Learning about this website

[Ring Bearer]

When was this website last updated?

The social media links to use for Personal Messaging are ANCIENT.

I've never even heard the names of these social media connections except for Skype.

Probably should include some modern stuff.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Ring Bearer

When was this website last updated?

The social media links to use for Personal Messaging are ANCIENT.

I've never even heard the names of these social media connections except for Skype.

Probably should include some modern stuff.

Who are you calling ancient?!

I know a lot of the peripheral applications on the actual Downs site are obsolete. My guess would be that it's due to the fact that only the forum section is seeing any real use, and it's been that way for quite a few years.

You know, though, for me that's part of the charm. I can still look at my attempts at winning the haiku contest all those years ago. Sometimes, I can even keep a straight face.

[Ring Bearer]

Btw, I am not able to post a reply to a thread which had the last comment in 2001.

I do not have "enough privileges" it seems.
Is it archived or something?

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Ring Bearer

Btw, I am not able to post a reply to a thread which had the last comment in 2001.

I do not have "enough privileges" it seems.
Is it archived or something?

Yeah--the forum got some rather significant upgrades between its first iteration in 2000 and 2003ish: from EZboard to VBB if I'm not entirely mangling acronyms I haven't seen/used in a decade. Anything older than about 2003ish got archived at some point, if the thread wasn't, at that point, recently active.

It was always, however, considered fine form to post a NEW thread, linking to the old one and explicitly saying in the new thread that you were continuing the old one--if an Admin roused from their slumber and noticed, they'd combine the two threads: otherwise, it's a field trip for the Old Folks to go down memory lane and new thread of its own.

Originally Posted by Inziladun

I know a lot of the peripheral applications on the actual Downs site are obsolete. My guess would be that it's due to the fact that only the forum section is seeing any real use, and it's been that way for quite a few years.

Honestly, even when I joined in (*looks at dusty scroll...*) MMV anno Domini, the non-forum parts of the website were rather less used. I've had my bookmark link set at the forum mainpage since about 2006. I suspect too that even where the forum software has been updated here or there, insofar as forums are not exactly cutting edge technology anymore, the supporting software may not readily have modern social media plug-ins.

[Bêthberry]

Well said, Inzil. Rather strange for a newbie to come in and immediately start criticizing the place without any context or history.

Mirc has long passed its day and people can chat in multiple other forms of social media. What this forum has always been about is the posts, the discussion, the way people have responded to Tolkien and to those who enjoy reading him.

Burra's haiku thread was great. So are many others. Well worth reading.

This is internet history.

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Who are you calling ancient?!

I know a lot of the peripheral applications on the actual Downs site are obsolete. My guess would be that it's due to the fact that only the forum section is seeing any real use, and it's been that way for quite a few years.

You know, though, for me that's part of the charm. I can still look at my attempts at winning the haiku contest all those years ago. Sometimes, I can even keep a straight face.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

We used to get new members though the Elvish name generator! I'll have to check and see if it still works...

The fun stuff on the main site doesn't keep anyone's interest that long, but the forum discussions are still valid, and some of them have moments of pure genius. It's the content, not the form that matters!

[Ring Bearer]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

We used to get new members though the Elvish name generator! I'll have to check and see if it still works...

The fun stuff on the main site doesn't keep anyone's interest that long, but the forum discussions are still valid, and some of them have moments of pure genius. It's the content, not the form that matters!

Could I get a link to this Elvish name generator?

[Soriman the Whide]

Originally Posted by Ring Bearer

Could I get a link to this Elvish name generator?

http://www.barrowdowns.com/theme-gimli.php

I'm pretty sure the name generator in question is on the left hand side of the main site listed as an "all in one" name generator.

It doesn't work as far as I can tell.

[Ring Bearer]

Originally Posted by Soriman the Whide

http://www.barrowdowns.com/theme-gimli.php

I'm pretty sure the name generator in question is on the left hand side of the main site listed as an "all in one" name generator.

It doesn't work as far as I can tell.

Quite a shame.
Many others on the Internet work.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

We used to get new members though the Elvish name generator! I'll have to check and see if it still works...

Not working:

• Name generator
• Personality test
• Gaffer's Proverbs
• Magnets (which used Flash!)
• Quizzes (all show blank)

Working:

• Madlibs
• Malbeth
• Hanghobbit
• Walk to Rivendell
• Tengwar scriptor
• Location finder ("this page has been streamlined")

No obvious pattern, but it's likely the Location Finder used to run the same code as the Personality Test until it was "streamlined"; it might be possible to cannibalise that and restore the others. (Because it's all server-side PHP, I can't see the code and check, so this is all a guess. )

hS

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thanks for testing all of those applications, Huinesoron! I tried the name generator, unsuccessfully, but hadn't gotten around to testing the rest.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

I'm just glad this forum is still around, even though it's gone treeish over the last couple years.

Like a lot of forums a few years ago (what was it 4-5 years ago?) it suffered a vicious virus attack that nearly destroyed the whole thing. But perhaps the best thing about social media is the members banded together to rescue it. Even though if most of them don't post anymore (for a variety of reasons) there was that dedication and love from the membership to not let the site suffer the same fate as Melkor and disappear into the interwebs void.

I just have to say "Amen to this!" Being without the Downs was a distressing time...even though I don't check in to it nearly as often anymore. It is comforting knowing that it is still there. And Boro The Great Whiteout was right before the Ten Year Anniversary Werewolf game (which was partially such an exuberant festival because everyone was so happy that the Downs were back)...so it is more like six years ago rather than five. Where does the time go?

Originally Posted by Mithadan

The "fair weather" fans spawned by the movies faded away and the Hobbit movies did not resurrect them.

I am afraid I must (yes it is a physiological imperative) snidely comment, "Gee, I wonder why the Hobbit films didn't generate a ton of new interest in Tolkien...vile spawns that they were."

There, I said it, I'm better now.

Originally Posted by Inziladun

There were indeed some very spirited discussions here back in the day. The fur was really flying for a while just before PJ released the LOTR films, and those threads were great.

I still go back and re-read lots of threads from the golden years.

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Am I going to have to watch that wretched Amazon series so I can come here and tear it shreds?

Ours is not to reason why,
Ours is but to riff and cry!

Besides, if you don't do it, who will?

I'm reminded of something the venerated Mister Underhill said one time about there only being so much mileage that you can get out of a dead author's work. (I wish I could find the post where he said that, but it eludes me).

One of the big issues the forum faced is I think as the core group of Downers shrank, the long-standers have kind of all talked out the Tolkien issues that we had over the years and there grows to be less and less new items to discuss.

It is why re-reads are good and new blood is better.