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.

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.

Exactly, if the board wasn't up to scratch the audience wouldn't keep coming back.

[thenodrog]

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.

John Howarth's good for all that ....as long as you dont need any information from incidents in extra time.

or Jim Mk2 might remember something from that era..... but nobody would believe him knowing how journalistic licence always distorts the truth.

[Korean John]

What I find interesting is the very large numbers who register, rarely post but do visit very regularly.

I guess that I would fall in that category.

I visit here often; one reason is that I enjoy reading most posts but the main reason is that living in Seoul, I am out of the 'loop' somewhat.

I get very little football talk in Korea, many people know of the Rovers, but I am unable to have any Rovers conversations-for obvious reasons, although I have got to the point when people tell me they saw the Rovers goals on the news.

I can read the bbc and newspaper reports, listen to the game, occasionally talk to my Dad and brothers who are all season-ticket holders ,but I feel that this excellent board gives me access to (an admittedly erratic) pulse of all things blue 'n' white. And, this is the best place to find out the latest news.

If I feel I can give an informed opinion and am inclined to do so, then I will. However, I get to see very few games (TV coverage is very limited) so I can't comment on Amoruso's defending or Cole's attitude.

I think, for me, the above mention of this place being like a pub is a good call. Here, I can find out what Rovers supporters really think.

If I lived back in Blackburn, I'm sure I would use the board differently but I am sure I would still use it.

[percy]

What I find interesting is the very large numbers who register, rarely post but do visit very regularly.

For me this site was best way to keep up to date with all Rovers-related news, so I visited just about every day where possible (even if it was just to find out there's no news about a new kit!), because other sites just aren't as good. Over the last couple of years, I've found it's become more than just a good source of news, it's also become a great place to post and chat to others.

Although I'd only registered in '03, I had visited the site regularly for a good 2-3 years before that before plucking up the courage to register and start posting.

There are alot of posters on this messageboard who make visiting the site and reading the topics well worthwhile and it's been a great way for me to meet others at games for a beer and a chat.

To get back to philipl's original point - I think the quality of the posts may have suffered recently but only because of the lack of things Rovers-related to get us talking. It's not the quality of the members and their posts that has deteriorated, it's just that there's not as much for people to talk/post about when it's the middle of summer and Rovers are fairly quiet on the transfer front.

Roll on August !

Edited July 6, 2004 by percy

[S15]

Pringle is the main problem.

I also agree some people take it too seriously.

At the end of the day... 75% of what is posted on here is opinions (They can be questioned, but never really proved one way or another)..

10% fictionous stories/rumours...

10% true stories..

5% T4E and Pringles 'Tales from the bedroom.'

Thats the way I like it, and the truth is 99.9% of most messageboards are Sh*te,... We're just lucky only 99.8% of ours is.

[roversWASmylife]

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.

If there’s something or anything that I don’t like what people do to other members on the message board is criticise them. There are incidents where someone will make an absolute idiotic comment and there asking for it.

I am a younger member of this board and do enjoy the laughs and jokes everyone shares however sometimes it does tend to drift off the topic for a number of pages.

However some of the time there are some members on here will say, that’s rubbish or something along the lines of that. In my opinion if I’ve taken some thought into what I’ve posted, I expect and appreciate that not everyone on here will have the same opinions as I have, otherwise we would be all boring people.

But, if someone doesn’t agree with my post then I would like to think that they would give some sensible points and constructive ones to argue my point of view, and I would do the same.

[T4E]

5% T4E and Pringles 'Tales from the bedroom.'

Homo-eroticism - its the future, I've tasted it.

[BMan]

The Messageboard is fine. It's come along way since last summer in my opinion.

All credit to the mods and admins who run this place.

Edited July 7, 2004 by BMan

[Cheshireblue]

Things were much better in my day. I preferred it when computers were really expensive, that way under-educated grubby oiks couldn't get on here and spout off their ill-informed views to those of that know what we are talking about.

Apart from that serious point, I think the board is fine. There are a few too many pinko tree huggers but that just makes for a healthy mixture of people and views (even though said badger molesters are wrong).

