All Aboard

That's great news for the DMB's mudslingers, whose bladers brim with Haterade; they still won't have to register to dump their vitriol on the world at large -- a buzzkill for the prissier, thin-skinned posters who think everyone in this town should just hold hands and sing "Kumbaya." Nonetheless, Hancock holds firm on the importance of anonymity to keep things interesting. "There's a board like this in every city," he points out. "And any board that makes you log in -- it's just not as cool. I think what I'm going to do is change the name of that secret board to the 'safe board,' so that way you can go on there and post safely if you don't have to worry about somebody calling you names or being mean."

While Hancock has no plans to make the DMB kinder and gentler, he does have ideas for stepping up support of the scene. For starters, he intends to set up and sponsor monthly DMB showcases at various venues, as well as feature different bands on the site each month. But he has another goal, too: to start turning a profit.

"There are expenses in running this thing," Hancock admits. "There's hosting. I'm going to have to hire a web designer, because I don't know anything about all that shit. And I want to make money. I'm not going to lie. I want to make money. I bought the goddamned thing; it's not like it was given to me or anything. So I feel entitled to make money."

That's putting your money where your mouth is.