General Forum

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

mobeyone — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:22:56 GMT

j0hnbarker:
I think there are very few people who go out of their way to be petulant and cause trouble on this forum. What we see is a clear polarisation of views regarding where the brand is heading, and to a certain extent there is an exchange of banter that to more sensitive souls might seem close to the bone. Ask the mod team how many posts have been pulled because of flaming, and I think you'll find them few and far between. Not sure what difference a person's professional status and family circumstances make. It takes all sorts, after all, and this forum is only a reflection of society as a whole. We have some younger members who are mature beyond their years, and some mature members who.....well, let's just say they like to mix it up a bit, but nothing malicious.
I really think we must stop talking this problem up. If you find yourself moving away from the forum because of personal circumstances then that's fine, and I'm sure it will still be here when the load lightens a little, but perhaps it's the baby sick or whatever that's taking your time as opposed to the horrendously negative atmosphere on about five or six threads. Try hanging out on the Vintage or Beogram forums - the atmosphere there is certainly more convivial, particularly to first time or infrequent posters. Please though, let's get a sense of perspective.

But clearly and in any given situation/scenario, its the minority which will ruin it for the majority not that the site is being maligned in any way just that it is boring to hear the same thing over and over again. I have an opinion and have made it, end of so maybe ones perspective is merely ones opinion?

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Alex — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:21:43 GMT

Jandyt:
...or your alto-ego gets out of the young offenders institution.

Everyone says I look like David Platt!!! I don't even watch Eastenders Street or whatever it's called...

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Jandyt — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:03:49 GMT

...or your alto-ego gets out of the young offenders institution.

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Alex — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:01:36 GMT

Puncher:
Alex:

At the rate this thread is going, we could have our own sitcom.
I assume you would be the generic "spikey haired teenager" that would be the butt of the jokes of the ever so slightly, infeasibley, cool looking, trendy, parents!
Isn't modern day telly sh*te!!

Certainly, and it will continue being sh*ite until the new series of Top Gear starts!

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Puncher — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:17:16 GMT

Alex:

At the rate this thread is going, we could have our own sitcom.

I assume you would be the generic "spikey haired teenager" that would be the butt of the jokes of the ever so slightly, infeasibley, cool looking, trendy, parents!

Isn't modern day telly sh*te!!

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Alex — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:10:09 GMT

At the rate this thread is going, we could have our own sitcom.

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Puncher — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:40:18 GMT

I think the vast majority here can see through attempts to deliberately "stir the pot" and will continue to frequent the forum regardless of thinly veiled attempts at sabotage!

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

j0hnbarker — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:29:00 GMT

mobeyone:
edwaldo:

I think flat is not the correct word.......but you should know it!!!
Anyways... it is a hard time Jos, I too am struggling for time at the moment and find myself spending less and less time on beoworld.. now, is this because of Beoworld? no its simply a case or priortising what is most important in life and working round it. Bring up a family has been a challenge and supporting a family through tough times is hard but at least you can pick Beoworld up every now and then and have a nosey instead of becoming apathetic in the direction and politics associated with the brand etc.
I remember when Beoworld was new and there was very little being discussed other than problems etc and I do believe that we have been spoilt to a certain degree with new products and speculation and maybe we have come to expect more for even possibly less only to find ourselves dissapointed. Saf has made an excellent point on this in another thread and he is absolutly right, maybe we have been a wee bit naive and its now time to make some important decisions, simliar to what is going on in Struer.
What is dissapointing is that there are clearly those out there who rather than go about thier business still find the time to come onto the site and be disruptive and petulant trying to stir up trouble. I find this more concering that we are talking about mature adults who are professionals and have children.. but such is life.
By the way Jos, I am 31 next month!! and we are planning on having another "bundle of joy" so I am sure time will tell very soon! and I feel OLD!

I think there are very few people who go out of their way to be petulant and cause trouble on this forum. What we see is a clear polarisation of views regarding where the brand is heading, and to a certain extent there is an exchange of banter that to more sensitive souls might seem close to the bone. Ask the mod team how many posts have been pulled because of flaming, and I think you'll find them few and far between. Not sure what difference a person's professional status and family circumstances make. It takes all sorts, after all, and this forum is only a reflection of society as a whole. We have some younger members who are mature beyond their years, and some mature members who.....well, let's just say they like to mix it up a bit, but nothing malicious.

I really think we must stop talking this problem up. If you find yourself moving away from the forum because of personal circumstances then that's fine, and I'm sure it will still be here when the load lightens a little, but perhaps it's the baby sick or whatever that's taking your time as opposed to the horrendously negative atmosphere on about five or six threads. Try hanging out on the Vintage or Beogram forums - the atmosphere there is certainly more convivial, particularly to first time or infrequent posters. Please though, let's get a sense of perspective.

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

mobeyone — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:10:25 GMT

edwaldo:

I think flat is not the correct word.......but you should know it!!!

Anyways... it is a hard time Jos, I too am struggling for time at the moment and find myself spending less and less time on beoworld.. now, is this because of Beoworld? no its simply a case or priortising what is most important in life and working round it. Bring up a family has been a challenge and supporting a family through tough times is hard but at least you can pick Beoworld up every now and then and have a nosey instead of becoming apathetic in the direction and politics associated with the brand etc.

I remember when Beoworld was new and there was very little being discussed other than problems etc and I do believe that we have been spoilt to a certain degree with new products and speculation and maybe we have come to expect more for even possibly less only to find ourselves dissapointed. Saf has made an excellent point on this in another thread and he is absolutly right, maybe we have been a wee bit naive and its now time to make some important decisions, simliar to what is going on in Struer.

