IMDb closing its message boards

So IMDb announced yesterday that it was closing its message boards and then removing them in a few week's time, the lag giving posters the opportunity to save content and get contact information from other posters they like.

I never used the IMDb message boards, so I can't comment on them. I can certainly understand IMDb's desire not to have to deal with message board moderation. Once you get over a certain size, moderation essentially becomes a nearly impossible full-time job. And just look at the comments on any major traditional news site.

I do, however, find the obsession with so-called "social networking", however, a bit silly. IMDb's announcement mentions all the social networking platforms they're on, most of which seem to make it impossible to do anything other than "like" a posting, instead of carrying on an intelligent conversation. (And I'll point out that I never really cared for TCM's "Classic Film Union", which I thought was overrated.)

As far as I'm aware, all the stuff like reviews on individual movie pages will still be up on IMDb and people will still be able to contribute reviews. For me, that's where the real meat of the IMDb is. I do, however, feel a bit bad for any long-time IMDb message board users who are going to lose something they liked.