The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hello, all...

As some of you are aware, I have been lurking on BB's message boards / mailing lists since the late 90s. I've found that Smiley Smile is the absolute best message board for the Beach Boys, and I find myself wishing that other beloved groups (such as the Beatles) had message boards as well-moderated and (most importantly) populated by such insightful, dedicated, and open-minded fans as the Smiley Smile board.

The one feature lacking from Smiley Smile (understandably) is a board where people can discuss super-rare foreign imports. I am considering putting one up on my webserver. I am already using the servers I own and paying the bills for the hosting, so why not?

What I'd like to know is how many people here would be interested in such a board. I think it could fill a valuable niche in the BB's community. Membership will be required even to lurk, of course, and no illegal file-trading will go on. It will be for discussion only... I don't want to break any laws, but I want to provide something that higher-profile sites cannot, for obvious reasons.

So, let me know if you're interested... throw out a name if you have any suggestions .... or, if you think it's a stupid/unnecessary/redundant idea, let me know.

Also, to the mods/admins - I hope I am not stepping over any lines here. I am simply thinking that a small adjunct to what we already have, for the sole purpose of discussing import records, would be cool. And it would be on my server, etc. and necessarily much smaller in scope than SMiley Smile.

Thanks!

b00ts

 Bootsy  - Hook Me Uppppp!!!!.....

I agree that this is by far the best BB message board.  One thing that makes it so great is that there are many different sections of this board.  Perhaps another section for discussing imports can be added?  I think it would be better to do that because it would be one less bookmark for fans to have.

How much traffic do you think this topic would create? Discussing imports is allowed here, its just never brought up! If you want to speak about imports for other groups, you can always post about it in the General Music forum.

Eric, we're always interested in new additions for the board but we have to ask ourselves if its worth adding extra space for it. Sure, at the time since there is some buzz, an imports discussion sub-board seems like a good idea. But after a few weeks/topics, will it stay active?

I don't have much interest in imports so I can't really add to the discussion, just coming from SS's point of view in adding a separate forum in these boards.

I think a board devoted to discussing "imports" (boots) and still unreleased material by the Beach Boys, Beatles, Kinks, Stones, Dylan, Floyd, and other 60's and 70's groups would be useful and interesting.  This is not the board to do such a thing, with detailed reviews, comparisons with other releases, discussions of sound quality, etc.  I'd be interested in such a board.  Here we do discuss unofficial BB releases but have to tiptoe around the subject somewhat.

It's a good idea by any means but even the idea of discussing them is tenuous at best, especially when it's a case of something that should not have found its way out in the first place.

Well, we didn't have anything to do with them "getting out" did we?  I think the idea of a different board, unrelated to this one, which BB insiders do check out and read and post comments, to discuss these releases would not in any way be unethical or tenuous.  There are many boards where these releases are discussed, without any problems regarding the legality of the bootlegs (by the way, producing or selling bootlegs is illegal, owning them is not), but those boards have their own problems (moderator/ego issues/personal attacks etc.).

Precisely. I totally understand not wanting to have discussion about these 'imports,'  here on Smiley Smile. However, I am willing to set up a Bulletin Board specifically for the purpose - NOT to trade them, just to discuss them. Although they shouldn't exist, they do, and as long as I am not facilitating the trading or sale of them, I'm not worried...

What I may do, is set up a board which is Beach Boys - centric, but also has a section for discussion of other groups, much like Smiley Smile has. That is, if enough people are interested.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,122.0.html


If I read this correctly discussion IS allowed. But there isn't a special sub-forum to do so, that's all.

I'm sorry, but where did you read that we don't want these discussions? I said that its allowed in my reply!