Ok, I'm not trying to be whiney, but I think this needs to be brought back to the forefront.

It's been nearly 2 years since the switch from the old forum right? Well, I think thats a decent amount of time to let things try and sink in. But after reviewing the time spent with the current forum, I say its time to move on to new things.

Maybe It's just me, but it seems like after the first 6 months with this new forum, we were losing quality forum members at a high rate. I totally understand that these people have actual lives to live and cant devote their time to the forum like they once might have. However, I don't feel that their busyness is keeping them away.

To say the least, I feel the new forum has sucked a lot fun out of what used to be a great place to visit on the internet. And I'm not speaking of any forum members, I'm speaking of the actual message board itself. It's so colorless and limited to the things for forum members to do, that not only is it hard for newer members to join the fray, but it kills the patience of older members to stay as a part of the community.

I remember a community that thrived on nostalgia and silliness during downtimes. Now, not so much... (well, technically I don't know as of recently, I've been pretty absent.) I hate to say it, but I really miss going back in time and visiting posts of yesteryear. Where you reread and cringe at certain things that you wish you hadn't said, and reread nerdy chemical comedy gold by some of our long lost forum members. Just think about the countless threads that where about nonsense, yet how compelling it was to respond to them. (I believe you can still go back and reread stuff but it takes a real effort on this new forum.) And who can forget some of the epic threads where Tom or Ed came to grace us with their presence about a new electronic battle weapon or a new years eve show, where threads would reach 30 pages within a hour. Maybe I'm naive, but I also remember a community where we really tried to get to know each other. And as geeky as this sounds, I kinda considered some of you guys as long lost best friends that lived on the other side of the globe. Some of us might have butted heads a few times but it was all in love or jest. And in the long run it was always Tom and Ed's music that brought us together. Yet, as I rehash all these fuzzy memories. The truth is, those a lot of those moments are gone. And I accept it. I appreciate the experiences I've had with the forum and realize not all great things can last. But that formula works, and needs to be utilized to max potential once again.

To the newer forum members that have joined us since the beginning of 'We Are the Night' forum era, don't hang your head down. I truly appreciate and admire your effort in sticking with us. I feel like you've been cheated from the max potential that this community can go to. And the max potential is there, it's just lost in this colorless blog like forum, and needs a makeover.

Thus, I propose a new official forum. Whether the rumors of a new Chemical Brothers forum are correct or not, and a new forum is or isn't on the way. I truly feel we need a new forum regardless. Not only to save the dwindling community that exists right now, but to also enhance the community experience for the new on coming members when ever they should come.

Some Ideas:

- A return to the old forum format (php, i think?)

- A search button

- Spam filter

- An Edit button that isn't limited to an hour after posting

- Moderators and Administrators that have a known presence

- A easy way to post pictures/videos

Any who, hope this can be see by someone who can make a difference. This post has my digital signature on it.

- Bosco

LIKE

i wish i was here for the pre WATN days to see what it was like. I agree with your recommendations for the forum, in particular the search button and a better format. I think one thing i really like about this forum is that most of the posters aren't douchebags just trying to make a mess of the place. Each person has something to contribute. I went to the Big Day Out forums just the other day and it was just filled with posts of people dissing each other. I guess the forum will get its desired makeover shortly before the release of chemical7..?

anyway, greetings bosco.I don't think we have formally met before so here goes. I am Jittem and i hail from Australia. Like you, i am a keen fan of the chemical brothers. I have a particular like for their epic songs to end their albums.

i also like video games.

PEACE!

Hey Bosco, I am so glad to see you back here. I think proposing a new forum is a brilliant idea.

It's true that life has gotten in the way of our communications here, or some people have gone their separate ways from the band - these things happen and can be expected, really. Some of the old stay, and those who don't... well - they make way for the new. And that's all right, too, I think. Plus there's always a feeling of displacement and uncertainty when there's lulls between albums.

