"Last post" threads to be closed

[TeamCasey]

If you can't make money with cookies and Creek and TC in swimsuits soaping up cars then you can't make money.

You should at least pair two people up who can tolerate one another. The ladies of Sarasota calendar might be a better moneymaker.

[REDREAD]

I'm not sure if the HOF ever has more than 2 people at a time viewing it.. (Other than when there's an event like this week).

Likewise, the picture forum is a nice feature and hardly ever viewed.. I can't see any real savings coming from it.

[pedro]

Likewise, the picture forum is a nice feature and hardly ever viewed.. I can't see any real savings coming from it.

yeah but when people do view it, it sucks big time bandwidth.

[WVRed]

This is speaking as a person who has been here since the cincy.com days and created the "Greatest Thread Ever"(and judging by the responses, that title could be well warranted)

This last weekend on Redszone has been nothing short of disgusting. Im not speaking about Boss and GIKs decision, as I think they have done an excellent job in trying to run this site, but more about the divisions that exist on this website.

Im not even going to compare this website to the old cincinnati.com board(or ESPN or MLB for that matter, its not even close). However, we have tried to run a board where the Subscribers pay to keep this site running for those who either do not have the monetary ability, yet enjoy the benefits, or those who have the money, but dont want to invest.

Redszone has a great history that I would like to see continue, but this weekend has really tested that. Especially when you have the "free-loaders(or as pedro so eloquently put it in the last to post thread, the "inmates")" and the "elitists" butting heads.

As a non-subscriber, when I saw that my posting was going to be limited, it didnt bother me in the least, since I am lucky to average five posts a day here. I dont follow the game threads or last to post threads, even though I did follow the political threads to an extent(which ill touch on later). However, I couldnt help but laugh when people who were lucky to have 200 posts or less were the ones who complained loudest. I could understand if there were people who had 2000 or more posts here, but 200?

Regarding the "Last to Post thread" I thought it would be something that might garner interest for a little while, but I never thought it would turn into the colossal 50,000 post that it has become. It became a great place to discuss events throughout the day, but it also became a place where a lot of the posters(including mods) could trash other members in secret(since there were so many pages). It is also these same members who are wanting to keep these threads alive.

GIK, I know this has been pressing, and I would really hate to be in your shoes right now dealing with all of this "elitist"-"freeloader" crap, and I have no clue how you are dealing with it. If this were me, I know I would be holding the phone just ready to pull the plug on this site and end the childishness.

This website has been in an overall gradual decline since the political threads reached epic lows. In a way, the garbage from the Non Baseball Chatter has crept onto the baseball side(as we knew it would when the season started) in the form of Rich Aurilia Sucks!!! and gO rEDz!!!.

I posted on the posting limit thread that the best route to go was a pay-site, and the more I have read, the more I think it is in the best interest. If this website wants to make any real progress, control the bandwidth issues, and eliminate any of the squabbles between the subscribers and non-subscribers, this is unfortunately the way to go.

Sorry for the rant guys, but if this website is going to thrive, some major changes are going to be needed, whether it be by the subscribers, non subscribers, mods, admins, or whatever. Something has to be done.

[remdog]

It could be looked at like this:

1. You're having bandwidth problems.
2. The site costs money.
3. A dedicated server, which would help with bandwidth, costs even more money.
4. Subscribers PAY money to support this site. (Or "donate," whatever.)
5. The last post thread is chock-full of subscribers. It alone is the reason MANY subscribers come to board as often as they do, myself included.
6. Now the subscribers, who support this site financially, are having something they value taken away from them.

Baseball forum or not, I wouldn't be around a quarter as much as I am if it weren't for the last thread. So ... if it's gone, I'll certainly have a lot less to say around here. And guess what? That'll help with bandwidth too, as you'll have one less person perusing the board!

GIK, I don't know if you've ever been in the last person thread enough to understand it. It's like you're closing my favorite bar.

