[PCF] Resurrection

[R. Jesse]

Well, before I get started in this rant, I believe I owe you all a re-introduction. I am a [former] member who joined in pre-historic times (back at the end of 2003). I was still a child then. My reputation was defined by constantly breaking rules, harassing other members on messengers (including forcing people to participate in strange RPs in order to satisfy my need for crack "comedy") and being a disturbingly hyperactive little lunatic in general. Anyway, I was here for a good year before I left as a result of my reputation and to take on larger projects my life was currently being drawn into. I do not know if anyone remembers me, or if my words mean anything to those who do. All I can say to you is that nostalgia commands me to post this. I seriously hope no one takes offense.

The closure of Paradigm City Forums has to be the greatest mistake, or at least one of the largest mistakes since the promotion of Almasy to moderator status in 2004. Yes, inactivity ran rampant and a new generation of members surfaced. Yes there was trolling and there flame wars. However, couldn't these problems have been solved by community improvement rather than by closing a truly historic forum?

It has been two years since the closure, and now that the issue is, from an Internet standpoint, part of the distant past, it is safe to look back on it with questioning eyes.

That is why I am here. I wish to question the closure of Paradigm and propose its resurrection, much like I did with the MFL. Krang and Shredder likely still have the backups of the forums stashed somewhere. Based on this, it is physically possible to restore Paradigm if enough support was thrown behind it. I realize that the only people who might even possibly be sympathetic to my nostalgia are those from the olden days, and that those people are few in number and low on time. Just try to imagine for a second what it would be like for Paradigm to come back on line at this point, perhaps even accompanied by a mass email celebrating a forum reunion. The surge this would create is likely, if not certain to draw in all manner of the old atmosphere, perhaps even enough to put PCF back in its golden days again.

I await the result of this thread in very much the same way I awaited your reactions to my strange AIM/YIM messages back in the day.

[Hobo]

Uh... the backups are online where they used to be.

http://www.paradigm-city.com/forums/

[R. Jesse]

I was aware of the archive, but yeah. I miss PCF very much. I am sure there are others who miss it as well. If I recall, Krang and Shredder brought The Technodrome back once due to popular demand. The same could happen with Paradigm if people would speak up. 

[EyeOfPain]

Uh, isn't this site a replacement for the closed PCF?

[paul1290]

I'm not sure if there would be much gained if PCF was re-opened. I mean, we already have this site.

Though I guess it would help if Paradigm-City.com had a much more visible link directing users here. The one there right now isn't very obvious and you have to scroll down to see it.

[R. Jesse]

I'm not sure if there would be much gained if PCF was re-opened. I mean, we already have this site.

Paradigm was here many years before this site, but that's not the point. There is a big difference between CoA and PCF. It simply isn't the same board.

I am not here to bash CoA, obviously. This is an excellent board. I am not even saying that a resurrected PCF should completely replace CoA. I am simply saying that reviving Paradigm would be a very good move, and might even get the Big O community back into its prime.

[R. Daniel 01]

The only thing that could bring Big O back into its prime would be re-airing it at a good time on CN (unlikely). Even that would have a diminished return, since a certain percent of the audience will have already seen it.

I think monetary concerns coupled with inactivity are what took PCF down. If you wish to foot the bill for maintaining the webspace...

[Hobo]

I mean, if you want to talk to Krang and Shredder about it, there's nothing stopping you.

But they christened this the replacement forum, since they didn't want to run it anymore, so... yeah.

[Brooklyn Luckfield]

I personally feel that reopening PCF would be pretty pointless with this forum up and going. I would however like to see a serge of new members that actually stay around for more than 10 posts.

I think monetary concerns coupled with inactivity are what took PCF down.

lol no kidding. I remember coming back after a year or so, the place was a dead zone and any thread that was up tended to be a flame war.

[Bllue]

I blame politics... ._.
>.>

It would be pointless to bring it back, and it would hardly serve your nostalgia because of the lack of former members. Face it, people lose interest and have no motivation to come back, and the proof is in this tapioca. I like tapioca with jello rather than rice, by the way. This board is made up and kept active mainly by former members. and this board is almost inactive. I come back after months and haven't missed a thing xD (which can be a good thing >.>)

So I'm sorry, I must repeat the obvious, it's pointless to try to bring back the PCF you knew. There aren't the people for it.

it's too easy to keep my ranking in posts on here xD

[paul1290]

I think bringing back PCF would be a bit overkill.

