Reenergising the forum / fans section

[Crosby87]

I still love this site. I've been on YBIG for 20 years but I would prefer the way Foot.ie was, over that site. (Oh, G'wan ?) Jeez fellas on YBIG it's not funny anymore if it ever was!!

I got kicked off years ago for saying MSNBC was left wing, (!), and I'm sure a lot of other things in fairness, and Dahmasta kindly let me back for Xmas years later. I'm grateful.

But it had changed drastically. I was shocked.
It's just become so egg shelly, like I don't even make a comment I'm serious about half the time now, without thinking about it five ways lest it be taken as jest.

But again, I'm happy to be back on and I am not trying to get kicked off again. The world is filled with a crazy amount of anxiety now people in the US at least are so freaking unhappy and not making it. I felt that for me, talking about the Irish national team is enjoyable and not serious. It seems like the tone set from the certain mods was like so serious and tsk tsk. Not personal just saying.

Last thing, sorry: For example I would love to pick peoples brains on here in an off topic thread about immigration. It can be a calm, interesting discussion for anyone wishing to join in. But in current form, I mean it would get taken down in two seconds. If it was measured and non offensive, even.

Why?

[sbgawa]

I think when stuff is taken off for being off topic mostly it's cos 1 or 2 are getting political or preachy, it's a hard one but take away the moderation and it's just twitter with people shouting.

An idea might be to get all the clubs to tweet a link to a new twitter account with comments like "chat about tonight's matches on foot.ie with a link to the game thread. Can't imagine it wouldn't get at the very least a load of lurkers who might join later. If it was planned properly (of course it would be) we could start the thread early

[SkStu]

It turns out all we needed was a Saipan thread. :D

[osarusan]

It turns out all we needed was a Saipan thread. :D

Could anything be more attractive to potential new forum members than "Click here to join the debate on foot.ie about the 2002 Saipan incident and whether a different camp location might have led to less friction" ? :D

[Crosby87]

Could anything be more attractive to potential new forum members than "Click here to join the debate on foot.ie about the 2002 Saipan incident and whether a different camp location might have led to less friction" ? :D

I thought it was the fried breakfast!

[pineapple stu]

An idea might be to get all the clubs to tweet a link to a new twitter account with comments like "chat about tonight's matches on foot.ie with a link to the game thread. Can't imagine it wouldn't get at the very least a load of lurkers who might join later. If it was planned properly (of course it would be) we could start the thread early
No harm in trying, though clubs tend to run a mile from forums (and places where officials, etc, can be criticised). More than one club has threatened this place down the years for example; they'd be unlikely to turn around and promote it.

[dahamsta]

On the topic of replatforming, there are several reasons but the most important are:

1. Security -- Foot.ie uses an old version of vBulletin, which is up to date, but it will only run on an old version of PHP and it's really only a matter of time before someone develops a hack for old vB that the vB team won't fix.
2. Mobile -- the mobile skin is rubbish and it's too awkward to bring it up to modern standards. Mobile is too important to leave out these days.
3. Usability -- the functionality is very outdated at this point, particularly compared to other platforms. You say you're happy with what you have, but you'd be happier with a more modern platform, believe me.
4. Design -- is last, I'm not bothered about it, but a modern platform will just look better anyway.

Vanilla isn't a given, it's just the first option that popped into my head. I'd actually be more likely to go with Discourse, in hindsight, but it's been a while since I reviewed so I'd need to do that again. I understand the animosity towards Vanilla but as someone else pointed out, that really is down to the complete balls Boards.ie made of their migration. They messed it up so bad that they had to remove more and more functionality over time, so it's a shadow of what Vanilla should look like now. But again, I'm more likely to go with Discourse anyway, if past experience is anything to go by.

I won't be going with vB, Invision, or phpBB.

[sbgawa]

No harm in trying, though clubs tend to run a mile from forums (and places where officials, etc, can be criticised). More than one club has threatened this place down the years for example; they'd be unlikely to turn around and promote it.


Not saying your wrong but
a) there are probably a few itk on this forum who could ask their clyub to promote.
b) compared to twitter etc the moderation on this site is surely better for the league

[elatedscum]

is the profanity filter really needed? or what's the thought process behind it...