Rosie:

Eliminate the 'last thread' (and such other ilk) and maybe you don't need extra bandwidth. Therefore, you don't need a dedicated server. Therefore you don't need subscribers, therefore the board can do just fine, etc. etc., etc......

"Baseball forum or not, I wouldn't be around a quarter as much as I am if it weren't for the last thread." Well, since this is a forum to talk baseball, if you don't want to talk baseball perhaps this is not the place to be. You and your friends that post things like "Hi", and "Post 10,000!" might just want to go off and start your own 'Last Thread' website. Duel it out to see who gets post 10,000, 100,000 or even 1,000,000. At any rate, that wasn't why this site came to be.

" Now the subscribers, who support this site financially, are having something they value taken away from them."

Actually Rosie, people that wanted to talk Reds baseball supported this site just fine without being 'subscribers' before things like the last thread got out of hand. Consider this simply a return to the mission statement of the board.

Rem

[pedro]

Rosie:

Eliminate the 'last thread' (and such other ilk) and maybe you don't need extra bandwidth. Therefore, you don't need a dedicated server. Therefore you don't need subscribers, therefore the board can do just fine, etc. etc., etc......

"Baseball forum or not, I wouldn't be around a quarter as much as I am if it weren't for the last thread." Well, since this is a forum to talk baseball, if you don't want to talk baseball perhaps this is not the place to be. You and your friends that post things like "Hi", and "Post 10,000!" might just want to go off and start your own 'Last Thread' website. Duel it out to see who gets post 10,000, 100,000 or even 1,000,000. At any rate, that wasn't why this site came to be.

" Now the subscribers, who support this site financially, are having something they value taken away from them."

Actually Rosie, people that wanted to talk Reds baseball supported this site just fine without being 'subscribers' before things like the last thread got out of hand. Consider this simply a return to the mission statement of the board.

Rem

At any given time there are 10 more people viewing the baseball side than non baseball. It is much more likely that the bandwidth issues are due to the number of members on the site than the "be the last person thread".

[RosieRed]

Rosie:

Eliminate the 'last thread' (and such other ilk) and maybe you don't need extra bandwidth. Therefore, you don't need a dedicated server. Therefore you don't need subscribers, therefore the board can do just fine, etc. etc., etc......

"Baseball forum or not, I wouldn't be around a quarter as much as I am if it weren't for the last thread." Well, since this is a forum to talk baseball, if you don't want to talk baseball perhaps this is not the place to be. You and your friends that post things like "Hi", and "Post 10,000!" might just want to go off and start your own 'Last Thread' website. Duel it out to see who gets post 10,000, 100,000 or even 1,000,000. At any rate, that wasn't why this site came to be.

" Now the subscribers, who support this site financially, are having something they value taken away from them."

Actually Rosie, people that wanted to talk Reds baseball supported this site just fine without being 'subscribers' before things like the last thread got out of hand. Consider this simply a return to the mission statement of the board.

Rem

Sigh. I do not even know what to say to this.

So I'll leave it at this, lest I say something I'll really regret: I KNOW that the "last thread" is not why this site came to be. But it is the reason quite a few subscribers still come here.

And don't worry, if posts like this keep popping up, and people keep jumping on the "those subscribers are bad" wagon, we'll be gone soon enough anyway.

[pedro]

Rosie:

Eliminate the 'last thread' (and such other ilk) and maybe you don't need extra bandwidth. Therefore, you don't need a dedicated server. Therefore you don't need subscribers, therefore the board can do just fine, etc. etc., etc......


Rem

you know. the site costs money to run. period. so it's always going to need subscribers. unless you're suggesting that boss/gik just foot the bill.

[Red Leader]

Sigh. I do not even know what to say to this.

So I'll leave it at this, lest I say something I'll really regret: I KNOW that the "last thread" is not why this site came to be. But it is the reason quite a few subscribers still come here.

And don't worry, if posts like this keep popping up, and people keep jumping on the "those subscribers are bad" wagon, we'll be gone soon enough anyway.

