A critical, constructive shake on Forumophilia

Well, after a few months of the new “regime change” to Forumophilia and seeing the changes first hand, just wanted to share some observations. As a brief history, I’ve been a semi-active member for nearly 2 years – I consider myself a “quality” uploader, so while I don’t upload everyday, I have tried to make uploads or posts every week or so. My point in this thread is not to make baseless and vulgar comments about Forumophilia, but to offer realistic critical observations on what I think needs to be improved about Forumophilia and realistic expectations on the new Forumophilia that I think old and new members need to deal with.

1) Rapidshare is dead, move on peoples

To me, one of the more annoying things I see are how members here still continue to demand Rapidshare links without understanding that with the current Rapidshare policy changes, RS is not viable filesharing service for the future. With Rapidshare’s changes, uploaders in the near future (and perhaps even now) will have to pay to share and host files – as an uploader, why would I want to pay to share files when there several other viable options that do it for free?

Secondly, my current experience with Rapidshare leads me to believe that they are very vigilant in hunting down adult media. I’ve tried in the past month to host a few videos on Rapidshare, only to see them removed within a week.

Lastly, greed makes the world go round and since Rapidshare stopped offering $$$ incentives to host files, it’s only natural – when you include the reasons above as well – that finding Rapidshare links are going to be tough and demanding Rapidshare links is almost laughable.

So, let’s snap to reality folks and when you do encounter a Rapidshare upload that you want, you should be profuse in your thanks to that uploader at the very least in using Rapidshare. It’s understandable why many people want Rapidshare links since many people still have Rapidshare Premium accounts after RS had been the standard hoster for years. But let’s face it – Rapidshare is dead as a viable filehoster especially in the near future, so let’s move on peoples.


2) New Forumophilia needs better/higher standards

The new Good Samaritan (GS for short) that now owns this forum has absolutely every right to run Forumophilia to how he sees fit. Many will question why Oron was allowed as the “primary” hoster, wonder at all these new “mass posters” and the new changes to the mod team. But again, these are the additions and changes that GS has enacted and he pretty much has every right to do. So deal with it.

With that said, I do recall the new GS stating that he wanted to make Forumophilia “the best and baddest forum on the ‘net”. Well, after a few months of the new Forumophilia I’m of the opinion that Forumophilia has quite a few improvements to make if the aim is to be “the biggest and baddest forum on the ‘net”. Some are simple – (e.g. informing members of changes like “invites” that are increased or decreased so to avoid confusion that their Forumophilia accounts have been hacked). The following are some basic additions/changes that myself and several members have commented on and should be implemented:

Improved/Additional search options

Simply put, the search options are rudimentary to the point where it feels like it was intended to be difficult to search. The most glaring search option needed is the “search this thread” option; with the great majority of threads having multiple upload entries, it’s asinine that this search option was disabled in the first place.
As far as basic search query, it does a decent job for basic searches, but it could use additional search options like searching by number of views and replies. Also, the use of Tags could be really useful as well.

Posting standards

Whether its questionable thread titles, lack of file information (e.g. file size, format, video resolution) or the lack of proper screencaps, there’s a SERIOUS lack of posting standards, especially by new members. The lack of proper screencaps is tremendously annoying; one jpeg to represent a whole video is hardly proper to give members the proper idea of what the video is about.

Additional filehosting options

As stated on my first point, there’s really no future in using Rapidshare – so in reality, that only leaves Megaupload and Oron as the filehosting options here at Forumophilia. Having only two posting options – especially for an open forum - is way too limiting. If GS is really intent on making Forumophilia a great forum, more filehosting options should be added. But if the intent is to make it a central Oron forum (“Oromophilia” so to speak), let’s not beat around the bush anymore and just make Oron mandatory.


3) Old Forumophila is dead – so adjust or leave.

Those who linger here in hopes that the “old” Forumphilia will just re-appear, seriously give it a break. The new changes to Forumophilia have turned off many old contributors, and it’s those past contributors that made the “old” Forumphilia. There are old posters like Arovane that have adjusted to the new Forumophilia so old members that are angry and holding out hope for a change to old times, it’s really time to adjust or leave.

