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oneBORO forum a happy medium?


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Have to admit I have thought long and hard and trying to justify to myself the purpose of this thread but after recent activities resulting in last nights actions then my reasons seemed validated.

 

Reading so many comments of late comparing this forum to others well to me personally was a kick in the teeth because the reality is that the complaints were partially correct and we were at times descending into areas where it seemed anything goes.

 

However I took a long hard look at many of the subject matters open for discussion elsewhere and the responses to those features, and gladly I found comfort in the fact that we had not gone to that extreme and the amount of self control from our members was refreshing in the least.

 

So the question is what do we want from this forum?

 

Do we want a forum where everyone can feel free to post their thoughts and opinions without fear of being shot down and made to look stupid by others?

 

Do we want a forum where anything goes and have totally irrelevant content and open abuse to others without any kind of moderation?

 

Do we want active members who feel that it is their right to not be part of the general ethos of the forum and it's aims?

 

Finding a happy medium is very difficult and fraughtful at times let me tell you and often is the case throws any part of the moderation/administration into the firing line when situations appear to have gone a bit too far.

 

We as a forum have a fantastic supporter who started this whole thing, backs up the general membership by financing all the associated costs and who never ever complains about how his original concept is going. I will tell you that he suffered so much abuse in the early days that Rob decided it was best just to distance himself from the day to day dialogue just to give him some peace of mind.

 

The forum has moved along and offers so much to Boro fans now that I know Rob would like to become more active and open to dialogue with members but recently you can't blame him for not being active due to certain continual unrests that keep cropping up.

 

Mistakes happen that is human nature and sadly they can have a knock on effect which will upset some and so I will apologise to those members who feel that the moderation is too strong, I will apologise to those members who feel that it is not strong enough or as often mentioned double standards are seen,and I will apologise to the moderation team for the actions of members who have pushed them resulting in action having to be taken.

 

I could go on apologising but hopefully you will get the point and that is this is OUR forum, YOUR forum so let's enjoy it without the spiteful towards each other.

 

We have a lot to look forward too, we are forging closer links all over the place, case in hand the MFC Ladies which if all goes well could produce a fantastic opportunity for forum members down the line.

 

Unlike the slightly amusing at times but mainly cringeworthy player interview recently viewed, we are forging links which is allowing he oneBoro TV to get some great interviews and giving forum members to get up close and personal to players of the team we all adore.

 

Please lets forgive and forget now, move on and if you do not want to be part of the forum or simply can not abide by our ethos then there are other outlets that might suit you better. Some may leave but hopefully many more will return or new people will decide that this is where they want to be Boro wise.

 

One final thing is that due to this forum some good friendships have developed between members especially with those who decided to give the forum meet ups a go at away games and that in itself makes the forum worthwhile

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This was inevitable as the forum grew in popularity. It's like in real life; as population increases, the amount of policing and moderation needs to increase hand-in-hand. Otherwise, the whole system just becomes unmanageable.

 

All I want from this forum is for it to be a place where Boro fans can discuss, openly and reasonably, all facets of the club. The 'reasonably' aspect of that sentence is where it tends to trip up, as people are often all too quick to turn to backlash and shooting down of arguments without basing it in any form of detailed opinion. Let's be honest - we've all done that at times on here.

 

With regards to derailments, I don't mind them. In fact, sometimes I quite like them! A little meme here and there - especially the KM memes! - and a bit of fun poking at a typo I quite enjoy. I didn't watch the video posted, so just ignored the posts that were I r espouse to that.

 

I've just given a member a +1 (that sounds like a dirty massage parlour thing...) because we've been having a discussion / debate about a topic and it's been entirely civil. That's all I want from OneBoro really... Civilised debates that don't descend into name calling at the drop of a hat!

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I think that you need a criteria for rules (as much as possible, although will never be perfect), e.g. nobody can be banned without a warning first, no thread can be closed without a warning, ANY direct name calling results in a warning etc...

 

This will hopefully reduce any inconsistency.

 

I liken being a mod to being a ref, you can't win. People will either say you have to be consistent or you have to use common sense depending on the situation......you can't do both!!

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Just some plain common sense should do it borojod though warnings were given about threads being locked.

 

In hindsight maybe it would have been better for the video to have had it's own thread but the transfer thread has always wandered away from the core subject then come back to it's main purpose once new info develops.

 

Thankfully many members air their views when the bickering starts and maybe members will take note themselves and decide on where they themselves feel comfortable.

 

VB made a great point, whenever this forum has closed down due to technical issues it certainly is missed.

 

Once this window is shut and he season starts attention will go elsewhere that is for sure and maybe we will have to decide just when a new transfer window related thread should be opened but hey probably wishful thinking.

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Just some plain common sense should do it borojod though warnings were given about threads being locked.

 

In hindsight maybe it would have been better for the video to have had it's own thread but the transfer thread has always wandered away from the core subject then come back to it's main purpose once new info develops.

 

Thankfully many members air their views when the bickering starts and maybe members will take note themselves and decide on where they themselves feel comfortable.

