Wow This Place Looks Different

[Moonstreet]

Waves into the internet, its been a while. Yes that join date in my profile is correct, September 2003, 19 years I'm an original MJJFORUM member who then came to MJJC when Gaz bought the data base. I used to be a very active member especially in the years 2001 to 2009. Yes my post count is correct too. Things got a bit crazy in the years after Michael died and MJJC went through some changes and like a lot of fans I stopped being as active here and went to social media.

The fan community has changed a lot over the years and at times it was not a very nice place. I never left the fan community, I just become low profile.

Then the world went tospy turvy in 2020 and 2021 and I guess like everyone, I had to look after my mental health.

Other than 2020 / 2021 I still go to Forest Lawn every year and Ive been busy helping my friend Talitha with her book, yes thats me she talks about as one of her travel buddies and in the thank you notes at the end of the book.

I was going through some files and I found my password for here and just decided to see if it still worked.

Anyways, just thought to post a hello Im here post, I wonder how active the forum is now and if there is anyone still around from the old days.

 

[Hiker]

Hi, great to have you back. It's always wonderful to hear from long time fans and their experiences with fandom.

 

[zinniabooklover]

Waves into the internet, its been a while. Yes that join date in my profile is correct, September 2003, 19 years I'm an original MJJFORUM member who then came to MJJC when Gaz bought the data base. I used to be a very active member especially in the years 2001 to 2009. Yes my post count is correct too. Things got a bit crazy in the years after Michael died and MJJC went through some changes and like a lot of fans I stopped being as active here and went to social media.

The fan community has changed a lot over the years and at times it was not a very nice place. I never left the fan community, I just become low profile.

Then the world went tospy turvy in 2020 and 2021 and I guess like everyone, I had to look after my mental health.

Other than 2020 / 2021 I still go to Forest Lawn every year and Ive been busy helping my friend Talitha with her book, yes thats me she talks about as one of her travel buddies and in the thank you notes at the end of the book.

I was going through some files and I found my password for here and just decided to see if it still worked.

Anyways, just thought to post a hello Im here post, I wonder how active the forum is now and if there is anyone still around from the old days.

Hello, welcome back! It's lovely to 'meet' you.

Just so you know, I'm the person who has been known to post a Bad era photo in the Thriller era thread. Or was it the other way around?

 

[Moonstreet]

Hi, great to have you back. It's always wonderful to hear from long time fans and their experiences with fandom.

Thanks, although so much has changed and I dont feel any connection to the fan community any more. I remember a time when long term fans like me and our personal experiences were not wanted so its hard for me now to be active in the fan community.

I have seen a change over the years, and the drama easing and from the reception to Talithas book, I know that there are many in the fan community who were not part of the fan dramas and who are now seeking information about Michael

 

[Hiker]

remember a time when long term fans like me and our personal experiences were not wanted so its hard for me now to be active in the fan community.

Oh forget that time. No need to remember that time . Here we are starving for person experiences of fans who actually met Michael!!

 

[Moonstreet]

Oh forget that time. No need to remember that time . Here we are starving for person experiences of fans who actually met Michael!!

Thank you. I guess its just hard to connect to the fan community now after so many years of hiding. If anyone wants to know anything, ask away, I will share but what I say may not be what fans now a days know about or may not conform to popular opinion.

 

[MacMandy90]

Welcome back Moonstreet! So glad to finally meet you! The positive I noticed is that the fan base is growing strong, that's how big Michael's impact can be.

 

[Hiker]

Thank you. I guess its just hard to connect to the fan community now after so many years of hiding. If anyone wants to know anything, ask away, I will share but what I say may not be what fans now a days know about or may not conform to popular opinion.

I would not even know where to start, and I am afraid once I start asking questions, I won't be able to stop

 

[staywild23]

Hi, Moonstreet! So happy to 'meet' you!!

Waves into the internet, its been a while. Yes that join date in my profile is correct, September 2003, 19 years I'm an original MJJFORUM member who then came to MJJC when Gaz bought the data base. I used to be a very active member especially in the years 2001 to 2009. Yes my post count is correct too.

Oh boy, I joined in January of 2022 and my post count is just embarrassing now that you point this out lol ...

Things got a bit crazy in the years after Michael died and MJJC went through some changes and like a lot of fans I stopped being as active here and went to social media.

I can't even imagine this I regret horribly that I didn't become a fan until this year, but I genuinely don't know how I could have possible handled it when he died.

The fan community has changed a lot over the years and at times it was not a very nice place.

I am very new to the fan community -- only became a fan around the New Year, but I'm a huge, huge, huge fan and have explored a lot of fan spaces. Some of them are wonderful, some less so. I absolutely have gotten this impression from a lot of people though and it makes me sad for the OG Michael fans.

Other than 2020 / 2021 I still go to Forest Lawn every year and Ive been busy helping my friend Talitha with her book, yes thats me she talks about as one of her travel buddies and in the thank you notes at the end of the book.

