I have a theory

[Marc]

I'm not sure the "thoughts of the day" threads are good anymore. They're popular, sure, but they seem to be absorbing too many topics and I think they are stiffling discussion and activity.

I think a worthwhile topic has a better chance to succeed as its own thread and get more responses than if it is stuffed in the huge TOTD thread. A story might get a few responses in the TOTD thread, but it might get more if on its own. I have no issues with some types of ongoing threads, like the 20,000 posts one and offseason/free agent ones, but a huge one for all things in one league starts to show downsides. I realize some threads will still do nothing on their own and this is the opposite side of the argument, but the benefits outweight the downsides.

Another problem is it's a judgement call on whether to post in the TOTD thread or create a new one. Because of ease, most things are getting stuffed in the TOTD threads, even stories worthy of their own thread.

The result is a lot of the boards are ending up like a chatroom with one big thread going on and fewer other things. This is not how they are designed to be; they are designed to have numerous topics after differing topics. I was looking at the NFL board and a lot of big storylines are not there. Instead, I'm sure they were buried in the TOTD thread.

So I'm asking you, citizens of the SCMB, to give me your opinion. Better to do away with the TOTD threads (game threads excluded)? I am also doing away with the Games and Trivia Center forum as it only has one or two threads active and was created when we had trivia and other things going on. It's no big deal; all the threads will be moved to the Lounge.

[Ellis]

I'm not sure the "thoughts of the day" threads are good anymore. They're popular, sure, but they seem to be absorbing too many topics and I think they are stiffling discussion and activity.

I think a worthwhile topic has a better chance to succeed as its own thread and get more responses than if it is stuffed in the huge TOTD thread. A story might get a few responses in the TOTD thread, but it might get more if on its own. I have no issues with some types of ongoing threads, like the 20,000 posts one and offseason/free agent ones, but a huge one for all things in one league starts to show downsides. I realize some threads will still do nothing on their own and this is the opposite side of the argument, but the benefits outweight the downsides.

Another problem is it's a judgement call on whether to post in the TOTD thread or create a new one. Because of ease, most things are getting stuffed in the TOTD threads, even stories worthy of their own thread.

The result is a lot of the boards are ending up like a chatroom with one big thread going on and fewer other things. This is not how they are designed to be; they are designed to have numerous topics after differing topics. I was looking at the NFL board and a lot of big storylines are not there. Instead, I'm sure they were buried in the TOTD thread.

So I'm asking you, citizens of the SCMB, to give me your opinion. Better to do away with the TOTD threads (game threads excluded)? I am also doing away with the Games and Trivia Center forum as it only has one or two threads active and was created when we had trivia and other things going on. It's no big deal; all the threads will be moved to the Lounge.

I completely agree and I have actually thought the same thing for a while now, but never brought it up. ( I would have brought it up, but I am no longer going to whine about this site :D)

It really absorbs all of the topics of discussion and doesn't give that topic the chance to expand, like a thread about that topic would. I think that those threads (TOTD) are the reason that there is so little activity and chains of discussion in the sports boards.

Just look at the lounge. The lounge doesn't have any TOTD threads and the lounge has been great , with alot of good discussions. The discussion on the rest of the boards seems to be dieing and don't have the same type debate and variety that the lounge has.

Now about the G&T Center... I am not going to complain, but I will admit that I loved having a board that the regular crew could just kind of chat on, behind the scenes. Now, we are exposed by being in the lounge :D That is ok, but I enjoyed the Games and Trivia center while it lasted.

[Marc]

Glad we agree, and let's hear some other opinions. I am going to close the TOTD threads for now and we'll give it a shot the "old-fashioned" way. :D

[Tarkus]

To me, TOTD threads were just a bandaid to the real issue of a decline of threads being started. Realistically, you can count on 1 hand the members that go out of their way to start threads, complete with article, link, & an opinion.

The TOTD threads made it easier for most to throw out a blurb about a subject & a quick link. Almost like the old point of how some would look endlessly for a lost TV remote so they wouldn't have to get up to change the channel. So like the TV remote has helped make lazy viewers, the TOTD have helped make lazy posters. Summed up, I agree that the TOTD threads have outlived their usefulness, if they really had any true usefulness to begin with.

