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

CJB wrote:

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.

Quite agree.

Erica Ambler wrote:

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.

I only posted there to stir up some activity :face:

Groan

Maybe an old English pub for the background? There's a task for us Brits. Visit nice looking locals and snap some high res photos.

Largo's Shark wrote:

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?

I've asked about it a hundred times around here with no response, but there may be a way to assign the forum a domain name and still be hosted via Forumotion. A .com or .net domain may not seem like much, but I think it'd help us rake in some more members from around InternetLand.

M would have to let us know.

Would be great if we could transfer everything here to a different forum, just so that the threads can stop splitting up alone. That always annoyed me.

If it's possible to ever do that, which host would you recommend? I don't think it can be done, but I'd like everyone's thought on the ideal forum host.

If it were up to me, I'd change things up twofold: a complete visual overhaul and a minor rebranding. As much as I dig a simple layout, things here are a little too simple. A tiled background? We can do better.

Also, even if we've beaten much of the Bond topics to death, the fact remains that we're here for Bond and Bond is surely still the dominant topic of discussion. I wouldn't mind a name that's Bondian -- a cute phrase from Fleming, perhaps -- but yet not overtly Bond. "Keeping the British End Up" versus "CommanderBond.net," for example.

And yeah, let's completely sack the political threads. It brings out the worst in everybody and probably isn't very alluring to outsiders who stumble across it.

I think something similar to what Python proposes on page 1 makes the most sense. Keeping the BaB name and identity -- because honestly if we're too generic then what makes us unique or stand-out? -- but simplify the Bond sections -- 1 Skyfall section (combining the three current ones), 1 Movies section (combining the 4 current ones), then music, merch, literary and fan sections. Combine general discussion with News/Sports, and combine Film and Multiplex, and maybe add a general section for video games or books or something -- mirror the Bond section and the general section somewhat in that regard?

Let's re-do some of the art to get it away from Skyfall (since that discussion/marketing plan is clearly past expiry), and create a sense of overall Bondian history (the six sillouhettes element has always been good).

Jack Wade wrote:

If it were up to me, I'd change things up twofold: a complete visual overhaul and a minor rebranding. As much as I dig a simple layout, things here are a little too simple. A tiled background? We can do better.

Also, even if we've beaten much of the Bond topics to death, the fact remains that we're here for Bond and Bond is surely still the dominant topic of discussion. I wouldn't mind a name that's Bondian -- a cute phrase from Fleming, perhaps -- but yet not overtly Bond. "Keeping the British End Up" versus "CommanderBond.net," for example.

And yeah, let's completely sack the political threads. It brings out the worst in everybody and probably isn't very alluring to outsiders who stumble across it.

Yes, I think the Bond discussions are good but the politics look nasty. No offence! :o

The Kiss Kiss Club?

The Golden Grotto?

Shrublands?

Palmyra?

Piz Gloria?

Crab Key?

Blades?

Scaramanga's Fun House?

SPECTRE Island?

The Tears of Allah?

Bedlam?

from that above, Shrublands leapt out.

The Kiss Kiss Club is the best, though I do like The Golden Grotto.

The Blades Club. Because I'm a snobby old git.

Yay! No more comic book shit!

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

The Blades Club. Because I'm a snobby old git.

Now I like that.

Largo's Shark wrote:

Yay! No more comic book shit!

Discrimination. :suspect:

If people don't fancy threads...can't they just stay the fuck out and stick to the ones they want to post in? Instead of bitching at those that don't interest them?

Better than dispensing with certain topics or themes altogether. It's already NOT fun posting here when certain topics are to be blacklisted.

Create a Fire & Brimstone board for the threads where the gloves come off. :cheers: The sensitive sort can stick to Baker Street. :face:

Ambler does have a point though that we should try to keep things fun, and it doesn't do to get into endless political mudslinging that it's enough to drive away not just new members but established ones.

"Less politics, more sex" should be our site's motto.

Mrs Aural Sects wrote:

Largo's Shark wrote:

Yay! No more comic book shit!

Discrimination. :suspect:

If people don't fancy threads...can't they just stay the fuck out and stick to the ones they want to post in? Instead of bitching at those that don't interest them?

Better than dispensing with certain topics or themes altogether. It's already NOT fun posting here when certain topics are to be blacklisted.

Create a Fire & Brimstone board for the threads where the gloves come off. :cheers: The sensitive sort can stick to Baker Street. :face:

first class points.

though I fear I'm a tad sensitive to Baker Street. :) Portland Place perhaps.

Kiss Kiss Club and Blades Club stand out for me.

Tears of Allah will get us on a CIA watchlist.

I really like The Blades Club. Other options:

Blaydon Safehouse
Octopussy's Travelling Circus
Atlantis
Le Circle
The Gypsy Camp
Maiden's Tower

Mrs Aural Sects wrote:

Largo's Shark wrote:

Yay! No more comic book shit!

Discrimination. :suspect:

If people don't fancy threads...can't they just stay the fuck out and stick to the ones they want to post in? Instead of bitching at those that don't interest them?

Better than dispensing with certain topics or themes altogether. It's already NOT fun posting here when certain topics are to be blacklisted.

Create a Fire & Brimstone board for the threads where the gloves come off. :cheers: The sensitive sort can stick to Baker Street. :face:

Agreed.

Mrs Aural Sects wrote:

Largo's Shark wrote:

Yay! No more comic book shit!

Discrimination. :suspect:

I was just poking fun at Sykes calling himself a snob.

Blades Club would work well.

Largo's Shark wrote:

Mrs Aural Sects wrote:

Largo's Shark wrote:

Yay! No more comic book shit!

Discrimination. :suspect:

I was just poking fun at Sykes calling himself a snob.

Within the field of comicbookery I'm still kind've a snob.

I wouldn't have found the forum without Bond in the title!

Sorry, I am new and it is not my place to say.

Your opinion is more than welcome, British Vulture. Indeed, it might be helpful to find out how new recruits came to find B&B, what prompted them to sign up etc.