Hobbit Forum Refugees

[odo banks]

Is there a possibility this could renamed as Hobbit Forum Refugees (forum), Eldo?

[odo banks]

Now, what is everyone doing to find the other Refugees? I'll look for Wisey, Mirabella and Biffo --- but what of Tin and Noom and Chris and Hail, and everyone else --- all sadly missed!

[Eldorion]

About the forum title, it could, though I kind of like this one. What does everyone else think?

Now, what is everyone doing to find the other Refugees? I'll look for Wisey, Mirabella and Biffo --- but what of Tin and Noom and Chris and Hail, and everyone else --- all sadly missed!

I haven't seen any of them. I think everyone I've seen since the end of the old forum has found their way here already, but I'm keeping an eye out at PT for any others who come in.

[Kafria]

Wondering if we could start a more obvious say hi thread on PT or ask Taz to add a bit to the info that links to the forum page from THM to get people to register and say hi so we can point them in the right direction via PM

[Eldorion]

I was considering something similar, Kafria. It'd be nice to get the word out about the forum at least a bit, particularly to other THM people who happen upon PT. Perhaps one or more of us could ask Taz if he would let us post a link. We could offer to have a link back to them, too. I wouldn't mind if some of the PT people found us either, so long as they recognized that we have very different rules and standards of behavior.

I don't want to do anything without the community coming to some sort of agreement first though, so please weigh in.

[Kafria]

well I definately think it's worth a try, I just hope he dosen't get upset that we want our own home too! i suppose if we continue to pop in and post for a while on PT it'll seem a bit less like jumping ship entirely. They seem nice enough - it's just all the rules due to the family friendly status thats the problem.

I tried to look through the member list to see if I could find chris- no sign and Tin - there are 6! I think keeping an eye out is going to be the main thing. Just worried that they won't stay to look round and miss the fact that some of us have registered.

[Ringdrotten]

If we make a post on PT with a link to this forum, we should explain why we made our own forum after the merger (the rules being our biggest concern). Just so they know it wasn't anything personal or something (in lack of better words). I wouldn't mind it, it wouldn't hurt to have some of them come over here as well (if they can respect our rules, that is! )

[Ally]

I'm looking for Chris too! I've googled Chris63, found a few sites that look like it's him, but he either hasn't been on for 11 months, left no email, or both. I do feel a bit guilty towards Taz though. Though I'm sure he didn't buy the website for out highly active forum! I'd say if we hang around at PT for a while, it's actually a nice little place, I'm sure he'll let us! He seems a nice guy.

[Wisey Banks]

We weren't asked
and not notified,
We were abducted,
Our Freedom denied,

But we must now kowtow
to some degree
Yes, we need guerillas
(in heart still Refugees)

I have no kindness,
for that Planet,
It has the brutality of
err... gannets!

We'll use them to serve
OUR need,
And be polite -
if only to deceive.

Fear!
Fire!
Foes!
We all know
how it goes.

Tolkien: "The Ether of Respectability."

Wise Odo

[Eldorion]

To be fair to the people on PT, all of the ones I've talked to have been very nice and friendly, and they didn't have any more warning than we did. I think it's been harder on us since ours was the forum that was totally uprooted, but it's got to be awkward for them seeing thousands of posts and many members move in. Nonetheless, they've all been very welcoming, particularly on the chat.

Speaking of the chat, their chatroom ("The Prancing Pony") allows for multiple people to have a discussion in the same window. I was thinking that if we want to ask Taz about the link situation, it would be best to do it either via e-mail or in the chatroom. The chatroom has the advantage of allowing multiple people to ask, instead of just one person. Would anyone else be up for that?

[odo banks]

I appreciate what you're saying, Eldo, but I'm still mad as a hornet with the way things happened! If folk come over here to visit or even join us, I'll welcome them with open arms, but this is now my home, nowhere else! I don't bear a grudge against any other injured parties, I hope that's clear. Now I know what it feels like to be a downtrodden Minority. Mind, I've always stood up for Minorities. After all, standing up for Minorities is eminently Respectable.

