Bungie.net Community
This topic has moved here: Subject: The State of Bungie.net
  • Subject: The State of Bungie.net
Subject: The State of Bungie.net
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13/02/2005 (I've been on since then.)
Group RPG's!

DO NOT DO IT! DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING IT! DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT NOT DOING IT!

Nice one Jim.

  • 08.14.2006 11:53 AM PDT
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Posted by: twinkiemaker
Posted by: Fxt_Redwolf
The site needs attention, but as GJJ said Bungie has turned from all about the community to all about the money.


Thats not what GJJ said. He posed a question about where Bungie's priorities lay.
Right...Bungie's priorities lay in gaining more money instead of paying attention to their massive fanbase...I think that's obvious...

  • 08.14.2006 11:56 AM PDT
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Before hand, this will get kinda ranty, but please read-thx

Anybody else realize that to even provide awesome games and be able to pay attention to a fanbase businesses have to do business. I mean if Frankie and the Bungie staff and mods played buddy-buddy with everyone, no work would get done. Personally, no offense to the mods or the team, i wouldn't want them at my house... they are where they should be, making money to make games, that make money to make more games... etc etc etc Long live Bungie. If you're interested in people who only devote their time to gossip, hanging, or etc, try Myspace or real life. the fact is: Bungie's priorities are right where they need to be. Bungie pleases the average consumer by making great games. to do so, they need money. Bungie makes great games and then through that makes more money. I honestly hope you are not insinuating Bungie should make free games! Maybe in 1,000 years we can evlove beyond the concept of money. Look at this from a business perspective. Why would Bungie truly care about us, as more than a consumer and underground militiaman(woman <- politically correct :P). It doesn't bother me. I don't ask my phone Company manager to IM me daily, or ever for that matter. Bungie is a company. it provides services to the general public by pumping out kick-ass games and providing a community we control. I don't see how anyone can ask any more of them, unless you want their first born children?!

  • 08.14.2006 12:06 PM PDT
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  • Fabled Mythic Member

Posted by: Shishka
Everything will be gone long before me. When the first living thing was born, I was here, waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job is finished. I'll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights and lock the universe behind me when I leave.

Wow, I picked the wrong week not to come to b.net! Anyway, I'll add my 2 cents here.
There's been a lot of post about people saying, "wow, the site was great back in '04, I really miss the good 'ol days" the question is, how can we make the way it was back then. Granted, I haven't been really doing much to do that, mainly because of the lack of will to come back here to the same spam and same topics.

Something as simple as having a screenshot of Halo 3 every other month or so, even if it's of some plants, clouds, or something we know will be in the game(ie. a wathog, MC, a grunt). Or by having content that other sites don't have. I would LOVE to know more about the Halo universe (ie. all the covenant/human ships, some unknown planets, etc.) If this site had stuff like that I would visit every day! (even though I already do, it's my homepage). And what the hell happened to that Halo 2 multiplayer Guide thing. They've done 1 level in about a year, then quit. It doesn't even show the names of the newest maps! I would also love it if they put the same stuff for Halo 2 as they did with Halo 1 (ie. the Multiplayer strategies and Equipment sections).

And updating the Letters to the webmaster, Bungie comics, and soapbox, I think would spark a little more activism(is that a word?) from members. I know it would for me.
Oh, and I cannot wait for the near-furture of b.net, especially with the things Achronos has said in this topic.

Well that's pretty much all from me for a while.
Thanks for your time.

[Edited on 8/14/2006]

  • 08.14.2006 10:08 PM PDT

(random yet funny signature goes here)

My worthless oppinion:

Yall are getting booty hurt over nothing. Accept the fact that people will come here just to have fun and ignore the rules. You cant stop that. It's just impossible, for every jerk that you get rid of 5 more replace him. The only way to overcome this is to just ignore them, let them get bored and leave on their own and act like you should. Follow the rules and just cold shoulder those that don't instead of flaming them(non ninjas).

