Website & Forums Shoutbox

Shoutbox isn't so great? Are you kidding me? When was the last time you saw a chat box with such cool users and quality content? Shoutbox puts the server on another level, and we will be blessed if we ever see a chat with it's accessibility and simplicity again. Discord breaks records. TeamSpeak breaks records. Shoutbox breaks the rules. You can keep your statistics. I prefer the magic.

 

its sad how people are saying merry christmas while shoutbox was cruelly deleted and wont be able to celebrate it

 

No one could love shoutbox as much as I do. My brother is actually just the text box for the chat, and my sister is a sentient send button. 80% of my DNA syncs up rhythmically with every message sent in the chat, and the remaining 20% is available on profile posts and vip plaza. When I hear anything more tonal than a new thread , I burst into tears of joy and become inconsolable for days, refusing to eat, drink, or breathe. Typing out this comment required me to learn English, because I previously was only fluent in "shoutboxish". I don't use the shoutbox. I experience it.

 

this is a bump

 

bump

 

thanks for the bump

 

real shoutbox hours

 

Oh my God this thread is still going

 

i mean, yes, why would it not be going
we still want shoutbox back

 

first shoutbox post in 2020
bump

 

its amazing this thread hasnt been locked yet, but i'm here just to say yes i still want shoutbox back wtf

 

Le bump 10 char

 

What is shoutbox may never die

 

wynn's discord is aids please add shoutbox back

 

please do it

 

pls...

 

i really dislike #general and i really like shoutbox
maybe u guys should add shoutbox back haha

 

sorry for not bumping the thread yesterday, i was very very very sick

 

Slowly, we’re nearing a year of not having the shoutbox. An emtpy year, without any thread breaks or the likes, simply darkness, void, and nothing existing. While the featured Wynn-related videos are fun, they don’t hold a candle to the titan that was the shoutbox. The shoutbox may have also merely been a dim-lit spot below most forum subsections, yet it was a home to many, and a fond memory for more. Claiming Discord could replace the shoutbox may seem reasonable, but even after waiting a long, long time, it’s clear to me that it has not, and will not ever be able to imitate what the shoutbox could. I will not claim one is better than the other, but the shoutbox was a distinctly different atmosphere, with different people, a different small community, and different applications. Even making an extra shoutbox channel in the Discord server would not suffice; the shoutbox is something pure from the forums, held together by the shitposters there. I think you can even argue it was like a bridge between the forums and Discord, bringing people together in unexpected ways. Many people I have met on Discord do not have or use a forums account, and there are many people active on the forums I have never seen on Discord.

However, I do wonder if bringing the shoutbox back would even result in any big change. The people who once roamed the cursed lines of it have largely left, leaving me to doubt if anyone would dare repopulate the wastelands of the shoutbox were it to be returned to us. Every day, people join who have never heard of the shoutbox. And by now, people who have never heard of the shoutbox are also leaving. In this light, perhaps the shoutbox got its end while it still had some relevance, saved for people to reminisce and remember about, instead of turning to a fate of a barren and empty void. What could have been might be worse than what happened, and although the shoutbox revolution now lives in a seemingly never-ending and empty limbo, the shoutbox itself might have befallen a worse fate were it to have existed longer.

That being said, I’ve seen the fight for revival of the shoutbox as a kind of symbol for the general situation of the community the months after the release of the Economy Update. Expections were high, and we can all agree that many of those were not met. What followed were long-standing community members leaving, many threads filled with valid complaints, unreasonable demands and mindless ranting and rambling about everything and nothing. In turn, the content team either ignored them, dismissing criticism or started a full-blown radio silence. The shoutbox is a perfect example of everything that went wrong at the time: old things disappearing for new one without good reason, people being ignored, and the community nearly turning against the staff and vice versa.

After looking through this thread again, I can’t begin to explain how glad I am to see how things have changed. While nothing is perfect, the last update fixed many problems people had with 1.18, and people were pleasently surprised at how good it was. Not just the content was overall very well done, I think it’s also worth taking a look at how different everything around that was organized. Content team members were actively looking for criticism, and quite some of that was also applied, unlike the mayhem from the beginning of the year. Although the update of course wasn’t perfect, I think it’s worth it to spend some time to appreciate how people have learned from past mistakes, and how the community has gotten better because of it.

And while I’m probably looking way too much into things at 2 am, I think I’m at a point where I can accept the shoutbox not returning. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it, and the hole it left behind is not as big as it once was. Don’t get me wrong, I still want it back, but maybe it’s better off this way. I still wake up from dreams where the little box was still in its spot, but maybe we can miss it. The once massive shoutbox revolution has dwindled down to merely a few people still praying they will one day wake up to see the shoutbox returned. It would be poetic as all hell, sure, but I don’t think I can keep fighting for it. Just over a month, and the shoutbox the anniversary of the shoutbox’ death will arrive. When it happens, I will celebrate the greatness of it one last time.. But that’s it. Godspeed, shoutbox. I’ll always remember you, and may we meet in another lifetime.




..

Actually, no, fuck that. The shoutbox has been an essential part of forums culture and we want it back, dammit. You may have been able to kill off the lines of code, the messages, the text- but there’s a little bit of shoutbox in all of us, and you will never be able to take that away. Keep on fighting, everyone. Mods aren’t allowed to comment, admins ignore this thread, but for as long as heroes like Skyreach keep bumping, the shoutbox is not dead yet.

To any new people reading, remember to vote and talk about the shoutbox. It’s only dead once we allow it to be. Whether it takes months, years, or even longer: justice will be served, and the shoutbox will rule once again. I’ll be there when it happens. You better be as well.

(shoutbox: the anime, coming to theaters soon)
(wtf did i do last night that made me write this though holy shit)

 

thanks for the wise words Bart

bump