Massive Site Overhaul...Need Volunteers!

[cprice12]

So I think we can all agree this site needs something...or a lot of things.
I'd like to drastically change things up to see if we can improve the site, gain some traffic back, etc.

I'd like to put together a committee to brainstorm and be in on redeveloping the site, add/remove features/content, or whatever. You don't have to know how to program or anything like that...just come armed with good ideas for a Blues discussion forum site and we'll go from there.
I'm open to any suggestions you may have...no matter how different or off the wall.

PM or email me if you are interested and I'll give you access to the committee discussion group.

I'd like to get started on this ASAP if you guys are up for it.
Thanks.

[SIU LAW]

I'm not sure they would be interested or not, but it seems like teaming up with St. Louis Gametime could bring in some traffic. They have a number of people that post through the comments section, and a board for those posters would be great.

[sseagle]

I'd be down, but since no one ever listens to me...

[ViPeRx007]

I make websites to earn my way in this world. I could perhaps be of some use...or not. I never said I was good at it.

[dmiles2186]

I could try to help. I'm not good at coming up with ideas or anything, but I could at least give it a go.

[kodos]

I'll get in on the talks but I don't have time or energy to actually do anything.

[WaukeeBlues]

Can we put the avatars and names back on the left side?

... That's all I got

[glen a richter]

The focal point needs to be flashchat. I'm no expert on the matter, but one thing I've observed over the years is the human need for more instantaneous things. Message boards are great and all, but they tend to move slowly, especially during the offseason and on off days, unless you have a tremendously large community that encompasses fans of all teams talking about all teams. In other words, making LGB an "everyone's welcome" forum.

Making flashchat the centerpiece of the site makes things move at a faster clip and it genuinely more fun than sitting in a GDT that goes nowhere. Sometimes I get on in the morning the day after a game and there's no responses yet to the results of the night before. Those of us who flashchat can agree it's very fun.

I'd suggest a scaled down message board with specific topics, maybe a trade rumors topic, a general offseason topic, things like that. And use the flashchat as the foremost exclusive live chatting function during game nights. What would be excellent beyond all comprehension is if flashchat could be configured to have a live video stream of the game on the same screen (I know... $$$). On non-game days schedule the roundtables. I know the roundtable concept crashed and burned on the first attempt, but with tweaking it could work nicely.

[Oaklandblue]

I'd like to help and have a fairly good range of skills in terms of coding and such.

[bluessteener20]

I am defiantly willing to help. I am a web designer and I know HTML, CSS, PHP, a little python, a little javascript and jquery, and some SQL. I am a die hard blues fan as well so you can contact me at colemarchlew@gmail.com if you need my help!

Thanks and LGB!

[BlueNoteworthy]

What you need to overhaul is the members, not the site. Take it or leave it, and I am fairly sure you will leave it, but here is the opinion of someone who tried to break into the site as a new member.

As a quick summary, I joined the site early in the season after the Lapierre suspension hit. I wanted a place to discuss the hit, looked at a few boards and chose yours. I proceeded to be a fairly active poster over the next month (averaged a post a day). Early on, I had a disagreement with Viper and sseagle when I commented in seriousness on a joke sseagle made. They lashed out at me for missing the joke. I responded that I ignored the joke as I wanted to discuss the issue. They told me to lighten the frak up. I made a sarcastic post back. sseagle made a few sarcastic remarks around the forum, and I thought we moved on. Then I made a post about the "most disappointing Blue" player at the quarter mark. I was attacked. Viper said the most disappointing thing was horrible fans like me. Instead of ignoring the post or making a comment for discussion, they insulted me and ridiculed the thread. They stifled discussion and pissed me off. I most definitely overreacted as they rubbed me the wrong way. I lashed back out and eventually I left the site. I saw this post when I came by to lurk and see some discussion about the Polak not making the Olympics. I decided to lend my two cents to this topic as I have a unique viewpoint you will not get elsewhere.

For my overly harsh words to the forum as a whole and other members, I do apologize. I do not apologize for leaving the site, which I will do again after this post. This site has some serious problems which I will discuss below. There isn't even a discussion about the Olympic picks. The Blues had 10 guys chosen, tied for most of any team, and one snubbed. There is not one thread about it besides an old Oshie thread which turned into a joke. What reason is there to stick around when its all flashchat and insults.

Now I know that the site administrator cannot control the members but that is what you have to try to do. On a bigger site a few cranky members are not a problem. This is a smaller site, something I thought would be good. However, when the most active posters have their own little club, it makes joining in very difficult. From an outsider's perspective, it seems they see the site a certain way, probably how it was in the "glory days". They only respect the members of their club, present and past. Anyone new and any new ideas or topics that don't fit how things used to work are wrong. Further, these very members are the ones that are going to be your team in overhauling the site. They are going to make the site in the image of how things used to be. It is this exact image that is driving members away. When someone like me wants to come in and make posts they don't agree with or does not want to use flash chat, they insult them. I don't know these guys from Adam so it is not good natured ribbing. It is annoying and really made me want to leave and not come back. There are some decent members with some great opinions. Its why I came back to lurk and see thoughts on Polak. However, it is not worth posting when your posts are automatically met with ridicule (as I am sure this one will probably be).

