This forum kind of sucks these days

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Chizip

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I hate to say it, but it's true.

Look at all the threads in here. 99% of the threads are either some sort of ranking/list thread, an appreciation thread, or a game thread.

I don't understand the point of ranking threads. They generate no conversation and are just one list posted after another that nobody reads. What's the point of that? The only time these ranking threads are cool is when somebody assigns a point value to it and at the end collects all the data and shows us the results. That is at least interesting and can provide a basis for discussion.

I inculde listing threads to be on the same level as ranking threads in pointlessness. Right now we have a "If you can only listen to 5 songs, what would they be?" thread, and also a "If you can only listen to 15 songs, what would they be?" Are you serious? One of these is bad enough, do we really need both of them? You're better than that people.

Appreciation threads aren't as bad as those as at least they do provide some sort of discussion. But when you start one, maybe try to make a critical analysis of the song, or bring something more to the table than "Hey I really like Bad, does anybody else like it?" This is a U2 board, obviously there is going to be appreciation for everything they do. A lot of times there is appreciation overload, and it clutters the board.

Finally there are the game threads. I'm not gonna say much here because I think those are pretty pointless too, but a lot of people enjoy them. A couple of the game threads are cool, as some do generate discussion, and I don't mind those. Name game threads are the stupidest thing ever, no offense to anybody who plays them. But they are just one word after another, it takes absolutely no thinking at all and they are completley pointless.

So what do we do about this you ask? Hell, I don't know. Maybe we can challenge ourselves to start creating more thought provoking threads on U2. Believe it or not, but there was a time when people actually talked about the band in here. It could be that most of the U2 discussion is currently in the tour forums, because U2 is on tour, but there should still be plenty left to discuss in here.

Maybe next time instead of creating a thread to rank the album openers or album closers, try putting more thought into it and look at each album opener and come up with some sort of thesis of how U2 has evolved as a band and how this has affected the way they have decided to open records. A thread with a point would be nice to read every now and then.

Ok well that's it, I hope nobody took any of this personally. And mods, I would appreciate it if this thread could stay in this forum instead of moved to Don't Expect, Suggest, because this is the audience I want to read it.
 
Chizip said:
Maybe next time instead of creating a thread to rank the album openers or album closers, try putting more thought into it and look at each album opener and come up with some sort of thesis of how U2 has evolved as a band and how this has affected the way they have decided to open records. A thread with a point would be nice to read every now and then.


Agreed! I'm all for promoting a more intellectual level of analysis on here. I remember reading some very intelligent essays here when I first joined which was not that long ago. Analyses of production technique on HTDAAB, that kind of thing.

One of the things that I am interested in is placing U2 in the wider musical and cultural context and I hope to post something on this in the near future. Some of the ideas I have in mind to explore would include the influence of the punk ethic on U2, folk music influences on U2, a discussion of U2 in the American versus the European context, that sort of thing.

John Waters deals with this subject extensively in his book 'U2 - Ireland and the Race of Angels', which I recommend to those looking for a more intellectual level of analysis than the 100th 'which is better, Pop or HTDAAB' type of discussion.
 
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I've been thinking a very similar thing. EYKIW has turned into a bit of a snooze lately.

I have a simple solution: bring back jick.
 
I agree completely with everything said so far, the forum to me seems to be the same topics over and over, mostly about Pop, ATYCLB, and HTDAAB, please somethingf different, I can't even bother to post the reasons I think ATYCLB is the best of the last three anymore, Im too sick of doing it.
 
And get rid of some of the sub-forums. I mean, do we really need a sub-forum for the new album, when that 'new' album has been out for more than 9 months?

And yeah, I'm of the population that thinks "if it isn't on page 1, it isn't news." So if meaningful discussions fall to page 2 within a couple of hours because of game threads, I won't notice them.

:shrug:
 
I play all the games around here so I won't talk about that but I totally agree with the rest. The "listing" threads are really stupid when anyone pulls up the results in the end. I've created some listing threads and in the end I pulled up the results because it's the only way to make this threads worth.

Also, it would be cool to create some more interesting discussion beside the lame thing of "One is/isn't the best song ever"; "Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby", "Pop fans bashing ATYCLB/HTDAAB", :blahblah: Almost all the threads lead to one of these...
 
Maybe next time you complain make a single thread instead of additional 3 posts about the same issue in 3 other threads.

No need to post/read if you don't like the threads.
 
Axver said:
[B

I have a simple solution: bring back jick. [/B]
Post of the day:yes: But did'nt Jick upset alot of people and got banned cos many people in here didnt like his intellectual,often critical threads?!?!?. I thought his posts were very well written and came from a different angle.Unfortunately he rubbed alot of people up the wrong way but now alot of the same interferencers are bemoaning about the lack of quality posters around the place!!!!!
 