I agree that we are often very harsh on new members and stupid members. I for one am very guilty of this, but I make no apology for it. I think it is one of the ways that standards are maintained on the board - it's almost self regulating. And lets be honest, it doesn't stop Hughesy coming on here does it?

Members come and members go. Some of the old guard hardly ever seem to post on here now (Tashor, GAV, Ewood Pork, that chap who had foghorn leghorn as his avatar and used to update us on John Curtis' pie apprenticeship in Leavers pie shop that his gran visited three times a week) but we have new people that replace them. Sox and Fleming are as unhinged as any of the older eccentrics so the board will carry on.

The number of members shows that we are doing something right, and if you look at the number of hits that the board gets when there is a breaking news story, then it is clearly also a valuable source of information.

It's just a shame there are so many Australians on here.

Edited July 7, 2004 by Cheshireblue

[speeeeeeedie]

As a newcomer to messageboards, and Rovers fan sites, this place has been a breath of fresh air. I'm yet another ex-pat living in the States. I only make it home for a few weeks a year and get to see only one or two games at Ewood. I get plenty of premier league coverage over here, I'm sure that others living in America will agree with me in saying that Fox Sports World has been a godsend as I get highlight shows, and at least 4 games a week. But what you don't get living abroad is "the man on the street talk". I laugh whenever someone posts with inside info from - their neighbour's brother who works with the chairman's cleaner's sister - stories of who were signing next as it doesn't happen here, neither does the general humour of the site, it reminds me of home.

The messageboard may have quality issues, I'm not experienced enough to know. Yet, with any site dedicated to opinions you will get some different ones, good and bad. That is the beauty of football, the ability to completely disagree but like the same thing. Some posts are downright ridiculous, but it helps me decipher what type of fan I'm reading:

Is it the fervent idiot who sleeps in Rovers pyjamas?

The away fan nut who's been to every ground in Britain?

The ex-pat?

The uninformed, but keen, foreigner?

Disgruntled ex-Nuttall Street old-timer?

Part time clown?

Mr. singing is more important than winning?

Women!

Overall I like it the way it is. The regulars do have their own jokes, but these folks actually see each other and have more in common. Please keep it going, I like it.

[American]

I have noticed the amount of cussing on the board rising, including from Mods and Admins (hate to name names, but look at a post by an admin in the Ronaldo to Spurs thread, and look at the subtitle of said thread).

[Dr Rich]

I've edited the topic title American, it was inappropriate, I presume since it was a recent thread no one else noticed until now.

[Finch]

Women!

Good idea, lump us all into one category speeeedie. We're not individuals

(was that too inflammatory? )

[colin]

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

I think he was by far the funniest contributer for ages

Where's Rosie these days ?

Motherhood has probably kicked in. I look forward to her return. If you are reading this Rosie, GYAIG.

That aside, I must say that this messageboard is the one that I visit more often than any other, not only for the news and rumours of BRFC but for advice on computers, music videos that I need identifying, jokes, guidance on literature, weird web sites........the list goes on.....safety cameras....smacking.....islam......dingles......red scum.....best places to meet before away matches......car share....helping foreign Rovers' fans.......Hillsborough......Leavers' pies... ..Jack Straw.....leaving early at the Riverside...the best chippy in Great Harwood..... The Smiths.....the list goes on.

[super_neill]

I think it's really just because we are in pre-season and football topics either to do with Rovers or other football clubs are rare. When we get into the season i think the quality will pick up and we will start seeing more consructive posts.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

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.

I'll think you will find that wherever you will go, you will always have people slagging off the team whether its the official boards or non-official ones. At the end of the day, we are all Rovers fans and have the right to have our own opinions on the club whether we choose to 'slag' them off or just praise them non-stop. If we all shared the same opinions then the messageboards would be dull places to hang around and communicate in!

