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Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page |
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#1 |
Spirit of Nen Lalaith
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Meneltarma
Posts: 5,376
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Discord Server
I've noticed that multiple sites and forums have Discord Servers, so I wonder, should BD have one too? It might encourage people who stumble upon the server to join the forum as well. Thoughts?
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Tuor: Yeah, it was me who broke [Morleg's] arm. With a wrench. Specifically, this wrench. I am suffering from Maeglinomaniacal Maeglinophilia. |
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#2 |
Spirit of Nen Lalaith
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Meneltarma
Posts: 5,376
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Um, you don't approve of the suggestion or something?
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Tuor: Yeah, it was me who broke [Morleg's] arm. With a wrench. Specifically, this wrench. I am suffering from Maeglinomaniacal Maeglinophilia. |
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#3 |
Gruesome Spectre
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Heaven's doorstep
Posts: 8,035
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I don't even know what it is.
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Music alone proves the existence of God. |
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#4 |
Curmudgeonly Wordwraith
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits
Posts: 2,506
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You don't need to. For general info, look at the WIKI site under "Disruptive use" and "Controversial content". I am sure the Barrow Wight is uninterested in garnering that sort of attention:
http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discord_(software)
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And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. |
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#5 | ||
Gruesome Spectre
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Heaven's doorstep
Posts: 8,035
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Quote:
Quote:
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Music alone proves the existence of God. |
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#6 |
Haunting Spirit
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Bumping a dead thread just to let you know that this thread is full of incredible ingnorance, if anyone is still looking after this site and/or cares about attracting new users you absolutely should have a discord server.
This thread is absolutely laughable.
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë |
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#7 | |
Gruesome Spectre
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Heaven's doorstep
Posts: 8,035
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Quote:
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Music alone proves the existence of God. |
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#8 | |
Laconic Loreman
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I certainly wouldn't recommend having a public server on Discord that anyone can come to. It's why I stopped going to Reddit after like a week, the vitriol and toxicity people bring in is not healthy, and not things I want to have in my life. The only reason it works for my job is the privacy settings. You have to have the server link to get in. (Hmm...gives me a good idea, if I just give out the link here then you folks can spam it for me ![]() ![]() To be fair to Discord (and Reddit..etc) there's honestly nothing wrong with those applications, but in my opinion, you can't open up anything to public anymore. George Carlin was right about "garbage in, garbage out." People (and trolls) fill Discord with trash, you're going to get trash out of it. I realize this is a public forum, and have had plenty of spammers, but the B-W and moderators still take the trash out.
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Fenris Penguin
Last edited by Boromir88; 04-10-2021 at 08:30 AM. |
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#9 | |
Haunting Spirit
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Quote:
Discord is one of the best and most popular way for internet users to stay in contact, you are able to make your own server which people join. The server can be invite only or public however you will need a way to advertise and spread the word of a public discord to get anyone to join, which would simply be a case of adding an invite link to the server on this site somewhere. Each server can have multiple seperate subsections for different topics and the server owners can make as many tiers of moderator they want with different permissions, for example one person may be granted the permissions to delete posts from a certain subsection wheras another moderator or administrator may have permissions to ban users from the server entirely. The thought that raids would happen or the discord would be flooded with trolls and trash doesn't seem reasonable to me, is it not the case that if any group wanted to they could just as easily come here and flood this forum with terrible posts? The a discord server is as open/closed as moderated/unmoderated as you wish it to be. Although on second thought it probably isnt worth it as it would probably be an impossible task to get the current users of the site to switch to using a new software just to stay in touch in a way they can easliy do via these forums. However if you read this post and think discord sounds like an excellent way for communities to stay in touch with each other in safe and moderated places online for free then i fully reccomend trying it out and finding servers for things that interest you.