With all that said, want to thank all members who have replied in thanks to my posts as well as to any old members still contributing. Like I said, it’s time to adjust or leave… so I’m choosing to leave. Thanks for the ride, it was good while it lasted.

+1
good points

Good points.

RS is dead, that's for certain. And I daresay, it won't last much longer anyway, since its sole purpose was to host files. If uploaders are to pay for what they host, interest will decrease pretty quickly. I for one removed all my files when they introduced their new rules in July. With all the changes I saw something like the current situation on the horizon. And I certainly won't renew or pay a single dime for their service.

That said, I support your call for more filehosts. With this not being the only board I visit, I have to limit myself to the filehosts that are most popular. The major filehost here certainly isn't. And what's more, most filehosts have viable options for free downloaders.

Right now it seems, that this is becoming more of a paysite, since to get what is offered, you'd have to purchase a premium account at a particular filehost.

RS id dead for sure.
The way RS is treating users (intentionally!) is a good reason not to use RS anymore.

But check your facts: you definitely don't have to pay for hosting files at RS. Files can be uploaded for free and can be downloaded without restrictions if the file is stored in a free account.

According to the rules and guides of the old forumophilia it would have been a perfect host, because RS does NOT pay ca$h or any kind of rewards!

Reporting or hunting down of files affects mainly the well-known large hoster - as soon as a new hoster is well known, it's the same. No hoster can stay in business for long by ignoring the laws.




It's well known that the interest of the forum-owner is promoting oron-host. RS and MU had been re-allowed because too many users complained.
Any discussion about file-hosts is useless, flaming oron at a oron-promoting site is even dumb.


IMHO most of the "old-contributors" here know very well about the situation here and have no high expectations for the future: oldFO is dead as oldRS. Times change.
But still RS is used, still FO is visited.
Not everything is negative, if not interested in the cash and posting foe people, who still will have RS-points for years, why not use a reliable hoster? Why not visit the chat-section of a forum, where you've been for years? Meeting people of the "good old times" doesn't necessarily mean that someone wishes to go back in history.








IMO it's ridiculous to demand other people to leave a place just because you don't like it anymore!
How you dare?
Everyone is free to leave, everyone is free to stay only in this chat-section. No-one needs to support or encourage the oron-poster by viewing their posts or downloading "their" links.


Some people are able to take part in serious discussions and improvements. (Which is quite senseless here, if the admin has a strictly different opinion - which is of course the right of any owner.)
Some folks just like to complain, flame and mess around. Why cant they just STFU and piss of? Do they expect that someone is trying to keep them aboard: Oh please stay here, we do everything you're demanding, because it's so boring without someone who is flaming all the time?


There is a difference between saying "goodbye, I'm leaving for these reasons" and "come on folks, leave this forum, because I'm leaving" or "stop using RS/oron/whatever, because i don't like it."


Live and Let Die

In the light of file hosting issues. Would there be any interest in developing an IRC based distribution system?

I've been developing one for the past few years. My project is mIRC based and the focus is to make IRC tasks easy and fast, and to make identification much easier while maintaining a high level of anonymity ... AND ... keeping the distro system covert so it is harder to shut down by IRC server admins. Connection throttling and obfuscating the transfer protocols will also be included to make it easier to stay under ISP radar.

I've been through many code re-writes, but in the last 3 years I've settled on a foundation that is showing a lot of promise in actually accomplishing this feat.

Naturally the reliability of the network would depend on users staying online, as well as bandwidth availability.

Any interest?
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Firstly, thanks to all for the comments and criticism. Won't be coming back here anytime soon - just checking on some PM's a few members left me, so figured I'd address some of userl301's comments while I was here:

userL301 wrote:

Until the new GS decides to make Oron the exclusive and mandatory filehost service, discussion about about file-hosts is not useless. As you said above, times change - who's to say Oron will still be a viable filehost service in the next few months? What happens if Rapidshare goes out of business?

userL301 wrote:

Ok, I'll give you that - not EVERYTHING is negative. There are still a handful of good posters here, that make quality posts, rather than just amassing posts like crazy. But you have to concede, things could and SHOULD be a lot better.

