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[Monique]

So, I'm hearing this rumor that the Monroe Evening News is shutting down their printing operations soon and laying off a bunch of people.

If MonroeTalks doesn't survive the downsizing, how will you backfill the entertainment hole that leaves us? 


MT is such a habit for me (going on five years!), it would be difficult to replace since we have an established 'family' here. Although I'm pretty dedicated to facebook, too. I hear tell Monroe-Unfiltered is going away at the end of November.   

Maybe a broader, more regional forum would succeed, or maybe the heyday of discussion forums has passed. Sure would be dull not to have some form of 'talks' going on.

[Mayonnaise]

"IF" what you heard was being considered or true... It has been discussed about MT ‘having one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel’ at time’s.
The MEN website is barely kept up to date and except for a few stories, most are just a short mention and the reader is referred to their e-edition.
Even on here, MEN don’t post the stories or links to the complete stories like they used to, to get our comments. I’m getting more news from MEN from their Facebook page.
Beside’s, for the past couple of month’s, it seems to me that it’s usually the same poster’s have been on MT.  I know there are certain reasons why some are no longer on this forum.
Maybe MT has run its course and its time to let it go?

[ell]

It's not been the same since Dan left.  That and the fact that it's damn hard to have a discussion that doesn't turn for the worse or gets bogged down by a drama queen or two.

[ducksoup]

I see this as two questions:

Is Monroe Publishing going under?  That is a good question.  With the economy the way it is two things are inevitable for any paper, loss of advertising revenue because businesses are cash strapped, and loss of subscribers because something has to be eliminated to cut costs within the household.  so the answer is yes.  I will say it is probably usual to have down times, yet this great recession is very long and likely going to be a lot longer still, so can they survive?

Secondarily to that is the question of whether MT will be continued by the paper, and a subset question, is it even doing anything valuable.

There has been an obvious pulling back from the management of Monroe Publishing on the administration of MT.  There used to be rotating reporters or administrators watching, as well as a primary administrator.  Now, I don't see any.  Sure I think if they get a lot of moderator reports they find the time, but not usually.

When I was going through a painful time I dropped my posting down.  Along with it I stepped back and looked.

MT is like a stagnant corner bar.  It used to be a great place to go, but then more and more found it not to their liking and only a handful of the gang stayed.  Sure, once in awhile someone stops in to that corner bar and has a drink, but they don't like the place and don't return.  Probably because the "gang" isn't all that happy about outsiders invading their turf.  But, more, the "gang" has all the inside stories and the newcomer has no clue what is actually going on.

As for the specific devolution of MT...  It is only one thing anymore.  Not discussions, or expressing a view....

It is the place to go kick the dog.  It is the place to insult and demean and kick at "the other side" whatever that is.  Pick any topic here.  Go and look and you will see a bunch of kicking and bullying and if someone says something on topic and reasonable, the post will be ignored, or attacked for something it is not.  And if not that way, then it would be an attack on the person without anything to do with the content of the post.

so, anyway, just as a moth balled old corner bar, this place is dead waiting to happen unless the people here want that to change and make it a place people WANT to go to again.  If it is someplace vibrant, MT will stay if they can keep it funded, otherwise, it is already headed for the chopping block.

[Monique]

offtopic.com looks interesting, but they're pretty brutal on letting newbies in!

[Collegekid]

As someone that works for a company that maintains a very vibrant (yet flawed) website. I can assure you that this site won't go anywhere if the MEN staff is smart. It requires little work, and all of the page views I'm sure go into their monthly totals for the MEN site as a whole, hence allowing them to claim a lot more monthly hits and raise online ad rates.

[BigRedDog]

Some of us have probably been here too long anyway

[livewire]

I agree, Dog.

To everything there is a season...

[Monique]

I agree, Dog.

To everything there is a season...

I have that saying on an old painted cutting board right here in my kitchen.

Yep, no doubt MT has been on the decline since Dan left, as ell pointed out. I'm just wondering if that's the case with all discussion forums or just here in Monroe. I'm sure I'll be here until MT's dying day, but I want to find a replacement forum. Some discussion goes on on facebook, but it's not really the same, not as passionate. Everyone is too polite and unwilling to tick their friends off by posting their real thoughts. That's fine and good manners for such an environment, but I miss the grittier discussions. Not the never ending bashing that drones on in the politics threads, and not the trolling drama garbage, just real life mostly civil talking.

[BigRedDog]

The Byrds - Turn Turn Turn (To Everything There Is A Season)

[MM1]

This has been a very entertaining "habit" to be sure and  I hope it doesn't go anywhere. 

As for the change since Dan left, that may have only been coincidental timing.  Like mentioned, all things change. 

Unfortunately for my particular interests, there's far too much political rantings for me to stay plugged in.  I'm in favor of political discussions, but it becomes too personal too fast here.  But, that's also nothing new.

The pulse of MT has been up and down and that's typical of any kind of gatherings.  How many of you can get together on a DAILY BASIS with any of your personal friends or family and have continual discussions with any solid content?  It's just too much.  IMO

Then you have the ones who don't get along. Always fun.  (sarcasm)    


MT is a source for community conversations that may or may not peak all users' interests at any given time, but it's just a source.  And the quality of its content rises and falls like anything else.

I suspect it will be around for a while.  That's the problem with rumors.  They take on a life of their own.   

[lordfly]

I have that saying on an old painted cutting board right here in my kitchen.

Yep, no doubt MT has been on the decline since Dan left, as ell pointed out. I'm just wondering if that's the case with all discussion forums or just here in Monroe. I'm sure I'll be here until MT's dying day, but I want to find a replacement forum. Some discussion goes on on facebook, but it's not really the same, not as passionate. Everyone is too polite and unwilling to tick their friends off by posting their real thoughts. That's fine and good manners for such an environment, but I miss the grittier discussions. Not the never ending bashing that drones on in the politics threads, and not the trolling drama garbage, just real life mostly civil talking.

I think Monroe is too small and insular to really get something like MT going again. MT worked because it was novel and the newspaper advertised the hell out of it. It was the crown jewel of their online business, until Dan moved on.

MT has also lost a LOT of members over the last year or so. New threads are something like half of what they are month over month since their peak.

I doubt the advertisements and popup ads (that I blocked a long time ago) make enough to pay for the traffic of this place.

Rob still maintains this place, but it's not his main job by a long shot.


On the other hand, unless they make a conscious decision to actively kill the site, there's a good chance it'll last for several years more, if only because the monthly bill on it is so small and they probably pre-paid for the domain for several years.

[Monique]

The Byrds - Turn Turn Turn (To Everything There Is A Season)

Love that song, and the painted cutting board looks just like it came from that era! Groovy. 

[BigRedDog]

Love that song, and the painted cutting board looks just like it came from that era! Groovy. 

And I can vouch that it was a great era

[The Fuzz]

The best!