[SkStu]

Its helps to stop people from acting the ****

[The Fly]

Consolidation, a more relaxed approach to moderation...and new smilies please!

[Mr A]

Just wondering if the filter still edits Scunthorpe.

[BonnieShels]

is the profanity filter really needed? or what's the thought process behind it...

Yes. And it works and indeed has worked. Stops people just effin and blinding and adding nothing to conversation.

[nigel-harps1954]

Yes. And it works and indeed has worked. Stops people just effin and blinding and adding nothing to conversation.

We're all mannerly gentlemen here.

[Acornvilla]

I was on a forum once that used to change any swear or insult to "sweetheart" which was fun :D Caused a lot of amusement when the change was initially made and no one understood what was happening.

[pineapple stu]

I think it was the Pat's forum back in the day that used to change "snigger" to "sblack person"

Completely agree with Bonnie's post though.

After an that though - is it turn reorg first (when dahamsta gets time), and then short straw for someone to push it on social?

[Bottle of Tonic]

Interesting discussion. My feeling is that forums started to die off around as far back as 2010. Facebook and people having their own personal shrine on the internet. Old school forums with no faces and pseudonyms was not what people wanted any longer when faster attention could be gained elsewhere.

I remember going to an Ireland away trip around 2008. There was some sort of foot.ie fan meet up where we got name badges I think. Anyway quite quickly it seemed like the away fans gravitated towards YBIG which seems to have a more game-attending culture attached to it, whereas Foot has retained its more considered somewhat academic character. I got the feeling foot.ie lost a lot of posters around that time who were perhaps keen to be involved in this new 'ultra' type supporter culture rather than the debate/discussion stuff this site is centered around.

I absolutely favour this site 1000% over ybig due to its adult and mature tone and despite being an extremely infrequent poster and only occasional lurker I will continue to visit it as long as its around. Thanks to owner, mods and posters for keeping the show on the road.

[CraftyToePoke]

Interesting discussion. My feeling is that forums started to die off around as far back as 2010. Facebook and people having their own personal shrine on the internet. Old school forums with no faces and pseudonyms was not what people wanted any longer when faster attention could be gained elsewhere.

SM of course is a factor but equally club forums I notice are still thriving, I'm on a few but the one I'd point to is LondonRoad.net the Peterborough United one, that's a provincial club in a 10k stadium, a core support of somewhere around 6 / 7k in a city & catchment of probably 250k people & the forum buzzes daily. Not just the team talk section, Tour de France, politics, gigs you're going to, what's good on TV tonight, Olympics, Brexit, movies, box sets, pubs round town, Glastonbury, bets, the lot. They chat about it all & drawing from a way lower pool of people than on here. So worldwide forum die off shrug of the shoulders is a lazy blame I think.

Villa / Leicester City forums are still the center piece of discussion too. The Limerick soccer forum died though as have some other LOI ones I think so maybe it's an Irish thing. Just like when the whole world got itself WhatsApp, Ireland decided it liked Viber better.

[tetsujin1979]

Really? I knew two people who used Viber, and both of them dropped it for WhatsApp

[CraftyToePoke]

Really? I knew two people who used Viber, and both of them dropped it for WhatsApp

Its changed now but early days all my family & friends in Limerick & some in Galway & Kerry too were Vibered up, I mean they all were. I had to argue with them, correct them. I'm talking 40+ souls here I had to save. I even had to get Viber for a bit.

[pineapple stu]

Yeah, I had Viber before WhatsApp. Was a work suggestion too, so wasn't just me being contrary

[John83]

...so wasn't just me being contrary
God forbid!

This is interesting. I've never even heard of Viber.

[CraftyToePoke]

They thought I was a freak for having this WhatsApp thing & I said no, no no, you're the freaks, all of you, freaks, you'll see. Now they see. Took a good year though.

So Ireland does have its own tech use behavioural patterns & maybe forums are the WhatsApp of yore. But I still think there's an audience out there sick of wading through the SM daily horror scene who'd love footdot & don't know its here.

& once its revamped, email all the registration emails used to register users, show it off, remind people. We don't need loads, looking at SM we don't want loads either.

[Razors left peg]

Its changed now but early days all my family & friends in Limerick & some in Galway & Kerry too were Vibered up, I mean they all were. I had to argue with them, correct them. I'm talking 40+ souls here I had to save. I even had to get Viber for a bit.