In the last 4-5 years, I felt the official boards have been pretty good in terms of having a community of Rovers fans from around the country as there have been many friends made and lots of meet ups/charity events etc and sometimes it gets undeserved abuse towards it because rival clubs came on the rovers board and caused arguments, which was why the boards were shut down towards the end of last season.

Now that the new official site has a brand new messageboard, hopefully the community will once again build up and the messageboard will be more controlled by the admin + moderators due to the improvements made in terms of the features Mods now have, as before all they could really do was delete posts rather than merging, editing, create polls etc.

I feel that this messageboard is excellent in how it is run and maybe the only reasons why some topics are becoming 'boring' is because it is approaching the new season and there isnt much Rovers news about at the moment and not much is really happening due to people being on holiday or just taking a break and enjoying the good weather we've had lately (apart from the brief storm we had! ).

One thing I felt could have been improved was the welcoming of new members to the site. When I first joined I wrote a lot of posts as there were a lot of topics which I took an interest in but got told off for writing too many posts, which is understandable when people write short one line answers, but when people write good quality answers and get abuse for it, I felt it was uncalled for and quite childish.

As soon as the season starts up again and people are meeting each other before games, im sure we will all look back at this thread and think "god! we must have been bored without football!!"

[tcj_jones]

Perhaps Admin should PM new members with an individual message to add a personal touch? Maybe just to reiterate that people have to read the posting guidelines as many most likely cannot be bothered, think that they know it all anyway, forget or are so keen to post that they forget to read the guidelines.

[Dr Rich]

We do tend to get quite a number of new members, that 2,500 or whatever the latest figure is, is actually massively pruned down from the total number of members and certainly applications, the majority of whom then don't tend to post, making pming them about posting a bit pointless. The Admin all have jobs, they don't spend all day sitting around twiddling their thumbs and playing with the messageboard.

If people don't read the guidelines, the repercussions of that laziness are their own fault, besides it's not as if the guidelines are radical departures from common courtesy, people who are going to be breaking the guidelines regularly aren't in general going to be good for the site anyway.

[Paul]

Perhaps Admin should PM new members with an individual message to add a personal touch?

That's a good idea, I'll try to put it in place.

[Modi]

The Admin all have jobs, they don't spend all day sitting around twiddling their thumbs and playing with the messageboard.

Are you sure?

[tcj_jones]

The Admin all have jobs, they don't spend all day sitting around twiddling their thumbs and playing with the messageboard.

If people don't read the guidelines, the repercussions of that laziness are their own fault, besides it's not as if the guidelines are radical departures from common courtesy, people who are going to be breaking the guidelines regularly aren't in general going to be good for the site anyway.

To be fair there Dr Rich, it is mainly the admin and mod's that feel the strongest about this and who it affects the most. Surely a few minutes here and there would be better then weeks of editing, merging and reminding? It wouldn't have to be a single admin member, just whoever was on the messageboard at the time somebody signed up. How long would a PM take? 3 minutes? If these people never post, then atleast they will feel welcomed to the board and know what to expect.

Edited July 11, 2004 by tcj_jones

[Dr Rich]

Why would you presume that one pm will automatically make these people abide by the guidelines, it won't, one warning doesn't, not even for the guideline they've broken. Anyway, since admin approve new members they can do it if they want. You seem to be presuming that we are under an obligation to allow everyone who signs up to post, which unlike the official site, we are not, you're all big boys here, time to start taking some responsibility for yourselves, I'm certainly not being anyones mum.

[American]

I think its more about making them feel welcome than shoving a bunch of rules down their throats.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

I think its more about making them feel welcome than shoving a bunch of rules down their throats.

Yeah i agree.

At the end of the day, the rules are quite easy to find and read and to be honest it doesnt really matter if you PM the rules or not because if they really want to be a good member of this MB then they will quite happily read the guidlines so they know what can and cant be posted.

If people get a nice welcome then they will feel more part of the community and might not see this place as just a normal MB where you can just post whatever, but actually feel like you are contributing towards certain discussions and being a part of the group.

[Dr Rich]

Well if thats all you want anyone can pm new members to welcome them to the board, including yourselves.