Bring back the titty board
 

Is it just me or is this place slowing to a crawl?

As old users go, new users seem few and far between.

But what brought most of us together?

Was it the politics board? :crazy:
Philosophy? :lol:
Sports? :rolleyes:

No, it was the boobies! Everyone loves boobies, yet now with the restricted access and far far fewer posters the tittyboard is just a ghost of its once former glory.

Now obviously there were problems, but is stagnation better?

I very rarely go into the TB so.. I don't know know if it's that much slower or not. However, I do know (at least IMO) that the quality of posts over the span of the entire board is much much better. If it takes the TB being slow to get better all around quality ..so be it.

The quality of the titty board isn't what I'm worried about. I don't spend much time there either.

Its the over all lack of posting and lack of new people. The titty board is like advertising. Many of our long time posters, including mods, were drawn here first by the titty board.

Don't forget this is the middle of summer... things always slow down on the board in the summer when people are on vacation and, more importantly, students are not a school.

Don't worry Ustwo... Irateplatypus will be back soon... ;)

I was drawn here by the titty board.

Hooray for Boobies!

This was a valid excuse until 3/4ths of the population had access to broadband at home.

How long has it been since the last Boobies free-for-all, anyway?

Perhaps... (shrug) maybe it is time to have a membership drive...

perhaps people need to donate some more money and than there could be more leniancy for newer members. I know i wouldn't want people just sucking bandwidth for TB, and have me paying for it out of my pocket. I know Halx has posted recently about cahsflow and this site....and perhaps this just shows us how serious he is.....

If...in my opinion.....this place became dependent on prOn to be a community, I would likely leave. That said, the tittie board has its place in TFP and is a part of the sexual nature of our experiment. As for the "Bring it back" statement.....It has never left, and likely never will. I do however remember seeing the stats on membership at one point and the number of lurking bodies that NEVER contributed to the community. Fully 82% of those "Members" were exclusive tittie board watchers.

I have to ask a simple question:

In what way did this population of people help TFP become a better place?

And secondly:

How many people have become active in this place because they were forced to post, to gain access to the boobies?

If you came for the TB you can move right on to a million other sites on the internet that cater to this type of thing.

The only people I really want to see around here is people that care about every other aspect of this board.

Well, I will say that I didn't come for the TB. I'm not saying I don't enjoy looking, but I always thought this was a very intelligent place to come to and voice opinions and whatnot. I have not been a member for that long, but my husband has and I could be getting the porn with no membership through him. I actually enjoy the people here and the topics and that is why I joined on my own.

Well, that's my 2 cents for what it's worth.

When I (and many, MANY others) came to the TFP, we came for the porn. Once here we discovered the community and got hooked.

I think this is what Ustwo is suggesting...

The ratio of porn lurkers to actual posters is probably pretty shocking BUT it did help build the community. In the end, it proved to be a useful tool in generating awareness of the site.

What are we doing now to add new users... if anything? I'm honestly curious.

The TB is candy. Sweet, but it can upset your system if you gorge senselessly. I enjoy boobies, but the TB really is a non-factor in being involved with TFP - unless you compare it to a specialty sandwich available in the smorgasborg of this site. I don't see a real need to pull in random fellows who's forum training generally consists of shoutouts and exchanging repetitive critiques of female bodies. Let them devolve to that after access to TFP pr0n boils their freshly opened minds :D

I see new member names popping up, and have a lot of confidence in TFP remaining viable - so long as I and others tickle paypal every few months ;) The university crowd is out and about trying their new lifestyle adjustments in their old environments during summer break, and probably don't have as much downtime compared to when they're in a settled residence/classes routine.

While I appreciate the Titty Board, there's no shortage of porn on the internet. I'm here for intelligent, civil conversation. It's the middle of summer, many people are busy with other things, I'm not sure I'd worry about it.

At this point...not much. We did open the registration process to free E-mail accounts again (I wont go into the reasons for stopping them in the first place), but other than that I am unaware of any other recruiting. Perhaps this thread may serve a purpose yet......Ideas for a membership drive.

What 'ya got People?

*raises hand* I lurked in the boobies threads back when you didn't even have to log in. Then, we had to make a certain number of posts, but TB posts counted. Then they no longer counted. (And there was a system crash somewhere in there.) So, I was forced to see what else was on the boards. It's pretty rare that I go to TB, or Wayside, anymore. (I can't say the same about Exhibition, however.) So, I think the TB is a good lure.

