Early Festivus airing of grievances
I can’t wait any longer, I have a problem with some of you people and you’re gonna hear about it.
1. OSU trolls. Bluedream, Carter the Darter, GOMBLOG...countless others. Trolls who pretend to be Michigan fans but do nothing but shit on UM and pump up OSU. How sad is your life to spend this much time devoted to doing this?
2. The DT panic. Look, the DT situation wasn’t great this year. Next year will be better. We have two young guys who should be very good. It’s a concern, it’s not a panic. Way overblown.
3. Brian’s emo attitude towards football. Come on man, pull it together!
4. Lazy narratives. How many times have people said Carlo Kemp is a linebacker we bulked up to play DT? He was an SDE that was listed as 255 in HS. It’s not crazy for a senior to put on 30-35 lbs after 4 years on campus. It’s not like we got Devin Bush and tried to make him a DT.
5. This sites ineptitude. Points dont work, can’t edit an OP, still crashes, trolls run unchecked. I mean WTF?
December 18th, 2019 at 9:50 AM ^
I got a lot of problems with you people, and now, you're gonna hear about it!!
December 18th, 2019 at 11:14 AM ^
I'm just here for the Feats of Strength and to watch someone dance with the Festivus Pole.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:51 AM ^
1) To all of you gloom and doomers out there, just zip it. Take that sad-sack woe is me attitude and rain on someone else's parade.
2) To those of you who want Harbaugh fired. You are fired, stay the hell off this site!
3) To those of you who think X can't play defense because he got put on skates one game in four years.....just stop, most of you probably don't even get passed to in pick up games.
December 18th, 2019 at 12:09 PM ^
"Put on skates one game in four years"? Uh, Cassius Winston says hello.
December 19th, 2019 at 2:01 AM ^
That was after fighting through like 20 screens. Winston definitely couldn't take it to X like Pritchard could.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:51 AM ^
People creating Diaries out of hot takes that should be in the snowflake threads.
- I think the link to comment function being broken on threads with more than one page contributes to the proliferation of Dairies/MBs which say the same stuff as in the snowflake threads though.
People rationalizing losses because our academics are better.
MGoBlog 2.0. The upgrade was not.
People who criticize those with legitimate gripes about the site (meaning the webpage, not the content) by saying "it's free", "if you think you can do better, make your own blog", etc.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:28 AM ^
Is MGoBlog an actual job for some of the people?
December 18th, 2019 at 10:31 AM ^
Not sure I get your drift here.
Because the site is run by volunteers that excuses legitimate gripes?
So if you buy a POS car, do you accept the power windows or locks don't work properly because you cannot make a car of your own?
December 18th, 2019 at 10:41 AM ^
My point is if the people who run the site are making money off of it then they need to get this shit fixed. I'm not a tech guy but for fuck sake how hard is it to get this thing running smoothly. I've only been a member here for a little over a year, but hardly anything gets fixed. When one thing is fixed another problem emerges. There are people on this board who are pretty level headed and could be mods to help clean up all the garbage that gets posted on the board, but nope. It could take hours or even days to get an account removed.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:47 AM ^
Fair enough.
My point is if the people who run the site are making money off of it
Shouldn't matter paid or not (and I'd argue given the proliferation of ads here, there's some revenue coming in. Which I don't have a problem with as servers don't run themselves). Some of this stuff is fundamental design.
I'm not a tech guy but for fuck sake how hard is it to get this thing running smoothly.
Before I got into consulting last year, development was my background. It shouldn't be hard to get it running smoothly... I think that's where a lot of the frustration from the user base comes from... you don't have to be a tech guy or gal to see there's elementary shit wrong with the site.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:55 AM ^
We're basically on the same page. I find it pretty hard to believe that they don't have any time to address the flaws with this site. Sometimes the issues make it unusable for some people.
December 18th, 2019 at 11:35 AM ^
I guess I've been here long enough to remember when this site used to fall over when a stiff breeze blew past, so the fact it rarely fails and handles decent traffic well is a godsend. The actual site design is mediocre but seems "optimized for mobile", as the kids are saying these days. I mostly used the old Android app, which I found easy and usable while everyone else complained was destroying their childhood or somesuch.
The issue has always been that the original site was designed with Drupal and because every early PHP framework was opinionated to hell your whole system sorta coalesced around how it was designed. As a result, moving to a nicer, newer one is a massive pain in the ass, so the decision was made (I guess) to just upgrade to a newer version of Drupal. And because of that, a lot of the issues people see seem to have carried over (the older site, if memory serves me right, also couldn't load comments more than a page away).
I don't come here for the site design and, frankly, the bulk of the commenters here are as dumb and lazy as me, so I'm not dying to track down who disagreed with me. The content of the site has taken a bit of a hit this year with the "everything sucks and Michigan is so smart so that's why they can't beat OSU as I fall deeper into the stupidity that is BPONE", but that is hopefully a one-time thing that will remedy itself.
