Miracle Ideas Needed: This Forum will be DISCONTINUED

[Charles Fischer]

I have dedicated three months of my life and a couple of thousand dollars to create this forum, but I am looking to put it into mothballs in the next few days.  It is a neat creation and one that I would not want to destroy, but simply bring back at a later time when I can put more money into it.  (Hence in mothballs and unavailable to us for posting) 

 

Below are some Facts:

 

--I have to resume full-time work soon, and will not be around during the weekdays to monitor things.  Somebody has to or bad things happen....  (Been-there-and-done-that)

--If a ton of new stuff is not posted every day, then readers go away nearly overnight; we saw this earlier this week when I took a few days off from this forum. (So somebody has to be posting stuff throughout the day)

--I had two moderators, but for various reasons it did not work out.  I do not have the time to constantly be begging for new volunteers, training them and monitoring them.

--We have a 12 hour window each day during the weekdays that I will not be around, and even if I divide that into four hour slots--there are not enough volunteers and they quit within three months as the last two did.

--Putting this forum into mothballs would be terrible, as I love this community and want to discuss Our Beloved Ducks with you.  But no volunteer wants to be posting stuff and hanging around the site reading/moderating posts for tons of hours per day during the week.  I don't blame them, as I cannot either.  And they will not do it long before they get tired of it.  (The "COOL" factor dissipates soon) 

 

If you have ideas....post them here or email me charles@fishduck.com

 

[Haywarduck]

It does seem the focus fades as too many topics are brought up. Everybody wants to discuss the hot item, that happens every once an a while. The problem is there aren't that many hot topics people want to discuss without the well put together prose.

 

Maybe have a topic the day after a new recruit signs, even if it isn't on the schedule. Seems like people are itching to discuss the very good and the very bad news, but interest wanes when the topic falls in between those parameters.

 

The old format definitely seemed to work. You knew one topic was going to be brought up and many points to ponder were worth responding too. Without the hot topic interest drops when you don't have the magic Fishduck article.

[Duckdude]

So sorry to hear it, Charles.  I give you MAJOR credit for: your love for the Ducks(which I share), and for thinking BIG!  You ventured, and.....made a great forum.  Unfortunately, you can’t keep it going.  Nobody can fault you for that.

The only thoughts I can offer you are:

1) Your forum is SO well established into existence, perhaps.......you can sell it to someone?  There may be plenty of sites, e.g. 24/7, the Register-Guard, Go Ducks, ESPN, etc., that might be interested in buying it from you, or.....

2) Finding someone as avid and energetic a fan, like you, to take it over.  Less likely, I would admit.

 

No matter what, though, Mr. Fishduck, really appreciate and enjoyed all your input and effort!

Thanks!!!!!!

[Charles Fischer]

The challenge is nobody being available to moderate posts during the weekday; I will not allow a free-for-all, which is what it would evolve into once people saw that there were no immediate consequences for impolite behavior, a bad word, or worse yet--a political comment.  There could be an all-out political war that happened during the day before I see it in the evening.  I need 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM covered during the week, as I will be responsible for the other 12 hours and for all of the weekend.  (60 hours to my 108 hours, but the 60 are during the prime-time)

 

Fixing the number of posts is something learned over time, and is not a biggie because people still like to read them, even if they don't respond.  But enough people to rotate as moderators during the work-week?  Without that the forum will have to be hidden from view, and we all lose in that scenario.

 

You have been a GREAT member here Haywarduck--thank you.

 

[Charles Fischer]

2 minutes ago, Duckdude said:

Finding someone as avid and energetic a fan, like you, to take it over.  Less likely, I would admit.

 

I would doubt that anyone would want to take over all the tech issues and the bills of the forum, but I thought I would reach out to everyone before I made any changes.

 

Thanks Duckdude, as I appreciate your replies to posts.

[Duckdude]

How about hiring a UO student, or students, as moderators?  Maybe Computer Studies students?  Through the student services dept. would be good experience for them.  Maybe even a Computer Prof. Might want to get involved/take it over as a fun learning experience for Computer students as part of coursework about building and maintaining a website/forum.

