MGoBlog has jumped the shark?

Submitted by wolverine1987 on

So I was busy last night and missed checking this board. When I checked in this morning, I read through maybe the 16th thread about whether Tate or Denard is going to be a better Quarterback. Followed by the 20th thread or so debating the burning issue of who is fastest between the two. And another positing the simply ludicrous notion that "Tate isn't getting his props," when a main feature of this board is unbridled enthusiasm for Tate and his prospects. Oh, and the lack of "props" is apparently based upon the notion that we underestimate how fucking fast Tate is. Out of approx. 85 replies I saw only a couple debating the relevance of the entire premise.

Several of the above were started by the same posters, one of whom is apparently A-obsessed with the importance of speed at QB, B- a stone loon, or C- a troll, or of course D- all of these.

My faith in our community has been shaken. This board, alone among the boards I frequent regarding sports and M sports, has been a beacon of wit, intelligence and informed commentary. Of course there are exceptions. Certainly a sporadic debate about minor things is ok. But WTF? This board is the only board I actually enjoy reading. MLive and the Freep are full to the brim of fools and uninformed, raucous name calling. Et tu, mgoblog?

So, resolved:

We don't give a fuck about whether Tate or Denard is fastest because for a QB it simply does not matter.

Anyone who says they know which of these two freshman will be better does not know what they are talking about.

While not entirely predictive of success, there is more than enough evidence to validate that, on balance, recruiting ratings matter.

New posters should be required to audit the board for 2 months before posting (emotional response based on the above)

Or perhaps I'm wrong, in which case you will say so.

EDIT: I Love Brian, Tom VH and guests. I also enjoy reading many of the regular posters. My post was concerned with the quality of posts, and maintaining what I think are the differences between mgoblog and mlive etc. that make this site so enjoyable, FWIW.

Comments

mblood7

April 1st, 2009 at 8:37 AM ^

I'm one of these new posters, and i recently started an uproar of my apparent lack of grammatical prowess? Since that day I have changed I had not realized grammar was so important on a blog. To the speed debates and "apparent knowledge" of which QB will be better I to am growing tired of. I went back a few days and found 7 post topics about Denard. 2 is fine and 3 is pushing it, but 7 is like shooting a dead duck! I had been reading this blog for say 5 months now and posting for 2 weeks . I had been visiting the site when i woke up often a few times while at work ,and usually was the last thing i did before hittin the hay. I love this blog, I'm obsessed with anything Michigan.

jg2112

April 1st, 2009 at 8:50 AM ^

The first two (EDIT: three) sentences of your post make it apparent you still have a lack of grammatical "prowess."

I agree with the OP. Let's check the Board to see if certain topics have been discussed and restrict them to that post.

And mblood7 - grammar is not just important in a blog. It's important every day in how you present yourself. If some people on this blog talked the same way in job interviews, on final exams, in sales pitches as they write on this blog, they would never get a job, a passing grade or a sale.

Grammar and the proper use of words can make a bad argument passable, and make a straightforward argument sound like it came from a veteran trial lawyer or politician. Find the clip online of Daniel Hannon criticizing Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, last week over Brown's poor stewardship of England's finances. Put aside the politics and listen to his presentation. It was a cogent argument, but his use of good grammar made his argument unbeatable. The British seem to have the skill of intelligent argument that Americans just don't possess.

Poor use of grammar, however, makes good arguments unreadable and dismissable. And that is the problem on the Board - too many arguments which could be passable are just incomprehensible due to the static of spelling errors, lack of punctuation and incoherent structure of thought. And furthermore, the argument over grammar (being promoted by the bad grammarian, as if their inability to write is justifiable) just wastes everyone's time. If everyone took the time to read what they post before they post it, it would undoubtedly lead to better argument, better discussion, and a better MGOBOARD.

GO BOARD. GO BLUE.

mblood7

April 1st, 2009 at 10:11 AM ^

If my post was that bad I wouldn't post but the occasional misspelling who the fuck cares and bad grammarian really your serious wow! GET A FUCKING LIFE! Fuck the British. Also for your logic of bad grammar having all these effects, I'm 21 straight A student making 50 grand a year.

hokiewolf

April 1st, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^

I would like to reply to this in depth, but I'm too busy sorting through the stacks of CVs on my desk. In this economy, we're averaging a hundred received for every position we post. Luckily, the first pass is easy. I simply throw away the CV of any applicant with a spelling error or egregious grammar mistake in the cover letter, which is about half of them. I've found this method to be the easiest way to weed out the stupid and the careless candidates.