As to the question you ask on where I have been in the chat-forums, you're right - I have not participated that much in the chat forums. Obviously that's my loss as I'm sure I would've had interesting discussions with many Forumophilia members - but my main reason for coming to Forumophilia was partaking and sharing in the adult content here. And for a good 1 year period, it was a great time. But as you said, times change...

userL301 wrote:

Firstly, I have never demanded in my post above that people need to leave Forumophilia, and I made my point fairly clear at the end of my post - adjust or leave. Things have changed here for better or worse, so rather than bitching senselessly about it, people should try to adjust or just leave... I think that's pretty damn reasonable. I also think it's damn reasonable to point out things I don't like about the new Forumophilia in a critical and constructive manner. At no point in my post above was I rude or demeaning to anyone - the only time I took an aggressive tone was calling the disabling of the "search within thread feature" asinine... and that because it is asinine.

userL301 wrote:

Well... you're simply wrong. Observe:



This snapshot was taken from Rapidshare.com in their Help section. As you can clearly see, free users who upload their files, those files can only be downloaded a maximum of 10 times. So there definitely are restrictions for free RS users and while you're correct that files can be uploaded for free, it's hardly useful if that free hosted file can only be downloaded 10 TIMES. Now, if you know some type of secret workaround to thise, do share.

userL301 wrote:

I think I was pretty darn clear in my post above at the very beginning - I was giving a constructive analysis on the things that I don't like about the new Forumophilia, what the admins and/or GS could do to improve the basic experience at Forumophilia, and my intention of moving on for now.
userL301, you're a longtime member here and it sounds like you can adjust to these changes and don't want to lose any more members from this great place... and I wish you good luck with that endeavor.

Thanks again to all - see you all on the flipside.

Thanks for reply, i guess the main difference between our views is reduced to details in interpretation of the things we know in a different context.


mokkoriman wrote: oron had been mandatory for a (short) time, that's a good indication for the owners interests.
Do you see any direct advertisement here? Where comes the money from, that pays the servers? The oron-affiliate is not out of a mood - it's business. It's a long-term contract.
RS is out of the business we used RS it for. Sure, RS is still hosting files, but distributing copyright-protected material is NOT in the interest odf RS anymore.

mokkoriman wrote:Things COULD be better, from owners POV it's probably the way it should be
From POV from most of us "old-members", the old FO was a lot better.

"You" should mean everyone - you, me, the community...

IMHO FO is not a forum of a sharing community anymore. The community is in chat- and VIP forum. Distributing porn has become a business-thing here.


mokkoriman wrote:Whoever has been able to adjust himself to the changed forum is still here. Those, who could not change their mind so drastically have left long ago.
Mission accomplished.

I got your point differently now - and agree. We got a common sense here.

The difference was probably just the little edge between "change in progress" and "already done", between adjust and resign.

Live with the changes at FO (=adjust?) or let FO die/leave.


IMHO a progress of adjustment is already made for everyone who is coming here and reading this.
IMHO the owner will have a different understanding of "improvement"
IMHO the "new members", who are posting oron-links and generate clicks to oron, demand different than the "old members", who made this forum grow in the past and who don't bring any benefit to the owner anymore.

The old RS is history, the old FO is history, the old meaning of "sharing" has changed to "make ca$h by uploading" - these changes are sad for those, who knew the "Good Old Times". I feel damn old right now


I have to admit that I'm understanding your post a little differently now, even if it's just "finding something non-negative" in "adjusting means resigning".
Apparently you're more at resign-side of adjustment now, too. Occasionally visits, nothing else.

Thanks for detailed reply.


mokkoriman wrote:
Thanks for the screenshot: it proves you're wrong.
RS forgot to translate "User mit kostenlosen Account" "User with Free Account". Free accounts are called "Premium without RapidPro activated". [stupid RS naming]

I'm still uploading to a free RS-account: The files are stored for 90 days since last download and can be downloaded without restrictions - and I did never pay a Rapid for hosting my files.