Should we close this forum?

[Sid]

There's pretty much no one here anymore.  In fact, torrenting of Daz/Poser stuff has died.  All original content starts out on https://zonegfx.com/blog/
and drifts to other sharing sites soon after.  The 'Zone' has become the warm and cozy place we built at KAT.

It's been a few months since we set this place up for you guys.

I see posts here but I'm not a member of any other Daz sites so I don't know whether what beenthere-donethat says is true or not.

Is there any point in us continuing to offer this forum or is it effectively just misleading people into a dead end?

[ThunderHerd]

There was much hope and great expectations of a torrent revival when we first started here, but I was disappointed with the ensuing lack of participation (other than gimme gimme gimme), despite the efforts of maybe a dozen diehards to get things going. The sharing sites have been around for quite a few years now, but I am getting more than annoyed with the antics of the file hosts and their advertisers. They used to be civil, and I didn't give a hoot about advertising, as long as it didn't pop up in my face or try to hijack my computer, as is the case with most of those jokers now. There are a couple of notable exceptions, but how long will they stay (relatively) safe to use? If the competition gets whittled down to one or two decent players, is that really a stable source of content? Doomsayers that keep repeating that torrenting is dead are snuffing out any sparks of interest that might be lingering. Maybe the efforts at curbing piracy are taking their toll in some cases, cutting off entire countries or ISP's, or scaring people away, leaving many would-be participants with little or no option.

On the other hand, KAT's revival has been ...awkward, and the 'Noid seems to have disappeared while upgrading, again. It would be nice to have more than one place to host the torrents. I do not actively participate in the direct-download sites because of the reported infighting and lack of organization (but I sure milk them for content). I do not know the condition of their forums and communities, but this here is the only real place that I know of to openly discuss 3D content. Maybe there just aren't enough players to keep the game interesting, and no fresh blood to replace the old-timers as we fade away. Maybe we're waiting for the next "big thing" in sharing technology that will stymie the uber-rich corporations' efforts to control the Internet, but that doesn't seem to be forthcoming any time soon, whatever it is.

So, anybody still interested in torrents, or is it direct-download forever, for now?

[beenthere-donethat]

I drop in once a day and redirect folks to the Zone. I'd hate to see this forum disappear simply because it's a stable 'fire escape' if (when?) the file sharing sites get taken down or become too big for their britches. TPB has been a rock solid resource that we can all count on.

[Sid]

Doomsayers that keep repeating that torrenting is dead are snuffing out any sparks of interest that might be lingering.

Exactly. That is the driver for my question. It's not necessary to have a dedicated DAZ3D section on SuprBay to have DAZ3D torrents on TPB. But having a dedicated DAZ3D section on SuprBay where people are regularly told that torrenting is dead and nothing is going on harms DAZ3D torrents in general, those on TPB in particular, and SuprBay itself.

We're pro free speech here (so I'm not saying we're going to stop people posting such comments) but that doesn't mean we have to go out of our way to promote opinions that are detrimental to our interests (i.e. I'm suggesting we might stop "highlighting" them; which is what providing a dedicated section essentially does).

I do not actively participate in the direct-download sites because of the reported infighting and lack of organization (but I sure milk them for content). I do not know the condition of their forums and communities, but this here is the only real place that I know of to openly discuss 3D content.

If that is so then that is a definite plus. But there isn't a huge amount of discussion going on here so is that because the Daz community is small and not very talkative? Because it's hignly fragemented, with lots of small islands of discussion? Or because the bulk of the discussion is taking place in one or more of those direct-download communities (in which case this forum is actually serving to distract you from better sources of information)?

Maybe there just aren't enough players to keep the game interesting, and no fresh blood to replace the old-timers as we fade away.

I think there is something to the "wider Internet slump" theory. The popularity of forums in general is waning, while "social media" sites are gaining in popularity. I think that's a real shame because forums are far more "fit for purpose" when it comes to threaded discussions and content retention. But trying to stop a tide is almost always futile.

I drop in once a day and redirect folks to the Zone. I'd hate to see this forum disappear

Do you really not see the incongruity between those two statements?

[ThunderHerd]

Hey, Sid. Thought provoking as always. Social media is all-consuming for a certain age bracket, but there is a definite backlash building against it. Don't know if that is good news for forums like this, it's just another species of the same beast. Also don't know if there is any real discussion and sharing of commercial 3D content in plain sight on the mainstream social networks. Sure, music and video is all over the place (how many takedown notices does YouTube get every day?), but our little obsession?

And if no one else has anything to say, this place will get boarded up, so now is the time. We still need a central meeting point to consolidate efforts and spread the news. With everyone off in their own corner playing with themselves, there is no "community".

(Sid, give them some time, many prolific users haven't been here in a couple of months, assuming they're still out there...)