And Halx has done this at least once before, where he allowed free access to the TB for a few months, then reinstated the old rules. I think it dragged a few good people into the boards, but I don't remember who they were.

Amen. :thumbsup:

Redlemon and I seem to be the same person...

Is the idea of posting printed invitations in public places acceptable/feasable?

I picture something crafted with the tfp logo and header, and carrying the charter and some brief observations. Perhaps a tie in with the magazine. A pdf created and downloaded to any interested person who could print a few out and put them up where they thought it would do good (eg university common areas, laundromats near places where literate people may congregate . . .

I also wonder about the reverse of this question; how many people made it to 50 posts, then never posted outside of the TB again? (I noticed one the other day in particular, a newbie who made a huge splash with a controversal couple of threads, then I never saw him again.)

I bet we might be able to get a good plug through Fleshbot, once the next TFPMagazine is published; a lot of people read that blog.

Perhaps the problem is that the Titty Board is so hugely responsible for the numbers of people that come to this thread. So many of us came here because we read FARK or we heard somewhere about the massive collection of pr0n here. That's what drew us.

The lure of pr0n continues to bring hundreds of people to the TFP daily. What would be good is if there was something else, some other publicity or advertising that might draw people. Do you see what I mean?

Pr0n draws mainly males. The majority of posters on this site are male. Right? If there was some way that we could change what people perceive the TFP to be about, perhaps we could draw a more diverse audience. If somehow it got out that TFP while still maintaining its love of the naked body, is so much more than the pr0n. I know, all of us who are regulars here already know that TFP is so much more than that, but rookies don't.

Then again, I hear a lot of you saying "Maybe Not". Maybe it's a good thing that porn draws people here. Maybe its the best way to get lots of people to come here initially (even if it's mostly males).

So I've basically said that it would be good to have another way to draw people, but i have no suggestions. So I've basically said nothing. Hmmm. Sorry.

Exactly, one of my buddies showed me the TB and I got hooked. I started viewing the TB when there was no restrictions and doing so introduced me to the other great areas of the board.

Now I rarely even look at the TB.

Actually it's been slow during the summer as a historical fact.

We also don't have as many thread starters that post something that is discussion worthy. I was actually going to comment on this after locking the Mate's Fart smell thread... I mean that's a discussion?

OH, I could KISS you for locking that POS!!!! :icare:
Quite frankly, Isn't having quality over quantity so much better? And after last weekend's successful conclusion, I for one would certainly prefer a community of true interactions than the comings and goings of a few bored lurkers....

Side note of the obvious: "I'd hit it", "Nice tit's", "Thanks-she's hot", besides being obviously devoid of any thought, are useless thieves of bandwidth. Hell, I don't even care for the "thanks for the contribution" comments I've gotten(you're welcome,but that's not commentary)...just repetitious, serves no purpose(which in my case would be ego-boosting) and it's more waste of space.

I'd say advertise on non-porn sites. Don't even mention the pornography, then when a contributor gets to the point that he would be abel to enter the TB a mod PMs him and says "Hey, we have this section for our loyal contributors. We don't advertise it, so if you'd like, we can unlock it for you to join in, or keep it more R then XXX."

And if you're really wanting quality what you can do is advertise different websites based on the lull in conversation - computers need help? See if you can get a plug on a computer group site, same with the hiking/exploration thread, etc. Then you've got yourself a fairly well rounded forum of people who all enjoy different hobbies but still talk in the general forums, etc.

It's not the people who are drawn in by the titty board, it's the ones who stay away because of it that makes this board what it is.

It's our common demoninator.

I came for the boobies and stayed for the tilted Asia board...

ok I've never opened that forum or been to asia, but I agree that the titty board is a good way of recruiting new folks. The bait and switch worked for me.

I was all "damn no more boobies for guests" and now im all "screw titty board, I need to reveal the deepest secret of the above poster"

Interesting. Except, upon further reading, this makes no sense. I think what you mean to say that its both the people who are drawn and the absence of the kind of people who are turned away by pr0n, that make this thread what it is. So in essence you're just talking about one and the same group of people.

Since I have had a few moderators tell me that THEY started comming to TFP for the titty board, I think its safe to say it has a very usefull purpose and brings in good people.

To deny this is to deny the truth of the situation.