I have gotten so much out of this community over there years that I feel a sense of honor to stay - as cheesy as that sounds. I have a lot of love for so many of you guys here. Even the ones I've locked horns with. You've all been more than just names on a screen. I have some friends for life that I've met here, through the Chemical Brothers. I think that's pretty freakin amazing. If I were to log in tomorrow and find that this forum has disappeared, then I have some memories of an amazing community that has been a part of my life for nearly a decade. Not bad!

Personally I am grateful that this forum has retained it's history pretty much since day one of the php days, but like the Chemical Brothers evolve I think the forum that supports the community must evolve also. There are so many ways to communicate now and the possibilities for a thriving community are endless. It's real nice for us to have a separate forum and place for us to congregate, but I think that approach might be a little outdated. A band's website is a niche and the goods the website delivers including a forum cater to a niche market. This works to our advantage because we can post freely about whatevs in the bullshit thread and not have to worry about every one of our family members on Facebook stalking us. But at the same time, this niche we're in kind of paralyzes us as a community message board. It seems the largest message board communities out there are a bit nebulous: gaming forums, general celebrity fan forums, entertainment forums, role playing forums, sports forums. What those messageboards have that we don't have (besides mass numbers of registered users and posters) is an evolving community that's constantly in motion and in a constant state of progression that brings people to the forums. When the Chemical Brothers put out few new tunes, an album and go on the road there's excitement being generated and a reason to bring people to the forums. But the Chems aren't an industry, they're just a couple of guys who make great music. They evolve with each album but in between it's a bit like the earth stands still for the fans. With each album there's the promise of something fresh and exciting for us, but the lulls are painful when, well... when we're all victims of 'shiny ball' syndrome which results in us looking for something else exciting, new and fresh to take up our time.

I have always felt this place had a ton of promise and so much potential. I'm grateful for this place. But I've always felt there were some stones left unturned. It's useless for me to mention what all is wrong when it's apparent upon logging in.

If the label and the Chems decide to revamp the forums, I think a new format is in order. But I also think the forum in general - it has always felt like a separate entity than the rest of the Chems website. It would be cool to somehow integrate the forum with what's going on in the rest of the site. How many times have we missed news on the main page because we've just skipped straight to the forums because... well... because it's not like the main page is updated all that often. Chemical news and gig dates and things supplied from the label are great but damn. It's not frequent or consistent. IMO it's the fans that dig up the goods, find the breaking news articles and post them in the forum (where they become buried from the rest of thechemicalbrothers.com). The fans find those links on youtube of the gigs or interviews - so let the fans have a crack at uploading content (which must be approved by an admin who is willing to be present) to the website. Dare I say, a Facebook style or wiki style approach in terms of getting content on the site and being able to comment on certain posts, pics, give a thumbs up and that sort of thing would feel inclusive, modern, and progressive. A chat feature might be kind of cool, too.

But anyway. Back to the forum. If the band and label are going to keep a forum separate from the rest of the site then I am pretty much in agreement with the suggestions Bosco posted. I miss private messages from back in the day.

Another thing. Mobile technology. I'm on my phone a freakin lot going on the web and whatnot. I don't post as much as I used to, but I am here every just about every day. I can access this site on my phone, but damn man, it takes eons. EONS. For this site to load. If I didn't like the Chems as much as I do, I wouldn't bother hahaha. There's got to be a way to make a site mobile friendly. Would also be great when gig time rolls around, too. Live post updates from gigs. Could be fun, and messy!

So that's pretty much it from me for the time being.

Until next time...

I went to rehab, I got nothing to post about anymore, therefore this place died.

I got an office job, now i have no life, yet I am always busy... por que!?!

A smart phone friendly format is definitely in order.

An active main website would also lend itself to a more interesting forum. The Chems' management have failed for years in designing and upkeeping a site that would generate interest. May I site http://www.depechemode.com/ as an example? DM is not necessarily my favorite band, but damn, look at that website. Clean, detailed and updated. Check out the discography. I can't speak about their forum, but add ours to a site like that and you will surely get daily traffic.

