NCIS : Closing messages will hit IMDb bottom line.

I hope Amazon is ready for the loss to advertising revenue. Millions of people won't be coming to IMDB nearly as often.

I can probably get most of what I need about actors from Wikipedia. I'll definitely be here much less often.



Dr Jason Bull: Don't give up on people, they're all we've got.

Like I mentioned in another thread, IMDB will suffer pretty much the same fate as AOL. AOL touted all kinds of "new" and "innovative" features to try and offset the closing of their forums and message boards too, but they kept hemorrhaging members anyway, Now they're basically irrelevant. IMDB has nothing that can't be gleaned from other places on the internet other than these message boards. Give it a year or two then let's see how many members they have compared to what they claim they have now.

Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive.

From the sound of it, these forums have been a drain on their bottom line. Even though I'll miss these boards, I don't blame TPTB for flushing them.

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

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From the sound of it, these forums have been a drain on their bottom line. Even though I'll miss these boards, I don't blame TPTB for flushing them.

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forgive me if this sounds like a stupid question, rick, but what would the "drain on their bottom line" be?
I guess I don't know what it costs for Amazon to operate a forum such as IMDb

I'm under the impression that it was pretty much monitored by a bot/computer; e.g. when a user reported someone for abuse of the T&Cs it seemed to be a computer generated response
I don't believe an entire team and/or department was required to run this IMDb message board which would necessitate a huge payroll

am I missing the point?
could you - or someone - please enlighten me on the subject

thanx!


nas

My motto:
Live long and Pester!

I haven't been able to find exact numbers but educated guesses have put the number of employees at between 100 and 300. How many are actually involved in the forums part of the operation is anybody's guess.

Yes, bots send you a warning when a post is reported, but a live person has to verify and act on the complaint. From the abuses I have seen on various boards, they could probably use twice as many as they have. Add to the direct cost of payroll, the cost office/cubical space, office and computer equipment, and the associated maintenance and operating costs.

I could see it being in the millions to operate. I read an article that said the reason it was sold to Amazon in the first place was the creator of the site didn't have the money to keep it going. So from a business standpoint, it was a losing proposition even then.

Now ask yourself, how much money have you spend at Amazon solely because of the forums? I've bought a lot from Amazon, but absolutely nothing as a result of a message board post. I have, on the other hand, made purchases because of the actual database.

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

thanx, rick, for that most informative reply
I had no idea!


nas

My motto:
Live long and Pester!

You're quite welcome. I have seen a lot of people complaining about Amazon and it being "all about the money." But SOMEBODY has to pay the bills. Funny thing, I also read that before the ultimate sale to Amazon, they tried to get funding/donations from Hollywood with no luck.

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

There are better ways to save money than getting rid of such a large part of IMDB. Their statement saying they based their decision on "data and traffic" seems a little off. There are a lot of message board users and if they don't know that now they will when they see the traffic to this site dwindle due to the loss of these boards.
However in case anyone is interested there is an online petition to stop the termination of the boards:
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/petition-to-keep-the-imdb-messageboards-going

After you submit it will got to a page asking for a donation, you do NOT need to donate, just hit the back button and you will see that your vote was counted.


If you do not want to sign that is OK, I do not need anyone to tell me that they it is a pointless idea, just don't sign it, no harm, no foul.

Also I did not start the petition, someone on another board did.

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There are better ways to save money than getting rid of such a large part of IMDB. Their statement saying they based their decision on "data and traffic" seems a little off. There are a lot of message board users and if they don't know that now they will when they see the traffic to this site dwindle due to the loss of these boards.

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Yes, traffic will be reduced. But will it be profitable traffic? That remains to be seen. Why do you think their remark about "data and traffic" is a bit off? I'm reasonably sure that closing the forums was not a decision they made lightly. And what do you think would have been a better way to save money?

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

All traffic is profitable. Yes clicking in ads generates more revenue but sheer volume of general traffic sets buyin rate.

