State of the Argentine forum

[RacingGirl]

Message from BigSoccer :

We are asking all forum members to give us some feedback about the state of our forums. We would be grateful if you would take a few moments to vote in the poll, but more importantly post your thoughts about how things are going in this forum. Anything is fair game - the moderators, the quality of the discussion, the amount of traffic, the forum structure, etc. Voting is useful, but we are most interested in ways you think BigSoccer and specifically this forum can be improved -- what we are doing right or wrong, and your thoughts generally about your use of this forum.

Thank you for any feedback you can provide!

(We Mods will refrain from commenting for the first 24 hours)

Sincerely,

RG, Moishe, Vip, and ASF

[RacingGirl]

Someone triplicated my thread all over the forum:eek:. Since this is the thread i linked in the mods forum, I'll paste the comment we got here.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19190475&postcount=2
I think the forum is much improved from where it was 1 1/2 year ago. Glad to see all the valuable input from forum regulars as well as newbies... I can't seem to go a single day w/out logging on to BS and checking out the latest news, rumor, gossip or chit chat .. I miss Locoxrivers El mas sabio contest!! but other than that i'd like to see more traffic from other Argentine futbol supporters , just so we could have more unbaised opinions BTW what happened to El Ciclon?? LOL
Overall the Argentine soccer forum is my one stop besides Ole,La Nacion, for all the latest news about Argentina. I also like the fact the current moderators understand specific lingo(Lunfardo) that is not taken out of context to mean anything bad. As for the current crop of mods I can say that although we may have not agreed on some issues i have never been treated unfairly by any of you .. And i am greatfull for your work and time dedicated to the betterment of this forum..

DM
Thanks for your input, DM. You shall be rewarded with some +rep.

[Moishe]

RG I was the one that copied your thread into other forums just to make sure the message got out as I find some posters only hit specific sub-forums. I also want to thank DM for taking the time to provide us with some feedback.

[RacingGirl]

RG I was the one that copied your thread into other forums just to make sure the message got out as I find some posters only hit specific sub-forums. I also want to thank DM for taking the time to provide us with some feedback.

No problem, Moishe. Just wanted to make sure all the positive feedback gets back to the admins. We'll keep the negative feedback on the other thread ;)

[TallTowerMan]

As a Super, it is a joy having the crop of Mods that I have in the Argentina Forum. Thank you.:)

[RacingGirl]

As a Super, it is a joy having the crop of Mods that I have in the Argentina Forum. Thank you.:)
Thanks, TTM :)

2 more comments have been posted. Here they are.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=19197326#post19197326
Let me first say that I absolutely LOVE these forums. I hate forums in general, because the ambiance there is rarely worth my time, but this is the exception.
This is my one-stop shop for everything Argentine soccer. The vast amount of information I find here is invaluable and it keeps me up to date with the going ons of the team. Also, the football IQ here is fairly high. We have quite a few posters who clearly know their stuff, and even when I don't agree, I can respect where they're coming from. For example, I disagree with NYC_Cosmos on his views on Messi (not completely) & his sometimes overly nationalistic view of things. But I enjoy reading his posts for the most part, and he has the attitude where he can have his own views and accept that others see it differently. He doesn't make it personal.

The tone here is cordial for the most part. The discussions tend to be lively, sometimes heated, but widespread disrespect is not really problem. Not to say that there aren't slips sometimes.
I like the fact that our mods are attentive and active both in getting threads back on topic, cleaning up, & fighting trolling. As such, from where I sit, trolling is really not a problem here.

If I could say one thing that has a negative taint, it is that I feel that some of our posters don't really take the time to think out what they are writing. And that makes for some difficult reading at times, in trying to decipher what people are trying to say. Also, we get some visceral responses that tend to derail the topics and add no real value to the discussions. I mean, no one should be trying to be the grammar police on here, but it can only help if we all take some time to think things out.

Overall, these forums are not perfect and there's always room for improvement but I think it's something people on here should feel positive about. I know I do. I get a good feeling from coming here and that is why I keep coming back. There are some solid posters here who make it fun and we have exemplary mods. Again, this is coming from someone who doesn't frequent other forums, so take it with a grain of salt, but it's very good here.

I would have to second Siempre Albiceleste's comments, I think they are spot on, where you guys are doing well is in the fact that you guys don't over police as in some forums and i like that, i don't like when people jump to conclusions and call someone a troll or whatever too quick. Keep up the good work guys.
Where I think some improvement could be done is when discussions do get heated or when sometimes there may be a differing way of reading things. We are limited in our discusions by how things are written and thus read and in such it can be taken the wrong way often, in such the mods could step in and mediate and allow people to explain themselves better, or at least have a chance to.

[RacingGirl]

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=19199627#post19199627

this nsr forum kicks ass!!