 

Then, of course, you need funding to pay them, so........GoFundMe?  Subscription?  Register as a non-profit?  UO funded(if part of a course)?

 

Maybe even Rob Mullens would have some suggestions/interest/connections/support for you?

 

Just ideas/thoughts.........depends on how much effort you want to put in to save this fine work you’ve already established.

 

Just trying to be helpful.......

Good Luck!

Edited March 13, 2021 by Duckdude

[Charles Fischer]

I used to use a ton of UO students for the article blog, and in fact one year had the most UO Internships of any company registered with the Career Center at UO.  Without going too much into it--let's just say that students have changed...a LOT in just five years concerning their attitudes, expectations and work habits.  I have the occasional exception to that, (Alex Heining is our Editor-in-Chief and has been exceptional) but you have to go through too much of a haystack to find such a person--when it used to be the norm.

 

So....their values are different than mine, and thus why I would not want a college student moderating my forum.  I am very old-school, and let's just say that I have some legendary stories about students over the past nine years that back up my concerns.

 

We do not have critical mass yet--not even close-to charge a subscription, and the other routes are more work than what the results would generate.  I do have a running joke about the sites; they are not non-profit, but have always operated that way!  

 

My thanks.

 

[C J]

Bummer Charles but I totally understand. 

 

I would be willing to help moderate for a certain time period on some weekdays. Perhaps if we had enough people volunteer for say 4 hour slots at certain times and on certain days....a calendar of volunteers for instance, then perhaps we could cover it when you're off working. 

 

A man's gotta work to eat after all so more power to you!

[FishIceCream]

First of all, as I think all of the readers would say, thanks for all the work you've put into the forum.

 

I'll give my two cents, which unfortunately don't contain any miracle ideas, but at least I will be straightforward in my opinion.

 

I think there are two issues working against you here, as I'm sure you know. You are extremely particular about not just forum 'decorum' but the content and even aesthetics of what and how people post, and you want to continue to grow the user base by constantly seeding the forum with topics if needed.

 

Because of the first issue you are looking for nearly real-time monitoring and very intrusive moderating. I'll admit I was taken aback by how intrusive the moderating is, to be frank.

 

That is not meant to be insulting, but just a true observation. Years ago I moderated a very busy, more contentious, and less polite forum than this one, and I have participated in many others; I have never experienced anything close to the style of moderation you prefer.

 

Because of that fact, as you say it's not going to be a "normal" moderation job, in which a pool of volunteer mods share the duty of essentially rules enforcement, either when they notice something or when a 'bad' post is flagged for their attention by regular forum users. That is usually a fairly effective system, but it won't ensure the timeliness and level of detail that you want.

 

I might suggest just locking the forum during hours that you can't monitor or have another moderator whom you have trained on duty, but that runs into the second issue. I am quite sure that your loyal fan base (me included) would continue to come and participate, but it will run afoul of your desire to grow the user base.

 

On the other hand, mothballing the forum entirely would not seem to do much for growth either, so it might be something to consider.

 

Finally, if you want people (besides yourself) to seed the forum with new posts, you might consider asking for volunteers from the regular crowd to do that, rather than moderating. This being during times when the forum is unlocked, of course, if you went that route.

 

Probably more than two cents, but that is all I've got!

[Charles Fischer]

41 minutes ago, FishIceCream said:

very intrusive moderating

 

"Intrusive" is an interesting word you choose, as it implies that the writer is given rights as-per his interpretation of what he can post, and anything different is "intrusive."   By contrast....I have not been secretive...but blatant as heck; "Be polite and respectful, keep it clean and no politics."  What could be misconstrued with that?  And yet it happens a few times a week!

 

An attorney told me a week ago he was leaving the forum because I deleted a line where he took a nasty shot at our own beloved "BigDucksFan" and while I left everything else he wrote--he left "because I like the rough-and-tumble of other boards."  Baloney.  He wanted free license to insult people.  I asked him that "if you cannot make your point without belittling someone....how intellectual is that?"

 

But in the big picture--you are right, in that it does turn a percentage away and I am fine with it.

