Raving Toy Maniac

I miss the old format.

I really don't like it and have almost stopped coming here completely. The page is too busy and hard to look and and read. The style really brings it down compared to other sites around that i go to daily like I used to here. The new posts/responses you have to go searching through daily instead of having responses to originally post bump them to the top like other pages. No one really checks the classified ads here if though things are listed, more limited than the old forum, i used to be able to sell/trade/get a lot of responses for things I had up here in the old forum, nothing much from the new one...maybe 1 in the last 6 months. This feels too elitist or something now...not a homey kind of board where even if you lurked you would chime in every now and again. it just seems like you've isolated a lot of toy/comic collecting and movie going communities. Just how I feel. and again i just really do not like it.

I think the big change, at least to me, is the lack of posts. Every once in a while a thread will catch fire and have some of the old back and forth, but that's not the norm.

I hate it. I miss the fun we used to have here. Where's Doctor Evil?

I hated the change then, and still do.

I visit the site maybe 3 or 4 times a month. Very rarely post or reply, it's just too sterile (and "why bother") now.

I think updating the site was important to Bobbi and Rob, but the platform they decided upon (this one) has not worked out very well. There are no easy fixes, other than trying again... Though it may not be worth it in the long run for them.

I do miss the sense of community, particularly since it seems most everyone is gone, and the sort of constant flow of the old Buzz, but I do not miss the constant, vile, mean-spirited trolling. Also, it's nice to be able to go back and correct my voluminous typos now.

Still, would I trade this Buzz for the old one, warts and all?

Yeah, I might, yeah.

-JJJ

it's still my homepage. but simply out of a sense of tradition -- it's been my homepage for like 15 years or so.

but honestly, my loyalty is now to bobbi and rob, and not the page itself. someone above said it well -- the sense of fun is gone. which is a shame, because the people here are awesome.

i didn't mind the occasional, unavoidable bastardry. it was mildly entertaining. but admittedly, i was never (rarely) attacked, and i didn't have to deal with the mechanics of clean-up. so i understand how most would not find it entertaining at all.

yeah. i loved the old board. my usage has been minimal with this one.

comparatively, i don't like this format. i liked that i could hit the old format and within 90 seconds of browsing, get a quick typically-relevant-to-me view of the nerd world.

now, it's just another forum i visit once every week or two.

If I am to be honest, I have to say that the new format hasn't clicked for me. I think I really liked that I could get a sense of what was a trending topic by seeing how many posts there were in the old format--that format just lead to easy discussion. Since the change, it's just seemed harder to drop in, read a fun exchange, and move on.

I really, really, really hate admitting this---but I have almost disappeared from the site following the change. It wasn't an intentional decision, it was just a product of not seeing as much catch my eye. I used to pop on multiple times a day....then it went to once a day.....then once a week. Now it's been as I randomly remember to pop in.

I hate saying that because I know it was a TREMENDOUS amount of work that Bobbi and Rob put into the new format. It really is well designed too--if this had been the first version I saw, I'd probably not know what I was missing. I've been visiting RTM since the rec.toys.misc days and I need to get back involved--too many great people to not.

I was thinking about this earlier today as I hopped on a dedicated Nintendo Gaming group on Facebook. I am no Facebook lover, but the more scattered approach that works is more reminiscent of the old RTM Buzz--and I think that's part of the reason I go to that group more than the new Buzz.

I will continue to come here--it just won't be as routine as it has in the past.

THANK YOU to Robbi and Bob for all they have done and continue to do,

Brer Dan

On a side note, I had to use Brer Dan 2 instead of Brer Dan because I couldn't remember my password!

I also have been a visitor and occasional poster since the early days. I would check in several times a day. Now, I rarely visit. I miss not only the sense of community, but how the site was a source of constant knowledge. If I need an answer to anything, and I mean anything, I always posted it on the old site and got quick, accurate answers. Miss it terribly.

Man.

I hate--hate--to admit this, because I love Rob and Bobbi to death and smile whenever I see them post or send out a tweet or anything else--but I don't really like the new format of the site.

With the old site I felt like I was always hardwired into every current event from news briefs to store sightings to sales to off-topic chats to everything else. With the new site... it's like there's nothing here. I've actually walked into stores and found new releases I didn't know were out yet from major lines because no one is talking about them here. There's just not enough posting going on here, and it's too hard to find out what others are thinking or talking about without going through a whole thread.