Regarding the nostaglia about the old forums, I don't particularly rememeber the Come With Us era being a nicely designed format. I also remember being somewhat alienated from posting; I stayed in lurker mode for years due to the board's fascination with bashing noobs. Sure, I would have loved to gotten to know a lot of the classic members, but to be honest, I feel the current environment is far less of a "members only" clique.

I'm all about change and moving forward. Hopefully we can combine the best elements of every era and add something new....

I like this forum

FWIW, std phpBB forums are ~ lifeless+boring ;)

great posts everyone.

bosco, you spelled out exactly what i was thinking.

i still have the forum saved as one of my favourites, but its become such a ballache to post here - i really, really hate the 'new' design. im sorry to be negative, but it sucks!

ok, graphically it is better than the 'old' forum. and no spam is amazing.

but in terms of usability, it totally puts me off! no quoting, no posting pics, no PM's - in fact it doesnt do what any half decent forum on the net does.

i dont really understand the layout of the sub forums, if i want to post a new topic i just click new topic, god knows where it ends up.

i agree with whirly re the nebula nature of online forums. the thing is i used to really enjoy some of the OT blither, and having just one long thread of 'general bullshit chat' isnt ideal. and you cant have an online community literally based solely on talking about the chems and nothing else.....

so i would propose:

sorting out the subforums (including a chemcial talk section AND an OT section, none of this album related sub-section nonsense)

easy posting of pics

easy quoting

a search button

or as whirly suggests maybe a wiki style uber-me-flip

i have made so many friends off of here, met some amazing people, had some unbelievable adventures, and i know people move on blah etc, and i dunno if a whole new forum would completely change the flow, but im sure it would def help!!!

x

Thank you guys for the support.

The mobile friendly idea would be fun. I don't know of the extra cost for making a formated mobile web page/forum. But it would be a very welcomed element.

How could I forget about quoting and personal messages?

I would say another thing missing is an easy avatar/signature picture setup. Call me silly, but the stupid little pictures that we had attached to our names gave us an identity. For example, look at Satur8. If you ever see that particular picture in his sig, his name pops up in your head. Or remember Mippio's little smiley face guy in a suit dancing? Same goes with the small description of post total, location, and contact information. Location isn't just a great way to only create an identity, but also a great social starter.

If a new forum format is implemented, I just hope that we can keep it independent from major social networks like myspace and facebook. The new idea of formating to be like wikipedia however would make perfect sense ( as long as its monitored). Because just like Whirly said, the official website is so infrequent with updates, it's better left in charge with the fans who have the most up to date info.

-------

@ Satur8

I agree there was quite a bit of unnecessary "noob" bashing, for reasons I don't know why. But if I remember, there was an awful lot more trolling in the last forum, and most of the trolling came from noobs with illogical reasons for criticism towards The Chemical Brothers. And I was guilty of illogical criticism too, and thankfully I had elder forum members like Makekidskill/toomuchstash, Whirly, Sneakerbeater, etc. to set me straight.

As for the social clique, there certainly was an existent of one at one time. But from what I felt (and this is a viewpoint of a person looking in), the social clique was always inviting. Even the less liked persons like Slipvin, who was a knob most of the time, were excepted when given the opportunity.

---------

@ Glako

If you can go into detail of your reasoning, it would be appreciated.

And I understand php isn't the sexiest of formats but it certainly has the tools to make a quality and functioning message board.

------

@ Jittem

Hey Jittem. Name is Rob. I'm also a pretty big fan of video games too. If you got Xbox live hit me up @ Bosco40986. My top games right now are Street Fighter 4, Left 4 Dead, and Patapon for the PSP. Seen the Chems 4 times. 3 live, and 1 DJ set. I live in a suburb about a half hour out side of Chicago Illinois. Favorite tune is Star Guitar.

