Is Foot.ie just becoming a talking shop?

**geysir** · 12/06/2009, 9:17 AM

Imo the Ireland forum does not need to split up into General and Team Talk.
If it aint broke don't fix it.
The usual main reason for a sub division is that threads disappear fast into page 2.
This is not the case in the Ireland forum, established threads have a regular enough discipline and a new thread takes more than a few days to fall down. I think Eirebhoy has a very good overview on how it feels to use the Ireland Forum. Imo, there is no good case to divide it up into General and Team.
I don't have many ideas for Forum layout. The OWC site has too many divisions and sub divisions.
Here, instead of the World Cup Forum you could have a Fans Forum proper.
And move the old World Cup threads to the History section.

edit - maybe I misunderstood the discussion

**NeilMcD** · 12/06/2009, 9:30 AM

Originally Posted by Maribor

Neil,

I think there has to be an acceptance that foot.ie will not be all things to all people.

In my view it is far and away the best message board for domestic Irish football, as well as a great sections on many other topics. YBIG has a more narrow remit and does a fantastic job with it.

Also, you have got to remember that many of us have been involved in previous fans type initiatives(previous singing sections, protests against Delaney etc) and sometimes you just get tired of it after a while.

My views were not on the rest of www.foot.ie and none of my posts have been related to that. It is to do with the fans forum and what has led it to go from a vibrant section where things were organised to a forum when you post up about great stories from the past you get about 7 replies. There is a lack of activitism on this area of the site and most of that has gone to ybig in my view. Plenty of the people who are active on ybig were and are members of foot.ie. That is the crux of my opinion and post on this. I am not talking about foot.ie in general at all.

The retort by one of the mods on the Cyprus thread to JT who has just recently joined in many ways sums it up. The fans forum will look lovely and be administered great but it will have no energy in it and nobody posting.

**Sligo Hornet** · 12/06/2009, 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

My views were not on the rest of www.foot.ie and none of my posts have been related to that. It is to do with the fans forum and what has led it to go from a vibrant section where things were organised to a forum when you post up about great stories from the past you get about 7 replies. There is a lack of activitism on this area of the site and most of that has gone to ybig in my view. Plenty of the people who are active on ybig were and are members of foot.ie. That is the crux of my opinion and post on this. I am not talking about foot.ie in general at all.

The retort by one of the mods on the Cyprus thread to JT who has just recently joined in many ways sums it up. The fans forum will look lovely and be administered great but it will have no energy in it and nobody posting.

I must admit I also felt that was domineering and unhelpful to a relative newcomer.......not surprised by her retort either, nor her lack of posts since

**pineapple stu** · 12/06/2009, 10:36 AM

It wasn't on the Cyprus thread; it was on a separate thread in a separate forum entirely (which was subsequently merged). The post was adequately explained (it was a second time pointing out the same thread), so I've no bothers with it. It's not as if an infraction or a banning was issued. If that's a problem, I think people need thicker skin.

**NeilMcD** · 12/06/2009, 10:45 AM

By its nature the fans forum attracts people who very rarely post and just want a bit of advice on trips etc and could be nervous internet users etc. They then post up on a site which they may perceive that everybody knows each other. They make a post in the wrong thread or set up a new thread and they are met with an unhelpful comment. I have done the same myself to "BeenThere" before I did mine in an ironic tone but I later realised it was not the done thing. Not everybody who posts in au fait with the internet etc and I think the fans forum tends to have more of these than other aspect of the site.

I think the fact you have just corrected me and said it was not on the Cyprus thread sums it up. I have thick skin and I do not give a damn but not everybody is like that and new users looking for info on one of their first trips to a match shut not be shot down so quickly. The site will survive if their is a loose thread hanging about, but the fans forum will not survive if people are too ****ed off to post.

**gustavo** · 12/06/2009, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

I think the fact you have just corrected me and said it was not on the Cyprus thread sums it up.

But ps knows you're au fait with the site ,So I don't see the problem

I personally don't think re-arrangement of the titles and remits of the various forums is neccecary

I don't think there's any great need to compete with YBIG , They do what they do very well and vice versa

**pineapple stu** · 12/06/2009, 10:52 AM

I completely understand people coming in and posting a new thread or in the wrong thread. That's why I genially pointed out the existing thread for the Cyprus game, a post which was genially acknowledged. When, within a couple of days, my post was ignored and another thread was started, I don't think the poster has the same excuse. (The poster last posted yesterday at midday, so I think it's a bit of a stretch to say the big bad mod has chased her away).

foot.ie's policy - as has been debated on the Ireland forum numerous times - is not to have seventeen threads where one will do. As mod, I'm just keeping to that policy. For one reason, I agree with it. Nobody's expressed a problem with it before. As such, part of the role of a mod is to stop threads splitting off into seventeen different threads all on the same thing. People should take a few seconds just to familiarise themselves with the forum rather than posting nilly-willy (which goes as well for new posters who post on the ticket exchange thread having clearly not read the rules)

**NeilMcD** · 12/06/2009, 10:59 AM

Sometimes being right is not the be all and end all.

