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I am still here, I love the forum and I love John Wayne..my super hero...I will do better on participating...

Quote from MsReb

I am still here, I love the forum and I love John Wayne..my super hero...I will do better on participating...

Don't sweat it MsReb, just glad to see your post.

Wow! I feel like I just walked into a family reunion and am seeing long-lost family and friends!

Robbie, believe it or not, the Mrs. and I were just thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were doing! Thanks for starting this thread and arousing the troops!

First of all, I confess the Mrs. and I have been largely absent in recent years (yikes . . . did I just say YEARS?). Families grow up, interests go in different directions, jobs, etc., etc., etc. I commute 3-4 hours round trip each day to work; I leave at 5:30 AM and get home 12 hours or so later, and frequently fall asleep in front of the computer. My wife works, is active in our community with a couple of organizations, and of course there is our family. Even though the kids are mostly grown (the youngest will be 18 later this year), they are still close by and take our time in many ways (not complaining, just sayin'!). The other thing that I have to admit takes some time is Facebook . . . . I have connected with so many people, in many different areas of interest, on Facebook. Speaking of FB, I just wanted to hit "Like" on so many of your posts!

Quote from BatjacAuburn

I was pretty active for about two years between 2012-13 but between being chastised a couple of times for not reading everything on the site before asking a question and the general decline in participation by everyone I stopped posting. I come now mostly to look at Lasbugas' pictures.

BatjacAuburn, the reason I quoted your post is that your description of being chastised for not reading everything before asking a question does NOT sound like this forum, but the "official" forum that WAS at http://www.johnwayne.com (not sure when it disappeared, but it's no longer there). The "chastising for not reading everything before asking a question" was VERY common there. If you did actually encounter that here, I am surprised and dismayed. You have an interesting user name that indicates you have more than a passing knowledge of John Wayne, so I am especially sorry if you were discouraged from being here. My experience over the years has been that, for the most part, this place is SUPER friendly! I have made friends from all around the world here and, with the exception of the rare 'drama', things here are very "chill" (as my kids say).

Hi Friends,
I have noticed the site quieting down. I got this post and regularly get lasbugus pictures. Still watch a Duke movie about one a month.
This site has given me a lot of pleasure over the years. Especially the Ireland, ones. Where you Europeans would go their and record pictures and film.
The music for the great movie, "The Quiet Man".
My wife and i wanted to go back to Ireland, but she took a trip to Heaven in 2014.
I should also mention the movies Duke shot in Colorado and other places where people posted Pictures and dialogs. I am hoping to get to
TCM movies in Hollywood for their yearly get together each April next year. Maureen was there,before she left for heaven.
God Bless you all.
The Colorado Kid.

Thanks for reminding me of the forum, JW is always on my mind, just pulled out an old VHS cassette with Hondo, that I'm gonna watch this weekend. I remember when Hondo was released in the 90ties, just had to have it.

Quote from colkid60

Hi Friends,
I have noticed the site quieting down. I got this post and regularly get lasbugus pictures. Still watch a Duke movie about one a month.
This site has given me a lot of pleasure over the years. Especially the Ireland, ones. Where you Europeans would go their and record pictures and film.
The music for the great movie, "The Quiet Man".
My wife and i wanted to go back to Ireland, but she took a trip to Heaven in 2014.
I should also mention the movies Duke shot in Colorado and other places where people posted Pictures and dialogs. I am hoping to get to
TCM movies in Hollywood for their yearly get together each April next year. Maureen was there,before she left for heaven.
God Bless you all.
The Colorado Kid.

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Colorado Kid,

I just wanted to express my sincere condolences for the loss of your wife. I'm sorry you didn't get to make that trip to Ireland with her. I know you will always hold her in your heart.

I've been away for a while, just get busy trying to stay alive I guess, but I'm back and hope to get into some really good discussions. I'm sort of outspoken so, I'll try not upset anyone. Old guys are hard headed you know

Big Iron

Quote from Robbie

I'm so glad that I started this thread, there is clearly a thirst to revamp the forum from many of our original members along with an influx of new members. I'm hoping more posters will register their interest in this forum. The next question is, since we have this interest how do we harness this into a positive force and what do we need to change? Below are some observations I have made:

1. Lasbugas' photos are extremely popular and this is clearly drawing traffic to the forum and hopefully this will continue. This proves to me that there is clearly a demand for this type of forum if the subject posts are interesting.