Also alls I'm hearing is I want want want. You don't deserve. That's the problem. This forum isn't your RIGHT, it's a gift. Bungie gave this to us the fans for us to have fun. It's our sandbox, our playground, our watercooler. We come here to discuss and just have fun being with people who share the same interests. They can take it away from us too. You have no rights. Now I'm not saying they should, I'm just saying if you acted like a normal half decent person, followed the rules, and let the mods take care of the jerks in their own time in their own way we would all be better off.

As for Bungie, you guys are dropping the ball here. Like I said I know this is our gift, and we don't really need or deserve it, but like any other kid getting an allowance, a raise is a really nice thing. A 5 dollar a month allowance doesn't quite cut it when you're 14 anymore. Just help keep things fresh here. Pay attention to us. I know this has got Achronos' attention, but he hasn't actually provided. He's made promises, but that wouldn't be the first time he's promised something that hasn't happened. So I know we don't deserve it, and don't really need it but it still would be nice to have something to keep us coming back other than the weekly update and humpday challenge.

  • 08.14.2006 11:36 PM PDT
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Posted by: Vitamin Zawaz
Posted by: twinkiemaker
Posted by: Fxt_Redwolf
The site needs attention, but as GJJ said Bungie has turned from all about the community to all about the money.


Thats not what GJJ said. He posed a question about where Bungie's priorities lay.
Right...Bungie's priorities lay in gaining more money instead of paying attention to their massive fanbase...I think that's obvious...

What do you want them to do? Post more, and be very active on the forums, instead of working on Halo 3? Why would they want to post a lot on these forums, where only a couple of the forums are even slightly accepting of other people's opinions?

  • 08.15.2006 7:16 AM PDT
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Posted by: SniperLegend12

What do you want them to do? Post more, and be very active on the forums, instead of working on Halo 3? Why would they want to post a lot on these forums, where only a couple of the forums are even slightly accepting of other people's opinions?


Quote of the century.

  • 08.15.2006 3:43 PM PDT
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Posted by: SniperLegend12
Posted by: Vitamin Zawaz
Posted by: twinkiemaker
Posted by: Fxt_Redwolf
The site needs attention, but as GJJ said Bungie has turned from all about the community to all about the money.


Thats not what GJJ said. He posed a question about where Bungie's priorities lay.
Right...Bungie's priorities lay in gaining more money instead of paying attention to their massive fanbase...I think that's obvious...

What do you want them to do? Post more, and be very active on the forums, instead of working on Halo 3? Why would they want to post a lot on these forums, where only a couple of the forums are even slightly accepting of other people's opinions?
Not all of Bungie works on Halo 3, some of them work just to maintain forums/post news...like KPaul, Shishka (at least I think so, I think he's also a contractor or something), Achronos...Bungie is a team of people that does more than just work on one game, some people are hired for site maintenance...

  • 08.16.2006 10:19 AM PDT

Strange evolution how people have come to believe
That we are it's greatest achievement
We're barely, we're just a collection of cells
Overrating themselves

Posted by: Vitamin Zawaz
Posted by: SniperLegend12
Posted by: Vitamin Zawaz
Posted by: twinkiemaker
Posted by: Fxt_Redwolf
The site needs attention, but as GJJ said Bungie has turned from all about the community to all about the money.


Thats not what GJJ said. He posed a question about where Bungie's priorities lay.
Right...Bungie's priorities lay in gaining more money instead of paying attention to their massive fanbase...I think that's obvious...

What do you want them to do? Post more, and be very active on the forums, instead of working on Halo 3? Why would they want to post a lot on these forums, where only a couple of the forums are even slightly accepting of other people's opinions?
Not all of Bungie works on Halo 3, some of them work just to maintain forums/post news...like KPaul, Shishka (at least I think so, I think he's also a contractor or something), Achronos...Bungie is a team of people that does more than just work on one game, some people are hired for site maintenance...


You're right. Bungie after all, isn't a business, but a PR machine for Microsoft. In fact, how about we suggest they move to a single room apartment in the slums of Chicago and post on the forums all day.

As far as PR goes, what other company gives weekly updates regarding thier company's goings-on that are available to the public? Rockstar? EA? Capcom? None of them do. They announce a project, maybe the release date, and let you to sit there until its done.

