Message Board Quality

[tassierover]

To put it in perspective . There are over 2500 members on this board and one or two may post crap. Thats only to be expected.

All in all I dont think its at all bad considering.

[FourLaneBlue]

This discussion does happen every now and then. In fact Scotty started a similar thread in January which can be read here...Board Standards, Slipping

It's cyclical, the board has ups and downs. Sometimes the quality is excellent and other times (especially in the close season) it's a case of sifting through the smugglers turds to find the diamond they swallowed. Er...if you know what I mean..ahem...

There is no possible way this can be changed unless you dramatically alter the very nature of this board. This is open for Blackburn Rovers fans (or even pleasant enough fans of other teams) it isn't a literary society. There will always be different types of posters and different styles of portraying content. In my mind, it's this mixture of the eclectic elements with the democratic nature of the message board which allows people to put across their own opinion as long as they do so by showing others respect that is the strength of this board. If I wanted to agree with everything someone else said I'd join a political party and worship the leader.

The board will be a more interesting place come the autumn....as will all things Rovers. Don't let it get you down, it's still the best message board around.

Edited July 5, 2004 by FourLaneBlue

[Tom Pringle]

We all know Pringle is a tit, naming him is exactly what the social deviant wants.

Bugger, found out

[Shaddy]

What I don't want to happen is for this "style" to turn people away from the board. How do I know if someone is annoyed at what's I've posted unless they tell me so?

Mate... you, sox, and a cast of many others keep me coming to the board. Your posts, especially the humorous ones, are highly entertaining. I hope that you don't dwell on it enough that it affects the quality of your material

Edited July 5, 2004 by Shaddy

[American]

The great part about this board is that although we don't always agree and some people post lots of drivel (yes, call me the pot), it brings fans from literally all around the world together with a common interest. We might have different theories on how it should be done, but we all want Rovers to succeed.

[bob fleming]

Well thanks for that Shaddy - actually it's been playing on my mind. Just like Tony Hancock, I'm turning into a manic depressive. Actually I PM'd 'Sox earlier today. He recently suffered a nervous breakdown and hasn't been near a keyboard in weeks. Something to do with "the pressure" (not sure what he was on about to be honest). That and the fact his desk has been moved next to his boss and all his PC output is now shown on a 12 foot projector, as well as his own 14" monitor, means he hasn't been posting as much as he used to.

Get well cards etc should be sent to: -

Mr N. Sox

Bedlam

Blackpool

Nr that there Lytham

Lancs

FY7 9NS

Sorry - I appreciate that this is totally off topic but I think you should know.

[ABBEY]

you should all be like abster and dont have any standerds

[Modi]

There's a huge difference between being genuinely funny and taking a thread off topic (ala Sox & Bob) and trying to be a smart arse and taking a thread off topic (won't name names).

Private jokes lead to cliques, cliques lead to resentment, resentment leads to disillusionment, disillusionment leads to loss of posters. Perhaps some of those who indulge in this should be more conscious of this entropy?

However, there are a hell of a lot of po-faced posters, wind-up merchants and general bit-heads who post. Some obviously hold personal grudges against other members and pounce on every opportunity to score their little points.

(I must admit I certainly wander into all of the above criticisms at times.)

Difficulty in closed season - as others have mentioned - is that the number of crap posts isn't increased in absolute terms, but is in percentage terms and thus the board seems more overwhelmed by the dross.

[Oklahoma]

For me, the forum is very important as I get to keep in touch with rovers world and share opinions with other fans.

The quality is quite good.

I just don't like when it gets to personal attacks.

If you have a debate, well fundamented, it is interesting.

Sorry if sometimes I don't understand some cynical posts or private jokes.

Can't do much about it.

[tcj_jones]

In all honesty, if there has been a decline in the mesage board quality, it is most likely a result of it's growing popularity; the majority of "lower quality," posts are made by those who are younger, newer or less accustomed to message boards in general. I think its the price you pay for a variety of views.