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë Last edited by Soriman the Whide; 04-11-2021 at 01:43 AM. |
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#10 | |
Curmudgeonly Wordwraith
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits
Posts: 2,506
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If you require further reasons not to have anything to do with Discord as a platform for this forum, I suggest anyone can look them up on the Better Business Bureau website: https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/campbell/p...646/complaints The BBB gives Discord an "F" rating. That would be "F" as in Failed Grade (on an A+ through F letter-grade scale). A quick perusal of complaints in the last 6 months include: Sending of "underage sexualized images" Account hacks Unauthorized charges on Pay Pal "Revenge porn" Abuse of the report option to get people banned "cyberbullying or targeted harassment of an individual or community" Enjoy your stay on the Barrow Downs. Let's hope it is not a short one.
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And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. |
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#11 |
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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Soriman, I think you put up a good defense of Discord. As someone who had no idea what it is, I think you made a good case. However, as you say in the end, what does it have to offer that the Downs doesn't? Being popular? With me personally, popularity ranks so low among a list of reasons to do something, it's almost a nagative factor. We already have a way to stay in touch on a themed site, with members and mods and admins having different permissions. Why switch? Moreover, those of us who were here for a while are very attached to this particular site - it's layout, format, colours, all of it. Why would we go elsewhere?
As for the spam, I think you speak from ignorance on that count. The reason the Downs is not overrun by spammers now is not that a group of people didn't yet choose to come here and wreak havoc, as you seem to imply, but because of a lot of hard work from the admins in making the site security so. There used to be quite a few spammers around and had to be cleaned up one bh one before BW and team adjusted the "entry requirements" to the site" to a much more individualized screening process. So the idea that if it works here it will work anywhere does not necessarily stand.
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera |
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#12 | ||
Haunting Spirit
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Quote:
The rating you may be getting confused with is a rating generated automatically based on the 126 user generated complaints, did you know discord has over 300 million registered users as of last year? If you value these 126 reviews as a realistic indicator of Discords value then please consider that just for the mobile version of the application Google has a user review score of 4.5 out of 5 based on just short of 3 million individual reviews. Bad things happen on the internet, people are going to abuse it, it happens to every platform. I think you're really grasping at straws if you try to claim that 126 negative user reviews are evidence that a platform is no good. That said, I do not think discord is a good option for this website and I was wrong. I was perhaps a little bit hasty to defend the idea in the first place but it was slightly upsetting to see a good idea shot down over arguments I don't believe hold much weight. Quote:
I failed in making my point clear which was that anyone at anytime can choose to come and raid or spam anywhere online at any time. Even with the anti-spam filters in place on the Barrows you are at risk of being spammed again, it would just take a slightly more dedicated group to do so. In my opinion you are at just as much risk of getting raided here again as you are on a discord server which provides an assortment of tools to deal with these types of issues.
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë Last edited by Soriman the Whide; 04-11-2021 at 10:52 AM. Reason: removed snarky comment |
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#13 |
Haunting Spirit
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I've been having a little look at the Better Business Bereau Morthoron please take a look at this and see how easy it is to get the wrong impression of a website.
https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/menlo-park...674/complaints
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë Last edited by Soriman the Whide; 04-11-2021 at 10:54 AM. |
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#14 |
Animated Skeleton
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Bag End, The Shire
Posts: 26
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Well Hello!
I would like to know how does this Forum work??
I actually wanted to post a reply to a Movie speculation thread by Mister Underhill--last active before I was even born in 2001.{http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=8828&goto=nextoldest} P.S. Are u guys the oldest LOTR Forum on the Internet? |
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#15 |
Curmudgeonly Wordwraith
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits
Posts: 2,506
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That's all you should have said in the first place. I am uninterested in the rest of your argument. Have a nice day.
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And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. |
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#16 |
Haunting Spirit
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I am sorry to go on like that it's just you claimed you were not ignorant of discord.