While the board has slowed down some it seems no more than one of its many moods. Almost every day I start at the top of the forums and then check several on the way down and have noticed a large change in the membership. Lots of new names. It feels as if the board is currently in a state of serene contemplation, this thread as an example. More introspection, less fire and gunpowder if you will.

Those of you that have been around for a long while have seen the quickly changing gesalt personality of the TFP. There are periods of ever increasing posting and discussion, then a sort of pause, and a sublty changed TFP is reborn with slightly different DNA than the last phase.

This is one of the reasons I have been a member, a quiet one I'll admit, for such a long time. The observation of the TFP is in itself a form of intelligent entertainment. A social experiment that works, and I think, works quite well.

An artifact of the bold new age of communication with truly global membership. How many other global clubs do you belong to? Your color doesn't matter, your gender doesn't matter, your sexual preference, your age. None of this matters to the members of this group. I was born in 1953, this is light years from those days.

I think, and this is just my opinion, that we are evolving again. We have molted old members and gained new ones, but many of the central strands remain. The board will soon accelerate again, I have no doubt at all.

If you hang around long enough it's a kick ass ride!

Geez, can I ramble or what?

hehe i like how you lend such profundity to this site with your ramblings

What?! There was some good stuff there.... :rolleyes:

It's been said, but I'll mention it again. It's summertime. And it's not like this hasn't happened before. I mean, we've all seen the forum lull from time to time.

I don't know, maybe a membership drive is just what the doctor ordered.

I really think GF might be onto something there. I certainly like the idea of promoting the site as more a discussion board than porn dump. Not that I don't enjoy the porn dump, don't get me wrong, but the turn over from TB lurker to active participant seems really low.

The other part here is that as community members you should all try to engage each other instead of just responding to posts, seek out something interesting and start a discussion via posting a thread.

Maybe what we need is more thread starters than just thread responders.

There are a couple of other boards I frequent (bicycling related) and they have slowed greatly over the past month. I don't regard it as much more than a blip (as opposed to a trend). I think a couple of chilly, dark fall weekends, with students back at school, and volume will go back to where it was. And despite the lack of volume currently, I don't think there's any lack of quality.

it's refreshing to note that 10 (well, 11 now) donors have posted to this thread...

So, basically, what we see here is a good debate about how the TB contributed to membership for this community. I personally was drawn by the forbidden fruit of the magical land of boobs. I then was forced to post to access it. I like to think that I contribute, and engage in in the discussions here, and I like to think I have a good time.

It is the people that make this site. Without people, (and donations) we don't have a site. This is one of the only sites I've seen like it. We are real people. We have real lives. We go out of our way to post on this forum because we are bored, because we want to be enlightened, because we're frighened, because we need advice, because we like to help others, and because we want to see other people's genitals.

I've come to learn that there is more to the board than boobs. It's the people who post that make this special.

Not to say that I still enjoy the board, heh heh.

I am going to post a leaflet at the Uof R campus in the next week.....and ask that responders hit the newbie board/introduction thread with a Uof R notation

seems an interesting experiment....and likely the intellectual stuff that fits our community (if you knew this campus, you would understand)....might prove interesting to watch what happens

If you suggest a group hug, I am cutting off your alky-hawl and getting the hose... :)


It doesnt matter what gets 'em in the door -- boobies, polly-ticks, phyllis ophy, or plain nonsense... everyone finds their nitch, and eventually moves to other parts of the board and contributes in their own way..

/me checks her own threads started on the boobie board... who'da thunk that one? :D

Haha! Good one!

I'll be the first to admit that the titty board is what brought me here, but I don't think that a lot of you were here when the decision was made to make the EZ unavailable to rookies. There was a point where we had so many lurkers, that you couldn't look at more than two pages without getting an error message because there were too many people putting too heavy of a load on the server. So, membership became required to view the titty board. That got rid of some lurkers, but the same thing started happen again. I can't even begin to describe how annoying it is to type out a reply only spend 10-20 minutes hitting the submit button only to get a white screen with the "there was a problem with the database, the admins have been contacted" (or however it goes) message every time.

Here are our options:
1. EZ open to all, and have contributing members constantly getting errors because we're overrun with lurkers
2. Leave it as it is so that we can continue viewing and posting without getting frustrated by the dreaded "white screen of death"

Personally, after having seen the WSOD one too many times, I prefer the second option.

Make that twelve, but somehow I never got my badge of honor.

I've seen more disgusting topics than that, but for future reference, would that have been locked if it were in Tilted Nonsense?

