OT: Pay forum needed for sure

[Flacusian]

All I know is that this is a fantastic board, warts and all. To me it's an essential part of Syracuse fandom. Living in central Florida and being removed from my home back in the Northeast, this board provides a sense of connectedness and comradarie that just isn't found on other forums. I really appreciate the insight provided by Jake, Bees, CTO, Francis, and many others. The amount of enjoyment I get from frequenting this board cannot be understated.

In addition to the great info (and sometimes not so great) there is a heaping helping of comedic relief from time to time. Heck, even the trolls provide some flavor occasionally. I'd happily pay if there was a pay side although I'm not particularly partial one way or the other. I will say that I have a great deal of appreciation for the folks who have set this up and maintain and moderate it. It is one of the better boards ANYWHERE IMHO. I can also say that if there was a "tip jar" feature I'd gladly throw some coin in it to help defray expenses.

I've also learned an enormous amount from the posts of others and it's great to see the diversity of opinion which can be found here with respect to many player, team, coaching, league issues. I just want it to be known by those who put effort into this board that I definitely appreciate it.

 

[realorange]

It goes back to your previous post when you said this "This board was awesome when it first started. Just talking about the upcoming season and recruits. Then thousands of members joined and everytime SU lost it was a *tstorm here, the peak was last night and today with the Noel circus taking their talents and suitcases to UK."

A pay side allows for the same kind of discussions without the backhanded comments at Jake/Francis, the trolls from syracuse.com, BRNFCuse or whatever his names is, and allows tidbits of info to come out that posters feel more comfortable sharing in a smaller setting with people they trust for the most part. After a loss you can actually have a discussion without Igor or whoever else blasting the zone or Nassib or whatever. Again its all optional if you dont want to join dont there will be more then enough discussions on the free side to keep everyone busy.

You could accomplish most of what you are talking about if the mods were a little more heavy handed. Shut down the personal slams and PM the characters that insist on being jerks. It's not about elitest to me as much as it would be to get away from most of the idiocy. But it can be done without a payside with a more strict admin oversight.

 

[Scooch]

Every couple of months this topic comes up, and it still pisses me off. If people want a pay side, good for them, but don't pretend that it isn't just to feel elitist and superior to everyone else. Jake has a really reliable, good source? Awsome, is it really too much to ask that he shares it with the small amount of dedicated fans that managed to find this website in the first place? This isn't syracuse.com - the posters here tend to think that this is where the civilized syracuse discussion goes on, and a pay wall puts the lie to this. "Come discuss syracuse sports with the real fans! But the real real fans who actually want to discuss the news about the program you can't find on espn have to pay..." I'm a poor (syracuse) college student who in no way can justify paying a fee to get these recruiting tidbits. I enjoy this website in part because of being able to read about what those with connections are hearing. If there really is a problem with people attacking Jake/Francis, then thats a moderation issue, and putting up a pay wall just to keep the riffraff out is just a cop out.

This will come across badly, but what the hell...

HI, welcome to America, stuff costs money here!

 

[HakAttack]

You could accomplish most of what you are talking about if the mods were a little more heavy handed. Shut down the personal slams and PM the characters that insist on being jerks. It's not about elitest to me as much as it would be to get away from most of the idiocy. But it can be done without a payside with a more strict admin oversight.

I agree with this. I think the admins do a great job, but maybe there needs to be more of them. Hell, have them "promote" respected posters into that role so that there's better policing with some of the idiotic comments that pervade this site at times.

 

[kcsu]

The pay side is a great idea. Also all of the people who run this site and contribute what they know hear or think may be of interest are very much appreciated by me. Living in CO it is great to stay connected. I have been a member of these boards since they started and i truly appreciate everything this crew has done and continues to do. As to Jake he is a gem. His information is almost always spot on. A pay portion of this site only makes it better

 

[Jake]

Feel bad for the georgetown poster who had been told that Noel was going there.

A lot of people went to bed Tuesday night thinking the hoyas were the choice. Uk recruiters among them.

 

[44cuse]

the site already has functionality that allows screening, for those who want to use it.

all that it lacks is thread view for better day-to-day use, and a tip jar to help pay for maintenance costs.

I was told we would all like topic view. Still trying to figure out why it's better.

44cuse

 

[44cuse]

Maybe there could be a monthly limit on posts per handle. Help limit the nonsense stuff, the "This" posts, the "what would bjorn do" stuff that creeps into threads. The people would still have the option to come to the free side and still post those.

Not saying the rest of your post is wrong...but what you call out here is a moderation issue. Not a pay vs free side issue.

44cuse

 

[SUfanNC]

I can tell you that having a pay side will limit the posters that don't respond much but do come here like the person that worked in Fine's office or the kid that shared his abuse story. Those threads would most likely be on the pay side. I believe that is what makes this site better than the rest. I'm really appreciative to those kinds of posts plus the usual stuff from OE, CTO, Jake, and others that I respect. If I have to put up with someone being annoying it's not hard to just skim over what they said or hit"ignore" or just don't respond to them.

