New Blog Structure

Once again, I feel this site has grown to the point where it needs a re-thought Blog structure. The site keeps growing in terms of visits and members and especially of late the number of blogs being posted.

This week, we've had blog after blog, essentially saying much the same thing over and over again. I think it would have been far more productive to have centred the discussions around fewer blogs. It would also have helped balance the discussion as right now, the negativity is completely drowning out everything else. When I made this decision the front page had 16 out of 20 negative blogs, and they could easily have been boiled down into a couple of blogs.

So I've introduced a Top Blogs section and these will be show on the front page. Only moderators can promote blogs into this section. I'm also going to introduce a new class of moderators I'm calling 'promoters'. I'm looking towards about a dozen people who I will ask to keep a look out for thoughtful blogs that will be promoted into the Top Blogs section. I'll PM various people over the next few days asking them if they would like to contribute in this way.

I just want to make clear, I don't expect this site to be a shrine of positivity after we get flogged 38 to nil, but I've personally found the unrelenting stream of negativity to be tiring and a lot of it hasn't had a lot of thought behind it. I understand there is a place for emotional responses and those blogs will still be in the forum, but I really don't want new Parra fans coming here and just seeing everyone from the CEO, coach and players unrelentingly trashed on the front page. That's not what I started this site for.

I don't know if this is logistically possible, to maintain, so this is being done on a trial basis and we may revert back to the old system. Indeed, I have the option when things lighten up a bit, to make Top Blogs the default blog category and it will revert to an exception basis. I imagine this process will replace the Trash Blogs sections. The Trash Blogs served a purpose but having such negative connotations around that category made it difficult for me just to move a blog there, because it might have overlapped for example.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes. Please give it a chance and your feedback is welcome.

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  • I fully support this idea!

    One other suggestion I would make to everyone, is that before you create a blog, please have a think about whether what you want to say fits into another blog.

    We had too many negative blogs last night all essentially saying the same thing.

    Mods are reluctant to trash blogs because we don't want to have them overlooked.

    So a little bit of thought would make our lives easier! : )
  • Sounds good. I'm new to this site and I'm a bit taken back by the amount negativity after a loss.
  • Don't listen to it Paul! : ) You'll soon learn which blogs to avoid.

    And a very, very, VERY warm welcome to you! : )
  • why not just trash blogs that you dont like. if a blog is chosen to be a top blog it might take 2 days to be there and might not be relevent by that time like team changes or streaming sites just little things like that. just a thought its your site

    place neg blogs in trash or a venting section??

  • Thanks Tinkerbell and wizards sleeve for the welcome,  It's a great site to be apart of.
  • I am a relative newcomer but I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments. I feel that freedom of expression should be balanced by a sensibly discriminate team of moderators. Some of the blogs are utter infantile, ill conceived garbage that are completely disrespectful to the people we cheer for every week.

    If I could offer a few suggestions, perhaps a few "sticky" blogs could be established-one for readers' personal team choices, another for for official team list updates/late mail and so on.

    In regards to swear words, readers should be sensible and responsible enough to use their own discretion. Surely a  moderator's time shouldn't be wasted editing people's poor manners and laziness. A "sin bin" may be one way to wake people up to themselves.

    Finally, I think Tinkerbell makes the most important point - "Please pull your head out of your backside and plug your brain in before posting."

    Cheers and thank you for giving us a voice. WR.

  • WR if you ever have thoughts or ideas on how to make the site better please do not be afraid to voice them!

    Myself and all the other mods would be delighted to hear from you! : )
  • JPav regardless of whether a blog is promoted, it's still in the default Parra category and it still shows up in the main activity stream so its not like it disappear. Plus I can pretty much guarantee, by the time I get the process in place, blogs will be pretty much continuously checked.

     

    People can still view Latest Activity across all categories if they like (The All Blogs link under the main Blog category) but this will let people who don't want to wade through a whole lot of repititive stuff, the ability to do so and I think it presents a better image of the site by clealry signalling the standard of blog we expect to reach the home page.

     

    And I don't think all negative blogs are trashed. There have been some really thoughtful negative posts this week, as well.

  • Couldn't happen soon enough. I don't even bother posting after games anymore regardless of whether we win or lose, everything just gets drowned out in rabble.
  • Great news Phil. I was so close to pulling the pin on the site as the negativity was just getting me down. As I live overseas now this is my main way of keeping up with what's going on in Parra town and must say, it has not been enjoyable of late. I know we are all passionate about our team but people have to show respect to others and stop the abuse.

    I was a season ticket holder for many years and I found it as difficult going to the games back then with my 5yo son when we fell on hard times. Sometimes I had to stop myself from ramming my fist down the throat of the guys behind me because they go on with the same negative, abusive rubbish week in and week out. Please at least put a stop it on here.

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