I'm just trying to get a feel for what's going to be locked.

came in thru fark, and have never left... I know I can find lively debate whenever i want... that's why i'm here now... but of course, I'm a male and was initially drawn in by the TB... mea culpa, mea culpa

There shouldn't be any concern among the TFP if the post count drops a bit. In fact, I think that's it somewhat positive, if that's the case. We, the members, are spending more of their leisure time outside of the computer/internet with the opportunities that the summer brings [for us, northern hemisphere users :cool: ]
I laude that the users are logging off with what we learned and gave to the TFP and do the evolution outside :thumbsup:

Allright, back to the outside...

catcha back on the flipside,
keyshawn

Very good point. ANY board is going to have its fair share of stinky threads (no pun intended). And what keeps many people coming back here I think are the good posts not the lack of bad ones.

Also I don't think the titty board makes or breaks this forum. In fact when I read the subject line before reading this post I thought perhaps the TB was gone again due to Halx finally saying to hell with all the TB debate. I click through the TB as much as the next guy. But what is there that one can't find anywhere else on the Internet?

I have some opinions about how some people reply with in the Tilted Exhibition forum but I won't get into it because it has nothing to do with this topic and apparently does not bother those who are willing to share in that part of the board.

I came for the porn, and stayed once it was no longer open to just anyone- I feel that it is like anything else, the net brings all kinds, and eventually some will drift away, (good and bad) - thing is though, the lure of free pron brought a hella lot of people- thus, just through sheer volume you get some people who are gonna stick and give a damn about the place- question is, is it worth it to the mods to sort through the shit that comes with a jillion virtual pilgrims come to visit the shrine o' pron- to me bringing in new members is important, I have pitched it to a bunch of friends, and to me if even one out of a hundred yabo seeking yahoos sticks around and says intellegent and interesting things, then its worth it, and improves the community... course I don't have to play traffic cop on this lost highway either.....and I can only immagine how much shit the mods must have had to put up with back in the day.....

I've suspected this for some time :) But WHAT a person!!!

On the topic at hand, I get frustrated too sometimes that the forum seems to be slower and less interesting than it used to be for me, but really I think that might be just the normal evolution of any "relationship." When I first started posting here, I found all kinds of interesting threads. I'd post all the time, and check back frequently to see how the discussion was going. But after a while I realized there were really only 3 conversations that happened in Tilted Politics and I got sick of having them over and over again. And there are really only 2 or 3 conversations that happen in Living or Sexuality, and how many times can you say "communication is important" or the like? I don't feel like I always have anything unique to contribute to a thread, so I kind of follow it but don't necessarily chime in. It's kind of like a relationship - at first, you're interested in everything the other person has to say, but eventually you've heard most of the stories and you know most of the arguments, and it becomes more of a companionable presence and a support than an exciting whirlwind of constant discovery.

I also realize that for me there are a lot of untapped areas of the forum. I hardly ever post in literature, entertainment, music, etc. Also sort of like a relationship - you never know what you're going to find around the next corner.

I think the most important question for each of us to ask is what are we, personally, doing to make this the kind of place we want it to be? I don't think it has to do with traffic or new members or dynamism. I think it has to do with what your expectations are and what you're willing to do to shape the place.

i didn't even know there was the TB when i registered here. hahaha
maybe twice since i was given access have i bothered to even sneak a peek. i've seen boobs & all other body parts, big, small, beautiful & ugly. there's so much more to life than naked bodies. i suppose it boils down to how you want to spend your valuable time.

actually, i enrolled in the nonsense forum firstmost & foremost & my hat still largely hangs there. i've made some nice friends in the nonsense forum.
but i also venture into the creativity forums & occasionally when i'm really bored, i'll look elsewhere on tfp, such as tonight. hello! here i am in general - omg! ;)
but i'm not a big serious discussions kind of person. i'm the ignorant wise cracker & the art appreciater.

anyway, most boards are always slow in summer, over holidays & weekends. it's just the nature of the beast vs people have lives to live outside of sitting in front of a computer. personally, i don't see any need to draw in a bunch of new boobie lurking bandwidth wasters. what do i know? not much.

me either!!!

well seeing as its winter over here...

the Aussie board is plodding along at its usual pace!!!

and people like Bern are keeping the nonsense board moving, so no complaints from me.

There seems to be a common theme of 'I came for the boobs stayed for the love' or variations along that theme, also a lot of people have said that despite coming to see tits they rarely visit the titty board now (sure, I believe you).

