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PETITION TO CLOSE DOWN BARBELITH AND HAVE IT REMAIN AN ARCHIVE, A TESTAMENT, A MUSEUM

  
  

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Jack The Bodiless
10:32 / 16.03.09
As far as I can tell, Barbelith is coming like a ghost town. All the decent threads have, if not actually been closed down, certainly long enough ago that contributing to them now feels like voodoo. And even if I did, most of the older members wouldn't play no more, possibly due to too much fighting on the dance floor.

Going over it now gets me thinking - do you remember the good old days, before the ghost town? I certainly recall that we danced and sang, and I distinctly remember some of the more 'hip' 'Lithers (Tyrone, Zenith - I'm looking at you) telling me about the music being played in the boomtown.

So yes, Barbelith is coming like a ghost town. I'm not sure why the youth must fight against themselves so much these days, but maybe I'm just a little rose-tinted here. However, it seems plain to me that Tom, though not-being-bothered anymore (and it's his life, he'd obviously found other things to occupy him and more power to him, so have I) has kind of left said youth on the shelf, so it's hardly surprising.

So, to recap, Barbelith is coming like a ghost town - as far as different aspects of moderation are concerned, I'm afraid I can't really see any job to be found in this message board. Why not go start or join another that's still kicking? The preponderance of threads like these to tend to indicate that it can't go on no more, and I for one don't blame the people getting angry.
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
10:33 / 16.03.09
Nigel Christ, but that was creaky. I'm sure I used to be better at that shit. Maybe I just don't care enough to put the time into it anymore, which is a little sad and also kind of the point.
 
 
Quantum
14:37 / 16.03.09
I remember the thread where we mourned you* six years ago, and yet here you are- there's life in the old board yet. I think there's a long term recurrent usage by posters who occasionally pop back when they have free time (I'm talking about myself really) so I am sort of moving toward the keep-it-open camp, especially since that is what is going to happen (a.k.a. nothing happening) so that's the winning team.

I'm joining the "TOM DO NOTHING BARBELITH IS FINE" movement, every day will be a win for me. Maybe I should channel a celebrity as well, it looks like fun.

*"where the blinking flip is jack the bodiless?"
http://www.barbelith.com/topic/11816
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
15:37 / 16.03.09
Something's certainly changed. The old unwritted rule of not just being bloody rude to people unless you can back it up seems to have gone by the wayside (though I'd STILL like to know why and how I'm being moronic), as does the "not being silly in the Policy" one.

Hmm. I might liek it here.
 
 
Ticker
18:01 / 16.03.09
Stoats, are you saying entropy brings freedom? Or at least it causes Haus to be silly in Policy? 'Cause that right there, that's something.

Also Quants, can we just squat in here and pretend to be celebs? I want to be clear before I launch my 'Lith crossover career.
 
 
Anna de Logardiere
22:02 / 16.03.09
Honestly Stoatie, underneath it all I think we're all aware that you are barbelith's equivalent of a young Jack Nicholson. I slept with him in 1973 you know. I was very flexible then.
 
 
Quantum
15:35 / 17.03.09
XK- YES WE CAN! I feel it's time to drop the facade and reveal my true identity as star of Top Gun, Legend and Risky Business- that's right, I am in truth Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.

Did you know Forbes magazine ranked me as the world's most powerful celebrity in 2006?
 
 
Quantum
15:37 / 17.03.09
And Stoatie is Jack Nicholson (sorry Jack, but it's time to stop living the lie)
 
 
Haus Of Pain
15:58 / 17.03.09
Looks like the wheels have fallen off the burnt out fiesta.
 
 
Anna de Logardiere
22:23 / 17.03.09
Are you a famous wrestler because I'm sure I don't recall your name from my hey day as a screen star.
 
 
Alex's Grandma
00:28 / 28.03.09
I slept with him in 1973, you know

Tt. Felicity, everybody's fully aware of what you did in the seventies. It's rehearsed nightly on UK G.O.L.D.

How could you bear to touch him, never mind milk his pigs?
 
 
Jack Denfeld
03:30 / 08.04.09
yo, someone hook me up w a summary, that's too much stuff to read
 
 
grant
02:15 / 09.04.09
Your subjects are wintry in their discontent, my liege. There are mice in the curtains, and the moat has gone dry.
 
 
Jack Denfeld
02:09 / 10.04.09
ty sir.
 
 
wembley can change in 28 days
19:23 / 21.04.09
Even though it's been third on my firefox links toolbar since forever, I haven't been here for a long time. Had the urge last night for real conversation online, barbelith-style. Discovered a ghost town indeed.

