in fact:
a.) Total frauds
b.) Total *******s
c.) White hats
d.) A and B combined

"Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?"
Hmmmm.........I'm tempted to post something along the lines of "All fags are christian jews!" just to see if PK will delete a thread that he created, but I won't do that.

"Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?"
It'd be cool to see Broxton and Southall over here, but apparently Filmtracks is as low as they sink (not intended to be offensive, so Ford, it's not important enough to email Christian about).

"How do you feel about the comaraderie here?"
Me likey. People with a sense of humor go far with me.

"Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?"
Some are friends. Some are bitter enemies. Some are just easy to enrage. That pretty much sums up everybody's answer to this question.

"Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed? Speak honestly on this subject if you must - I won't get all defensive, don't worry.... there's only so much a FishChip can do before he breaks into pieces!"

See my above answer in regards to what I think of FishChip (and Dan!). I'd just like to know why it is that the egos of some of the people who post and lurk on this board compel them to act so bitterly toward the FishChip and this site in general. You have to wonder about someone who is constantly trying to divert business from this place to other websites that don't specialize in film music (say all you want about some other places having lower prices, I'd like to know what the hidden agenda really is, why you're not supporting a website that is absolutely devoted to the sales of film music). If you're wondering if I'm talking about you, look in the mirror. If your head is as big as the Hindenburg, I'm talking about you. If you have just finished typing a retort where you have demanded a public apology from someone else who is less "in the know" than you or if you have just written the words IMHO, I'm talking about you. If it upsets you when others take your words and rearrange them so that they make sense in the English language, and do nothing else but make you look more articulate to the "fanboys" that frequent this board, I'm talking about you.

Shaun

--Brian

Are the topics insightful?

For the most part. "Informative" is probably better. Certainly moreso than "other" boards.

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?

Pearl Harbor IS a good film!

Ok, ok...well...not always. Could they be a little more adherent? Sure....I think that it's easy to get swept up in a defense of some aspect of an arguement, and forget what the actual arguement is--that could be the nature of dialogue. Can a comment on film score lead to a heated debate on directorial quality? Yes, it would seem so. Dialogical evolution. <shrug>.

Are there too many off topic postings?
Are there some? Yes. Are there too many? No. Well..what shall we define as "off topic"?

I think we have a few kinds of posts here:

1) Demanding. (i.e., Listen to This! Buy That!)

2) Informative. (Tracklisting of Soundtrack X, Release Date of Soundtrack Y, Composer Z won the Really Big Award.)

3) Inquisitive. (If you were stranded on a island with a supermodel and 3 soundtracks....if the Film-Score-Equivalent of the Library at Alexandria were burning and you could only save 1 score....)

4) Puzzled. ("Help--is Thomas Newman's The Man With One Red Shoe availble on CD??? Does anyone know when Greystoke is going to be re-released?")

5) Miscellaneous. (These tend to be more of a personally directed nature--i.e., "I'm leaving the board", "My cat died", "Jessica Tandy died (NP: Driving Miss Daisy)"...

The first 2 are generally relevant.

The 3rd is entertaining...though often repetitive. (And usually never strictly stuck to, since someone "cheats" by either adding a 4th cd, or saying "A CD-R with scores X,Y,Z,Q,P,N, and the unreleased W!"

The "Puzzled" are relevant, but sometimes unanswered, since nobody knows. Those who reply usually say, "I don't know." The lucky ones get answered. The semi-lucky ones get more than one answer. The others die a slow death. If no one replies, the poster gets aggrivated that no one answers. If replied to in the negative, the post stagnates. (On worse occasions, it disintegrates into an off-topic joke.)

The "Miscellaneous" tend to be off topic. But, on occasion, they are important to the community. Sometimes, they're just morbid.

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?

Neither more or less, but I find myself responding more than I did in months pasts.

Are your visits beneficial?
Sometimes. Sometimes merely aggrivating.

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?

Not too loose.

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?

I'd like more people with an interest in film music to post here. If they write reviews, that's ok, too...

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?

Not too bad. I can't say I've got close close friends here, but on a few occasions, I've had some extra-board communication...

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?

I'm usually first in line to be hanged, so I don't fear being bashed...I resent it, sure. It's mostly the nature of the bash, though. I'll step in to defend any composer (or fan) from getting swept under the carpet in an unpopular majority...

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed? Speak honestly on this subject if you must - I won't get all defensive, don't worry.... there's only so much a FishChip can do before he breaks into pieces!