No, all traffic is not equal. And it can cost more than it generates. I'm sure they did not come to this decision lightly. If it was profitable, or could easily be made profitable, they would have done so.

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

I didn't say all traffic was equal. I said all traffic is profitable. I am sure they didn't come to this decision lightly. AOL made the same decision and their traffic dropped. IMDb can talk about emerging technology and social media all it wants but it cannot replace the forums here because this is categorized and organized messaging. IMDb will lose members and users over this so either this is truly a financial black hole or they have underestimated the IMDb user communities desire for "new content". AOL made a similar mistake.

With this new info I just learned, it sounds like it would have been a serious financial black hole if they continued. https://www.beatworm.co.uk/blog/internet/imdb-boards-no-more

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

that article is a black hole, way too long to read, and besides, after reading 4 paragraphs, I had no idea WTF he was talking about.

I AM WATCHING YOU

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that article is a black hole, way too long to read, and besides, after reading 4 paragraphs, I had no idea WTF he was talking about.

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I have to agree with you, sam

unless you are familiar with "computer tech speak", most of the article is unintelligible

and, I've read books that are shorter than that!

but thanx for tryin', rick


nas

My motto:
Live long and Pester!

The gist of it is that the technology/architecture was old when the boards were created. They would have to be complete redone at a very high cost. It also says that this type of message board is becoming a thing of a bi-gone era. Message boards were the original internet chat. Then along came chatrooms and usenet faded from use. Its still around, but largely used for pirating binary files. Now we have all manner of social media platforms, and that is where the majority of online discussions take place. So why spend a fortune to revamp a format that is going the way of the Dodo bird.

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

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nas.. and, I've read books that are shorter than that!

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I'll be a son of a bee, I was going to say that exactly, but I hit "post" too quick, what do they say about great minds? lol


I AM WATCHING YOU

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what do they say about great minds? lol

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Would the same apply to twisted minds? Sorry, couldn't resist. LOL

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

that might be more accurate.

I AM WATCHING YOU

Here's an analogy. You've got a dog that's 16 years old. Its blind in one eye and can't see out of the other. His joints are shot and his bones ache. Tumors are growing all over his body. Do you take him to the vet and get him a complete overhaul?

My novels on Kindle and updates on current writing projects
http://ricksmidnightquill.blogspot.com

thanx again, rick

your analogy explained that entire novella in a language I could understand - and you did it in "25 words or less"!



nas

My motto:
Live long and Pester!

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You've got a dog that's 16 years old. Its blind in one eye and can't see out of the other. His joints are shot and his bones ache. Tumors are growing all over his body.

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you just summed up this site.

I AM WATCHING YOU

Nas, IMDb is in the process of making its core content available to all operating systems, like android and iOS. They decided it would be just too costly to do that with the message boards. That was about as much as I could glean from Col Needham's post, and he is one of the founders of IMDb.

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No, David. No one is happy in a poodle skirt and a sweater set.

That sounds like bs. I've used IMDb for both looking up shows and the board on both Android and iOS. Works fine with the browser (though I generally request desktop site) and they have apps I haven't tried, though I know Casey uses one.

Seldom, someone posted a link to the message on the Person of Interest board. Oh, it was LucusNon IIRC. There was more to it, but I know when I go to the site on my laptop, Apple tablet and kindle fire, I get three different "sites." Yes, essentially the content is the same, but moving around, finding some news item I want, may take longer.

Or, it could be, as you say, bs. I'm not the most computer savvy person, that's for sure.

One thing I've been wondering, they have numerical lists of "most popular" stars, movies, and tv shows. All of those lists are based on traffic to their sites, mostly via message boards. I don't know how they will maintain something like that.

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No, David. No one is happy in a poodle skirt and a sweater set.

But it will help Amazon Prime. The ratings for anything shown on Amazon Prime will be inflated to make it appear that all the best movies and shows are on Amazon Prime. Without the boards, no one can call them out on it, and IMDB won't show any negative criticism of any of the Amazon Prime content.