The state of TORC

[Anduril]

First of all, the old forums at http://forums.theonering.com/ are thankfully still up, even if they're frozen. I can still log in there with my username.

But for the "main" level there's no login anymore. If there is I can't find it. I think I was already logged in but there's no user control panel, logout, etc.

The new forums at https://www.theonering.com/forums were removed some months ago for "renovation". Thought old Jonathan would try to get them in working order in time for the new show but no. The link (seen when you go to the old forums) now redirects to https://www.theonering.com/community which in turn displays a broken page anyway, "No Results Found".

Then https://www.theonering.com/window-on-the-west-podcast/ has https://www.theonering.com/register/ on the bottom, but you can't register again, it's also "No Results Found".

I haven't tried to contact him yet, but I checked the email I linked my account to ages ago and there was no notice of anything. I get transitioning to new media but don't leave us existing members and the old formats out in the cold like that. And why not try to court more? TORN seems to be going strong but then again it's more "in bed" with the current creators. And about that, even if you don't agree with his skepticism about the show he has a general lore series going on. But I don't want him and the site to just become another Youtube channel or podcast.

[Anduril]

https://www.theonering.com/patron/



Thankfully http://forums.theonering.com/ is still online. But most of the links above now redirect to this. He's charging at least $4 a month now for

Live Chat via Discord
Monthly Exclusive Livestream
Access to Premium Full Length Podcast
Access to Comments
Ask questions we’ll answer in the extended podcast
Members-only messageboard (coming soon!)
Ad-free Website

Then the other two grades jump to $20 and $100 with the only added perk being "Written/verbal text acknowledgement in video closing". What.

I may consider signing up for the "first free month" just to check out the new forums but there's no guarantee they're up and running if non-members can't even view them. I get TORC has long since become a ghost town compared to its heyday but how does he plan to get more active users that way? Plus I don't think discussion can or should be monetized. I get paying for art commissions, or supporting artists with a regular tip in the jar as a form of gratitude and in return getting exclusive stuff, but forums?

And he's kept the old forums online for all this time, but with no notice for existing members about this change, who knows if he'll one day take them down with no notice either. I certainly hope not. But still. The fact that this happened means trust is gone.

Since the old forums are still working, why doesn't he just open that up again for everyone along with his new stuff. People were being mods for free and people would still do so again. I wonder how much it costs to maintain the site. I still haven't contacted him. Maybe I won't anymore.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This was recently being discussed in a thread in Bag End here

[Snowdog]

People were being mods for free and people would still do so again.

I think Helen (Heliona on TORC) was one of the last active mods on the old board and she was a bit pissed at Jon for just shutting things on the old board down without a word to them and starting the new (shortlived) messageboard in January 2021. The 'community' thing was something that took over after he deleted the new messageboard in June, again without word and some roleplay threads were demolished. I'm betting the old archive board has not long to live either. I can't see anything ther ebeing worth $4/mo.

[Snowdog]

It looks like 2024 has brought the final closure to TORc as we knew it. The old forums link now reroutes to Jon's main page.

[Impenitent]

Sadness

I feel as if I am witness to Beleriand sinking beneath the waves.

[Anduril]

Oh come on!!! You think he'll put them back online if old hands like us uh, nag him firmly but respectfully?

https://web.archive.org/web/20230423073 ... ering.com/

On his newfangled Youtube there's a link to his newfangled Discord server https://discord.com/invite/fRATdAqEFr where nothing much seems to be happening because it's for the free users/non-subscribers? Or is stuff just paywalled and invisible? I'd ask him about it there, whether publicly or privately, but I don't want to get banned or something. Is he just going to pretend the forum didn't exist? How much does it cost to keep it online? That's a lot of history and memories...

The email for the site seems to be info@theonering.com, but has anyone ever used that, ever?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

All things are impermanent. Someday, this place will suffer the same fate, I'm sure. But not any time soon.

[Snowdog]

I got 'banned for life' twenty years ago. Jon and I had a chuckle over that when his aborted 'new' forum was up for that year. I'm tempted to pay the $4 for a month just to see how much activity he has going. Maybe I could see if I can get banned again?