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Amazon closing IMDb board: boycotts has often been very effective

posted 8 years ago by A-Checkered-Life
5 replies | jump to latest

IMPORTANT: IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. As part of our ongoing effort to continually evaluate and enhance the customer experience on IMDb, we have decided to disable IMDb's message boards on February 20, 2017. This includes the Private Message system. After in-depth discussion and examination, we have concluded that IMDb's message boards are no longer providing a positive, useful experience for the vast majority of our more than 250 million monthly users worldwide. The decision to retire a long-standing feature was made only after careful consideration and was based on data and traffic.

Colin Needham sold IMDb to Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com in 1998 for US $55,000,000 and with retaining leadership of the company operations. Therefore, the decision to end these boards is an Amazon decision because IMDb is their product and not a separate business entity.

Signing petitions often helps us feel like we are doing something substantial to cause change. However, unless a business's interest is impacted because we vote with our dollars, a name or a thousand names does not carry any weigh.

So, Dear Participants: consider boycotting Amazon since they are telling us that they are boycotting us. What else is it?

"Your time on the boards is no longer cost effective for us, so we are cutting you off. Use other social media of you want to talk with people who are sapping our profit margin. Have a nice day!"

If you do not HAVE to buy from Amazon and can get the products someplace else at greater inconvenience, considered writing Amazon an email via their Help messaging and make a short clear statement. Since Amazon is the favorite stopping/shopping place from a significant chunk of consumers worldwide, it would be interesting to see if many would choose to do so.

If everyone who is now upset on all the many thousands of IMDb boards each sent one message stating that they would shop elsewhere - and actually mean it - that would be very loud and extremely significant .

Alternately, in reading through the postings today, it looks like many people are already making adjustment plans, collecting emails from favorites, and saying goodbyes.

A Checkered Life speaks of myriad diverse adventures being the rewards of endless curiosity.

[–] Scarletter 8 years ago

People are signing a petition.

Please do the same.

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/petition-to-keep-the-imdb-messageboards-going#

It won't probably change anything, but at least I feel I didn't just back off.

[–] A-Checkered-Life 8 years ago

Scarlettter,

Was there some part of my posting that you did not understand?

Colin Needham is NOT the decision maker. Jeff Bezos owns and controls IMDb.

Amazon (via IMDb) clearly states that the decision is based on loss of profit because IMDb's fan boards cost the company far more than their value. Simple, clear mathematics.

Petitions are as effective as the paper on which they are written. Not much. They do not impress anyone except the people who sign them.

Withholding money by way of boycotts hit business where it hurts. I made it clear in my posting what I think of petitions vs commercial giants. This ought to make it clearer.

If you feel good with your petition, have a great day.



A Checkered Life speaks of myriad diverse adventures being the rewards of endless curiosity.

[–] Truth-Joy 8 years ago

I'm really mad and sad! I came here daily and now it is over. Sometimes I think I'll quit to visit the net completely.

[–] Anakin_McFly 8 years ago

When I first heard the announcement I was actually happy, because this place has been ovrrun with trolls. Then I came back to IMDb and felt nostalgic and remembered all the great times I had on these boards for more than a decade, and maybe it shouldn't go. But then I came here to the Keanu boards and saw:

"Tha kreeeeenanmu man as da graastest melon farming dudement aaaan da West. Ha touched maaaaaa goose."

and

"Cancer hm ? So if u got not ging left to lose , ... "

and

"THOSE RACIST AZZHOLES!!!: Now, why show Hollyweird films in SOUTH KOREA?"

...and I was reminded of why I wouldn't miss these boards.

---
It's the question that drives us. I know the answer is 42.

[–] glitterfox 8 years ago

You have to remember that Amazon use this as an advertising tool for their website, sadly it has become overrun by trolls.It costs money to have people man the site and block people, it's a business and they don't want to waste money if anything they want to get rid of staff.
That person who posts about Korean is on almost every site and no one cares what they have to say.