Now when I first came on the MB i had very little experience with mesageboards in general and thus my posts were "low quality," however, rather then trying to do anything about this, some mods were all too keen on being aggressive and totally intolerant of new members. I remember Den being particularly pleasent and conversely Ricky being completely intolerant and offensive.

Now the admin and mods do a superb job on the mb but it must be considered that if the "quality," is to improve, newer users should be guided in the right direction, rather then simply having their posts deleted. Not so long ago i made a bad thread thread in an attempt to expand my influence on the board, failed and wanted the said thread to be deleted. Unsure on how to have this done i tried messaging Admin that were currently on the board and couldn't find instructions on how to request it being deleted - perhaps this process should be included in the posting guidelines. Apologies if this has infact been included, I must have missed it at the time. In any case, peoples responses really discouraged me from starting new threads in the future.

Now a comprimise has to be found. Some mebers really do post some stupid drivel and they need to make efforts to improve their knowledge of messageboards and post higher standard posts. Now i find that inner circle jokes between the likes of T4E, S15 and TP ADD to the "quality," of the MB, and not to this claimed decline.

Perhaps if more intelligent members of the MB are concerned about the "quality," of the MB then they should have a specific section for themselves. No doubt this would again lower the standard of the MB and this brings me back to my main point - this is the price you pay for a popular messageboard.

EDIT: I was unaware of the opposition to mutiple quotes, I will refrain from quoting several statements in one post.

Edited July 5, 2004 by tcj_jones

[CornwallRover]

Private jokes lead to cliques, cliques lead to resentment, resentment leads to disillusionment, disillusionment leads to loss of posters.

Does this eventually lead to the dark side?

[Tom Pringle]

Does this eventually lead to the dark side?

Is that classed as an in joke for star wars fans?

[Dr Rich]

Guess we should be happy that even though you're still quoting the posts above at least you're editing them to the relevant bits...

Quoting, and especially multi-quoting is incredibly irritating, like Paul, I've also been deleting them, but it's incredibly annoying that I have to waste my time doing that because some people are to lazy/ignorant to find the reply button. At first I pm'd people to inform them why I was deleting there posts, but with the exception of a notable few, all of whom were very polite and accepting of my editing (and funnily enough would have been exactly the posters I'd have expected to reply), since most hadn't the decency to acknowledge it, I've stopped doing it.

Bob Fleming, like Shaddy I enjoy you're posts immensely, they are genuinely funny, and so are Sox's, unlike those of a lot of the self-styled comediens on this board. I guess a balance has to be reached, we have to put up with the appalling 'humour' of some people in order to be allowed the brilliance of some of the posts yourself and a few others have made.

Can't agree with Bryan's word limit idea, a lot of those who make long posts are genuinely good posters, I especially enjoy AESF's contributions, some of his posts I'm not interested in reading because of the topic, so I don't read them, simple as that, generally they are some of the better ones on the board, even allowing for the pointless pictures that can make an appearance.

tcj_jones, the system for asking for a thread/whatever to be deleted is to do precisely that, pm/report to moderator and ask as much, generally if you are reporting your own post it will be ignored though as you can always just use the edit button to delete you're own post content, though not the post itself, bit different in the case of a thread though I agree.

[Ricky]

I remember Den being particularly pleasent and conversely Ricky being completely intolerant and offensive.

tcj_jones, I can only apologies if you found me 'intolerant and offensive', I can only assume I was having an off day. I always try to be fair and only delete or edit posts where I feel it is necessary. Granted sometimes I lose my rag (don't we all).

Anyway, I hope you accept my apology, I'll make sure I buy you a pint if I meet you at ewood. I'm sure the people who have met me off the site will (hopefully) back me up, I'm not that bad really (come on guys, throw me a frickin bone here!!!!!)

[tcj_jones]

No problems at all Ricky, no doubt I came off pretty rude there, but without meaning to at all. All comes with the responsibility of being a mod for you guys. Thanks for your apology, on reflection I was being a little hasty - I myself have had a bad few days.