2. We need to be better at welcoming new members to the forum and making them feel at home. As I've mentioned above this was done in the past very well by Chester, Keith and Hondo etc but over the last few years it hasn't been happening and as a result new members drift away as the forum appears dead.

3. Possibly stepping out of my remit here a little but the forum outlook could be revamped a little just to illustrate there is still life here. Kevin that one's for you

4. Our moderators are the heart and sole of the forum, we need to get them more active and hopefully posting more often.

5. Lets try get at least one visit to the forum each week and perhaps make a post or two? Since I started this, I've been calling here more regularly and I intend to keep this going.

6. Kevin - your emails clearly work so hopefully we can utilise this tool every few months to keep members abreast of new innovations.

7. We have had lots of John Wayne related stories in the media recently so in terms of the Duke there is still much we can discuss.

8. Forums need to be kept better updated, the selling forum has posts pending for over one year and some of the movie threads contain false information and photographs that have been flagged but never corrected.

9. There are a litany of things we can do to keep members interest, a monthly film watch and subsequent discussion, this could also be done with books too, a politics thread, a new "funny" thread basically anything that is of interest to members that is within an acceptable remit of the forum

These of course are only my suggestions and I welcome yours too. I forgot how important this forum was to me, the community spirit on here is second to none and I genuinely feel we can revive that if there is a desire too?

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Hi Robbie,

Thanks for your thoughts, and ideas. I will certainly consider them. Things will be dusted off and refreshed around here, and improved. We are again in need of updating the forum to something new and more user friendly (more soon on that). We'll be looking at the whole forum structure as it is today and decide if we need to streamline it or expand it. I've been slow rolling the process since early last year, but your post has awakened me a bit and the time is now to got on with JWMB 3.0.

We have an awesome group of members, and if we want them to visit we should give them a great place to hang out. It's hard to believe the current board has been online for 13 Years, 161 Days, this doesn't include the original wwwboard that we had going that started in 1999. So I want to make sure we grow old together for years, and years down the road!

Wow! I feel like I just walked into a family reunion and am seeing long-lost family and friends!

Robbie, believe it or not, the Mrs. and I were just thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were doing! Thanks for starting this thread and arousing the troops!

First of all, I confess the Mrs. and I have been largely absent in recent years (yikes . . . did I just say YEARS?). Families grow up, interests go in different directions, jobs, etc., etc., etc. I commute 3-4 hours round trip each day to work; I leave at 5:30 AM and get home 12 hours or so later, and frequently fall asleep in front of the computer. My wife works, is active in our community with a couple of organizations, and of course there is our family. Even though the kids are mostly grown (the youngest will be 18 later this year), they are still close by and take our time in many ways (not complaining, just sayin'!). The other thing that I have to admit takes some time is Facebook . . . . I have connected with so many people, in many different areas of interest, on Facebook. Speaking of FB, I just wanted to hit "Like" on so many of your posts!

Quote

BatjacAuburn wrote:

I was pretty active for about two years between 2012-13 but between being chastised a couple of times for not reading everything on the site before asking a question and the general decline in participation by everyone I stopped posting. I come now mostly to look at Lasbugas' pictures.

BatjacAuburn, the reason I quoted your post is that your description of being chastised for not reading everything before asking a question does NOT sound like this forum, but the "official" forum that WAS at johnwayne.com (not sure when it disappeared, but it's no longer there). The "chastising for not reading everything before asking a question" was VERY common there. If you did actually encounter that here, I am surprised and dismayed. You have an interesting user name that indicates you have more than a passing knowledge of John Wayne, so I am especially sorry if you were discouraged from being here. My experience over the years has been that, for the most part, this place is SUPER friendly! I have made friends from all around the world here and, with the exception of the rare 'drama', things here are very "chill" (as my kids say).

It was here. I was on that other site for about eight minutes. The moderator there was less than friendly initially and I never went back. Here it was being either ignored or discounted, after a perfunctory welcome. Don't know why. I guessed because I wasn't one of the Old Guard. Nothing against the vast majority of you here, but I asked a question and was curtly referred to a five year old post with a comment "that we discussed this in 2006". Additionally, what I felt like were informed posts on other subjects, Civil War movies in particular, were ignored by the guy who started the thread. It's one poster/moderator that the rest of you seem to respect, so I've just become a passer by to look at Lasbugas's pictures.