 

This software has a WONDERFUL function in that our moderators can "hide" a problem post so that no one can see it further and I can deal with it at night.  Moderators do not have to deal with violators; I do at night.  But yes...I want every post read and checked, and that is how I protect everyone from the Trolls, and from each other.  WE ALL MESS UP on occasion, and both former moderators confronted me twice about posts I wrote that violated my own rules.

 

They were right, and I deleted my posts.  (And took a ruler to my knuckles)

 

My point is, the work is hardly work--it is easy.  But you are coming in every half hour and reading posts....and posting three articles a day.  Not hard but you must have the time...

 

I love what I created, but if the interest to keep it alive by doing your part is not there...then it is not there.  I've done my part; I've spent the money and three months of my life perfecting it, and I was hoping that since it was a free forum--people would be willing to chip in some time and do their part.  (But I know that is contrary to what most people feel, and I do understand)

 

But heck....I HAD TO TRY IT.   I've wanted to try to create a forum for years, and frankly--I am pleased with the result.  But I have to go back to real work, and I am OK with hiding it and keeping it alive, but in mothballs.

 

I know others would say, "Charles....let us moderate ourselves.  We're adults!"  Nope...nine years of moderating thousands of posts gives me reality.  With no moderators--it turns into the cesspool that OregonLive comments were before they finally took them down.

 

This sounds TERRIBLE, but I'd rather have no forum, than one like OregonLive had.  

 

I will miss this and all of you.

 

Taking notes at a Spring Football Scrimmage years ago.  (When scrimmages were open...)

[David Marsh]

2 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

This sounds TERRIBLE, but I'd rather have no forum, than one like OregonLive had.  

I have to say that I agree with this sentiment. 

 

I would volunteer for more Charles but I'm finding my plate quite full right now and with the prospect of having to go back into the classroom soon it will only get more full. 

 

Though I wouldn't mind the return of the old format if that is more doable... Or the forum is preserved but with only one topic unlocked to be written in as this will potentially reduce the amount of moderating that has to take place... Not sure on that one. Though old topics and can locked but viewable to they can still be read. 

 

This may have been suggested earlier but I don't remember. 

[Charles Fischer]

The problem is the same with going to the old format of moderating comments below an article; somebody has to have the time during the day to do it.

 

We cannot lock threads, and even with one unlocked....unless someone is watching--we have misbehavior or mistakes by members posting.  I must have enough moderators and we don't...

[duckcz]

Hi Charles, 

 

First of all, just let me say thank you for creating this forum. It’s been a great place where people who like staying on topic can read about football and not endless pun threads. It seems such a shame to shut it down, just as it’s getting started.
 

While I can’t offer any miraculous solutions, maybe I can offer you some of your own advice. 
 

You and many other people in this community (myself included) have been pleading with our beloved head coach Mario Cristobal to be more of CEO and less of a micro-manager, and to relinquish more control over to his coordinators.
 

Maybe you and Mario are more alike than you think. You and he have both created a successful “programs”. You created Fishduck.com, a troll-free place to analyze and talk about football and Mario a successful football recruiting powerhouse. And we’re all expecting both to do even better things. 
 

But in both cases, in order reach the next level, the CEO’s may both need to ease up a bit and allow their “babies” to grow, unfettered by constant oversight and control. 
 

I truly appreciate this new forum as a place to read and post thoughts on Ducks Football. I appreciate the uncluttered focus as well, so I understand why you’re wary of watching what you’ve lovingly and painstakingly built, decay into a cesspool. 
 

But you don’t have to bench the forum yet. Give it a chance to stand on it’s own two feet. By now, most of us on this forum know and follow the rules. We can self-monitor while you’re away, reporting any violations as they come up. If it devolves into wretched hive of scum and villainy, well, do what you gotta do. But at least give it a chance. 

 

Go Ducks!

 

[nogerO]

I would love to be a moderator but my wife had a heart attack in December and quadruple bypass surgery so I've had to come out of retirement and take a full time job to pay off the extremely high medical bills that all of that entails.  I love what you've created here and wish that I could help.  I hate to bring it up but how about a monthly fee to be a member so  you can hire someone to help out?  I would be ok with that Charles. Good luck Mr. Duck.

