Goodbye REDSZONE

[chicoruiz]

Random observations:

1. I may be nuts, but I think it would make a difference if we moved the three restricted "RedsZone" forums down below the "Miscellaneous" forums on the main page. I think it would more accurately represent the flow of the board as it is now. Showing the restricted forums at the top is kind of a "nose-rubbing" to those who don't have full access yet. The "Baseball" forums are the point of entry; should they maybe be on top?

2. The board to me is like a big convention of Reds fans, all milling around in a huge ballroom. But some of the old-timers were saying, "whoa, this convention is getting too big- I miss the old intimate days when everyone knew each other and threads didn't get to be 25 pages long before I could get to them". So the mods created a little side room where the old-timers and a few others could get together in an atmosphere that tries to simulate the old days. I'm sorry; I don't think that's a terrible thing. If you go to a restaurant, do you get upset if you're not allowed into all the private banquet rooms?

3. I have access to the restricted forums (not because I'm a good poster, mostly because I'm an old fart), and I can tell you there's no atmosphere in there of "gosh aren't we cool- we're the chosen ones". To the contrary, the general consensus seems to be that you could easily find 240 posters outside of ORG that are just as good as the ones in ORG. It's just been decided that we've earned, for whatever reason, access to a "knucklehead-free-zone". As to who's in and who's out, be patient. This is new to all of us; things will shake themselves out.

4. I have never understod the appeal of game threads, but to me the difference between the old game thread and chat, which everyone still has access to, is too small to be seen with the naked eye.

5. Ideally, some of you who are ticked off and leaving will end up starting your own Reds message boards. I expect the mods would like that too; they don't have any desire to be the only game in town. Go to it...

[Joseph]

Thanks for the honesty kbrake.

I think the way to look at this is that none of you made a mistake who made it to ORG. This is the staff admitting we made a mistake in how we set up things before and that they entry process [rep points] was flawed. We're not trying to keep people out of ORG, not in the least. We're trying to make ORG the greatest place on the web to discuss Reds baseball, and to do that it was decided to push the reset button, so to speak. That means that hopefully there won't ever have to be another reset. This plan was talked about for a good long time, and looked at to see some of the flaws that might evolve. Thankfully it seems like we've avoided a repeat of the rep system and have come up with a fair way to open the doors to ORG going forward.

[Falls City Beer]

I think people kissing off people who are grandstanding about leaving are pretty immature too. Rise above it folks--you're in the Country Club; start acting like it.

[BRM]

I love it when Raisor blows through a thread. He really raises the level of snark.

[zombie-a-go-go]

I think people kissing off people who are grandstanding about leaving are pretty immature too. Rise above it folks--you're in the Country Club; start acting like it.

What about people kissing off people who are kissing off people who are grandstanding about leaving?

It's a vicious cycle; you enjoying your ride?

[Falls City Beer]

What about people kissing off people who are kissing off people who are grandstanding about leaving?

It's a vicious cycle; you enjoying your ride?

Doesn't work that way. The rulemakers are held to a higher standard.

[zombie-a-go-go]

Doesn't work that way. The rulemakers are held to a higher standard.

Crud. You know... you're right.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a pedestal to go stand upon. Have fun down there.

[kbrake]

Thanks for the honesty kbrake.

I think the way to look at this is that none of you made a mistake who made it to ORG. This is the staff admitting we made a mistake in how we set up things before and that they entry process [rep points] was flawed. We're not trying to keep people out of ORG, not in the least. We're trying to make ORG the greatest place on the web to discuss Reds baseball, and to do that it was decided to push the reset button, so to speak. That means that hopefully there won't ever have to be another reset. This plan was talked about for a good long time, and looked at to see some of the flaws that might evolve. Thankfully it seems like we've avoided a repeat of the rep system and have come up with a fair way to open the doors to ORG going forward.

Best response I have got yet. I'm sure things will calm down like I said its just about frustration right now. Especially for those of us who have done it once before.

[Raisor]

I love it when Raisor blows through a thread. He really raises the level of snark.

I have not yet begun to snark.

[tomred]

I would like to say I enjoy coming to your house to read about the reds you make the rules I love redszone I find out things here I never would know about the reds I do not post much but I enjoy reading other posters this is the best reds site I come here every day thanks

[GOREDSGO32]

I don't understand why exactly the forum is run in this manner. I've never seen a forum, any forum run this way. If someone is spamming you ban them, appoint well regarded long term members as moderators. The pretty much eliminates all spamming/flaming.

I like going in the game threads and read the thoughts during the game and posting. I posted more last year it seems like, but I have almost 1,000 posts here and tried to apply for the other forum and I guess its not going through. Obviously the guy who started the thread is someone who likes to keep up too, but won't be able to post in game threads any longer.

I'm guessing the main reason is the owners of the site just don't want the forums to get bigger. It's their site so they can do what they want - but I don't see why they offer registration to new members if it is going to be a "these people only" type of thing. It's unfortunate, I don't really know any other Reds forums, but I guess I'll have to find somewhere else to keep up with the games in.

[smith288]

I don't understand why exactly the forum is run in this manner. I've never seen a forum, any forum run this way. If someone is spamming you ban them, appoint well regarded long term members as moderators. The pretty much eliminates all spamming/flaming.

Then you havent read much about the move RedsZone made. Sons of Sam Horn runs it similiarly.

