iMDB Message Boards are closing permanently on Feb. 20, 2017

[RudieCantFail]

I found out today that iMDB, which is owned by Amazon, is shutting down all of its message boards, due to trolls and not having substantial enough internet traffic to warrant keeping them open for all of the actors, directors, films, and TV shows. The official statement also includes saying that social media on the iMDB Facebook page and social media in general will act as a replacement. They pretty much say that social media rendered the message board obsolete.

Personally, I will miss the message boards, as I have used them to get news and updates about my favorite actors' new projects or work-in process films. I couldn't say that all the message boards were useful for updates, but the one that I liked the most was for Christian Bale. That one was probably one of the better ones, since they did a good job in keeping trolls out by reporting them and giving updates on whatever Bale was working on. I also liked checking discussions on films that had ambiguous endings or themes, like Blade Runner. It was also fun to see what funny or peculiar observations people make when they watch films on the boards.

The iMDB boards will be missed. My username for that site was similar to the one I have on here, which was RudieCantFail98.

I'm thankful that this is a great and friendly community and proper moderation has been enacted on this board. Also, I'm glad that past threads on here aren't deleted, since on iMDB, threads could be deleted, due to the site only allocating a limited amount of threads on some actors and movies.

[buffyfan145]

I have been using IMDB's message boards since 2005 (same username as here) and I'm so sad they are closing them too. I used them a lot still, especially for my favorite actors and discovering new ones and new TV shows. I'm glad they're keeping the site's other features like each actors/shows/movies news section, ratings, and others, but the message boards were a big draw for me too. I check them daily and thankfully some of us have now made groups for our favorite actors on FB or Twitter accounts so we can keep in touch and still talk about the latest news we had on them after they shut them down.

[Delilah]

Aw, that's too bad. The message boards were interesting reading and provided useful information about older TV shows and movies. That being said it's been awhile since I've visited any of them.

[Annoying Twit]

Yes, it's a pity. I used the message boards a bit, and would read them after I saw a new movie of TV show.

[NightMistBlue]

That's a real bummer. The boards are especially great if you watch a lot of old movies and tv shows. There aren't too many discussion boards other than IMDB where you can make an observation or ask a question about a certain episode of Columbo for example, or the Bionic Woman. Heck, I had a very interesting conversation with several people about the Jan & Dean tv movie "Dead Man's Curve" not long ago. Where can one turn when you want to whine about "Bless the Beasts and the Children" not being on DVD?! Nowhere.

P.S. Didn't know IMDB was owned by Amazon. Back in the day - I've been visiting IMDB since about 1998 or so - wasn't it "owned" and run by a group of film fans, just volunteers and stuff.

[UndertheWire]

P.S. Didn't know IMDB was owned by Amazon. Back in the day - I've been visiting IMDB since about 1998 or so - wasn't it "owned" and run by a group of film fans, just volunteers and stuff.
The version I heard was that it started with a small group of computer science students at Cardiff University. There were no lectures on Wednesday afternoons (they were probably expected to go off and do manly activities like playing rugby) so they used to watch movies and to keep track they developed the Cardiff Movies Database. When it was moved to the internet, it was renamed imdb. What I find funny is that it started off as a way of keeping track of hot girls!

[NightMistBlue]

I've wondered why so many actresses have their measurements cited in the bio section. Perhaps that's where it originated. Thank you, UtW - didn't know about the Welsh connection.

[sodascouts]

Interesting bit of trivia about imdb's origins!

I'm sorry the message boards are closing as well. While I never posted on the boards, I often read what other people had written. For instance, after Rogue One, I headed over there to see if other people felt the same way I did about the ending.

Social media is great for the here and now, but it's awful when you're trying to search for specific information or continue a discussion that's more than a week old. I'm definitely sad to see the boards go.


I'm thankful that this is a great and friendly community and proper moderation has been enacted on this board. Also, I'm glad that past threads on here aren't deleted, since on iMDB, threads could be deleted, due to the site only allocating a limited amount of threads on some actors and movies.

After Glenn died, I thought this forum might die, too. I'm glad it hasn't, but when that day comes (hopefully far in the future), I'm going to keep it online as an archive of information.

[UndertheWire]

After Glenn died, I thought this forum might die, too. I'm glad it hasn't, but when that day comes (hopefully far in the future), I'm going to keep it online as an archive of information.
That's good to know. About 10-15 years ago, I and a lot of others contributed a lot to a message board but when traffic dropped off, it was "archived" and everything was lost. It was quite uosetting because it included show reports and first impressions that I didn't keep a copy of and which can never be recaptured.

I'll miss the imdb boards. They aren't much good for in-depth discussions but as a quick resource for a film or tv series that I've only just seen, they can't be beaten. It takes so much time to find a good message board.

[buffyfan145]

I just checked to see if IMDB kept anything of the message boards but it's completely gone. Thought maybe they would've archived the posts but it looks like now the boards never existed. :(