[C J]

So how many people do you have volunteering to moderate on weekdays at this point? Thinking about it some more I guess it would be better to fill two 6 hour slots per day, rather than three 4 hour slots to cover the 12 hours per day you need to take care of your job. 

 

So per week we would be looking at ten 6 hour slots needing to be filled. Theoretically if we could get ten volunteers that would make it easier and might take care of it. Knowing how many people you currently have volunteering would help to know what kind of recruiting is needed to get there.

[geoquack]

I would hate to see this forum go, but would totally get it if it does.

 

[Charles Fischer]

1 hour ago, C J said:

if we could get ten volunteers that would make it easier

 

I've been in this "volunteer" business for nine+ years, and I may have enough for one stretch, but not enough four months later.  And then a year later?  

[Charles Fischer]

6 hours ago, duckcz said:

We can self-monitor while you’re away

 

You are very kind and I thank you.

 

No, groups of people cannot moderate themselves.  Keep in mind--back over in the comments below articles--I used to give warnings and explain our rules as they occurred.  Then I switched to simply editing or removing the comment, and dealing with the offender privately by email.  So you and everyone else did not/does not actually see the offending posts/comments unless you were one of the few that read it before one of us did in management.

 

The rate of violations is quite low, but if left unchecked--they expand quickly as human nature takes over.  (People become emboldened)  I know people here have well-meaning thoughts, but they have not had the years of experience doing this that I've had.  "Whatever you allow, you will see again."  (Guaranteed) 

 

EVERYBODY messes up on occasion, that includes me as well.  And in the past we fix the post, (edit or delete) and privately remind the regular, and then we forget about it and life goes on.  My point is...even regulars mess up and with posts that can start WWIII if left alone.  In the end...it has my name on it, and I would rather have no forum, than a cesspool.  (Because within a month--that is what will happen)

 

My thanks for your consideration.

 

[Smith72]

I can sign on for one 4 hour slot during the week day.  Let me know if the others get filled and when you could give me some training for being a moderator.

 

I appreciate this site you have created.  Here's hoping 14 more will volunteer!  Waiting and standing by...

[Santa Rosa Duck]

I always go to FishDuck early in the morning and I appreciate the effort you have put into this Charles.

A couple of thoughts. 1. I would be willing to pay a fee to participate in this content.

 

2. This will be politically incorrect but here we go. I have thought about volunteering but rejected the idea. Why? Because you have a mind set that things will be done your way or the highway. This makes for a fine forum to participate in but not one I wish to moderate because it can only be done your way. I am not a robot and have worked strictly for myself for the past 40 years and would find it difficult to get my knuckles rapped.

 

3. Having said that, I would still love to meet in Eugene either pre game or post game and have a couple of your treasured Oregon IPA's.

[Duckball]

I really think the best solution is to just lock down the forum when you are not available to monitor it.

 

I know you probably hate this idea, but it's a heck of a lot better than just shutting down the whole thing. You've created a really nice site here and I would have zero problem with a limited-hour operation.

[Charles Fischer]

15 minutes ago, Duckball said:

I really think the best solution is to just lock down the forum when you are not available to monitor it.

 

I can't do that during the weekday, as that is when most people post.  But I do appreciate you thinking on our behalf for solutions...

[Charles Fischer]

51 minutes ago, Santa Rosa Duck said:

I have thought about volunteering but rejected the idea. Why? Because you have a mind set that things will be done your way or the highway. This makes for a fine forum to participate in but not one I wish to moderate because it can only be done your way. I am not a robot and have worked strictly for myself for the past 40 years and would find it difficult to get my knuckles rapped.

 

Your comment is completely correct, as I am not easy to work with.

 

Here is the reality; if you bend to what each person wants in order to have their volunteer efforts--eventually you no longer have a forum that is yours, what you intended.  It becomes a mish-mash of strange rules and exceptions with a ton of ridiculous conflicts among rules that don't make sense.  How do I know this?  Been-there-and-done-that.  In the beginning, I did not know how to manage a site/forum and volunteers and tried to please all the most important contributors of content and help.

