Why have forums declined in use?

Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me.

Not really, but I get Chuck D's point.

Anyway @Hannah , the vibe you created and fostered in the past was what made this forum inhabitable. Everyone cringes at their past, it is a curse of being human (I'd rather be a puppy, but all the jobs were taken). To paraphrase someone, probably Shakespeare; "Twas better to cringe then to have not cringed at all."

Wait, that night have been Cardi B. I get my bards confused.
 
hoochmonkey9 said:
the vibe you created and fostered in the past was what made this forum inhabitable.
Click to expand...
I would say the vibe we created - all of the core group of members - is the point that matters most in this airing of the old grievances thread. Without critical oversight, the forum would have become a cesspool.

And, not for nothing, but a person with no ego could have never created - or controlled - any of this. So you're welcome. ?
 
Last edited:
Honestly, I think the vibe was shitty at times. Often, I was hesitant to post, not wanting to trigger a hostile response. I appreciate you owning up to it, Hannah. I like the new vibe. Not that fools would be suffered. And I'm sure I deserved some of the crap I got.
 
...most of the time the vibe was fine. You did a great job setting this all up and running it, Hannah. It would have been a mess without a strong hand in control. The "shitty vibe" was only during certain periods. I took it personally when I felt it was aimed at me, but in retrospect I can see that it wasn't personal at all, just collateral damage from the unhappiness you were going through. And I'm sure my being careful during those times kept me from posting a lot of stupid, ill considered stuff. No harm done.
 
I always loved it here, always will.

Definitely wrote this before but when I went looking for Bukowski material on the then youngish web, like, 20 years ago and found the old smog.net domain where the material was hosted at the time, my mind was blown what a well of information this place was. The FBI files, the article by Linda King, the photos ... I drank it all in.

Then it became this place and the well of information exploded ever more.

If you love Bukowski, tf are you doing out there. This is the place.
 
I havnt been here long, havnt said a bad word to anyone but iv had a couple of guys (mega posters) trying to bait me into a response with smarmy smart arse comments It seems the game for a few long timers here isnt the writings of Bukowski but rather trying to lord it over noobs.
MJP wrote an essay to prove how little robZ's opinion of him meant to him. Its bizarre. Its like battle of the egos here.
Who is Hanna?. Is that another site?.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks. I read this thread and the honesty is very cool. Im starting to understand the dynamics past and present a bit. I wouldnt tolerate assholes in real life but censorship seems self defeating. I think deleting posts in a casual way is a better solution than banning outright.
Crazy, out of control. erratic, unstable people and posts keep things real. Conformity is the killer of life energy.
I think people in general and the new generations dont read literature in the numbers that used to. Reading books is a thing of the past and ebooks suck ass compared to holding an actual book. Attention spans shortening and the dumbing down of society in general means Bukowski along with all great authors are and will be read a lot less so the number of members here have diminished.
 
What's the major difference between a forum and the other platforms?
  • The forum has an individual profile, with a post history;
  • Forums tend to be smaller, more welcoming, like a community;
  • People posting tend to think long term, the image they're building.
Why are communities deteriorating all across the globe?
Why do we prioritize disposable things, like a post within five thousand, distributed by the votes they get?
Why do we like cheap feedback, a number of likes that tells you how well is your opinion accepted?
 
I suspect the number of Bukowski readers out there has diminished, his popularity has waned somewhat. It's not what it was 10, 20 years ago. I see fewer of his books in new bookstores. They aren't being stocked because they don't sell as well as they used to. It's a far different time than it was when he was alive. That translates into fewer visitors in this forum. What is here is still a great resource to anyone with more than a casual interest in Bukowski. Forums like this may be too good, have too much substance and depth, for the average reader these days. Quick likes are more the thing now. Click and scroll on.
 
i think that watered down "On whatever" series has done more harm than good for his readership as well.
 
If the new generation is meant to find his work, they will. I turned twenty-one last August when I finally discovered Bukowski. I've finished up Post Office and Ham on Rye. Many new generation musicians have sampled his voice into their songs, that's how I found him. Reading may decrease in popularity but his spirit very much remains alive.
 
I used to use forums all the time back in the early and mid-2000's. Isn't it funny to be at that age when I can be nostalgic about message boards? I loved them at the time. They were a crucial part of my upbringing, which is an odd thing to say, considering they are online, which means, a user tends to be sitting in a little room without any light, tapping away on a keyboard. I used to use a website called Writerswrite.com and post awful spontaneous poems for years, but that died the death a long time ago too.

It's funny to think that message board forums feel kind of old school now. Online is a weird cultural landscape because it's all online and lost. You can actually access the 'old web' I went back and found writerswrite.com and some of my old awful writing. Remember the days of MSN chat? AOL Chat? Yahoo Chat message boards? Wild. I am such a neurotic for nostalgia. Which I why I am back here today. I went down a Bukowski rabbit hole today and remembered Buk.Net.