Ta

Agreed about the site being graphically better than the old php and definitely agree with subdividing the forums. I've always felt there should have been an off topic forum for things non-Chemical. We as a group asked for it before, too. It just makes sense. Then everyone can post their numerous Daft Punk threads in OT... haha. Just kiddin. ;)

This is a good topic, good thread.

For the record, I meant no offense to those that essentially founded the boards. Everyone here and those that have stop posting are truly awesome. I have seen the posts of sneakerbeater, anType, etc., but I have never conversed with them. It would be great if more of the early posters were still around.

Mine is the opinion of someone that has seen the old and the new, but has only participated in the new. I think I came across as such, but you never know.

Slipvin's posts usually cracked me up.

whoops caught a typo in my post accepted not excepted.

And yeah, I got a good laugh out of Slipvin too. I'm sure he's lost in the world of 4chan or some shit. If I was a gambling man I would put my money on him coming back even though he vowed to never return. Who knows, he could be lurking right now, or have some kind of alias with a 180 of a personality so we would never detect him. It's kinda ironic though, because his finals post where about the forum going dead.

....I assure you, I'm not Slipvin

''we were losing quality forum members at a high rate.''

I sorry that I haven't posted as much as I use to, however you haven't lost m!

But as least we dont have the spam bots!

I must say that this forum is an improvement over the final hours of the previous format, because almost nothing could get through the endless spambot posts. And the current state of the forum seems more welcoming for noobs. I remember when I first started posting; it was certainly not the best experience.

So, a new/updated forum would be nice. I miss PM's, but luckily most of the forum members I wish to contact are on facebook, so that point is almost moot.

Anyways, I'd like to also introduce myself to anyone in this topic. My name is Profunk, I really like most of the Chemical Brothers music, and I also like videogames. If anyone is particularly into Halo (Bosco, Jittem), we should play, because I've finally gotten into Halo 3 since ODST came out.

I don't visit here as much as I used to and I have to confess it is mainly down to the format of the forum. It is rather flawed and there are far better forums formats out there. the good old fashioned one (is it bbl or something?) that the forum used to be is still the most popular in webland as far as I can tell. I'm a regular numpty on http://www.nuskoolbreaks.co.uk and I think that is the best format by far :)

I think i arrived roughly around the time Slipvin left, so i've read a few of his colourful posts :p

i completely agree with the avatars/location/etc. Not only does it provide a sense of identity, it also creates more depth =) hhahahaha you could even create a rating scheme (based on the amount of posts), but instead of stars etc, it could be chemical brother affiliated symbols :P

@Bosco & Profunk - Greetings Rob and Profunk :P. Unfortunately i do not own an xbox 360, i have a PS3. However lately i've been frequenting a friends place to play multiplayer halo 3 and COD4. BTW i played left 4 dead for the first time the other day and decided i must get ripped and play it one day haha.

@Hubie - agreed, nuschoolbreaks does have a clear and easy format for their forum.

@Whirly - it's always good to read your posts. It is evident that you take time and care with your posts to provide an insightful contribution.

anyway, im back home after seeing erol. I'm dead.

PEACE

Personally, I do like the way this forum is made : all the threads in which there are new posts on a main page, so that you don't have to look in every section to read those.

Anyway, a lot of foncitons are missing : underline, italics etc... post a picture/video, quote...it would be fine if those were added.

Also, the "search" fontion not to be hidden any more !

Possibly, a list of the simlies we can use.

And I wonder why the section "Suggestions for Singles bonus disc" is still here...and also, there is a section for Come With Us and one for We Are The Night but no one for Push The Button o_O and the other albums of course.

As soon as the new album is announced officially (and not through clues during the interviews), then the design of the whole website (not only the home page) and the forum will have to change.

That was my two (€uro) cents about it.

I don't have anything new to suggest, but I would very much like to give my support to all the suggestions which were laid out by Bosco, Whirls & Mipps and the others here as well.