 

Then I got into big messes that took a ton of time and sapped my energy as I was dealing with people...and then they left anyway!  So I determined to figure out what works, stick to it.

 

There is a former corporate attorney who used to post a couple of times a day with his insights about college football, the state of the conference and even betting lines.  He is a very talented writer and wrote a ton of articles for us on the FishDuck article blog as well.  He is no longer with the site in any way as I would not yield to his new demands for exceptions and separate rules that benefit him, or other rules that would not apply to him.  Nobody knows all the headaches I had behind the scenes, and I finally cut the cord.

 

No exceptions, and I don't care who you are.  I want low-maintenance people, as I have enough problems in my life.

 

Keep in mind that according the ranking agency of Alexa (An Amazon Analytics company) and confirmed by Google Analytics....my FishDuck Article Blog was in the Top 1% in the World for 2020 (again) for pages read.  The writers and editors will tell you that yes....I am anal about how things are done.  But it works...  So should I have to change what works from one of the best in the world with all-volunteers and only one article a day.....just to please someone?

 

I would be an idiot to change what I'm doing over there.  But that site is steadily declining as I am not recruiting, training and monitoring new writers.  As people cycle out--they are not being replaced as I am tired of the volunteer rat-race.  That might define the most what the real problem here is...

 

The method of moderating the comments over there has been transferred to the forum; they have worked for the past three years and I see no reason to change them.  I did want to apply publishing principles to some aspects of the forum--things that would not apply to members, but to moderators.  But not enough people are available to cover/moderate during the day so...

 

It's OK.  I've had a good run, helped a ton of people gain skills that allowed them to get hired elsewhere, and made some great friends along the way like you.  And yes...I would love to have that craft beer someday.

 

I got a big kick out of the Media GameDay passes....

[Haywarduck]

I suppose I am somewhat in Santa Rosa's boat. As a small business owner I don't answer to very many people, my clientele, and if I don't want to they're gone.

 

The method I go by is I only sign up for what is a spelled out, closed ended commitment. Maybe you could spell out exactly the parameters of what you need? There may be more people like me who may be willing to help, but don't want to open up a door which will become a Pandora's Box of issues which aren't there now. This has definitely happened before where the best intentions on both sides added up to a negative sum total. 

 

What you have done is an amazing accomplishment. I think the limitations can be overcome, but may need to be spelled out a little more explicitly what you need, or maybe even a more creative way of filtering the posters? 

 

Is the job of moderator to pull anything suspect and let you rule on Friday, Saturday when you have time. This may alleviate even more potentially questionable posts as people won't want to even be questioned. This could definitely be a way for newbies to learn.

 

I think most people who have been here for a year or more have seen and experienced your process. Maybe there can even be 'levels of posters'. Those who have been posting for over 1-2? years without a post being edited get freedom to post, the 'green level', and won't get edited until Saturday, when you can review posts. If their posts proves to be political then they go back to potentially having post banned until Saturday when you review all questionable posts, go back to the 'yellow level'.

 

This may be wishful thinking, but it seems it is the newbies who don't get the rules. I do tend to think most people work well with the carrot and stick type of discipline. 

 

The carrot is if you post nicely you get to partake in an ongoing forum unlike any other. If you make a mistake you earn your way back on or go away. There might even be a way to have new posters post what they would like to post and earn their way onto the free forum. Just brainstorming, but what you have is worth saving and too many are posting in an enlightening forthright way to punish them for the sins of the few which could earn the right, the 'grey level'.

[Charles Fischer]

1 hour ago, Haywarduck said:

Maybe you could spell out exactly the parameters of what you need?

 

What Santa Rosa brought up about me being intransigent...is true, but I am very big on upfront disclosures.  Before a writer comes on-board, he/she knows precisely how we do things, what is expected and when and the newbie simply decides how often to write and we have a schedule for them to check.  For example, every-other-Friday, etc.