[Eldorion]

I agree, Odo. Chatting with the people at PT is fun, and if they want to come visit us in turn that'd be great, but as far as I'm concerned this is the true successor to THM. While I'll probably lurk and occasionally post at PT, this is the community that has kept me coming back for over a year and a half.

[Gandalf's Beard]

I'm with Odo and Wisey on this one. I don't really care what the PT guys think of us. I'm sure they're very Jolly and all that, and I don't really hold it against them personally. But the way this situation has been handled was very shoddy. No notification or anything.

There I was seeing email notifications in my inbox ready to respond to, and what do I get? "Gnarly Dude! You 404'd it...click on this." I clicked and there it was...the Forum had been sold to PT... ...without so much as a "how do you do."

3,200 + posts, all now in the hands of people who were certain to strip all the personality out of the threads and drop others altogether. And I can't really blame the PT folks, they have their rules. But they should have taken a gander at our forum and given us the option of keeping it intact in its own domain, with a warning to their own members that visiting our forum would be an Anarchic Wild West experience for Adult Fans.

GB

[Gandalf's Beard]

And not only that, then they have the cheek to tell us how brilliant their "Lore-Masters" are. Like we're Village Idiots or something.


GB

[Eldorion]

I see where you're coming from, and I agree with pretty much everything you say, though I would say "Taz" rather than "they". I've been chatting with a few of their members and moderators over the past few days and they had no more idea what was going on than we did. And to be fair, they do have some great minds (I know a few of them from a different forum), even if some of the initial messages mentioning this were condescending. Besides, if we're going to mention our forum over there with the possibility of PT folks coming by, I think we should try to be nice and not overgeneralize about them. They have, after all, been very nice to us despite the disruption to their own forum.

[Gandalf's Beard]

I know, I'm just not done venting yet. Like I said, I don't really hold it against the Members or Mods at PT. I'm more mad at Ady than the PT folks, for not at least giving us a heads up.

GB

[Ringdrotten]

I'm disappointed Ady didn't tell us about this too, or how much the forum/site was being sold for. Would gladly have chipped in if the price was reasonable, so we could've kept all the threads. Still, in my experience forum communities seldom survive transitions like this one, so I guess it proved that the THM guys & gals are a solid gang

[Gandalf's Beard]

I'm disappointed Ady didn't tell us about this too, or how much the forum/site was being sold for. Would gladly have chipped in if the price was reasonable, so we could've kept all the threads. Still, in my experience forum communities seldom survive transitions like this one, so I guess it proved that the THM guys & gals are a solid gang

All thanks to having a brilliant young Cyber-Whiz-Kid , and a strong community commitment to keep things going. You're right. Most Communities don't usually survive forum changes like this.

GB

[Ringdrotten]

All thanks to having a brilliant young Cyber-Whiz-Kid

Indeed. Cheers, Eldo

[Eldorion]

Aaaw, thanks guys. I do my best, at least. But I could have made a new forum and it wouldn't have meant anything if not for the effort and care you all have put into keeping our community alive! Thank you all.

[Gandalf's Beard]

Aaaw, thanks guys. I do my best, at least. But I could have made a new forum and it wouldn't have meant anything if not for the effort and care you all have put into keeping our community alive! Thank you all.

It just goes to prove that Anarchist Collectives can make a go of it when they have the means to fight Corporate takeovers.

GB

[Pettytyrant101]

[odo banks]

Yes, a group of people who are willing to pitch in can do a power of good. I know my contribution has been nothing less than pivotal (according to the Archet Bugle's account, I mean ) but I certainly applaud all your efforts, my friends, I guess with special reference to you Eldo, whose new Forum (with my encouragement) has been a resounding success. We even have a new forumer, young Porgy Bunk, who has come all the way from Bree Hill to meet me and hear the full account of my heroics ---- err... our heroics! (Lovely girl. She likes beer).

[Tinuviel]

DON'T WORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've found my way here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank Goodness!!!!!!! the tolkien world place was quite daunting!!!
It's sad though that no one else was found! Thank Eru for Eldo!!!!

[Eldorion]

I'm glad you made your way here, Tin! Petty and I were both excited when we saw you on PT and I was waiting to see if and when you'd start posting here. I hope it feels like home, I tried to make it that way.