Site has become stale. Very few interesting threads.

[EdwardoCarrachio]

I get that we are in the off-season. But there are lots of players entering the portal, committing to new schools, the NFL draft is this week, etc. We just have very little discussion of it here. And there are few OT threads that are interesting. Those used to be a big part of this site during the off-season. But we can't have that anymore. Too many people take offense to anything said.

I hope that the site doesn't die off but I'd have to believe the traffic is declining. Is there something we can do to grow the community here? Are there any OT discussions that are interesting that we can add that won't trigger easily offended posters? Any new thoughts or ideas to revive this site?

And for the record, the other site that bolted from here is just as stale.

 

[Agoodnap]

I get that we are in the off-season. But there are lots of players entering the portal, committing to new schools, the NFL draft is this week, etc. We just have very little discussion of it here. And there are few OT threads that are interesting. Those used to be a big part of this site during the off-season. But we can't have that anymore. Too many people take offense to anything said.

I hope that the site doesn't die off but I'd have to believe the traffic is declining. Is there something we can do to grow the community here? Is there any OT discussions that are interesting that we can add that won't trigger easily offended posters? Any new thoughts or ideas to revive this site?

And for the record, the other site that bolted from here is just as stale.

It's the mods who are offended. If they wouldn't be so trigger happy the activity would pick up.

 

[republion]

The other site is unbearable to use. All the topics get condensed into a single thread. Ugh.

 

[91Joe95]

We're running out of older musicians, and Disney owned ESPN has pushed sports into a cesspool of unspeakable topics.

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

The other site is unbearable to use. All the topics get condensed into a single thread. Ugh.

Yeah, I can't stand that. And most of those threads are started by the mod and his small group of friends.

 

[Safety Blitz]

I wouldn’t point the finger at posters who “take offense” to words written on these boards. In the “good old days,” there was a lot of thoughtful and RESPECTFUL discussion on a wide variety of topics.
For me, it changed when respect took a back seat and, in many cases, totally disappeared. A few well known (for all the wrong reasons) posters decided they couldn’t communicate without calling names and hurling insults. That juvenile behavior keeps getting worse and worse, not just on this board but in society as a whole. Then we get those folks who can’t have a simple “Pepsi or Coke?” discussion without attempting to make it political. That gets old in a hurry.
So, yes, I have taken offense to the dumbing down of these boards and my participation has reduced significantly because of that. My guess is many from the old guard feel the same way.

 

[NC2017]

I get that we are in the off-season. But there are lots of players entering the portal, committing to new schools, the NFL draft is this week, etc. We just have very little discussion of it here. And there are few OT threads that are interesting. Those used to be a big part of this site during the off-season. But we can't have that anymore. Too many people take offense to anything said.

I hope that the site doesn't die off but I'd have to believe the traffic is declining. Is there something we can do to grow the community here? Are there any OT discussions that are interesting that we can add that won't trigger easily offended posters? Any new thoughts or ideas to revive this site?

And for the record, the other site that bolted from here is just as stale.

NIL is taking a big bite out of my enthusiasm.

 

[LemonEars]

I get that we are in the off-season. But there are lots of players entering the portal, committing to new schools, the NFL draft is this week, etc. We just have very little discussion of it here. And there are few OT threads that are interesting. Those used to be a big part of this site during the off-season. But we can't have that anymore. Too many people take offense to anything said.

I hope that the site doesn't die off but I'd have to believe the traffic is declining. Is there something we can do to grow the community here? Are there any OT discussions that are interesting that we can add that won't trigger easily offended posters? Any new thoughts or ideas to revive this site?

And for the record, the other site that bolted from here is just as stale.

Agree. This site has become essentially useless and boring. The on3 site is worse.

 

[Jerry]

Yeah, I can't stand that. And most of those threads are started by the mod and his small group of friends.

Let it be acknowledged up front that the mods have a thankless job. Whatever they do (or don't do), somebody's gonna complain.

That said, the reason I didn't move with Tom to his new board was the biased, confusing, and inconsistent regime of censorship that he as Mod-in-Chief had instituted there. (The Cool Kids Club that went along with it was also a factor but a lesser one.)

I hope something similar doesn't happen here, but there have been what seems to me some troubling signs recently. One was the abrupt change to the Politics Board. Not that it happened...but how it was done...with virtually no notice.

A second was a "warning" I recently received from the mods about a rare (for me) OT thread that I started a few weeks ago on the Fentanyl epidemic and the danger it poses to our kids. The topic was totally non-political, my own posts in the thread had zero political content, and the majority of responses from others were thoughtful and informative.

