Renaming and/or reorganising our forums: Is this our way forward?

In response to recent concerns over forum inactivity plus the likelihood that the forums will only really flourish around the arrival of a new Bond film, I think that a complete forum rebranding might be a good idea in order to move forward and boost/enrich membership here. While the name "Bond And Beyond" does indeed suggest that Bond isn't our sole subject of discussion here, it still gives the impression (especially when coupled with our banner) that Bond is our primary concern, with discussion of anything else just being a side issue. I think this "Bond And Beyond" branding could be off-putting to fans of the arts and media in general, as many of these people may not care much for Bond. I think the forums would benefit from a shakeup in layout and a name/banner change to better represent the fact that we discuss all aspects of culture and news here. I'd suggest something along the lines of calling the forum "The Great Beyond" (which acknowledges our original name, implies greatness and implies that we go further than other forums) and having an accompanying banner featuring an assortment of film, music, media, pop culture and news icons, so that people can immediately see that Bond is discussed here but also other film franchises, popular music, news etc. I think it would benefit the forums for people to find this place a "cool" place to visit even if they hate James Bond. It's surely possible to condense the Bond domination of the main page (without losing any of that content, of course) in order to better represent Bond as just part of what we discuss here. Right now, this looks to me like a good way forward, because otherwise we could just end up in various states of limbo here until the next Bond film comes around. This place is king for discussing Bond, but is also king (or can be) of discussing anything else. We should make this point clearer to attract more good members here.

Certainly worth considering. It's obvious that many of the longer-standing members are having difficulty saying anything new about Bond.

Lazenby. wrote:

In response to recent concerns over forum inactivity plus the likelihood that the forums will only really flourish around the arrival of a new Bond film, I think that a complete forum rebranding might be a good idea in order to move forward and boost/enrich membership here. While the name "Bond And Beyond" does indeed suggest that Bond isn't our sole subject of discussion here, it still gives the impression (especially when coupled with our banner) that Bond is our primary concern, with discussion of anything else just being a side issue. I think this "Bond And Beyond" branding could be off-putting to fans of the arts and media in general, as many of these people may not care much for Bond. I think the forums would benefit from a shakeup in layout and a name/banner change to better represent the fact that we discuss all aspects of culture and news here. I'd suggest something along the lines of calling the forum "The Great Beyond" (which acknowledges our original name, implies greatness and implies that we go further than other forums) and having an accompanying banner featuring an assortment of film, music, media, pop culture and news icons, so that people can immediately see that Bond is discussed here but also other film franchises, popular music, news etc. I think it would benefit the forums for people to find this place a "cool" place to visit even if they hate James Bond. It's surely possible to condense the Bond domination of the main page (without losing any of that content, of course) in order to better represent Bond as just part of what we discuss here. Right now, this looks to me like a good way forward, because otherwise we could just end up in various states of limbo here until the next Bond film comes around. This place is king for discussing Bond, but is also king (or can be) of discussing anything else. We should make this point clearer to attract more good members here.

This proposal probably deserves its own thread for a wider airing.

Indeed PK, consider it done.

That's a very forward-thinking and potentially productive post you've made there, Laz. I can definitely see the potential in these ideas, although some Bond purists may have different opinions. As such, it would probably be best to get as much opinion as possible on these suggestions.

Renaming and reorganising our forums: Is this our way forward?

All votes, comments and suggestions on this proposal would be very much appreciated. We wouldn't want to make changes which aren't wanted or welcomed, so please have your say on this.

Also, if people agree with potential changes, then suggestions for a new forum name, ideas for the layout/organisation and new banner suggestions/submissions would be very helpful.

Thanks,

M

Lazenby. wrote:

A complete forum rebranding might be a good idea in order to move forward and boost/enrich membership here.

How about modelling it on my former editor’s magazine, Uncut. That's mainly film and music, but with an emphasis on quality and humour.

To that end, please abandon the politics and race threads. They bring out the worst in members. This place should where people go for a good time not a fight.

Lazenby. wrote:

The forums would benefit from a shakeup in layout and a name/banner change to better represent the fact that we discuss all aspects of culture and news here.

The layout also needs to reflect the change in the way people access this forum. It’s virtually unnavigable on a Smartphone.

Lazenby. wrote:

I'd suggest something along the lines of calling the forum "The Great Beyond" (which acknowledges our original name, implies greatness and implies that we go further than other forums) and having an accompanying banner featuring an assortment of film, music, media, pop culture and news icons, so that people can immediately see that Bond is discussed here but also other film franchises, popular music, news etc.