This is amazing I have not yet read Talitha's book, though. I recently listened to the MJ Cast's interview with Marcos Cabota and he talked about meeting a lot of fans, including her (so probably you too?) as he traveled around the world for Michael. Such interesting stories!

Anyways, just thought to post a hello Im here post, I wonder how active the forum is now and if there is anyone still around from the old days.

I have never been on any kind of fan forum before for anyone, or anything, and certainly not before social media. So I can't compare how active this place is to where it once was. But for me, the activity level here is great. I mostly can't keep up. In fact, I've not had much time this past week, but I just logged on and saw your post and I am SO happy about it. I've often hoped some of the original members would come back. Hopefully you are the first of many to return!

I can't imagine why people didn't want to hear about personal experiences with Michael (I assume you met him???) or even going to concerts. I am desperate for stories about those personal connections. I also am one to think those stories are so important to catalog because eventually (hopefully a long, long, long time from now) there won't be so many people around to share them. I've mentioned to Gaz before how much I would love to see a section on here with interviews with him, or others who have met Michael, and he expressed the same thought you did, how it is not really welcome in the community. I will never understand why, but just so you know there are definitely a lot of people here now (at least in this thread! haha) who are craving that stuff

Anyway, welcome back!! I hope you stick around and that us "new" folk can help make you feel good about the decision to come back!

 

[Moonstreet]

@staywild23

hi and thank you for all that. Over the years I never left the fan community, I am mainly on Twitter and I have many fan friends on Facebook. It was talking to Talitha when she was writing her book that I really saw the change in the fan community. She was worried about the reception it would have, as like me she had been through all the not nice times in the years after Michael died. I could see how things were changing, that the people causing the dramas were disappearing and there is now a whole new wave of fans, who know nothing of the fan dramas and are hungry for first hand information about Michael and being a fan when he was alive.

All what people call the OG fans are still around, just not here on MJJC. Its very easy to find people on social media and everyone is still connected.

I don't want to bring up the bad times, I dont want to cause conflicts and arguments, but if people genuinely want to know about the histories of the online fan communities I will share. Gaz I know you are watching and reading my posts.

 

[Dorian]

Missing the pre-2009 days as well. Nice to have old people back here.

 

[Hiker]

hungry for first hand information about Michael

Yes! I would love to hear more. Same as staywild, I became a fan earlier this year. Sometimes it all feels so surreal, like a movie since I was not at all into pop culture growing up and did not know much about Michael. Talking to fans who actually met him makes it real. I had that wave of reality hit me when I saw your messages.

 

[Moonstreet]

Yes! I would love to hear more. Same as staywild, I became a fan earlier this year. Sometimes it all feels so surreal, like a movie since I was not at all into pop culture growing up and did not know much about Michael. Talking to fans who actually met him makes it real. I had that wave of reality hit me when I saw your messages.

ok, I'll start a new thread in the main Michael Discussion section

 

[Lacra]

Thanks, although so much has changed and I dont feel any connection to the fan community any more. I remember a time when long term fans like me and our personal experiences were not wanted so its hard for me now to be active in the fan community.

I think I already said it in another thread, but I'm glad that you are open to share your experiences! I'm always worried about knowledge getting lost. "Fandom history" is also a very important part of fandom! So I always appreciate it when people share their stuff.

ALSO! I have to mention that I LOVE Talitha's book so much! The moment it arrived, I couldn't put it away. I even read some pages while I was at work, because I only could think about the book

Thank you. I guess its just hard to connect to the fan community now after so many years of hiding. If anyone wants to know anything, ask away, I will share but what I say may not be what fans now a days know about or may not conform to popular opinion.

oh man, you really make one curious what kind of opinions you are talking about. I really hope, even if you feel like you can't connect to people like in the past, that you still want to stay active in some way.

I am very new to the fan community -- only became a fan around the New Year, but I'm a huge, huge, huge fan and have explored a lot of fan spaces. Some of them are wonderful, some less so. I absolutely have gotten this impression from a lot of people though and it makes me sad for the OG Michael fans.

Often, when I come back into certain fandom spaces, it's a reminder that the fandom is very split in certain things. So, for me personally, at this point I prefer the more shallow fandom spaces on Twitter, even tho so much stuff on there gives me headaches too, lol!

This is amazing I have not yet read Talitha's book, though. I recently listened to the MJ Cast's interview with Marcos Cabota and he talked about meeting a lot of fans, including her (so probably you too?) as he traveled around the world for Michael. Such interesting stories!

I really recommend this book! You will love it! Of course there is also really painful stuff in there.
This MJ book is definitely one of my favorites

I don't want to bring up the bad times, I dont want to cause conflicts and arguments, but if people genuinely want to know about the histories of the online fan communities I will share. Gaz I know you are watching and reading my posts.