Bungie is far more active in the gaming community and with thier fans than any other established developer that I can think of. Maybe a bit too much. Bungie has spoiled thier fans and they come here to whine when they feel Bungie isn't telling them enough, or interacting enough.

Bungie is a business. Yes, they are in it for the money. If they weren't in it for the money, Bungie wouldn't be in business.

  • 08.16.2006 10:48 AM PDT
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Read about the Forgotten Spartan I Program
Butane: To protect the world from devastation!
sir_brilliant: To unite all people within our nation!
Rainman89: To denounce the evils of truth and love!
sir_brilliant: To extend out reach to the stars above!
SpaceGhostFlyer: Jessie!
Butane: James!
sir_brilliant: Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light
Butane: Surrender now or prepare to fight
sir_brilliant: Meowth, that's right!

Amen, twinkie. I can't think of a better gaming website than this one right here.

  • 08.16.2006 10:58 AM PDT
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Twinkiemaker I think you have misunderstood me...

Yeah, obviously they are in it for the money, I know how business works, I'm not an idiot...however, my only point was, it wouldn't hurt if they interacted more with the community...yes, weekly updates are nice, but not when they're lacking in substance...

  • 08.16.2006 11:10 AM PDT

Strange evolution how people have come to believe
That we are it's greatest achievement
We're barely, we're just a collection of cells
Overrating themselves

Posted by: Vitamin Zawaz
Twinkiemaker I think you have misunderstood me...


Sorry, it was more of a general rant. Didn't mean to look like I was directing it at you.

Like I said, name any other succesful studio that has as much community involvement as Bungie. Sure more substance to the WWU would be nice, but personnally, the more I don't know about Halo 3 means the more surprises I get when I actually play it. Then again, I wasn't raised in the current generation of instant gratification/no patience.

Concerning the mods or actual Bungie employees posting more regularly, I have mixed feelings. Yes I like reading a Bungie employees take on a certain situation, but on the other hand, when a Bungie employee makes a post, it draws idiots like flies to...

well, you know.

[Edited on 8/16/2006]

  • 08.16.2006 12:49 PM PDT

I doubt I can say anything that hasn't been said before, and I wish I had a solution that could bring b.net back together.

I'm sitting here at work, wearing a bungie.net t-shirt, and realizing that this is one of the sites that I now rarely visit. When I do, it's usually because I've checked my other bookmarks twice today or because HBO has linked to a news post. It's sad, really. I used to wonder what it was like to be Frankie or a mod - privy to information or power - but now I realize that Frankie has one of the hardest jobs ever and I don't envy him one bit. Gamer forums are all too often filled with young, somewhat angry boys fueled by anonymity. It can be scary visiting some aspects of this site. It's that way everywhere on the internet, except for the small forums hidden away. I'm lucky to have found a great one that's related a bit to Halo.

I know Achronos has said that someday a karma system will come out. Or perhaps some way to make the environment nicer for those of us who really care. But hey, success has brought a lot to our community and we need to take the good with the bad.

I'll always be a Bungie fan, even if it's not on Bungie.net

Septagon rocks anyway. It's all good.

  • 08.16.2006 1:22 PM PDT

Go Chiefs

Posted by: Achronos
Good idea. Consider it done.

Posted by: GameJunkieJim
This isn't about join dates, this is about interaction, I could give a crap less about someone's join date, and would love for them to be gone.


Nicely done. I kind of enjoyed the "member since" dates but it's good to see some suggestions heeded. Sometimes little things can make a big difference.

  • 08.17.2006 1:53 PM PDT

Frank O'Connor is a 12-year veteran of the videogame magazine industry and has therefore never worked an honest day in his life.

Well i have kinda gone away from posting at this place. It seems that halo 3 is the most important thing on Bungies mind and everything else shouldn't be worried about. Which is fine BUT with a company that took in at lease 150 million dollars off halo 2 and know halo 3 will at least gain that much money you think you could hire someone to post more interesting stuff around here.
Yes i know it's busy there and most of the people that are hired work on halo 3 and thats fine. But what happened to the old days before halo 2.

