Good: The best thing about EoFF is its strong sense of community and casual atmosphere that make people feel relaxed when they come here. Even during the slow times it has a lot going on to post about and events to partake in. I also think the staff does a great job running the place and staying involved in the community and providing interesting activities and threads to be involved in. Also, EoFF is remarkably consistent in an internet world where things are ever changing due to new fads or whatever. I think that contributes to its staying power when compared to other communities that may have fizzled out years ago.
Bad: For the last year or so, the staff has really gone downhill. I used to like them but for the past year they've been really crappy. I'm not sure what happened but the life really went out of that group at around April 2014.
Proud to be the Unofficial Secret Illegal Enforcer of Eyes on Final Fantasy!
When I grow up, I want to go toBovineTrump University! - Ralph Wiggum
The good is definitely the people. We have our arguments especially when getting into political/social types of issues, but that goes for the entire internet/world and barring a few angry or incredulous words (I don't tend to hold a grudge - even the best of friends have heated arguments) there certainly isn't the trout-slinging that happens elsewhere. I've found that a good friendly forum is a combination of good moderation and good people. There's no denying that without good moderation it'd quickly go to Hell in a handbasket, anywhere would, it's an unfortunate aspect of human nature. But it attracts some really nice people and puts off those who just want to cause trouble, so there's a distilling effect where you end up with just a really decent community. For this reason I have zero problem with the strict moderation that can happen here and my other favourite forum.
The bad? Not enough people/activity. Better than it was a few years ago I think, but there's generally only any point in coming here once or twice a day. I miss the early days when there was like a new thread every minute, and IRC was lively. That's gone for all forums and IRCs though really since Facebook and Skype and probably just us being old fashioned.
Bonus awesome: who remembers the poster competition thing a few years ago, that was so much fun Great way to get people to "go forth and interact"
Good: Tight community where we know each other beyond our screen names. We are hardly the first community to do that online, but it was rare to see that sort of thing before social media grabbed the internet by its throat. Despite some minor drama in serious threads, this place doesn't get out of hand and never succumbed to the "internet hate machine" mentality that every community elsewhere seemed to adapt once 4chan made that look cool, and most people still don't realize it was Something Awful that spread that sort of thing.
Bad: Though efforts to curb this/make this more bearable has been more valiant, most serious talk turns into paragraph wars where people take nearly each sentence out of context to make their side of the argument look good. In fact, there shouldn't be any arguments. There should be a discussion or civil debate. It's hard for me to go into something I am passionate about without getting heated, so I don't blame people for getting upset overall. That said, no one really acknowledges this really weird mentality/course of action that repeats. I was one of the few that was glad that Eyes on Each Other was split up because I like that there is a forum just for personal things, which I feel this community actually discusses in a much more mature manner.
everything is great and terrible all at once!
It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times.
The community is wonderful and even though it has changed a tremendous amount over the past years, it's been my home away from home. The friends I've made will last me through the rest of my lifetime, I am certain.
As for the bad, something really smells in here. Badly. When was the last time the fridge was cleaned out? I thought it was Bleys' job.
Great: Genuinely good heartwarming people that are nice to be around.
Bad: People who are dismissive and wave off legitimate points making it next to impossible to have any type of meaningful conversation.
Good: Echoing what everyone has already said, the people here are awesome, especially me. Seriously, I bring up the 'Awesome Person Average (APA) by a good 15%.
Bad: Not everyone agrees with everything I say. Those people must just enjoy being wrong, I suppose.
Ugly: No-one. Everyone on here is attractive.
there are some cool people here and...
well, i think i'll stop before i get myself banned!
everything is wrapped in gray
i'm focusing on your image
can you hear me in the void?
Good: The football thread
Bad: The football thread
there was a picture here
EoFF is a constant in my life. It provides me with a place I can always go to during the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Even when I'm not posting, it still is a place I can go to and read about what people think about pretty much anything. Effectively this place is my online home, and the members are my online family. The friendships I have made by communicating with people at EoFF are precious and important to me. It also never ceases to amaze me how people who I don't really know on any personal level will reach out to me privately when I suggest in any way that my life is not at it's best. This place seems to attract genuinely good people.
The bad, for me personally, is that I have lost all anonymity here. This is bad because when I have any kind of life problem I can no longer talk about it with online friends because my online and offline family and friends have become one. Everyone talks to one another. I have family members who Facebook with EoFFers, workmates that know about this place, things like that. This means that the initial thing that made me so love EoFF - a place where I could post with anonymity while still feeling I am talking with friends - is no longer something I can hold onto.
As for the current state of EoFF, it's just growing up into a different person. When you're growing up, your friendships become less active and sometimes they simply become fewer, although those bonds that remain can be tighter than ever. I think as the age of the average EoFFer has risen, so too has the dynamic. That's life. It's not good or bad, it's just different.
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
Ok I have a real answer to what is bad about EoFF: name changes. I'm not talking about the I'm A Smelly Armpit temp changes but the semi-permanent (until they get bored of it and change again) changes. I only discovered yesterday that Night Fury or whatever she's called now is Lockharted. It's fine if the new name is a play on the old name (Lockharted -> Locky for instance) but your screen name is your identity here and you shouldn't be able to change your identity. I've been ignoring Night Fury's posts all this time because I thought she was some random unimportant oldbie I didn't know and not someone who I actually enjoy. Sorry Lock!
Proud to be the Unofficial Secret Illegal Enforcer of Eyes on Final Fantasy!
When I grow up, I want to go toBovineTrump University! - Ralph Wiggum