Ladies and Gentlemen,
This site has never been the most endearing to the club or even parts of our own fanbase. A common piece of feedback I receive privately is that some find it too negative or drama-filled, which is why many choose to stay away. At times we clash hard and put each other down, the club, the players, and even Super, who pays for this site out of his own pocket. Some of this could understandably offend players’ families. In conversations I’ve had with people within the club’s hierarchy, the club takes a fairly open-minded view and accepts that it can’t control what others say or think. That’s a mature approach.
That said, I believe the majority of us are good eggs, mean well, even if some are rough around the edges and a small minority hold more extreme views. Over the past decade, I’ve met many wonderful people through this site, some of whom I now count as close friends and have learned a great deal from. You’re a big reason I’m still here and why I care about this community.
If you’re willing, I’d appreciate your thoughts on the direction the site should take. Ultimately, Super will decide, but it’s helpful to understand how people feel, here or privately, on:
- Current affairs and political blogs: Even if personally enjoy them, these often become the most feral and attract extremist views, especially in challenging times. They can flood the site and turn off many who simply want to talk footy, the one thing we all share. Life has enough dramas.
- Moving these blogs to The Cave: Making them members-only may be a win-win, it allows discussions without overwhelming those who’d want to avoid it.
- Any other ideas for improving the site.
Please don’t comment on political, religious or current affairs issues in this blog. This is about improving the site, not saving the world from an apocalypse.
Replies
I don't totally agree with it but we live in a very different world to 10 years ago , 10 years ago left and right were a lot closer so you could have a debate . Today left and right are too far apart and far too emotional so 95% of the time debates get out of control . So for the sites sake I would ban political , religious and social discussions completely from the site and this is purely for the sites sake .
Frankie, You raise a very good point. Generally, not much good has come from them other than us often fighting like cats and dogs.
Essentially, other than a small minority (e.g. StrangeEel, Wiz, Daz or myself) who enjoy them, they don't offer the site much,.and annoy the majority who don't want to be flooded with them.
Something has to be done. Either experimenting with The Cave, or banning them all together as you suggest. The problem with The Cave, which Randy pointed out, is it might end up a wasteland or ghost town.
Not exactly correct chief, he was banned for displaying the flag and was only allowed back if he removed the flag. This is discrimination and imo appalling behaviour by super.
HFK, are you banned for disagreeing with Super? Is anyone else? Wiz hasn't been suspended for that. It's for other reasons.
I dont know what Wiz did, good bad indifferent, no idea what happened, and i dont know him personally. I do know that i enjoy the site better with Wiz being Wiz and commenting.
If he has overstepped, i'm sure it won't be long before he is back.
I'm talking about Brett Allen not wiz.
It seems only people that disagree with super get banned, randy got quite personal with some of his rants and yet he wasn't banned. No, I am not asking for or suggesting randy should have been banned, I am just pointing out there seems to be a biased based on left or right points of view on who gets banned.
HFK, Lots of people disagree with Super. They aren't suspended for that. From what I understand, in Brett's case he was suspended for inciting a lot of conflict and angst with other members. Not for his pro-Israle stance. The flag was the final straw, but not the only reason. Also, we are a footy site. Not a political one that wants to advertise 24/7.
If people can express their opinions and restrain themselves like adults, even in disgreement, respectfully, there's no problem. I mean you do it. It's not that hard is it, really? If everyone was like you, we wouldn't have many issues. Sometimes people forget there is actually a human being on the other side of the computer...
Thanks for the info. Don't know precisely what he said but it was said at an emotionally charged time.
Many of us would strongly object to a long Wiz ban, a time-out would seem to suffice. He has a singular style of posting and when in form he is a force of nature who can pull a good laugh. He skates close to the edge, out on the thin stuff, and sometimes you break the ice. It's your own fault, but when valuable things falll in a hole you don't you don't cover the hole, you pull them out, give em a hot minute to dry off and sharpen their skates, then head off again...together.
He should be told what is happening snd in my opinion.....FREE WIZ
Coming from Sydney 45 years ago and arriving in Brisbane, I had very limited exposure to my beloved Eels from an information perspective.
When I joined 1EE about 10 years ago it provided that link I was missing about my team.............