**pineapple stu** · 12/06/2009, 11:02 AM

Sometimes people need to be less precious about what's said on the internet.

Anyway, I've explained that post, and don't apologise for it, so I think we can move on from it.

**paul_oshea** · 12/06/2009, 12:19 PM

moving on swiftly, does anyone think that foot.ie has become a talking shop, and that the mods are too hard?!

gustavo, change can be good if its in the right direction, for example Id say that the EL forum and the Ireland forum(at busiest times) would be relative in numbers or even bigger within the Ireland section, so as this site moved from LOI only to Ireland, it also moved to off topic etc, it accomodated what the users wanted. Which in fairness, and I for one have had the spats with ALL mods, they have got 100% right, in my very humble opinion! Anyway I think Neil has tested the waters since this post, lets hope people start putting up pictures. I will and identify those that I know if my mate gets his finger out and puts them up!!!

**elroy** · 12/06/2009, 12:33 PM

There is very few things i would change about this site.

My passion is the Irish international team, but I also follow LOI and the EPL and world football in general. For all things to do with Ireland team, the Ireland thread is my first point of call and is in general very informative and points are well debated with little change needed. I never find the need to view other sites tbh. The soccer republic site is quite impressive, however nonetheless I still feel foot.ie is the best for like minded supporters and information.
In particular, the "I love Man Yoo but could give a toss about Ireland cos their crap" attitude of some people in this country drives me mad but Im glad to see we dont seem to have them on this site.

The outside opinions of Montenegrin, E Green and the other NI is also welcome imo.

There is once or twice once i feel the mods have closed a topic a bit early, eg recently the Owen Coyle thread. Now I know it ran off topic for quite a while but these things tend to happen in any thread.

For any away games, you cant beat the fans forum for info. For Bari in particular. I agree with a few of the points raised above about dividing the posts into accomodation/flights etc etc......not sure if this is possible but maybe when you post info in an away game thread, if there was a box to tick to categorise the post into accomodation or flights or general etc.

**pineapple stu** · 12/06/2009, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by elroy

I agree with a few of the points raised above about dividing the posts into accomodation/flights etc etc......not sure if this is possible but maybe when you post info in an away game thread, if there was a box to tick to categorise the post into accomodation or flights or general etc.

Just going to start the threads now; it'll be a case of post in the right thread. Come back in ten minutes and have a look see...

Edit - and we're done (granted, it took more than ten minutes...)

**billybunter** · 12/06/2009, 2:57 PM

In my humble opinion.

YBIG is like a beautiful girlfriend - she takes care of ones every need and can be counted on for a good time.

Foot.ie is like "a bit on the side". You get the itch to stop over once in a while, and 10 mins after you get there, you wonder that the fcuk you are doing..

IN fairness, the fact the mods on here are even asking for feedback is a massive step in the right direction, but for me it's YBIG all the way.

**theworm2345** · 12/06/2009, 3:10 PM

Originally Posted by billybunter

YBIG is like a beautiful girlfriend who cheated and caught AIDS - she took care of ones every need and could be counted on for a good time but can no longer be trusted though you still care for her (or at least some parts of her

).

Fixed

**pineapple stu** · 12/06/2009, 3:41 PM

Originally Posted by billybunter

In fairness, the fact the mods on here are even asking for feedback is a massive step in the right direction, but for me it's YBIG all the way.

In fairness, the mods here always welcome feedback. Neil just had the initiative to open a thread suggesting it, which highlighted it and speeded things up. Course, if your feedback is stupid, you'll get told so.

**Junior** · 12/06/2009, 4:16 PM

Originally Posted by theworm2345

Fixed

Jaysus worm what did they do to you? you sound like a women scorned.....

**theworm2345** · 12/06/2009, 4:52 PM

Originally Posted by Junior

Jaysus worm what did they do to you? you sound like a women scorned.....

That doesn't really make sense because I don't know why a woman would have a beautiful girlfriend (well a lesbian but I assume thats not what you're implying)

http://foot.ie/forums/showpost.php?p...4&postcount=77
Last little paragraph before the quote sums it up

**dahamsta** · 12/06/2009, 6:15 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

In fairness, the mods here always welcome feedback.

In fact we have a whole forum dedicated to it. Unfortunately though, the Irish football community isn't brilliant on feeding back. Excellent at bitching, not so good on the feedback

**NeilMcD** · 12/06/2009, 7:04 PM

Basically if what comes out of it this is a more fun aspect to the fans forum full of banter and fans activity that woudl be great. In addition to that newcomers to the fans forum people who are obviously going to games but are not so au fait with the internet if they are welcomed by fans and by moderators and smart arse comments, (which I was guilty of to "beenthere" despite the fact the man has travelled all over for years supporting his country) are kept on hold are left out. I think this will have more effect than any re-formatting of the forum.