For example Frankie. He was hired to be a content monkey. now i imagine that would be a person who post content up. yet after halo 2 he has posted less and less around here. and now that KP is here it seems the only thing frankie does is post weekly update which as of right now are meaningless because they aren't the updates we like.

Now thats not to say Frankie is a bad guy because i like his sense of humor but the fact that he doesn't do what his job title was is kind of annoying. and yes KP is cool but again he post news that Frankie did (making Frankie seem like he's not there at all until Fridays) and does interviews with different halo communities or bungie team members. that seems kinda pointless to me. if you remember the old weekly updates everyone would post what there job was and what they did that week (to a certain extent) now it's yes halo 3 is cool, i did this, this and this and don't forget about this and here a picture of MC. it feels so static around here lately. The top news is always the same. meet someone on Monday, humpday challenge Thursday and weekly update Friday.

The other problem i see is that alot of the content that is promised isn't ever posted. for example a podcast was in the works and look we haven't heard a thing since, the music from the halo 3 preview was going to be released. no word on that. There has been at least 2 bungie picnics that we haven't received an update on and almost all the content sections on this site are dead. Why can't we post new pictures in the gallery, I found that funny as hell and a way where nobody flamed anyone. and the multiplayer guide section with all the maps. only one map has been filled out.
Which brings me to my next point the site itself. now i know he posted above changes were coming. and Frankie posted that a while back too. But you know what. the search bar was promised over a year and a half ago. and still nothing. I know it got alot of traffic but don't start posting stuff about things your going to add if you aren't going to add them. that makes people mad. And makes them post more things on it. and thats just one feature that has been said to be coming. I use to post here all the time but the xbox forums are just more active and overall more fun then this place right now. It seems that any info we get is static and repeated over and over again. leaving us nothing to discuss here.
I just don't get why this topic was needed. I mean bungie you guys know exactly whats wrong here but in reality you don't fix it. why not mix it up some. post something about whats going on in the studio or some cool events you are going to or something that makes this place less static and boring. I mean even sketchfactor doesn't post around here anymore (at least stories)

This site has so much potential yet often times bungie skips right over things that could brighten this place up. And when you get people that lie it just makes this place as a whole seem not worth having bookmarked and that i should just wait for halo 3 to come out before i visit here. i mean it's not like bungie has any exclusive pictures, trailers or anything at all of halo 3 up. and it's not like every other site has posted halo movie news but this site. whats up with that? Back before halo 2 and up to the maps being announced this site was ok but now it just seems to be a huge building slowly crumbling apart because it's foundation (bungie itself) doesn't seem to think it's important to do what fans want sometimes. And to upkeep the site itself where the the community itself lives.

  • 08.18.2006 6:00 PM PDT
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Do you have what it takes to become a ninja? Join Ninja Academy
Prepared to learn the way of the jedi? Join
KOTOR

Things are getting better. Achronos is making significant changes. Some of them are more obvious than others.

  • 08.19.2006 2:00 PM PDT

I'll be on my own side.

Posted by: Vitamin Zawaz
Twinkiemaker I think you have misunderstood me...

Yeah, obviously they are in it for the money, I know how business works, I'm not an idiot...however, my only point was, it wouldn't hurt if they interacted more with the community...yes, weekly updates are nice, but not when they're lacking in substance...


So, you're saying that the Weekly Updates suck because they don't have substance? So I guess that means that you wouldn't cry about Frankie saying that there would no longer be any updates ever? You wouldn't say that they don't interact with the community?

This as been explained over and over again. The reason for this "lack of substance" is because of the scarcity of info that's fit to be released.

  • 08.19.2006 8:47 PM PDT
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Posted by: Nedus
Posted by: Vitamin Zawaz
Twinkiemaker I think you have misunderstood me...

Yeah, obviously they are in it for the money, I know how business works, I'm not an idiot...however, my only point was, it wouldn't hurt if they interacted more with the community...yes, weekly updates are nice, but not when they're lacking in substance...


