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Why has the Internet Movie Database gotten rid of it's forums?

ewgfewgf
in Chit chat
One of the best things about imdb.com was it's forums, as every film/TV program/actor/writer etc had a forum dedicated to them, so for example when you wanted to talk to Jonathan Creek fans, or Red Dwarf, etc, then you didn't have to search for and join a dedicated forum, as long as you were a member of imdb than you could access a million forums.

But the forums seemed to have vanished. Does anyone know why, and if they've really gone forever, or have they just moved, or will they be reinstated at a later date?
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Comments

  • jonesypeterjonesypeter
    edited March 2017
    I think there were issues policing them, and the feeling was that people were moving to social media.

    https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/06/imdb-shuts-down-message-boards
    Post edited by jonesypeter on
  • dm_boozefreekdm_boozefreek
    edited March 2017
    Maybe it's cos' 90% of all movies have been total sh*t since about 2002, they just decided screw it, they're all going to continue to be crap and a waste of life so we'll just do away with talking about them as it's pointless?

    I could be wrong of course, but that makes perfect sense to me...
    Post edited by dm_boozefreek on
    Every night is curry night!
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited March 2017
    once or twice ive been tempted to post a comment on an imdb thread , but for some reason unless you gave imdb your phone number (and then get texted a code) you couldnt post?

    imdb is now owned/run by amazon it seems...
    dm_boozefreek wrote: »
    90% of all movies have been total sh*t since about 2002.
    it's sad because it's true

    just flicked thru my entire dvd/blu ray collection, only got 5 films made after 2002, out of over 100... (open water, a mighty wind, bruno, my bloody valentine 3d, and american psycho 2 - and that one's only there because its so bad its good!)
    Post edited by def chris on
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    has been for years, maybe they got rid so it didnt interefere with their amazon reviews?
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • MatGubbinsMatGubbins
    There was some mention on the site that the forums were going. It is a shame to see what other people thought about the films, actors, plot lines and what things meant when it wasn't clear upon the 1st,2nd,3rd viewing.
    Some forums for films and shows became chit-chat and it was very difficult to find threads relating to the that film or show. Those are the threads that should've been deleted.
    Real threads should've remained and locked. There was a lot of great information there that has now been lost.
    Bomb Munchies on WOS thread
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  • zx1zx1
    It just seemed to be everyone insulting everyone else, it was full of keyboard warriors but there was good threads that were interesting to read and as above, it's now lost, unless they decide to reinstate it later.
    The trouble with tribbles is.......
  • Rebelstar without a causeRebelstar without a cause
    dm_boozefreek wrote: »
    Maybe it's cos' 90% of all movies have been total sh*t since about 2002, they just decided screw it, they're all going to continue to be crap and a waste of life so we'll just do away with talking about them as it's pointless?

    I could be wrong of course, but that makes perfect sense to me...

    90% of movies have always been crap. In the last 20 years 99% movies have been crap.
    Thanked by 1hikoki
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    most of the crap films are great but a lot of the great films are crap :(
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • ewgfewgf
    def chris wrote: »
    once or twice ive been tempted to post a comment on an imdb thread , but for some reason unless you gave imdb your phone number (and then get texted a code) you couldnt post?

    No, it was just a username and password login, at least if you were registered on the site. I remember that because IMDB was one of those sites that automatically logged you out after a couple of weeks, so I frequently had to input my username and password when I wanted to post something.

    And yes, some forums contained stupid posts or flame wars, but that was mainly the forums for new films, whereas the forums for older films and TV programs were mostly populated by genuine fans who wanted to discuss that program/film, and you sometimes saw posts by people who worked on the program/film, or didn't but knew some fascinating things about it.
  • redballoonredballoon
    Maybe you're all watching the wrong films.
  • SokurahSokurah
    edited March 2017
    redballoon wrote: »
    Maybe you're all watching the wrong films.
    I agree. There's a lot of crap being made, but good movies ARE being made.
    def chris wrote: »
    just flicked thru my entire dvd/blu ray collection, only got 5 films made after 2002, out of over 100... (open water, a mighty wind, bruno, my bloody valentine 3d, and american psycho 2 - and that one's only there because its so bad its good!)
    My God - this is pitiful.
    Post edited by Sokurah on
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  • mel the bellmel the bell
    what about Django unchained, the hurt locker to name but two good late period films
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • RalfRalf
    Personally I was using IMDB forums. Definitely not as much as WOS but still wrote a few posts and got a few answers.

    I guess I like smaller forums more. At IMDB I was one of millions of anonymous guys talking to total strangers.

    The quality of discussion was generally much higher with older films than with currently released ones. Yes, new releases attracted a lot of trolls, kids, dummies etc. who had nothing clever to say but said it anyway.

    In case of old movies you could actually learn a lot from these discussions, the people were older and had more balanced views.

    A big shame that it disappeared. Sic transit gloria mundi.