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë |
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#17 | ||
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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Quote:
The forum works very simply. If a topic interests you, just post what you have to say, no matter how old the thread. Old threads have been resurrected before, there's no limit to how recent it must be to post in it. In terms of introductions and other questions, a good place to start might be here. Feel free to use this thread for general questions about the forum, while you're getting used to it. There is also this recent thread, which is another appropriate place to ask questions about the forum. Quote:
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera |
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#18 |
Curmudgeonly Wordwraith
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits
Posts: 2,506
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I would suggest a poster who has been on this forum less than a month referring to people as "ignorant" several times over the course of a thread proves my point about someone like yourself coming over from Discord. You lose your case every time you post.
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And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision. |
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#19 |
Haunting Spirit
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I do not come from discord. I take issue with your close minded and dismissive response to an active user with high post count (Urwen) who was trying to suggest ways to attract new users to the website. It is this dismissive mindset that robs new users in the future.
In direct reply to your comment; it is clear that you have no idea what discord is and have never used it yet you tell people to avoid it, you use unreliable websites sites to claim lies as truths and you still think I am wrong to call you ignorant.
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë Last edited by Soriman the Whide; 04-11-2021 at 01:35 PM. |
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#20 |
Dead Serious
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To interject into what is essentially a dead topic being squabbled over in a case of "having the last word" oneupsmanship, since Soriman has said he realises it would be redundant to the 'Downs: back in the days of yore (you know, like 2006) I was a member of a different forum, which had a chatroom.
The technology is different, but a Discord server for the 'Downs would basically be a case of adding a chatroom, and I think that's flipping the cart and the horse: if you have a large community that wants to talk (i.e. off-the-forum), then it would have utility. Indeed, it would just be updating what has already existed: the private message system here on the forum, MSN Messenger/AIM with Downers back in the day, LiveJournal, Facebook... but its existence relies, like all those outgrowths of Internet friendship, on the forum itself being active, and putting a Discord out there would be unlikely to reawaken the sleeping majority.
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I prefer history, true or feigned.
Last edited by Formendacil; 04-11-2021 at 02:10 PM. Reason: Changing past perfect tense to past. |
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#21 |
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,989
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The Barrow Downs did have chat rooms. On Mirc. Does Mirc exist any more?
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. |
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#22 |
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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My my. If you say "Discord" three times in the looking glass, a treeish Downer awakens.
![]() Nice to see you again, Bethberry!
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera |
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#23 |
Dead Serious
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The 'Downs chatroom is so far back into the depths of time that I think its heyday, if not its entire existence, predates my membership... and the lichen on my branches is thick.
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I prefer history, true or feigned.
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#24 | |
Haunting Spirit
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Quote:
This place has an IRC?
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë Last edited by Soriman the Whide; 04-11-2021 at 02:26 PM. |
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#25 | |
Blossom of Dwimordene
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,359
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Again though, you recommend it for what purpose? We've been getting on without it for years, and I can't say they were dull years. Form says it was before his time, it was definitely way before my time. Why go there when it seems to serve a redundant purpose? We can chat here as it is, and make private arrangements for skype moots and such should the wish arise to chat in a less themed fashion at a agreed upon time.
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You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera Last edited by Galadriel55; 04-11-2021 at 02:35 PM. |
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#26 |
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,989
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Hi Gal. How are you doing?
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. |
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#27 |
Haunting Spirit
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Oh just that these days it is rare for poeple to mention IRC and if anyone is still using IRC I'd just like to drop a mention of some decent clients to use. It was more of a passing comment than a reccomendation for this website. Live chat requires more than a handful of active users but it does offer a different and more casual experience in my opinion.
Thank you for posting a link to the main site, i'll enjoy looking through this relic.
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"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite... ". The Silmarillion - Ainulindalë |
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#28 |
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
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The problem with any new platform is that it needs monitoring, which means it needs people who can be trusted to keep it in line with the Barrow Wight's purpose for the main site and forum. As a mod here I can say that I barely have time to keep up with the threads (literally!) of my real life, much less to be a part of something new that is subject to public misuse. As interesting as the new idea is, the practical aspects seem to cost more effort than the benefits it would generate.