So, you're saying that the Weekly Updates suck because they don't have substance? So I guess that means that you wouldn't cry about Frankie saying that there would no longer be any updates ever? You wouldn't say that they don't interact with the community?

This as been explained over and over again. The reason for this "lack of substance" is because of the scarcity of info that's fit to be released.
Look, I'm not pissed at Frankie or anything...weekly updates weren't even a part of my main point...I just used them as an example, and that community interaction could be further improved...

  • 08.19.2006 8:52 PM PDT

I think therefore I am.

Hey Recon and Jim, just read all 21 pages and I think my eyes are going to bleed. Anyways back on page 11 or 12 people were talking about how to make people respect their accounts more. Now I am not telling anyone to copy content but check out the way roosterteeth.com runs their member accounts. There are base members, sponser members. All kinds of content and it weighs your forum name to your real life just alittle bit more. Just alittle content like this would go a long way to making people respectful. Thanks for reading and long live bungie forums!

  • 08.30.2006 11:16 PM PDT
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All i can say, is that the sooner we get that sling shot operational the better.

I dont think things are too bad yet. But i am deffinetly getting fed up with people not knowing the differnce between a conversation, debate, or an arguement.

I mean, everytime i voice an opinion differnt from someone elses i have to add, "In my opinion, speaking of which i totally respect yours"

  • 08.30.2006 11:50 PM PDT
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  • Elder Legendary Member

Bungie.net was the first site I ever got on when I first got the internet (Apart from Google, which I used to find Bungie.net).

I fell in love with it and stuck around and became arguably a well known and popular member.

The reason it was so great was because of the members. Members who made the best of what they had, had friendly discussion. A real community. We didnt care if we didn't get "super cool new news about the next game". We just had fun. We helped each other instead of fighting each other.

Halo 2 brought with it a range of new people. Too many, too fast.

It was like our quaint village had suddenly been turned into a sprawling, crime ridden city. And there's no way that can be undone. We could only hope that some small parts of the old were kept, somewhere. I dont think they were. People expect that some updates of the chapters will bring it back but I just dont think it will. The damage has been done, so to speak.

It's not that the website has been "damaged" though... It's just become... Differant. And it's not the old site I fell in love with, it's not something I even like that much.

  • 08.31.2006 4:52 AM PDT

I'll be on my own side.

I don't care if they "revive" the old chapters, because I was never a part of one, and didn't need to be to enjoy the site like I used to. They probably won't help anyways. Most of the people who made the "old B.net" what it was have left, presumably because of the "damage" Newnab speaks of.

You can't turn a city back into a town. It's best to just learn to adjust to city life. It's not something I enjoy quite as much, but I don't mind.

  • 08.31.2006 5:49 AM PDT
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Posted by: GameJunkieJim
From the 7th Column Council Thread:
Posted by: Mabian
Posted by: Nedus
I'm inclined to agree with Shai here. There's been a "decline of personality", as he states that's been around since the announcement of Halo 2.


I'm not exactly sure what that is supposed to mean. That the majority of members don't partake in certain discussions? I'm lost...


No, I don't think that's what he meant.

Let me see if I can explain it from my point of view and air out some of the dirty laundry we have here.

We're languishing, and have been for some time now. I'll tell you my story, even though I'm a fairly young member here compared to some who lie in the shadows, wanting to stay but desparately looking for a reason to.

One reason is people. At the risk of promoting an elitist attitude, when I joined the Seventh Column chapters were designed around local gamer groups, designed around setting up LAN parties and contests, and a few larger groups that focused on bringing the entire Column together in central hubs, themed groups that dealt with a certain aspect of Bungie.net and the Seventh Column as a whole. However there has been an influx of people who never had a 'breaking in' period, who missed the point of the Column.

The groups started being about how many members you could get, rather than how decent the group managed it's niche. Way back whenever, the groups were good for something helpful, and one was so helpful, it got recast as a main forum section (The Septagon you're in now). Now the groups actually have become a problem, and a constant source of annoyance and spam for many.
Mjolnir Battle Tactics, for example, spammed the Wikipedia page for Bungie.net with group advertisements, Popular Fusion and they have this inane "Group War" going on, and people actually have "Do not send me group invites" in their signatures. This is retroactive for the column, and both of those groups are causing more harm than I care to see.

