Think about what this board would be like if we lost to Northwestern.
Support MGoBlog: buy stuff at Amazon
META: A surrender in the battle for nice things
Probably not too different... whiners gonna whine. :)
Hate to see you go and all, but, listen, since you're on the way out ...
Yesterday at 5 PM Mass, the priest told the story of how, during a World's Fair in the 1930s, it was possible to spend 25 cents to touch a pile of 1,000,000 one dollar bills. In the other thread, you offered to "go all Oprah on our asses", so in that spirit, please, please give me 1,000,000 points before you go, even if only briefly. I may never again get to touch that kind of useless greatness again.
But, in all seriousness, I've appreciated your levity most of all. Going to miss not having you to kick around anymore, Mr. Nixon.
All the best,
Njia
Treat yo' self.
And you might have wanted to save those for yourself. You've got another college tuition to think about now.
I need one, plus its Veterans Day tomorrow, will you send me to Bolivia for the day? I hear its nice this time of year.
Sorry to see you go BISB and good luck with the baby.
I find this position UNACCEPTABLE! I WILL NOT ACCEPT IT!
Seriously though, enjoy retirement.
I'm not sure what can be done about message boards in general. There's a pretty fine line between bringing up criticisms and bitching unnecessarily, and everyone has a different idea of where it is. That means every time there's a legitimate critique, the thread gets clogged up with people telling them to STFU, and whining posts just serve to clog the board up.
I honestly think that bringing back post voting that means something and higher thresholds to create posts would go a long way, but who knows.
Agree on the actual downvoting. I feel like there were just as many silly posts in the old days, but people who did it perpetually eventually left and/or were easier to spot. A simple -1 may not have been enough to get rid of em0 or others who were way worse than this knucklehead today. This also puts more pressure on the mods to delete threads and be the bad guy.
I do like the idea in the sense that it gives users more control, but don't you think it will lead to the mob mentality? We all know which opinions are popular here and which ones are not, but that doesn't necessarily promote a discussion. It seems like reasonable posts which disagree with the majority will be downvoted not because they are objectively bad posts, but because people don't agree with them.
For example - the thread that sparked this was stupid (bringing up RichRod, calling for Borges' head, the general grammatical errors) and got downvoted to hell. But would a reasonable thread phrased more in the tone of, "Do you think Hoke/Borges did the right thing by..." get downvoted as well?
I don't think it was ever that much of a problem. Even the thread today ended up being a clusterfuck because it got deleted and then the guy came right back and posted an even bitchier version that blamed the mods for Russell Bellomy's lack of accuracy (I think that was the gist of it). If his point total just rapidly dwindled below the posting minimum that would have been the end of it without any need for mod intervention.
There will always be overreaction one way or the other and even established posters can be prone to rants, but I think people who are consistently informed and reasonable will never get the kind of massive point drops that cause problems or prevent posting. It also maybe encourages more lingering and reputation building than just allowing people to make 100 innocuous posts and then start douching it up with abandon. The harsh public refutation of trolling also serves as the head on a stick at the MGoBlog gates and, at least based on my remembered version of the past, was fairly effective at removing long-term problems.
Good point. I wasn't around for the old points system so I don't know the dynamics of it, just the rules. I really like the idea that 1 post doesn't automatically equal one point.
Maybe we go another route and instead of getting everyone riled up by docking their points, we set up a separate MGoBlog where terrible posters are automatically redirected to for the rest of eternity after making a god awful post. It could be like Australia is to Britain. Maybe they'd even develop funny accents!
One problem with the old system was that it created a lot of silly point driven content and meta activity that didn't have much to do with Michigan sports.
I like the karma model. Mods could lessen their lode by upping karma where sportminded comments are given. Points were an interesting model. Massive meltdowns need to have consequences that don't require a mods intervention.
I can't imagine moderation in the same house as a new born.
The "I'm just here for the posbang" threads were fun, unless you were an hour late to the party and everyone was already lying on the shag carpet.
I wl miss bisb but Purplestuff is 100% on the money. With actual down voting in place WE could police the joint pretty damn effectively. It's the lack of punitive power for the blog as a whole that created your need to intervene constantly with asshats like today.
Hate to say it but this is in Brian more than some idiot posters.
Hear hear.
Another idea would be to put a cap on upvotes (say, 5), but not on downvotes. That would limit the number of circle-jerk type comments that were made under the old system for the purpose of farming points, while allowing users to ruthlessly downvote the em0's of the world into Bolivian.
It would take a lot of pressure off of the mods, because any jack off who spam posts just to get to the point where they can post shitty threads would be dealt with quickly and efficiently by the community. Mods could then focus on more important mod-things, rather than having to police every mgoidiot with a half baked opinion and 100 points.
Agree, bring back old voting system. I wonder if things were easier to moderate "back in those days?"
I'm pretty sure Brian said that after the football season is over he's going to work on bringing back the old points system. I may be wrong though. And it is sad to see BiSB go. I have a ton of respect for your work that you've done, and I know I wouldn't have lasted as long as you did. Enjoy your retirement.
I really hope the old point system is coming back! Even though I got negged once really good and I learned my lesson about saying stupid things.
BiSB, you have always made me laugh and I wish you happiness on all your future endeavors.I hope to see you posting here. Congrats and enjoy your time with WiSB and Soon-to-be BabyinSouthBend.
yes, the old points system will return after football season.