However, I do think something should be done to make this place easier to find.

[Mike]

The show ended on a crappy note. Then the site kind of died out as people lost interest and left. There's really no reason to bring the site back because there's little to no interest in Big O anymore. Although getting more people to come here would be good. This place is kind of dead lately, too.

Also, Almasy was made a moderator? Holy crap, I never knew that. No wonder the place went to hell.

[Char Aznable]

I mean, if you want to talk to Krang and Shredder about it, there's nothing stopping you.

But they christened this the replacement forum, since they didn't want to run it anymore, so... yeah.

If my memory is correct, this and the fact that the money to run the site was coming out of THEIR pockets with little or no help is what led to Finale stepping up and saying "Okay, I'll do it."

Last time I was there, a bulk of the site is still running, but they reduced the forum to just a read-only HTML document for some of us to get nostalgic about when we were bored or wanted to remember the good old days.

Now, we have CoA, and the small group that said, "Hey, we still like each other enough to still be social on the same message board...or something like that..." and we don't complain. If it was important enough, we just restarted the thread(s).

[Krang]

The closure of Paradigm City Forums has to be the greatest mistake

That's easy for you to say when you weren't even around to see how bad the forums got toward the end...    Anyway, it's good to hear that you enjoyed Paradigm City Forums, but they are closed and will not be coming back for the reasons I mentioned here.  I've had enough Big O-related internet drama to last several lifetimes and am not interested in inviting any more.

or at least one of the largest mistakes since the promotion of Almasy to moderator status in 2004.

2003, you mean.  And that was long before anyone on the forums knew how he would turn out.  Once we did find out, he was dropped from the moderator team like a "That's Hot" potato.

Yes, inactivity ran rampant and a new generation of members surfaced. Yes there was trolling and there flame wars. However, couldn't these problems have been solved by community improvement rather than by closing a truly historic forum?

No.

Just try to imagine for a second what it would be like for Paradigm to come back on line at this point, perhaps even accompanied by a mass email celebrating a forum reunion. The surge this would create is likely, if not certain to draw in all manner of the old atmosphere, perhaps even enough to put PCF back in its golden days again.

I can guarantee that it would sooner or later end up just as bad as it was when it closed.

If I recall, Krang and Shredder brought The Technodrome back once due to popular demand. The same could happen with Paradigm if people would speak up. 

That was a very different situation, especially considering it was never fully closed.

Though I guess it would help if Paradigm-City.com had a much more visible link directing users here. The one there right now isn't very obvious and you have to scroll down to see it.

That can be arranged.  If someone can make an 88x31 button for CoA and if Finale can add a link to Paradigm somewhere around here, we can set up an affiliation, which will be visible on every page on Paradigm.

[R. Jesse]

That's easy for you to say when you weren't even around to see how bad the forums got toward the end...   Anyway, it's good to hear that you enjoyed Paradigm City Forums, but they are closed and will not be coming back for the reasons I mentioned here.  I've had enough Big O-related internet drama to last several lifetimes and am not interested in inviting any more.

Point taken. I had assumed that after a period of time, your mindset would have changed with relation to the "NEVER COMING BACK" statement. Anyway, it's not like you can force someone to host a website. I can finally accept the end now.

2003, you mean.  And that was long before anyone on the forums knew how he would turn out.  Once we did find out, he was dropped from the moderator team like a "That's Hot" potato.

2003? I had assumed the entity which I shall hereafter refer to as The Embodiment of Disturbing Photography was a staff assistant for a while leading up to a jump to full moderator status in early 2004. Ah well, I was a kid then. Thank you for correcting my memory with respect to The Embodiment of Disturbing Photography.

That can be arranged.  If someone can make an 88x31 button for CoA and if Finale can add a link to Paradigm somewhere around here, we can set up an affiliation, which will be visible on every page on Paradigm.

That does effectively solve the problem of there being no link between the most popular, most ancient Big O site still in existence. CoA has probably missed a massive number of registrations (UNBASED ESTIMATE. DO NOT COMMENT) due to the nonexistence of such a link. What this board could really use is a skin resembling that of PCF. I still have a copy of Jonny Axehandle's Paradigm skin for Invisionfree, but that's Invisionfree. XD