[registerthis]

I would like to say I enjoy coming to your house to read about the reds you make the rules I love redszone I find out things here I never would know about the reds I do not post much but I enjoy reading other posters this is the best reds site I come here every day thanks

I'm the last person to harp on things like grammar and spelling on a message board, but good grief would it hurt to throw in a period or comma once in awhile? It's unbelieveably difficult to read a post that contains no punctuation whatsoever.

[registerthis]

Crud. You know... you're right.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a pedestal to go stand upon. Have fun down there.

Let me know how the weather is up there. I like to be prepared.

[Mario-Rijo]

Originally posted by Zombie-a-go-go
Anyway, bthomasiscool has been banned. Not because he had the temerity to complain - believe it or not, we do want to make this site as enjoyable as possible for everyone, and take complaints seriously - but because he decided to start whipping out the insults. You (the 'global' you; I speak not to one in particular but rather to the site as a whole) can behave yourselves and act like adults or, like children, you can be sent to the corner.

Is that why you chose to ignore my PM to you the other day on the "No Hot Chicks" policy? You must have felt I was being sarcastic in that message, otherwise you would have addressed me about it by now. Apparently I am not a guy who is respected much by you or by some other important members.

And before I get into this I am neither grandstanding or threatining to do anything. I would just appreciate what any man would, a shred of decency and respect for a member of this board that has not done very little if anything at all to be disrespected.

I mean seriously I have not acted like a hind-end about the entire situation at all. Did I voice displeasure, absolutely. Did I allow emotion to become a part of the situation, yes to some extent I did. Did I call out members, disrespect them, name call or flat out chastize anyone, absolutely not! And what happened?

Well let me show those of you who give a care how my day went once I found out about the situation. I got disappointed in the changes, I tried to rationalize the whole thing and understand. I did indeed understand most of it (and now I understand it all), but some things I didn't quite either understand or agree with. I agreed that the board had become littered with all kinds of things that made for a less than ideal environment to conversate about Reds baseball. I agreed with the fact that Boss and GIK had/has every right to do what they wish and I respect that then and now. I didn't care much either way about the game thread I can take it or leave it and mostly I left it. And from time to time I did enjoy the chat much better (just my preference).

What I didn't agree with wasn't so much that I had been sent to the Sun Deck and couldn't post on the ORG (I am competitive and I felt strongly that I would eventually make it back), but the fact that everyone that made the cut onto the new ORG had IMHO "earned" the right to post anywhere on the site. I was quite puzzled by that! Because the fact is if you (you being anyone reading) or I were "drowned out" before why would that change once we made it back to the ORG. Our opinions aren't likely to change all that much between now and say a year from now. We all will likely still have the same principals/philosophies/concepts and for the most part the same knowledge.

I was also disappointed that I wouldn't get to "talk shop" with many of my favorite posters head to head. I mean believe it or not I am 34 yrs. old and have learned more in the past 2+ years about a host of things baseball related than in the rest of my years combined. Not necc. all from Redszone but some of the finer points I have gotten here. And for me to have gotten respect from someone who I consider to be very knowledgable on the subject was very rewarding. Alot of those people reside in the ORG now, not all but most. And It helped to drown out the real world for hours at a time, and for some folks for various reasons that's a good thing.

But when I posted "Geez this stinks" and asked some questions that IMO needed asking and to then get no response (I did get some answers in other parts of the board, which I let be known) by the following day I just asked again if I could get some clarification.

And for that I was brought to task (I won't get into whom) via a series of PM's about ridiculing the administrators of the board. Which I and the other party had discussed in these PM's. I never got any clarification from that party as to why they felt I had ridiculed Boss and GIK. I didn't write it in a way to disrespect anyone, and if it came out that way (not the greatest with punctuation) it wasn't intended in that way. Which I explained to this person whom still hasn't given me an answer. They obviously feel different about the situation than I do and we will agree to disagree I suppose.

GIK did however respond not soon after my 2nd post and gave me some good information which I then felt differently about much of this move. I still don't agree completely that ORG posters don't have the ability to post wherever they want too, but I do understand it better.

But after all of this board re-configuration stuff and the following disrespect (that's the way I took it, hopefully I am wrong) from yourself Zombie on the above subject and this unknown person I felt like this board (not all it's members) could just kiss my hind parts. And I shouldn't have felt that way, afterall it's a damn message board. But it was my damn message board and the people on it were "friends of mine", people that I started to give a hoot about and who I thought gave a hoot about me. And if I'm wrong for giving a damn then so be it, I can live with that. But what I can't live with is being disrespected and then on top of that having no closure about the disrespect.

So sorry to point you out Zombie but I had to get this stuff off my chest and you gave me an opportunity to do so with that particular post. I didn't mean to disrespect you with this but I have already PMed you and it didn't get me anywhere. If it was just an oversight on your behalf or you hadn't gotten a chance to send it too me by all means accept me apology for being wrong in my assumption. If anyone felt ridiculed by my initial post I apologize, I do, again it was not my intention to do so. If the person who PMed with me on the subject of ridicule fully read and understood my initial post and still felt like I was wrong, please let's get things out in the open between us, it's simply not worth the aggravation to be upset with one another.

I in no way want those who do give a hoot to see this as groveling for a vote into ORG I would earn that back or I wouldn't because it's meaningless if I didn't earn it. But I do need some closure on this respect thing to be ok with everything and let things get back to normal for everyone. Because look folks there are more important issues in our own little worlds and beyond to be upset with each other over nothing more than a re-configuration of a place to discuss baseball.

And FCB I am not kissing butt, just trying to get over this the best way I know how with the pen and not the sword.

Peace MR