I'm first asking myself: why do I keep coming here? And I would honestly say that it's a combination of all of the below. But as well all know, GD is a shell of it's former self...mostly because so many people who used to light a spark with here, with their passion and intellect, have moved on from these boards (except me, but like Binlahab, i helped build this place LOL)

For me, I think it's also because this is a living testament to the brilliance, hard work and energy of Angela Nissel, the co-founder of this website and the mind behind the message boards. And she's also my friend. and an amazing writer and even more amazing person. so sometimes when i think of her, i pop in here and mess w/whoever is left.

Anyway, why do you still come here?

d

Poll question: Just Curious: Why Do You Still Come to Okayplayer?

Poll result (33 votes) Mostly nostalgia / habit (12 votes) Vote I like interacting with the people here. (0 votes) Vote I like the topics that are discussed. (0 votes) Vote Mostly habit. (18 votes) Vote Mostly to check if someone died. (1 votes) Vote Cuz Angela Nissel built this shit (2 votes) Vote

There’s still a group of regular posters that I enjoy talking about music with - both sharing what I like, and learning about music I otherwise wouldn’t know about or check for. And though the “event albums” are probably far fewer these days, when there is something that gets the boards going that’s always fun just like it always was - that shared experience of everybody listening to and commenting on the same thing.

I think what fascinates me most is how this place has changed over time, and how I've changed.

I actually spend as much time in the archives reading old posts as I do on the current boards. A lot of the time, I cringe at my older posts. Sometimes I impress myself.

There used to be a lot of sincere discussions where folks got pretty vulnerable.

I think the least interesting part of the current boards is how predictable we've all become. I can guess how a post will go and who will say what, even before making the post.

Back in the day, there were so many different perspectives, and it was hard to guess which post would go poast and what people might reveal.

Over time, though, we've all gotten a lot more guarded and set in our POVs.

And I think it documents a certain set of Gen Xers attached to a certain kind of music and scene, left of mainstream, and all the different directions we've all gone since that moment brought folks together.

Or maybe just habit.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

THE ARCHIVES are a living breathing time capsule of internet discourse before the advent of social media

i wish i could download them all..and read them like a book. it's truly something

the inboxes too!!

in fact, is there a way to at least download all the content from my own inbox? hm...

d

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

>THE ARCHIVES are a living breathing time capsule of internet
>discourse before the advent of social media
>
>i wish i could download them all..and read them like a book.
>it's truly something
>
>the inboxes too!!

frfr.

especially as the rest of the internet gets boarded up and closed down. can't lose this time capsule.

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

to see if Alliance is back up, lol

The monthly music posts are enough to keep me sticking my head in the door on Saturday mornings when I'm listening to new releases, and I enjoy seeing so many of the names from the Classic Era doing big things out in the real world, and slightly living vicariously through that connection.

I hate that message boards went the way of the Dodo, as this is far more enjoyable to me than social media and the noise of The Whole World, rather than just people who smile to themselves when they think the word "ock"

I mean 2 decades plus in this place
Every now and then there's still a good conversation but there was a time I wouldn't go 2 days without coming here. Now sometimes its weeks

Plus the nostalgia of a message board. The low-tech aspect of it. It's like sending your pen pal a letter in the mail instead of picking up the phone and texting. Twitter/Reddit/Discord/etc can't really replace it, it's of a bygone era

*puts spliff down*

also, we built this, in some form or fashion, so i feel personally invested.

also, it is still sometimes fun to shoot the shit w/ people here, and i do learn new things/get informed.

lastly, you can still get put on to good music, which was the foundation of this place from the start.

Not a ton of new discussions happening anymore, but I still like to know what the OKP takes on pop culture things too.

that im not connected with on FB & IG, so I check in for major life updates (Death, Marriage, Births, ETC).

...on the front pages have stopped recently. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come... :-(

there were definitely more laughs and immaturity then. it was also pretty fast paced for me and I enjoyed lurking more.

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

Plus, I find it comforting and interesting seeing some of the same names for 20+ years and not really know much about them other than we all still come back to THIS bare bones message board. I can't even assume we like the same music at this point or would get along off the boards, but the one thing we have in common is here.

__
I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!

Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers.(c)Kno

Allied State of the National Electric Beat Treaty Organization (NEBTO)

i recently ran into a couple og okps at Angie's book signing and i truly had no interest in keeping in touch with them..i was happy they were there but that was it. and i'm sure it was mutual

the old me would have been like 'let's get together!' lol

d

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

Whether that's for current events, spots, movies, whatever.

Because so much I see in the world makes me think "am I crazy or..."

Yes there's the real life friends and family who can be that voice, but there's value in having separate echo chambers.

I live in an NYC bubble and always want to know what the streets think.