Philosophically this was my first involvement with social media. I am not on any other outside of TCT which was realalistically a spin off of 1EE and I still post there infrequently and respect 60's foundation of that site. I even suggested the 2 sites should be merged. It was actually unrealalistic in hindsight when you understand the personality differences.
So yes I am of the view that we are different and looking more like TCT is not that desirable unless you want to be the same.
I understand the points being made by Hoe by opening this up.
This said I am one of the sites most polarising personalties (its just me I do not do it with any deliberacy) and have created some division in that respect. This process is not an opportunity to defend myself , so I won't! Most people know me well enough to have their own opinions. I am by definition centre right and have voted left on a number of occasions.....
So I am focusing on people rather than subject at this stage.
The people on here are honest, vitrolic, humerous, insulting, lovable and dumb as dogshit!.....(sounds like a family) I am not sure we need to change the mix as they are a reflection of the honesty on here and in a way that makes us unique.
I feel where we have lost it somewhat is in the political and cultural aspects that parade themselves in various ways through our whole society.
Some people say to me lets have a conversation but exclude, Religion, Politics and Racism......sorry but that is like taking 80% of the content away and leaving us with Sport only.....acknowledge at this point the ladies would prefer to talk about their children and grandchildren.
Obviously the vitrolic enters into all those subjects and great sensitivity exists between the cultural aspects, I believe where Hoe is directing this discussion and these issues respectively is the dangers involved in turning people off trying to understand these things better.
We are lucky we have a person like Hoe moderating, mainly because he has the intelligence and judgement to manage a process that would be impossible for a biased person to moderate. Whether you agree or disagree with Hoe's judgement's (he is probably centre left) is not the point, we respect him enough to make a decision that we can fundamentally agree is giving people opportunities to express themselves without calling for special laws. He has rarely suspended anybody and deserves the right to delete discussion's adjudged as inappropriate. I can think of no better person to empower!
My summation of this is to give Hoe the power to be trusted to perform what we need, as its a bastard of a job and if we just accept that someone has got to do it, I cannot think of a fairer person to do it than him.
PS Everyone has the power to refer these matters if they don't like his judgements to Super! Super can be the final arbiter in a system that effectively exists in our democratic society. i.e. Free speech and the ability to appeal to a higher authority. It does not always work but tell me a system thhat works better?
Poppy this site went downhill as soon as Phil Sim left , While Phil had piss poor standards and judgment when it came to club matters he ran this site in a very fair way and never once pushed his lefty views on here or removed blogs or posts that didn't fall into line with his lefty views. No doubt you remember the good old days on here and all the stoushes many of us had on all subjects , the fact you never had a heart attack during these stoushes is testament to your heart health .
The moderation on this site is basically all about being a apologist for the club and has been for a long time , as fans we have the right to hammer the people who run the club as much as we like especially since their epic failures have given fans so much misery , they never get to face members so forums like this are the only way fans and members can vent .
The site is slowly turning into TCT and no doubt it would be the mods dream of having a blanket ban on criticising the club , a perfect example of this is the recent two bit forum that members had with the club management.
Do you think people who attended this tea party event asked any hard questions? Do you think one person had the foresight to ask Jim Sarantonis a question like why as CEO for last 6 years and having the greatest advantage of any other club CEO in nsw in having the 2nd largest CBD in nsw with $9b dollars worth of property developers and construction companies he has failed failed miserably in tapping into this failed in bringing these people to the club ? No fucking chance .
Do you thnk Super or anyone else at this event ask the simple question of why haven't the people who run the club been able to make Parramatta a attractive destination for players?
Do you think they would ask why they can't bring the best people to the club be or players or staff ?
Do you think they would ask why the club has bottom of barrel standards ?
Do you think they would asked why we have have a epic low standard head of football in Mark O'Neil who has been a epic failure still at the club ? Of course not .
They would of asked question regarding the the type of blue being a bit dark on the jersey or if the hats members received in their members packs can be made from 100% recycled materials .
When it comes to political or social subjects I have no issues with them being banned primarily because the mods will remove what is posted based on what does not match their views and beliefs, if you ask a question that they can't answer in a way that won't suit their narrative it will be removed , if a blog is not going the way that suits the mods narrative it will be removed and we have a long history of this with Super .
Phil Sim was a lefty but he never once removed a blog or post because it did not meet his lefty beliefs , you could actually have a debate with Phil and then agree to disagree but he would not close or remove a blog just because it was not going his way .
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