NON-MONSTER FORUMS TO BE CLOSED AND REMOVED ON APRIL 27TH

[Anton Phibes]

I assume we're thinking of people like Karloff, Price, Lorre for their non-monster films?

Correctamundo. For instance: I would watch Vincent Price in nearly anything. He is mostly known for spook shows: but he was in everything.

[Fester]

Today, I dropped by to clean out my PM list and I saw the announcement that Certain Non-Monster Related forums (fora?)are going to be deleted as of April 27.

A quick look at my stats shows the following list of posts.
General Discussion
    1901 posts of the member's 2922
Games, Polls, and Lists
    262 posts
Modern Monster Movies
    167 posts
Members Only
    167 posts
Classic Monster Movies
    107 posts
Non-Monster Movies
    71 posts
Music
    67 posts
The Cemetery
    55 posts
Television
    35 posts
Memorable Memorabilia
    19 posts

So apparently, the message is:  STFU.

After my last post in the Serious Pants Thread,  several people PMed me asking me to stay on.  And I replied to them that after a while, I would most likely be back. 
Now there is really not much of a reason to.
It was fun, while it lasted.

[frankenstein73]

I've often wondered myself why so many monster toy threads and posts don't get the interest I expect on this board (just as I've wondered where you've been this past year but you're not set up to receive PMs).

You're making a mistake, however, to think that removing non-monster topics from this forum will somehow spark more posting in specifically monster related topics. It will not. If you think non-related threads somehow "crowd out" monster related threads, you don't understand discussion forums. It's activity that begets activity. As Toy Ranch has observed in the past, new members don't come here in a vacuum. They have a question, they are attracted to some topic they find in a random search, they find other things of interest, and then they stay. I discovered this forum doing a search for Standard Plastics monster wallets, and then discovered a lot of other cool toys and stuff. And since then I've learned about a lot of other interesting monster toys here. And that's what any forum is about, the sharing of information.

Limiting the scope of information that can be shared though is not good for a forum, this or any other.

dont take me the wrong way here hep. I Love toys in general, I have a huge gi joe and comic collection and many other non monster toys, these threads weren't the issue for me.
It was all the "personal problems threads" that was ruining everything. This forum was a great place to meet and talk to very knowledgeable people in the monster collecting world.   I have noticed that those people almost completely stopped posting on this board, why? IMO due to the fact most posts in the last year or two were full of personal problems, feelings, and arguments galore. I have seen several veteran members of this board  verbally attacked for no apparent reason.  There are a few members here as of late that seem to be looking for a fight or think its fun to spread discontent, and these off topic threads are where it usually starts.  the only chance to set things straight is to get rid of everything non monster, take away the fuel and hopefully the fire dies out. These people will either straighten up, or leave.
Its unfortunate that we will lose many great threads and discussions on other non monster toys. But worth it to me if we can get back to the grass roots and focus on our beloved monsters again.

[horrorhunter]

I'm cool with it. I wondered why a monster related forum had so much non-monster related content.

However, I do sympathize with UMAites who invested much time and effort in the areas about to be cut.

Overall I think it will improve the site to focus on what we're here for...MONSTERS. 

[Allhallowsday]

...I think this is a huge mistake and should have been put to a vote by all members.

This is a sad day.  I'm sorry to say, with this decision, I no longer feel this is a family but a group dictated by a few people... So sad that a few dictate the many.

This change is just locking the door to an already closed club. 

[Kidagain]

Hopefully the administrators here allow posts somewhere where a post regarding the illness or passing of one of our members be allowed. If it weren't for the Members Only or General Discussion threads were eliminated where would it go, most recently we lost Mark Stamper ( Unknown Primate). Shouldn't the membership have knowledge of such things happening? Please pick and choose what gets eliminated carefully, hey just my opinion. Thanks

[Mike Scott]

Hopefully the administrators here allow posts somewhere where a post regarding the illness or passing of one of our members be allowed.

I think it was stated that the Cemetery would be moved to another area.
(Announcements, I think?)

[Flower]

I've been on a number of forums.  Most were music related, all had 'off topic' forums .. I didn't read ALL the posts on any forum but picked what interested me and read those threads or posts as I do on this forum.  Funny how on the music forums, it was in the music threads where the opinions got hot and people got bothered the most.  Also, on every forum where I've posted, it's always seems to be people who don't start or nurture threads that complain about content or the forum being dead or slow.

Yes, I realize that this is a closed issue but no one was putting a gun to anyone's head to read all the posts or to go into pets/pictures/birthday threads etc.  My starting a birthday thread for someone didn't take away from me starting a monster related  or any other thread but added depth to the forum.  Nor does posting a picture of your beloved pet or loved ones take away from anything monster related.  These sub-forums which make us real and not just names and avatars.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter and  if anyone doesn't like one forum .. there are hundreds of others out there.

[long live kong]

Although I'll miss certain threads, some of which that aren't everyone's cup tea (the Irish limericks thread for instance!), I don't think the changes will rip the heart out of the forum as some fear. We are all from different walks of life but all share one common interest - MONSTERS! We can still chat away, have a laugh and a bit of banter and get to know each other in the monster-related threads.

[Flower]

I'll miss the limericks.

[long live kong]

And the Name That Monster thread. 

Edit - just noticed it's been evacuated to safety, nice one Mike Scott!

[Mike Scott]

And the Name That Monster thread. 

Do you have a link to that? You don't mean "Name the Monster Movie", do you?

[Wich2]

>IMO due to the fact most posts in the last year or two were full of personal problems, feelings, and arguments galore.<

"Frankenstein73"-

"Arguments"? Slipperly slope there... I'm all about keeping them civil (and as I've always said, here and elsewhere, the UMA has always seemed to me one of the best groups for handling that well.) But shouldn't healthy debate be good for a place? Is just, "Here's my new toy!", followed by a chorus of, "Wow - that's neat!" a nutritious diet over time?

"Personal problems, feelings"? Well, see, to me that's part of what makes people people. And sharing such stuff is precisely how I came to make some of my very best internet friends here.

Fester, I understand where you're coming from...

-Craig

[long live kong]

Do you have a link to that? You don't mean "Name the Monster Movie", do you?

And the Name That Monster thread. 

Edit - just noticed it's been evacuated to safety, nice one Mike Scott!

[Monsters For Sale]

I'm not going to give a knee-jerk reaction to all the changes that are coming.

I can say I agree with the majority of the deletions.  A couple others I need to think about.

I do know that when the UMA changed from its old Yahoo format to this one, I was so upset I almost quit.  I felt lost.  I didn't understand the new format at all.  It took me a little while to learn my way around, set my preferences and get comfortable in our present home. 

I'm glad I didn't act on my first impulse.   I would have cheated myself out of many years enjoyment and education.

I'm sure I will have a better understanding of what the new changes mean after I have thought about them at least as long as the moderators must have before they announced them.

First reactions, like first impressions can often be wrong.