MovieChat Forums > House M.D. (2004) Discussion > RIP IMDb..

RIP IMDb..

posted 7 years ago by Joeyjag_97
4 replies | jump to latest

IMPORTANT: IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. As part of our ongoing effort to continually evaluate and enhance the customer experience on IMDb, we have decided to disable IMDb's message boards on February 20, 2017. This includes the Private Message system. After in-depth discussion and examination, we have concluded that IMDb's message boards are no longer providing a positive, useful experience for the vast majority of our more than 250 million monthly users worldwide. The decision to retire a long-standing feature was made only after careful consideration and was based on data and traffic.

Colin Needham sold IMDb to Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com in 1998 for US $55,000,000 and with retaining leadership of the company operations. Therefore, the decision to end these boards is an Amazon decision because IMDb is their product and not a separate business entity.

Signing petitions often helps us feel like we are doing something substantial to cause change. However, unless a business's interest is impacted because we vote with our dollars, a name or a thousand names does not carry any weigh.

So, Dear Participants: consider boycotting Amazon since they are telling us that they are boycotting us. What else is it?

"Your time on the boards is no longer cost effective for us, so we are cutting you off. Use other social media of you want to talk with people who are sapping our profit margin. Have a nice day!"

If you do not HAVE to buy from Amazon and can get the products someplace else at greater inconvenience, considered writing Amazon an email via their Help messaging and make a short clear statement. Since Amazon is the favorite stopping/shopping place from a significant chunk of consumers worldwide, it would be interesting to see if many would choose to do so.

If everyone who is now upset on all the many thousands of IMDb boards each sent one message stating that they would shop elsewhere - and actually mean it - that would be very loud and extremely significant .

Alternately, in reading through the postings today, it looks like many people are already making adjustment plans, collecting emails from favorites, and saying goodbyes.

“If one devalues rationality, the world tends to fall apart.” - von Trier

[–] popedon1 7 years ago

Yeah, I just read that a few minutes ago, and I'm still in-shock. If he's owned this for that long, it doesn't really make sense to kill the most popular facet of this place. If he could afford the "rent" then, he can afford it now. They'll be a lot less traffic here, so it doesn't make any sense to me.

[–] mgreen9715 7 years ago

Amazon/IMDB is a business and it's being run just like one. These boards don't provide any actual revenue and add the fact that it costs money to run and continually update and moderate these boards it's costing them money.

Not to mention it's been getting worse and worse with the amount of trolls as it seems like they're multiplying everyday.

Use reddit as it's the next best thing.

[–] popedon1 7 years ago

And I can tell you're NOT a bidnezz man. Well, maybe monkey bidnezz. They make money from advertising; you know all of those trailers, and tv animation things that open up as soon as you get here? They (networks/studios)pay Bezos money to show these advertisements because many, many people come here to POST. Dat's called "traffic" mithter bidnezz man. Da mo' "traffic", the more Bezos can charge. So, it makes zero sense to get rid of the thing that generates the most traffic.

It's a funken DATABASE, duh! Why would he pay $55,000,000 for a funken database in the first place if he wanted to make money?!

[–] ozart2002-919-392694 7 years ago

"After in-depth discussion and examination...." I spend a fair amount of time here, and I do not recall being included in any in-depth discussion (or any other type of discussion) regarding this decision.

As for Amazon, never have (and never will) go there for anything....so I guess they won't notice my continued absence. All this does is intensify my growing dislike (bordering on hatred) for Bezos and his high-tech internet ilk.

Bye all.....it's been (mostly) fun.