 

[orange79]

This will come across badly, but what the hell...

HI, welcome to America, stuff costs money here!

Elitist b******!

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Pay side is great. Regardless of inside info the best threads IMO are always over there. Eliminates the Syracuse.com aspect of this forum. If $10/ month hits you that hard then you shouldn't be spending time here you should be working more

 

[Jasonrob44]

Pay side is great. Regardless of inside info the best threads IMO are always over there. Eliminates the Syracuse.com aspect of this forum. If $10/ month hits you that hard then you shouldn't be spending time here you should be working more

I could care less about this topic either way, but, this is a pretty ass hole thing to say. Especially not knowing what other posters personal situations are. Let's not make this too personal...

I don't post much here. I've posted more here in the last month then I have on this and the other site in the last 10yrs combined. I personally will keep coming back, pay site or not. I love my sports teams just as much as the next guy, and spend my share of money of apparel, game tickets, and television packages. I personally feel that is enough, and won't pay to post or view another forum for the sole purpose of weeding out a few bad eggs. But that's my choice. Nobody is being forced to pay...

 

[Ozcuse]

If the pay side included a dedicated writer who posted recruiting articles I could see it having a value. If your main selling point is that it would weed out the undesirables you can accomplish that by banning IP addresses, heavier moderation, and a more stringent sign up period.

 

[CusefanATL]

Agreed -- its 10 bucks a month people. Skip a damn meal. The old pay side was invaluable. And it has nothing to do with elitism. Its 10 bucks a month for crying out loud. Pay it or don't but stop with the elitism crap. Its not invitation only. Again, this board has some CHEAP people.

i just have a tough time paying for an internet forum. i dont know, it just feels sceevey to me. To each its own, but there is plenty evidence on this thread that I am not alone. I would hope that when people see just 1 decent syracuse fan say s/he doesn't want to pay for a premium board, they would immediately change the discussion to 'tip jar' if needed.

as far as the elitism stuff... i hardly posted at the scout forum strictly because of the atmosphere. i was not allowed to post my own thoughts on the free side because it was pay side info. it was a little ridiculous. not mad at the admins, because having the payside forced them to play that hand. i became a full time poster here when the switch was made to this forum.

if the only goal is to post inside information without it 'leaking into the public' then have a JR board and a SR board. The JR board is public, the SR board is private. Once a poster gets to 250+ rational Syracuse related posts on the JR board, they can graduate to the SR board.

 

[Marsh01]

the site already has functionality that allows screening, for those who want to use it.

all that it lacks is thread view for better day-to-day use, and a tip jar to help pay for maintenance costs.

Lol I think you and I are the only ones who really appreciated the thread view option.

 

[CorduroyG]

i just have a tough time paying for an internet forum. i dont know, it just feels sceevey to me. To each its own, but there is plenty evidence on this thread that I am not alone. I would hope that when people see just 1 decent syracuse fan say s/he doesn't want to pay for a premium board, they would immediately change the discussion to 'tip jar' if needed.

as far as the elitism stuff... i hardly posted at the scout forum strictly because of the atmosphere. i was not allowed to post my own thoughts on the free side because it was pay side info. it was a little ridiculous. not mad at the admins, because having the payside forced them to play that hand. i became a full time poster here when the switch was made to this forum.

if the only goal is to post inside information without it 'leaking into the public' then have a JR board and a SR board. The JR board is public, the SR board is private. Once a poster gets to 250+ rational Syracuse related posts on the JR board, they can graduate to the SR board.

thats my feeling. not so much sceevey, but just unnecessary. im gonna pay $10 month or whatever to read/post on a sports message board? uhhh no. i appreciate the inside info, but im certainly not gonna pay a monthly fee for it. you dont wanna deal with berniefinefever's posts? its called "ignore", alot easier than paying $10 a month. and alot cheaper!

and just for the record, i love message boards, im a frequest visitor to most of my fav teams message boards, and this one is my favorite.

 

[cap2nine]

I have not read through all 6 pages of replies so, in response to the OP, I apologize if I'm reiterating someone else’s thoughts.

First of all there are many, similarly styled forums out there that require some payment to participate. So, if it were required here I would have no problem with it. However, I wonder exactly why a pay side is being requested. If it's specifically for access to the inside info provided by several of the highly respected moderators and posters, I think many may shy away, knowing that A) there are other options for finding the same info, or B) the paying insiders are only likely to get accurate, breaking news a relatively short time prior to the general public. My fear is that most people expect that a pay side would "weed out" the nonsense and some of the less desirable posters. Even if it succeeds to this end, I don't see that as a benefit. Any discussion or debate is fueled by dissenting views. The end result would likely be payment for a new set of devils advocates. I'm fairly new here but I have already seen the moderators delete, lock and move threads. There are tools for each individual to communicate directly with, or ignore other posters. Other than a fairly high number of OT threads in the Basketball Board, I feel like the forum is managed and functions quite well.