I still check in here every single day, several times a day, but it's not the same as the old, broken "stream-of-consciousness format". I really miss it. (

I prefer the old format and it seems like a lot of the regulars from the old RTM don't post here. I'll admit I don't post here often and only look now and then. The old format made it easy to browse through all the topics. It also seems like the focus of the board has shifted to what people are finding constantly to just a few talking about this and that.

Honestly there were features of the old format I liked such as the horseplay and the wider variety of posts but at the same time there's a lot I like here too. The new site is a lot more organized and I'm a huge fan of the games Jon has been hosting which weren't possible before. It's a little more business and a little less zany but I think it works well. I still get a pretty good overview on the hobby and the world here

We do need Dr Evil to show up. Then it would be a party. Last I heard we lost him to a tyrannical boss.

I stop by daily. I, too, must admit I'm not fond of the new format for all the above reasons, but I can't let go of this place. I just have too many fond memories. I've met a lot of great people as a result of RTM & for that I'm eternally grateful.

Don't like it. Used to check in 3-4 times daily on the old forum. Now, it's more like once or twice a week. The other forum just felt better, had more buzz, fun (not the bad stuff, trolling, ads, etc.), more chatter, and I liked the low-tech feel of it. This is just a bit boring.

I'm not crazy about it-- having said that, it's a HUGE improvement over the old one from a spam/trolling standpoint alone. Kudos are in order for our mods

I drop by daily, but am surprised by how few & far between ANY posts appear here. Entire days can go by. I believe this indicates a few things:

• The golden age of the action figure is a memory. It's hard to discuss toys that are so few and far between. Personally, I have zero interest in any action figure genre besides Superhero.
• The folks that frequented the old site have voted with their feet.

I still see spam here. Maybe not as much or as often, but still apparent.

I still see anonymous posts...and I THOUGHT that was THE MAIN REASON the old forum format was abandoned?

Yeah... the new format killed my interest in the site. Where I used to visit three or four times a day, now I'm visiting less than once a week. It was a ten year habit quickly broken.

I miss pretending I was Admiral Ackbar and making the obligatory trap comments.

I miss when we'd keep a rhyme or word play chain going half way down the page.

Oh well. Things change.

The site has lost a lot of its "juice" by having this format. On days with a crazy preorder like HTS SDCC or Mattel Sales Day this was the place to go. Yeah there was a LOT of trolling but the format worked really well for instant updates and commentary. That vibe has switched over to 4chan's /toy board which has some good users but the trolling is way over the top there and the better posters there are mostly into Japanese toys.

Honestly? I would dump this format but NOT switch back to the old format. I'd go with an image board format like 4chan, but actually MODERATE IT, unlike 4chan.

Not to be out of order, but I thought, especially toward the end, lack of moderation was the old Buzz's biggest problem.

-JJJ

Unfortunately, I never warmed up to the new format. I gave it a shot... but it just can't get into this like the old Buzz. I really do miss that place. It was a daily stop for me and I really came to feel like a lot of the users were "real-life friends" (if that makes sense). I rarely visit now that we have this new format, and I almost never post. I had to reset my password to even reply to this thread since I couldn't remember it. I can almost promise that will happen the next time I get around to responding again... Kinda sad.

Sallah

I have to agree with most of you. I really like the old formate. I would respond to toys and to movies and other toy related things. I would stop by twice a day, but now only onece or twice a week. I also don't think people respond. Things get lost. I've seen people ask questions and no response. It is too bad we can combine the two. A list formate that encorperated both topics, but made sure the spam is addend. LOL I am not asking for the world am I?

So, I guess the question becomes 'should something be done?' What do you guys think?

It sucks. I rarely visit anymore.

As hard as this is for some people to accept, the old forum isn't coming back. That boat has sailed. It isn't compatible with what we have changed and is a nightmare to moderate.

I took a look at 4chan/ and that is interesting. It is something I wish to explore a bit more and understand better. On first glance it is not intuitive in terms of understanding the flow of it, at least for me.

I have some more I wanted to say on this topic but I am reserving it for a blog post either later today, but more likely tomorrow when I have a chance to look it over and sleep on it.

