The decline of entmoot

[Starr Polish]

I disagree about analyzing literature. I don't think that everything that is considered literature should be analyzed (well, literature in the sense that is is a great book with many layers and symbolism, yadda yadda). It does destroy the utter joy from just falling into Middle-Earth and living out heroic adventures vicariously through incredibly lovable (or hateable) characters. Perhaps this is why I hate reading books assigned at school.

The 'moot has declined, in a way. I, too, miss the Entmoot of nearly a year ago, when I joined. Soon the one year anniversary of my infatuation with LOTR and Tolkien will have come and gone, and oh, have I changed. I have hope for some newbies, because I know that I went from a completely ignorant fan with swoon tendencies to someone who has read all of LOTR, Letters, and is working on some of the deeper works related to ME, and still has swoon tendencies. I have very little hope for some of the other "Orly" or "Lij" lovers though. Don't ask me why. After working in a theater and seeing the types of girls that go to the movies simply for the eye-candy has opened my eyes to how stereotypical several of them are.

[Coney]

Originally posted by Elf Girl
But LotR stands together as a single work, and each of the movies are more stand-alone than each volume.

What? Do you not think PJ's films are as linear? Tolkien wrote LotR in 6 books (publishers decided to print LotR as a trilogy).

PJ is filming his interpretation of LotR. As a trilogy.......pls tell me....what is the difference?

Sorry but, like it or lump it, the movies are, at the present time, more in the public eye, and therefore in the media (including the 'moot) more open to discussion than the books

[Rían]

Originally posted by Artanis
I also agree with Coney, I would like old topics like Bombadil and Balrogs to be discussed anew, but I respect the decision of the mods. [/B]

But when the mods say "it's been discussed before", I always thought that they just didn't want you to start a NEW thread - they just want you to revive the OLD one, if it is less than 6 months since the last post (or something like that).

When I read "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth" and loved it so much, I didn't start a thread right away, I did a search and found that there was a thread already started, so I just added on a post and it popped up to the top of the forum. I don't think they're saying "don't discuss it, it's already been covered" - I think they just get a little irritated when people start threads without searching to see if there's already been a thread started. When I wanted to start a thread on writing in Tengwar, I did a search, and there was no thread on it, so I started a new thread. By all means, let's discuss whatever we want to discuss! I think that's fine with the mods. I think they just don't want lots of threads on the same subject floating around.

[BeardofPants]

Yeah, just be extra careful when beating the old horse, that SGH doesn't catch you.

[Renille]

I think they just don't want lots of threads on the same subject floating around

Yep! That's exactly what it is...I think. I'm sure it makes it that much harder to keep track of everything. It makes sense, but how easy it is to forget the search button!

Decline?? NO! I've said this, but I still say it. Evolved, yes. Decline, no. When I joined in September of 2001, this moot was totally different. I can think of maybe ten people who were there then that are still here now. The book forum was actually more posted in than the movie one! And I...ee...let's not go there. I was maybe the stupidest newbie here. But that hasn't really changed, has it? Anyway. Even though it was different, I didn't like it any better...it was fun then. It's still fun now, but fun in a different way. I miss a lot of posters from way back when, but new ones have come in their places. I guess Laurelyn has said it before...

I love the Moot for what it is now, and yet . . .it's so very different. Does anybody understand?

That's definitely me.

[Ben]

I always believed the beauty of the forum is that young movie fans and old book fans can all get together under one friendly roof. It's great that there can be serious discussion and more frivilous discussion.

Very well put. Those are my thoughts exactly. It is my goal to have Entmoot be a community for all sorts of Tolkien fans, from the casual ones to the more serious ones. People who have only seen the movie are unlikely to venture into, say, the Silmarillion forum, while book purists wouldn't set virtual foot into LotR Movies. With the forums divided this way, everyone can stay happy and co-exist peacefully. And in General Messages, all these fans can socialize and chat about anything.

The movies are good because they drive more traffic to the site. I don't see how movie discussion is any less valid than literary discussion, and it's at least guaranteed to be fresh - some of those book debates have been going on for half a century . In any case, some of the movie fans are bound to be book fans, and others will be inspired to read the books. Plus, more traffic means more exposure, and even more people will find the site. This is a good thing, imo.

Not all things in the movie forum only have to do with the movie, some are about how the movie relates to the book, but since all of the hardcover fans would rather not see there book forum "trashed", they are pute in the movie forum!

This is only logical. There are multiple film versions of LotR, and there might be more in the future, but there will always be only one book LotR. If we start comparing movies in the book forum, everything will get all muddled.

But when the mods say "it's been discussed before", I always thought that they just didn't want you to start a NEW thread - they just want you to revive the OLD one, if it is less than 6 months since the last post (or something like that).

That's absolutely correct. We encourage you to continue the discussion. If done in the original thread, this ensures that the discussion expands instead of going over the same points again. For newbies, it might be initially frustrating to see "their" questions already asked earlier, but imagine how frustrating it would be for the original poster to see his thread re-appear under a different author. If the same topics kept coming up fresh, the old members would quickly get bored of doing the same thing over and over again and leave. You wouldn't want someone to totally ignore your 500-word post and start up his own.

Plus, this keeps things more organized. If you want to discuss a certain subject, one 200 reply topic is easier to keep track of than 50 separate 4-reply topics.

I've been here since the beginning (over 3 years now) and I wouldn't characterize the overall trend as a decline. There was a time when we had one, maybe two, people who could really carry a good discussion. Now there are many. I used to read every post on the board. Now I couldn't possibly read so many, and I don't need to because we have a reliable group of moderators. I think things are going in the right direction .

