Quite the dead stretch here lately...

[Shockwave]

Still check a couple times a day like most of you probably. This downtime is approaching records levels!

[Tito]

It is shock...I think alot of people are either tired or just fed up with all the red tape.Hopefully something finally will come through one day..

[Cryptic Night]

I think forums in general are starting to die. That, and as much as I like the look of this forum, it has an aged look to it. RR.tk is even worse in those regards. Don't think they've changed their style at all in the 6+ years I've been going there. Personally, I don't think there's much reason to fix what isn't broken, but if a website isn't flashy, it won't garner as much attraction.

[alborg]

It just takes one thing to bring the place back to life. Unfortunately for us, those things are few & far between...

[Shockwave]

I think forums in general are starting to die. That, and as much as I like the look of this forum, it has an aged look to it. RR.tk is even worse in those regards. Don't think they've changed their style at all in the 6+ years I've been going there. Personally, I don't think there's much reason to fix what isn't broken, but if a website isn't flashy, it won't garner as much attraction.

I completely disagree and I have stated this before. Forums are not dying, are they less popular than 10 years ago? I would say yes but the overall number of users is still more most likely. I visit lots of sites that have thousands, tens of thousands of post a day and these are just a few that I visit. Forums cannot be replaced by social media as the layout/format of social media does not support the same functions and capabilities as a forum. Social media is is completely disorganized without any true way to search past information with relevant results.

Here are just a taste of a few Forums that I visit that's have pages and pages worth of material just from the last few hours, and each go back 10-20 years.

The Gear Page - 150,034 members

AVS Forum - 1.3 million members (they weed out inactive accounts)

HardOCP (Hard Forum) 3,116 users online right now

Harmony Central - 2,021 members online right now. (lost about 30-40 thousand members back in 2010 due to switching to a social media forum format, EVERYONE hated it and they just recently switched back to a normal message board style a year or so ago and the place is ramping up again) had a 100k members back in 2010 not sure what it is now as I can't see it on my phone, but 2k+ users online now regardless.

[skezza]

The problem is that other forums have stuff to jump up and down about. Car forums have new models, new engines, discussions of how to perform jobs, do repairs etc. Guitar forums have music sections, tone comparisons, pickup comparisons etc. Our forum is a very niche market so to speak, and the problem is, Randy's base of hardcore fans have grown tired, at least in my opinion. He still has a huge following of 'nu-fans' on Facebook, Instagram and stuff, but they're not specifically a Randy Rhoads fan, rather, they heard Mr Crowley once and happened to think it's a great solo. Nothing wrong with that, but without the younger generation coming through and joining up to forums like this (as I did when I was just a kid), it's left to the die hard fans to keep places like UR and TK alive.

The problem with that is: the die hard fans have had nothing to shout about now for nearly 20 years perhaps? I still remember sprucing this website up for the 25th Anniversary, placing a sash across the top of the site and spending hours so the hundreds of daily users so the 100's of daily users could pay tribute to Randy. We're 10 years on and the amount we've had to shout about can be counted on one hand.

Margolis' docu-drama (as I call it) was also a huge bullet to the Rhoads community. People left and never came back. All the red tape and unpleasantness sent a lot of people packing. Stories of grotesque photos. The whole lot was a fucking shambles, quite frankly and I would be glad to see Margolis never return to the community that he so badly damaged.

[Cryptic Night]

Margolis' docu-drama (as I call it) was also a huge bullet to the Rhoads community. People left and never came back. All the red tape and unpleasantness sent a lot of people packing. Stories of grotesque photos. The whole lot was a fucking shambles, quite frankly and I would be glad to see Margolis never return to the community that he so badly damaged.

Come to think of it, I'd have to agree on that. He did do some good, without a doubt, by getting those Entertainment Tonight segments and such. I don't think he ever released them in their entirety though.

Everything was going great until his trailer got leaked and he flipped out on everyone claiming they'd be sued for simply having a copy of the trailer. Sad thing is, when we all saw the trailer most of us were disappointed. He spent so much of his time and money just going around interviewing musicians who had little to no connection to Randy. The interviews with his guitar tech, and those close to him were great and I really wish we could see those in their entirety, but it was definitely a case of too much fluff.

[orion_damage]

Margolis' docu-drama (as I call it) was also a huge bullet to the Rhoads community. People left and never came back. All the red tape and unpleasantness sent a lot of people packing. Stories of grotesque photos. The whole lot was a fucking shambles, quite frankly and I would be glad to see Margolis never return to the community that he so badly damaged.

Sad thing is, when we all saw the trailer most of us were disappointed.

Really? I didn't realize that was the general response to it. I was excited and couldn't wait to see the full thing. Sure I would have wanted to see Bob, Lee and Ozzy but at the same time I appreciate anything that comes out and try to keep my expectations on a realistic level.

