forum gone to the dogs

Terry

Judomad wrote: »

I think u misread the name of this forum, it is Self Defense and "insert name here" and if you knew the meaning to the 3 letters MMA you would know it is Mixed "insert same name as 2nd part of forum name here" so why would you say something rediculous like that, i think Geronimo1 has a valid point, he wants to post here and any non army like yes sir no sirs are not tollerated, why would somebody post in a forum they cant speak there mind without someone mouthing at them just because its there opinion, i stand by Geronimo1 so far and think you guys are ganging up on him, most of the people who have questioned him are moderators or other forums...disgraceful behaviour ganging up on one sole member so i stand behind that sole member and support his beliefs that this forum has gone to pure Shiote..........

Judomad wrote: »

1. id not seen that nothingcompares had replied as i replied to that post directly before readin all!!

2. Geronimo1 wasnt bein racist, i agree with what he is sayin which is why im agreein with him....

3. Did u work out the mystery word yet pal?

You catch more flies with honey.

Purple Lemons wrote: »

I've just joined today and personally i love chaotic forums, the arguing and whatnot is entertaining to some degree. There seems to be a good mix here though, certain topics which allow you to go a bit off the matter and have a joke and then there's the topics which allow you to hold a proper conversation about 'said subject. So thumbs up for these forums from me...so far.

But what do i know, im just a kid

Come on over to After Hours.

--amadeus--

I lurk in the SD&MA forum a bit but don't post there very often.

I have no interest in MMA and I think that it should be off in a separate forum as it is a different sport - it's like mixing rubgy union and rugby league up in one.

That said I think that the SD/MA forum could do with *something*. It comes across as very serious and high level. Virtually everyone posting on there is a black belt / instructor and that's great because they are the people you want advice from. But it can be intimidating for relative beginners and that may be reinforced by the MA culture of respect. It's something we have faced in the running forum where we have serious runners clocking fast times and high mileage intimidating beginners and we have had to work very hard at walking between respect for elite performances and an elitist attitude.

Now it may be that the SD/MA people want that exclusivity, a place for black belts and instructors to talk. But if it could be broadened I think it would be a healthier forum.

Nothingcompares

On the nature of MMA versus MA/SD. The idea behind the MMA forum was an outlet for discussion on the showbiz side of Mixed Martial Arts. Things like UFC and Affliction, rumours about the famous fighters, issues relating to rules, sales, marketing etc. Almost everything to do with MMA without the martial arts aspect. The SD/MA was always intended to remain the home for discussion on martial arts, wrestling, boxing, judo, thai, all the key corner stones of MMA.

I always make the comparison to the Poker forum, which I shouldn't because I don't play poker or read the forum. But it's my assumption it's a mixture of very experienced, professional, semi-professional and completely amateur and recreational players. If the recreational player has a point to make it usually has to have it's own thread because how can a recreational player contribute to a discussion between experts?

This doesn't mean people are arrogant or intimidating. It's just the nature of discussion. So, to make the point, if someone says "it can be intimidating for relative beginners" it's the beginners fault they are intimidated not everyone elses.

--amadeus--

I agree - for any specialist board to thrive it has to appeal to all levels, from rank rookie to pro (or equivalent).

I suppose this thread illustrates what I mean. It starts out with a newbie enquiry and the first couple of answers are really helpful. But then it gets into an arcane discussion of teh different TKD federations rules, a comment about a PM and a discussion on buying books between people who obviously know each other well.

In itself an innocuous enough thread but it went from helpful to "cliquey" (I hate that word) in a few replies. And it is a b*tch to moderate because you want teh regulars to feel at home and able to chat but not to teh exclusion of teh newbies or those with little or no experience.

I'm not sure I have any suggestions, just giving my feedback

geronimo1

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

What happened to anonymity on boards geronimo1? Why did you use his given name in this public forum? His profile does not reveal this.

kevins a big enough lad to fight his own battles and im sure if he has a problem wit me using his name he will let me know blue **** stirrer lagoon.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

What happened to anonymity on boards geronimo1? Why did you use his given name in this public forum? His profile does not reveal this.

In fairness, on the SD&MA board alot of us know each other well enough & real names are sometimes thrown around casually..

geronimo1 wrote: »

kevins a big enough lad to fight his own battles and im sure if he has a problem wit me using his name he will let me know blue **** stirrer lagoon.

