Steve
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Post by Steve on Oct 9, 2020 22:10:00 GMT
Let's face it, it was only a matter of time before it happened. The below quote is from Richard Orchard, who is the owner at Queenzone.
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Richard Orchard
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Posted: 09 Oct 20, 18:16 Edit this post Reply to this post Reply with Quote
hi All,
Just giving people a heads-up - i will be shutting down queenzone on 1 November.
A few reasons:
1. Don't have the time to maintain the site - can't be bothered with sorting out all the spammers, fixing things.
2. Cost - don't really want to spend any more money on the site (only about $50 per month, but all adds up)
3. Don't really have much passion for what remains of Queen anymore.
4. There are lots of avenues for conversation/downloading stuff/ etc now.
So - for those few people that still viisit,you can arrange an alternative venue.
I think the site started in about 1995 - so it has been going a while. i may put up the raw code/data somewhere if anyone ever wants to play with it. The discography by John S Stuart was good i thought.
Richard.
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I saw this coming a mile off. I haven't posted there since we started up this place. The place has become a shithole. Finally, Richard decided to pull the plug.
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Oct 9, 2020 23:02:54 GMT
It's been a long time coming. It's a shame in a way, as it's been going so long, but if he'd had a bit more interest in it and not let it get to the sorry state it's in, it might still have been a decent forum.
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pg
Queen Mab
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Post by pg on Oct 9, 2020 23:13:56 GMT
The good times were good.
The recent times were bad.
Correct decision.
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Post by Mr Mercury on Oct 9, 2020 23:33:26 GMT
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georg
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Post by georg on Oct 10, 2020 1:00:25 GMT
Color me surprised. I always thought it would go on forever, but Richard clearly had lost the passion for it long ago – and god bless Barbara for her herculean efforts to maintain sanity. Obviously it’s a shell of its former self, but the Internet has become so much more divisive that the idiots just completely overtook it.
Ah well. I met a lot of really great people there – some of whom are on here, some of whom have lost interest, the rest of which have been lost to the mists of time – and I know my book would not have been what it was without the community.
And that was what made the difference back in the 90s and 00s: community. Now it’s dead and gone, overrun with trolls and bots. A shame it had to end that way – in a cloud of indifference – but all things must pass.
RIP QZ, and RIP Lester Burnham (2002 – 2020). 18 years wasted, ha.
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georg
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Post by georg on Oct 10, 2020 1:22:49 GMT
The good times were good. The recent times were bad. Correct decision. The halcyon days of 2001 (when I started contributing; I’m sure they were halcyon before then too) to about 2005 or 2006 was a wonderful run. Just following the Arlene R. Weiss bullshit was essential reading. |
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Post by RhapsodiaBohemia on Oct 10, 2020 1:44:45 GMT
QZs also been starting to break a little too since some links don't work anymore
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Post by katydyd5 on Oct 10, 2020 2:01:24 GMT
I'm sad to see it go, but it had been taken over by trolls and bots. I can't blame Richard for growing tired of the toxicity. I appreciate the years he put into it though and am grateful for the friends I made there.
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Post by Sakura4anime25 on Oct 10, 2020 2:50:03 GMT
Well, it's good to get a notice so we will have a chance to go through and see if there's anything we might need to save from there before it shuts down. It is too bad that it fell victim to trolls, spammers, bots, etc.
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Post by The Real Wizard on Oct 10, 2020 4:23:56 GMT
A lot of great memories there, but in recent years a lot more shitty ones. In 2020 you need to be be able to ban IP addresses of trolls and bots, or they're going to take over the place. If it was well designed (read: re-designed) and simply a matter of money and having someone else take it over, I'm sure it could've been saved. Alas, instead it became a sort of digital Chernobyl long before the owner began to (barely) address it. Luckily this place has far eclipsed it already in just six months. Still, grateful for the original hotel - this is where it all started. Lots of friendships cultivated, and even in the worst of times there was plenty of gold hidden amidst the rubble. Onward !
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Post by The Real Wizard on Oct 10, 2020 4:31:41 GMT
Well, it's good to get a notice so we will have a chance to go through and see if there's anything we might need to save from there before it shuts down. It is too bad that it fell victim to trolls, spammers, bots, etc.
All the classic threads (good and otherwise) will be preserved for eternity.
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emrabt
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Post by emrabt on Oct 10, 2020 4:36:28 GMT
It's been obvious that Richard gave up on the site for sometime, very sad that he has lost passion for the band in recent years.
It'll be sad to see it go, it was a beautiful living relic of a bygone internet era.
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Golden Salmon
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Post by Golden Salmon on Oct 10, 2020 6:16:06 GMT
End of an era. So many good things came out of it, but today it's barely a diffuse shadow and the community largely abandoned the place long ago. Sad, yet completely understandable; I am not looking back.
I am glad we have this place now to keep us going and welcoming new fans. The show must go on.
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Makka
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Post by Makka on Oct 10, 2020 6:18:07 GMT
It's a shame because there was a time when it was a great site to visit and have discussions, find new information and talk with people who know a lot more about the band than I do. It was starting to turn to shit and then exploded with fuckheads and trolls once the band teamed up with Adam Lambert. Without moderators the place just ate itself alive.
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Steve
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Queen Mab
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Post by Steve on Oct 10, 2020 6:58:50 GMT
The Thor thread there was quite interesting. I was a member over there for over 20 years. Sad to see it go, but we have definitely surpassed that place in only half a year!
