Tolkien's Ring forum

[Stormrider]

Hello Everyone:

There has been very little activity at the Tolkien's Ring forum and I had hoped with The Hobbit Movie coming out that some of you would be interested in posting some comments now and then.

Tolkien's Ring has a few (very few) really committed members who continue to use the forum for some very intelligent and interesting discussions. As Manager of Tolkien's Ring, I am very grateful to those who keep at it! Thank you!

After many years of wonderful discussion, one would think that maybe we have covered everything there is to talk about in Tolkien's Arda and Middle Earth. However, the really dedicated posters are still coming up with a few new topics now and then.

I am sending this email out in an attempt to inspire all of you to visit the forum and make some posts occasionally. Even I have been busy with life and haven't been as dedicated as I once was.

Tolkien's Ring has been one of the few forums where we can seriously discuss Tolkien's world (granted we do goof around some and that is fun to do, too). We have been around since before The Fellowship of the Ring movie was made and we have seen many good times together.

I really do not want to end our experience together but because of very diminished activity, I was wondering if we should close up shop or not. Please reply here.

Sincerely,
Stormrider, Manager

[MerlintheMad]

I say keep it, as long as it isn't a pain in anyone's kiester (translated as, time and money outlay not worth the returns). The new movie should raise some traffic, maybe even ME

[Electra Elessar]

I think it should stay. Maybe some of us cannot go to it everyday but it would be nice to be able to go to it if we could. It is the only intelligent forum for Tolkien fans.

[Uruviel]

I know that I haven't been around in eons...well, I have peeped in occasionally to read without leaving any footprints (as you can tell since I'm still an Orc ). Actually, most of you probably don't even remember me at all since I was always rather quiet except for in some chats right after I first joined while the group was on msn and having frequent chats. Even so, I'd hate to see this wonderful place close down. I have truly been missing the heyday of having so many active Tolkien/LotR sites and message boards. It seems that most are either defunct, deathly quiet, or moving very slowly.

That coupled with me spending less time online than I used to. <sigh>

I've often thought I should post more, but generally feel a bit intimidated (comes from way back when Barnes & Noble had the LotR course at the old defunct BNU).

I guess I should get brave and post sometimes so I don't contribute to possibly losing this forum.

Uruviel

[Fredeghar Wayfarer]

I vote keep it. I am not the most active forum member as I am kept busy online with various message boards and activities and I don't have the time/inclination for extensively researched scholarly posts. But now and then I get a hankering to discuss Tolkien or Middle-earth and it's nice to have fellow fans with whom to feel solidarity.

I have also greatly enjoyed the sense of community here, the occasional chat room nuttiness, and getting feedback on my writing from you guys. I would miss this place if it closed.

However, I don't know a lot about the behind the scenes running of the site. If it is too time consuming or expensive with little to show for it, that is a factor worth considering.

[Stormrider]

The set up of the forum was pretty easy, although time consuming in the very beginning. And adding the variety of skins did take time to create all the images (thank you to those artsy people who helped create a skin) and load them to the site so everyone could use them. But now that everything is up and running there is NO time involved (unless proboards comes up with more interesting things to add!) There is no money involved in the upkeep of the forum either. So it is pretty easy to keep.

Although I will have to go and change all the images URLs that are used here. I posted another post somewhere on the forum about photobucket images having been changed over there (they took out the number 59) so I need to go back and delete the 59 in all image links that had 59 in them! I haven't done that yet

Thank you for your feed back. I hope to hear more from everyone on their opinion to keep or delete the forum. So far, it looks like Keep is in the lead! ;D

[illadria]

KEEP!

Yes, I know I've been notoriously unreliable, but I love you guys, all of you, and this is like a home base for us wayward types to keep coming back to touch base. Although I hate to have you continuing with a lot of work without anything in return.

I need to have another look at my account. Turns out I had several private messages that I never was told I have, so I guess I need to change something to make sure I'm notified.

[Parmastahir]

I'm a newbie compared to you, Stormrider, as I was fortunate to discover TR in Feb 2006. As you well know, I have a particular area of interest that I like to keep people informed of. So I stay pretty close to home there. I have posted in a few other threads. But I have read a lot of the discussions in threads related to The Hobbit and LotR whose titles have grabbed my attention. At the risk of adding the opinion of one who visits and uses TR and enjoys it but is not involved in the work to maintain it, I would miss TR. As I maintain my own website, I know what a chore it can sometimes be. As I am not particularly proficient with my own website, I can't imagine what it must take to keep these boards cleaned up and professional-looking. So it comes down to you in the end. If the "votes" that have come in so far are enough for you to continue your efforts . . . and you have the time and desire to do so . . . then I think you have the gratitude of a hard core few. I have been quiet this summer as I have been traveling on business and had several contractors/projects going at my house. So that has taken up all of my spare time. Took only my first three days of vacation last week, in fact, and not updated my website since May.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

Away from The Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

[Stormrider]

Well, I am glad to see that keeping the forum has been the only answer! Looks like I will be keeping it for everyone. Even if you all have life to worry about first and can't always come and read the threads, I am glad that you are doing it whenever you can. I really hated to consider deleting the forum but I thought I would pose the question anyway.

[Andorinha]

Just want to say "THANKS!" Stormrider! I certainly appreciate all you have done to keep this place alive, especially through the "doldrum days" when it seemed there were never more than two to four posters per week.

Has TR fallen upon hard times? Hmmm, probably a relative thing, maybe even temporary?

If you want to see hard times at a Tolkien site, go to TABA, it boasts over 2000 members -- dead as a doornail now, maybe one post a month that asks "where is everybody?" TR, even in a slack week, still gets at least 4 posters...

If you can keep the place going (I'll help!) maybe the new movies will stimulate a rush of discussion, and it would be cool if TR, sort like the Old Inn at Bree, were still here at that distant time...

THANKS!!!

theredbookofwestmarch.com/

[Soleil]

Although I haven't been around, I'd hate to see TR mothballed/bite the dust. There is so much work by so many...and so many fond memories... it's a tremendous scholarly resource.

Stormy, if you can keep it open, I think that's what should be done.

warm fuzzies,
sol

[Androga Erindalant]

Of course I vote also to keep TR! I will always have fond memories to this community. I made my first steps onto the net with you people, and am still in close friendship with someone I met here. Tolkien's Ring has been a great Tolkien forum, one of the better of all those that spread world wide. Together with the MSN part, this board contains lots of information about Middle-earth, and it would be a shame to see it all closed.

I know I pass by only little, certainly compared to the old days. Sometimes I just take a quick glance, without even logging in. I have a few different projects running, and Tolkien's part has decreased a lot because of it. But it's still very comforting that I can come here and see those familiar faces. And as long as Tolkien's Ring is up and running, I will keep posting those Sil summaries! The main reason that is going slow, is that I'm advancing very slowly in the book myself (still must read the next chapter). Blame those other projects!

Lots of Tolkien forums have diminished activity, after the madness that came along with the movies. Likely the new movies may draw once again new members. They certainly will lure back some of the old ones! For me, it's fun to pass by once in a while and see how it's going.

[fanuidhol]

Ok, I've started to do my small part. I've posted TR's URL in a couple of places at B&N. Perhaps, we can infuse TR with some new blood.
Thanks, Stormrider, for sticking with it! Those of us (me), that are unreliable (like Illadria said), do like to be able to come home!
Fan

[Stormrider]

Thanks FAN! I hope we see some new members soon.

[Desi Baggins]

I say keep it open!!!