But others have already put the nail in the coffin as to why this board is like a tumble weed blowing through the West. There simply isn't enough consistent material being put out to keep people coming back. Although there isn't a lot going on I hope the board stays up for as long as it can, it's a box of wonderful in-depth material on Randy. In my opinion, the definitive place to go for all things RR.

[skezza]

I don't believe the trailer was the problem at all. There was a huge amount of nastiness. I had my own dealings with Margolis, which I've kept private for many years, but let's just say he wasn't the easiest guy on the planet to deal with. He was, by all accounts, an egomaniac. I actually called it before most. I was convinced as early as 2008 that the docu-drama wouldn't go ahead, simply on the back of my own experience with Margolis.

[GUITARIDOL5682]

As a fan and a regular follower / contributor to this forum i have to say it has died a slow death here. I do blame the likes of facebook as you just need to type in Randy Rhoads name and the amount of different pages that come up. Some are small and not happening but others have a regular flow of traffic. I'm on FB but i am not a member of any of them. Everything i would see over on those pages is here (most of the info is stolen from here) and like someone mentioned you cannot see the old info and topics are not easy to follow like it is here. I wish UR was happening and i do know the site gets many guys looking but they don't contribute. I've noticed this on something as simple as a photo...come back after a few days and its had 100+ hits. I'd hate to see this place fall of the map as it is one of the better forums on the internet on RR. I just think more guys should make the effort to start a new thread or drag one out of the archives and dust it off. That's one thing about the RR community we cannot get anything of a new topic unless something happens of interest. Be it new footage or some scandal or a family member or Ozzy talking about Randy etc. I even remember doing searches for photos that i'd never seen before or trying my best to get a piece of RR / Ozzy / Quiet Riot memorabilia to post up on here. Just to have some thing of interest to talk about. Good to see you on here Joe... Margolis an egomaniac i would of never of guessed it!!!

[skezza]

As a fan and a regular follower / contributor to this forum i have to say it has died a slow death here. I do blame the likes of facebook as you just need to type in Randy Rhoads name and the amount of different pages that come up. Some are small and not happening but others have a regular flow of traffic. I'm on FB but i am not a member of any of them. Everything i would see over on those pages is here (most of the info is stolen from here) and like someone mentioned you cannot see the old info and topics are not easy to follow like it is here. I wish UR was happening and i do know the site gets many guys looking but they don't contribute. I've noticed this on something as simple as a photo...come back after a few days and its had 100+ hits. I'd hate to see this place fall of the map as it is one of the better forums on the internet on RR. I just think more guys should make the effort to start a new thread or drag one out of the archives and dust it off. That's one thing about the RR community we cannot get anything of a new topic unless something happens of interest. Be it new footage or some scandal or a family member or Ozzy talking about Randy etc. I even remember doing searches for photos that i'd never seen before or trying my best to get a piece of RR / Ozzy / Quiet Riot memorabilia to post up on here just have some thing of interest to talk about. Good to see you on here Joe... Margolis an egomaniac i would of never of guessed it!!!

Good to see you too Shaun. I think Facebook is partly to blame for the demise of forums like this and also the JakeELee forum which I still do my best to try and maintain, but the real problem is the lack of any kind of genuine action. When Jake started Red Dragon Cartel, and there was more career movement JakeELee.com was buzzing with users. Unfortunately, he seems to have disappeared off the radar again (hell, his own official RDC website has tour dates from July 2015) and now JakeELee.com is even less active than here. I do plan to try and modernize JakeELEee.com and perhaps I can do the same here, but modernization usually results in the watering down of the site feel and community, and I don't want to do that. Tricky one to deal with.

The reality is, in the early forum days, there was still much discussion because there was still so stuff to talk about. Photos and videos were still being discovered, quite regularly in fact. Kevin DuBrow would regularly answer questions on RR.TK. Kelly Garni had user accounts on both here and TK. Frank was always a popular contributor. Hell, Paul Gilbert (Racer X guitarist) was known to use this site at one point. Apparently RR is one of his biggest heroes. The problem is, when you've rehashed all the same old discussions, the photo/video leaks dry up, anecdotes finally stop, the docu-drama fails, the books end up being shelved etc and all of a sudden, there's simply nothing to talk about, you end up with places like here losing their momentum.

Go back to page 36 of the general section, which is about 2009 to be precise, so not even UR at it's most popular (which imo was 07-08). At least 6 or 7 threads were being created daily, and a selection of the topics of conversation:
Randy Fingernail Bass - I forgot that even existed, but yup, remember Kelly Garni had a bass guitar with Randy's fingernail implanted in the headstock?
RRCD - The CD which Matt helped create which was a fantastic tribute to Randy Rhoads.
Rhoads Trailer - Discussion about the drama surrounding that.
Don Airey Pre-Crash Photos - Nothing else to add.
Questions about visiting Musonia.
Barry Scrannage Tapes - (That one is you Shaun)
Max Normal Article about Randy
etc... etc.... etc... etc...

