Bond James Bond wrote:I think that ZLMB is remembered fondly because of the perceived centralization of debate that was occurring there. Today the Internet has allowed the Mormon debate to be thinned out as it's spread to blogs, Facebook walls, message boards, and the like. Today people can set up a board or blog and restrict debate or allow it to whatever level they want. I'd prefer if everyone was posting on one big board, others probably wish that the way things are now was the way things had always been so that they'd never have to talk with someone on the Net who they disagree with. But during the ZLMB time people didn't know any better and just got along as best they could before they learned they could go create their own boards or other sites.
I also think that people look back to ZLMB (perhaps through rose colored glasses a bit) as a time when the Internet was a bit simpler and the major players were almost all centrally located on one board. You didn't have to go here to get Dr. Peterson's story and there to get Dr. Scratch's and over to that blog for whoever and to Uncle Fred's Facebook wall to get another person's version. Almost all of the people whose opinion mattered were posting and debating on one site, so naturally the direct confrontation of opposing groups rather than through board wars is perceived as better, especially in reflection. I myself fall into this type of thinking when I read this board; that things were better back in the "ole days", but I have to remind myself that good arguments are organic and ongoing and happen all the time, and that bad arguing in turn happens all the time to. Just have to stay on our toes and try to catch the good stuff.
Whether the debate is any better or any worse is up to the reader, but I think a lot of people today wish it would go back to that time when everyone's minds weren't already made up and the arguments were fresh. After hearing the garment debate for the 392nd time I'm sure the old hands just wish for the time when they had only had that debate once or twice. I think many people look back on ZLMB, their first Mormon message board experience, because it was new and fresh. Everyone remembers their first time fondly right?
I'd upvote this if I could...