Last Forum Standing

[HubbaBubba]

'Accommodates negativity' is really just relative free speech by a different name, but the phrase coveys no honourable intentions at all. Congrats.

Gnr fans are widely disappointed and need to vent. Whether you allow this to happen on your site because it gives you the tactical edge in some sort of message board popularity contest, or because it's good to let fans voice the legitimate disappointment you also may or may not feel, it's a good thing.

[SoulMonster]

'Accommodates negativity' is really just relative free speech by a different name, but the phrase coveys no honourable intentions at all. Congrats.

Gnr fans are widely disappointed and need to vent. Whether you allow this to happen on your site because it gives you the tactical edge in some sort of message board popularity contest, or because it's good to let fans voice the legitimate disappointment you also may or may not feel, it's a good thing.

"Accommodate negative opinions" is much more accurate than the fuzzy "relative free speech" when we are talking about the history of mygnrforum, and I absolutely meant it in a positive way. I agree that fans should be allowed to vent and vice their criticism, and the way that the former admins here have allowed them to do so, without resulting in a forum ONLY for those that are only interested in criticizing, is one of the good decision they have made, and to which I alluded earlier.

[HubbaBubba]

Again, this position you're taking is a bit disconcerting. What's clever about allowing people to say what they think?

Most guns fans are disappointed at this stage. Any site that takes this absolute truth and either tries to completely mask it, or rabidly promotes it as a single issue, is going to go belly-up eventually. There are plenty of examples of both. However any board with enough traffic that allows open debate will give a cross-section reflecting the sorry reality.

It shames me to say the 'fiendish trap' thing was a sarcastic joke, made because you called the perceived ethos of mygnr an 'illusion', a word which ironically does in fact imply subterfuge on the part of the mods. I'm assuming this was a joke too, otherwise the talk of 'transparency' in your very next post is pure hypocrisy.

[Towelie]

There was a forum which was actually more anti-Axl than mygnr. I cannot remember the name of it now but it was still extent about two-three years ago, and I think one or two posters who post here, were active there. It was full of, ''Axl is a obese plastic surgery disaster'', type posts. Full of my type of people in other words haha.

I think you're referring to gunsnfnroses.com

Brilliant forum full of hilarious posts. Not exactly the most active of communities, but they have a good sub-forum dedicated to porn.

[SoulMonster]

Again, this position you're taking is a bit disconcerting. What's clever about allowing people to say what they think?

It is the balance of moderating that is clever in that it makes the site a place that quite well fits the current mood of GN'R fans hence prevents titration as much as possible. If they didn't come down on abrasive and repeatedly negative posts and trolling at all, it would turn many still positive members away, yet if they censored all negativity, it would turn many else away. Whether this is done cleverly (your word, not mine) or just as a reflection of the mods and admins mirroring what most fans think, I don't know. but it does result in a forum that caters to the average fan and hence this site succeeds relativelly at keeping some activity while other lose members.

It shames me to say the 'fiendish trap' thing was a sarcastic joke, made because you called the perceived ethos of mygnr an 'illusion', a word which ironically does in fact imply subterfuge on the part of the mods.

It absolutely was not an implication on subterfuge on part of the admins or mods, in fact in a later post (#24) I explicitly stated that I don't think they are to blame for this myth being propagated: I don't think the mods or admins propagate this myth, I think it is just one of those silly thing that when first born is hard to kill - because [we] want to believe.

[DownUnderScott]

Did anyone here ever go on gnrdaily.com ? I was on that for years and loved it. It was a very basic concept and layout. Basically just posted news and you could comment on it. It was fun and had good posters on it.

Anyway, this is the best site by a long shot - i love this place and definitely admire the people that run it. Thank God for their dedication. This place keeps GnR alive for me and for that Im very grateful.

[Zint]

Not to be negative or anything, but Mygnr thrives? You must not have been here some years ago. The activity is a lot lower than it used to be.

And yet, here you are...

[Satanisk_Slakt]

Yet here I am indeed. Was there anything you wanted to say with that? Or is this yet another thing I'm not allowed to mention?

[Zint]

Yet here I am indeed. Was there anything you wanted to say with that? Or is this yet another thing I'm not allowed to mention?

There was, irony related, but I'll refrain.

No, nothing else you are not allowed to mention as of now.

[downzy]

It's all relative. It thrives compared to other forums, but certainly it is not as busy as it once was.