 

So my process is tell the prospective volunteer up-front what we are doing, and then he/she can decide if they want to be a part of it.  If they do, then they are expected to follow-through on what we agreed to as we are all adults here.  But that is not what happens sometimes, as volunteers try to change the rules to their own tastes.  I reaffirm our rules and they can then decide if they wish to follow or leave and often--they leave.

 

My rules did not change, and they knew up-front what the expectations were, but sometimes when people are contributing a ton...they get the "you-owe-me" virus and try to apply leverage and follow up with ultimatums.

 

Why would anyone deal with this stuff in his spare time like I do?  I've asked myself that often, and I think that I am finally weary of it.

 

To Answer Your Question:  What Moderators Do

 

*****The key component is having the time over a shift to come in every half hour and read the latest posts to check for violations.  When one is found....the moderators can "hide" the post in two clicks and then Personal Message the member that Charles will get to him tonight with an email.  Sometimes the post can be edited by the moderator and we communicate by text (since it does not happen often) and the moderator edits the post and tells them that Charles did it.  (Because that is effectively true as the moderator is a proxy for me)

 

--Beyond that, it is dependent upon how much time the moderator has during their shift.  I would like three articles posted during their shift, and again--these are all things that I do too.  It is not hard and if you are "on-shift" anyway...it helps the community as we have more content to read and discuss.

 

--For those who want to....I allow moderators to go fix posts that hurt the eyes...that have no spacing, or monster spacing.  I allow them to fix the titles in new topics to follow AP (Associated Press) style with capitalizing the first letter of every key word in the title.  (Words like "the" "and" "in" and so on are not capitalized)  They look better, but I do not expect members to do that automatically but if the moderators have time and want to--it adds to the feel of the forum.

 

--Again...not key, but if you post game results and start the conversation--that is nice.  But not crucial as eventually one of the rest of us will.

 

So you see....the moderator volunteer position is the easiest I have among any positions I've had available over time.  But the key component is whether or not you have the time during the weekday.  I thought some retired guys would want to do it, but that turned out not to be true.  And I did not have my parameters set yet because I was still learning what I wanted or not with the forum.  What you see above is what my "job description" consists of at the moment.

 

[RatherBe]

Charles, thank you for taking the time, effort, and monetary initiative to create a forum. I appreciate the civility of this board. 
 

I can volunteer for a six hour shift of moderating on weekdays, with twice hourly checks for second half of the workday: 12-6:00 PM PST, M-F. I’ve moderated a large subreddit previously, and I don’t believe I would be needing any training regarding to the tech end of it. The volume of posts appears to be low enough that it is quite feasible to read all of them for rules violations. 

[Haywarduck]

The other element of the levels concept is to allow anyone in the green level to edit. Instead of one person being responsible, you have a growing number of people who are responsible edit, and like Wiki it is a live document to those who edit. The difference is you have only those who qualify able to edit.

 

I know I work short to long stretches, and it would be easy for me to edit on the go, without a time period I have to be responsible for. The small group of editors doesn't seem like a viable option, maybe look at creating, which you might already have, a group of individuals who know what is right and wrong.

 

You would be trying something completely new, but what you have isn't working. Also the definition of insanity is trying to do the same thing over and over while expecting a different result, food for thought.

[Charles Fischer]

22 minutes ago, RatherBe said:

I can volunteer

 

Well, it would be great if you could.  For you and anyone else who can....please email me charles@fishduck.com  

[FishIceCream]

For what it's worth, in reference to my first post on this topic and your reply, your third moderator (voluntary) task - "fix posts that hurt the eyes... follow AP style..." is what I was referring to by "intrusive." Editing, hiding, or deleting posts that contain offensive language or violate the rules of decorum/topics is not what I would consider intrusive - just strict enforcement, which is a different thing.

 

For me, it surprised me, but I adjusted and learned from it. I think most of the regular names I see posting here have done the same - if anyone just can't enjoy the forum that way, they will leave.

 

And it is perfectly within your rights to manage the forum in the way you want to! It looks absolutely fantastic, and it really is a great place to come get your Duck fix, especially if you live out of state like I do.

 

In the end, I would be hesitant to moderate because I had a very negative experience doing that in the past, as I am sure you can relate to from your long time doing this. Even if I did want to, I am swamped due to covid layoffs, re-schooling myself, and working "gigs" right now. Some days I barely have time to kiss the wife and check that my kids have homework.