[samtheozzy]

Can i make a further point? It seems that all too often new members to the board post like crazy so they can try and bring their 'rating' (ie Division 1, Premier League, Uefa Cup etc) up to a higher level. I don't really know how you would address such an issue apart from getting rid of the ratings or maybe having a maximum number of posts per day based on how long the person has been a member of the board (less for newer members). There's an awful lot of people churning out 5 posts a day with 0.5 posts worth of content.

With that said i really don't think there is too much wrong with this board. Saying that the official board is the better place for discussion seems like a joke for anyone who has visited that pit of immaturity. The official site is a magnet for people who want to slag off rovers or just make one post and then leave. This board has standards that are largely adhered to, the official board does not. Not only that but this board represents a quite healthy community that i am proud to be a member of while the official board is run like a business desperate for your money.

[FourLaneBlue]

It seems that all too often new members to the board post like crazy so they can try and bring their 'rating' (ie Division 1, Premier League, Uefa Cup etc) up to a higher level.

Certainly getting rid of the 'ratings' would be a good idea, Other than new posters wishing to rapidly move up a few levels there is no need for them. The number of posts would still be by the name of the poster but again that says little, You can only find out about a person by hearing what they have to say and both agreeing and disagreeing with them (if you ALWAYS agree with someone - anyone - then there is something wrong with you, life is about conflict as much as agreement. Yin and Yang and all that lot....).

The board is in a healthier position now than it was. There was an influx at the end of last year by official site contributors in desperate need of a home. They have now either left or improved their contributions to suit that of this board. Personally I think people are being too harsh...regardless of whether I disagree with other posters or not (and I cannot think of one single major poster who I haven't disagreed with at least a few times and I'm including myself in that last of people I have disagreed with what they have posted!) yet most have points to make and make it well.

The board is in a bit of a trough now because it is summer but to answer the oringial question...no, the quality of the board is not declining. Just wait till we actually have good things to talk about and you will see. Oh..and that's a promise.

Edited July 6, 2004 by FourLaneBlue

[Blueboy Downunder]

In my opinion, the only problem is sometimes people just take this place too seriously. Not every post that every member makes has to be deep and full of meaning. You dont always have to be making a well constructed point. Of course, these things are important and the vast majority of the members can and do. But having a laugh is just as important.

Some of the members seem to view the forum as a public discussion area only, and regard anything not on topic as useless and expendable. Others seem to regard the messageboard as an extension of the pub - sometimes you get into a good debate with your mates and enjoy arguing your points through. And sometimes you just have a laugh. I think that the people who think of the messageboard as such are probably the ones that get the most enjoyment out of it.

But I guess it's all down to personal preference

tend to agree mate. as well as a discussion board we do have some good laughs on this mb. for what it is worth i do think that the quality of the board has gone downhill...in recent times, but....it is the same old adage..."if you don't like the content on this mb, then plain and simply..don't view or post". cause what is just as annoying as people who post crap, is those who whinge and complain about it because as i just said "people don't have to read it".

[thenodrog]

To put it in perspective . There are over 2500 members on this board and one or two may post crap. Thats only to be expected.

All in all I dont think its at all bad considering.

Mboard is fine but that figure of 2500 is somewhat misleading. Many of those 2500 dont ever post and only about 360 have posted over100 times.

[Nuclearsox]

Well thanks for that Shaddy - actually it's been playing on my mind. Just like Tony Hancock, I'm turning into a manic depressive. Actually I PM'd 'Sox earlier today. He recently suffered a nervous breakdown and hasn't been near a keyboard in weeks. Something to do with "the pressure" (not sure what he was on about to be honest). That and the fact his desk has been moved next to his boss and all his PC output is now shown on a 12 foot projector, as well as his own 14" monitor, means he hasn't been posting as much as he used to.

