I feel your point is valid, icastico, though maybe some people who have been on the site a long time feel more like family and so simply enjoy being together because they *do* know how they will react and enjoy that. It is always fun to meet new members, though! Whether they stay a short or a long time, I hope the site meets their needs and adds something positive to their lives.

Oh! Right-track did say that your years (6), Big3, plus his years (5) are more than 10 years (much longer than icastico's membership time so far), showing that some members have long attention spans for MB:

About why major change in the site structure is unlikely:

What I wonder is if there are ways to make small changes from within the site that make it closer to what you envision. I don't know how much power mods (or former mods:)) have over site structure. None? If none, then could moderators change the "Editor's Pick" forum in the MB Reader into a forum that discusses much of what Tore and you wanted to have in the wordpress blog...the content, if not the structure? It would still be an Editor's Pick forum...but moderators would be picking threads that discuss music as they want, controlling the content as they wish, to simulate the blog.

Right-track...did you just convert the rest of my post you quoted into a polite "etc. etc. etc." instead of the usual "blah blah blah"?! What the hell is going on?! :p:

You make a lot of valid points Big3, and I am guilty of some of these things but that's really because it's hard NOT to be influenced by groupthink.

So when a whole bunch of people constantly hate on music I like and treat opposing opinions with great disdain, I become spiteful over that kind of attitude and thus I'll often exagerate my dislike for bands that these people like.

Of all the forums I've been to, this is the best place to actually talk about my opinions without being viciously gang raped. Though there are individual members that I dislike (you know who you are) who make honest discussion difficult and keeps people from being as honest as they want to be because they don't want to leave themselves vulnerable to a douche moment.

Also, Minus the Bear are really good.

^

Yeah, you are right...strangely enough this is one of the more "humble" music forums. You really do get your ass handed to you in the few others I've checked out.

As has been mentioned, music is just a very opinionated subject. There are a lot of things you can't avoid. I think the fact that this forum is made up of a handful of stayers who become very familiar with each other is why we aren't as vicious as forums with hundreds/thousands of active users. A few here know I really love dreampop, but if I was just getting into something else and said something that made my inexperience known, I may get a few negative comments but since a lot of you know me, I won't be ripped a new ass hole.

Though I have seen an incredible amount of hate for threads made by newbies that break the rules. I'm guilty of that myself.

You know, in so many ways this forum is better than it ever has been. If any of you could have taken a look at this place five years ago, There would be no question as to why we've garnered the reputation for being elitist flame throwers. There was little to no diversity in musical taste, amongst members there was not much intelligence beyond a rudimentary knowledge of mainstream contemporary artists, and no one, NO ONE, was doing any sort of journaling or any sort of lengthy intelligent dissertations on anything musical to speak of (I think Urban started that a few years ago the last time he got fed up with everybody yammering about how this place sucks, and what ensued was nothing short of an MB renaissance). So, although it was a good time, MB consisted of a few tightly bound kindred spirits who tore after moronic n00bs with flames a blazing. To tell you the truth...I rather enjoyed it.

This place has really grown to become a very eclectic collection of musically informed personalities, musical interests are very diverse and only growing more so, The music journals are absolutely fantastic and the writing is for the most part superb, and amongst our members there's a huge wealth of information on any style or genre music that you can think of, because these days our members know there shit Trust me I used to consider myself one of the most intelligent people on this forum, and now well I'm just blown away by the depth of musical knowledge that so many of our members possess. It puts mine to shame.

If anyone feels that they have reason to bitch about the direction in which this place is heading, (trust me I have my moments too), then post more! Start a thread about ****ing music that you're interested in, and quit talking about how many tangerines your girlfriend can fit in her vagina in The Sexual Experience thread.

Post you ****ing morons!

I was very fustrated with this forum just a few years back when I felt that MB was nothing but indie fans who were straight up ignorant towards nearly everything else in music, Ethan was especially a repeat offender.

Yeah, I used to antagonize these people a ton, but over time the forum has become a lot more open minded, there's a greater diversity of tastes and interests, this forum isn't as dominated by groupthink as most forums I've been to. And thus it's now easier to make threads about music I like without them getting spammed to death by snotty 14 year olds who think indie folk, emo and genres with post in their title is the only music of any artistic merit. Had this forum been making comps a few years ago they would have been dominated by Sufjan Stevens, Okkervil River and totally lame sh*t like that.

But what I'm trying to say is, since this forum has become more friendly and the newer members are a lot more likable and capable of making non-bullsh*t arguments I don't feel the desire to be as much of a raging jerk as I used to be. Though there are still a few who can bring out the worst in me.

And I'm happy to see you're back to posting about something other than movies and video games ;)

I know! Must have had an off day. :/

I'd respond to the rest of that post, but I couldn't be bothered reading it.

Phew! That sounds like the you I know. I thought maybe you were getting sick or something.

Pfff, I know I'm getting sick...of your ****.

kidding, of course.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zeiwDnBbNz...27s+bridle.png

Silence woman!