What has happened to Orangebloods posters?

[streettopeschel]

i've been on OB for what seems like forever. my sub runs out this month, but when i called rivals to tell them i wasn't renewing they comped me 3 additional months. so, if it's free, it's for me but i don't intend to re-up in march.

joeywa said, and i agree, that it's become harder to filter through to find good info and i've decided if i have to work at it, is it really something i need?

between this board and another smaller one i'm on, my addictions should be satisfied.

 

[KingKong]

I have been a member on OB for 12 years. I called to cancel last month. They offered to comp me for the next 3 months also. I don't believe Burton was ever part of OB, but Hamilton was. He was the only one

offering any basketball updates. Their board has changed quite a bit.

 

[badboy783]

I think it has a ton to do with the amount of posters on the site and the lack of moderation. I don't mind people bashing info that is given when it doesn't prove to be true but I do have a problem with bashing the person that relayed that info. Every site is going to have their share of people who want to be insiders or make things up sarcastically to get a reply. But IMO the bashing and heckling is allowed to leak over in to multiple threads and it derails the whole point of a pay site for inside information and discussion.

As others have posted, this seems to be a much more mature site for rational discussion. I hope those in charge keep a watchful eye on this place as it grows (which it will) and keep things as under control as they can be.

 

[Hybrid Horn]

Been a member of OB for over ten years and agree with the comment that this board seems to be where the adults hang out. I do enjoy OB as well as Horn Sports, just for different reasons. I find myself reading Horn Sports more every day though.

 

[doc longhorn]

I left OB a year ago still have some good friends over there. I just got tired of wading through the trash talking. There are a few aggie turd heads that has been allowed to get a foothold on OB. Ketch kick them off but I feel that he allows some to stay to keep things stired up. I really don't like sharing the Internet with an aggie low life. My friends y'all have a great day

It has been my experience that the quality of blog forums is dictated by the blog ownership itself. If the mods,themselves, are contributors to the dissension, then the blog is worthless. I understand that Ketch has created different alias just to stir up controversy and attract more subs. He has even admitted this.

This, alone, would be reason enough to drop my sub.

 

[mhsjames]

I'll say this.. I've had my OB membership for over 10 years now and it's really fallen off the last couple years. Im not sure if it's because UT Athletics has gone in the shitter but the attacks on that site lately are just too much.

It's also unbelievable that they haven't upgraded their forums after promising to do so. Apparently it's not within Yahoo's power to add Private Messaging and archive past posts for longer than 1 week. There has been a wealth of knowledge lost on OB because of tech issues.

That being said, I've decided to give OB another year. If the attacks continue and they dont upgrade their tech to the 21st century, I'm gone. I do love me some Taylor tho...

 

[armadillo slim]

I believe the bigger picture is that a lot of long-time members have left or are leaving. Insiders come/go, depending upon who they "know" in the program. It can change at any time. Long-time posters are any website's bread & butter. Those are the folks you should engage about what they see, what keeps them there and what makes them leave. That's steady money.

that's it in a nutshell for me. i'm just not interested in a place where the mod acquiesces to the johnny come lately idiots while ignoring the long time faithful.

i've lost complete interest in the discussions over there. most of my old friends are gone, either to this site, or one other.

honestly, i have much less interest in the "sports only" discussions and much more interest in the community related aspects of a site. those who promote football or sports only discussions fail to understand how normal discourse works. JMO. frankly, i could give a crap less whether i find out who the next coach is five seconds before the next guy. it doesn't affect my day to day well being at all. all this "me first, i reported it first" garbage between the boards is pretty inconsequential in the whole scheme of things.

 

[doc longhorn]

that's it in a nutshell for me. i'm just not interested in a place where the mod acquiesces to the johnny come lately idiots while ignoring the long time faithful.
i've lost complete interest in the discussions over there. most of my old friends are gone, either to this site, or one other.

honestly, i have much less interest in the "sports only" discussions and much more interest in the community related aspects of a site. those who promote football or sports only discussions fail to understand how normal discourse works. JMO. frankly, i could give a crap less whether i find out who the next coach is five seconds before the next guy. it doesn't affect my day to day well being at all. all this "me first, i reported it first" garbage between the boards is pretty inconsequential in the whole scheme of things.

