UltimateDisney/DVDizzy has been the only forum that I've really kept on to for a long period of time; in fact, this June would have marked my 8th year anniversary. I commend the work of the moderators and their utter resilience, and a good majority of you are brilliant. I still love the main site, and will continue to support Luke through Amazon links and whatnot, but I can't continue to frequent this forum anymore. A lot of the old guys (Escapay, Disneykid, ichabod even Aaron and Netty, it seems) are now long gone, as is the jovial, comfortably middle-brow ambiance of the old days. What is in its place? Amid all the good that exists, there's an equal amount of sheer bitterness. People will take things way off-topic to the point that people will forget what they were originally supposed to be talking about; as an example, a recent "Disney on Blu-Ray" thread became the setting for debate on Christmas movies. Some members feel like they need to argue everything, from trivial things to big issues; it's a forum populated by members whom we'll never likely meet, not a political cabinet or courtroom. In many regards, I can't help but think that some people just post a lot of this stuff because they like the sound of their own voice. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that some members are quite frankly bullies. There has also been a sharp increase in vulgar language and posts with sex references, which doesn't sit quite comfortably with me considering it's a forum centred around something so benign and quaint as Disney. Some people's spelling and grammar is awful, and these said people are actually native English-speakers (in fact, a good majority of the non-native speakers write like proper native speakers).
So where will you be able to find me? Well, I still want to discuss Disney with people online, so I thought that I would create my own website provisionally titled "The Wondy Club", dedicated to Disney's presence in the UK. However, I would also set up an exclusive forum on general Disney, which I'd encourage you all to join. No need to worry about bickering, though, as I would instantly block certain people I'd predict to be trouble makers. Just in case, any swear words would instantly be bleeped out, and using special technology, any slurs against other members would be detected and the culprit automatically suspended for seven days.
I'll be back in a while to make a big post advertising "The Wondy Club", but until then, Bye Bye!
Oh, and by the way, Happy April Fools Day! I have no intention of fully leaving UD really, nor do I intend to create an exclusive forum called the Wondy Club; 'tis just a leg puller. Though there is an element of truth in the second paragraph; some members do need to clean up their language and attitudes. (;
