Tito wrote:Not to step on anybody's toes, but may I make a few suggestions.
1. I would suggest that threads about other artists that already have forums on the site be confined to those forums. Off-topic threads be placed in the general discussion forum way down the road and politics in the politics forum, etc. This would make the site a little more diverse and flow traffic to lesser viewed forums. Anybody who is interested in those topics or artists can go into those forums and view. Everything right now, is predominately in the Journey forum, whether it belongs there or not. For artists that do not have forums, I believe there still is an other or everybody else forum at the end of the road. So, they could go in there. The only exception to this rule would be for major or catastrophic events, like David Lee Roth almost dying yesterday. That deserves to be posted at the top (and in the Van Halen forum which I did). Man, that was close! I'm still shaking about that. Whew!
2. Now the touchy subject that is Jeff Scott Soto and this kind of goes along with point 1 above. I understand he is a former member of the band, BUT he has his own forum two doors down. So, I think anything about him should go there. I would say the same thing about any former member of the band who had their own forum. They do not, Soto does. So, I would suggest all Soto topics be placed there and any other former or current member topics stay in the Journey forum unless Mr. McNeice decides to open up another forum for a former/current member(s). This could in the future and would have in the past prevented some dust ups.
3. The reason for Mr. McNeice's post
- appreciation threads. As the author of these threads, I really think they are misunderstood. They originally were derived from the 1 to 2 year long bashing, usually unwarranted, of the band and band members in particular Jon Cain. So, I started the appreciation thread. After the success of the first one and fun I had doing it, I thought it would be funny to do everybody. These are factual yet at times tongue in cheek posts. I find them humorous and good discussion starters. Everyone, with the exception of Herbie's (which surprised me) went at least two pages. Cain had 9, I believe. I couldn't wait for Neal's or Perry's. I really think you should let us have one living thread were I could post new appreciation posts and everyone could comment on. It would be over in a month or less anyway. Again, here was the remaining list (in no particular order):
Deen Castronovo
Gregg Rolie
Randy Jackson and Mike Baird
Steve Augeri
Steve Smith
Irving Azoff
Pat Morrow, Wolfman Black, Villenuevas, Kevin Elson, Chris "Snow is Real" Turner, etc. (Nightmare, Inc.)
Aynsley Dunbar
Steve Perry
Sherry Swafford
Cyndy Poon and Lora Beard (might have gone in Nightmare, Inc. appreciation thread)
Tommy "Mugs" Cain
Arnel Pineda
Andrew J. McNeice
Neal Schon
The fans
Now, I could consolidate a couple of these and eliminate others. I understand I may have wasted a couple of bullets i.e. the Toomey thread, but the man gets no credit.
Would it help if I move up the Andrew J. McNeice thread up?
4. I think other tongue in cheek posts that provide humor should be able to fly. Specifically, my short lived, "Breaking News: Not Guilty" story. That was a funny story I made up and worked hard on - 4 pages! I think it provided good closure in a humorous way of the tumultuous year around Journey. I think others, on both sides of the fence (who saw it before it got deleted), enjoyed it.
Those are my main suggestions. Tremendous job and outstanding website. Please don't ever throw me off, I'm officially addicted to this and I never posted on any message board before this. You're worse than tobacco.