From that it's obvious that the board works fine as a standalone disscussion board without the porn. What it needs is another way to attract new members-assuming this will freshen and speed things up around here.

I have noticed a slow down but is it typical to the tfp or are other boards noticing this problem?

I think to dangle porn as a recruitment drive is to exclusive -it can only be a good thing to try and introduce the tfp to people who aren't just looking for free tits, this would encourage a braoder range in the type of person who signs up. Since it's the broad range available for discussion and the moderation standard which are the tfp's main appealing factors (once you've got past the titty board) this seems to make sense.

So keep the titty board as a perk and focus on getting a broad a range of newbies as possible. If this were a company I would suggest a rebrand and a marketing drive

I can't stress how strongly I agree with this statement.

I have personally been thinking about this aspect. I feel I have become quite lazy... sitting back and just waiting for a thread to motivate me to post in.

Cynthetiq also stated "We also don't have as many thread starters that post something that is discussion worthy." While I agree with this I have trouble deciding what is and isn't a 'worthy' topic. I know I am not totally stupid but I do feel limited because I would prefer some direction. What makes TFP different to other forums and what is the main agenda? What topics will express this?

I realise the Magazine project helps to get the message of TFP out there to the others that are not searching the internet for porn... I found this site by finding an archive list of philosophy topics. I am here to grow and expand my thinking and perceptions... I'm just having a hard time doing this on my own... I don't know how to ask the questions, but I do want to learn.

I think if our purpose is more in mind, and we don't get lazy, the site will continue to grow as it originally did... do we need to get back on track, or am I missing something?

I've been involved with a lot of online community type things and I've seen them die.

The fastest way to die is to stop appealing to new members. Porn is a universal advertiser. Any race, education level, country, age, political affiliation, etc likes porn. This diversity of thought is part of what makes TFP unique. Most other ideas here are more specific advertising.

I can understand server load issues, but perhaps a happy medium, bait and switch is what we need. Open the titty board up a while and like (in the past) slam it shut for those who don't look beyond it.

......Not a bad Idea....not bad at all

Personally, I was drawn here because it had a philosophy section. Then the TB made me want to post, and now I've stayed for the community. Maybe he could open up the TB on the first monday of every month or something to help get new people.

You know, I'm really of two minds about this. On one hand, I think the addition of new personalities could very likely enrich the community with new perspectives; at the same time, I've had a feeling since I've been around these boards that those attracted to such an on-line community would most likely eventually find it, through word of mouth or playing on the internet - or else they would find some equivalent group. It's interesting to think about, but I've not really had any feelings of stagnation above and beyond what I would consider to be largely unavoidable in such a medium. Perhaps it's from not being around as long as some. I certainly think that the same themes are going to continually present themselves in the various forums, but that's just life. Sometimes I find the wrinkles interesting, sometimes I don't. Etc.

Ustwo- that's a damn good idea. Everyone loves porn, and the slamming it shut part will weed out those that love porn but are lazy moochers. (That's how I started looking around-trying to get to those 250 posts, dammit.) Lurkette has a point about the same threads and not being quite so "involved" after one gets jaded to the same discussions. But I think we should not forget to dance with the one that brung ya. (Hell, our founder was/is in the porn business) Porn brings in a great cross section of society, and I'm not sure that the TFP would be the same if it continued to evolve into a forum populated by people that were interested in a cool online community.

As an analogy- think about Gilligans Island. Bimbos, sailors, intellectuals, (loan officers, dentists, goth girls, etc..) Now think about a different island populated mostly by polynesians that had grown up there after their ancestors migrated across the ocean, and maybe a few beach bums and people looking for an enlightening online community. The second island, while nice, is not nearly as interesting or entertaining as the one with all the different characters.

I say open the flood gates for a month or so, and for every 100 moochers that flee after slamming the door shut, hopefully we'll get a good one or two interesting characters to stay.

There are a lot of sites out there which taylor to sex. Movies, links, pictures. Name your fetish there is a forum out there devoted to getting you your fix for free or pretty close to it.

I come here for the friends and the great conversation. Ok, and I do occasionally sneak a peek at the EZ, but that is not why I come.

I agree 100 %, every year we go through this don t we?

I came to the tfp for the beer!