I am sad to see some of the commuity leave. I understand it and don't blame anyone for making that choice. I always felt the community was the people more than the format, but in this case it was somewhat symbiotic.

I know the format change was a big shock for many. I knew people would leave over it, just as I knew the change would attract some people who were turned off by the older style.

I know this will be an unpopular thing for me to say, but the change has been very successful on our end with what we accomplished. We were able to do almost everything we wanted in it and it has done just what we expected on the technical side.

It did have a cost in terms of community, which is sad. This is the biggest downside to the changes and the one thing we didn't want from the changes. It was a very tough decision and one we debated for some time until we pulled the trigger and made it. I am sorry to see some people go but I knew it would happen.

I will have more to elaborate on in my blog post. But I want you all to know we do read your comments and we do care what you have to say even if we don't take the course that you think it the best one. And we try to make these decisions with everyone's interests in mind.

-Rob

So to save the community we must diminish the community?

Count me among those who find this board diminished in the wake of it's enhancements. I used to get a lot of knowledge just from scrolling titles of posts.. And not just toy stuff. Comics, politics current events... This was my twice daily or more visit to the buzz. I literally never knew what I might learn.

Now I come once a month or so and I feel like the kid who got left behind in the divorce after dad married the baby sitter. Sure there's a new home, and things look pretty, but there's no family. No heart.

I don't come here much these days... but that had begun for me long before the change over. I guess in some ways I've just sort of moved on. I still collect, but it's not as big a focus for me as it once was (this is actually a good thing).

I see positives and negatives in the change. Less trolling is the biggest positive. The trolling had gotten quite ridiculous at the end there. The biggest negative, of course, is that much of the community just doesn't come around anymore.

I suspect that I'm not alone in that I'm just in a different phase of my life than I was back when I was more active on the Buzz. I do have many fond memories of having random discussions of toys and other things at the wee hours of the morning with some of my fellow night owl Buzzers... but sometimes it's just time to move on to bigger and better things.

Here's a link to my blog post about this topic.
Change is not easy
This goes into the change a bit more than I felt fit in a forum post.
-Rob

I personally enjoy the fact I can see all of the new Thread content without weeding and sifting through spam, trolling and assorted other nonsense.

Yes, there may be less active posters..yes, it does not "feel" the same as the old page..but it is certainly easier to navigate, communicate and catch up on without losing past content that drops off the board.

I prefer functionality over tradition based on these factors.

.

It's better.

Far better from a functionality standpoint. I don't get what people are talking about with stuff being hard to find. The basic set-up is better organized and if you're logged-in, every new post is marked as such. Just because post titles aren't changing color doesn't mean I can't easily skip over what I've already read.

Yes, there's less chatter. That has considerably less to do with the site itself than it has to do with the users. There are fewer posts? That's because some people are making fewer posts. A lot of people decided on Day One that they weren't going to like this (or in some cases, any) new format and either left outright or reduced their involvement. The forum software doesn't matter if people don't contribute to the discussion. If you want to talk about X, start talking about X. You wish so-and-so posted here, go talk them into it. I do think that those who have stuck around will eventually warm to the new place - like changing a superhero's costume, at first everyone hates it and can't stop complaining about how it just ruins everything and makes their ice cream taste funny but eventually people realize that it wasn't the costume that made them read that particular comic and they get over it.

I come here less frequently as well. Not because I dislike this change, but because the change means I don't have to visit as often. I can stop by once a day, and even miss a day, and every discussion will still be there waiting to be read and contributed to if I so choose. I don't have to worry that I'll miss something good because it was pushed right off the page by a flame war or post-splosion about ordering from Matty.

There's room for improvement, certainly. I doubt that could ever not be the case. The space for posts is a little narrow (maybe the stuff to the right doesn't need to display within threads?), I could see that becoming a problem if people reply to replies to replies to replies to replies to... etc. A third sub-forum dedicated to customizing would be an idea - it should generate some traffic/posting and moderating it would be less work for Bobby & Rob than maintaining the customizing section that the old site had.

I'll admit, I used to visit the Buzz Board several times a day, but now maybe once every week or two. As stated by others, all of the posts are still here and not wiped off the screen by the end of the day. I still like the Buzz Board and all of my friends here.

Joe Acevedo

So seems like the consensus is not many people really like this format and there are other boards I know people go to where the format is much better and you still have an account for them.