 

VB made a great point, whenever this forum has closed down due to technical issues it certainly is missed.

 

Once this window is shut and he season starts attention will go elsewhere that is for sure and maybe we will have to decide just when a new transfer window related thread should be opened but hey probably wishful thinking.

 

There is the old saying that there is no such thing as COMMON sense What is sense to one isnt sense to others

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Just some plain common sense should do it borojod though warnings were given about threads being locked.

 

In hindsight maybe it would have been better for the video to have had it's own thread but the transfer thread has always wandered away from the core subject then come back to it's main purpose once new info develops.

 

Thankfully many members air their views when the bickering starts and maybe members will take note themselves and decide on where they themselves feel comfortable.

 

VB made a great point, whenever this forum has closed down due to technical issues it certainly is missed.

 

Once this window is shut and he season starts attention will go elsewhere that is for sure and maybe we will have to decide just when a new transfer window related thread should be opened but hey probably wishful thinking.

 

I think the nature of having one transfer thread is causing the majority of issues. 

 

Maybe it worked fine when oneBoro was smaller, but as it expands and more people want to contribute to the discussions it is very difficult to keep on top of, let alone on topic. 

 

Just my 2p. I know how stronly people feel about keeping everything together. :)

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I've been a long standing member of this forum and view it as head and shoulders above all others without exception. I appreciate the hard work that goes into this, from the MODS to Sombo and Bugrit with the Predictions and all others that have an active involvement.

 

I get annoyed when we end up bickering and petty nonsense about nonense, I don't think we should let the forum lose it's focus, we all support the one team, we all want Boro to do the best, make the best signings, finish as high as possible etc but we can do that in a good and proper manner and not slag each other off constantly

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We need to maintain control, agree that we have free speech but there has to be some form of censorship to protect the forum and each other, if that means banning people for being out of order, then so be it.

 

I would be lost without the forum, I live 120 miles from Boro now so can only attend a few games and this forum is my most reliable source of knowledge and information, I'm sure many others feel the same as me.

 

DS you do a cracking job, thank you, lets rise above the mindless spats and move on to bigger and better things, lets see the forum continue to grow but in a balanced and controlled way.

 

UTB.

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This forum is measurably better than the alternatives I've seen.  I don't even think they're worthy of comparison so on that score the forum is fine, it's more than fine actually, it's very good in my opinion.  If you're looking for perfection though you're wasting your time.

 

Last night however was pretty silly.  It was poor moderating, whether you support him or not doesn't change that.  It was akin to using a hand grenade to kill a fly, not a giant mutant fly intent on killing mankind either, just a harmless house fly.  I asked a question last night but couldn't get him to answer it - why did he take that action when the matter had resolved itself before he'd even come online?  He actually caused more problems than there were before he decided to get involved!

 

Threads get derailed all of the time and it's actually a majority of the members that do it rather than a minority albeit I suspect a lot of people that complain don't seem to see an issue when they themselves do it.  The transfer thread has already gone off topic again today but nobody seems to have a problem with it.  I thought the video posted last night was ridiculous and I was happy to say so but that was all done and dusted within a handful of posts, thanks in no small part to MMC injecting some humour to it all.  Of course it could simply have been moved to the 'Other Boro Stuff; thread but the transfer thread was hardly ruined because of what, 15 or so posts?  Last night I made a typo and a mod picked up on it and the thread got derailed because of that.  It was just daft but again it quickly stopped by itself.

 

The bottom line as I must have said twenty times now is that when there are no transfers happening then there is nothing to talk about on that thread and people effectively use that thread to talk over the summer about all things Boro related.  Whether they should or not is a different matter - personally I think having too many different threads isn't good as it becomes hard to keep the flow of conversation going if you have to move between them.  Does Karanka's use of our own academy players belong on that thread?  No.  But it's associated with stuff that does so that's where it takes place.

 

In terms of last night, it was heavy handed and unnecessary.  There were mods on before he came on and they were content to let it go.  If it had gone further I'm sure they'd have stepped in and dealt with it but they didn't need to.  From memory this isn't the first time that this particular mod has caused a problem?  I assume you know the guy personally but that's no excuse.  I've seen him posting stuff about threads getting locked and posts deleted before and I honestly though it was meant in jest because it was unwarranted.  However it's pretty clear that it wasn't and he was being serious.  It's overkill and if it continues it will create resentment so I'd suggest having a quiet word with him to relax a little or removing him as a mod.

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My view is that most of the drama emanates from transfer window thread.

 

Users can be classed into two groups:

Group A) Boro Fans wanting to read latest news and credible rumors about current/potential Boro players

Group B) Fans wanting to talk more openly about transfers, other clubs and other news in the close season

 

Group A) Get annoyed with any thread derailing

Group B) Get annoyed with group A's complaints

 

I'd suggest two threads:

1) Transfer Window

2) Close Season

 

But there would be confusion and arguments as to what gets posted to what thread.