So what you need is moderators to enforce a code of conduct among all members (myself included when I lashed back out). Arguments are fine. Fights and traded insults can stir up excitement, but eventually lead to people leaving. If a member insults me or makes an inflammatory statement, deleting the post might not do much to stop them, but it makes the other person feel like the site is doing something. Second, reach out to old members to try to draw them back in. Try some sort of advertising like SLU Law suggested to draw in new members. I disagree with glen's idea to scale back the boards to focus on flashchat. There are plenty of boards like HF that get a ton of activity on the message boards. Some people keep odd hours or just don't want to flashchat. With a board, you can post whenever you want and catch up on the discussion at your own pace. With flashchat, you only get to participate when you are there. Some people may work or actually attend the games at the optimal times. Others may just want to focus on the game and discuss it later. By eliminating the boards in favor of flashchat you are eliminating all these potential members of the site.

So basically, you should make the site more inclusive, not exclusive. Have moderators reign in potential off-putting behavior. Have them create topics to spur discussion (which was my goal with the terribly offensive disappointing blue thread). Reach out to both old and new members to draw more people to the site.

I wish you luck. As fellow Blues fans, I wish you all the best. I am not going to stick around to be insulted though. Feel free. I won't respond.

[ComradeT]

This is a total 180 of my experience here. I have been a member for a while but only started participating in boards and hanging out in flashchat recently. Not sure if this has to do with me having a thicker skin... Maybe it's that my nick is an obvious target and thus I take the jokes that come with it as a given. Maybe it's that I like to dish it out given a chance... But I have enjoyed the little friendly fire I get every now and then.

Ultimately, it's what you choose to concentrate on. If someone answers a post and, while discussing a topic, jokingly pokes fun at you, so be it. That's the beauty of these boards - no one really knows anyone, so we can relax and talk shit. Maybe it's a bit more shit and a bit less substance, I'm fine with it too. This forum give me a niche to talk Blues and not worry too much about being too PC. That being said, I haven't really noticed anyone purposefully going after anyone trying to drive them away.

The issue BlueNoteWorthy is posing is quite difficult. By his logic, we have the following two options: 1) change the way we communicate to try and attract new members, or 2) keep things the way they are and come to terms with the forum not growing. Frankly, I have a hard time believing that if we start cracking fewer jokes people will flock here. Maybe it's just me but I think if that were to be the case, there'd be more peepls like BNW, who would come and try us out before leaving in disgust. The fact that people don't show up means something is missing in the way LGB brands itself. Not sure if it's the features, presence of prominent posters (do other boards have people like JR or someone similar posting?), or what have you but it's unlikely that everyone else besides the LGB regulars are a bunch of pansies that can't take good-natured shit from us.

Sorry for the rant. It's Earl Grey infused

GO BLUES!!!

[glen a richter]

Everyone takes heat here, you develop a fairly thick skin and deal with it. It's just our way. LGB isn't a make believe princesses tea party, it's a hockey forum. When you get down to it, as Comrade said, for all the shit we talk to each other, the bottom line is this: We're all Blues fans, we support this team 100% and we have that in common.

[BlueNoteworthy]

I said, I wasn't going to respond. However, as glen and Comrade responded constructively, I will. It is not an issue of how thick my skin is. It is an issue of why I came to the site. I came to the site to talk hockey, especially the Blues. I did not come to the site to exchange banter and jokes with strangers. I have real life friends for that. They just do not happen to be die hard Blues fans, so I came here to discuss the Blues with people who follow them as closely as I do. Unfortunately, when the vast majority of the posts are jokes and insults, I am not getting that for which I came. If there was a vibrant discussion of hockey and the Blues, I would have gladly stayed and let Viper and sseagle say whatever they want. There isn't. In my short time, anytime there was one, a senior member would crack some jokes and divert the topic.

So while I agree with Comrade that changing the way people interact will not bring in new members, it will lessen the number of new members who leave. You can have all the fancy web design in the world, but very few people are going to continue coming to a fancy web site if the only content is not-funny jokes and insults. Keep the jokes, just make sure they are not mean spirited and do not derail discussions. Also add more actual hockey discussions of substance. Then when new members come, they can talk hockey until they get acclimated. Then they can join the friendly fire if they so wish. Having 3 of the dozen active posters telling a new member his thread is stupid and he is a terrible fan is a good way to drive away people who might have been good additions to the site. Maybe I am wrong, and my skin is thin. Take it for what its worth, but that is how I see it.

[not_a_wings_fan]

So if I am following the discussion, you took issue with things said by several people with a couple thousand or more posts on this board so you took your puck and left.

In all seriousness, what exactly was your expectation when you joined the board?

Are suggesting that if we created an intarweb without flame wars, we would have more traffic? Some sort of welcoming committee that helps new members, offers them biscuits and tea, protects them from the other posters?

