The Pink Un message board - end of an era?

[hogesar 9,618]

[quote user="Sports Desk Pete"][quote user="Wings of a Sparrow"]Yes Pete.  Please take note of Hogesar''s comments![/quote]Been meaning to lump the non-football back into one for a while. Will have a look this afternoon...[/quote]Legend [:d]

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

[quote user="......and Smith must score."][quote user="Gingerpele"] .......it isn''t just this forum. Its people in general, especially online. Its very easy to insult someone you don''t know online, because there are no consequences. [/quote]

Not quite true GP.

One high profile poster who no longer posts ended up in a spot of bother one Saturday in Norwich because of something he''d written on here. I also read somewhere that there''d been a big falling out between a couple of people on a non-football related forum over religion.One tracked the other down to his home address and ended up in court on a GBH charge.

Perhaps Pete can send us all a baseball bat in case anyone upsets us ?

[/quote]

 

I''d certainly concur with that, Smithy. I used to be a regular contributor to one of the British expat forums here in S France. Then it got hijacked by people who''d initially infiltrated it as trolls. Perfectly nice people with reasonable viewpoints were belittled and ridiculed. Then the cyber bullying kicked in. The really shameful thing about it was that the admin and mods did nothing about it. Several of us suggested that these people (who all operated under a wide range of pseudonyms) should be called to account and, after one particularly threatening and abusive thread, banned. But nothing became of it. The final straw for me was the beginning of the sort of personal attack you cite in your posting. They got hold of my private Email, and even my home address +phone number . So I decided that enough was enough.

 

As a relative newcomer to this forum, maybe I''m being naive, and of course I do not live in Norfolk any more. But I really do not see the sort of stuff going on that the OP complains of. In fact, bearing in mind that it''s based on a tribal thing like football, it''s all pretty good natured. Sure, there are the wind-up merchants, and people who post stuff just to elicit a response . My experience is that visits/postings go up when there is negative stuff to moan about or a right old ding-dong going on. I guess that whoever posted saying that there hasn''t been much to gripe about re NCFC just lately has just about got it right, so it''s perhaps why some of the professional moaners from past years do not feel it''s worth posting any more. Just a thought....

[Syteanric 1]

I like this forum and always have.I have been posting on here for a long time now and there are many good posters who have departed, some who have come along and contribute well.Then there are those who for some reason constantly have "the Ump!" the kind of people who moan about going 1p over at the petrol station then having to pay for it. They complain, whinge, and if anyone dare question them they shout louder and say a naughty word.the thing i find funny is that these people wont say it to your face at Carrow Road, or in the street.the best thing to do is to rise above it! I have learnt over my time to scan-read the posts and pick out the ones i want to reply too, hence i often use the quote function. Some people will take things to heart, possibly rightly so with some of whats said. you all need to remember that this forum is a bit of a fun.. no ones going to get hurt, and no ones going to die if you disagree with anyones opinion. Also, try and mix your post ups a bit.. someone on here (cant remember who!) said to take some of my posts as very tongue in cheek... a lot of what i say has a hint of irony and i do it on purpose.. one thing though, EVERYBODY has something to bring this board.. a few of them should bring silence, but they all have something to bring...keep it going and keep this message board great!It needs more moderation, newer software, and a few posters to have an irony/humour detector implanted and we will be off and running!

[Ruddygore 0]

I quite enjoy most of the back and forth, I find some people a bit brittle and I give their posts less weight after a while, some become quite boring and I begin to ignore but in general people could look at lightening up a bit and take it all with a pinch of salt.

Nothings forever, if you find something better, more entertaining you move on, vote with your feet, market forces etc. On the other hand you can determine that if something is worth keeping then you improve things but the forum isn''t real-life is it? It''s an escape tunnel for all of us and treat it like that.

[Canarino 0]

Someone said near the start of this thread that posters on this board can be cruel. I have to disagree - I have been on boards which were really nasty and unpleasant, and this isn''t like that at all. There will always be banter.

[Shack Attack 0]

[quote user="norfolkchance1"]Also as an observation I wonder if it is time to have all the football on one thread. Both Norwich City related and non Norwich (maybe colour coordinate the font in the subject line to donate which if necessary). [/quote]

 

^ This

 

There are only so many things you can talk about related to NCFC. It would be nice to chat about wider footballing issues without being relegated to the naughty step that is ''Other Football''.

[Pete Raven 276]

[quote user="hogesar"][quote user="Sports Desk Pete"][quote user="Wings of a Sparrow"]Yes Pete.  Please take note of Hogesar''s comments![/quote]Been meaning to lump the non-football back into one for a while. Will have a look this afternoon...[/quote]Legend [:d][/quote]Fill your boots...http://services.pinkun.com/forums/pinkun/cs/forums/2500/ShowForum.aspx

[AJ 1,218]

Thanks Pete, lets just hope it gets used appropriately this time

[BlyBlyBabes 0]

Even with the clanking old steam engine technology behind this forum there must be plenty of relevant statistics that can be generated by the operators hereof to prove or disprove much of the thesis of the OT.