So if the TOTD are eliminated, it'll also bring the lack of new threads to the forefront once again. I've cut back on starting some threads cuz it's a waste of time to make them so no one shows up. I'd like to think it's just cuz I've made so many "friends" that keeps some posters away but I'm also sure it's a good deal of laziness with a lot of members who just don't get involved much anymore or never were involved in that capacity to begin with.

I can imagine that some are busy but I've been on enough to see that there's a multitude of members who spend a good amount of time on these boards that should have no reason to not "give back" to a site they like to frequent by putting forth the effort to start some threads from time to time to help keep the community active.

[Ellis]

Very interesting take. I hate to get back in this thread, since I already said what I think, but I want to comment on this.

To kind of branch off of tarkus' post, we really have a new bread of Sports Centralers on here. The moderating core has pretty much been completely changed over the last year or two. Just like the moderating has changed, so has the core of members. Really we have a new core of veterans who tend to stick together and are just about always starting new threads or adding detailed posts to threads.

Then you have the moderate users. They have somewhere between 500-2000 posts and have been a member of an average of 1 year. They tend to post quick little replies and usually don't follow up on posts and don't too involved in their posts. Really, the TOTD threads are more suited for them to kind of jump in out of topics without getting deeply involved in it.

Although I think that the TOTD threads suit the moderate members better, the fact of the matter is that these threads don't encourage thoughtful posts and don't encourage people to get involved in a topic. If we take those threads (TOTD) out, it is either going to be hit or miss.Either regular threads will pick up and people will get involved in the threads or the boards may turn into a ghost town because members don't want to get involved in a thread or start a narrow little topic, where really they are committed to coming back and backing up their opinion and replying to responses. Either way, taking those threads (TOTD) down is in the best interest of SC because the regular thread system really creates more responses and better posts.

These are all just generalizations, but that's how I see the boards right now. We have a small group of veterans, moderators, and moderate posters. Each group tends to stick together.

Right now, the moderate posters are really used to the TOTD threads and may not adapt to just a regular posting system.

We really have really lost the old core to the site with Brandon, Lee, Nate, Heathen, and Shawn out of here. Right now, we are seeing a new core/veterans rising up and on the other hand we are seeing a new type of moderate poster than we are used to.

Maybe I put way too much thought into this and over-analyzed it, but those are my thoughts of the direction of this site. I don't think it is better or worse than it was, it is just changing. Taking the TOTD posts down are heading us in a better direction when it comes to quality posts and discussion.

[Marc]

Wait a sec. Nate and Simon (Heathen) are still here. I try to nag them to post more, but they are both busy and there is only so much I can do. Nate still participates in the pick'ems and I talk to Simon regularly. So that is inaccurate. Shawn had a falling out with Tarkus and I unfortunately was put in the middle and it ended up Shawn leaving, though I never wanted that. Lee hasn't been a regular in almost two years, and we have almost the same moderating staff for years: Anthony, Luther (catman), Kevin, etc. Members come and go, things happen, but in the end, the SCMB is still here and marching on. Let's focus not on our little internal issues and instead focus on making the community inviting to outsiders, who I realize have no idea about who the people mentioned in this thread are.

[Ellis]

Wait a sec. Nate and Simon (Heathen) are still here. I try to nag them to post more, but they are both busy and there is only so much I can do. Nate still participates in the pick'ems and I talk to Simon regularly. So that is inaccurate. Shawn had a falling out with Tarkus and I unfortunately was put in the middle and it ended up Shawn leaving, though I never wanted that. Lee hasn't been a regular in almost two years, and we have almost the same moderating staff for years: Anthony, Luther (catman), Kevin, etc. Members come and go, things happen, but in the end, the SCMB is still here and marching on. Let's focus not on our little internal issues and instead focus on making the community inviting to outsiders, who I realize have no idea about who the people mentioned in this thread are.

I don't consider that inaccurate at all. As you said, they still lurk around here and stop in every now and then, but they really aren't big contributors (as far posts) to the site any more.

[buckeyefan78]

I agree that the TOTD threads weren't contributing to the overall health of the boards.

