Announcement: Changes to All Together Now | Page 2 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

@SpecialCup, I suggested the idea of adding mods for ATN , but Joe wants more Beatles focus. That is all I know for now. I will allow Zig, mmm, and Joe to chime in with their thoughts.

I do agree with you that this is one of the most awesome forums on the internet.

^ Creative! I like it.

SpecialCup said
It’s clear that many of the posters who strongly support the neutering of ATN will be the ones who don’t post there much anyway and have no skin in the game. And those who don’t like Joe’s decision are more likely to be those who post a lot in ATN . I do not believe that ATN in any way keeps people from enjoying the Beatles section of the forum, as it is tucked away at the bottom of the page, and no one is forced to visit it if they aren’t interested. Not sure if the intended strategy is to try to force more people onto Beatles threads if the non-Beatles threads are taken away, but it won’t work. The fact is that some posters have been here a long time and have almost exhausted anything new to discuss about the Beatles (until Lewisohn vol. 2 comes out in 2035), but are still the lifeblood of this place and really come here for the social aspect, paying tribute by posting occasionally in Beatles threads. And others who are newer (like me) love the Beatles and were happy to discover other people who do too, and come back to the forum because of the genial social atmosphere. All of us who visit are helping to earn Joe ad revenue. It is going to be harder for users to get to know each other and connect socially if the discussion is restricted to Beatles and birthdays.

The discussions will not be restricted to “Beatles and birthdays”. In My Life , Impossible To Detail and RiP will remain as will the Introduce Yourself thread where people can get to know each other. Instead of a quick hello and then into other threads to talk about their height and shoe sizes it can be used to get to know others and build friendships. If needs be we can always expand the name so it’s more obvious to others. 

Joe might not be interested in posting on all the threads, but why does he need to like them all? I disagree that the forum is entirely Joe’s. Yes, the site belongs to Joe, but a forum needs many active participants to survive and thrive, and it is the long time posters who have built and allowed the forum to succeed, while new blood helps keep it fresh. Because of the community built here, loyal posters have bought Joe’s book, spread the word about it, and have written positive online reviews, actions which all help Joe.

Joe, I disagree that the “Listening” thread is inane and offers nothing. It is a place for posters to express themselves, have fun connecting over shared love of music, and discover new music. The other day Von Bontee posted some cool experimental piano thing I would’ve never been turned on to elsewhere. In any case, I think it is poor judgment to try to get rid of all music related threads or just have one mega thread. If anything, music threads are crucial to this forum. Lets be real; every person here is on this forum because of music, and the Beatles influence reaches into almost all modern popular music, so we ought to be able to talk about and share it.  And if we are going to keep the “Remembering Elvis” thread due to his influence on the Beatles, there should be room for Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Lonnie Donegan, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent, Big Bill Broonzy, Larry Williams, Barrett Strong, Crystals, Smokey, Shirelles threads as well. If we are gonna keep Beach Boys and Stones cause they were influenced by the Beatles, then why can’t we also talk about Cheap Trick, Guns n Roses, Tom Petty, Todd Rundgren, Simon and Garfunkel, ELO, etc.?

I think there is agreement that there should be some music thread(s), the issue is how to contain it. As your list shows where does the line get drawn, and there has to be a line somewhere otherwise we’d have separate threads on god knows who, some with one or two posts.  We’re hoping that an answer will present itself whilst listening to suggestions from everyone.

Seems to me the bottom line is that mods are burnt out and looking to cut their workload, which tells me there is a need for new or more mods, or the current ones should start getting paid a little something, then the non-Beatles threads might not seem like such a chore. This site is a mod’s dream compared to any other forum out there. The community here is neither hostile nor fractious; seriously, most everyone here is respectful, even in disagreements. If someone starts a Bee Gees thread or a favorite fart thread and no one posts on it, its not like it’s a ton of work for mods to police it. Just let it fall down to the bottom, and clean up as needed. But gutting ATN entirely seems drastic.  

The mods are not burnt out, we work to preserve the original vision and purpose of Joe’s. Joe started the forum to discuss the Beatles and kindly gave a small corner for people to talk about other matters, over time that has spilt out and crowded the rest of the forum. All we are doing is trying to get back to the original intention. The community spirit is still much desired and we don’t want to lose it but something has to be done. Hopefully users will see the positives and help shape the forum for the way ahead.

Keep the suggestions and comments  coming.