That said, I would like all of you, both old and new members, to refrain from calling other members "ignorant" or similar terms. If there's one thing we pride ourselves in here at the Downs, it's our friendliness, so please post accordingly.
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
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#29 | ||
Overshadowed Eagle
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: The north-west of the Old World, east of the Sea
Posts: 3,857
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Possibly dating myself very precisely, I always think of Discord as a combination chatroom and MSN Instant Messenger, with video/voice chat functionality. Personally, all forms of group chat make me feel like Denethor beholding the black ships every time I set foot inside, but I've been thinking about it in general terms:
Quote:
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hS |
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#30 | |
Animated Skeleton
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Bag End, The Shire
Posts: 26
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Never used one in my life--looks horrible anyway. The only old thing I like about Microsoft would probably be Age of Empires.(Used to play it a lot in the late 2000s) |
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#31 |
Spirit of Mist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Tol Eressea
Posts: 3,352
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Lol
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Beleriand, Beleriand, the borders of the Elven-land. |
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#32 |
Spirit of Mist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Tol Eressea
Posts: 3,352
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To be clear, the reason I am laughing is because I did at times participate in the chatroom way back when, and, yes, it could be called "horrible." At least at times.
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Beleriand, Beleriand, the borders of the Elven-land. |
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#33 |
Emperor of the South Pole
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: The Western Shore of Lake Evendim
Posts: 616
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Hey Ring Bearer, yes, Barrow Downs is one of the old legacy Tolkien sites that cropped up in the pre-Peter Jackson Lord of the Rongs fanfic days (1999 I think on the old EZ Board?) Another one that is still around pretty much in it's original tech, though has very little use these days, is Entmoot. I believe they started on EZ Board in 1999 as well. The One Ring (.com 1999) has just this year renovated the tech platform, and Tolkien Forums, another original 1999 EZ Board forum, tech-renovated a couple years ago and is pretty solid and has a core of active members. Sadly, Minas Tirith (.com) crumbled into dust a year or so ago. They got started in 2000.
As for the whole Discord thing, I find it to be yet another distraction to take away use from forums when a site has a server. Bethberry! Good to see ya! |
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#34 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 785
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I don't mind discord, but I think it skews towards a different style of posting and a different kind of user than an old-school forum like the Downs. That being said, I think there might be some decent-sized "modern" discussion platforms where people are discussing Middle-earth in a context that is grounded in the books, like r/tolkienfans on Reddit. I don't have a reddit account but it seems that way from a bit of lurking.
Comparatively speaking I think I'm still a bit of a newbie here (yes, despite posting semi-regularly for nine years). But the Downs is one of two forums I'm part of that keeps alive the flame of late 90s/early 2000s forum culture but with all the trolls etc filtered out over long years of survival and consistent users becoming familiar with each other. It's not really the kind of place that needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century.
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"Since the evening of that day we have journeyed from the shadow of Tol Brandir." "On foot?" cried Éomer. Last edited by Zigûr; 04-13-2021 at 06:34 AM. |
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#35 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 3,448
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To be honest I’m on a few discord groups that are all lovely. I would say it’s unlikely to serve the function wanted. A discord doesn’t grow a platform it’s an outcrop of the current group.
As an example one group is a fan base for a podcast the podcast gets roughly 10thousand listeners a month, 5000patrons, and maybe 50-100 Discord users. And 100 is sort of the sweet spot. I’ve been in Discord’s with 1k+ people and it’s just spam, not even bad spam just too many people trying to have conversations. At once and you can’t follow. Like a theatre of people all talking, it’s just noise. However, for the downs I would probably support a discord if the base was much more active, again as an offshoot. If you’re looking to grow the site there would need to be a massive push of evangelization undertaken. Posting links to the site from YouTube videos, or Reddit, so on so forth.
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Morsul the Resurrected |
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#36 |
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,989
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Long time no see, Dawg. How are you doing?
Running any Inns these days? ![]()
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I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away. |
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#37 |
Emperor of the South Pole
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: The Western Shore of Lake Evendim
Posts: 616
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