I've no ideas for a name as yet, but the banner needs to be colourful and full of pictures. Not many people are lured in by blocks of text and is discreet and tasteful blue and grey suitable for a popular culture site?

Less important points:

1.The Star Trek thread is a problemif only because a tiny but vocal group of members make the majority of their posts in it. Plenty of Star Trek forums out there for such diehards.

2.The same goes for much of The Bottoms Up Club; why so many threads? I’m biased, but Baker Street strikes me as funny, whereas many of the others seem plain nasty if not illegal.

3. Not sure the tits thread serves any purpose either. Ninety nine percent of the Internet offers better tit content so why bother?

Ambler makes valid points. Bright, cheerful, adult, and not offensive.

And easily navigated on smart phones. Even my tablet struggles.

Reorganise but don't rename I guess. Something to get members that register to do something. Seem to have many who join, one post and gone. Maybe like that KevinGamer bloke on MI6 who just collected forum memberships.

Reorganizing is definitely needed. Especially aesthetically. I wasn't sure about making less emphasis on Bond, but Ambler is right that there are too many well versed Bond fans who are worn out from all the discussions not just from the past two years but also the many spent at MI6 or CB.n. Attracting newcomers was always going to be an uphill thing given we're not associated with any major Bond site like the big two, but it was worth a shot.

So what becomes of the Bond sections? I say condense some of it. For example, bring all the three separate Skyfall sections into one, merge the 50th anniversary section with the general Bond section. Keep the general layout at least, in this order:

Bond - General News & Discussion
Bond 24 And Beyond: The Future of James Bond
The Bond Films - Reviews, Ratings and Discussion
The Music of 007
Literary Bond
James Bond Merchandise
James Bond Fan Area

While a new title suggests a new direction for the forum, I still feel we should at least keep the core Bond sections intact, as most members are here ultimately for Bond, no matter how much they post in the general news, non-Bond film section, or Star Trek. That's how this forum was founded, that's how it was revived after MI6 got nuked.

It's a difficult balancing act. The older members are the forum's strength, but also its weakness. We keep things ticking over, but at the risk of making the place seem cliquey and exclusive.

It is a tightrope. Can't condense the Bond section into one, that would be a fucking mess to plow through just to find a particular thread. It was something MI6 did just before it was deleted altogether, IIRC Tux went through hell trying to find a movie list of his among other threads compiled from a dozen different sections.

So yeah, the only big change I can see is becoming a new forum geared towards movies, music, news (without mud slinging) but with an obvious Bond bent to it. Perhaps move that entire Beyond section above the Bond section as a start. Film News and Discussion and others would no longer be just a "non-Bond" section.

I think renaming the forum would be a step forward.

About 40% of the discussion here is about Bond, I'd say. The rest is about other films, music, politics, tits, gunge, and j7wild. Hardly a Bond forum anymore, where sites like Mi6 and CBn are completely dedicated to Bond, with some small, off-topic areas.

I like Ambler's suggestion about this being a film & music forum, with emphasis on quality and humor. We should all be coming here to engage in discussions and enjoy ourselves, rather than walking on eggshells around each other.

I also don't think our Forumotion status helps us any, but that's another issue.

I've always liked the analogy to a cyber pub. A place to go for drinks after work and to have a laugh.

Might have to go through a list of famous bar names in films and literature, though nothing too obvious (i.e. the Korova Milk Bar).

Control wrote:

I also don't think our Forumotion status helps us any, but that's another issue.

But how would we transfer to a different host? Is that even possible without losing everything?

Kiss Kiss Club, or too obvious?

Largo's Shark wrote:

I've always liked the analogy to a cyber pub. A place to go for drinks after work and to have a laugh.

That's how I've always thought of the best message boards.

I don't mind keeping the name. After all, there is a lot of Bond threads on here. But thinking about it, it's not necessarily a good thing. We've all formed our opinions of Bond; we're not going to change each other's minds. We can't keep talking about the same old things. Bond may be the common interest that brought us together, but that shouldn't be our sole topic of conversation. I seem to remember another board forcing us to discuss Bond the whole Bond and nothing but the Bond, and it just degenerates into whether or not you like your Bonds blond and cold-hearted, or smoking fags, or whatever.