 

So how about it Pete? A usage analysis over 5/10 years by season/summer break/league and position/manager etc looking at posts/day, average length of posts. # active posters, inactive posters, views by ''lurkers'', # posts pulled, # posters banned etc etc

 

No time? I''m sure there''s a few young computers whizes on here who would just love to help for free.

 

I know we''ll get the usual folks claiming that ''stats can be manipulated to prove anything you want'' but the majority of us can just ignore them whilst we get on with it!!

 

How about it Pete & Co?

 

OTBC

 

  

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]I''m sure there''s a few young computers whizes on here who would just love to help for free[/quote]Good idea Bly! Why don''t YOU do it? Then you can start a new thread using your own ''stats instead of other peoples. [:D]

[BW 0]

I hate you all apart from Jas ...there i said it now let''s wipe the slate clean and get this board good again. I apologise for any hurtful irritating nasty stupid posts that may have made your day crap when logging onto the Pinkun but now we have broken the ice and we are all constructively trying to get over our differences let''s have a new start with a new attitude.

Mowgli

[Pete Raven 276]

We switched our stats provider in 2007 so could only analyse the last five years Bly. Various page changes to the forum doesn''t help either, plus there''s the mobile version, but if I get the time I''ll look at it.Visitor numbers have increased every year though (including this year).

[First Wizard 0]

[quote user="Sports Desk Pete"]We switched our stats provider in 2007 so could only analyse the last five years Bly. Various page changes to the forum doesn''t help either, plus there''s the mobile version, but if I get the time I''ll look at it.

Visitor numbers have increased every year though (including this year).
[/quote]

 

And still you confuse quanity over quality! [:S]

[BW 0]

Wiz talking about quality how ironic

[First Wizard 0]

[quote user="Mowgli and Bear"]Wiz talking about quality how ironic[/quote]

 

Ah, a know all who knows nothing...take a bow son, your reply is exactly what posters are complaining about.

[BlyBlyBabes 0]

[quote user="First Wizard"]

[quote user="Sports Desk Pete"]We switched our stats provider in 2007 so could only analyse the last five years Bly. Various page changes to the forum doesn''t help either, plus there''s the mobile version, but if I get the time I''ll look at it.

Visitor numbers have increased every year though (including this year).
[/quote]

 

And still you confuse quanity over quality! [:S]

[/quote]

 

Knee jerk Wiz. Knee jerk.

 

Pete didn''t mention quality.

 

He provided a basic piece of quantitative information which on the face of it pours a bucketful of cold water over the main thesis in the OT.

 

Uncomfortable for some perhaps..........

 

(I wonder when somebody will up and suggest that Pete & Co ''manipulated the stat provided in order to prove what they want it to prove''?..........Get ready)

 

OTBC

[BW 0]

At heart i am a better Wizard

[lake district canary 0]

Since I started posting on this board I have seen the number of abusive posts decrease.   Apart from my first few posts where I was ''set upon'' as a newcomer, I have had the odd ridiculed comment, but in general posters have been fair. On the other hand, I feel some people are too sensitive too being disagreed with.   If you feel strongly about something then you comment on it but then get shouted down simply for disagreeing.  Genuine argument means explaining your points and opinions. That way people can learn about each other more - and try to understand where the other person is coming from. The fact that it is on the whole anonymous, means you are more able to put your points clearly than if you were in a face to face discussion.This is liberating and allows you to say what you really mean. Unfortunately, for some people, it means they can  revert to type and simply be abusive.  The beauty of a football club is that it appeals right across the community - all types of people. Where a board like this is unique is that it provides a forum where these differing tyupes of people can express their views on equal terms.   I don''t mind the odd  ''colourful'' character or even the odd loud poster.   After all it gives the rest of us the chance to redress the balance. I really enjoy the discussions on here and hope that people carry on posting.  Say your piece but don''t be surprised if people disagree with you.  It takes all sorts to make a world - lets enjoy everyone who comes on here and not be too sensitive about the odd idiot.  We are at the end of the day all supporting the same club (apart from the odd outsider) so should essentially be singing from the same hymn sheet.  Live and let live - unless it is just abuse, then that is up to the moderator to sort.

 

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

In the final analysis, the way to get the best of forums like this is to have the sense, experience and broadmindedness to recognise the difference between genuinely held opinions and points, and on the other hand ,postings that are purely put on as wind-ups, to offend or get a reaction.  Someone referred to "knee jerk reactions" earlier. Often these are what spoil forums.........usually a posting made in haste will be badly worded, and therefore more likely to cause offence . We''ve all been guilty of them from time to time, but as a general rule, if you just think a little before hammering into the keyboard, the quality of the posting will be so much better.

 

Sorry if this sounds "schoolmasterly". It''s not meant to be. We all make mistakes, but, as LDC says above , it''s often easy to lose sight of the fact that we (the vast majority)   all support the same club, and in the end want what''s best for Norwich City FC . As I say, if there are some folk who come on here purely to cause trouble, then the best thing we can do is ignore them . If they go away then that''s no great loss, and my experience on other forums is, that if you cut out the few bad apples then it may adversely affect your "stats" for a short while, but, in the end the good people will all return to the fold.

