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ken123
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Post by ken123 »

I was able to post after 10 minutes, but it has been horrible all week. Some excellent posts by MissGoddess however. 8)
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vallo
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Post by vallo »

I'm still having problems posting over there. I can not post on Trivia or Information,Please. (2 of my favorite areas) I CAN post on General and Hot Topics (sometimes!!!!) They're still alot of bugs in their upgrade...

vallo
"We're all forgotten sooner or later. But not films. That's all the memorial we should need or hope for."
-Burt Lancaster
SSO Admins
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Post by SSO Admins »

ken123 wrote:I was able to post after 10 minutes, but it has been horrible all week. Some excellent posts by MissGoddess however. 8)
Maybe they've set up a filter for quality of posts. It would certainly explain why I've had so much trouble.
markfp
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Post by markfp »

It's been really bad today especially on "information please". I haven't been able to post one reply. All I get is message errors. It seems like quite a few posts have 0 replies so it looks like a lot of folks can't either. Thank goodness we're all here.
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markbeckuaf
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Post by markbeckuaf »

I've been having the same problems over on the TCM boards. It can take anywhere from 3-4 up to 20 times to post a reply or message, and sometimes I just give up. I've seen a few things I wanted to reply to in the past week or so, but have just passed on it, figuring it's not worth the trouble. I'm extremely busy at work these days, and I don't have time/patience to keep trying to post. I also don't like the features there, it's difficult to figure out things, how to quote, etc. Very unintuitive. They need a major overhaul, but I'm not sure if they will or not. It seemed things worked better before they added that silly "ignore" feature, which seems to be so featured so prominently under each poster's name, as though inviting us all to ignore each other, which also seems very strange to me. Usually there is a menu of features, one of which might be to ignore poster, but this just seems bizarre to me.

Erebus commented that they have an interest in killing the boards, and I'm not sure, at this point, at least, that I completely disagree with that. Maybe it's the "JFK conspiracy" theory in me, but it seems that TCM screwed up the boards at the same time they added this very prominent ignore feature. So now, not only can we ignore each other, but we might be too frustrated to even post. What worries me most is not really the board, but the fact that the board is an expression of what fans of TCM feel about the direction of the station, it's programming, etc. When was the last time we saw a post from tcmprogrammer. Didn't that person used to post fairly frequently on there? I worry less about the trolls and disrupters, and more about TCM perhaps considering changing direction soon and intentionally killing off one of the ways we have to voice any displeasure about possible changes. I remember when AMC went down the tubes, they killed off the forum. I dunno, I'm hoping it's not that, I'd rather it just be ineptness and an unwillingness to invest much time or resources in something that they deem peripheral to their business. I actually don't necessarily have a total problem with that, IF that is the reason, I just fear it *might*...and I emphasize *might*....be a sign of something else.

Mark
It's a pre-code world and we're living in it!
Hollis
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Post by Hollis »

vallo wrote:I'm still having problems posting over there. I can not post on Trivia or Information,Please. (2 of my favorite areas) I CAN post on General and Hot Topics (sometimes!!!!) They're still alot of bugs in their upgrade...

vallo
Dear Vallo,

All the more reason to expend your energies over here, where those problems don't exist, and where, when a problem does arise, it's quickly attended to. If a particular category doesn't already exist on this site, I'm certain one of the administrators would be more than happy to create it and get it up and running. You've shown hundreds of times that you've got plenty to offer us so I'm sure that if it's accepted at TCM, it'll be that much more appreciated here at "The Oasis." Given that the TCM forums have become such a wasteland (for the most part) this site is even more aptly named. Wouldn't you agree?

As always,

Hollis
Hollis
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Post by Hollis »

markbeckuaf wrote:
I worry less about the trolls and disrupters, and more about TCM perhaps considering changing direction soon and intentionally killing off one of the ways we have to voice any displeasure about possible changes.

Mark
Good morning Mark,

If you've got a concern about programming or anything else for that matter, on TCM, drop an e-mail directly to them and bypass the boards entirely. It's almost guaranteed to elicit a more rapid (and less vapid) response. That's always been my experience. I believe the address I used to use was "admin @tcm.com" I hope this helps in some way.

As always,

Hollis
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vallo
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Post by vallo »

Thanks Hollis, I do agree and I do love this site . But I guess I'm a slave to old habits. I tried again to post this morning at TCM and again it doesn't work. I've tried on 2 different computers with the same results. There was a time when It was the only site I went to. I quess your right about moving my efforts here. I hope Mark is wrong about TCM changing directions, and if they do I for one will be totally disappointed if they change from Turner Classics Movies to TCM (Total Commercialized Movies) God Forbid!


Bill (vallo)
"We're all forgotten sooner or later. But not films. That's all the memorial we should need or hope for."
-Burt Lancaster
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Someone said:

"I worry less about the trolls and disrupters, and more about TCM perhaps considering changing direction soon and intentionally killing off one of the ways we have to voice any displeasure about possible changes. I remember when AMC went down the tubes, they killed off the forum. I dunno, I'm hoping it's not that,"

I wasn't around for the crash of AMC but it seems to me that since TCM waited so long before taking any kind of steps regarding the troll problem they had, perhaps they thought the message boards would just die off by themselves.

