Do we need individual team boards / individual G5 conference boards?

[betarhoalphadelta]

In the helmet thread, Drew asked if we need conference-specific boards. I think there is some merit to having these, especially if the result of Scout shuttering their board is for most of those posters to come over here.

However, I'm not sure there is a lot of value-add to having individual team boards. Outside of a couple of the blue-bloods, there aren't enough posters to generate content. I know as a Purdue guy, there were maybe 3-4 active Purdue posters on the Scout site and we pretty much hung out in the B1G board. I can't imagine that we'd "miss" a Purdue-specific board. And I think a lot of other team posters might agree?

I'd also ask whether the G5 conferences and independents truly need a board for each conference. If you add ALL the G5 conference boards together on Scout, it's less threads combined than the PAC-12 board, which is our second-least trafficked P5 board (for some reason the ACC gets no love?)... It might be best to combine the G5 conferences and independents into a single sub-forum.

I'm a big believer in "critical mass" theory as it applies to online forums. Without critical mass, there will never be enough content to support a community. People won't stay if there's no content, so the community withers and dies. Once you hit a tipping point (critical mass), then people come to participate and the community sustains and grows.

Breaking the site down into so many divisions (to make sure everyone has exactly which boards they want) is only useful if you're above critical mass. I'd suggest we try to simplify until we see where we're at after the Scout closure.

[Drew4UTk]

I tend to agree with you- and also the fact that CBSInteractive will transport the 'scout team' boards over- they have writers and staff, so those guys are safe.... it's our little corner over there that's in danger, along with a couple other dusty places that lack content/publishers and staff.... in short- and the easiest way to say it is the old school CFN boards are in danger- the Scout boards will likely be okay.  We were CFN over there in the beginning. 

but anyway- if CBSInteractive is on schedule (and I have no idea if they are or not) Sunday is the cut-over day.... it's at that point we'll learn what's going to happen.  Helz, it may be tonight we find out.  CFB51 discussions were shut down with a quickness on several team boards, and done so by admin's (writer's/contributor's) for that particular team board.  I get why, don't get me wrong- they rely on the webz for visibility, and those 'impressions' determine how well they're compensated.  it's their livelihood.  One of the reasons adverts are here is to show them there is also a market we can generate for them.  the primary reason for the publishing side of this site is to give them a stage- (it's www.cfb51.com/pub if any of y'all haven't seen it) - the content there is being pulled in from various sources (a lot more than the many many FoxSports/SI/ESPN you guys see now at the top- but only because they are the only one's really publishing right now) ..... I've told those guys that page can display whatever content they generate- as i've told you guys.  it can be syndicated from(or to) there- so...... if any of those team boards disappear, and if those guys have a following- they have at least one landing spot (and hopefully bring their crowd with them). 

^hopefully i explained that plan well enough to say this- and this is/was my plan all along:

I wanted visibility on the 'landing' page for every team/conference at least in the beginning.  After we know what happened (is happening?) to the Scout Team boards, I can cut ALL those off.  I'll give it until early August to see.  If a few boards pick up but only a few, I'll move them over to a sub-domain.  it would be a url something like "www.purdue.cfb51.com".... The advertising will become a function of whomever is administrating that page, and will refelct their own efforts (using OUR page as a demonstration of placement available).  These guys can basically have it for free, and allow them an opportunity to build on their own w/o corporate oversight.  they should do this in addition to whatever 'jobs' they're currently performing.  In the industry of writing/publishing, it's not uncommon to have several venues.  this is basically providing that, and the head start allowed CFB51 to register in indexes such as google/bing ect...

coming full circle back around- I really don't care that much about that^.  I offered it up to the Scout side, and the admin's over there publicly said "not now, we'll give you a shot later, though" while privately contacting me and expressing great interest.  so it goes when companies start a mass exodus and nobody knows what's happening- they don't want to be cut (by publicly supporting) but they don't want to miss an opportunity, either (hence the private emails). 

what i DO care about is keeping this community together.  if this place suffices simply as a temporary landing because 24/7 releases something really nice- so be it... I'll keep it operational, though... if our place over there is totally gone- this place will remain and it'll work.  If people follow here- that's great- and every one of you guys have say with how this place is set up and functions.  that's something not common anymore, as evidenced by 24/7 shoving this transition down the throats of people who made the place valuable to begin with.... go figure, huh?   

[ALA2262]

"I'd also ask whether the G5 conferences and independents truly need a board for each conference. If you add ALL the G5 conference boards together on Scout, it's less threads combined than the PAC-12 board, which is our second-least trafficked P5 board (for some reason the ACC gets no love?)... It might be best to combine the G5 conferences and independents into a single sub-forum."


^This for sure. I attempted to generate some conversation on those boards by posting the helmet schedules as they became available. The only replies were yours in thanking me for posting them.

[Drew4UTk]

I'm pretty sure I agree completely with you- with the caveat:  after Sunday. 

I logged in on 24/7 and poked around quite a bit.  By looking at profiles I cold see the boards (and a link) posters from CFN use- and it certainly appeared all the team boards are present and content transferring.  there is NOTHING from the CFN (what i call our old site) at all in any type of query.  So............. my thoughts are that people who use the scout team boards are going to be fine, but everyone else displaced.  On that same line of thinking, i fear some of the team boards that 'did' get some action on Scout but nowhere near traffic for 24/7 to justify may not make it.... .and if they don't they'll have a place to land here. 

give it until mid august, and we'll square this place away knowing what we need and what we don't. 

and..... i'm still kicking around the idea of sub-domains- such as tennessee.cfb51.com, or UNLV.cfb51.com, ect, and on an as needed/by request basis. 

[TyphonInc]

Concerning the ACC, 1 poster worked extremely hard to kill that board, and it's never recovered.

I agree with the other posters, no need for individual team boards, and combine Independant/G5 into one board.

Also does SeatteDen need to be the 1st thing you see when coming here?

[Drew4UTk]

I moved the den down under the general topics...

and yeah- rara, all by his lonesome and taking great pride in it, destroyed the ACC board- never to recover. 

Or, is the proper means to address the activity of one 'RaRaVatechfan' more meaningfully described as simple trolling? Yet for the good graces of this community, that shit won't happen here, y'all.

(some of y'all will get that; some won't)