[Artanis]

Originally posted by bmilder
That's absolutely correct. We encourage you to continue the discussion. If done in the original thread, this ensures that the discussion expands instead of going over the same points again.

Good! I guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Then I may drop my two cents about Tom one of these days.

[Lizra]

This isn't really about the "decline" of Entmoot, EM is what it is....each day brings the potential for a "New" (and better or worse, it's your call ) Entmoot.

Sometimes I get bored of the constant drive towards "being correct". ("WHO" knows what Tolkien REALLY had in his mind, all the different times he took pen to paper!) Not just in understanding Tolkien's purpose and meaning, but on artistic endeavors in general.

I do see the purpose in trying to understand what an "artist/creator" initially envisioned, but I take my pleasure in my own personal interpretation. At the end of the day, I'm still left with "how I see it" and that's what really matters, no matter how many times someone else says "WRONG"!

Tolkien changed his mind about things over the years, (suposedly) so the stories seem to be up for personal interpertation. It can be nice (for some) to know the talked, retalked, stripped down, analyzed, supposed "bottom line", but "art" is difficult to "pin down". I chuckle when people get upset over someone else's interpertation. Sure, there is a basic outline of a "right and wrong", but I enjoy all the fantastical, weird, flowery, dark, light, unusual (whatever!) possibilities that come to other people.

I'm not crazy about the "information overload" of these modern times. There's a little to much blending and mixing for my taste. I think people's minds do intriquing, often fabulous things when left on their own. Call me an eccentric woman with blinders on, but I like it!
I think EM is best when there are lots of people coming and going. New, old, young, seasoned, sage, naive, dark, light, elvish, mortal, crabby, fun, everything. Some days boring, others exciting. For me, having the general topics helps keep Entmoot fresh.

I find it intriging that the "highest number of members on at one time" was just two months ago, at 10/26. Why then? I see Entmoot as a social gathering place. Anyone who has ever hosted parties knows how fluid and uncontrollable such gatherings can be. As long as people keep coming, interesting things can happen. Enjoy the people!

[Rían]

Originally posted by Artanis
Good! I guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Then I may drop my two cents about Tom one of these days.

Poor Tom! I cut him out once, too. When my hubby bravely agreed to read thru the books with me, I had to skip the Tom chapters because he kept falling asleep (my main goal was to get him thru the whole thing, and I wasn't going to lose him over Tom!) But by the time we got a few more chapters into it, he was really enjoying it, and he even read the Pelennor Fields chapter in the middle of the night by himself - I was so mad at him, because I wanted to see his reaction when the mysterious Rider of Rohan was revealed!! (he hadn't guessed, BTW, it was a surprise, and I won't say who it is here, in case people haven't read the book yet )

[Finmandos12]

I started this thread a little over a year ago, and then I left for a year. Let me just say this: I did not want to say "Newbies are stupid" or anything like that. I remember when I was a newbie, everyone was nice to me, unlike in many boards. Whether or not entmoot has declined, its still the best board on the web. Thanks to all the people who do this!

[Falagar]

Yup, the best forum on the net!
I'm probably pretty new in your eyes, but have been discussing Tolkien in other forums.

[Hanza]

I came across Entmoot because i was inquisitive. But i am so glad I did. when I found out what it was I was delighted. I could share my enthusiasm towards tolkien and all other matters of things.

i am happy when new members join for they bring new views, and new views mean more topics to discussed and to add our views to. Basically what i am trying to say is we need Newbies to keep Entmoot going aswell as people who have been here longer to help the newbies along.

I think on the grammer side of things maybe we have become a bit lazy but there is no decline that I can see. We should be looking at the good bits of Entmoot not nitpicking at the bad.

[Blackboar]

Most of my mates go ona Message Board called The Dark Horizon.
I visted it once I didn't like it. All the treads were just about nothing.
There were about 7 threads about the same thing. Everyone talked in text language!!
The forums include ones like "Talk bout wat u want" and "Ure fav stuft"

I'l like to say that I'm proud of this message board and glad to be a part of it

[Elf Girl]

Originally posted by Coney
What? Do you not think PJ's films are as linear? Tolkien wrote LotR in 6 books (publishers decided to print LotR as a trilogy).

Actually, he wrote it as one book. His publishers demanded divisions, so he gave them the six volumes. They said it was

PJ is filming his interpretation of LotR. As a trilogy.......pls tell me....what is the difference?

Each of the movies has to be made to stand alone, since the public is not terribly careful about remembering every little detail in the first movie, so they will understand the second.

[Starr Polish]

Personally I'm getting sick of the constant fangirl onslaught in the movie forum. Can we please discuss something other than the amount of Legolas's lines, how cool his hair is, or how "yum" Aragorn is? Really...

[BeardofPants]

Hear! Hear! Of course you can always avoid the movie forum like I do...

[Eruviel Greenleaf]

Hear, hear!

[Khamûl]

Starr Polish, you took the words right out of my mouth.

[Starr Polish]

I like to venture in there because every now and then it's possible to have a decent conversation. Probably stick to C-o-E for movie speak now though.

[wahine]

Originally posted by Starr Polish
Personally I'm getting sick of the constant fangirl onslaught in the movie forum. Can we please discuss something other than the amount of Legolas's lines, how cool his hair is, or how "yum" Aragorn is? Really...

Amen.

The Movies weren't even that great.

And ORLANDO BLOOM IS GAY!

ALSO VHIGGO MORTENSON IS PRETTY OLD FOR TEENAGE GIRLS.