Yep, I had multiple groups on Viber for the longest time. I had to take the parents into what's app kicking and screaming fairly recently cos they were the last hold outs

[CraftyToePoke]

Yep, I had multiple groups on Viber for the longest time. I had to take the parents into what's app kicking and screaming fairly recently cos they were the last hold outs

Makes you wonder if a many Irish mammies Viberate on the sly to this day Razor, when no ones watching. On the low low.

[BonnieShels]

I think it was the Pat's forum back in the day that used to change "snigger" to "sblack person"

Completely agree with Bonnie's post though.

After an that though - is it turn reorg first (when dahamsta gets time), and then short straw for someone to push it on social?

The old Oxegen and Electric Picnic fora used to do that well.

I got into a row with some zoon on Reddit who though "snigger" was a slur. It was insane.

[BonnieShels]

SM of course is a factor but equally club forums I notice are still thriving, I'm on a few but the one I'd point to is LondonRoad.net the Peterborough United one, that's a provincial club in a 10k stadium, a core support of somewhere around 6 / 7k in a city & catchment of probably 250k people & the forum buzzes daily. Not just the team talk section, Tour de France, politics, gigs you're going to, what's good on TV tonight, Olympics, Brexit, movies, box sets, pubs round town, Glastonbury, bets, the lot. They chat about it all & drawing from a way lower pool of people than on here. So worldwide forum die off shrug of the shoulders is a lazy blame I think.

Villa / Leicester City forums are still the center piece of discussion too. The Limerick soccer forum died though as have some other LOI ones I think so maybe it's an Irish thing. Just like when the whole world got itself WhatsApp, Ireland decided it liked Viber better.

There was a very brief overlap of Viber and WhatsApp and Viber got dropped quick fast once the critical mass happened. Viber was the Telegram of its day.

[BonnieShels]

They thought I was a freak for having this WhatsApp thing & I said no, no no, you're the freaks, all of you, freaks, you'll see. Now they see. Took a good year though.

So Ireland does have its own tech use behavioural patterns & maybe forums are the WhatsApp of yore. But I still think there's an audience out there sick of wading through the SM daily horror scene who'd love footdot & don't know its here.

& once its revamped, email all the registration emails used to register users, show it off, remind people. We don't need loads, looking at SM we don't want loads either.

Don't forget our love affair with Bebo.

[nigel-harps1954]

Viber was all the rage in my family for a while too until everyone moved to Whatsapp.

Signal tried it's best to take off for a while there too.

[The Fly]

Any updates on this?

[dahamsta]

Sorry for the delay, I recently sold the domains and hosting side of my business and I've been busy with that process.

That necessitates moving Foot.ie to a new server, and I'm disinclined to do so as-is because the installed version of vBulletin won't run on PHP > 5.6, and even the final version (that was upgraded just to support PHP 7) only goes to PHP 7.1. This is still very, very old, and more importantly, it's actually quite difficult to install because even the guys that host old version repositories don't carry it any more.

So the priority is now migration to a new platform, with the data as-is, and I'll come back to your (very welcome!) suggestions when that's done. That process should be a lot easier on the new platform, Discourse (https://github.com/discourse/discourse), which will likely be one you recognise even if you don't know the name, because it's used pretty widely around the web.

I've just this minute built a new VPS for the site and I'll be working on installing and configuring Discourse over the weekend. I'll update next week.

[John83]

Just to say, the hard work is appreciated. If you need testers before formally switching over, I'm sure there'll be volunteers.

[SkStu]

Good news! Thanks Adam.

[SRFC]

Why does it take so long to get posts approved? Start of the league season and you should be trying to capitalize on new members. But my posts take days to get approved and just get inserted at the time of my original post so disappear behind newer stuff

[dahamsta]

Honestly? Because I was on my first proper holiday in 14 years. Also, wrong thread.

[SRFC]

Honestly? Because I was on my first proper holiday in 14 years. Also, wrong thread.

Sorry on both counts. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks

[The Fly]

Just curious if there’s been any movement on this?

[dahamsta]

No, I've been pretty sick for a few months now, light at the end of the tunnel but it'll be next week at least before I start feeling it. Sorry.

[The Fly]

No problem and thanks for the update. Take it easy!