I hope everyone is doing well. Is mjp now hannah? That's great. Welcome Hannah! I still recognise a few old posters from the past. I hope you're all doing well, and if you're not, that want be for too long. Here's to message boards!
 
Forums have died off because of social media. People are generally attracted to places that offer the largest audience for their verbal eructations. That said, most people who post online vastly overestimate the amount of attention paid to their outpourings. See the spotlight effect for a psychological explanation of this phenomomen.

As to this forum, I'm glad it's in new hands. I was reluctant to post here because I saw some truly awful behavior from the previous owner toward other users. And then there was this constantly stuck post regarding how badly Buk was treated by his editors. That thing was an embarrassment of poor scholarship and should be taken down. I was thinking, what the fuck? Is this some kind of vanity outlet for the owner? Is he trying to kill off his own creation? The best thing owners of forums can do is police behavior that is destructive to the community and otherwise be calm, predictable, even handed, and largely a nonentity. When the bad behavior comes from the owner, the best thing to do is step aside because the forum will be doomed anyway. Some people are cut out for forum ownership; most people are probably not.
 
Last edited:
orrin white said:
I was thinking, what the fuck? Is this some kind of vanity outlet for the owner? Is he trying to kill off his own creation?
Click to expand...
that's some crazy twisted reasoning right there. but it would've been SO fitting to apply what you wrote to john martin and what he's done to the artist he discovered and put so much energy into promoting and publishing.

WTF mon! ?
 
orrin white said:
And then there was this constantly stuck post regarding how badly Buk was treated by his editors. That thing was an embarrassment of poor scholarship and should be taken down. I was thinking, what the fuck? Is this some kind of vanity outlet for the owner? Is he trying to kill off his own creation?
Click to expand...
I've been studying Bukowski's work since the 1960s and I'd say that Michael J. Phillips'/Hannah's essays revealing the extent to which editor John Martin has monkeyed with Bukowski's texts is the most significant piece of Bukowski scholarship I've seen to date. Hands down. It was carefully done, fully documented, and right on the money. It forever changed my view of Martin as an editor. But that's just my take on it.
 
Trevor said:
If this site were hands-off, it would be indistinguishable from the bukowski social media groups.

Of the posts that get through, nearly every one is edited to some degree by zobraks or hoochmonkey. It's pretty unique.
Click to expand...

Maybe. Now the forum has nothing to distinguish itself- just legacy.
 
I think this forum has more depth, more content, than the social media groups. Mainly what I see in those are quotes without commentary, and photos. Here you see opinions, insights, detailed information about Bukowski and his work. More real meat. Yes, tons of legacy. But as quiet as it is now, and as few people who are posting, it's still substantial. If I was doing research on Buk, I'd look here for info, not on a Facebook page.
 
Yup, this is a treasure trove. But still lots to discuss. When you try to discuss anything it gets shot down, and god forbid if you are a newbee to bukowski - they get really initiated, then they leave. I am not sure how this benefits the forum. Anyone trying to join in. It does not.
 
tony walton said:
When you try to discuss anything it gets shot down, and god forbid if you are a newbee to bukowski - they get really initiated, then they leave.
Click to expand...

i haven't noticed that. what i have noticed is the new members not engaging with each other which prevents anything in the way of a community from growing.

try initiating stimulating conversations instead of complaining.
 
I’ll speak of my experience.

I forgot.

Ridiculous, isn’t it.

I forgot that

Here Be Friends


So.

It’s nice to check back in.

Seems lively in here. Almost rude.

Maybe that’s a better question to ask.

Why would people want to come back?


Well, again “in my experience” I like the fuckups, the shit head, shit disturbing poets who gargle on their own vomit.

Refreshing stuff.

Carry on…
 
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.

I was reading some of the old shit, @Hannah

When I was with Jenifer, I sat her kids down to watch leave it to beaver for the first time.

Really put yourself there…

Premiering

Leave it to Beaver

to the Beavis and Butthead generation.

IMG_6756.jpeg



Went over about as nice as finding a toenail in banana pudding.

Pardon, Heffe…
But You ‘da Boss.

Someone needed to be the hard ass. Still glad it was you… ❤️
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

M
I have to wonder 'why'?
Replies
4
Views
2K
Bukfan
Bukfan
pig ear press
Publishers who use LuLu
Replies
4
Views
3K
mjp
M
D
  • Locked
Acne treatment to use
Replies
7
Views
4K
bongobill
B
homeless mind
Best line from the forums?
Replies
23
Views
6K
d gray
d gray
M
Subscribing to the forums / RSS feeds
Replies
17
Views
5K
Skarving
Skarving

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top