Thank Yous & General Forum Update

[J*B]

Hi everyone,
 

Just wanted everyone to know that @OnePhilT has decided to step down from volunteering to work on the front end of the website. I'd like to really thank him - from everyone at BRFCS for all the work he's done - the front page is revolutionised (https://www.brfcs.com/), the new theme is unanimously liked and he's done loads of cleaning up which means we can do things like create the player archive, which is here if anyone isn't aware: https://www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/player-archive/ . I'm sure he doesn't want to plaudits, but he really has been irreplaceable! 

In terms of what this means for you - it means BRFCS now has nobody with front end web experience. We still have - thankfully - a few people who help out with the back end, but in terms of how the forum is viewed it will stay how it is for the foreseeable. Phil kindly finished off a couple of bits and made some guidelines that we can follow, but any more major changes are off the cards. If you are a web dev and would like to volunteer, our messages are always open! 

Other BRFCS news:

We will continue to lose people from behind the scenes if certain people don't stop treating this forum like they currently are doing. The BRFCS transfer thread is - every single year - the hardest thread to run. Its tiresome, especially when we aren't signing players. We're all sick of the bickering, name calling and trolling, so I assume you are too. I'm pretty much out of ideas on how to stop it - we could restrict members, but thats not what a forum is about, we could also force members to show their real names or social media accounts, but I don't want to be responsible for arguments at the ground.

My latest thinking is to bring on board a few more moderators who can look over the site, as with Phil stepping down we're currently down to three, K-Hod, Tom and myself. I'm happy to speak to anyone who thinks this is something they might like, but I must tell you that being in this position is often no fun! All three of us will tell you it sucks the enjoyment out of the forum - the only reason I do it is because I don't want to see the website fade away, I suspect the others feel the same.

In the meantime, i'm taking a really strong hand (which I hate doing), because moderating in the previous style taking up 3/4 hours per day. Rule breaks won't be discussed over PMs, posts won't be hidden without repercussion, it's straight to bans unfortunately. The knock on effect from losing people is that we're slowed down creating a content site for Rovers fans. The podcast and players archive are exactly where we want to end up, we're really proud of them. The team working on podcasts enjoy making them and have all become good friends, the player archive is the biggest public one available.

[Bigdoggsteel]

Fair play @OnePhilT the new site is like night and day it is such an improvement. Enjoy your retirement  

Just on the bans/moderation etc, I think sometimes posters are warned or banned over "trolling" when it is such a subjective thing. People have definitely being banned for trolling when the person they were writing too didn't even think they were being trolled.  I appreciate how difficult it is for mods, who have other jobs, to just come in, catch up on what is happening and deal out bans/warnings. As long as there are no personal insults, I think pretty much everything is fair game. Hate speech or  discrimination on gender,sexuality, race etc being not acceptable goes without saying. 

At the end of the day it's a great site with a lot of regular users. The progress on things like the site, podcast , archive etc is really quite impressive in such a relatively short period of time. 

Group hug? 

Edited July 24, 2019 by Bigdoggsteel

[Stuart]

Well done @OnePhilT. Top fella.

[Pedro]

Super effort, thanks to each and every one of you who donate your time to the betterment of the site.

[roverandout]

What about a chatroom

[m1st]

2 hours ago, J*B said:

Hi everyone,
 

Just wanted everyone to know that @OnePhilT has decided to step down from volunteering to work on the front end of the website. I'd like to really thank him - from everyone at BRFCS for all the work he's done - the front page is revolutionised (https://www.brfcs.com/), the new theme is unanimously liked and he's done loads of cleaning up which means we can do things like create the player archive, which is here if anyone isn't aware: https://www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/player-archive/ . I'm sure he doesn't want to plaudits, but he really has been irreplaceable! 

In terms of what this means for you - it means BRFCS now has nobody with front end web experience. We still have - thankfully - a few people who help out with the back end, but in terms of how the forum is viewed it will stay how it is for the foreseeable. Phil kindly finished off a couple of bits and made some guidelines that we can follow, but any more major changes are off the cards. If you are a web dev and would like to volunteer, our messages are always open! 

Other BRFCS news:

We will continue to lose people from behind the scenes if certain people don't stop treating this forum like they currently are doing. The BRFCS transfer thread is - every single year - the hardest thread to run. Its tiresome, especially when we aren't signing players. We're all sick of the bickering, name calling and trolling, so I assume you are too. I'm pretty much out of ideas on how to stop it - we could restrict members, but thats not what a forum is about, we could also force members to show their real names or social media accounts, but I don't want to be responsible for arguments at the ground.