A couple people, however, predictably dragged politics into the mix which predictably led to a couple other people complaining to the mods. Now I get the mods' annoyance that some people can't follow simple rules. In fact, that annoys me too. What I don't get is blaming a guy who is following the rules for the failure of others to obey them.

Oh well, I guess we'll how it all shakes out over the coming weeks. Let's look on the bright side: only 4 months until kick-off!

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

Ok, so it isn't just me. But how do we revive it? What could make it more fun and interesting?

 

[GregInPitt]

The other site is unbearable to use. All the topics get condensed into a single thread. Ugh.

And Tom's threads about "nothing" (minor other PSU sports) get updated by him continuously so that any real PSU football topic thread gets pushed to the bottom or off the first page. They need an "other topics" sub-board for all that $hit and then let individual PSU topics spread out. But that's against their mods priorities. So I just don't go there. The upside is that the majority of the name callers, verbal fight instigators, and just plain rude posters followed Tom over there which has made the more limited discussions here more civil....

 

[GregInPitt]

Ok, so it isn't just me. But how do we revive it? What could make it more fun and interesting?

Get the mods to sign off on a policy that if an OT thread is accurately described in the thread heading and that topic is discussed in the thread that even if it "offends" someone it stays on this board. That policy would only require that people here read the thread topic and don't open the thread if it is a topic they can't cope with, which any adult should be able to manage. The thin skinned also have the option to put the OP's on "ignore", which is what I do to some here that clog up the top of the first page with too many OT threads. I don't participate in most off topic threads but if it keeps some additional PSU football fans here to enhance the actual football threads maybe it's value added.

 

[lazydave841]

Ok, so it isn't just me. But how do we revive it? What could make it more fun and interesting?

1. It is the off season. It's just a dull time to post.

2. Recruiting and portal info seems to be more paywalled than ever. We don't even have a Recruiting thread here. No posts of who has been offered or anything. That info has been tucked and it used to leak out slowly prior and that was a key off season thread topic.

 

[bdgan]

I get that we are in the off-season. But there are lots of players entering the portal, committing to new schools, the NFL draft is this week, etc. We just have very little discussion of it here. And there are few OT threads that are interesting. Those used to be a big part of this site during the off-season. But we can't have that anymore. Too many people take offense to anything said.

I hope that the site doesn't die off but I'd have to believe the traffic is declining. Is there something we can do to grow the community here? Are there any OT discussions that are interesting that we can add that won't trigger easily offended posters? Any new thoughts or ideas to revive this site?

And for the record, the other site that bolted from here is just as stale.

Well, we do have an interesting thread about this site becoming stale.

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

Get the mods to sign off on a policy that if an OT thread is accurately described in the thread heading and that topic is discussed in the thread that even if it "offends" someone it stays on this board. That policy would only require that people here read the thread topic and don't open the thread if it is a topic they can't cope with, which any adult should be able to manage. The thin skinned also have the option to put the OP's on "ignore", which is what I do to some here that clog up the top of the first page with too many OT threads. I don't participate in most off topic threads but if it keeps some additional PSU football fans here to enhance the actual football threads maybe it's value added.

Oh, the OT threads are definitely added value. You can really learn and be exposed to a number of things through the crowdsourcing of information. Plus, there used to helpful topics that would pop up either in their own thread or as a byproduct of questions asked within a thread. I just don't see that anymore. And unfortunately, it seems to me like the site is dying off.

Thanks for the suggestion above. I do think it should work and it is a very common-sense solution. We should all be adult enough to just not open and comment in an OT thread description that offends you. That's pretty fair. You don't like it, don't participate. But you don't have the right to shut down discussion in topics that offend you. It's pretty scary if that is the world in which we now live, where someone deeming ideas to be offensive has the right to shut down any discussion of those ideas (unless it is something illegal or universally immoral).

 

[The Spin Meister]

Certainly sad how traffic has declined. And have to appreciate that the new owner/operators work hard and create far more content then the previous regime. Tom just relied on people to generate content.

These guys interview players, coaches, staff, past players and more. Have a couple guys do film breakdown of games, players, schemes, coaches and more. Never had any of that before.

Right now is very slow. Spring practice is over. There is a thread on NIL. Another on potential transfers. Soon to be a NFL draft thread. That’s about all going on.

It’s also spring….. meaning longer daylight , lawn care, gardening, honey-do-list, grilling, kid’s sports….just a lot of other stuff going on in people’s lives. And a ton of politics which is verboten here.

Next few months will be slow. Naturally. But come fall we all once again be consumed with football. So be it.

 

[voltz99]

Some users took their talents to other free boards.