 

Anyway - thanks again, and if you do put the forum in storage for a while, I hope you reopen again when an avenue opens to do it.

[Charles Fischer]

1 hour ago, FishIceCream said:

"fix posts that hurt the eyes... follow AP style..." is what I was referring to by "intrusive."

 

You may think of it as intrusive, when all we are trying to do is make it easier on the readers.  Pulling out big spaces means you don't have to scroll down the page as much to get to more replies.  Adding paragraph spaces makes it a ton easier for older eyes to read.  In the end...it is about  being considerate toward the other readers and members.

 

Do I beat up people in public for not fixing their posts?  When it only takes seconds to click your cursor and backspace or hit enter/return a time or two?  No, we just thought we would help...

[FishIceCream]

4 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Do I beat up people in public for not fixing their posts?  When it only takes seconds to click your cursor and backspace or hit enter/return a time or two?  No, we just thought we would help...

 

It's one of those things that's really hard to suss out in an online forum, but I hope you are not taking this as a criticism instead of an honest observation. Don't beat up on me in public for trying to give you a straight opinion, in other words lol.

 

I am not saying it's wrong, and like I said - it worked for me. I am still here and interacting with you.

 

However, I do think it's a level of control over what is posted and how it's posted that is unusual. That was my my main point, in regards to people wanting to become moderators.

 

No offense intended.

[Ducks4ever]

Charles, first off thanks so much for putting all of your personal resources into this forum (and really this entire website for the last decade+). I don't want to be a jerk or anything but what if you just moved the forum element to reddit and we had discussions there? That way we can officially appoint moderators. Downsides to reddit: less personalization of personal profiles, and user profiles could be meshed with other personal life usernames so that could get confusing. Other downside is that we could get weirdos who try to join but we can always make a private subreddit. For purposes of just discussion, I think this option takes care of that and it's free. 

 

If the counterargument is that not enough people will want to post enough stuff to discuss on reddit because there are a couple other duck fan sites/forums, then perhaps this isn't worth putting the money into either. Just looking at it from a cost/benefit perspective and as always I really appreciate everything you've done. 

[Charles Fischer]

1 hour ago, Ducks4ever said:

what if you just moved the forum element to reddit and we had discussions there?

 

1. They already have Oregon Reddit.

2. They do not protect us from Trolls as I do.

3. I have already stated in the past that I will not make exceptions for anyone from our rules that work.  Now...I have stated that I will have this forum deleted before I will change the culture and turn into a cesspool.  This is a test of culture...we are different here.  To conform elsewhere is to die, thus I will delete before I will go there.

4. Besides...to find anything on Reddit....you have to scroll through a ton of stuff.  With OBD forum...we have all the recent topics easily available.

 

If we have to go to mothballs--I will, but I am not moving to another site's rules.  THAT is why I created this forum!

[Ducks4ever]

13 minutes ago, Charles Fischer said:

 

1. They already have Oregon Reddit. But not a Fishduck community!

2. They do not protect us from Trolls as I do. Actually I would argue it's easier to troll here. I don't think you can block a person from making multiple accounts on here, but if you don't accept anyone into a private subreddit, they're stuck on the other side of the wall indefinitely. 

3. I have already stated in the past that I will not make exceptions for anyone from our rules that work.  Now...I have stated that I will have this forum deleted before I will change the culture and turn into a cesspool.  This is a test of culture...we are different here.  To conform elsewhere is to die, thus I will delete before I will go there. Completely fair, but on the subreddit, you could make the rules too! We don't do egregious things out here so any complaints go to the subreddit moderators (who you choose). 

4. Besides...to find anything on Reddit....you have to scroll through a ton of stuff.  With OBD forum...we have all the recent topics easily available. I think the way this forum is organized is exactly the same as reddit? Topics with most recently replied in chronological order and you can pin whatever you want at the top. 