He's doing a good job. Especially for being moderator on what seems to be (by my estemation) the youngest film score forum in the area. Things are far worse on other boards, and I've ceased posting on those boards, since some time ago....

Too controlling? Not for me; however, Lou will have a great time with
this question.

Do we drift off topic? Sure, and it usually doesn’t bother me.

Camaraderie here? With some. It is a youthful Board, and some of us oldies
feel rather, well, old. (If any oldie on the Board ever
says, “Well, in my day...,” BAN him/her.)

Insightful topics? Here, I’ll be a little pissy. I don’t visit as often because of the
paucity of insightful topics. Maybe it is just Wellinmydayitus or age that causes some
frustration with several of us. Some of the young members are truly into film music
from Steiner’s King Kong to Pearl Harbor; however, I find it truly frustrating
that the topic on Aaron Copland engenders 6 responses while a zillion Pearl Harbor
threads emerge with 20 to over 100 responses...and this happens BEFORE
the music was even heard!! Hardly seems logical or worth the energy.

I don’t understand how anyone can judge or argue
about the merits of a score “to be...” And yet that happens way too often for my
taste. Some topics about composers (especially if they are dead) seem like a waste
of typing energy, and that’s too bad because of the influence of the past on the
present composers. (I think Delerue and Moross still sound pretty modern.
Some of this was well alluded to by Lancelot.)

Still, now and then, someone posts a topic that interests me, and I have to stick around
to keep Shaun in line. (And as you can tell by his latest posts, I’m sparing the rod
waaayyyyy too often. )

NP Shogan Meyeda

Generally most of them are.

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?

Recurring topics such as the merit of Zimmer and/or Horner take nose-dives. Most others are fine.

Are there too many off topic postings?

Not really but some that are I find puzzling.

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?

Visit less - no
Contribute less - yes. The repetition on Horner, Zimmer, and 'shove it down your throat' political stances becomes repetitive itself. If that's what they want to do then go for it.

Are your visits beneficial?

Absolutely. I've had some wonderful answers and resourceful links offered for my line of inquiries. In addition to meeting some great people.

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?

Neither.

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?

Who are the people writing reviews?

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?

Overall - its excellent.

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?

I tend to hold back if I suspect something will lead to where I've been before simply because I can't be bothered. But if I have new opinions to express I don't fear being bashing.

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy?

No worries here.

Finally, I visit FSM as well and I much prefer this place.

quote:

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Originally posted by Lancelot:

"Informative" is probably better.

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Agreed - I take back what I said about topics being insightful.

1. The vast majority of the people who post here are good people and I enjoy hearing what they have to say.

2. I check the board usually around once a day and there is something interesting just about every day.

3. The people are much more civil on this board. I appreciate that.

4. Peter, you seem okay to me. Hang in there.

5. Off topics-once in awhile but not bad.

6. Some very good discussion on many topics including exchange of knowledge which is very good.

quote:

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Originally posted by Big Bear:
The only real "complaint" I might ever have is when our man FishChip removes a post and doesn't leave some kind of word that it was done.

One of my posts got lifted a while back (I was bickering with Andre Lux - as usual - and was not upset at all to see it gone...). But it took me a little while to figure out what exactly had happened. A little note to know that we have felt the hand of the moderator would be helpful.

---

Yeah! I'd like to see the same thing. Not just a complete removal of a post without word. In most cases, one needs to email him to find out why this had happened and even then it might be for reason one doesn't agree with. Oh well.

I am still waiting for PeterK to email me why my post about Pearl Harbor was removed. Maybe it was because I was the only one defending it, at the time! I don't know!

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?
Yeah, especialy when I reply

Are there too many off topic postings?
Of course there are, this is a message board, and with every message board comes off topic postings. See answer #1

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?
Less, but that's because I just haven't bought as much film music as I used to.

Are your visits beneficial?
Definately. When I'm in the mood to come here. You guys are great and I will always return.

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?
I don't get this question.

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?
I could care less really. As long as everybody who posts has as much fun as I do.

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?
You guys are like old family...

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?
Some of the older members are friends, others I haven't really gotten to know enough to comment.

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed? Speak honestly on this subject if you must - I won't get all defensive, don't worry.... there's only so much a FishChip can do before he breaks into pieces!
Who's the Fishchip guy?!

Are the topics insightful?
Usually

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?
Nope -- It seems like most topics (not just on this board) drift off topic eventually. It's some sort of phenomenon that a Goverment agency should spend millions to figure out!