This may be the place where someone chimes in with: "But itza msg bord not a cv. BTW, whts a cv? LOL!" However, we, along with almost every employer, google the final pool extensively. (That really sounds dirty, doesn't it?) While we may not find posts on a board under a different name, we can almost always find examples of every-day writing that give a clearer picture of an applicant's true abilities. By the way, these are not applications for writing-intensive or editing positions.

It's very simple: if you use poor grammar, you will be judged to be of below-average intelligence. Welcome to the real world. It's not fair, here, and no one feels sorry for you. Have a nice day.

StephenRKass

April 1st, 2009 at 2:54 PM ^

Thank you.

Brilliance & wit are not absolutely necessary. An extensive vocabulary is secondary. Brevity is encouraged, except where explanations of reasoning are needed. Internet acronyms are fine, although hard for some of us who don't twitter and text and post all the time.

However, correct spelling and proper use of punctuation are:

1) A general reflection of intelligence.
2) Much easier (and hence, more enjoyable) to read

I agree with your comments.

jmblue

April 1st, 2009 at 4:08 PM ^

I cringe reading posts filled with grammatical mistakes - especially given that most of us here are college graduates (or current students). Writing with proper grammar is a good habit to acquire.

Argus99

April 1st, 2009 at 3:43 PM ^

I suppose you have a 10 inch cock and your girlfriend from Canada has 38 double dees....right?

Please post a link to your 2007 tax return. Better yet..just include your last pay stub with the personal information blacked out.

Nothing screams "loser" louder than a false declaration about one's yearly salary.

mblood7

April 2nd, 2009 at 3:52 AM ^

I'm a firefighter/paramedic, and I also work for a construction company on my off days. I wish I had a 10 inch cock, not sure about the whole canada and 38 double Dees not really my style. A nice blonde about 5'3 about 100 lbs and a nice firm B cup. As for the tax returns you, send me yours I'll open a credit card under your name max it out then maybe I'll send you mine. Now the whole student thing is a stretch. I take one class a semester for continueing education. Can I ask why would my girlfriend be from canada?

Lordfoul

April 1st, 2009 at 8:38 AM ^

Perhaps there is a way to display who posts new threads so we don't have to click without knowing. Of course you could just wear it like the rest of us and accept that any board will have its bad apples.

Blue Durham

April 1st, 2009 at 8:47 AM ^

New posters should be required to audit the board for 2 months before posting

Although there are some obvious problems with the above quote, it would rid the boards of a lot of frauds, which would be a good thing. Maybe 2 week rather than 2 month waiting period.

Several of the above were started by the same posters, one of whom is apparently A-obsessed with the importance of speed at QB, B- a stone loon, or C- a troll, or of course D- all of these.

Just one?

Farnxl Shpxre

April 1st, 2009 at 1:18 PM ^

You put it in quotes, so it looks like you made a serious attempt at proper attribution. But sadly, you have encountered a nasty case of the FAILs.

The quote (as noted by Sir Wikipedia, beholder of all knowledge) is "We have met the enemy and he is us."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo_(comics)#.22We_have_met_the_enemy…

Dix

April 1st, 2009 at 9:08 AM ^

If there is only one internet forum that doesn't make you angry, and even that one is starting to ruffle your feathers, perhaps you should just quit cold turkey.

Enjoy the contributions to MGoBlog that Brian and his occasional guest posters provide and be done with it. Expecting to find rational, coherent, productive debate on an internet forum is a fool's errand.

wolverine1987

April 1st, 2009 at 9:43 AM ^

But although I may in fact be looking backwards through rose colored glasses, it seems to me that Brian and excellent guests aside, the contributors to the forums seemed to once have a a higher level of quality. Not necessarily in terms of rational debate, but in wit and intelligence about football.

Brian is great. But I've also enjoyed reading many of the regulars here. This place is different than the rest, and I hope it stays that way.

