MC Community: Where is it going?

[frogboy4]

To be very honest, if you saw around 2000-2003 you definitely wouldn't think it started to go downhill in 2008, lol. Was like war at times, lol. I don't think it is that bad now, i do see the high school drama stuff though and i'm mixed about it. If its meant to be a non cliquey/eletist site then everybody is welcome and the problem with that is where early Muppet Central was petty much ALL a bit older, more serious Muppet "buffs", now its mainly a lot of much younger Muppet fans who come here for the games and the fan fic, kinda mixed in with a few of the original more hardcore fans. It's all cool, except each group obviously is here for different things, one who probabaly visits daily for fun stuff, and the other who stops by to find out Muppety news and knowledge, and if you come here expecting that and find tons of game threads it can get irrirating, and then you have the younger members falling out sometimes which is to be expected cos they are well ... younger. It's very hard to keep a happy balance here, lol. I think the way Muppet Central used to be, getting people involved and working on things for the site like reviews and stuff, if they are good quality (kinda like what Ryan has done with the Muppet Mindset) helps people mix together and gives them a common goal, plus we used to have a daily chat which encouraged people to interact on a more personal level than just forum posts.

I agree with Luke. Problems here are not unlike many other forums, but Muppet fans are rather diverse.

I've personally had a lot of problems with several key religious members who can be overly forceful and condescending in voicing their opinions. For some reason their views are perceived as more “family friendly” than others when I feel that it’s far more toxic. That’s not to say religious folk in general, just a certain brand of it. There are repeat offenders here that have caused me to nearly leave, but then I think of what Kermit would do and pull back a little bit. Not every Christian is a Christian Supremacist just like not every secular person is a Toxic Atheist. This forum is always striving to find an appropriate balance and hateful behavior toward anyone will not be tolerated as long as I’m around. However, it does appear that some religious folk just stir the pot waiting for others to come around to their chosen view of the “right” way of thinking instead of a mutual agreement to disagree.

There’s also the death of the main website. Muppet Central is now Forum-Only with some archived bits on the main page and lots of links to buy things. I understand this is the way the site maintains itself, but it’s unfortunate that this once expansive place has been permanently pruned so deeply. It’s clear that through the silence and inaction that this is how MC’s leadership wants things so now it’s up to us to figure out what to do with what’s left of Muppet Central.

I really don’t think we’re cliquey at all here. Maybe I’m seen like one of those folk, but that’s not true. I’ve invested in other members and Muppet Central as a whole for a decade. I’m not cliquey, just rooted. That was one of the wonderful things about the MC of the past. All members contributed to the site and felt much more meaning and connection beyond the thread discussions. It’s more of a challenge now.

Personally, if I’m on anyone’s ignore list – so be it. I speak my mind and stick up for the little guy. That’s my nature and there’s no changing it. I’m certainly no saint and my passion can take over at times, but I also take the long term effort to bridge any gaps even if I’ve exacerbated them. I think the Muppets and Muppet Central should be accessible to everybody!

So my views - Calm down. Nobody's landed.
I think we're okay now. I go to the Holy Muppet Fan Trinity of the Muppet Mindset, Tough Pigs and the MuppetCast for content and mostly come here to post. Fansites have come and gone, but those three are going strong right now with wonderful people providing stellar content...and they all respond to the fans in a timely fashion.

 

[D'Snowth]

There’s also the death of the main website. Muppet Central is now Forum-Only with some archived bits on the main page and lots of links to buy things. I understand this is the way the site maintains itself, but it’s unfortunate that this once expansive place has been permanently pruned so deeply. It’s clear that through the silence and inaction that this is how MC’s leadership wants things so now it’s up to us to figure out what to do with what’s left of Muppet Central.

Well, we have to keep in mind Phil and Cindy have lives, as well a family to take care of, but indeed, the main site hasn't seen a lot of action... I remember the frustration with some people who wanted to contribute product reviews and such, but it become so exclusive, that we ended up with the likes of the Mindset, which strives to showcase fan-driven reviews, articles, interviews, etc to make up for it. And I was always bothered by the ads on the forum... they actually don't even work (I try clicking on some, and nothing happens), and they make the forum look unprofessional, but that's just me.

I really don’t think we’re cliquey at all here.

Again, the way I see it, cliques aren't really a big problem presently, but there always have been random cliques here and there like for fanfiction, the dorms, even the likes of our shows like MopFam and T*K*O got a bit cliquish at times; but again it seems more like presently, it's not so much cliques as it is the community has sort of been divided into a Hatfields and McCoys-esque scenario, with both sides claiming to be the good guys and claiming the other side to be the bad guys. Anymore, it really is a matter of who do/can you trust when mingling around here - not to say that nobody here isn't trustworthy, but few have lost my trust over time.