I do feel like, though, that this site is way less reflective of what the average non-terminally online people think.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

or "the streets" if you will.

>I live in an NYC bubble and always want to know what the
>streets think.
>
>I do feel like, though, that this site is way less reflective
>of what the average non-terminally online people think.

or "the streets" if you will.

>I live in an NYC bubble and always want to know what the
>streets think.
>
>I do feel like, though, that this site is way less reflective
>of what the average non-terminally online people think.

the intersection didn't really exist back then, but it does now

lot of street heads are chronically online and the way they post on SM reflects that

d

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

first time someone asked me about this place I thought it was the nerdiest shit ever.

but then again, this place was ahead of its time.

being online with strangers was some weirdo shit to most people 20+ years ago.

>being online with strangers was some weirdo shit to most
>people 20+ years ago.

I was dating a girl back in like 2006-2008 timeframe, whose roommate was on like Match.com/EHarmony, or whatever. I made fun of her relentlessly whenever I'd stay at their place. Little did I know she was ahead of the curve lol.

GD, Lesson, SPORTS, Pass the Popcorn (Formerly Reviews) were all strong independent pages within OKBoards. Some of the funniest, smartest, informed perspectives, that for the most part weren't distracted with real names and faces. there was hella clowning and folks would go at it, but the discourse was still much healthier than what most of social media offers today.

it's hella hard to try and do this through your phone, especially when a thread blows up -- i've ONLY done this on my machine -- but the long form capabilities of messaging are a large part of WHY the discourse is better. twitter was meant to be short, so snappy but often without depth. tik tok and IG became about the visuals (FB too I think) so while long posts DO exist, it's still not conducive to great convos. threads does a good job of bringing all aspects together but it's still on a phone.

BIG difference: the topics on OKP were essentially market based. we throw them out, and the streets would determine how much engagement we wanted. much more organic than the algorithm stew that gets served up on SM platforms.

I realize it will never be the same again, with all the hacks to the site, folks come back fewer and fewer times, but I sincerely enjoyed it when it was popping.

yeah. it really was.

>GD, Lesson, SPORTS, Pass the Popcorn (Formerly Reviews) were
>all strong independent pages within OKBoards. Some of the
>funniest, smartest, informed perspectives, that for the most
>part weren't distracted with real names and faces. there was
>hella clowning and folks would go at it, but the discourse was
>still much healthier than what most of social media offers
>today.
>
>it's hella hard to try and do this through your phone,
>especially when a thread blows up -- i've ONLY done this on my
>machine -- but the long form capabilities of messaging are a
>large part of WHY the discourse is better.

THIS PAAAAART!!! i be trying but i can't get into okping on on my phone. i'd probably need to make some kind of dcforums browser or something to make it work.

twitter was meant
>to be short, so snappy but often without depth. tik tok and
>IG became about the visuals (FB too I think) so while long
>posts DO exist, it's still not conducive to great convos.
>threads does a good job of bringing all aspects together but
>it's still on a phone.
>
>BIG difference: the topics on OKP were essentially market
>based. we throw them out, and the streets would determine how
>much engagement we wanted. much more organic than the
>algorithm stew that gets served up on SM platforms.

this is such an important distinction. the agony of your post going wood. the thrill of it going plat. wow.

you reminding me of all the shit i love(d) about this place.

algorithmic social media is for the birds.

>I realize it will never be the same again, with all the hacks
>to the site, folks come back fewer and fewer times, but I
>sincerely enjoyed it when it was popping.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

If I'm not in a hurry, I'm sure I'd stop and kick it with most of you on my way to/from somewhere. I definitely didn't get that experience in my short college stint, but I've had it for years on here.

great analogy

d

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

me, amazing.

living the absolute best version of myself and enjoying every minute of it.

d

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

We don't have nice pics and visuals aside from the little square. There are no banners all over the site. No trafficking my I info, what say etc in order to sale me something. No bots regulating speech and blocking you from saying words. Its a lot of freedom unlike any other place online and even more its still Black based and probably one of the oldest Black base and majority online communities.
It's historical for all the right reasons and was created out of love for Black music.

It's really dope af.

n/m

I just happened to think about this site today and figured I'd see what's hatt'nin.

This place shaped me in ways that I can't describe.

"i do more for both our communities than you'll ever know." - Heinz
"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

I was always mostly a lurker, and haven't visited in many years but always meant to. I'm definitely not qualified to vote LOL!
These boards were a highlight of my day for quite a long time.
I randomly decided to come by today and I'm shocked that I was able to find my login and that it works! Then to scroll through the GD board and see this discussion and and a few familiar names is really nice. I imagine its a different vibe now but glad to see activity still. The nostalgia is real.