They've missed the point. Terribly.

I've gotten so jaded over these things that I've probably passed on several decent groups because I don't wanna be caught up in a mad bid for members. They don't care any longer about providing for the community, they care about being better than the rest of it, and that's the worst kind of elitism.


Seventh Column Council, great idea, horrible execution. Too many people wanted power over the site that they didn't need.

What do we need? Less concentration on silly things like Stat Tracking and whatnot. Yes, the Game Viewer is cool, but how does that help the Column? The most common useage I've seen for it is to brag about how good you are, or how bad someone else is. *yawn* I don't give a -blam!- how good you are. That's not why I'm here. We have MLG for hardcore stat mongers. Bungie.net is where I meet people for a friendly game. Where I discuss the finer points of the Easter Eggs, and theorize on the storylines of the games. It's where I come to check up on my friends, and see what's going on with Bungie.

Now I sit in the Underground and lament that people have gotten so selfish. People who completely crap on others for no other reason than liking another Bungie game more than Halo, or going into the Halo 3 Forum and seeing 400 replies to a topic berating the post starter for an idea or theory. Guess what, all ideas are equally valid, yours or the next guy's.

Look at Bungie.net's reputation on multiple gaming sites. It's frustrating for me especially, and I imagine others, because when we came here it wasn't like this at all. People were somewhat respectful, and even the spammers were on topic for the forum they posted in.

Look at yourself Bungie.net. You've gone from a tight knit gaming community to a mass of spam topics, elitism, and random hate. The forum used to be well moderated with only 5 or 6 moderators. Now we have close to 15 and we're still losing ground. It had to be said.

I long for the days where SketchFactor actually updates the 7thColumn page regularly. Or even the Council Idea would work if it could get people that weren't so worried about controlling aspects of the site.

This is likely to be inflammatory, and I want to apologize in advance:
Bungie, we have to know - do you give a crap anymore?
I've seen a site where the developers were frequent posters, especially Frankie back in the day, where the people had amazing groups that were amazing because they didn't try to be.

I've seen that site degenerate, I've seen over-commercialization of an intellectual property. Yes, some of that stuff is very cool, but do we need a movie? A Comic Book Series? Are we going to do a machinima show on Adult Swim next? When is enough enough? I don't mind these things, actually, it's the thought process behind it. You seem to have ignored the fans that kept Bungie Lore alive in their hearts, in favor of the cash cow of the daytrippers. Making money is forgiveable, even encouraged! I would love for you to have more money to expand and develop. But to do it at the expense of a core fanbase is not considerate.
Halo 3, great, I'm all for it. But remember that we are not walking wallets. We have feelings, and most of them are benevolent to Bungie's interests. Don't forget us in your search for money.

My brief history at Bungie.net was setting up a group for my clan down in Florida, meeting a few people, having a blast with the various stories and activities in the Off Topic forum, working out theories on Halo 2 in New Mombasa with Eagle and chaplain and Wra7h, among others, talking with various people around the 7th Column and forging friendships.
The personality of the forums is dying, and I want to do something about it. But it's gonna take a lot more than a Council. It's going to take employee interaction, and a vast willingness of the members to change for the better.

I sincerely apologize for any personal offense anyone takes, and do not wish to lose my status here as it helps me do a little good for the forums, but your decisions are your own.


I'd have to agree. One of the bars I used to judge whether a group was worth joining was by how long most of the group’s members had been on Bungie.net but the join date seems to have disappeared since I was last on making it harder to judge. I haven't joined a new group for well over a year now and have even had multiple messages asking me to join different people's groups where the request was set out in a standard form. When I looked at the members who were doing this I noticed that they were all members of certain groups who must have passed my name between each other. Its one of the reasons I have not joined any new groups. The emphasis of many groups isn't discussion it numbers plain and simple.

  • 08.31.2006 7:26 AM PDT