Open discussion about the future of the BF forums

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm not really targeting this conversation about anything specific, I just want to get a read on what people think about the state of the forums and where they would like to see improvement. This could be technical in nature but mostly, I'm curious what people think of the tone, the conversations, and the general demeanor of the community.

If you have gripes or compliments or whatever, share them here. I haven't been very active lately (on any of the sites, frankly) and like to check in periodically to gauge how things are going.

[Brock Beauchamp]

As always, if you are not comfortable sharing something publicly, I'm always available via PM.

[Outlander]

I'm actually curious how you view them. It seems like this site has gotten traction with some of the articles written and Jack Stern is one of the best but forum activity is lacking. Are you getting more people to visit the site but the interaction just isn't there with the forums?

I think the forums themselves are very old school with one message after another versus having conversations grouped together so they are easier to read and flow better.

 

[Frisbee Slider]

This is the only site I use to inform myself about the Brewers. Of course, I also use the MLB app, but that doesn’t count.

You can generally ask the forum a question and receive expert or informed responses about just about anything, Brewer-related.

[Frisbee Slider]

You should consider dynamic pricing on the caretaker subscription, based on how the Brewers are performing 🙂

[homer]

The mods all suck. Get new ones.

[kestrel79]

Love this place. Seems filled with smart, very knowledgeable Brewers and baseball fans. But because of that can be a little intimidating. I bet we have more lurkers than posters. But I love reading all the comments even though I don't post that much.

[Playing Catch]

This is the first and only forum I've ever participated in, and it is because it is typically civil, readable, fun, and filled with some really good posters. I think the disagreements tend to maintain civility and respect, rather than what can be found on other forums. I believe this is in part due to the efforts the founders put into enforcing their rules, such as no cussing/flaming/etc. While I understand some posters think that loosening up some of those rules could create a little more color and flair, I think that in the long run, allowing such things would end up keeping a lot of good people away.

[LaprilOne]

26 minutes ago, homer said:

The mods all suck. Get new ones.

Especially the "homer" guy  LOL

[homer]

1 minute ago, LaprilOne said:

Especially the "homer" guy  LOL

[nate82]

For new threads can we get a minimum word count.  So it isn’t just a link to some random article.  Or if someone wants to post an article maybe have a site feature that allows for an article submission.  Or even better just a bot that posts Brewers related articles from Fangraphs, ESPN, or other sites with free articles?  

[Brock Beauchamp]

3 hours ago, Outlander said:

I'm actually curious how you view them. It seems like this site has gotten traction with some of the articles written and Jack Stern is one of the best but forum activity is lacking. Are you getting more people to visit the site but the interaction just isn't there with the forums?

I think the forums themselves are very old school with one message after another versus having conversations grouped together so they are easier to read and flow better.

Traffic as a whole is WAY UP. Forum traffic has been relatively steady from 2022-present. Game threads are down a bit this season, which isn't super-surprising given how contentious they can get.

Really, there's nothing "wrong" with the site as a whole and it's in a very stable place right now. Traffic is higher than it ever was as BF.net.

But that doesn't mean it's perfect or that it shouldn't be improved. I've kinda been ignoring the forums for awhile now and want to get my finger back on the pulse of them.

By the way, we have the option to format by conversation instead of the traditional forum format of chronological. But I know forum users ******* HATE that idea. Personally, I'm not against it, I just really want to do what's right for the community and if you all say jump, I'll try my damnedest to jump.

[BlazingGunz]

I would say more interactive emoji's (or custom emoji's) would be fun to add as part of the default.  Kind of like X or Discord.   I think that would add some color to the posts and give people something else than the 5 default ones.   Simple add.

[BlazingGunz]

Another suggestion - integrate tipping option (no not like you have in retail stores today - but an option).   Might help content creators get a little something from the community for a good post.    There are probably plenty of different types of plugins we could use (bitcoin, paypal, etc.)

[owbc]

The forum is certainly on the quiet side this year. I thought there might be a bump from the site purchase but it seems like it's just kind of chugging along as it has been. Which I agree is not necessarily a bad thing. I just don't think there is much in the way of growth potential there, old school forums aren't exactly a preferred medium for young people and the IGT is never going to compete with the likes of /r/brewers. But those of us who do participate tend to be big forum fans which is what keeps us coming back year after year. 

So I would say that making major changes has little upside and potentially significant downside. I would vote to let it chug along. 

There is the option of considering a medium other than a forum -- this has been done in the past, for instance there were a couple years when we had a fairly active chatroom (maybe 10-15+ years ago) that had more traffic than the IGT. Maybe discord is the modern equivalent of that? 

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

30 minutes ago, BlazingGunz said:

Another suggestion - integrate tipping option (no not like you have in retail stores today - but an option).   Might help content creators get a little something from the community for a good post.    There are probably plenty of different types of plugins we could use (bitcoin, paypal, etc.)

Oh, this is an interesting idea. We'd want all the proceeds to go to the writer... I'll have to think about how this might work.

[homer]

A long time ago we had an in-game chat room which was a lot of fun. 

[TURBO]

Imo, and I could be way off base here, the reason the IGT threads are not very active is because a couple of posters who made things "interesting" have pretty much left.  The posters I speak of usually had very different takes on things, which caused a lot of petty arguing, etc.  One in particular usually stirred things up to the point of making each IGT probably 3 or 4 pages longer than it would be without him, hence, the shorter IGT threads.  Again, this is just an observation and opinion.

I also believe that another reason the IGT has less traffic is because the posters who have felt the need to police it have turned off some of the regulars from the past.  I know this for a fact, but it is what it is.

[TURBO]

I enjoy all the forums and wouldn't like to see any major format changes..

I enjoy the old-school elements quite a bit.

I do however miss the "trading post."

[nate82]

45 minutes ago, homer said:

A long time ago we had an in-game chat room which was a lot of fun. 

I think IGT would be better as a chat option rather than a forum.  Would help with the billion pages of one person arguing with themselves.  Probably better to just turn the IGT into front page news.

[igor67]

I've found the IGT pretty readable this year, perhaps underwhelming on some nights but last year it was a ton of posts all about arguing for the sake of arguing instead of the content of the game. I am definitely pro-forum and I really appreciate the in-season quality of the articles this year.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

You know, I think this place is still pretty cool. It's the best place to follow Brewers baseball.

I don't have any ideas, other than keep up the good work.

[yourout]

Still my favorite forum. 

Please don't go away.

[torts]

Only forum I visit, I like the old school forum look/feel, please don't turn this into a knockoff reddit

I only come to the forum, I don't visit the main site, I might be the only one 😂

[wallus]

Please do not change the format to conversation like what it is at BCB (which is awful)