People, Jick is just one person. If we're all complaining that since he has gone we can't put together decent discussions, we should look at ourselves first. A lot of his threads appear to have been intended to get a rise out of people, and sure enough, they did.
 
Hang on, I posted one of these threads which supposedly has 'thought' in it. I wanted people to say why they re-arranged album tracklistings and all I got was lists with NO explanation at all...!

I am making an effort and for some reason MY thread goes down the pan while other threads THRIVE and are full of lists or some other crap.

I don't get what was so bad about my thread that it didn't get the attention it quite frankly DESERVED over half of them here in EYKIW...what, U2's albums all suddenly became perfect to people here?!

I hear them moan all the time and when I say 'fine, do it your way'...what do I get? Nothing. If some high and mighty member here had posted it I'm sure it would have flourished...:angry:
 
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also

Cassis said:
down with game threads i say

agreed. if we could have no games, songs of the day, what are you listening to [in which you get a page where one member has just replied a huge WALL of songs at a time] and any other clutter...ANYWHERE, I'd be a lot happier...
 
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gareth brown said:


If some high and mighty member here had posted it I'm sure it would have flourished...:angry:
Unfortunately that is the way of things around her.Some 'elite' members get to post any old self gratifying ,pretentious bollocks and get away with it whilst having a pop at anyone else who isn't in their little gang.
 
god, it's a pain...I'm a member of some forums and one is just based around a whole pecking order and whatever the 'veterans' say is just taken as gospel! :ohmy: I thought this place was a bit different but after a while I begin to realise it's the same everywhere...!
 
I agree with Chizip. :up: Not that I think this forum sucks but there should be less threads and a greater percentage of them should be threads where things are actually being discussed.
 
As a newbie (but not a paranoid one -should I be?:ohmy:) I'd like to say that it was the more discussion - y type threads that made be register here in the first place.

I think one of the reasons they don't do so well is that people put thought into what they write and in writing a response it also takes time and thought - by which time the thread has often sunk down the page.

I also often read these threads and I am amazed that people are so articulate at describing songs, lyrics etc.. I am afraid that my contribution would be more along the lines of "Yeah, I love that bit of the song" or more likely :up:. Thus I am probably more likely to read the thread, rather than contribute. I am afraid I am also guilty of posting in some of the games threads:reject:

It probably would be better if the games and listings threads had a forum of their own so they don't clog up the thread - I wonder if this is possible?
 
Tilli said:
As a newbie (but not a paranoid one -should I be?:ohmy:) I'd like to say that it was the more discussion - y type threads that made be register here in the first place.

I think one of the reasons they don't do so well is that people put thought into what they write and in writing a response it also takes time and thought - by which time the thread has often sunk down the page.

I also often read these threads and I am amazed that people are so articulate at describing songs, lyrics etc.. I am afraid that my contribution would be more along the lines of "Yeah, I love that bit of the song" or more likely :up:. Thus I am probably more likely to read the thread, rather than contribute. I am afraid I am also guilty of posting in some of the games threads:reject:

It probably would be better if the games and listings threads had a forum of their own so they don't clog up the thread - I wonder if this is possible?

:bow:

Don't be afraid of posting in the game threads. The forum is not yours, it's not mine, it's not from the old members, it's not from the "intellectual" ones, it's everyone's.

If you want to post in the game threads, post, post, post, post.

The point is that it should exist a destinated forum to the games. Because I think EYKIW it's not to make game threads...
 
Thanks MacPhistoPT! - Don't worry -I'll keep on posting! I agree people should post in whatever threads they want - the board belongs to all the members and if that is what people want then games threads will continue to exist.

I also totally agree that games threads should be somewhere else so that people who want to have a proper discussion can do. Could one of the admins not do this if enough people asked?
 
gareth brown said:
Hang on, I posted one of these threads which supposedly has 'thought' in it. I wanted people to say why they re-arranged album tracklistings and all I got was lists with NO explanation at all...!


No offense, but those have been done over and over and really aren't that intriguing. Trust me it doesn't matter who made the thread, it would have gotten the same exact type of response.
 
Joshua87 said:



Yeah, no shit. Nothing pisses me off more than seeing Hurt/Heal Game 17 Part 2 with 469 posts. Games are a complete waste of time for everyone.
.

Now, this is bullshit.

Until there are, on this board, at least 2 people that want to play a game, they will play it and there's nothing you can do about it.

Now, I really think that a sub-board should be created only to the games. But you can't say it's a waste of time just because you don't like them, if you don't like just don't enter those threads.

But I also would like to know the "intellectual discussion". If it is more "u2 should have retired after 1998" or "joshua tree against achtung baby" threads, then :bow: the games and the pointless listing threads
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:
No offense, but those have been done over and over and really aren't that intriguing.

I guess.

However, I haven't seen one in quite a while so am comparing it to the flood of other threads which you see on every page about the same thing. :huh:
 
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