But some people have to appricate that this isn't the case AWAY from the Martial Arts forums and so should act accordingly..

Signed ... MARTIN

If I can add my own little input here, I hated the direction the old SD&MA forum was going. Indeed it got to the stage where a few of us broke away and discussed TMA away from boards.ie on another Irish forum, the result of this was MMA discussion then completely swamped what remained of the TMA threads.

This has been totally reversed now, so much so in fact that I got an email this week informing me that the old site was being taken down due to lack of participation!.

Since the (IMO) very successful split of the forum thats been reversed and the interests of everyone involved is very well looked after in their respective forum.

As for the Moderating of the SD&MA forum, IMO its first class. I appricate the discipline Jon has brought to the forum. Its a discipline I wish I could replicate in (at least) the Military Forum where I Moderate but I can't hit that Balance that Jon has achieved.

-Mairt (not my real name).

Nothingcompares

--amadeus-- wrote: »

I agree - for any specialist board to thrive it has to appeal to all levels, from rank rookie to pro (or equivalent).

I suppose this thread illustrates what I mean. It starts out with a newbie enquiry and the first couple of answers are really helpful. But then it gets into an arcane discussion of teh different TKD federations rules, a comment about a PM and a discussion on buying books between people who obviously know each other well.

In itself an innocuous enough thread but it went from helpful to "cliquey" (I hate that word) in a few replies. And it is a b*tch to moderate because you want teh regulars to feel at home and able to chat but not to teh exclusion of teh newbies or those with little or no experience.

I'm not sure I have any suggestions, just giving my feedback

Fair observation. I see where you're coming from . I agree with your implied solution, ban all TKD discussion.

DeVore

Now THIS is starting to be a helpful feedback thread.

So, how do we encourage more on topic interaction , more new users to stop being lurkers and less old-guard in-fighting?

I've also mooted an "off topic thread" for topic-specific forums like this so that the regulars can be "chatty" with each other without wrecking the noise:signal ratio, but at some stage you cant escape having to say "look, could you two please shut it, you are monopolising the conversation/thread" and then people get miffed about "moderation". (not talking about anyone on this thread, I just mean in general).

But lets keep this positive, what needs to happen, what can we encourage, how can things be made better?

DeV.

--amadeus--

I think it's a mix of the mods own view of thier role and the community, tbh. There was a discussion about this a while back - do mods lead or follow? As in is it up to a mod to try and form a community, drive discussion and build a busy forum? Or do they just facilitate the discussion between teh members? Reactive or proactive?

Again going back to the forum I know best (Running) myself and teh other Mods would probably have been much more active thread starters in the past, which brought more and more lurkers out as posters. As more posters joined the forum seemed to be viewed more, so more people became involved and in teh end a few really good regulars began to really take leadership roles. They set up challenges, a training logs sub forum, arraigned meets and eventually formed a club. I think we went from a mod led forum to a community led forum and the place is substantially better (and busier) for it.

So if the MA&SD posters really want a broader, busier forum then I suppose I would suggest they need to take the lead and post loads of threads and try and stir up some debate, draw lurkers in (unimaginative and obvious, I know!)

But that assumes they want change - no harm in a small community who know each other, as Mairt says the modding in there is exemplary, there's plenty of signal and not much noise so does it really need to be changed?

Black Swan

Nothingcompares wrote: »

ban all TKD discussion.

Very amusing, but expected from the former Captain of the Judo Team, now fallen from a respected Japanese traditional art to become a jack-of-all-trades MMA true believer?;)

Regards to newbies entering the SD&MA forum over the past 3 years, it seemed that most of the regulars welcomed them, and were helpful. I also found the mods to be very forgiving at times when some posters got out of line and personally attacked the character of individuals rather than to address the OP. So a bit of banter was allowed, which, given the forum, would be expected in MA posts and real life.

Not all regular posters to the SD&MA forum were instructors or black belts, but included many coloured belts with varying levels of skill and experience, as well as those that shifted from one MA to another before achieving mastery. So I found it to be a mixed bunch over time.

I do not post as frequently to the SD&MA forum as I used to, not because of the split between SD&MA and MMA, but rather because I found another forum outside boards.ie that had persons more skilled with Japanese sword (especially as pertains to Iaijutsu), which has been of increasing interest for me from a training standpoint over the past couple years.

yomchi

Just to add my 2 p, for what it's worth.