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JFN
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Post by JFN on Oct 10, 2020 8:12:52 GMT
I'm curious as to whether Queenzone was the first Queen forum, considering how well known it is now. What is it that made it so popular? Also, how different was the design 25-20 years ago? I didn't get to experience that era so I'd love for you all to share some of your memories on QZ or even the beginning of the Internet as a Queen fan.
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emrabt
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Post by emrabt on Oct 10, 2020 8:25:26 GMT
Here you go, 20 years ago.Sadly the internet archive doesn't have the thread contents saved, but you get the idea from the titles. |
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Oct 10, 2020 8:48:40 GMT
If it started in 1995, it must be one of the oldest forums left on the internet. It's a shame it's closing but sadly this is a result of poor management. There are always people who want to ruin something good, and it seems on this occasion that they've been allowed to do so. 🙁
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eiricd
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Post by eiricd on Oct 10, 2020 9:34:54 GMT
strange how this can make me feel sad...I've spent quite a few hours on that board since the late 90s. At a time where nothing happened in the world of Queen it was a great place to interract with like minded people.
the lambert years have put Queen on the back burner for me, so post 2012 I've been a casual visitor compared to before. Tus; easy to see how the board has changed and is no longer what it used to be. I can see why moderators are fed up. Suppose they run this on their own time and dime, so I see why they don't bother to continue...
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BrƎИsꓘi
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They called it paradise, I don't know why...You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye.
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Post by BrƎИsꓘi on Oct 10, 2020 10:31:21 GMT
i was a little late to the QZ party; joined in 2004.
it used to be great, alas from about 2014 to date it got worse and worse. surely there's only so many bots in the world?
we'll continue to do our best here - and hopefully, continue some of the great work QZ started.
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Dimitris
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Post by Dimitris on Oct 10, 2020 11:15:03 GMT
I was subscribed in QZ early but I wasn't active just few hundred posts.
For me this site provided a very good portal of some serious discussion about Queen music and their history.
It was the only place were Queen fans analyzed everything with detail.
The last few years it went very bad because of trolls, misbehavior etc
I have good memories like Queen heaven, Queen picture hall etc all gone but not forgotten.
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Post by badboybez on Oct 10, 2020 11:25:28 GMT
had some fine things from QueenZone but it was left to rack and ruin with no mods.
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oreno
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Post by oreno on Oct 10, 2020 11:26:26 GMT
It is in a shocking state but I'm concerned there is much valuable research and so on that will become lost. Would be good if it could be archived, but I suppose that would cost, and all the tons of trash would need deleting. So it's probably best to let it go.
Ironically the bots are resurrecting interesting old threads all the time (if only to spread their evil..)
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NathanH
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Post by NathanH on Oct 10, 2020 12:48:27 GMT
I didn't use QueenZone when it was in its "glory days", what was it like? I didn't really start using it until 2015 (I think) because I was too young which judging by some of the content I've seen on it, I'm glad really!
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Golden Salmon
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Post by Golden Salmon on Oct 10, 2020 13:30:09 GMT
If it started in 1995, it must be one of the oldest forums left on the internet. It's a shame it's closing but sadly this is a result of poor management. There are always people who want to ruin something good, and it seems on this occasion that they've been allowed to do so. 🙁 Indeed! 25 years is a whole life in Internet terms. Amazing run. I didn't use QueenZone when it was in its "glory days", what was it like? I didn't really start using it until 2015 (I think) because I was too young which judging by some of the content I've seen on it, I'm glad really! John S. Stuart's posts are legendary, I don't think there will ever be anything like that again. And of top of being the best place to discuss Queen in the last 20 years (until now), it was the go-to place for new/unreleased material that would surface, whether it was live or studio recordings. |
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georg
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Post by georg on Oct 10, 2020 13:59:03 GMT
In 2020 you need to be be able to ban IP addresses of trolls and bots, or they're going to take over the place. If it was well designed (read: re-designed) and simply a matter of money and having someone else take it over, I'm sure it could've been saved. Alas, instead it became a sort of digital Chernobyl long before the owner began to (barely) address it. Luckily this place has far eclipsed it already in just six months.
I see one of the trolls has already showed up here... (not you, obviously, Bob!) |
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BrƎИsꓘi
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They called it paradise, I don't know why...You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye.
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Post by BrƎИsꓘi on Oct 10, 2020 14:02:29 GMT
georg which troll is here, Georg?
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Jake12
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Post by Jake12 on Oct 10, 2020 14:30:12 GMT
Loved Queenzone! Was on there since 2013! Crazy to think the time that has passed! But yes.. Queenzone has been taken over by bots and kids from Reddit who ask the same generic question all the time. But I’m glad most of us are on here and so far so good! Thanks Queenzone!
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Steve
Wordles & Heardles
Queen Mab
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Post by Steve on Oct 10, 2020 14:46:50 GMT
In 2020 you need to be be able to ban IP addresses of trolls and bots, or they're going to take over the place. If it was well designed (read: re-designed) and simply a matter of money and having someone else take it over, I'm sure it could've been saved. Alas, instead it became a sort of digital Chernobyl long before the owner began to (barely) address it. Luckily this place has far eclipsed it already in just six months.
I see one of the trolls has already showed up here... (not you, obviously, Bob!) Who is it mate? |
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Steve
Wordles & Heardles
Queen Mab
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Post by Steve on Oct 10, 2020 14:51:23 GMT
Back in its day, it was a fantastic forum. Now, it is a heap of shit.
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