Aye. Close 'er.

So where's the next bar?
 
 
grant
20:00 / 21.04.09
Depends on what you like. I've been putting up some curtains in my basement, and other folks are shuffling the folding chairs.
 
 
Jack Denfeld
05:37 / 22.04.09
grant works for the cia. but i trust him.
 
 
Closed for Business Time
21:07 / 28.06.09
So, seems like it worked, whether or not it had anything to do with this thread (probably not).

Ciao babes!
 
 
miss wonderstarr
06:41 / 29.06.09
Arborlith/Arboretum, though a valiant effort, has had no activity for almost a week. That's no posts in five days, on a new board. Barbelith has had more.

I think this indicates it wasn't really about the software. Personally, having seen two of the other boards I used to frequent ~ which used to be constantly busy and vibrant communities ~ power down to a few posts per day and a stubborn hardcore of members, I think the issue is probably that discussion board activity has drifted, wholesale, onto social networking sites. I think it's about a decline in discussion boards ~ whose heyday was probably five years ago now ~ rather than anything specific to do with Barbelith.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
10:31 / 29.06.09
Not that I'd question your methodology, old stick, but as far as I can tell Arboretum was recruiting from the twelve people on Barbelith (minus those who are happy to stay), plus the six or so people no longer on Barbelith who regularly read it looking for suggestions on where to go that isn't Barbelith. That might have an impact on the amount of traffic it generates. As a contrast, the Penny Arcade forum is generally doing OK - although it does have a 21-page thread simply listing everyone who has been banned.
 
 
miss wonderstarr
10:59 / 01.07.09
It was pretty anecdotal evidence on my part, I agree. But Arborlith does have 72 members in total, so in theory it could be quite an active, lively board. In practice, there have now been no posts for a week. It could simply be the case that only the forums I know and used to contribute significantly to ~ which range from cottage industry to corporate ~ are now much, much quieter than before. But what I meant to say is that perhaps it isn't Barbelith's fault (or Arborlith's, that it hasn't taken off), in terms of software or community ~ perhaps there is a more general trend towards other means of online communication. Obviously, I don't really know.
 
 
grant
14:23 / 01.07.09
There are still a few message boards that are very big and busy (*chan?), but in general, I think (in my own online activity) I see a lot more commenting on things - blog posts, reddit entries, facebook status changes - than message boarding.

On the other hand, LN is doing quite well indeed. (Knock on wood.)

It's also summer, which is typically slow.

And there's also the thing about focus. Barbelith started out as a kind of Invisibles-board that grew out to discuss everything that was in those comics, which is a lot of grist for any mill. Most other message boards I know are strictly focused on something, some generator of new content, whether it's "new stuff on internet" or "cute cat pictures" or the output of a particular band or record label. Which is, I guess, just another form of commenting on things rather than creating original content.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
10:37 / 03.07.09
Very good point, grant, old chap - we're looking at the nichification of the Internet, along with other forms of media. If you all have something to talk about, that keeps the conversation flowing, rather - so, World of Warcraft Forums, or anime forums or similar get that push. A forum in which people actually do just hang out and talk is basically doing the same thing a LiveJournal or Facebook, and probably has the same problems - some people you want to be on it aren't, some people you don't want to be on it are - with no filtering systems.

This used to be a niche board, effectively, s the Nexus - then it blossomed into a more general community based around the mission statement of a higher level of discourse on non-mainstream subject matter, with a niche core. Arguably that broader community is going to find other ways to interact, in part to get away from the niche core, and the niche core is going to want to find ways to interact untroubled by the broader community - either by encouraging them to leave or by finding or creating a new niche community. It's all good - just the circle of life. As long as everyone gets something that helps them to develop as a person, or just something that makes them happy.
 
 
01
06:04 / 07.07.09
Absolutely shut this shit down.

After a long absence, I checked in to see what had changed and if there were any new barbe-posts that would put me through the psychological/spiritual bootcamp like in days gone by.

But unfortunately I was kind of dissappointed as it's looking more like supermarket pilates in here.

The same topics haunt the same forums while the same names vault obscure literary references at each other in the same attempts to bolster their own egos.

As much as I hate to say it, while I used to find this place engaging I now find it kind of predictable and I don't think that's what it's purpose was intended to be.

I mean, if there's even a forum/petition asking to shut this joint down, then obviously something needs to be done. (and even it devolved into more mindless bickering.)

Maybe some of the regulars should take a vacation. Maybe the doors should be shut for a year (even Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman needed a break). Maybe it should close down for good.