It was a given that the forum would have slowed down a tad when the main bulk of topics mostly debated were moved to their own forum. I agreed with this move and still do.

With most of the MMA discussion gone, a void has been left that needs to be filled with individuals who practice what is known in these circles as the traditional martial arts.

However it will take time to build this poster base up simply because of the put downs and arguments that existed in the past when the old MMA V TMA debates were been had, most left the forum or just never bothered with it.
Until these posters either come back or new ones sign up, the forum will continue to be a 'chat forum' of kinds for some posters of old. This is something I'm aware of and understand. In my defence, no threads worth reading were locked, a simple search will reveal this. Threads about throwing sh1ite and Gi's (pronounced Gee for those who don't know) smelling nice will of course be locked - even if it is Mairt

Geronimo, I moved your thread to feedback where it belongs and where you'll get the right answers, as has been proved, not because i'm an over excited moderator!
In the recent few weeks, spammers have been banned and people hijacking threads to advertise either a CD or an event have also been banned. These are the rules. I spoke briefly with Colm (the other mod) and he was in agreement that we should clamp down on it, hence the thread asking for posters opinions on people using the forum for the sole purpose of advertising their event, whether it be useful or not, everyone else has to pay to advertise on boards.ie - why should people who contribute nothing get free advertising? Posters opinions are still being considered and there are no hard and fast rules at present.

Until the forum picks up a bit with either new or old posters coming back there will be a vacuum that others will fill, whether it be useful contributions or just chat.
Everyone here has a part to play in re-building it and contributing useful mature information.

Sin é

geronimo1

Jon wrote: »

Just to add my 2 p, for what it's worth.

It was a given that the forum would have slowed down a tad when the main bulk of topics mostly debated were moved to their own forum. I agreed with this move and still do.

With most of the MMA discussion gone, a void has been left that needs to be filled with individuals who practice what is known in these circles as the traditional martial arts.

However it will take time to build this poster base up simply because of the put downs and arguments that existed in the past when the old MMA V TMA debates were been had, most left the forum or just never bothered with it.
Until these posters either come back or new ones sign up, the forum will continue to be a 'chat forum' of kinds for some posters of old. This is something I'm aware of and understand. In my defence, no threads worth reading were locked, a simple search will reveal this. Threads about throwing sh1ite and Gi's (pronounced Gee for those who don't know) smelling nice will of course be locked - even if it is Mairt

Geronimo, I moved your thread to feedback where it belongs and where you'll get the right answers, as has been proved, not because i'm an over excited moderator!
In the recent few weeks, spammers have been banned and people hijacking threads to advertise either a CD or an event have also been banned. These are the rules. I spoke briefly with Colm (the other mod) and he was in agreement that we should clamp down on it, hence the thread asking for posters opinions on people using the forum for the sole purpose of advertising their event, whether it be useful or not, everyone else has to pay to advertise on boards.ie - why should people who contribute nothing get free advertising? Posters opinions are still being considered and there are no hard and fast rules at present.

Until the forum picks up a bit with either new or old posters coming back there will be a vacuum that others will fill, whether it be useful contributions or just chat.
Everyone here has a part to play in re-building it and contributing useful mature information.

Sin é

fair enough thanks for the explanation well least i got a bit of debate going so im happy enough

redbelt

Geronimo1 there are all out to get u all the boys with the
( *****)
U will never get any where unless u get a couple of
( ***********************)

cowzerp

Its simple really, the mma forum is for talking about events in mma, that was the intention. Mma is the best art for debating the individual arts as they train most the arts and know if they can use them against other arts as they try it, if you ask whats the best art the tkd people say tkd, thai boxers say thai, etc.. Even though they only know if there art works v its own style-mma is the most complet art and it does not need to be debated, but the individual parts of mma can be debated best by those who have experience of mixing the styles and what works. A lot of the mma folk dont feel welcome there anymore and dont bother posting, if someone wants to know what works then the mma opinion is essential. Ps-all this is before jon took over so he's not to blame. thats my take on it anyway. I'm typing on my phone so sorry about lack of paragraphs

DeVore

This isnt about MMA which is about the blend of styles. This topic is about the SD/MA forum and ways to improve it. (not that I disagree with your analysis of MMA etc, I just dont want to go off topic here).

DeV