Peter, Dave, Andrew, Is there a way?

[HURRICANEBOB]

I'd vote to leave the board as it is, no changes, and we the members just "CLEAN UP OUR ACT". And I say that knowing that I'm no better than anyone else, and that I own my share of the problem. Buck stops here for my part of the problem and responsibility to do my part to make it better.



Wow......I gotta quit this.....you guys might think I'm getting responsible or something........

[slippedcork]

Wow, didn't mean to start Armageoden (spelling), heck kill the board I wouldn't want to put anybody out of business. Personally I had no idea this board had reached that level in some's eye's, I never really thought it was all that bad, I'm done and I'll say no more.

Betcha 5 bucks I can make you say something!

[MrSplitshot]

Fair enough. My opinion, as someone who was on staff with another national fishing related website that went through this exact same issue with their "Off Topic" board...

Yes, this is absolutely 100% a fishing website...but killing the "Off Topic" board is the absolute quickest way to set your whole forum back about 100 years. Putting too many rules in place will yield the same result.

Leave it be, expect folks to abide by the simple rules already in place, and use common sense. You guys are exactly right that it's a business, and a business takes work. That means a commitment to moderating. It takes a lot of time and babysitting - Trust me, I know exactly what you're dealing with. The good news is that this site has some of the best Moderators I've seen - I mean that sincerely.

----

(1) You want people to come here for Fishing information....your clients, people who find the place on search engines, see ads, etc. It generates traffic, sells ads, keeps the page ranking up. Of course, you don't want them offended by a bonehead post about something crazy. That's why you have moderators.

(2) For those new visitors to get good information, there needs to be a lot of people here posting good fishing information and answering folks questions...sharing their experiences. You have that now.

(3) THE KICKER. Those good people posting good information and answering questions get BORED hashing out the same things over and over again. That's just a fact. They will still do it, because after all they are anglers and we like to talk...but if there is not a place where the old timers can get together and jaw with each other about life and the general state of things in a mildly restrictive manner (like it sits now), they will not participate as much...and will eventually leave.

I would almost guarantee that the Off Topic board now gets the most traffic, but the fewest unique visitors. It's the back room of the baitshop where the old timers hang out. Leave it be, but it won't police/run itself...there will be infractions, no matter how hard you try to preach common sense...so ya gotta moderate it. The answer is not taking it away, I promise you.

Just my opinion.

Thanks to all for their work with the site.

[ironhead70]

oh no dont delet the off topic board i would not know what to do with myself if i could not see what geo had to say every day lol it get pretty boring here last week when he was gone


on the 18 or older board would be nice i have had a few jokes to post that is boarder line but ill stick with the clean ones

[fishhound]

i have had alot to say on this board but i reframed out of respect so i dont comment much because im over the top!! if i let louse of my thoughts&feelings so i keep it to what this site is fishing my friends! i found fishing&the out doors to be a universal language like music and i do them both it dosnt matter to me! if ur old,young,strait,gay,blk,white,and in between,rich r poor,rep r dem, what brought us to gether is the love of fishing!!!!! i have my opion of what is rite! and if give a chance be more than glad to share if we dont agree hey so what we have fishin in common were human and god bless.

[Chubminnow]

I'm in agreement with everything Mrsplitshot wrote.

I'm not sure where a good place to start is for saying what I'm gonna say, but this thread seems as good of place as any. I'm very appreciative of being able to voice my opinion here, there's some mighty touchy subjects that get brought to the discussion table here...yea, I'm slightly "over the top" on some subjects, but with a couple of deleted posts and warnings from a couple of moderators I have learned to portray what's on my mind in a much more civil manner without getting banned, thus making me a better person (I think, lol). When the day comes that I can't openly discuss the negative feelings I have about Nobama, well....it's going to be a very very sad day in my opinion. Should that day ever arrive then I will know for sure that I and many others are truly being controlled and dictated to.

[Trophyhunter8]

Obama still stinks did anybody on here vote for him anyway, yeah leave it alone, we'll play good with others lol

[slippedcork]

Obama still stinks did anybody on here vote for him anyway, yeah leave it alone, we'll play good with others lol

Alot of people on here voted for him.

[ironhead70]

[FONT=Georgia]Politics - I don't know why, but they seem to have a tendency to separate us, to keep us from one another, while nature is always and ever making efforts to bring us together[/FONT]

[DJD]

Alot of people on here voted for him.

Alot of people did the right thing and voted against him.

[HURRICANEBOB]

Alot of people did the right thing and voted against him.

Alot of people did the right thing....AND VOTED....that's the best thing!

[ironhead70]

Alot of people did the right thing....AND VOTED....that's the best thing!

and a lot of people should not complain at all