    And I see it as bigger trend. Forums are dying, people are moving to Facebook, Twitter. Unfortunately it's a change for worse. While forums stimulate you to have some discussion, Facebook makes you post selfies, repost memes and write one line comments. Internet is becoming a more stupid place with each day :(
  • def chrisdef chris
    ewgf wrote: »
    def chris wrote: »
    once or twice ive been tempted to post a comment on an imdb thread , but for some reason unless you gave imdb your phone number (and then get texted a code) you couldnt post?

    No, it was just a username and password login, at least if you were registered on the site. I remember that because IMDB was one of those sites that automatically logged you out after a couple of weeks, so I frequently had to input my username and password when I wanted to post something.
    nope, always had a verified account and username and could not post on the boards without their phone number/code thing, which i couldnt be arsed with tbh...
    mel the bell wrote: »
    what about Django unchained
    couldnt stand that. cant watch jamie foxx in anything either, he makes me hurl. inglorious basterds was decent but couldnt even sit through it twice. if tarantino had only done pulp fiction then quit Id have preferred it
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    tut, all his films are bloody great
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • def chrisdef chris
    they all pale next to pulp fiction imo.

    i thought death proof was good until it decided to turn into a completely different film half way through! saw the new one hateful 8...its okay. i feel like he tries to be too tarantino-y. Id like to see him try a horror or something.

  • F_ClowderF_Clowder
    Pulp Fiction as a dance and song movie.
    What now?
  • zx1zx1
    I want a Royale with cheese! :))
    The trouble with tribbles is.......
  • VampyreVampyre
    I used to enjoy the forums but hadn't posted for years. One memorable one was when Heros was broadcasting and that oriental character went back in time and there was some hidden-faced samurai who had lived for hundreds of years.

    I put forward the theory that the samurai could be one modern character who had regenerative abilities and could conceivably live forever. Cue the trolls taking the ****. A few weeks later I was proved right :-)
    ZXSR - Speccy Mags Reviews
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    Admit it, you all just want to talk about Hudson hawk on there
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • RetrobrothersRetrobrothers
    I think they went because there were too many insults flying around on there. It did become quite childish, but I enjoyed the forums nevertheless. Since they went offline I hardly use IMDB; I was always interested in peoples thoughts on a movie/show/actor rather than the general aspects of budget/location/release date and so on.
  • zx1zx1
    Yeah it had become a trollfest, much like the comments you read on YouTube, i never knew so many people couldn't spell properly!
    The trouble with tribbles is.......
  • Maroc's Other ProjectionMaroc's Other Projection
    It's annoying they've removed them. I used to use them quite a lot (never posted, just read) either to get a bit of an idea of a film or look at what others thought when I'd seen it. Loads of trolling though eg 'if you didn't understand what happened there, you're an idiot' or pratty, 'arthouse' hipsters locking horns with each other. Loads of posts deleted/moderated.

    I'm not sure where else has a similar database for pretty much every film, programme etc though.
    Cheeky Funster (53)
  • VanTammenVanTammen
    they are saying people are abandoning the forums for other social media (I don't get it... what other social media? The iMDB Facebook page? how does that cover EVERY movie in the database?).

    Mostly I think they wanted to get rid of trolls and got caught up by the political correct brigade: Award winning movies getting poor results from racist or extremist groups, etc.

    I'll really miss it, it was quite helpful for my job. Sure some people and comments were silly or abusive... But with more obscure movies and actors it was quite helpful.

    Mostly I think this will be the way the future will go "lets shut it down so we don't listen to what we desaprove". I actually think we should start worrying. I might sound paranoid, but I believe it won't be long until forums like our WoS will get censured/polices by outside companies.

  • zx1zx1
    It's a shame as i used it sometimes (but never posted) if i wanted to know something about a film, but i wonder if it was a financial decision?
    The trouble with tribbles is.......
  • VampyreVampyre
    edited March 2017
    I've just read a page that said the decision was "based on data and traffic" and user had "migrated to IMDB's social media accounts".

    Bollcocks IMO. It was just an excuse to save costs on storage. The WoS and various Speccy Facebook pages are a prime example of social media being a p!ss-poor alternative to the forums.
    Post edited by Vampyre on
    ZXSR - Speccy Mags Reviews
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    never used the forums, if i needed to know about a film i looked, then i left :P
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • fogfog
    mel the bell wrote: »
    Admit it, you all just want to talk about Hudson hawk on there

    yep, I champion such great films as I do with legendary software like make a chip
  • mel the bellmel the bell
    fog wrote: »
    mel the bell wrote: »
    Admit it, you all just want to talk about Hudson hawk on there

    yep, I champion such great films as I do with legendary software like make a chip
    Ooh there maybe some of those for sale if you ask around :D
    Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
  • grey keygrey key
    It is just like when you tune in to your favourite Sunday Punk show and a load of Muppets turn up on the chat talking gibberish, nowadays people can't walk along the beach, without treading on children's sandcastles for spite. Although on Brighton beach you can't because we have no sand ! :)
    Every time I read that the oldest person in the world has died, I have to do a quick check to see it isn't ME..........
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