Are there too many off topic postings?
No -- as Big Bear mentioned, compared with some of the crap at the FSM board. (Fun with the IMG code, mostly)

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?
Same

Are your visits beneficial?
Always

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?
It's been fine. If the moderation increases, I think it just causes more problems with people complaining about the moderator.

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?
Of course!

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?
They're bunch of great people!! Some people need to notice that there are many different personalities here. I'll leave it at that...

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?
No, I don't hold myself back. I've put up with plenty of bashings before (not necessarily at this board) and I'll put up with plenty in the future. So many people at this board have great things to say, and I appreciate being able to read their comments/etc.

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed? Speak honestly on this subject if you must - I won't get all defensive, don't worry.... there's only so much a FishChip can do before he breaks into pieces!
FishChip must stay!

anything to get that ass JJ off me.

started hitting me again....

Alas, I feel like a guest on Springer:

Horny Bastards and Their First Cousins.

In the interest the current topic, I will say that the sooner my original pimp daddy (PeterK) gets me back, the better. The public wants Search Feature.

nay....DEMANDS Search Feature!

(Now everyone grab your pitch forks and torches, we're going on a Search Feature hunt!)

--Brian

Topics insightful--Yes, most of the time. What does it matter if they're not? I smell censorship behind this whole topic.

Drift off topic too quickly--Again, it shouldn't matter where topics start and where they go. It's like a river. You proposing a dam?

Too many off topic--I want a section of the board devoted to off topic posts. So, no, there are not too may off topic posts, maybe not enough. To limit discussion to just film music and not the wider context of culture and politics and personal events and experiences in people's lives is really limiting discussion on film music too in a way.

Visits--I'm here as much as ever.

Visits beneficial--Mostly.

How's the moderation?--I don't know if "moderate" is the right term, fascist is what usually come to mind.

More people to post--Doesn't matter, it's a non-issue.

Are people here my friends?--People are mostly annoying. I don't need friends. I come here to mack, pimp, strut, and bitch you Hos out.

Do I hold back for fear of being bashed?--[laughing too hard to respond]

Fishchip?--Are you kidding? They should have thrown this catch back before processing. Elections? Gimme a break, as if the great dictator would consider it for a moment. Is this whole topic just a disguised ego-boost? I'd let Shaun, Ford, D2, Andre Lux or even Lancelot run this board with more trust.

One good point is that the search feature may return! That way I can point people to reading the wisdom of my previous posts...

quote:

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Are the topics insightful?[/bquote]

Often. Of course, some are not particularly, but they're usually fun or of some sort of interest. I'm reasonably happy.

[quote]Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?

---

Sometime, yeah. It's a bit of pain when you miss a few days, find an interesting thread, go to reply, & find that nothing has been posted on the actual topic for about 10 or 20 posts. Mind you, I might be a bit guilty of this myself, so I'd best not complain too much. But if it's just a simple topic, like "I'm back", or "My cat smells of jelly", then disappearing off topic is not much of a problem.

quote:

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Are there too many off topic postings?

---

"My cat Smells of Jelly".
Occasionally. It's good to have some random threads going, to let off a little steam, & it does help to get to know the others on the board a little, & vice versa. There are maybe one or two topics that are irrelevant, but on the whole it's very good. Maybe Mr Goldberg has a good idea with a seperate forum for non-film music threads.

quote:

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Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?

---

About the same, really. If anything, perhaps slightly more, but there's very little in it.

quote:

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Are your visits beneficial?

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Almost always.

quote:

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Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?

---

Perfectly happy. I've had at least one post removed, but I've no problems with that, since by the time it was posted, it was so late as to be irrelevant anyway. I've never really had any complaints in this department.

quote:

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Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?

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Maybe. It's always quite cool to see new faces, but with too many it would be hard to know/recognise most of the names, & that might make it less enjoyable from a friendship kind of perspective.

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How do you feel about the comaraderie here?

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It's why I keep coming back.

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Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?

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Being bashed? I don't recall that ever happening to me, really (or maybe I'm just too stupid to notice). Not that I deliberately hold back. Maybe I should be more provocative in future. Maybe not. Maybe I should stop asking silly questions about tracks on the Crow City of Angels (which is still bugging me, you know. But that whole thread could indeed be termed monkeying around. Plans for reviving thread put on indefinite hold ).

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Finally, do you like the FishChip guy? Or would you rather elect a new official, or have the title changed?