I'll follow the site regardless, but admit that I grew tired of the growing issues we were experiencing as a Community with the nonsense.

The Community will rebuild as the site grows. This does not mean I want to see the older Community members leave, but Rob & Bobbi needed to make changes that allowed them to accomplish their goals for the site accordingly, while still being able to do so without affecting their personal lives.

This is an aspect that people tend to forget and cannot grasp unless you've been there before.

There is so much involved in keeping a site afloat, let alone relevant. This site will flourish once again once it begins to take advantage of the new tools and features it has. Once that happens, older members will return as well, seeing the new growth and evolution of the format.

Nothing happens overnight and slow steady growth is what wins the race.

However, if the decision was made to return to the old format, I would still be there as a part it no matter what my personal preference is.

RTM needs a format like the Shacknews Chatty. Quick to read and still in the stream-of-consciousness style, but also better organization than the old buzz. Check it out:
http://www.shacknews.com/chatty

I pop by 2-3 times a week. Lack of chatter and inability to see the latest post updates kinda irk me. Same reason why I don't have much conversation on similarly styled forums like TFW.

I also have this irritating problem of being logged out every single day. I access this place from home, the office and on the go with my smartphone, and I am logged out every instance I visit.

I second the 4chan style format suggestion. I've kinda made that my new online place to go for toy chatting. Ironically I think I like it there because it reminds me of the old Buzz... with more trolls. I like the way you can see latest posts and just skim through 10 threads at a time. Posting is an easy "reply" click away from the landing page. If you can do a Chan style format with registration, I'd come back here more often.

This sounds really silly but I dont like the red font color for the forums, maybe blue?

Avian
The red seems like an eyesore ever time I log on, Ilike that we can validate and confirm our identites on here

I like the fact that 50% of what I see posted isn't trolling back and forth.

So the people who treated the community like a wild west frontier riding rough shod over everyone else are gone. I hope they didn't let the door hit them in the @$$ when they left.

The reduction in spam is a breathe of fresh air!

I AM dismayed that people don't post as many pics (like they do in other forums) and instead post links to other sites instead. if I wanted to visit them, I would.

I think part of the problem, is many people are bailing on the hobby for many reasons.

The price on figures is about 3 times what it was several years ago, and the economy is still in the crapper, so people are buying less, or have completely stopped buying.

As a result of this, stores are reducing inventory as to what they are carrying.. our walmart for example has 1/2 an aisle of action figures, where in the past they had two full aisles. And they've cut down what lines they are carrying as well. We have a choice of transformers, gijoe, spiderman, avengers, ironman, and wrestling. And thats pretty much it! I can remember when you'd see 30-40 different figure lines carried by walmart.

Our Toys r us isn't much better. I'm still waiting to see those z.o.m.b.i.e.s. figures hit, 4 months later. They have almost nothing new of interest.

As a result, our toy spending has pretty much hit rock bottom. The only thing off the top of my hhead we are buying are new monster high characters. Pretty sad, when I used to spend $100 or more weekly on new toy aquisitions. Since we buy less, we talk about it less as well, as I'm sure many others do.

I'm sure the workload for Rob and Bobbi is far less now, which is also a good thing.

If this site is like many others, then about 10% of the people here post, and he rest just read.

So yeah, things changed.. The king is dead, Long live the king!

Well said sir.

Oh yeah, this place exists. It looks like it's become more active in the past couple of months. To be honest, I mostly read (but don't bother posting at) the Fwoosh forums these days. If I might make one comment, the columns on the left and right sides of the screen just make things seem too cramped.

And I haven't been banned, yet. WTF?

I've been gone for almost the entire time. I also didn't feel very comfortable with the new format, though I DID give it a try for awhile.

I just decided to look up this site again on a whim, and found a LOT of familiar names I hadn't seen in several months.

Gernot,

You should should stick around. Fun can still be had here @ the Buzz.

Thanks, Nebraska! I'll be stickin' 'round fer a bit.

Hey guys! Been awhile. I too just couldn't adjust to the new layout very well. And I admit I didn't try too hard. I agree with the comments about how you could go to the old buzz and get caught up on all things geek within seconds. I also don't like the red font, lol plus like someone else said I just don't get into collecting as much anymore. Have you seen the price of toys these days? yikes.