But I definitely agree that things ain't how they used to be.
 
 
Mistoffelees
06:21 / 07.07.09
Thank you for returning and sharing, 01!

I am sure people appreciate you calling them "a bunch of queers".

Do you have any more of these gems to share?
 
 
werwolf
10:50 / 07.07.09
i absolutely disagree with shutting 'lith down.
there is absolutely no benefit in it whatsoever other than dragging the few little sprites of activity that do show down as well.

no, i said it before (to little avail, but whatever) and i'll say it again: it needs more interactivity here!

and yes, i know about the problems with tom's absence and all of that. arguing about whether we should abandon lith now that it seems broken isn't achieving anything. instead we should consider venues to liven the place up a bit. since we can't to it directly, why not indirectly?

here're some suggestions:

a.\ facebook fan/group page
what good would that be? let's make a show of it! let's have other people than barbelithians see what is going on here. that could indeed be incentive for many people here to become more active, as well.
we could allow people who aren't members of the board (yet) to receive information about it and conjoined with a communityblog (see b.\) also give them a venue to express their own thoughts and comments even though they don't have acess to the board (until we find a solution to that as well).
i offer to set this page up and look after it if the majority of moderators agree with it - i'd post weekly or monthly highlights of each forum (moderators would have to let me know what they think the best current threads are, as i don't have time to sift through it all).

b.\ communityblog
let's set up a communityblog outside of barbelith.com that directly responds to barbelith topics and activities, but will enable activities and input from without barbelith.com to enter. members could be culled from the facebook group or any other online community barbelith members are active on. anon posting should also be allowed - let's have the trolls and flamers! their fecal output will be turned into fertilizer for barbelith.com.
the blog would allow passersby to directly interact with barbelith, even though they aren't members, in turn perhaps giving the members new impetus and drive to actively enrich the board.

c.\ barbelith tweet
can someone figure out how to generate an automated tweet that culls its posts from the rssfeed?
what for you ask? tweets are easier incorporated into other online platforms than rss-feeds are, thus allowing members and non-members alike to spread the content of barbelith faster and further.

there. what do you think?
 
 
Closed for Business Time
15:02 / 07.07.09
I think your optimism is cute, but misplaced.

And 01, please STFU.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
17:10 / 07.07.09
Remind me, who was 01 before?
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
20:50 / 07.07.09
A lovely, lovely person who is probably just a bit confused.

Tell you what, though. 01, when you say:


The same topics haunt the same forums while the same names vault obscure literary references at each other in the same attempts to bolster their own egos.

I think you might be behind the pace a bit. If anyone's vaulting (extending in the shape of an arch?) literary references around here, I haven't noticed, and at a post rate of a few a day, it's pretty easy to follow. I mean, it would be nice to see a bit of extending in the shape of an arch - it's a lovely shape - but I think your complaint's a bit out of date.

Also, I think you might need to process your feelings about sex between two people of the same gender. One of whom might be you! Those can be nice feelings, old chum!
 
 
01
06:01 / 08.07.09
Boring Sidney!!!! Boring!!!!!

Barbelith facebook pages???!!! Barbs directed at me because I call out verbally masturbating Barbeloids?!!!!

Barbelith Fucking Tweets??!!!

Holy fuck, you're all so fucking predictable!

Instead of sitting here sitting on your stoaties bandying boring blurbs back and forth, why don't you branch out and go to other sites to spread your gospel?

Only Nice Things why not go take your so very obvious attempts at "love thy enemy" and go hang out on some right wing sites? Because they're absolutly wasted on me.

And take MILFistoffelees with you.

Glen Close why don't you do us all a favour and close your account.

Actually why don't you all?

If someone can prove me wrong and point me in the direction of something remotely interesting on this site that by all means, link away.
 
 
jentacular dreams
09:32 / 08.07.09
BARBELITHLINKMACHINEGO!!21!
 
 
Closed for Business Time
16:22 / 08.07.09
AW! Cutesy sweary 01! Can we have some more please, it's been so long since anyone's used that language on me... getting all hot'n bothered here...

Or not. Fuck off; boring troll is boring.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
18:02 / 08.07.09
He's juat lonely, Glen. And a bit confused about his sexuality. I know we aren't his father, who is the one who really needs to hug him, but maybe a hug from us would help...
 
 
Tsuga
22:29 / 08.07.09
Soporific!
 
 
Spatula Clarke
21:16 / 09.07.09
modzero, I think. Or some other tiresomely predictable prick - they all bled into one, after a while.
 
  

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