Indirectly, I came because of the titty board (the member who introduced me to TFP joined because of the TB). Still, I don't think having free-for-all TB access would attract the kind of member TFP wants or desires; I would rather see new members come because a friend invited them, or they heard about it on their campus, or they were looking for something unrelated to porn. While I don't have a problem with people coming here for porn, if that is their only reason for being here and their only reason for posting, they need to reconsider their committment to this community. Fortunately we have a great group of mods who keep the ship tight.

My only worry is that new members turn into lurkers :( I don't like lurkers.

I think I tracked down one of the "open, then shut periods" that closed in July 2003:

Tilted Forum Project - Updates: 7/23
He also gave a "heads up" about a month before in Tilted Forum Project - Important: Titty Board readers, what YOU NEED to KNOW.

I'd love to hear Halx's thoughts on Ustwo's proposal, since ultimately it would be his decision.

I came here because someone who came here because of the TB was "bait and switched" with the TB, and convinced me that this was an interesting place to read/post. I don't even know if I've opened a single TB post.

I do not believe this is a discussion of "should we keep TB open at all times", but rather "should we bait-and-switch to see if more members can be drummed up".

Some of this is wheat-and-chaffe. I'm certain that the friend-of-a-member who posts here will be of higher quality than a random TB drawn fly, but if an open TB brings in more high quality members, and TFP is capable of filtering out and dealing with the 'chaffe' that the open EZ would cause, the result is positive.

My experience is a little different. I heard about TFP through a friend who frequented the TB. I came when the TB was restricted, and have been here ever since. The funny thing is, I lurk more than ever in the discussion forums. It's odd- I guess I'm more of an intellectual voyeur than a sexual one.

I'll make a note to be more interactive!

So in other words you don't like many of our mods, admins, and current posters? :p (Yes I know I'm putting words into your mouth)

Think about what you are saying, YOU would not be here if it weren't for the TB. Directly or indirectly, you would have never heard of TFP. Yes it would be nice if only 'quality' people were to join, but the titty board is a giant neon sign.

progression... 4 me

hardforums (general mayhem)
->>
fark
->>
TB
->>
here

Well, looks like there's an uptick in Rookies. Right on time for the start of the fall semester.

Things should start picking back up... colleges are back up.

Also, I came for the boobies, linked from somewhere. Not sure where, but it wasn't fark.

Anyhow, I looked at the first page of boobs and realized it was a whole forum, not just a porn thing... so I registered, started posting, and the rest is history.

I think that it'll naturally pick back up.

I haven't been posting recently (in a good while) because of the lack of solid threads on which to post, and not having any real new thread ideas.

I think we're just going through a slow period.

just my two cents.... I can take it or leave it.

When it was here I looked at it every now and again, but I havent noticed thats its been gone.

It's just you.

So school is back in session........

Has posting gone up? So far it seems less posting to me, not more.

Maybe its time to loosen up that titty board after all?

Cry Havoc! And let loose the boobies!

I guess I must post enough or have been here long enough or something cause I have no trouble being able to view the TB or any other boards for that matter. Thing is I rarely go to the TB. I post here pretty much daily in just general discussion as well as a few other of the discussion boards. Just post, get involved and before you know it it won't matter if there are many people here or not. You'll have access to all that you desire to see.

The problem isn't for active posters, because if we had more active posters it wouldn't be a problem.

The problem is bringing in NEW people to become active posters. The titty board attracts people, many of which become active posters.

From a personal stand point, I don't really care about the titty board, my sex life is better than most porno's :D, but I do see a decline in QUALITY posts on tfp and thats kinda sad, I think there is a good thing going here, and unlike most internet message boards its not dominated by one school of thought or group.

I came in because someone I liked interacting with elsewhere told me she liked this place. She's banned now, for unknown reasons, as is her mate. The TB is a nice frill, but the board could live without it. There are so many other free sources of titty pics, after all, USENET being the most obvious.

Well the good news, I guess, is that you only have to check tfp once every other day and you won't fall behind.

One would think, having been here as long as you have Ustwo, that you would know of the lull we get during the summer months. Although I have seen an influx of rookies in the past several weeks (we can actually see things you can't), and I have upgraded more members this month than any other month I can recall. Opening up the tittie board to everyone will , in my opinion, not greatly increase the quality, or quantity of posts in these forums.
You might consider that the staff here pays relatively close attention to these things, as it is actually our job to do so. We very much appreciate the comments and recommendations of the membership to make this a better place, and many of the ideas in the "Suggestion" forum are implemented. But, when we need to comment continuously in a thread to explain the obvious (to us), it serves little constructive purpose.