What is dissapointing is that there are clearly those out there who rather than go about thier business still find the time to come onto the site and be disruptive and petulant trying to stir up trouble. I find this more concering that we are talking about mature adults who are professionals and have children.. but such is life.

By the way Jos, I am 31 next month!! and we are planning on having another "bundle of joy" so I am sure time will tell very soon! and I feel OLD!

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Jandyt — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:44:47 GMT

Edit

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

edwaldo — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:33:40 GMT

9 LEE:

Just for the record, and to reiterate what Peter said, we (the moderating team) have also noticed that BeoWorld has become a little flat just recently.
Personally, i don't actually thinks it's a fault of BeoWorld as we are an enthusiasts site here to talk (in the main) about Bang & Olufsen. Therefore, if nothing is really happening with the company, we tend to drag up old issues and people naturally get a little bored. We really are quite a demanding bunch when it comes to mental stimulation.. probably because we're all so intelligent etc.
Jos - there is nothing like spending time with your children, and you are obviously a devoted father. Why not limit your visits to BeoWorld to a couple of times a week? That way it will be more stimulating as you sift through the threads hunting for the ones that interest you?
One thing that has really bothered me is that we were promised little scoops and extra news, which have turned out to be total garbage in newsworthy terms. In return for this promise, we have been sensible with new product rumour releases and have tried not to ruin things for the company. I admit to feeling a little cheated, but i must stress that this is not the fault of the marketing department in Struer - they have their orders, and they too have alimited supply of info.
It then comes to the question of do we release news as we hear it, having a total disregard for the wellbeing of Bang & Olufsen and therefore becoming 'the enemy' and being ostracised (as the previous owner of BeoWorld was), or do we try and be fair with them and we all get treated to trips in Struer and get boxes of gifts for the draw etc etc. I thought the perfect balance was to hold back on rumours that could damage the brand and dealers sales in exchange for some genuine scoops and inside info to keep us all interested. This clearly has not materialised.
It's the old case of being between a rock and a hard place...
Lee

I think flat is not the correct word.......but you should know it!!!

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

clifft — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:39:26 GMT

I too feel that the plethora of negative comments is getting a bit depressing especially when they are repeated ad infinitum. I suppose that my main concern is that, like many people here,I have invested a small?! fortune in B & O products that look beautiful around my house and work seamlessly together so I therefore desperately want the company to survive to protect my investment. One must trust the financial side of the company to know what they are doing. They surely have access to market research etc to keep them on the right track. (Wishful thinking? I hope not!! ) We all think we know how to run a company but can we?I think we as a group are a small demographic compared to their customer base, albeit a very vocal one. Having said that, the old CEO has made some stupid decisions that probably meant that his demise was inevitable. Examples are the waste of resources on the BeoSound 6 and his unbelievably stupid comments on Apple that showed he really didn't realise how movies and music will be bought and handled in the very near future. I think comments on pricing and innovation at this time have been done to death. Lets wait to see how the new guy is going to tackle things. Who knows, he may just get things right. I bet we'll still grumble though! Cliff

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Calvin — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:22:01 GMT

It's rare that I make posts, although I don't think the forum has lowered in quality; simply that I don't have money to buy new equipment and if I did, I would be more likely right now to spend it on a car. My memory of the forum a few years back was that there were fewer members so there were more recognizable 'personalities' and it was maybe a bit more fun because of it, but I realise that that's a terrible thing to say and that it implies a forum with less people would be better. To be fair though, I was also a student with too much time on my hands when I first got into B&O

Simply, I suspect that a quieter or duller forum is just a reflection of less properly new products and product information being released. However, I think that because the company is being less radical, there is also less speculation - this is the key point. 4 years ago I might have opened Photoshop and drawn a radical new design for a TV system whereas nowadays, I can (with good reason) expect that B&O's new TV will look the same as an existing product but with a slightly better spec and an extra 1000 on the price tag. This could be because the best designs already exist, but the truth is more likely to be that the company is more keen on promoting the brand to the super-rich than it is in feeding the grass-roots users

If it's any consolation, I honestly don't blame the company. It's there to make money, not please internet forums. If it makes money, albeit by a shifting customer base, then so be it. As it is, "that's life"

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Tue, 27 May 2008 12:55:24 GMT

Peter :
If there was no paid membership, there would still be a forum, but no prize draw and a less reliable server.

Well that's me corrected

Re: I'm losing interest. Sorry...

Peter — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:49:03 GMT

Goodness, there is some unpleasantness here. I am not surprised members feel like leaving with some of these posts.

In no particular order:

1. All members are full members, whether bronze, silver or gold. We are very grateful to all those who subscribe to silver and gold but we value all the contributions. Sponsorship actually brings in a lot of money and this relies on good membership figures. If there was no paid membership, there would still be a forum, but no prize draw and a less reliable server.

2. I have no problems with people complaining about pricing levels but the same argument repeatedly is a little wearing. B&O is a luxury product. Luxury products are often 'overpriced' compared to mainstream products. If they are too overpriced or a scam, they won't sell - think BS6. If they are expensive but are clearly a B&O product, they will sell - think BV7.

3. I will not tolerate people making personal attacks on others. We are all here because we either own or aspire to own the products of B&O. We therefore have a shared interest. After that, we may well have little in common. Make the most of this! Many people who I meet on here are fascinating individuals and I have the highest respect for them - even if I don't always agree. I would never deliberately insult them.

4. I agree that there have been too many negative threads recently - so post some positive ones!

So, please, enjoy yourself on forum but not at others expense.