 

[dmoss]

...the community has sort of been divided into a Hatfields and McCoys-esque scenario, with both sides claiming to be the good guys and claiming the other side to be the bad guys...

See, that's where I get lost in all this...I've never noticed it. There was one brief moment in time where a member was banned, and only the people who knew of them were allowed to speak openly about it. I remember at that moment there were members coming out of the woodwork and posting that they felt excluded from the family, but other than that I've noticed nothing hostile.

 

[frogboy4]

See, that's where I get lost in all this...I've never noticed it. There was one brief moment in time where a member was banned, and only the people who knew of them were allowed to speak openly about it. I remember at that moment there were members coming out of the woodwork and posting that they felt excluded from the family, but other than that I've noticed nothing hostile.

I don't really notice that either, but I've never really done the fan fic, games or dorms. Maybe it's different over there.

I just don't see why we can't all get along equally, but I suppose that's the way of the world. Some feel more deserving of others or that giving equal footing to some translates into extra special treatment of some sort. Peoples is peoples...and frogs is peoples too!

 

[Luke]

You got me there Luke; and I'm sure there was probably a fair share of problems and issues that arose in the pre-vBulletin days, but again, I was just commentating on my personal experiences with the community over the years I've been here and been active.

Matter of fact, speaking of hostilities, I can see that the hostility around here as increased to some epic proportions in just these past few days.

Yeah, appreciated where you were coming from on that and its quite interesting how you view that period as a lot of it tended to pass me by during those later years as it was a pretty up and down period of my life so MC really took a backseat some of the time. As Jamie alluded to, and i kinda noticed from the mods postings ... must be a whole heap of craziness going down in those fan fics, dorms and games haha.

Actually it amazes me that the site attracts people in high school at all, usually really into hardcore Sesame fandom. Obviously Sesame Workshop are doing something right!

 

[Luke]

I’m not cliquey, just rooted. That was one of the wonderful things about the MC of the past. All members contributed to the site and felt much more meaning and connection beyond the thread discussions. It’s more of a challenge now.

I think you nailed it there, i feel exactly the same. Can't believe MC is the one place or group of friends in my life, virtual or real, i've actually stayed around the longest all these years lol. I would dearly love to see the main MC site spring into life a bit when all the Disney stuff really gets going and also a bit more of a balance on the forum between actual Muppety discussion and all the games and randomness.

Nothing wrong with "cliques" or groups of fans, or old time friends being closer to each other if they share an interest in certain areas of the forum or just known each other longer as long as it isn't in a closed off way that stops others getting involved and i don't feel we do here.

 

[Super Scooter]

I'm not in Fan Fiction as much as I used to be, but I hadn't ever noticed any cliques. I was thinking perhaps the issues pop up in Friends and Family, a place I avoid like the plague as it seems to be the most likely place for problems to arise. I actually don't see where these things happen.

Do people have an issue when certain users (including myself) try to defend performers? Perhaps my own comments haven't been as eloquently put as Jamie's in those places, but I've never meant to "attack" another user or be hateful toward them. I certainly hope this isn't an issue, as I feel it's (unfortunately) one of the main arguments a Muppet fan has to make.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Well, constructive criticism is never a bad thing, as long as it can be followed up with something positive. Criticism should NEVER be the end-all of a discussion of performance or otherwise.

We also made it a rule--written or unwritten--never to discuss a performer's personal life on these forums.

Same thing with each other: never let the negative accentuate where the positive should be used!

 

[Super Scooter]

Well, constructive criticism is never a bad thing, as long as it can be followed up with something positive. Criticism should NEVER be the end-all of a discussion of performance or otherwise.

We also made it a rule--written or unwritten--never to discuss a performer's personal life on these forums.

Same thing with each other: never let the negative accentuate where the positive should be used!

I agree with these points totally, Kev. I always have disliked tabloid and celebrity gossip shows, and I would hate to see any Muppet discussion dissolve to that sort of thing. As a fan, the main things I am interested in is the individual's work.

 

[frogboy4]

I agree with these points totally, Kev. I always have disliked tabloid and celebrity gossip shows, and I would hate to see any Muppet discussion dissolve to that sort of thing. As a fan, the main things I am interested in is the individual's work.

I hear Karen Prell sleeps in her Fraggle hat, that Steve Whitmire is afraid of soda pop and that Bill Barretta got third place in a cocktail shrimp eating contest! (But you didn't hear it from me.)