December 18th, 2019 at 11:32 AM ^
What does Brian et al making money off the site have to do with whether they need to fix it? If they're making money and don't see any cost-benefit to fixing the website then they're making a business decision to leave it as-is. Clearly people still show up, so that's their call.
If you were paying for it, you'd have a point, but even then the only way to actually influence the decision to upgrade would be to go somewhere else for your Michigan sports fix.
I get it though, seems odd that it's been so difficult to set up a functional blog and message board.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:52 AM ^
Mgoblog (the site itself) is a big huge piece of shit.
Still has good content
December 18th, 2019 at 10:16 AM ^
I had a new problem today on mobile. Banner ad at the bottom couldn't be closed, but it was above the keyboard and covered the part where I was typing, so I couldn't even see what I was typing. The X on the banner ad didn't close it.
December 18th, 2019 at 11:04 AM ^
I have the brave browser basically just for mgoblog. No ads.
No revenue for the site, but it got to be almost unusable on safari or chrome.
December 18th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
I tried to use this site without my ad blocker on to help with their revenue stream as I really like the content here. However, just now, I turned on my ad blocker for this site just because two things happened today - 1) an ad started autoplay with sound on while I was at work. Anyone taking a break to read their favorite MGoContent on early signing day knows that this is 100% pure bullshit. No ad should do this, ever. 2) Second offense was the auto-redirect to some bullshit phishing page saying "congratulations (browser user), you've won $1000 gift card to Buttfu*kers and a lifetime supply of Brawndo, now all we need is your SSN and banking information". Sorry MGoBlog, no more ad revenue for you from me. Happy Festivus!
December 18th, 2019 at 12:40 PM ^
That's pretty brave of you.
December 18th, 2019 at 1:59 PM ^
Samesies
December 18th, 2019 at 10:53 AM ^
Half the time I click on something here it redirects me to some phishing scam. In fact it happened when I clicked in this box to write this very post! "Congratulations Spectrum customer" or some shit with 99 redirects.
I am aggrieved!!
December 18th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
Me too. Just started today.
December 18th, 2019 at 12:39 PM ^
turning on the adblocker seems to have solved this problem for me (adblock pro, safari).
December 18th, 2019 at 9:53 AM ^
1) Someone broke into my apartment building. Tore down the christmas tree in the lobby and smashed two side mirrors off someones car (owner of said car is the only handicapped person in the building). They also took a shit in the lobby after they did this. I saw the security footage last night. I believe him to be a OSU fan and currently among the members of this board.
2) If you bring your kid who has ADHD or something along those lines to a game please have them sit between you and your SO. It made the game less enjoyable when they bumped into me several times and had my seat shaking for half of the game.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:16 AM ^
Twas I who shat in the lobby.
December 18th, 2019 at 1:29 PM ^
That first thing you mentioned sounds like a cat did it.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:54 AM ^
Could not agree more with 1, 2 and 5.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:12 AM ^
For #5 need to include the utterly obnoxious ads that clutter the mobile site making it virtually unusable.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:54 AM ^
I agree with 4 out of 5. The one I just can't get grieved about is Brian's EMO attitude. I don't think it is just emo. The reality is that we have been owned by OSU, and that colors everything. Add to that the reality of having a kid and getting older and being sick as a dog and realizing that there are other things in life besides a college sports blog, and I get where he is at. I mean, when you're 40 years old, and your team has been very good but not great or elite, it tempers things.
But your other things . . . trolls, and DT concern and lazy narratives and site functionality? Yeah, I'm with you on those.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
Yes, losing to OSU sucks, but we have it better than about 120 of the 130 FBS college football teams. If joy can't be found in this year's ND and MSU games or last years Wisconsin and PSU games, why do this?
I grew up during Bo's tenure and his record in AA was 194–48–5 (winning percentage of 75.4%). Harbaugh's record in AA is 47-17 (73.4%), and Harbaugh didn't inherit a team like Bo did (1968 -- 8-2, 80%, AP Rank #12 vs 2014 -- 5-7, 41.7%, unranked). And Bo is a (the?) God among the Michigan faithful.
Brian's emo attitude is the worst aspect of this site. Far worse than the crappy performance of the site and the trolls.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:55 AM ^
Pitbull banner.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:55 AM ^
In summary, this site is slipping. A lot. I think it is direct reflection of management not caring. I'm sure Brian put a lot of work into building this site, and while it is not "people are in charge just because", it feels like it is becoming "people are in charge, because it used to be merited and no one has replaced them yet."
December 18th, 2019 at 10:15 AM ^
If his heart isn't in it, he should sell it. Or at least get someone to sort out the board side and get it back to the way it was before the redesign. Maybe find a freelancer willing to do UFR's for the OSU and bowl games we lose?