With all due respect, I must disagree with you on this. A sports forum is exactly why I subscribe to a blog. One of the things I like about IT is discussions other than sports are categorized in different forums. What I dislike is when a sports topic or discussion is hijacked by someone who thinks he is funny or wants to personally attack someone who has expressed an opinion. IT has several posters that consider themselves de facto mods and live to either demonize a poster or try to trumpet their own intellect. I find this boring and uninteresting.

 

[DizzG]

OB has too many fake posters. Ketch admits he has trolled the site. there are a few that still pop up now and then like in the thread about this site and Saban yesterday.

 

[armadillo slim]

With all due respect, I must disagree with you on this. A sports forum is exactly why I subscribe to a blog. One of the things I like about IT is discussions other than sports are categorized in different forums. What I dislike is when a sports topic or discussion is hijacked by someone who thinks he is funny or wants to personally attack someone who has expressed an opinion. IT has several posters that consider themselves de facto mods and live to either demonize a poster or try to trumpet their own intellect. I find this boring and uninteresting.

with all due respect i must disagree with your disagree. one of the problems with other sports sites that insist on sports only discussions is the sometimes very long lags between posts. it's not my board, certainly, but if it were, there would be all kinds of discussions because that's the way conversation works.

you come into the office and the first topic well may be, "hey, how about that game last nite. great play calling, huh? blah, blah, blah, then the conversation will shift to "how's your mom and them? or how about that new movie? or my wife fixed me a killer dinner last night. really? what did she cook? and then it may well wind back to sports and so on and so on. you know, sort of like normal conversation which i think is what you're trying to promote.

OB was wildly successful until late exactly because it allows the OT topics to provide bridges in the conversation gaps of sports topics, especially during slow times of year. OB has become a poor place to be lately, but not because of the model, but because of the exceedingly poor moderation. don't mistake what made it a success in the first place. it became a community because it allowed a free flowing conversation, not a contrived one.

name the last time you had a completely normal three hour conversation with anyone and stuck to sports the entire time. if you say that happens all the time for you, then i'll suspect you're telling a whopper.

sports only boards are pretty boring, frankly. often strained and contrived, to stay on topic. like i said, that's what i prefer.

but it sure ain't my board.

 

[sshorn]

I agree with Slim. I actually enjoy some of the OT posts on OB. In fact, I think those may be the best part of OB. I have several problems with many of the UT fan sites. I HATE the condescending attitudes of mods/owners. Ketch is bad. Chip can be. Eric Nahlin at IT is the WORST. Ketch has never been a "journalist." He was a TV cameraman. He hit it big with OB and I give him mad props for building that site into a real business. But I can't stand the "I'm Ketch and you're not" attitude. And he needs to quit acting like he is writing for some great journalistic endeavor and realize it is a fan site. That doesn't mean it is bad, but it is what it is. Chip is a good writer, but he is not a savant. He was a middle-of-the-road reporter at the DMN. He's not Red Smith. Nahlin is just an ass and if you disagree with him (even if you have proof) you are an idiot. It is sad.

If I was running this site, I wouldn't worry about "who is first" and all that other crap. We enjoy the info, keep giving it. Don't try to pimp yourself as some UT-Superstar - we don't care who "the man" is. If you are good at this info-thing, your readers will know. You don't have to continually scream "I'm good" from the mountaintop. People look silly when they do that.

Just my thoughts. I find myself coming to this site more and more because I recognize some of the posters. I hate Baghorn, but I still find my way here everyday (not really, Bag was my fraternity big brother - don't listen to him cause he's never known anything but a slice, a yip and beer).

One more thing before I go back into hibernation: I find the "site wars" sad, stupid and utterly fascinating.

Merry Christmas all! Enjoy this most wonderful holiday.

 

[doc longhorn]

with all due respect i must disagree with your disagree. one of the problems with other sports sites that insist on sports only discussions is the sometimes very long lags between posts. it's not my board, certainly, but if it were, there would be all kinds of discussions because that's the way conversation works.
you come into the office and the first topic well may be, "hey, how about that game last nite. great play calling, huh? blah, blah, blah, then the conversation will shift to "how's your mom and them? or how about that new movie? or my wife fixed me a killer dinner last night. really? what did she cook? and then it may well wind back to sports and so on and so on. you know, sort of like normal conversation which i think is what you're trying to promote.