Which gets boring

So, by all means, we shouldn't forget Bond, but do we really need more than one forum for Bond? Or even a few threads? Should we give Bond more precedence than - say - Star Trek or Star Wars, given that there are already plenty of forums to discuss those.

Having given the question of a name a lot of thought may I suggest J7's?

Leave it the way it is. I have no issue with how the boards are at the moment. Sure, some days are quiet - this was the same over at MI6 - but the last few days have been buzzing with posts.

For me it's not just a matter of discussing topics but rather discussing it with the people I like. That's why I stayed in MI6 for so long. That's primarily why I left MI6 when everyone migrated here. The reason I post in the Trek thread in this forum rather than anywhere else is because Tux, Sykes and Tubes post in it too, and I value every discussion with them on Trek as much as I value Bond discussion with them including Sharky, Lazenby., Harmsway, Ambler, ect.

There's nothing wrong with Star Trek per se. The problem is when members tend to post in one or two areas of a board only. It creates an imbalance.

Star Trek was just an example. There's nothing wrong with a Star Trek thread. Or Star Wars. Or anything else that it's contentious. It's just if it gets too much then it might put others off joining. If - for example - you clicked on 'new posts' and got fifteen threads about Star Trek.

Although if there's one with a naked Bendydick Cumonmybaps, I'd like to be told about it.

Ravenstone wrote:

Star Trek was just an example. There's nothing wrong with a Star Trek thread. Or Star Wars. Or anything else that it's contentious. It's just if it gets too much then it might put others off joining. If - for example - you clicked on 'new posts' and got fifteen threads about Star Trek.

Although if there's one with a naked Bendydick Cumonmybaps, I'd like to be told about it.

to be fair Trek's had three threads (because of the automatic seperation of threads the forum does), Dark Knight had two, Last Movie's had the most (8) and some in the Bond forum have gone the distance. At best any new member will join and see one Trek thread near the top of the TV forum (and the film forum) that just happens to have "3.0" in the title of it. Similarly, the Dr Who thread verges on the gargantuan also.

Tis a rock and hard place. A very...hard...place.

New members could do with some automatic avatar beyond the red cross that they all seem to have in lieu of one they have yet to choose.

Hilly wrote:

New members could do with some automatic avatar beyond the red cross that they all seem to have in lieu of one they have yet to choose.

New members could also do with support and encouragement when they join. That's supposed to be one of the functions of moderators.

Speaking of mods, that section also has to be reorganized. There are currently eight moderators, when I think there should be a maximum of five. Louis Armstrong isn't as active nowadays and Gravity parted ways, that makes them the obvious choices of being unmoded.

I'm open-minded about this, but I'm not entirely convinced that de-Bondifying the place and making it a general movies/music forum will attract more people or make the place more active. Most of the active members here have Bond fandom (whether the books, movies, or both) in common and, as far as I can tell, there are more posts made in the Bond sections than the non-Bond sections. That's why I'm hesitant about dropping the central theme. It gives the place some kind of a focus and I'm not sure that tacking onto the 007 brand hurts marketability.

By all means, we can try balancing out the "Bond" and the "Beyond" by condensing the former's sections and expanding the latter's.

I'm sticking around in any case.

Ravey Rave wrote:

So, by all means, we shouldn't forget Bond, but do we really need more than one forum for Bond? Or even a few threads? Should we give Bond more precedence than - say - Star Trek or Star Wars, given that there are already plenty of forums to discuss those.

I think Bond should get precedence over both of those, but in the wider scheme of the forum, Bond should be a small subsection. Maybe four categories at most. We don't need ones for SKYFALL or the 50th Anniversary any more, and there isn't enough activity to justify a separate category for Merchandise.

Erica Nambla wrote:

There's nothing wrong with Star Trek per se. The problem is when members tend to post in one or two areas of a board only. It creates an imbalance.

Yep. Same goes for Last Movie You Watched and Mad Men. We're all creatures of habit in some ways. We just have to break out of our routines and recognise what's best for this small community.

Python wrote:

Speaking of mods, that section also has to be reorganized. There are currently eight moderators, when I think there should be a maximum of five. Louis Armstrong isn't as active nowadays and Gravity parted ways, that makes them the obvious choices of being unmoded.

M needs to cut the cord.

To paraphrase Gareth Mallory in SKYFALL:

"Perhaps you can't see it, or maybe you won't. You're sentimental about them."