NRK

April 1st, 2009 at 9:14 AM ^

For one, there always will be things like this on popular message boards. People always forget to search, people always re-post topics, and there's always trolls. It doesn't suddenly mean the website has jumped the shark.

I'd guess part of the reason is because it is now a big downtime in Michigan sports. Basketball is eliminated from the tournament, hockey lost to AF, and so there is very little going on besides Spring Practice, and let's be honest, football is first to a lot of people around here.

For the Record, I disagree with the statement that speed at the QB position doesn't matter. If you qualified it with "in certain offenses" or "as much as people are making it out to" then maybe. But in a spread option offense that is simply an inaccurate statement.

wolverine1987

April 1st, 2009 at 10:52 AM ^

I would say that as an absolute statement I agree with you, it's not irrelevant. But as a relative statement I stand by it. The "debate" on speed was about who was faster, and therefore who might be better at QB because of that speed. If you grant that they both are fast (one much faster but vs. other QB's both fast), the decision at QB will be made on about 5 other things at least, before speed. Even in the spread option such things as accuracy, reading keys, defense recognition, decision making, intangible leadership quality and others are far more important IMO than speed.

bronxblue

April 1st, 2009 at 11:28 AM ^

Totally agree. I come for Brian's stuff, plus the solid diaries (like jamiemac's during the basketball season). I'll admit to being guilty of the occasional overstatement in MGoBoard, but I still think this is the best site around for knowledgeable discussion of UM sports.

EDIT: I also come for articles about otters.

wile_e8

April 1st, 2009 at 11:03 AM ^

New posters should be required to audit the board for 2 months before posting

FWIW I've always thought having new posters read this and this and this would be good. It would help point out the mindset that attracted most people to this blog originally and why a lynch mob tends to follow anyone that does the crap mentioned in those posts. Actually avoiding most of Brian's listed annoyances would help stop this board from becoming a brim of fools and uninformed, raucous name calling like MLive and Freep.

Brian

April 1st, 2009 at 11:27 AM ^

I don't disagree, but as I see it there are two problems:

1) increased traffic is entropy and brings average post level closer to internet equilibrium.
2) existing people on the board react strongly against this and fill it with flaming, even for pretty harmless stuff like that guy who types like people in Idiocracy talk. (Magnus parodies him above.) This also brings the average post level closer to internet equilibrium.

The best answer is for everyone to ignore annoying stuff but that's never worked in the history of the internet. The solution is probably technical, and I have vague plans to implement something that will help that will involve voting, userpoints, and posting restrictions. That takes time, though, and I have a book to get out and some other projects I'm working on.

Options for the annoyed:
1) suck it up and wait
2) if you're technical offer your help
3) organize a ChipIn drive via which I can hire a developer to fix the issue. I'll match anything that gets raised.

Chrisgocomment

April 1st, 2009 at 11:48 AM ^

You seem to be getting more and more popular on these here interwebz. More readers = more stupid. There's not much you can do about it without offending some readers and that would cut into your income so it is what it is.

In essence, this is correct: 1) suck it up and wait

wolverine1987

April 1st, 2009 at 12:11 PM ^

I agree entirely. Every successful enterprise struggles with how to grow without eventually losing what made it successful in the first place. And I admit, other than sucking it up, I have not a lot to offer in the way of answers. But in that vein a couple of suggestions:

1- could there be a written list of standards along the lines of what Brian wrote earlier and linked to by another poster on this thread? It may not help but at least everyone would know expectations and those things that separate this blog from others.

2- (He offers, expecting a chorus of boos) would a paid element of the site help? That may be financially ruinous to Brian depending on structure, but I know I would be willing to pay some fee in exchange for the benefit of this site to me. That is likely a minority opinion anyway, but perhaps Brian's #3 suggestion would substitute

3- forget the above, suck it up

Chrisgocomment

April 1st, 2009 at 12:50 PM ^

Regardless of whether or not you enjoy the MGoBoard, what should keep you here is Brian's excellent writing. That will always remain so the Board isn't really the draw, it's only a minor annoyance.

Also, re: Brian's writing. For those of you who insist on writing in text style, just take a minute to consider the time and effort Brian puts into his posts. You should do the same at least as a courtesy to the effort he makes. Just my epinion.