[argentine soccer fan]

As a Super, it is a joy having the crop of Mods that I have in the Argentina Forum. Thank you.:)

Thanks. It's been an honor to be able to help out, but really I'm impressed with the job the other mods are doing.

I really enjoy this forum. There is always good information and the chance for discussion and speaking our mind about futbol and about other issues related to Argentina.

Considering all that has happened, the discussions over the national team have remained quite civil for the most part.

And the Boca Juniors subforum rocks!

Cheers.

[vipnerd]

I voted for there is room for improvement as I think that everything could be better, or at least strive for it.

But I think that so far we have been trying our best to keep the forum clean and troll free. A while back I tried to describe our duty as Mods as being able to balance the "gastada", so rooted in argentine footie, from trolling. This of course works for clubs, as when it is used for NTs it could be wrongly taken by the visiting users.

I think that is the most delicate issue in this forum, and for it feel that we have done a pretty good job. Furthermore, I firmly believe that RG has been given a free ride by most, after those first 11 games. ;) She needs to thank Diego for diverting atention away from that albiceleste. :p

Keeping the threads under topic, without personal issues among users, and avoiding duplicate (up to quintuple) topics in different threads has been smooth and delivered for the most part.

The challenge is to have our Clubs Section busier. Getting some of the NT followers and "argentine foreign based player" fans to actually watch more local footie and realize the beauty of seeing those stars develop and mature before reaching Europe. The rivalries. The colorful fans. The atrocious refereeing. This Apertura '09 could be best described as "breath-taking" ... so hopefully some of them realize that a Valencia v Almeria or an Inter v Bari couldn't compete with a Estudiantes v Velez for example. I guess you can always TIVO Mourinho or Banegas.

Other than that, users inputs are essential to aware us where they could feel there are gaps. It would be good to hear more voices ...

.

[locoxriver]

I voted for the "The Forum is a Mess" option. Alright, maybe I was a bit harsh: the mods are doing an excellent job, the forums are clean and organized, and the Argentina section of BigSoccer is arguably one of the only sections of the site where respectful, yet knowledgeable conversations occur. Sure, we may have different viewpoints on certain topics (I know Vip and Moishe's differ from mine drastically! :D), but I think in general we know where to draw the line between debating and instigating. I've attempted to join different soccer forums in the past, but I have yet to find one that is as good as BigSoccer. This is one of my homepages and I visit it multiple times every single day. So what separates it from the rest? Simply the fact that I can come here whenever I want and discuss Argentine soccer with true fans, not just trolls and bandwagoners.

The reason I dislike the state of the Argentine forum is simply the lack of participation. I've attempted on numerous opportunities to give life to different threads, but it seems like some members just don't seem to be interested in posting anymore. I miss leoriver, elciclon, illrod (who just reappeared the other day out of no where!), etc... all those members who used to add their two cents to the club conversations. I am not saying that it is essential for these specific members to be active in order for our forums to continue improving, but I think an increase in participation would definitely be welcome.

Devilman: As far as "El Mas Sabio" goes, the reason I stopped hosting the contest was actually because of the above reason. I would get several members to join in on the game, but throughout the tournament participation declined. In the end, just a few of us were still playing, making me question if there was still any valid reason for it's existence. Seeing how you are very interested in it, though, I guess we could bring it back for the Clausura 2010. :)

[argentine soccer fan]

I'd be up for el mas sabio as well. I guess some people lose interest when they fall behind and realize they have no chance of winning, but it's still interesting even if the number of participants drops by the end.

As far as participation in the forum, we have to realize that this being an English language site, it's not easy to recruit Argentines to participate. But we can try to invite friends, and hopefully we'll get more people discovering the site when the World Cup comes around.

I like vipnerd's idea of trying to use the site to promote our futbol and our clubs and players. I was trying to do that with my blog as well, but lately business has been so hectic that I haven't had a chance to keep it current.

[aerez]

If there's a problem with the Argentine forum, perhaps the "staff" should do less elbow rubbing and more self analysis. What state or reason to post this type of thread is always in question, but, usually you start from the top and then you work your way to the bottom.

My question is, have you figured out what you guys are heading before asking us this question? It seems as if you guys are trying to solve or salvage something that's there or isn't.

[Moishe]

Nobody said any problem existed. This thread and many more like it are in every main forum of Bigsoccer and have been done before. Simply a tool for feedback, nothing else.:)

[aerez]

Then, maybe brainstorm some ways to bring in more peers to talk about football. I'm fine with the way it is now, it meets my needs, I don't need anymore information overload. If you want a state, I think this forum needs more people who can bring something and populate the forums. Advertising isn't my job. ;)

[efernandez9]

Nobody said any problem existed. This thread and many more like it are in every main forum of Bigsoccer and have been done before. Simply a tool for feedback, nothing else.:)

please keep the teams subforum updated.....with daily news or at least weekly;)

is not just 3 of them