It was fine until Abbey posted that provocative picture of Jessica Simpson and asked for captions. You know what it's like when you open a thread and see an image that you probably shouldn't be looking at at work and it's projected onto a 12 foot screen in front of your boss? You panic.

I hit the wrong button and zoomed in on her cleavage and in an attempt to correct the error hit "Print Screen"; Then "enlarge"; Then "laminate". I don't think anyone noticed but as I tried to CTRL+ALT+DELETE to turn the PC off I accidentally hit CTRL+ALT and then jammed my little finger between the PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN keys. The whole 12 foot cleavage area started to wobble up and down and the next thing I knew I woke up in here with my arms strapped across my chest.

Anyway, what that's got to do with messageboard standards, I don't know.

[Tom Pringle]

Thats fantastic sox

Made me laugh on a miserable morning

[adopted scouser]

although we still have our share of wind-up merchants. Not enough to keep Adopted Scouser happy though, he likes a good barney, just so long as he's a spectator!

Just spotted this - cheeky monkey !

I don't post as much as I used to, don't have the time these days. Just sweating in an office in Torquay at the moment, thought I'd have a quick look on here. A Barney can be quite refreshing at times.

Bry, do I assume that to participate as a spectator you merely stay on the fence, chucking in the odd low ball to keep the row fired up ? If that's the case then count me in - tremendous fun !

Where's Rosie these days ?

Edited July 6, 2004 by adopted scouser

[Paul]

To put it in perspective . There are over 2500 members on this board and one or two may post crap. Thats only to be expected.

All in all I dont think its at all bad considering.

Mboard is fine but that figure of 2500 is somewhat misleading. Many of those 2500 dont ever post and only about 360 have posted over100 times.

That's a point raised from time to time, and clearly it's correct. What I find interesting is the very large numbers who register, rarely post but do visit very regularly.

[FourLaneBlue]

I'd suggest that quite a few people would be a little bit intimdated at posting. It may seem daft but some people may actually nervous about putting their thoughts online, especially those who haven't been messing about on computers all their life. There's a little bit too much of a bent towards either young or middle age posters. This isn't the fault of this message board but the internet as a whole. It'd be intersting to have a few more contributors old enough to remember when we in the top flight in the fifties and sixties without wall-to-wall Sky TV coverage. I'd say this site has a better mix than any other football message board I'd seen. Still...it'd be good to hear more from the more mature Rovers fan. It'd also hopefully put a stop to the 'Rovers All Time XI' threads in which not one player goes back further than the last decade or so.

There is a slight cliquey element to the board as well. Sometimes the new posters tend to have it little too tough. I'm no doubt as guilty as others in sometimes having little patience but it's interesting to hear from tcj_jones that he found it a little difficult at first but stuck at it and improved to become a regular contributor to the board. While I don't care if idiots get put off and leave I'd be disappinted if some posters who original and worthwhile things to say are put off the board by the initial reaction they receive. I'm not too sure how that can be changed though in the future or if it should. There are some posters who no longer contribute who were of benefit to the board and I'd hope they just felt they had other things to do rather than actually being put off the place.

[Billy Castell]

There is a slight cliquey element to the board as well. Sometimes the new posters tend to have it little too tough. I'm no doubt as guilty as others in sometimes having little patience but it's interesting to hear from tcj_jones that he found it a little difficult at first but stuck at it and improved to become a regular contributor to the board. While I don't care if idiots get put off and leave I'd be disappinted if some posters who original and worthwhile things to say are put off the board by the initial reaction they receive. I'm not too sure how that can be changed though in the future or if it should. There are some posters who no longer contribute who were of benefit to the board and I'd hope they just felt they had other things to do rather than actually being put off the place.

I agree with these points. People here can be a bit hard on newcomers, and regular people here have groups which sometimes bitch at each other. If fall out with a senior member, especially if they're a mod, a fair number pile in as well. New and potentially decent members may be put off when these situations happen. You all probably don't like this statement, but it can be true.

However, there are some like Lofty and Mr. Respectable, who add nothing positive to this board in my opinion.