It's also around the time I was dealing with the fall out from the stolen amplifier and was liaising with the family to ensure it was safely returned. So even then, when this community wasn't its most active, there was still plenty to talk about. Fast forward 7 or so years....... and unfortunately, those articles have dried up, the Rhoads Docu-Drama never came out, the Pre-Crash Photos probably won't be leaked either (a good thing imo) and all the discussions are exhausted. Is it any surprise that randy-rhoads (the old site run by Metal Matt) now redirects to a porn site? I mean, his legacy has been guarded to the point that it's faded away and it's such a terrible terrible shame. I don't think it's fair to blame anyone in particular, but I can't help feeling that had the past 10 years gone differently, this forum and Randy's name as a whole, but would be seen in a totally different light.

[GUITARIDOL5682]

You just about summed it up Joe and another thing i've noticed alot of people have become very lazy. Especially the younger generation...just talking to friends on chat...do you not have skype i'm sick of this typing. WTF!! and how easy is it to click LIKE. It might sound pathetic but it is a new generation of lazy fuckers who cannot be arsed to type. They'd rather watch a video then have to read a good few pages of a really good interview / album / gig review. FACT!!!

[Shockwave]

Maybe it's time to to change the forum to more of a social media type format which I would absolutely hate but it may draw more users in off facebook/twitter to to the website. This may be the type of site that this format could be useful in since member count and content is low, but overall interst is high.

- Forum needs a Facebook/twitter login so members don't need to create a new account. This alone may entice users to join and be more active.

- Facebook/Twitter - likes/tweets, if someone likes something here it goes back to there feeds which a hundreds if not thousands of people will see, one click of the link brings them to this site. Free promotion of a site that honestly most fans don't know exist. Who knows the site owners may make some money from ads and such if it takes off.

I think it's time to investigate this though. If any help is needed let me know I'm willing to dedicate the time. If not I have had it in the back of my mind for awhile to create a site like I mentioned. It's right down my alley as I am a programmer and also getting my bachelors in IT management

[skezza]

Maybe it's time to to change the forum to more of a social media type format which I would absolutely hate but it may draw more users in off facebook/twitter to to the website. This may be the type of site that this format could be useful in since member count and content is low, but overall interst is high.

- Forum needs a Facebook/twitter login so members don't need to create a new account. This alone may entice users to join and be more active.

- Facebook/Twitter - likes/tweets, if someone likes something here it goes back to there feeds which a hundreds if not thousands of people will see, one click of the link brings them to this site. Free promotion of a site that honestly most fans don't know exist. Who knows the site owners may make some money from ads and such if it takes off.

I think it's time to investigate this though. If any help is needed let me know I'm willing to dedicate the time. If not I have had it in the back of my mind for awhile to create a site like I mentioned. It's right down my alley as I am a programmer and also getting my bachelors in IT management

I think an UltimateRhoads facebook page might be a good shout. One did exist a few years ago, but it didn't gain much interest at the time. It might be a good idea I guess. Maybe if we do some articles or can get some more user audio content that would help too? I'm happy to start doing some recording again.

[Cryptic Night]

Margolis' docu-drama (as I call it) was also a huge bullet to the Rhoads community. People left and never came back. All the red tape and unpleasantness sent a lot of people packing. Stories of grotesque photos. The whole lot was a fucking shambles, quite frankly and I would be glad to see Margolis never return to the community that he so badly damaged.

Sad thing is, when we all saw the trailer most of us were disappointed.

Really? I didn't realize that was the general response to it. I was excited and couldn't wait to see the full thing. Sure I would have wanted to see Bob, Lee and Ozzy but at the same time I appreciate anything that comes out and try to keep my expectations on a realistic level.

But others have already put the nail in the coffin as to why this board is like a tumble weed blowing through the West. There simply isn't enough consistent material being put out to keep people coming back. Although there isn't a lot going on I hope the board stays up for as long as it can, it's a box of wonderful in-depth material on Randy. In my opinion, the definitive place to go for all things RR.

Maybe I'm wrong, in fact probably so, but I do recall a lot of dislike for it because it focused on interviews of people who didn't personally know Randy. Mr. Margolis spent a majority of the time going around the world interviewing all of these famous musicians and had them saying the same things over and over again (It's always nice to see these musicians talk about Randy, don't misunderstand me, but that really shouldn't have been the focus of the documentary in my opinion, in fact it shouldn't have even been part of the documentary). The snippets we got of the people who actually knew Randy, the people who actually worked with Randy, and of course the footage he managed to obtain. That was the good stuff about the trailer. It's been some time since I've seen the trailer, but I do recall some, in my opinion, pointless interviews with the like of Michael Angelo Batio and such.