I am just not clear about what the issue is for you, I am sorry. I read the thread in question and I didn't see anything that was so beyond the pale, but clearly you have a different set of expectations.

As far as the Olympics, I don't think folks here really care all that much about who is there or not - I am personally more concerned that all our guys get back home healthy, tbh. Wouldn't have bothered me if the whole team got snubbed.

[ViPeRx007]

I'm really sorry that you're still mad, BlueNoteworthy. I can't believe a couple of posts, that I've continually said were initially meant in jest (and were responded to with harsher insults to us, I would like to add), are still being talked about. The one thing I know for sure is that there's more of a problem going on here than a few of us making some jokes.

At one point, not too long ago, this was one of the more popular message boards to talk about the Blues. There was a mixture of all types of personalities and it was a fairly vibrant place. There was a falling out between some of the members and they branched off and started their own forum and took a lot of people with them. I don't really know the details of everything, you'd have to ask the higher-ups about that, but I'm pretty sure that's where the problem began. Since then we've struggled to get our numbers back up. It's going to take more than us just being nicer to bring people in, I'm afraid. I just don't know what yet.

[sseagle]

I said, I wasn't going to respond. However, as glen and Comrade responded constructively, I will. It is not an issue of how thick my skin is. It is an issue of why I came to the site. I came to the site to talk hockey, especially the Blues. I did not come to the site to exchange banter and jokes with strangers. I have real life friends for that. They just do not happen to be die hard Blues fans, so I came here to discuss the Blues with people who follow them as closely as I do. Unfortunately, when the vast majority of the posts are jokes and insults, I am not getting that for which I came. If there was a vibrant discussion of hockey and the Blues, I would have gladly stayed and let Viper and sseagle say whatever they want. There isn't. In my short time, anytime there was one, a senior member would crack some jokes and divert the topic.

So while I agree with Comrade that changing the way people interact will not bring in new members, it will lessen the number of new members who leave. You can have all the fancy web design in the world, but very few people are going to continue coming to a fancy web site if the only content is not-funny jokes and insults. Keep the jokes, just make sure they are not mean spirited and do not derail discussions. Also add more actual hockey discussions of substance. Then when new members come, they can talk hockey until they get acclimated. Then they can join the friendly fire if they so wish. Having 3 of the dozen active posters telling a new member his thread is stupid and he is a terrible fan is a good way to drive away people who might have been good additions to the site. Maybe I am wrong, and my skin is thin. Take it for what its worth, but that is how I see it.

Did you read through ANY of the forum at all?

The reference to horrible fans is a call back to a poster that pops in every season and a half and tells us that we are terrible fans, originally for rooting for a higher draft pick eg: STAMKOS!! NUGENT-HOPKINS!!! PAJAARVI!!! (lol that one came true)

You write research papers and post them here, I'm not sure how we will remember the Bluenoteworthy area (THIS IS A JOKE TOO, I KNOW ITS SPELT RONG), but I can't say that you haven't brought most of this on yourself for ATTACKING everyone that responded to you.

LIGHTEN UP FRANCIS


Edit:

In this thread.... viewtopic.php?t=30492 YOU attacked viper, when 99% of the conversation was completely on what you wanted to discuss (also ripping on the fans is completely appropriate when the stands are 30% empty on any given night). Some of us, KNOWING viper, understand how he converses. You then insulted the intelligence of EVERYONE on this forum, complained about us assigning nicknames to other teams players (we give our own players derogatory names as well, such as everyone's favorite Chris "20fail" Stewart.

In this thread.... viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30469&p=598983 YOU rode into a sports chat site on a gleaming white horse to nitpick MY choice of words, then you admit you KNEW it was a joke, and started crying about some story that NONE of us could POSSIBLY know, you don't know any of us, or anything we have lived through. You proceed to talk more trash about ME, but we can't talk about you, reference anything that upsets you, anyone you have known, seen on the news, driven near...

In this thread.... viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30455&p=598766 YOU got all upset because PEOPLE HAD DIFFERING OPINIONS then quoted us the rulebook, which none of us have ever even heard of before <-THIS IS SARCASM.

I am awaiting my roasting / ban / nap.

[STLADOGG]

I got dogged on too, on this forum but it's all good. Just don't take it personally.
There are other options but I love this place.
Btw...I am decent a Photoshop if that helps curt.

[cprice12]

I got dogged on too, on this forum but it's all good. Just don't take it personally.
There are other options but I love this place.
Btw...I am decent a Photoshop if that helps curt.

I'm not necessarily looking for someone to do design work. I honestly haven't really gotten that far in the process yet. Still trying to figure out content and how much that will change and we'll go from there.
Thanks...and if I do want design help, I'll keep you in mind though.

[cprice12]

The goal is users. Plain and simple. As much as I enjoy the conversation that goes on with the group we have now...the conversations are thin.
Simply put, the site needs to be much more attractive to new users.

Message boards in general are losing steam though. Social networking sites are slowly killing forums. So it's either make some serious changes, or fizzle out into nothing.