If I have to pay, I will. I'm just not convinced that it fixes the "problems" that others believe exist.

 

[Marsh01]

My fear is that most people expect that a pay side would "weed out" the nonsense and some of the less desirable posters. Even if it succeeds to this end, I don't see that as a benefit.

This IMO is the only reason why people want a pay side. As long as everyone here has a credit card it wont fix the problem. Then everyone will end up spending money for what?

 

[SUfanNC]

Pay side is great. Regardless of inside info the best threads IMO are always over there. Eliminates the Syracuse.com aspect of this forum. If $10/ month hits you that hard then you shouldn't be spending time here you should be working more

The last thing I want to do is pay 10/month for this kind of post

 

[MCuse44]

It's interesting that there has not been a pay side yet. The admins surely already know what percentage of people are willing to pay for it from the other sites. I would bet money, traffic to this site has been better than any of the other pay walled sites. Thus a dilemma/catch 22.

The ignore button already allows you to create your filter bubbles. Why does paying matter?

 

[orange79]

Lol I think you and I are the only ones who really appreciated the thread view option.

LOL. Check the suggestions board - I've been asking for thread view since day 1. So much easier, IMO. Others don't see it that way.

 

[EastCoast2]

Can we get a list of the trolls who bashed the insiders

 

[armory]

If you're so eager to give your money away. Feel free to send me $10 a month so that I can tell you I don't know . It would be just as valuable.

The level of elitist attitude here is worse than anything I've read earlier this week. "Wah please take my money, then take free things away from people so that I feel special!"

Appalling.

 

[HOFCeluck]

LOL. Check the suggestions board - I've been asking for thread view since day 1. So much easier, IMO. Others don't see it that way.

I imagine getting thread view for this forum would be like trying to play an old copy of Pong on a Wii.

 

[CaptainJ]

First of all, I wanted to thank the admins/mods and whoever owns this site. I really have started to enjoy it. I also wanted to say that I am a fan of market economics, freedom of choice, etc. With that in mind, I know that I shouldn't oppose people who want to pay for something they perceive to be of value. It's their right. However, as many have already stated, I am unlikely to pay for a relatively small amount of exclusive content. I guess it's fine to let the market determine if the idea is a success or not.

Heck, if the ownership wanted pick and choose whom they wanted into the exclusive side even if was free, that is their right. However, I do think either of those scenarios would cause some degree of division. Nature works as a free market too, and the greater amount of variety, the more optimal evolution becomes. I honestly don't see a huge problem with the "chaff" here, which may include me being I am not a well known/fan favorite. I've been a devil's advocate lately, as I tend to get that way when I am down(as I have been), but I think I generally bring something of value to the table in terms of logic or humor.

If people really feel strongly about the pay side, I would like it more if it could be paid monthly. That way I could see if it feels worth the value without this $100 investment I saw mentioned. Yes, the threads here do seem to get off topic at times, but that again is part of natural selection, the natural rhythm of life. I also would like to say that some of the people who have posted off topic in certain threads would also be some of the people who end up on the pay side. Using part of their handiwork to rationalize a pay side seems hypocritical and shortsighted.

Further, even though it is said they will still make appearances here, it obviously wont be enough, and both sides will have diminished diversity of thought. Also, I recall some people from the pay side of the other board dropping hints on the free side of what they were talking about there, giving off a foul air of superiority toward the regular peons. I am not sure if this site generates any ad revenue, but with the amount of traffic it gets, that has to be worth something.

Again, I support anyone's right to do what they want with their property, and think free market forces based on supply and demand are pretty good natural regulators. I'm fine without a chat room on the free side if someone thinks there is a legitimate reason, but I'd prefer one on each side if possible. While I agree their may be quality content on the pay side, I still remember people giving off that air of superiority when mentioning it on the free side, so let us at least be fully honest here. In the past I didn't hang out during the offseason, so I am not sure if it will be crickets shortly now that NN's circus is over, but I'd assume that now wouldn't be the best time to start a pay side. If I'm wrong about that, let me know. And by all means, if the "problems" mentioned are truly an issue, it wouldn't hurt drafting our own "constitution"/TOS, if there isn't one already, or having a moderator PM someone if they are obviously out of line. Merging of threads would also seem like something that would help as well. If anyone agrees, feel free to hit "like", so we can see how many of us have similar feelings. If anyone disagrees with this, please let me know as well. I'm trying to be positive about this, and apologize if I played a part in this anyhow.

CJ