OB was wildly successful until late exactly because it allows the OT topics to provide bridges in the conversation gaps of sports topics, especially during slow times of year. OB has become a poor place to be lately, but not because of the model, but because of the exceedingly poor moderation. don't mistake what made it a success in the first place. it became a community because it allowed a free flowing conversation, not a contrived one.

name the last time you had a completely normal three hour conversation with anyone and stuck to sports the entire time. if you say that happens all the time for you, then i'll suspect you're telling a whopper.

sports only boards are pretty boring, frankly. often strained and contrived, to stay on topic. like i said, that's what i prefer.

but it sure ain't my board.

Well, I'm trying to see your side of it, but I must admit I am, frankly, struggling. Longhorn forums are generally categorized into threads - like this one. Threads are usually sustained by the interest in the thread topic and which are usually dedicated to UT related sports - not by what we had to eat last night or our favorite bars. In fact, these kinds of hijacks will usually kill a sports thread, as those that are not interested will drop out and go on to another thread. I know I certainly do. That being said, it's true that a large quantity of sports threads are certainly hijacked and I agree with you on this part. And, where you like this, I think most of us don't.

And I think I am in the majority when I say most of us are on here to talk sports, and all things UT, and particularly as they are related to our beloved university.

And, if what I think you are wanting is a conversation whereby sports are only part of the conversation, then I think you will be continually frustrated with blogs dedicated, primarily, to sports conversation threads.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[doc longhorn]

I agree with Slim. I actually enjoy some of the OT posts on OB. In fact, I think those may be the best part of OB. I have several problems with many of the UT fan sites. I HATE the condescending attitudes of mods/owners. Ketch is bad. Chip can be. Eric Nahlin at IT is the WORST. Ketch has never been a "journalist." He was a TV cameraman. He hit it big with OB and I give him mad props for building that site into a real business. But I can't stand the "I'm Ketch and you're not" attitude. And he needs to quit acting like he is writing for some great journalistic endeavor and realize it is a fan site. That doesn't mean it is bad, but it is what it is. Chip is a good writer, but he is not a savant. He was a middle-of-the-road reporter at the DMN. He's not Red Smith. Nahlin is just an ass and if you disagree with him (even if you have proof) you are an idiot. It is sad.If I was running this site, I wouldn't worry about "who is first" and all that other crap. We enjoy the info, keep giving it. Don't try to pimp yourself as some UT-Superstar - we don't care who "the man" is. If you are good at this info-thing, your readers will know. You don't have to continually scream "I'm good" from the mountaintop. People look silly when they do that.

Just my thoughts. I find myself coming to this site more and more because I recognize some of the posters. I hate Baghorn, but I still find my way here everyday (not really, Bag was my fraternity big brother - don't listen to him cause he's never known anything but a slice, a yip and beer).

One more thing before I go back into hibernation: I find the "site wars" sad, stupid and utterly fascinating.

Merry Christmas all! Enjoy this most wonderful holiday.

LOL - You and I are on the same page when it comes to blog mods. First of all, none of them are what I call real journalists and only 2 or 3 of them can be described as writers. Scipio Tex, of Barking Carnival, is an exceptionally talented writer and why he remains writing on a blog is beyond me. No, IMO, blog mods are reporters. And some are very good reporters - some are not.

As far as the internet squabbles, they are mostly boring. However, reading them allows us to peek at the histories of those involved and I find this to be interesting. I also learned that, though his own admission, Ketch actually manipulates his blog with personal trolling. Now, if OB was a free blog, I would just move on. But his isn't. Frankly, I consider this to be tantamount to a scam. I once considered a sub with OB but, because of the squabbling, I learned about this underhanded manipulation and I would'nt touch OB with a ten foot pole now.

Slim and I were just discussing the merits of sports threads and what he and I found agreeable or disagreeable about them. Thass all.

 

[ToadHallGangster]

You guys are all idiots and this board is horrible!
Oops, wrong board.

I think the grown up table is the best analogy for what HornSports has become. I've been a member of OB since the Wash St Holiday bowl debacle, but I rarely ever post there. I only lurk, just because of all the reasons mentioned above. I haven't been active here yet, but I really want to be because from what I've seen so far there are actual discussions here. On OB, and even IT, most discussions end up one of two ways; a full on bullying session or a gif war. Don't get me wrong I love funny gifs as much as the next guy, but they get old when trying to have an actual discussion.