[bootleg]

I feel the zone is still unreliable and cluttered. Feels like its one strike away from being taken down.

[Mystic Fortune]

What harm does it cause to leave the DAZ section here open? I mean, in case the popular social point that is zone is taken down, either through DMCA's or a lack of donations keeping the lights on. Wouldn't it be a good idea to keep this little club house open as a fall back point in case the community needs to regroup again? I feel like our fractured community can't take another period of being out of contact with one and other.

[beenthere-donethat]

What harm does it cause to leave the DAZ section here open? I mean, in case the popular social point that is zone is taken down, either through DMCA's or a lack of donations keeping the lights on. Wouldn't it be a good idea to keep this little club house open as a fall back point in case the community needs to regroup again? I feel like our fractured community can't take another period of being out of contact with one and other.

What you said.   And no Sid,  I don't feel that my statement was incongruous.   However, you make a good point, among others.  Maybe wa should do more of our chatting here since it's a rallying point we can count on and as Mystic Fortune pointed out, the file sharing sites are generally run by one person with limited resources and could disappear in a heartbeat.  TPB is...well...TPB and indestructible.  They've also been dam nice to us.

I'm a little surprised at someone's statement regarding the popularity of forums and social media.  I've never bothered with facetubebooktweetertube and don't miss it.  I'm an active member of a wide variety of excellent forums that continue to gain in usage (vintage race cars, various graphics disciplines, stamp collecting, recumbent bikes, anthropology and more).

[repayfriendship]

What harm does it cause to leave the DAZ section here open? I mean, in case the popular social point that is zone is taken down, either through DMCA's or a lack of donations keeping the lights on. Wouldn't it be a good idea to keep this little club house open as a fall back point in case the community needs to regroup again? I feel like our fractured community can't take another period of being out of contact with one and other.

What you said.   And no Sid,  I don't feel that my statement was incongruous.   However, you make a good point, among others.  Maybe wa should do more of our chatting here since it's a rallying point we can count on and as Mystic Fortune pointed out, the file sharing sites are generally run by one person with limited resources and could disappear in a heartbeat.  TPB is...well...TPB and indestructible.  They've also been dam nice to us.

I'm a little surprised at someone's statement regarding the popularity of forums and social media.  I've never bothered with facetubebooktweetertube and don't miss it.  I'm an active member of a wide variety of excellent forums that continue to gain in usage (vintage race cars, various graphics disciplines, stamp collecting, recumbent bikes, anthropology and more).

[Sid]

[SuprBay is] a stable 'fire escape' if (when?) the file sharing sites get taken down or become too big for their britches.

I feel the zone is still unreliable and cluttered. Feels like its one strike away from being taken down.

...in case the popular social point that is zone is taken down, either through DMCA's or a lack of donations keeping the lights on.

I don't understand why you guys prefer sites which are, to paraphrase your own words, unstable, egomaniacal, unreliable, cluttered, vulnerable to legal pressure, and money grubbing.

Why don't you post here? SuprBay is stable, sensible, reliable, clean, as close to invulnerable as you will get, and wouldn't take your money even if you offered it.

I'm not being peevish. I'm genuinely interested. We set this place up for you. If it's not meeting your requirements, clarify what they are and we might be able to address them.

...don't know if there is any real discussion and sharing of commercial 3D content in plain sight on the mainstream social networks. Sure, music and video is all over the place (how many takedown notices does YouTube get every day?), but our little obsession?

People must be talking about it somewhere.

What harm does it cause to leave the DAZ section here open?

What harm would it cause to read the thread before asking questions that have already been answered?

Wouldn't it be a good idea to keep this little club house open as a fall back point in case the community needs to regroup again? I feel like our fractured community can't take another period of being out of contact with one and other.

It might be a nice thing for you to have but you're not the ones keeping "this little club house" open. Your fractured community has chosen to look a gift horse in the mouth. Having carried you for several months now I'm simply pointing out that if you don't use it you might lose it.

And no Sid, I don't feel that my statement was incongruous.

Inconceivable.

Consider this analogy then. You open a restaurant. I take it upon myself to hang around just inside the doorway, telling anyone who comes in that there is a better restaurant two doors down the road. Then, when you eventually mention you're thinking of closing due to lack of business, I look you in the eye and say, "that would be shame, I really love this place." You might consider me a hypocrite. In fact you would probably have thrown me out long ago (were you not such a cool and laid back dude).

And if no one else has anything to say, this place will get boarded up, so now is the time...(Sid, give them some time, many prolific users haven't been here in a couple of months, assuming they're still out there...)

Don't panic, nobody is rushing into anything.

I've simply flashed a "heads up" because unlike, it appears, the majority of this communities members I don't want it to fail.