 

 

Thanks again Charles, just some counterpoints that maybe could help. I get that going to a separate site for discussions purposes isn't as "authentic" and it could be annoying for some. Just proposing a workable alternative that might get you 85% of the way there without asking for even more from you. Anyways, I will let you be and let others opine. Thanks again for everything and all the years of work you put into this site. 

[Charles Fischer]

A big part of the difficulty of this type of discussion is that members of the community such as you do not know of all the experiences I've already dealt with.  For example I CAN block a person from multiple accounts, but I will not disclose how for obvious reasons.  (And that is why we have not had that type of problem here, otherwise we would have been discussing it?)

 

Again...the problem is not the rules; the challenge are having people available during the weekdays that can help moderate.  I do not see how moving will solve the fundamental problem; if those in the community don't want to help--whether they are here or on Reddit will not matter.

[Jon Sousa]

OK, I'm a little late to the party here. I read this earlier in the day and have been chewing on it for a while.

 

When I first read down through the information here, my only thought was that since the forum started it seemed like people were trying to start a bunch of threads just to start threads. I see now, that this was by design.

 

Charles wrote in the original thread:
 --If a ton of new stuff is not posted every day, then readers go away nearly overnight; we saw this earlier this week when I took a few days off from this forum. (So somebody has to be posting stuff throughout the day)

 

I disagree. When you have a bunch of new stuff that is posted throughout the day you have looks but you don't have interaction because it's stuff that people aren't that interested in discussing. Look back over the last couple weeks and see how many posts have 60 to 90 looks but there are no comments, or maybe just one, because someone feels they have to "prime the pump". 

 

Posting stuff throughout the day just to hold onto readership is trying to "prime the pump."  In my view, it's not very smart way to build what we all want here, which is a safe place to discuss Ducks stuff.

 

The fact of the matter is, we don't have to "build" the safe place to discuss Ducks stuff... because it is already built. It is what we have right now.

 

It seems that Charles thinks that we have to have zillion hits every day to be successful, and we don't. We don't have to try to "hold on to" readers and contributors. If Charles puts the site into "moth balls" for an undetermined amount of time there will be exactly zero readers and contributors.  

 

Charles states that his volunteer moderators all resigned. He didn't say why, but I am guessing that the job required more time and energy than they were originally envisioning it to be. One thing I have noticed is that the moderators were often the people posting a bunch of new threads and were often the only ones responding to the threads that no one else was commenting on.

 

What is wrong with not posting anything unless you are really interested in posting it... to share valuable and fun information and/or to get feedback from others?

What is wrong with allowing the forum to grow naturally over time as likeminded Duck fans gather to share their thoughts without the vitriol that is present on other sites?

 

What is wrong with having fewer threads and fewer comments if that means we won't wear out our valuable volunteers?

 

On a normal day, when I am not too busy, I check in here 2 to 4 times a day to see if there is anything that interests me. I have only posted a new thread once, and I don't usually comment on even 1/5 of the threads I read. I do try to give a thumbs up or a "thank you" to encourage some of the posters who have no comments or reactions.

 

Most people are too busy to hang out here just waiting for someone else to post something new... so, why do we want to keep posting new things throughout the day just to keep people here???

 

We don't have to be the most visited Ducks site in the world, we just have to be the best... and that is what Charles has created here.

 

 

[blazer prophet]

I've been a moderator before and survived the O-live wars.... I have always loved this site. Were it not for working during the day I'd love to help. Maybe turn it into a blog. You write the content, people post and it gets posted when you approve.

[Mike West]

Charles,

 

It will be a tremendous setback for thoughtful discussion about Oregon Athletics if FishDuck media disappears.

 

I for one can take criticism, as name calling is not an argument, and there sure is a ton of name calling going on in Duck Fandom.  What separates your sites from others is perspectives people not only respect, but actually learn from.

 

It hurts to hear your head coach may not be the man to take us to the promise land.  But the thoughts on why are fascinating at times.  Will he is almost an afterthought to why (so or why not).  
 

I see some good stuff on the other sites.  I see awesome info here.  Info and perspectives worth discussing instead of getting bogged down on who is right or wrong (though it gets rough and tumble here, eating crow here is more satisfying if that even makes sense).