Have they implemented some other social media widget in its place or is the website just another database?
I've been trying my utmost never to use their website since they closed the boards on Feb 20th but out of morbid curiosity would like to know how they're doing. I thought I'd eventually forget about the place but its been 8 months and it still feels fresh in my mind.
I use www.themoviedb.org if I ever need a filmography. I used to post there but the site was just too ghost town.
shareWe should make moviechat bigger.
By aggressive marketing in comment sections all over the internet.
Good idea. Maybe βI liked this movie, join the conversation at moviechat.orgβ
shareSince they closed the message boards I have only gone there a few times. Mainly to look and see what other movies an actress has been in. And to do that you don't even need to log in. I really miss talking about movies I have recently seen and seeing what others thought of the movie. And say if you did not understand the ending of a movie you could always count on an answer from another IMDb user to give you an answer about the ending.
shareI hate them too but still go there occasionally for info like filming locations or the name of a supporting cast actor. Still looks the same but very static. The boards were the life and energy of that site. Idiots for taking that away.
shareI've been on their site one time since the message board was removed because i needed to see it if was true. There is no point for me to go back there now, for me the site might as well die completely, and that comes from someone who used to be there daily for years.
shareI think closing the IMDb message board was a slap in the face to loyal fans of the site. I try to avoid that site too. I wish this site had more movie info and data though.
shareI feel the same way. At least offer an actor's and director's filmography. This would definitely be a highly popular feature. Plenty of people look up such things all the time after watching a film they enjoyed, myself included.
shareI think the real reason was the bashing done to new theater releases by some trolls. And let's face it: it was a toxic environment sometimes. The more active the board was, the harder it was to have a relatively calm discussion with other members about the movie.
But I do miss it terribly. I feel grateful for finding MovieChat, though. Let's hope it lasts for a long time.
That's exactly the reason, it was causing more harm than good to them. The message boards were becoming a platform to air views that didn't fit their narrative. It's censorship of opinion.
shareI just kind of assumed IMDb's board closures had more to do with Amazon getting deeper into the pockets of the film industry; the necessity of securing more sponsors in that avenue ever more important as they needed to protect growing financial assets, including the image of their brand, not wanting their sources to be tared and feathered with disparaging remarks. It cost them little to maintain the boards in comparison to their other operations, even with the need for moderation and oversight. I feel it was an area they simply didn't want to be bothered with anymore, which ties into your point actually now that I think about it. ππ
shareNo longer tops in google search results.
shareI haven't been back to Imdb since they removed the discussion boards. I deleted my account after 11 years.
Now I will go out of my way to avoid the site when looking up movie information. And I will never go back to the site until they allow for film discussion again, and I wish them nothing but the worst.
I have not returned to any site that takes away public discussion, because even though they don't have to provide it, I consider removing messages boards and discussion boards a form of censorship that doesn't allow the site's views to be challenged.
I will also never return to MSN.com after they removed user comments, lying about how they were "looking for a better alternative for people to discuss the issues they care about". That was just bullshit to allow everything to die down while they shut down the discussion on their site.
Fuck IMDb. Fuck msn. Fuck any internet site that removes discussion.
I'd say overall they are doing OK. The site was mostly about movie and TV show Information, the chat boards were secondary. At least the company that operates the site (owned by Amazon)
I still use it to check out the technical info on movies and to see the cast lists. I still use the "watchlist" whenever I see a movie or a new television show. I miss being able to watch a movie or an episode of a TV show and then hop online to discuss what I just watched. I have started to do that here but there are many of my shows that I haven't visited the page for here. That is mostly because of many shows being in the summer hiatus.
Who cares?
π