IMDb closing their message board, thoughts?

http://www.imdb.com/board/announcement

Since BWW has a very similar online community with the same positives and negatives to IMDb I though this was a relevant topic to bring up.

The admins rational is that the boards they felt it was not a positive experience for the majority of their uses.

For me the boards are about 90% of the reason I go there. Often I watch a tv show or movie and leave with certain questions and opinions about it and go on there to see if other fans felt the same way. Sure, the database is fun for learning triva about an actors obscure credit from a decade ago but that connection with other people is its biggest appeal.

It isn't even that negative of an environment, I have seen far worse. The Marvel vs DC fanwars are amusing though.

to me it smacks of a lack of respect for those who use the boards, i don't really see the point in closing them

Updated On: 2/5/17 at 10:26 AM

A few points.

1. Their traffic is not driven by message boards. It is very much a sideline. (By contrast, I suspect these boards are a very significant chunk of what brings people to the site.)

2. Message boards require a fairly significant amount of administration, both technically and, most importantly, in terms of monitoring trolls and other offensive conduct. The latter is far more difficult on a large-audience, diverse site with a large number of topics than it is here. I think the number of offending posts here is pretty minimal (not counting certain trolls who are a part of the fabric of this board), and most of us could easily cull them out in <15 minutes a day.

3. I don't see how "respect" factors into this: a corporate website does not have respect in its lexicon; the issue, and the "point" is to make money.

What is their biggest driver of traffic if not the message board though?

Updated On: 2/5/17 at 11:02 AM

Isn't it all in their title? It's a database of info, just about anything you'd want to know about a movie is in there: complete cast :& crew, box office info, filming locations and, the ever popular, "more".

I think paid industry shills are a problem on any bulletin board, but according to a relative of mine who uses the IMDb boards regularly, the flacks are having a field day over there. That reduces the usefulness of the boards for the average person.

Updated On: 2/5/17 at 11:32 AM

^ neither did I. I go there frequently for info on the industry.

That's too bad. I never posted there, but I would often read them after seeing a movie or tv show, to see other's thoughts and questions. There is some really great information there. It doesn't seem like the boards are being archived or saved after Feb. 20th which is such a shame.

Most unfortunate decision. I was there just this week, looking for info on an old movie and if anyone knew where and how I might get it. Someone had posted about it this past week, I went to the recommended site and purchased the film on video. I have also made copies of unavailable films for other IMDB readers, just because I want to share my films and film knowledge with others. This will no longer be possible with the message boards gone. A shame, really.

Let's hope this never happens here at BW chat board!

This is really shame and saddens me greatly to be honest. I read their message boards frequently; some of the info found there, especially for old and/or foreign films is priceless and will be greatly missed.

Go watch an old Fellini film and then check out the message board for that film. You'll discover great trivia and thoughtful discussions about the production and themes of the movie. You'll see people give first hand accounts of how the movie was received at it's premiere (there were protests; critics declared it a disaster; i saw it in a packed theater and people were crying at the end).

I know imdb says bring these discussions to social media, and perhaps you could still have these conversations there, but it was easy to find Ozu lovers on imdb and might be harder to organize discussion on Twitter. Even if you could find people to discuss The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice out there, the conversation wouldn't be saved and added to over time.

In there Life With Lucy message board (one of the most important in the history of message boards, surely!) there is a post from Aug 2009 from someone who actually attended a live taping of an episode!! Just like people posting "Why did Big: The Musical fail?" around here, there's a "Why did this show fail?" thread with some interesting responses. For people (like me) looking for such wonderful if esoteric knowledge, there will never be another centralized venue to exchange such things as this.

HogansHero said: "I assume there are also message boards on some other more focused websites (google would likely dredge these up), but to be honest I have never had the slightest interest in a film or TV message board. "

Television Without Pity had a really fun series of message boards for shows they recapped -- unfortunately, that's all gone too. (I used to be an avid reader of the Lost and Heroes threads, but I never posted or even signed up.)

IMDB is a subsidiary of AMAZON.com, but it is not clear whether the decision to disable the message boards may have a tie-in with any business plans of the parent company. According to IMDB, they have a readership of 250 million, although maybe only a small percentage post on the boards.

It looks like some of the issues may be trolling ( although that comes usually only when a new popular movie is ready or has been released, but one learns to ignore them) or piracy baits ( a number of attempts to draw people to illegal downloads), and occasional strong disagreements ( mostly on Marvel vs DC superhero movies) but they don't seem to be significant enough to warrant closing the boards. The boards are not moderated to any high degree but there is action if one flags an offensive post ( which are already categorized when one checks the "flag" option).

There are several interesting sub-boards within the community -- one is the MOVIE AWARDS board where discussions focus on the quality of a movie and acting performances. There are the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE SUB-BOARDS which could be informative and/or insightful, if one learns to ignore the trolls and or repetitive questions. It is an international board plus there could be very many different insights on the film intent or how the movie is delivered... If you want spoilers or advance word on a popular new release from people who may have seen early or test screenings, these are usually generously shared (via the board or via PMs).

I remember one particular experience which made my appreciation of the film adaptation even more keen. A large group of Les Miserables theatre fans got together to monitor the developments when the movie version was being filmed. From the auditions to the set happenings to official/unofficial filming glimpses ( I remember how excited the entire thread was when we heard the first song being filmed in public , via a sneak audio-- it was Do You Hear the People Sing and everyone felt as if we had been sent manna from heaven - LOL!) People were monitoring the various tweets from the cast members ( most active were the tweets from the "barricade boys", Samantha B...but the funniest came from Russell Crowe) who shared moments from the filming. When someone got a downloaded copy of a screener film script -- the place was practically convulsing. And when the film adaptation was released, the chatter became louder and even more varied!

It was experience like those which IMDB message boards have helped create for movie fans!

Btw, a few message boards have been created in the aftermath of the IMDB closure announcement. This one is a clone board and seems to be drawing membership quite well, quite a few from the current IMDB board.

http://imdb2.freeforums.net/

Btw, anyone remember that the BWW board was an offshoot of the closure of the message board at Broadway.com? I was one of those who migrated immediately to this board sometime in May 2003.

Updated On: 2/5/17 at 07:15 PM

I loved using the iMDB message boards for many reasons. To read the opinions of people who have seen the movies; to share my favorite episodes of a TV show; to share my favorite moments of a movie and also to contribute to any material that can't be found online.

For example, many years back on the message boards for "the Garbage Pail Kids Movie" many users were in dire need for the soundtrack of the movie as was I. I managed to have found someone on the Yahoo auction site selling their vinyl of the soundtrack, which is one of the rarest vinyls out there. I bought it and had someone rip the tracks into a CD. I used the CD and uploaded the songs to a share site and spread the wealth on the message board. It was awesome seeing the gratitude of people. So if you ever encounter any songs from the movie on YouTube, I am most likely the reason why it can be shared.



Another memorable thread was the Grandpa Joe post from Willy Wonka...its an absolute blast to read someone's editorial on how Grandpa Joe is one of the most despicable characters from Willy Wonka. The message boards were a fond memory I had and made up for 35% of an experience i have with movies.