This wasn't geared as a GNR chat, no matter how much people want to believe or speculate.  It was a nice gesture made by DJ to spend time with HIS FANS.  Everyone in the chat, save for a few disgruntled GNR fans, were extremely appreciative.  He was very courteous, thanked everyone for coming, was polite, said he loved and appreciated all the GNR fans, even though many in there were doing their best to drive him away.  And he DID answer questions about GNR, just not the groundbreaking questions that some people for some strange reason thought he would.  He didn't dodge the subject completely.  He wasn't gonna speak for Axl or band management, but he spoke about his time in the band and the music.  He could've answered more but as I said before, the place was so chaotic, I'm surprised he stuck around as long as he did.

Anyway, I thougt it was a really nice gesture by DJ and think he's taking some completely unnecessary flak today.

A little goes a long ways.....

Had Axl followed through with something after those chats, I don't think the cloud of negativity would have resurfaced so soon. Example, he says "a week or so" for the Better video. It gets released. Anyone complaining under those circumstances would have been complaining just for the sake of complaining.

After the video, maybe a limited amount of tour dates. Hit a few major cities in the U.S., maybe a limited run in South America.

None of this requires what is commonly referred to as "attention whoring". It would simply be Axl/GNR doing what artists do.

Instead we get silence, and silence breeds contempt. Axl's own hardcore base wasn't even willing to push those two singles up the charts, and neither came close to cracking the Itunes Top 100, and even shit like a deep album cut from a 1980s Heart album has cracked that chart.

The road goes both ways. Relationships between artists and fans exist on a very fine line, and thats not including the dysfunction in this situation. I think all GNR fans(well, the hardcores) are willing to support the band 100%, even those who "complain". Everyone at these sites could have joined forces and propped CD and/or Better up on that Itunes chart, which literally could have been the catalyst for the "second wind". It didn't happen. Why? Was it Beta informing fans that they weren't fans, Axl's nonchalant approach not just to the record but the singles themselves, or the can of cancerous worms with Slash's name on it?

It is obviously Axl's choice whether or not he wants to stay out of the limelight or swing for the fences one more time. Whatever he decides to do, he needs to aim for more consistency. Letting the hangers on say we're not fans and then literally the next minute sending out myspace bulletins begging people to buy it simply wont cut the mustard in today's music culture. Its hypocritical, a huge turn off, causes casuals to walk away, and your album/singles get laughed off the charts.

I don't care how many copies this sold in Timbuktu, it sank like the Titanic and I think the approach to it had just as much to do with it if not more than the actual material itself.

As far as the younger generation of fans go, they grew up on the Chinese Democracy era. You cant expect sunshine and lollipops coming from their direction, and Axl, GNR, and UMG should be thanking their lucky stars that anyone in that age demographic even bought it.