Alright, How Do We Kickstart the Metal Community On This Site?
 

A few years ago the metal community on this site was popping, and it didn't really seem that we needed to pull teeth to get people involved. But these days any and all attempts at reviving it have been met with almost immediate failure. It's not because of a lack of dedicated members either. At times we've had as many bangers on here as back then, many of whom have shown interest in reviving the community, and yet nothing ever happens. We've tried big ****, we've tried small ****, and yet there's still very little participation (I'm just as guilty of this as anyone.)

There has to be a way to get things moving again. Any suggestions? Some kind of thread that we haven't tried yet? New ideas for old threads? Sniper teams to "encourage" people to participate?

The evolution of metal would be interesting.

I think sending me a bunch of money is probably the best approach.

Maybe if more people participated in my attempt at the Heavy Metal Album Club? Metal Month II would be a good place to start; gather and comment and discuss, even contribute if you want.

Or what about something I touted before, with a slight amendment: a freeform journal perhaps concentrating on metal only, in which anyone can post reviews, thoughts, articles?

Mind you, I like your idea of snipers. Who here knows how to use a gun? ;) :ar_15s:

Seriously, I know exactly what you mean. My own attempts to get some participation failed miserably (some of that due, in fairness, to my stepping back from the site and unlike the Prog Rock Album Club, nobody being there to carry on in my absence) and I see your King of the Hill has received nothing but one pithy response, which must be very annoying.

I guess it's down to what you want to see. Are you looking for discussion of albums or bands, or a general yak about why people like metal or even why they don't? Or looking for new recs? Trouble is, there are a lot of threads that cover these already, so it's hard to think of something new that will attract attention. Hottest females in Metal? Longest Metal songs? How do you know if any thread will draw interest?

I think you should revive and expand your "Edumucation for you dumb ****s" part of your journal, maybe move it in here? A way of giving people a grounding in the world of Metal, a sort of "Agony Uncle" (with the emphasis on the agony)?

Hey I don't know! You can't force people to take part so sometimes you may just have to accept that people are either a) lazy b) uninterested or c) haven't the time to get totally involved. I really don't know what the answer is, cos as you say there are a whole lot of metalheads here, but they just tend to not want to shout about it.

Defenders of True Metal thread?

I agree. Less Trollheart, more metal.

But seriously, I have no idea what you mean when you say:

I must have missed that. REGARDLESS, there's clearly no solution other than just discussing metal at will. Do that and they will come. Or they won't but **** it do it anyway. Also, sending Janszoon money probably can't hurt. I just sent him 10,000 USD so let's see how this goes.

It all boils down to participation and interest. From what I notice here. The metal community on the forum is a bit diverse. No single one individual that identifies with metal music, listens to just that specific genre, interests are elsewhere; some pop, others country, some rap or hip hop, and so forth.

Obviously forceful solutions, are not the solution at all. I do see the same people, along with myself, that are actively discussing metal related topics here...there's like, five or six of us that actually talk about metal.

I do think new thread ideas may help, not topics that are so typical, like your run of the mill Metallica or Megadeth thread, continually. Perhaps we could do polls or debates on what the best of the worst metal bands are, and see how many new faces or existing metal junkies take part in that discussion? That is however, if that sort of thing doesn't already exist here. This thread alone is getting some attention. So it is a step in the right direction I think.

I've been thinking about opening a thread that explores the purpose or need for costumes or metal bands that dress up as characters they make up, to generate interest in the bands that do that sort of thing. I'm just not sure if there is a thread like that.

Folks, please listen to this guy. He knows what he's talking about.

It was most active when I was running 'Metal Wars' as I was doing it constantly and daily for months on end. All it needs is somebody like The Batlord who's here everyday with plenty of time on his hands either to take the 'Metal Wars' thread by the scruff of the neck and make it his own or start something community based similar.

The trick is just a dedicated person, that can put out something that anybody can participate in without too much effort.

He tried that with "Metal King of the Hill", and look at the massive lack of response that got. I know how he feels. I felt something like the HMAC would be jumped all over, but unlike we proggers some of the metalheads here don't seem interested in getting involved. And if they won't make the effort then it doesn't matter what initiatives Batty, you or I, or anyone else makes. You can't force people to participate (NO Batty! Put the gun down. Slowly now, it's not worth it...)

Also remember Batty is restricted to computers at his local library, not having access at home, so running something like Metal Wars could be problematical for him. I'd do it, but I learned my lesson with the mixtape: don't take on too much work and do something which will get very low response rates. Also I'm nowhere near as au fait with all the aspects of metal than a hundred other members here, so I would be a terrible choice to do that.

I'd really like to get some interest going in the HMAC though, so...
One. More. Time! (see below)

I think you'll find he's normal now and has a PC at home.