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Well, I don't quite understand why the title is FishChip (I think I must have missed that one), but whatever he's known as, IMO the guy done good. Except maybe a little bickering with dgoldwas. Which is quite amusing, but does happen quite a lot. Other than that, top notch.

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Originally posted by Lou Goldberg:
I'd let Shaun, Ford, D2, Andre Lux or even Lancelot run this board with more trust.

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Originally posted by Lancelot:
Why do I feel like I've been insulted, though not in any way provable in a court of law.....?

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Ewwww, touchy remark. Lou's as well. It sounds as if that was a knock to all of you AND Peter. Welcome to the Pantywaist Club. I'm senior Pantywaist, Mike Lyons is the junior, and JJ is king. We'll be letting you know shortly via e-mail what you status is in the heirarchy. Once again welcome, and congratulations.

Topics insightful? Not always, but enough so. I think the board is far from intellectually based, but I like the enthusiasm.

Drifting off topic? Of course they do, but that's what always happens in any real life conversation.

Too many off topic threads? No, I don't think so.

Do I visit more or less than before? Probably slightly less, but that's because of exterior commitments. If I could ,I'd be here all the time instead of working.

Are my visits beneficial? Sufficiently so.

Would I like more people to post? Well, the more the merrier, but, as someone mentioned, it would be a shame to lose track of who everyone is, their foibles and idiosyncracies etc. But I wouldn't want to exclude anyone for the sake of being overly cliqueish (that word doesn't look right...)

How's the comeraderie? Great.

Do I consider the others here to be my friends? Well yes, or maybe more as splendid colleagues all in the same football team.

Do I ever hold back from posting for fear of being bashed? Not really, but that's maybe because I haven't really got any terribly controversial points of view. For example, I think that Hans Zimmer is "quite good", as is Horner. If I were very opinionated on anything, I think there's a way of saying it which would parry obnoxious replies. Maybe...

How's FishChip? No problem there. I like you.

I forgot about the tight/loose moderation question. I haven't noticed it either way, which must be a good thing.

A major problem on this site, as many have stated is conduct and behavior of some people.

Here's a little reminder lifted directly from section 5 of the terms and conditions of this site. I recommend paying attention to 5.2 and 5.3:

5.1 You shall not upload to, distribute or otherwise publish on the message boards (the "Forums") any libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material.

5.2 (a) Be courteous. You agree that you will not threaten or verbally abuse other Subscribers via email or public postings. You agree not to use defamatory language or deliberately disrupt discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or spam.

5.2 (b) Use respectful language. Our community flourishes only when our Subscribers feel welcome and safe. You agree not to use language that abuses or discriminates on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual preference, age, region, disability, etc. Hate speech of any kind is grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service.

5.2 (c) Debate but don't attack. In a community full of opinions and preferences, people disagree. MM CO encourages active discussions and welcomes heated debate in our Forums. Personal attacks are a direct violation of this Agreement and are grounds for immediate and permanent suspension of access to all or part of the Service. MM CO reserves the right to judge what is and what is not a personal attack.

5.3 The Forums shall be used only in a noncommercial manner. You shall not, without the express approval of MM CO, distribute or otherwise publish any material containing any solicitation of funds, advertising or solicitation for goods or services.

5.4 You are solely responsible for the content of any message you post on our public Forums. However, while MM CO does not and cannot review every message posted by you on the Forums and is not responsible for the content of these messages, MM CO reserves the right to delete, move, or edit messages that it, in its sole discretion, deems abusive, defamatory, obscene, in violation of copyright or trademark laws, or otherwise unacceptable.

5.5 You acknowledge that any submissions you make to the Service (e.g. eWire Message, Review or Article) may be edited, removed, modified, published, transmitted, and displayed by MM CO and you waive any moral rights you may have in having the material altered or changed in a manner not agreeable to you.

Just a reminder.

I took a look a my past posts before posting these. I feel I have been compliant.

No matter how off topic, on topic, annoying, abrasive,friendly, moderated, censored, histerical, boring, or informative...this board is always my first stop on the web.

Thanks to you all...friends--maybe, interesting conversationalists--always.

Shaun, D2, Andre--As resident Termagants I'd prefer you to the current administration.

Pete M--Virgins suck. There, you've just now been officially bashed, how does it feel?

Widescreen--Rules were meant to be broken! You goody-two-shoes.

Graham--Right and classy as always: this is a message board, a chat room, not the intellectual egghead's convention of philosophical Freudian film music analysts.