I've always felt strongly that supporting a band like GNR is very similar to supporting your local sports team. People come and go but fans will continue to support the team as they've incorporated its existence into their own identity. I've been a GNR fan since I was 10 years old, almost two and a half decades. It's a big part of who I am. That is why I, and I would wager that others, return to places like MyGNRFORUM and other forums.

The popularity of one forum over another is likely more to do with how the forum is managed and who populates it. The previous admins and current mods of this forum make an attempt to balance the needs of the community with the needs of the individual poster. As much as we might look mods make knee-jerk reactions when it comes to suspensions and banishments, there is a tremendous amount of thought, discussion and even arguments amongst the mod/admin team as to what should be done with members who piss on the forum rules. We don't like banning anyone and try to give all members who violate the rules every opportunity to return to good standing. Those who can't are shown the door because then we're spiting the rest of the community by allowing that member poison the waters. It's important to remember that almost every person who writes diatribes about this place at other forums are most likely banned from posting here. I get their anger, but everyone of them was given an opportunity to follow forum rules. They chose not to, and hence were shown the door. My "favourite" people are those who get banned at multiple forums and yet still blame the forums for being ostracized. It's as if they fail to see the common denominator in all of it.

This forum tries to allow for the widest range of opinions as possible. From absolutist Axl supporters to his biggest detractors, we'll take it all so long as people are respectful of other people's opinions. While it's nice to find agreement with others at times, it would be boring if this forum was simply a place where everyone agrees with everyone else.

This place gets a rep for hosting members who "hate" or dislike GNR but I disagree with that contention. The people who often criticize Axl for some of the moves he has made (and more often, it's the moves he doesn't make) will likely be the first in line if a new album were to be released or a new setlist were to be introduced. As others have pointed out, you need to allow some form of venting of frustrations. This is the single most important message I would convey to the band and its management. Much like fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Boston Redsox decry moves made by the organization at times, it doesn't mean they still don't support the team. There have been many instances where I too have voiced discontent with the band but by expressing that frustration I was able to get over and return to the fold. For me, and I reiterate that this is my opinion alone, this concept is lost on certain other forums. Being a fan means experiencing the highs but also the lows. And when the lows happen, it's important to vocalize that disappointment. It generates more conversation, more areas of disagreement, and provides a form of therapy to fans who feel disappointed in what they cherish so highly. I'm glad that a place like this forum exists that accepts and allows such contrasting viewpoints.

[SoulMonster]

There have been many instances where I too have voiced discontent with the band but by expressing that frustration I was able to get over and return to the fold. For me, and I reiterate that this is my opinion alone, this concept is lost on certain other forums.

I can't think of any GN'R forums where expressing negative opinions on the band isn't allowed. People like to rag on HTGTH for not allowing it, but my own personal experience with that site disagrees with that opinion. I think the difference between the forums is not whether criticism is allowed, but in what forms that frustration is allowed to take. So it's more about form than content, really. And if people decide to vent their frustrations about, say, Axl being fat, repeatedly in any thread where they can manage to make it semi-relevant, then that is no longer really a genuine expression of frustration but just cupcakes taking the piss. As I said earlier, I think the admins here have done a great job in making this a place a majority of GN'R fans would feel at home, by coming down on the aforementioned trolling behaviour.

[D-GenerationX]

HTGTH has a worse reputation than what goes on there in actual practice.

If everything that was said about Jarmo was true, I'd have been gone in a week. But I've been posting there for a year, and hardly with the assumed stepford level of devotion that is said to be required.

This place is fun, but not serious. I actually do still happed to be interested in what the band is doing and their future plans. To talk about that, you have to post at HTGTH. I get a lot of laughs reading here, but how many posts about "Fat Axl" and "$la$h" do you have to wade through to talk about something real?

[maynard]

HTGTH has a fame for a reason. There was a point where any post with a negative tone towards Axl was deleted. Why do you think it's so dead? That forum is the remains of a dictatorship. Jarmo is not a dictator anymore simply because the forum has 4 or 5 regular posters... People lost interest in disagreeing with him.

[D-GenerationX]

HTGTH has a fame for a reason. There was a point where any post with a negative tone towards Axl was deleted. Why do you think it's so dead? That forum is the remains of a dictatorship. Jarmo is not a dictator anymore simply because the forum has 4 or 5 regular posters... People lost interest in disagreeing with him.

Lack of dissent is why its dead. We all know this.

But there are ways to do it and ways not to. "Axl is fat so fuck him and his cash grab bullshit" is going to get deleted there. And it should. Where does that conversation really go?