Another thing that kills OB for me is the constant infatuation with "blasting". To clarify, I'm a hetero male so of course it's a weird complaint. But I am also a 39 year old happily married man, and it pisses me off that I am tentative to scroll through a thread while my wife is beside me on the couch. My wife is almost as big a Longhorn fan as I am and I'd like to be able to show her threads without a half naked chick or some perverted gif showing up. (Exception being the Lucci gif - that one should be universally accepted in any situation!)

In general, this board is off to a phenomenal start and I'm looking forward to being an active part of the family and excited to see where it grows from here.

My bad.

 

[armadillo slim]

LOL

Doc, i've been a member of lots of message boards over the years and OB for 14 or so. i realize i may not know my way around very well, and am still a rookie here, but i doubt if i'm going to be continually frustrated by all the sports threads. i too joined for the sports discussions, and that really hasn't changed, but when you try to limit conversation and focus it thru a narrow prism, you are sounding the death knell of the board. i've seen it happen more often than not.

if the mods of this board want it to thrive and grow, then they'll allow conversation of all types to flow. labeling a topic as OT is fair enough warning, I think. if you see an OT and practice the "don't click" rule, then you will have what you want, and most everybody else will have what they want.

telling others what to talk about is a poor message board practice IMO. if a topic is labeled OT and doesn't interest you, then don't click on it.

the ones who will be frustrated will be the one's who are looking for nothing but football topics along about may or so. you'll be praying for a good barbecue thread then.

 

[texxaslonghorn]

I made my first post on OB last week. It was a legit. question about Katy's stellar junior RB, Rodney Anderson. Nobody replied but everyone went on bashing each other. So much for actual football discussion.

 

[seahawkhorn]

It's a place for smart asses, pretty much. Any time I feel like being a smart ass, I go post on OB's.

 

[doc longhorn]

LOL
Doc, i've been a member of lots of message boards over the years and OB for 14 or so. i realize i may not know my way around very well, and am still a rookie here, but i doubt if i'm going to be continually frustrated by all the sports threads. i too joined for the sports discussions, and that really hasn't changed, but when you try to limit conversation and focus it thru a narrow prism, you are sounding the death knell of the board. i've seen it happen more often than not.

if the mods of this board want it to thrive and grow, then they'll allow conversation of all types to flow. labeling a topic as OT is fair enough warning, I think. if you see an OT and practice the "don't click" rule, then you will have what you want, and most everybody else will have what they want.

telling others what to talk about is a poor message board practice IMO. if a topic is labeled OT and doesn't interest you, then don't click on it.

the ones who will be frustrated will be the one's who are looking for nothing but football topics along about may or so. you'll be praying for a good barbecue thread then.

Well, we will just have to agree to disagree. What I like about this blog is that we can do this with no hard feelings.

A safe Merry Christmas to you and yours and remember who's birthday we are celebrating or observing.

 

[batcity]

if the mods of this board want it to thrive and grow, then they'll allow conversation of all types to flow. labeling a topic as OT is fair enough warning, I think. if you see an OT and practice the "don't click" rule, then you will have what you want, and most everybody else will have what they want.

Are OT posts not allowed here? The one feature I loved about OB was how off-topic posts built a community. The problem was not OT posts, but rather the moderation of the rants and allowing continual personal attacks.

I sure hope this site tries to foster a similar community, but one with much more respect and structure.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Are OT posts not allowed here? The one feature I loved about OB was how off-topic posts built a community. The problem was not OT posts, but rather the moderation of the rants and allowing continual personal attacks.
I sure hope this site tries to foster a similar community, but one with much more respect and structure.

Trey,

Yes, we are building a community that includes having the ablity to "OT" on anything you like. I've had my first Landscape Thread here a few weeks ago and it went well. I've been assured by management here that this is the direction they want to go - a community of like-minded folks who can enjoy the benefits we all know a community like this can bring.

I like basketball and baseball, too, but let's face it - there are times when there's just not much sports related to be talked about. That's when it's good to have something else to talk about. Plus, there's always something coming up or timely that we just need to break down and analyze, like whether or not Bob Stoops' anatomy can support a fourth chin, stuff like that. ha ha

So yes, bring the OTs. But right now with bowls and coaches dancing, etc., that's why it's been dominated with football.