Pete--A name change from Fishchip hmmm? How about Momma's Boy or Peter K, Pansy.

I know, I know--Ban Lou, Ban Lou. Geesh. One provocateur and the place jumps on stools like women when a mouse gets loose. Sure, boot me, but there goes the breath of fresh air you fuddy-duddies constantly need around here.

Anarchy=Health

The people who emailed to complain about off-topic posts and people monkeying around need to stop being old women looking out the window to spy on their neighbors. Get a life, a backbone, and mind your own business.

Hey, some more cliches: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. A stich in time saves nine. Jimmy crack corn and I don't care.......

Lou--Gotta love him. He shows up, kicks asss.

Are the topics insightful?

Sometimes. Although there is a lot of "fluff."

Do they drift off topic a little too quickly?

Some do, while others stay on topic for a long time.

Are there too many off topic postings?

Yes.

Are you visiting these boards more or less now, compared with several months ago, or a year ago?

Yes I am visiting less (elaboration below).

Are your visits beneficial?

Sometimes they are. I would say more like "informative."

Do you feel the moderation of the board is a little on the tight side or loose side, as of late?

Lately, it's been kind of laid back. I find it better with strict rules.

Would you like more people to post here, especially those who write reviews online?

Only if they follow the rules and guidelines of the site.

How do you feel about the comaraderie here?

It's hard to tell. Sometimes it seems very antagonistic, but that could be in a sarcastic way.

Do you consider people here your friends, or do you sometimes find yourself holding back from posting for fear of being bashed?

A. Not really friends in the true sense of the word.

B. Yes I do hold back, but not from a real fear of being bashed. More like from being made fun of and ridiculed. "Better to be silent and learned than open the mouth and prove you're an idiot."

Finally, do you like the FishChip guy?

I guess I don't get the whole "FishChip" business, but I will back the owner of this board. It's his, and we are the ones who are invited. He can run it however he sees fit.

See, this topic has not gotten the serious intention of the original post. It didn't take long for poeple to become sarcastic in their "replies" to the original message. And even though PK asked for it not to be "abrasive" it already has.

Maybe that's the real reason I don't hang around here amymore. I'm sick of the crap that goes on. The same people doing the same junk. And the "multiple identities" to reply to their own messages. I guess I just don't understand. It wouldn't be the first time, and this wouldn't be the first place.

I guess an outsider is an outsider wherever he is.

I can see the perverse power trip in telling other people what to do, that could be fun, but why anyone would insist on being told what to do or like it is beyond me.

For all the sarcasm and razzing, a lot of information and worthwhile opinion gets expressed here in a way that's often a lot of fun. This would be a great board if it weren't for the complainers who take everything way too seriously.

Widescreen, don't look now, but I can flip this: I think you're part of the problem. My "lack of tact" is the solution. Be constructive by throwing all care to the wind.

What is this Hydra? No sooner do I beat back guys like MWRuger by revealing the real venom they have underneath their insistence on propriety than someone else takes up this pathetic banner.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

There's a difference between house rules being posted and some perverse dude all out on a weird power trip telling people what to do (as would be the case in a facist state - which you've claimed this place to be - see above). You may be joking, I don't know, but it should be obvious that this place really isn't at all on the facist side. You take an extreme position sometimes which isn't altogether reflective of what's really happening around here.

As for this thread being an ego stroke? I laugh! Who knows how things might have turned out? I certainly did not know, and risked compromising what, if any, good public perception people have of this place.

I applaud all who've contributed to this meeting, both publicly and privately. By participating, you admit yourself as part of the whole. You aren't above or below the fold, you are smack in the middle of it, which is where we all belong.

Feathers get roughed, that's for sure. When it happens, take a step aside, take a look around you and assess for yourself if your contributions (or lack of) are helping or hurting our goals to make this a great place.

Everyone's ages here are all over the map. Our music tastes just as well (a reflection of the type of music we love... film music covers all genres of music). What brings us together is what makes us strong, remember this, no matter how much a disagreement may present its seriousness.

Pete, on the whole, you've actually been more hands off of late which is a good thing. I wasn't too pleased by the no selling of CDRs on the Soundtrack Finder, but you haven't closed down posts and done dirt as you did in the past. Of course, Ford is still out on ban and the threat of martial law always looms around here, but lately, you've been having fun with the place and others seem to have taken up the PC banner in your absence. [My getting down on these types is as fascist as any other repressive force around here.]