Respect their decision.

100% committed, until they are not.

 

[PAgeologist]

There used to be a decent amount of OT/off season posts that were at least interesting to me on here. In fact, I just dug up a couple past ones on lawn mowers since I fried my transmission. Lots of good info in those.

 

[voltz99]

Certainly sad how traffic has declined. And have to appreciate that the new owner/operators work hard and create far more content then the previous regime. Tom just relied on people to generate content.

These guys interview players, coaches, staff, past players and more. Have a couple guys do film breakdown of games, players, schemes, coaches and more. Never had any of that before.

Right now is very slow. Spring practice is over. There is a thread on NIL. Another on potential transfers. Soon to be a NFL draft thread. That’s about all going on.

It’s also spring….. meaning longer daylight , lawn care, gardening, honey-do-list, grilling, kid’s sports….just a lot of other stuff going on in people’s lives. And a ton of politics which is verboten here.

Next few months will be slow. Naturally. But come fall we all once again be consumed with football. So be it.

No. The insider Lions Den pay board did not change. It was the free boards where USERS generated the info that has since changed.

 

[BOSCO2]

The only activity is on the Wrestling Board right now. And that's about to slow down considerably, too.

 

[m.knox]

NIL is taking a big bite out of my enthusiasm.

And the transfer portal. For F's sake, kids are transferring 2 or 3 times. It's damn near impossible to manage. It's the middle teams that suffer. Their good kids get pilfered by NIL money, and the second teamers move on to smaller schools for the potential of more playing time.

 

[m.knox]

Oh well, I guess we'll how it all shakes out over the coming weeks. Let's look on the bright side: only 4 months until kick-off!

Slow down there Jerry. I have a garden to grow yet.

 

[NJPSU]

I get that we are in the off-season. But there are lots of players entering the portal, committing to new schools, the NFL draft is this week, etc. We just have very little discussion of it here. And there are few OT threads that are interesting. Those used to be a big part of this site during the off-season. But we can't have that anymore. Too many people take offense to anything said.

I hope that the site doesn't die off but I'd have to believe the traffic is declining. Is there something we can do to grow the community here? Are there any OT discussions that are interesting that we can add that won't trigger easily offended posters? Any new thoughts or ideas to revive this site?

And for the record, the other site that bolted from here is just as stale.

Translation: Edwardo can’t follow the Board rules, had his posts removed, and is now throwing a temper tantrum.

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

Slow down there Jerry. I have a garden to grow yet.

Good possible OT topic

 

[m.knox]

Translation: Edwardo can’t follow the Board rules, had his posts removed, and is now throwing a temper tantrum.

The board jester at his finest.

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

Translation: Edwardo can’t follow the Board rules, had his posts removed, and is now throwing a temper tantrum.

I have previously posted about how some posters knowing that the political views of other posters from the old test board are incongruent with their own, are incapable of separating the content from posts of those posters from their own feelings about the known political leanings. Such people are irrational, emotionally driven, and will attack the posters of known opposing political leanings in any post for any reason. You illustrate this point very well.

Nothing in this thread implies any poster is having a temper tantrum or displaying any strong emotion outside of maybe general disappointment. But being ruled by your emotions, you had to launch a personal attack simply because you know that another poster holds different views. You may not realize this, but that reflects negatively on you, not on the poster that you are attacking simply because they hold different political views. It tells everyone that you cannot control your emotions and you aren't logical or rational.

 

[voltz99]

The only activity is on the Wrestling Board right now. And that's about to slow down considerably, too.

Why? Is it because the season is over or are they making that for subscribers?

 

[EdwardoCarrachio]

Why? Season is over or are they making that for subscribers?

Don't give them ideas.

 

[Jerry]

And the transfer portal. For F's sake, kids are transferring 2 or 3 times. It's damn near impossible to manage. It's the middle teams that suffer. Their good kids get pilfered by NIL money, and the second teamers move on to smaller schools for the potential of more playing time.

Yup, NIL...the revolving-door portal...plus the bowl games have become a joke. Exhibit A: our recent losses to Arkansas and Mississippi which were basically decided not by those who played but rather by those who didn't. (God help me, I'm starting to agree with Lando on the topic of bowls.)

Hopefully, the expansion of the playoffs will change the post-season equation for the better, but the non-playoff bowls will be less meaningful and generate less excitement than ever with all the best players opting out.

All in all, the landscape of college football is different to the point of unrecognizability from the one that existed a few short years ago. Then again, a lot of things are different to the point of unrecognizability from a few short years ago. Change is inevitable...but that doesn't mean it's always for the better.