[BW 0]

and that was brought to you by Eric Pickles the forum expert

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

It''s true that I have had some experience of setting up and running a couple of forums ,Mowgli, but I certainly would not describe myself as an "expert" by any means.

[PurpleCanary 5,554]

[quote user="cityangel"]

I agree with the opening poster that the forum isn''t what it used to be, they may be loads of people reading it but there certainly aren''t loads posting on it. Think I posted something at 10am yesterday and it was only about 7 threads down mid afternoon and yet a year ago it would have been at the bottom of the page.

I think that the main reason is that the same people constantly argue and bait each other which turns a decent discussion into a 10 page bickering campaign to see who can have the last word.

Other than that there''s too many threads started which have nothing to do with ncfc which dont interest people who come on here to talk ncfc.

Thanks God (or Nutty) that we still have the free bet thread to keep people coming on here, otherwise it would be even quieter.

Shame really because after being a member for 7 years I''m sad to see how its gone downhill these past 2 seasons, you would have thought with things being so good on the pitch that people would be happy and play nicely but guess thats too much to ask for some of the adults on here.

Not sure what the answer is but come on everyone, if we don''t use it and sensibly, we might lose it and that would really be sad.

[/quote]

 

There has been a decline, and that is certainly one of the problems. There are a few posters who will try to turn any thread, no matter what the subject, into a rehashing of old arguments (actually, more slanging matches than proper arguments). These same posters also seem never to have left the playground because they indeed insist on the last word, when often the best way to show you''ve won an argument is by being happy not to have the last word.

 

Having said that I''m not sure the level of abuse is any greater. A few days ago nutty resurrected an August 2009 thread prompted by a pro-Delia post. There was plenty of red meat hostility there towards to the OP.

 

And this board is nowhere near the state of the official board, which really did become poisonous, and where the intention of some posters was actually to drive away posters with opinions they didn''t like. And, having succeeded, congratulated themselves.

[hogesar 9,618]

[quote user="First Wizard"]

[quote user="Sports Desk Pete"]We switched our stats provider in 2007 so could only analyse the last five years Bly. Various page changes to the forum doesn''t help either, plus there''s the mobile version, but if I get the time I''ll look at it.Visitor numbers have increased every year though (including this year).[/quote]

 

And still you confuse quanity over quality! [:S]

[/quote]As per usual you''re the confused one Wiz. Pete has simply stated that views have increased year upon year upon year. That, i believe. If this turns into more forum activity or not, that''s debatable.And no offence but with some of your recent threads, shall we not discuss quality? Morison leaving because he celebrated or whatever it was.I think too many people are quick to criticise the forums `software` (as it was so brilliant but inaccurately classed). In my opinion it does what it needs to do at the moment. There''s certainly room for improvement but Archant are afterall a business who need to concentrate on the stuff that generates income.Quick reply and edit buttons would be lovely, but let''s not pretend its a disaster. On the plus side, an edit button would be fantastic for Wiz''s posts, starting with:"Delia out! I hate her" changing to"I don''t want to admit it but i love Delia!" changing to"We''ll never be good with delia!" changing to"I only care about her wellbeing, shes getting old!".At least it would use less posts, i presume.

[Trent Canary 0]

While I respect everyones viewpoint, to me we have this exact same discussion every year where people say the place has gone downhill. Someone earlier in the thread said that three years ago the place was far mor friendly, my memory of three years ago is vicious pro/anti delia arguements going back and forth repeatedly, and if we go back a year or two before that we had the Worthy Out/Keep the Faith rows which went way beyond any semblance of decency and good debate.

If anything I think the place is better now as everyone has far less to whinge about, but then I very rarely post other than on the Free Bet thread so perhaps I just dont notice it [:)]

[Hog 0]

oink

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="Robert N. LiM"]To be honest, things really started going downhill when Mr Chops had his baby. He''s been grumpy and unfunny ever since.[/quote]Actually, it was the heart attack.  But thanks for letting me know.

[Nuff Said 5,089]

I''m bemused at the original premise - in the heyday of Cluck, Smudger and Arthur there was a lot of nasty stuff flying about and today seems tame by comparison to me. All offered in the spirit of open debate of course.

[hogesar 9,618]

Yeah but at least Cluck, Smudger and Arthur (to an extent) had a personality to go with their torrade of abuse.Cluck was never really abusive, he had a thing for sheep but besides that was relatively calm.Smudger got wound up easily sometimes but some of his posts were spot on!Arthur...well you gotta love Arthur haven''t you.

[Twitchy 0]

Bring back Shyster I say, that will sort that crowd out.

[lake district canary 0]

What about a card system?Yellow for first offence or minor misdemeanour,Red for second offence or straight red for swearing or abuse.Yellow = warning,   red = banishment from the board for three weeks.5 yellows =  a suspension from the board for 1 week3 reds = banned from board for rest of season.Cards could appear at the side under the name of the poster.