As far as I can see, the nature of this forum has always been split down the middle - those who post regularly and those who "lurk", looking without posting. Either action is acceptable and I am guilty of lurking on occasions, depending on my mood. I also think that the forum has more to offer any "newbie" than 95% of the other celebrity fansites out there. I am no expert but D2D has more pictures and more news than any other website I have ever seen. Sometimes, it seems like a 'bottomless pit' of info and I know for a fact that there are things on here that I have not seen yet, despite being a member for over six years. (Wow! That long? Time flies!) I am only just starting to dig through the tip of the iceberg now that I have a laptop at my disposal. And even with that, there are not enough hours in the day to look at everything this site has to offer.
So, it confuses me when we say that newbies leave quickly because they are 'bored', ie, not enough new stuff to look at. To me, it is very black and white. Either you love Daniel and his work and will stay or you are not that bothered by his image or creative output so will leave. To that end, as long as I continue to love Daniel, there is no question of me leaving. The moments I ponder going are shortlived. I threaten resignation when I am in a bad mood but that pledge passes as soon as the bad mood does. If someone or something upsets me, I know for a fact that I will be back online once I have 'got over' said upset.
Since joining in 2007, I have often felt one particular thing missing from here which continues to be missing: Gatherings. For a place where people can become quite close (I share stuff on my blog that I wouldn't even share with closest family), it seems strange that none of us have ever really met in person. The last time I did this 'internet family' thing, there was the prospect of many shows and concerts thereby bringing the internet fans together. Firm friends were made and have stayed that way ever since. Daniel is not a rock star. He does not travel the globe as a stage actor either. His main medium of choice is movies. That means the only way we can get to see him in person - and each other - are plays and premieres. Not all people can travel far in this day and age. I know for a fact that I won't make it to Broadway. ASR is the one I would have preferred to see and I couldn't afford it then either. Perhaps if Daniel had been around before the recession, I would have found it easier to do this. Also, I have become more sensible in my old age and, even with my love for the man dictating my every action, I cannot justify a huge credit card bill to going to see him in a stage play, especially one that is not playing in the UK. I do wish I could... I wish we could all meet up somewhere.
I believe dry spells can be weathered if two very important factors remain: Dedication and Commitment. The last 'dry spell' went from January 2009 until August 2011 - two and a half whole years!!! In the celebrity world, this a fucking long time!! But why the fear that this dry spell will be worse?? Bond 24 is due out in November 2014. That is less than two and a half years away! Of course, it would be lovely if he found the time to squeeze in a smaller indie movie. MM would have been a great thing to look forward to... as long as he had the right role. We won't forget about him but the larger cinema audience might ... and they still just know him as Bond. He deserves to be known for far more than this role. We all know his acting is of too great a calibre to be limited to one role. He always used to say that actors get bored very quickly, meaning they want to start a new project almost as soon as another one ends. Even with another play on the horizon, I am surprised that he isn't itching to get back in the drivers seat. Maybe his 'boredom threshold' isn't what it once was?
I appreciate all the 'Mods' hard work too. We hope you continue to keep this place alive althought I don't expect any of you to become like 'performing monkeys', creating diversions for us. If Daniel pix and idle Daniel chat is not enough to keep us happy, I think there is something wrong there.
My own feeling is, I have coped with Daniels breaks before. I will do it again if I have to by feeding off his back catalogue. Of course, I WANT HIM around 24/7. A new Daniel Movie in cinemas for EVERY MONTH of the year would be the only thing to calm my addiction.... but I know that is physically and logistically impossible. He is definitely worth waiting for and I have no intention of going anywhere that would lead me away from this forum or his side.
PS. In case you haven't worked it out from my 'essay', I'm staying!!