And as for more my user name, I use BatjacAuburn on a dozen sports forums and other sites on the web. I often have to explain why and do so with a flair. I do have more than a passing knowledge of John Wayne. I have every movie the man ever made that is available today. Hell, I paid $20 for Noah's Ark because he might have been an extra who drowned. My wife says I'm a fanatic. I have over 70 books on my shelves, dozens of magazines, LPs, and other stuff, but what do I know.

Probably would have done this in a private message but I don't know how to do that on this new format.

Hey BatjacAuburn,

Thanks for being honest. It's never our intention to belittle or make anyone here on the forum feel less than. Compared to some sites around we are friendly and inviting, but in your case we seem to have failed. I appreciate what you have to say and will keep note of it. We are in the process of revamping the forum, and making it the place all John Wayne fans, young and old want to come and spent time at.

When you've been around as long as some of us old codgers, its easy for us to think and say that's already been discussed, and there's a post here about it and leave it there. Maybe that's not the best way to handle it sometimes. There is a reason we direct folks the existing threads and that's to build discussions in threads that directly related to what is asked. Keeps the place "somewhat" organized.

Anyways, thanks again for your post, We want honest feedback, because I want the best experience as possible for each visitor that visits our site. Getting this right will help us grow even more than we are today!

Hi Batjac Auburn,

I am concerned that you feel you have been 'chastised '!!
However on looking looking back through the last 4 years of your posts
I can't see where this happened!

Indeed you have posted many,many posts in threads
that I have been involved in, interacting in some of them.
I am therefore at a loss,as why this crops up now!

I have found one thread The Quiet Man where you asked about the Fathers speech
and I directed you to the post relating to it.

Quote

Batjac, this was posted in our thread
The Quiet Man

In one earlier post on this thread you claim
you were 'chastised'

Quote from Batjac Auburn

for not reading everything on the site before asking a question

and later in this thread you claim you were told

Quote from Batjac Auburn

that we discussed this in 2006

you seem unclear to what was actually posted

If there is a thread, where this was said,please post the link here
so that we confirm what was posted

I am only willing to apologise and stand up and be counted
if such. a 'chastising' response was indeed posted

As far as not responding to your posts in the. Civil War threads,
on checking, you made just TWO posts in the whole of the Civil War Movie sub-forum
and along with other members, general input posts in the discussion

I have highlighted below my responses.

In the thread
Civil War Movies- Gettysburg

and I quote belo

Quote from BatjacAuburn

The book on which the movie is based, The Killer Angels, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1975. It has been required reading off and on for many years in various Army leadership courses and is one of my favorite books of all time.

Two posts later, I posted to everyone
as quoted. below

Quote from ethanedwards

Thanks everyone for adding to these new threads

You also posted in the Civil War Discussion and also
The Horse Soldiers, before the Civil War Movies thread was formed,
but it was a general post of which, unless a question is asked, no response is required.

As a Mod,or member, it is impossible to go into discussion,
on every post made, and most posts, indeed become matter of fact!

Can I ask what other response you wished??

I have also below placed the link for the

Civil War Movies- The Top 30

All input was relevant ,and some movies were mentioned.
Some movies highlighted by yourself ,were included and others were not..
Indeed there were suggestions by others, so yours
were no more singled out, than any of the others!

A line has to be drawn somewhere!

I thanked you for your insight into The Raid
involving your great-grandfather,and not including it
seems now to be an oversight, rather than a snub!

All participants in the discussion were thanked for the input

Posting a post or thread requires thought, and I can assure you
constructing a whole forum ,is no easy task, and takes considerable thought!
We strive to make our forums as factual as possible,
at the same time attempting to accommodate our members wishes

Hope this helps to clear the air

Robbie,

The last step of the upgrade was completed last night where I moved the forum from the /bb directory to the main / directory. You might need to clear your browser cache and reload the site to clear any issue your having.

As for the logo, finally someone notice! Congrats, but I have no prize for you. I was wondering in all this if anyone would see it.

the quote system is different than the last in certain ways, but quoting a whole post works the same as before. As with previous updates, I'll try to post a how-to to cover some of the changes.

Most everything imported correctly except the signature and some peoples avatars didn't pull over.l, and I'm not sure why it didn't You will need to go in and update.

As for the arrow, I'll take a look at it, but it's not high on the todo list right now.