I also agree with Tarkus that it would be nice for our regular posters to start more threads. I would estimate I start about 50% of the threads in the college football forum and make about 30% of total overall posts.

[Bran]

What about Bran? Am I not part of the old core here? I'd like to think so.

Remember: I'm as regular as you can trace on these boards.

I used to enjoy posting frequentley on these boards because it was interesting and diverse in all sports back then. I can't same the same anymore. Why? First of all, the things that I am interested in today is what's dead on these boards. The hockey forum is close to useless now to the point I don't even bother, the soccer board, well, it's always been useless. Tennis, ditto.

My interest in baseball has fallen within recent years. I still enjoy basketball a lot, but I really don't care about reading diaries on the Lakers or how and why today's game sucks compared to fifteen years ago. The only posts I have been making semi-regularly are in the NFL Pick'Em games which I'm addicted to.

With these running threads being removed, it's a small step but it's a step towards trying to go back to the prime of this board a few years ago. There were many good and different threads being made back then and users knew what they were going to read. There's no way in hell I'm going to keep track of a hundred reply running thread for everything going on in that sport. It's killed these boards.

It's too bad a lot of past members when I first joined are not here with us anymore but some new users certainally wouldn't hurt this place. I'd really like to see these boards flourish as real SPORTS forums like they used to be, and not just American and college football central, because right now that's the only aspect alive here. Someone prove I'm wrong.

[Brad O.]

I agree with Marc's original post. I expressed a similar concern (http://www.sports-central.org/community/boards/showthread.php?t=13457) a while back, and expanding on what Ellis pointed out, returning the focus to more in-depth threads may draw more new members who are interested in in-depth discussions. The one-liner threads seem to have taken over the boards, and I think they inhibit more discussion than they start.

[buckeyefan78]

I still enjoy basketball a lot, but I really don't care about reading diaries on the Lakers or how and why today's game sucks compared to fifteen years ago.

It's too bad a lot of past members when I first joined are not here with us anymore but some new users certainally wouldn't hurt this place. I'd really like to see these boards flourish as real SPORTS forums like they used to be, and not just American and college football central, because right now that's the only aspect alive here. Someone prove I'm wrong.

Well...if you don't like the constant talk about the Lakers why don't you start posting your own threads? I don't see any on the boards over the last two pages that go back to August 2. There is an interesting discussion...IMO...on the Jalen Rose release by the Knicks going on right now. Why don't you join in?

Someone prove you wrong?

Nice attitude. Posts like that can't help the atmosphere of the boards for current posters nevermind potential members. You've started 7 threads in the last calendar year (if I pushed the buttons correctly and got that right). I've started 7 threads in the last two days.

I can only post what I know and like. The other posters feel the same way if I had to guess. Why don't you recruit others that like the same sports as you? PM if you would like. I'm open to suggestions on how to help things despite the fact I'm not a moderator.

[Dublin Mike]

Now about the G&T Center... I am not going to complain, but I will admit that I loved having a board that the regular crew could just kind of chat on, behind the scenes. Now, we are exposed by being in the lounge :D That is ok, but I enjoyed the Games and Trivia center while it lasted.

*sniffle* I can almost hear TAPS being played in the background.....:(

[tobynosker]

I will try my best to engage in an intelligent conversation on the boards when one arrives (although, many may disagree about the intelligent part), but frankly their is very little going on in the sports world that has either gotten me excited or engaged enough to start a discussion about (or a discussion that hasn't already been done and covered a thousand-times over, which is what I think Bran was trying to allude to).

Just a simple comment from a "moderate poster!"

[catman]

I have no problem with the TOTD threads either way. I agree that they can stifle the creativity of posters to a point, but they are a concise way to get the news of that sport without having to look through all of the threads.
If something major occurs, it will have its own thread, of course.
This said, I encourage people to post in all of the forums, on topics they find interesting. If others find them as interesting, the threads will grow and will be very successful.

[boston_aloha]

My opinion: I don't think we should lose topics in the TOTD threads... maybe we should change those threads to GAME threads. For example the NFL Week #__ should just be limited to the games... maybe we should just talk about our teams' games in that thread, talk trash, etc. Save the "off the field" stories for their own threads - which I think we are doing a pretty good job of anyway.
Thanks.