My latest thinking is to bring on board a few more moderators who can look over the site, as with Phil stepping down we're currently down to three, K-Hod, Tom and myself. I'm happy to speak to anyone who thinks this is something they might like, but I must tell you that being in this position is often no fun! All three of us will tell you it sucks the enjoyment out of the forum - the only reason I do it is because I don't want to see the website fade away, I suspect the others feel the same.

In the meantime, i'm taking a really strong hand (which I hate doing), because moderating in the previous style taking up 3/4 hours per day. Rule breaks won't be discussed over PMs, posts won't be hidden without repercussion, it's straight to bans unfortunately. The knock on effect from losing people is that we're slowed down creating a content site for Rovers fans. The podcast and players archive are exactly where we want to end up, we're really proud of them. The team working on podcasts enjoy making them and have all become good friends, the player archive is the biggest public one available.

Yes; Kudos to everyone involved in making the Board so user-friendly.

I had a lo-o-ng time away from here because of rancourous attitudes on the Board 3 or 4 years ago. It certainly feels less aggressive a place these days, doubtless due to proactive moderation. And no, this is not an application to join the team of moderators; at 73, I've different and less thankless things I want to do; including spending - too much of! - my time on the players' archive.

I applaud the thinking about the sanctions moderators can/should impose and was wryly amused by the part of the last sentence of the third from last paragraph of J*B's post, which I've highlighted. That's because, during Sunday's game I had little option than to overhear some, erm, "full and frank discussions"? among fellow-Rovers' fans. At one stage, I was tempted to ask the protagonists what their nicknames on here are, but thought better of it!

[47er]

Well done mate. Peaceful retirement! 

On the subject of trolling, there is a difference between trolling and taking the piss----which is  inalienable right of all Britons.

Trolls set out deliberately to provoke and annoy, piss-takers are just trying to have a laugh.

Just hope that's recognised.

[K-Hod]

Believe me, we do our best! 

I’ve a good radar for it and the other lads do as well!

[Mike E]

You all do a brilliant job, and I'm pleased for Phil that his efforts are so well received

[47er]

2 hours ago, K-Hod said:

Believe me, we do our best! 

I’ve a good radar for it and the other lads do as well!

I do believe you!

[J*B]

Your new moderation support team:

@J*B @K-Hod @Tom @trueblue @DE. @Madon @Mike E @Silas

 

[Mattyblue]

DE! Proper longer time member getting involved!

Makes me almost feel bad for not putting my hand up... almost 

[47er]

1 hour ago, J*B said:

Your new moderation support team:

@J*B @K-Hod @Tom @trueblue @DE. @Madon @Mike E @Silas

 

Too many central mid-fielders!

[CD_93]

Too defensively minded.

[Maji]

Thanks for your efforts Phil T, the site looks really good ?

More police? Lol, well done for volunteering lads/lassies ????

Keep up the good work ??

[Ricky]

If you’d told me 10 years ago that Mellison would be a mod I would have thought you’d lost your minds  

Good luck to all of the mods. I did it for around 10 years in the end. It’s a thankless task and I still find myself blocked on social media by some previous message board members but that’s part and parcel of it.

[Mike E]

5 hours ago, Ricky said:

If you’d told me 10 years ago that Mellison would be a mod I would have thought you’d lost your minds  

Good luck to all of the mods. I did it for around 10 years in the end. It’s a thankless task and I still find myself blocked on social media by some previous message board members but that’s part and parcel of it.

I concur! Ten years ago I was a pillock. Now... well... *cough* moving on...

[bazza]

2 hours ago, Mike E said:

 Ten years ago I was a pillock. 

Weren't we all in our younger days.?

[Dreyski]

Isn’t this your second spell Mike?

[Mike E]

Just now, Dreyski said:

Isn’t this your second spell Mike?

Indeed it is ?

[47er]

Cheer up Mike---you'll probably get it right this time!!   

[Mike E]

2 hours ago, 47er said:

Cheer up Mike---you'll probably get it right this time!!   

This time I'm not having a difficult time in between jobs this time I'm working full time, due to buy first house and getting married later this year.

Life treating me better, I'll treat you lot better

[jim mk2]

On 25/07/2019 at 10:50, J*B said:

Your new moderation support team:

@J*B @K-Hod @Tom @trueblue @DE. @Madon @Mike E @Silas

 

 Hmm, there's one name on there who made a provocative and unnecessary post recently