Maybe this forum is not the perfect space for it, but I really hope you will share this! As I said, fandom history is imho also very important!

Really wondering why it's not welcome in the community.

I remember going online after reading Talitha's book, because I wanted to see the opinions of other fans. There were many positive postings on Twitter, but not really in some older fan communities. With this book, I was pretty sure every fan would embrace it. I was wrong. Hmm, I guess most people think it's all fictional, just to make money.

Oh well, what can I say. I have enough controversial opinions myself.

 

[Gaz]

Waves into the internet, its been a while. Yes that join date in my profile is correct, September 2003, 19 years I'm an original MJJFORUM member who then came to MJJC when Gaz bought the data base. I used to be a very active member especially in the years 2001 to 2009. Yes my post count is correct too. Things got a bit crazy in the years after Michael died and MJJC went through some changes and like a lot of fans I stopped being as active here and went to social media.

The fan community has changed a lot over the years and at times it was not a very nice place. I never left the fan community, I just become low profile.

Then the world went tospy turvy in 2020 and 2021 and I guess like everyone, I had to look after my mental health.

Other than 2020 / 2021 I still go to Forest Lawn every year and Ive been busy helping my friend Talitha with her book, yes thats me she talks about as one of her travel buddies and in the thank you notes at the end of the book.

I was going through some files and I found my password for here and just decided to see if it still worked.

Anyways, just thought to post a hello Im here post, I wonder how active the forum is now and if there is anyone still around from the old days.

I did not buy any databases lol, MJJC was a fresh start by me and a couple of other admins when Trish decided to close MJJF, there is no post content here from MJJF the only thing we did which was agreed between us was to migrate the user accounts so members didn't have to re-register.

I completely rebuilt the place on a brand new platform taking it into the future.

Feel free to rejoin here and post whatever you need to in the correct sections.

 

[MykelTheSuperfan]

welcome back @Moonstreet.
I am a new-ish member on this forum and I am recent fan in general (I became one in 2020)
I have looked at older threads for example the macros thread and I am eager to know what the older days at the forum was like.

 

[Horrorlover656]

@Moonstreet Since you have been on the net for so long, do you mind sharing you experiences? Early ones?

 

[Moonstreet]

@Moonstreet Since you have been on the net for so long, do you mind sharing you experiences? Early ones?

After History tour I joined MJNI UK fanclub. They were an old fashioned fanclub, where you paid a yearly membership and got fanclub magazines in the post every few months. They also had events for members in London and sold merchandise. Sometime in 1998 1999 they started an email newsletter and then a website and thats how I started being active in the online communities.

Back then it was dial up internet in homes, through the landline and it was very expensive, so I would go to internet cafes after work.

 

[Horrorlover656]

After History tour I joined MJNI UK fanclub. They were an old fashioned fanclub, where you paid a yearly membership and got fanclub magazines in the post every few months. They also had events for members in London and sold merchandise. Sometime in 1998 1999 they started an email newsletter and then a website and thats how I started being active in the online communities.

Back then it was dial up internet in homes, through the landline and it was very expensive, so I would go to internet cafes after work.

Can you tell me about the fanclub magazines? Sounds interesting.

 

[Moonstreet]

Can you tell me about the fanclub magazines? Sounds interesting.

These are some of my magazines

Before the internet this was really how fans got information about Michael. The magazine had a team of people who would get media updates from various places, newspaper articles, magazines and press releases as well as information from MJJ Productions, and other fans. They would put it all together in a magazine format, publish it and then send it in the post to members. We would get about 4 magazines a year. They also starting sending extra information that missed the magazine publishing deadline in a newspaper every so often.

 

[Horrorlover656]

These are some of my magazines

Before the internet this was really how fans got information about Michael. The magazine had a team of people who would get media updates from various places, newspaper articles, magazines and press releases as well as information from MJJ Productions, and other fans. They would put it all together in a magazine format, publish it and then send it in the post to members. We would get about 4 magazines a year. They also starting sending extra information that missed the magazine publishing deadline in a newspaper every so often.

They look cool.

You mentioned internet cafes after work. Mind telling me about those experiences?

 

[Moonstreet]

They look cool.

You mentioned internet cafes after work. Mind telling me about those experiences?

Internet cafes were public computer places, like how a library has public computers. Different places had different rates, most charged by the hour or half hour. You paid upfront and got a log in code. Once your time was up, you were logged out. Back then there were no streaming, it was before YouTube, so it was all messageboards, chatrooms and websites.

 

[Horrorlover656]

Internet cafes were public computer places, like how a library has public computers. Different places had different rates, most charged by the hour or half hour. You paid upfront and got a log in code. Once your time was up, you were logged out. Back then there were no streaming, it was before YouTube, so it was all messageboards, chatrooms and websites.

I know about internet cafes. Just asked for first hand experience.

Thanks a lot.