 

So, practically speaking, I think subtle moderation of one thread is the only way forward.

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My view is that most of the drama emanates from transfer window thread.

 

Users can be classed into two groups:

Group A) Boro Fans wanting to read latest news and credible rumors about current/potential Boro players

Group B) Fans wanting to talk more openly about transfers, other clubs and other news in the close season

 

Group A) Get annoyed with any thread derailing

Group B) Get annoyed with group A's complaints

 

I'd suggest two threads:

1) Transfer Window

2) Close Season

 

But there would be confusion and arguments as to what gets posted to what thread.

 

So, practically speaking, I think subtle moderation of one thread is the only way forward.

 

There has been almost as much talk of transfer threads as there has actual transfers this summer, take out Rhodes and there'd be nothing left!

 

Ah well, only 2 days till the new Neil Grainger vid (which I will appear in - unless edited out...) and then the season opener - can't come soon enough!

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This forum is measurably better than the alternatives I've seen.  I don't even think they're worthy of comparison so on that score the forum is fine, it's more than fine actually, it's very good in my opinion.  If you're looking for perfection though you're wasting your time.

 

Last night however was pretty silly.  It was poor moderating, whether you support him or not doesn't change that.  It was akin to using a hand grenade to kill a fly, not a giant mutant fly intent on killing mankind either, just a harmless house fly.  I asked a question last night but couldn't get him to answer it - why did he take that action when the matter had resolved itself before he'd even come online?  He actually caused more problems than there were before he decided to get involved!

 

Threads get derailed all of the time and it's actually a majority of the members that do it rather than a minority albeit I suspect a lot of people that complain don't seem to see an issue when they themselves do it.  The transfer thread has already gone off topic again today but nobody seems to have a problem with it.  I thought the video posted last night was ridiculous and I was happy to say so but that was all done and dusted within a handful of posts, thanks in no small part to MMC injecting some humour to it all.  Of course it could simply have been moved to the 'Other Boro Stuff; thread but the transfer thread was hardly ruined because of what, 15 or so posts?  Last night I made a typo and a mod picked up on it and the thread got derailed because of that.  It was just daft but again it quickly stopped by itself.

 

The bottom line as I must have said twenty times now is that when there are no transfers happening then there is nothing to talk about on that thread and people effectively use that thread to talk over the summer about all things Boro related.  Whether they should or not is a different matter - personally I think having too many different threads isn't good as it becomes hard to keep the flow of conversation going if you have to move between them.  Does Karanka's use of our own academy players belong on that thread?  No.  But it's associated with stuff that does so that's where it takes place.

 

In terms of last night, it was heavy handed and unnecessary.  There were mods on before he came on and they were content to let it go.  If it had gone further I'm sure they'd have stepped in and dealt with it but they didn't need to.  From memory this isn't the first time that this particular mod has caused a problem?  I assume you know the guy personally but that's no excuse.  I've seen him posting stuff about threads getting locked and posts deleted before and I honestly though it was meant in jest because it was unwarranted.  However it's pretty clear that it wasn't and he was being serious.  It's overkill and if it continues it will create resentment so I'd suggest having a quiet word with him to relax a little or removing him as a mod.

 

Spot on.

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Here's a suggestion - (just a suggestion, hope nobody takes any offence to it as none is meant)

 

Remove all current mods and have an election, anybody who wants to run for mod can and the forum itself gets to vote who they want.

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Here's a suggestion - (just a suggestion, hope nobody takes any offence to it as none is meant)

 

Remove all current mods and have an election, anybody who wants to run for mod can and the forum itself gets to vote who they want.

 

I think this is a cracking idea to be fair and something that would show commitment to keeping the management of the forum for the users and by the users. 

 

Although, I don't think this is necessary off the back of this incident. 

 

Maybe something once a season though? Maybe like council wards where 1/3 are up for election on a rolling basis.

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Here's a suggestion - (just a suggestion, hope nobody takes any offence to it as none is meant)

 

Remove all current mods and have an election, anybody who wants to run for mod can and the forum itself gets to vote who they want.

 

I think this is a cracking idea to be fair and something that would show commitment to keeping the management of the forum for the users and by the users. 

 

Although, I don't think this is necessary off the back of this incident. 

 

Maybe something once a season though? Maybe like council wards where 1/3 are up for election on a rolling basis.

 

Personally disagree. These mods do a sterling job and whilst I have only met a couple of them they are good guys who give up untold time to keep this brilliant forum going. 

 

They are all (in my opinion) scrupulously fair and just want to see a forum where we can have grown up discussion , including disagreement , without fear of falling prey to schoolyard taunting. So what if they occassionally do something "we" don't like, get over it guys as they are doing it with the best interests of everyone in mind not to curry favour with one side of an argument.

 

This summer the forum has descended to farce on more than one occassion but lets not all throw the baby out because of it. This is the only Boro forum that is even half way grown up and  will have some massive highs (and lows) over the next year as we reach the promised land, but we all need to be grateful that we have even got it in the first place.  

 

Rant over .. as you were

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