I slipped over there last night for a few minutes and although they do have a couple of good and interesting threads I might want to join in, except for a couple of people who either have stayed there, or return from here occasionally, I just don't like the tone of most of the posters. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but it seems like the knowledgeable posters are also rather lofty and condescending. I don't mind being informed on things I'm not schooled on, but I do resent it being done in a manner that attempts to make me feel inferior.

Maybe I'm reading more into it that I should because of the way I parted company from TCM, but I was so fond of that site, that I almost feel I was betrayed by a friend.

I love classic movies, but I also watch newer movies and this site offers me the opportunity to talk about all film I enjoy without any feeling of disloyalty to classics.

Anne
Anne


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sugarpuss
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Post by sugarpuss »

mrsl wrote:I just don't like the tone of most of the posters. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but it seems like the knowledgeable posters are also rather lofty and condescending. I don't mind being informed on things I'm not schooled on, but I do resent it being done in a manner that attempts to make me feel inferior.
I know what you mean. I've noticed that most of my interactions are with the "old school" posters who I know and trust. The newer posters are...well, there are a few that are fun and whom I share a sense of humor with, but for the most part, I think there are so many fake accounts and sockpuppets, it's hard for me to believe who is real and who isn't.

I still post over there, only because like others have said: I hate to think that the trolls have won, that they ran everyone decent off the board. It makes me sad, because when I started posting at TCM, I was always suprised at how welcoming and nice the majority was. Now, most of the threads disintigrate into a flame war and when I click on a topic, I find that the thread isn't even about the topic at hand, it's two or three people snipping at each other. The only thing I wonder is if it's the same person with mulitiple accounts snipping at themselves!

The board as of late, does a fantastic job at raising my already high blood pressure to new heights. I don't think TCM even gives two figs anymore--there have been so many requests to do something about the slowness and it's being ignored! Perhaps tells me that if TCM doesn't care about their posters, why should I care about their message board.
"Some of the best parts of life are frivolous." - Arthur Kennedy in A Summer Place
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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

It hurts to read about how dispiriting people find the old boards. This is especially upsetting when I hear that anyone here feels that they've been treated shabbily on TCM. I'm truly sorry to hear these accounts.

I am curious, though, does anyone enjoy the Movie Morlocks Blog on the TCM site? Have you let Jon know how you feel about adding a blog feature here? Jon's proposal and the responses that have been logged already can be found here. Thanks!
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markbeckuaf
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Post by markbeckuaf »

Thanks for all the feedback!
Hey, this morning, TCM posting suddenly is working like a charm, so maybe they fixed some of the problems, dunno. The post reply window is opening first try on two occasions, and that just wasn't happening for me since they changed the board a week or so ago.

Still lacking many features common to better boards, and I agree with someone who said this is a VERY nice oasis for classic movie fans, and I'm glad to be here!! :)
Mark
It's a pre-code world and we're living in it!
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Lzcutter
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Post by Lzcutter »

I think part of the problem is that the TCM boards aren't designed like the majority of message boards out there.

From the looks of things, they have to work with Jive Software to solve any problems instead of being able to correct the problems themselves.

As for TCMProgrammr, he has been posting. There was a post about a week ago from him in the Christmas films thread.

Also, CinesageJr contacted him late last week when the board was so wonky and shortly after the board seemed to work better for a short time.

It may be that TCM doesn't have a large Web staff. I think patful is correct about some of the problem being related to photos. There are no guidelines (such as format or how big an image should be to post) so the majority of photos on the TCM message boards are all different resolutions,sizes and formats. The forums hardest to use right now are those with large amounts of photos in them.

As for their disinterest in the boards and the ability of the trolls to ruin it for everyone, I can't argue with that one.

It's almost as if they understand the dynamic of having a website and content on the site but they don't understand the dynamics, care and feeding of hosting a message board.

Forgot to add, you never do a major upgrade two days prior to a holiday weekend when you know you have a three day weekend off. That's just asking the gods for trouble.
Last edited by Lzcutter on September 8th, 2007, 5:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lynn in Lake Balboa

"Film is history. With every foot of film lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other and to ourselves."

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Hollis
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Post by Hollis »

Dear Bill,

I visit TCM as well, but only to read about the movies I intend to watch or to read the actors and actresses bio's. I honestly don't see that there's anyone over there that's any more knowledgeable or up to date on the movies than the folks here who made the move from TCM (such as yourself, Lynn, Moira, Klondike and others) so for me to post there would be merely a duplication of effort, and my energy level just "ain't what she used to be!"

As always,

Hollis
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Moira:

I begged TCM to let me know if they planned to investigate my complaints. I gave them times, dates, threads and everything I could think of to assist, and all I asked was an acknowledgement that they had received my comments. However, they never felt it necessary to tell me if they were checking it out. Finally, when they deleted my post, and left in Cscope calling me an interferring old woman and a hate monger, that was the final straw.

Personally, I think that was shabby treatment from TCM.

I'd like to know more about blogs however. Would they be for analysis of a favored movie with options for comments, or just personal opinions on whatever comes to mind?

Anne
Anne


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