[maynard]

HTGTH has a fame for a reason. There was a point where any post with a negative tone towards Axl was deleted. Why do you think it's so dead? That forum is the remains of a dictatorship. Jarmo is not a dictator anymore simply because the forum has 4 or 5 regular posters... People lost interest in disagreeing with him.

Lack of dissent is why its dead. We all know this.

But there are ways to do it and ways not to. "Axl is fat so fuck him and his cash grab bullshit" is going to get deleted there. And it should. Where does that conversation really go?

Yeah, those Facebook comments are really stupid. Don't see them around the forums, not anymore at least.

[Apollo]

I think the main strength of this forum is that we have Soulmonster here to educate and over-explain everything to death if somebody dare disagree with him.

*****

Great post Downzy.

[WFA]

I think the main strength of this forum is that we have Soulmonster here to educate and over-explain everything to death if somebody dare disagree with him.

*****

Great post Downzy.

I'd have to disagree with you here, the reason mygnr is still going strong is because we're all on the edge of our seats waiting to hear what Val22 and her kids think of current events.

Agree w/ the second part of the post, great post Downzy

[IncitingChaos]

I always liked that fans here will tear Axl, Slash, or anyone apart for poor performances or lack of productivity, but the moment they have one of those goosebump performances or announce something positive then this place turns into full agreement and excitement.

People are fair here. Some overly supportive, some really negative, but for the most part when things are done right we all love it.

Nearly every member of the band has done an interview or come on here to post. Guys do a great job of getting those interviews and building connections. We end up with some awesome stories. I thought the Michelle interview was brilliant last month. Marc has been amazing sharing his knowledge with us. Rockfuel came here when they did the blu ray. Axl has been here. Slash did an interview I believe. It just seems that the people running this place do an excellent job of making the most with very little going on. It definitely keeps me interested in a rather quiet band.

[bran]

Not to be negative or anything, but Mygnr thrives? You must not have been here some years ago. The activity is a lot lower than it used to be.

to be fair back then there was more to talk about. chinese democracy was still this mythical thing, the carrot on a stick that kept people going and kept people coming back to the site for the possibility of leaks or new album information, the new lineup was fresh and was ripe for conversation. today there is nothing to talk about in gnr. chinese democracy has come and gone 6 years ago and there is nothing on the horizon.

everybody saw how busy this place got again when goin down and all that stuff leaked, the place was full of people and led to discussion for days. if axl rose would come out tomorrow and say the new gnr album will release in 2015 and then released a snippet of a new song(not silkworms or any of that but something never heard) not just this forum but every gnr forum on the internet would pick up and become busy. right now there is literally nothing to talk about.

as for this forum, i think what keeps it going even in the down times is the anything goes/my world sections. everyone on these forums(for the most part) has known each other in one shape or form(for better or worse) for years now. with anything goes and all that there is actual things to talk about. i still feel if gnr ended this forum could still stay afloat as just a free for all discussion forum IMO.

Edited December 10, 2014 by bran

[tinyrobot]

What about Facebook? How does that figure in all this?

I don't go on Facebook or twitter or even yahoo but my impression is a lot of fans are on Facebook or they can get info without going to website

The GNR communities and FanPages in Facebook are like 5 times bigger than this forum and any other forum. It's a different dynamic, though.

[tomfriend]

The fact that Jarmo and his lackeys have brown-nosed, censored and thought-policed their board into utter and total irrelevance pleases me greatly.

[November_rain]

This is the first site I found back in 2002 and although I used to post in other forums as well, this forum was always the one I came back to. I even took an involuntary break thanks to certain pshycho admin but that's another story. This place has had its highs and lows and even in the periods of silence it managed to survive. There were times when it was full of people whose only purpose was to create bad blood and poison the atmosphere. They turned this place into a very negative place. Since Subs became the admin of this place things have changed a lot. You find all kinds of ppl but at least the atmosphere is not poisoned. Some ppl disappeared because they lost interest and some others just don t come as much as they used to because they have their own life stuff to worry about.

[RockerRoller]

Man I miss chinesedemocracy.com. I used to post over there in like poems and always had my posts rhyme I mighta actually done that here too a loooong time ago. There are so many new people here now tho, I miss the guys from the early 2000s

[niceguy]

I'd say we're the truest GNR fans.

Instead of walking away from this huge shit pile that Axl turned GNR into, we're instead focusing on what went wrong and how it could be fixed. That's dedication!

[wasted]

Mygnr is the CNN or Fox News of GNR.