December 18th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
I think Brian and Seth have been pretty clear about the primary focus of their business model for this site being front page content and not the Board. The truth is that Board posters make up a very small percentage of consumers of this site's content. Brian and his staff are spending their time and resources tending to UFRs, UV, recruiting status, and podcasts, which is what the majority of readers of this blog click in to view / experience. I don't think the site is slipping, I think the managers of the site are not focusing on one thing that a very small, but very vocal group care about.
That said, not having the point system working so that the Board can self-police is frustrating, but I'm not going to malign Brian for not wanting to spend a large chunk of his time chasing down juvenile assholes who don't know how to behave properly. If the trolls bother you, ignore them.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:45 AM ^
I agree that the staff is prioritizing front page content over the board. However, I would not be surprised if the actual traffic is going as much to the board as to the front page content (if not more).
December 18th, 2019 at 10:57 AM ^
You're wrong about traffic. Seth has said repeatedly that the vast majority of the clicks go to the front page, not the board. Which is why from an ad perspective they prioritize the FP.
I heard somewhere that the monthly views on the site are somewhere on the order of 500k-1 million. My numbers may be way off and I'm pretty sure those are not unique views. But still, I think it shows that there are a large number of viewers who are not posting or participating on the board at all.
December 18th, 2019 at 11:22 AM ^
This is really rough but good enough for contributing to the discussion while I should be working. I kinda want to dig deeper and see the difference between FP and Diary/MB.
https://www.similarweb.com/website/mgoblog.com#overview
December 18th, 2019 at 10:47 AM ^
The truth is that Board posters make up a very small percentage of consumers of this site's content.
Not sure what informs this opinion. Anecdotal to be sure, but I’ve seen more than one comment about how some people never even look at the front page stuff. The front page has the most in—depth stuff, but if I had to guess, I’d say I end up spending more time on the board. Also, if the front page is so important, why no UFR for OSU for example? You also mentioned recruiting status, it is national signing day and nothing on the front page about that?
December 18th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
There isn't nearly enough front page content to keep this place going, especially in the off season. If the board disappeared the lights would be off within six months.
December 18th, 2019 at 4:20 PM ^
I agree with this. There may be more unique hits to the FP content, but the board draws a lot of repeat hits just from what I've seen over the years.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:56 AM ^
1. The dumb-assed banner that has nothing to do with Michigan.
2. The increased level of nastiness by posters towards each other. Can’t we all just get along? I mean, other than the trolls.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:57 AM ^
The posters that simply HAVE to create a new and unique thread in the days after a tough loss to let us know all their very new and unique thoughts on things which basically mirror 50 other new and unique posts with new and unique thoughts on things. Because Lord forbid they simply post a comment inside one of those 50 other threads - that would be bad because the rest of us wouldnt get to necessarily see their very new and unique thoughts on things.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:02 AM ^
Jerry, that you?
December 18th, 2019 at 10:09 AM ^
Or any thread titled “perspective”
December 18th, 2019 at 9:59 AM ^
#5 for sure and the attitude of those affiliated with the site and their “don’t you dare say anything bad about Human Element or else” is over the top.
December 18th, 2019 at 1:09 PM ^
I doubt they are actually happy with HUEL, but there is likely still some contractual stuff going on (HUEL is a sponsor on podcasts) that prevents them from speaking negatively about them. I would even speculate that they traded some work on the site for advertising, and said advertising is still happening on the podcasts.
But the MgoOwner would have to be an idiot to think that HUEL did a great job with the site redesign. It may look a bit nicer cosmetically, more stable with high traffic, etc. but it makes many elements of the user experience far worse. Brian and Seth are details guys - I doubt these things have been overlooked and they likely frustrate the hell out of them.
I'll say one thing. I look at this site design as the end product of working with HUEL and I would never ever contract with them to design a website for me. I would rather take my chances and go with my brother's nephew's friend.
December 18th, 2019 at 9:59 AM ^
Also...OP, I just said Kemp was a linebacker who bulked to be a DT - so I'm taking that lazy narrative as a shot at me even if it isn't.
I wasn't lazy enough not to do a simple google search before claiming something as a lazy narrative. But was lazy enough for a double negative.
https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/2019/08/10/michigan-football-carlo-kemp-fall-camp-improvement/
You can literally type "Carlo Kemp linebacker" and a ton of articles pop up. It's not a lazy narrative. It's a fact that we started him out at LB before moving him to WDE then SDE then DT. Thank you and good day to you, sir.
December 18th, 2019 at 10:37 AM ^
You are both technically right and a great example of being exhausting about the fact Kemp played linebacker
Congratulations!
December 18th, 2019 at 10:42 AM ^
What's a matter, you don't like urine in your Cheerios?
December 18th, 2019 at 3:41 PM ^
Yes- I put out a post with more details on this but it was deleted before it went on the board.