Hi, just a few thoughts and questions

I visited entmoot some long time ago, and was scared from it's size (for an ezboard, I do post at another board with close to 3000 members).

Yet I might look around and perhaps post at some time. I'm a great tolkien fan, and am known on Tolkien boards as Ingwe, High King of the Elves and Lord of the Vanyar...

NE ways, I was just wondering what it is that makes this place so popular and active.

I would be glad for any advice from the admins here.

And if you would not mind, I would like to offer my board for the ring. It has a forum dedicated to Tolkien.

the ezboar id is: balixor

thanx

Taim

Welcome to the board! Well, we'd be glad to have you here whenever you want

I have added Alixor to the ring.

We were among the first Tolkien boards on ezboard, opening in September 1999, so we've been around awhile. I founded it along with someone I met on the Jedi Council board. We posted advertisements (in appropriate threads) all over the JC, and most of our original member base came from that board. Then I searched for other Tolkien ezboards, and invited their members to come to Entmoot.

Eventually as it gained some steam, that attracted more people, because who wants to visit a dead board? People tend to be shy about posting the first threads, so we posted a lot of threads in the LotR forums for people to use. I think we had (and have) a friendly atmosphere that makes people want to stay here.

Yes indeed. Entmoot was one of the first Tolkien boards to have something special. Now there are just dozens and dozens alike it elsewhere (including my board ).

oh, hi alix
I see u found your way here...

Well, I know all about dead boards, though I'm kind of passed that, yet not full of activity either.

I was just wondering since boards of this size are quite rare.

Thanx for adding Alixor. And I'll try to post here whenever I can...I'm known to be a...overproud High Elf

Taim

Hullo and welcome!

I think the reason this board is successful is it is well maintained. We try to keep the threads on topic (umm, most of the time) and delete or weed out those that are useless. We try to welcome new members, ask them questions, direct them to threads that they may be interested in, make them feel welcome. We also have several Tolkien scholars that are real gems that post here often and some that work as moderators in the LOTR forums. Finally, this board is a safe place for anyone of any age because we don't allow any swearing, trolling, or flaming.

Well, that is how I see this place. I hope you enjoy your stay here and visit often.

And of course, having someone so frightening and insane as myself around here has always helped

I think one reason for our success was that, when Ben and I decided to start this place there really wasn't any watering hole for Tolkien fans online. Sure, places like TORN have always had their little boards, but they never really got much attention from the people who started the websites, and dwindled into obscurity. For a long time all of our attention was on this place, and even now, with the Tolkien Trail up and running (sort of ), we dedicate a lot of time to this place.

Not really.. there are a lot of Tolkien boards you just never knew about that started before us and are still going strong. We're the best on ezboard but there are plenty of other ones out there a lot older and bigger.. the one at Imladris, Michael Martinez's White Council, the TORN board, The White Council at TolkienOnline...

Of course it's all nothing compared to the Star Wars board group... even in late '99 it would've been impossible to make even a dent in that community, considering there were already 2304970348 SW boards (which is why we went for LotR, and why we still exist after all the other SW-themed JC spin-offs failed... Nut's board, SoaH's board, SotS's board... the only two from that time that still do well are Bashers and Slackers, but that's less Star Wars and more socializing.).

I'll post under my usual name. Sorry about the confusion. It's just that I have a user name identiy crisis at the moment. But this is my primary user account on ezboard. I use the other on Wheel of Time boards. But N E ways....

Yeah, there ARE other boards out there that are VERY good Tolkien boards.

I myself am veteran member of Imladris, which in my opinion is the greatest online community on the internet. I've been posting there for little more than a year.

What I think Imladris could improve in, is the number of forums. See, Aram has made a Literary Discussion that combines all his works.

That is why I've got an eye here on Entmoot, because of the various forums. The Silmarillion is my favorite of JRR's works, so personally I like talking more about it, so I would find perhaps others with my interest there in that forum you have here...

I've always thought to create a Tolkien board myself, yet I have enough boards to administrate as it is.

Since coming to ezboard I've become used to small communities where I get to know everyone that posts...so that's why I've never ventured here into Entmoot, because of the time it would require to get familiar with everyone.

Yet I do think it seems a very friendly place, and I like the theme. and those wonderful icons of Istari and Orcs and Nazgul oh...THERE MUST BE an Elf among them no??? Don't tell me that second icon from the left is supposed to be an Elven Princess :lol:

Ok, anyways. I'll have a look around.

Nai i kalme hilda lin!

Namarie!

Alixor

Heh, from the left it's Gandalf, Arwen, Gollum, Sam, Strider, Treebeard, Tom Bombadil, Gimli, Theoden, and Nazgul.

I went to Imladris last summer but the people were very rude to me so I left. I guess other people have had better experiences.

The success of this board is clearly due to members who hang around in the General Messages forum because they know nothing about Tolkien, yet feel compelled to post anyways! :P

Arwen? THAT! :lol:

Well, so far from what I've seen of Imladris they've been very friendly to everyone but trolls

Well, I posted a "hello" message and some moderator jumped all over me accusing me of just coming to advertise... he made fun of my username calling me "Bette Midler" and said I constantly went into the TORN chat room to plug my board... It's true I had been in that room and had mentioned my site in the course of the conversation if it came up, but it was certainly not a "spam and run" thing, and it had occurred many months prior to my post.

This guy also screamed at me for linking to my board in my signature, when this was common practice on all the boards I had been to (including Entmoot), and there was no explicit rule anywhere prohibiting it that I could see, and within five minutes I had found 20 other people doing the same on that very board with impunity. He just singled me out for no apparent reason, and so I just left.

*falls out of chair laughing*

Bette Midler? Bwahahahahahaha!

Oh, man, I feel sorry for you. That's seriously harsh. That's about as low as calling someone Rosie O'Donnell. My condolences.

Bette Midler!!! OooooOOooh! :lol:

Oh, that's good. That's rich...

It's been about a year since I made those icons (as my title says) and first came to Entmoot. wOw.

Well Ben, remember, when my mom first saw me chating with you she thought i was talking to someone with the sn Bette Midler

Noldo, you joined Entmoot the day I got married.

nice name taim, and welcome
and don't let people like tater scare you too much, he's harmless really

Sure I am. Sure I am. Oh btw I stole your LOTR tapes and you're not getting em back! Mwahahahahahahahhahaahahhaahhahahahahahaha etc

Well if you're talking about those animated things, it's not much of a threat