...and when people realize that "the thread" is not the reason for the bandwidth issues, all of those new member, non subscibers can have a real fun time footing the bill for this site without the help of people like us who have been helping keep this board operational the past few years.

You're welcome.

[remdog]

Pedro & Red Leader:

The people that came here to discuss baseball had no problem supporting the board when it was used to discuss baseball. It didn't need 'subscribers' until ancilary issues were added.

And, BTW, I've probably spent more in time money and merchandise to keep this board afloot than any of the new regimine 'subscribers'.

So, no Puffy, it doesn't always need subscribers.

Rem

[Red Leader]

Pedro & Red Leader:

The people that came here to discuss baseball had no problem supporting the board when it was used to discuss baseball. It didn't need 'subscribers' until ancilary issues were added.

And, BTW, I've probably spent more in time money and merchandise to keep this board afloot than any of the new regimine 'subscribers'.

So, no Puffy, it doesn't always need subscribers.

Rem

The problem that I see is that the board has grown exponentially the last couple years. If you take away the nonbb side, the HOF forum, the picture and fantasy forums, and all of the subscribers, and all you had left was the bb side with members only, you'd still have bandwidth issues because of the sheer number of posters that have joined this site and the guests that view this board now. This place isn't what it used to be, even when I joined in December of '01. It is much, much larger. I may be wrong, but I don't think you can run this board without subscribers any longer because of the number of members....

[Puffy]

So, no Puffy, it doesn't always need subscribers.

Rem

Ummm, why are you bringing me into your conversation?

[Boss-Hog]

Rosie, I want to say that your voice is one of the ones I truly respect on this board. Even if I don't agree with you, I almost always understand why you feel like you do. However, on this one, I have to back what rem says. If the combination of allowing guest (non-registered member) access AND/OR the huge, huge threads in the non-baseball forum are contributing to the bandwidth problems we're clearly having, eliminating them is the easiest thing to do that is consistent with the site's mission statement, and would theoretically remove the need for a dedicated server. I am far from positive that taking these two measures will appreciably decrease the bandwidth but I do think it's worth a trial period. If it doesn't help matters, that completely confirms that we need to move to a dedicated server and those threads (and guest access) could presumably stay. I realize that friendships have been formed from this board and that makes me very happy to know. However, as rem said, this site is primary a baseball site and that will always remain the core of what we're about. If a good deal of visitors are only coming here to participate in the non-baseball forum threads, that lets me know that we're doing an even worse job with the baseball forum than I imagined.

Boss

Rosie:

Eliminate the 'last thread' (and such other ilk) and maybe you don't need extra bandwidth. Therefore, you don't need a dedicated server. Therefore you don't need subscribers, therefore the board can do just fine, etc. etc., etc......

"Baseball forum or not, I wouldn't be around a quarter as much as I am if it weren't for the last thread." Well, since this is a forum to talk baseball, if you don't want to talk baseball perhaps this is not the place to be. You and your friends that post things like "Hi", and "Post 10,000!" might just want to go off and start your own 'Last Thread' website. Duel it out to see who gets post 10,000, 100,000 or even 1,000,000. At any rate, that wasn't why this site came to be.

" Now the subscribers, who support this site financially, are having something they value taken away from them."

Actually Rosie, people that wanted to talk Reds baseball supported this site just fine without being 'subscribers' before things like the last thread got out of hand. Consider this simply a return to the mission statement of the board.

Rem

[RosieRed]

Pedro & Red Leader:

The people that came here to discuss baseball had no problem supporting the board when it was used to discuss baseball. It didn't need 'subscribers' until ancilary issues were added.

And, BTW, I've probably spent more in time money and merchandise to keep this board afloot than any of the new regimine 'subscribers'.

So, no Puffy, it doesn't always need subscribers.

Rem

Do you suggest taking it back to that? Only a baseball forum, get rid of everything else?

[Raisor]

Do you suggest taking it back to that? Only a baseball forum, get rid of everything else?

If that happens, then the baseball side will look like the MLB.com/Reds site. Three non-baseball threads for every one baseball thread.