 

[The Spin Meister]

No. The insider Lions Den pay board did not change. It was the free boards where USERS generated the info that has since changed.

Whatever……

 

[Crusher1950]

Let’s face it college sports has been ruined it’s called greed and money, you can’t find a 1 o’clock game anymore on a Saturday like the good old days or have a big upset because money has ruined all college sports the fans are the least thought about anymore tv to the schools your playing at this time or you get no money folks we the fan have lost everything

 

[HailToPitt725]

Does this mean I need to start posting more?

 

[crm114psu]

Does this mean I need to start posting more?

Pitt hate does seem to transcend all boundaries, political, religious, economic.....

Have at it as you know the risk involved.

 

[PAgeologist]

Why? Season is over or are they making that for subscribers?

Season is over. Olympic trials are over. Not a ton of stuff to talk about till the Last Chance Qualifier and Olympics.

Probably some rumor mill stuff about transfers, weight changes, is Carter coming back for No 5, commits. Maybe a few summer tournaments for high schoolers.

 

[Jerry]

Pitt hate does seem to transcend all boundaries, political, religious, economic.....

Have at it as you know the risk involved.

I'm one of those weirdo Penn State fans who never hated Pitt. I mean, why? They had a great 7-year run with Cavanaugh and Marino slinging the rock and in that period played some memorable games against us...but other than that they've never remotely been a threat or a factor.

Hell, I even rooted hard for them when they played southern teams in a couple major bowls during that stretch of the mid-70's to early 80's..

I would have loved for the old-time in-state rivalry that we totally dominated to have continued. For a few years it was a rivalry game on par with Alabama-Auburn, Texas-Oklahoma, and so forth. That was a good thing for Pennsylvania football, which has since fallen a long way down from the glory days.

 

[NJPSU]

I have previously posted about how some posters knowing that the political views of other posters from the old test board are incongruent with their own, are incapable of separating the content from posts of those posters from their own feelings about the known political leanings. Such people are irrational, emotionally driven, and will attack the posters of known opposing political leanings in any post for any reason. You illustrate this point very well.

Nothing in this thread implies any poster is having a temper tantrum or displaying any strong emotion outside of maybe general disappointment. But being ruled by your emotions, you had to launch a personal attack simply because you know that another poster holds different views. You may not realize this, but that reflects negatively on you, not on the poster that you are attacking simply because they hold different political views. It tells everyone that you cannot control your emotions and you aren't logical or rational.

Those who have been around these boards for a bit know exactly what you are doing and why.

You 100% started this thread as retribution for having your political posts removed. 100%.

 

[NJPSU]

I'm one of those weirdo Penn State fans who never hated Pitt. I mean, why? They had a great 7-year run with Cavanaugh and Marino slinging the rock and in that period played some memorable games against us...but other than that they've never remotely been a threat or a factor.

Hell, I even rooted hard for them when they played southern teams in a couple major bowls during that stretch of the mid-70's to early 80's..

I would have loved for the old-time in-state rivalry that we totally dominated to have continued. For a few years it was a rivalry game on par with Alabama-Auburn, Texas-Oklahoma, and so forth. That was a good thing for Pennsylvania football, which has since fallen a long way down from the glory days.

I never cared about Pitt one way or another until the internet messageboard became a thing and I became aware of just how much they obsessively hated us.

 

[m.knox]

Those who have been around these boards for a bit know exactly what you are doing and why.

You 100% started this thread as retribution for having your political posts removed. 100%.

LOL..... The board jester and another "theory."......

 

[Parkland Fan]

I get that we are in the off-season. But there are lots of players entering the portal, committing to new schools, the NFL draft is this week, etc. We just have very little discussion of it here. And there are few OT threads that are interesting. Those used to be a big part of this site during the off-season. But we can't have that anymore. Too many people take offense to anything said.

I hope that the site doesn't die off but I'd have to believe the traffic is declining. Is there something we can do to grow the community here? Are there any OT discussions that are interesting that we can add that won't trigger easily offended posters? Any new thoughts or ideas to revive this site?

And for the record, the other site that bolted from here is just as stale.

I think that we need more lurkers to get involved. There are only a few posters who take the initiative and start threads. And yes, although I occasionally start a thread, I am somewhat guilty.

 

[The Spin Meister]

I think that we need more lurkers to get involved. There are only a few posters who take the initiative and start threads. And yes, although I occasionally start a thread, I am somewhat guilty.

Absolutely true. Often see threads with over 500 views yet only 4-5 comments.

People need to be more involved. Add to the conversation.

And don’t care about the few idiots here that criticize everyone. That’s life.