Now you know you have arrived. The people have spoken and the leader must appease the masses. Congrat's on becoming czar of the Internet.
yo brian i saw you at the game rockin the 20 jersey
OH PRAISE JESUS
You might be the most consistantly funny poster on the site, and seem like good peope generally.
Also, thanks to you and your work moderating, as well as Seth, Ace, Heiko, profitgoblue and Zone Left. Sorry if I've ever made your time here more difficult than it needed to be.
I pray to all the Gods that your transparent push to become a mod/internet superstar won't be fulfilled because of this.
I have no desire to become a mod or to be an "internet superstar", but thanks for the reply anyway, I guess.
Even if justingoblue wanted to become a mod, so what? He's a responsible and active user.
Any more than one post on this would be fruitless: Check any thread and its voting details: he's almost always the first responder, usually within 15 minutes and definitely within the hour. He tries to be the n00b whisperer, rather than letting people learn to fend for themselves and google/wikipedia/MGosearch for themselves, which he should know all about...since the bulk of his posts are unoriginal copy/pastes of things he's taken the unnecessary time to look up and post here. Just by looking at a thread title I can tell if it'll have 10 posts from him (anything having to do with hockey, softball, or an autistic liking for rules/policy/rankings) before opening it.
I noticed these things because after two years of it, you have to investigate the source of your suffocation. I think he's a volume poster and is on MGoBlog too much, too often, and too evidenced. Now I'm aware of a script that can hide the 20+posts/day he comes up with, and suddenly the air is coming back.
And is on here and posting just as much as me, so if you don't like him because of that, I hope that you don't like me either. It's not even worth it, discussing your seemingly draconian views of autism.
Bluejustingo seems like a pretty cool guy. eh posts a lot and doesn't afraid of anything
Really? A guy posting 20+ times a day on MGoBlog is "suffocating you"? Dude, you need thicker skin or something.
He definitely is a frequent posters, but he also is a generally good poster and a good guy, who has good things to say and adds things the discussion. Unlike another who act like a 7 year olds, whining about worthless things, and negging everything.
Jesus, dude, grow up.
A lot of people post/comment almost exclusively about hockey, myself included. Generally they (not myself) have a very high hockey IQ, and this is one of the top 4 or 5 hockey schools in the country.
I don't understand how that devalues them as an MGoUser just because they happen to like/care about a sport that is not football.
What is the point of this attack?! It is an attack, and it's a bit of a personal one too. Why? You are entitled to an opinion, of course, but how does one garner this opinion about someone he doesn't even know?
All of what you just stated equates to you being on here just as often. It was a bit of a stalker-ish rant.
Not to mention an incredibly douchey rant.
I could not disagree with you more. I respect the Hell out of what JGB has to say and he seldom does anything to inflame an ongoing discussion. He actually seems like someone who doesnt want the limelight as he limits his responses to referenced facts and his opinions.
The fact that I have no clue of who you are and anything you've ever said or done speaks volumes about your contribution to this board and the fact that you chose BiSB's farewell post to take a shot at someone else speaks even louder about the kind of person you are.
suffocation huh... step away from the computer and go take a break outside once a day. Seriously, if something that is purely for pleasure is sufficating you, get a new hobby.
The guy who posts first all those times...or the guy who stalks him to find this out then negs all those post?
this kind of gratiutious meanness is the problem. bolivia.
My initial reaction is: quit being a pansy
My second reaction is: why do we need a post about why you can't handle it anymore?
My third reaction is: this isn't a giant urinal. It's still the premier site to get In-depth info on Michigan athletics and I don't appreciate you disparaging it with your remarks
My fourth reaction is: why do I care enough to respond? I enjoy reading your posts and consider you an intelligent contributor
Finally: See ya.
NM
Apparently the post I was responding on the mobile site was deleted.
Anytime anyone at all posts anything that threatens the collective hivemind of the MGoBoard, people like you give them a nice WELL FUCK YOU THEN. There is no place on these boards for any sort of logical discussion. Not anymore anyways. And its because of peolpe like you that take this shit so serious like its a personal affront to your own life. "Disparaging it with your remarks"?? Really?? Maybe try relaxing a bit. Get some fresh air.
And before you go about calling me out for "only joining a few weeks ago...WTF do you know?!?" I've been on this site for years -- back before Brian moved it to the new site. So I have seen the board change (for the worse), thank you very much. The only reason I have a new account is that the old one was banned after I too reached my breaking point after a night of drinking. Lesson learned.
used to say how nice things were in "the good old days" too.
"I enjoy this board" and other caveats apply, but it IS funny that people say "we can't have discussions anymore, because people are stupid." and then turn around and say "we're the smartest board online."
or, "we don't like the MLive stuff because too many people complain" and then complain about "other stupid people on this board"
or, "We don't like multiplicity in the comments" and then laud Heiko and Brian for constantly pressing the "Borges, use the screen" meme.
Get a sense of humor. People are hypocrites, so don't get mad, just laugh. You can't change stupid people any more than the Pharoahs could.
During that time, the people who stick around and post are generally the more enjoyable posters and intelligent discourse is much more prevalent than at these times. Additionally, I feel as if the quality of posts and the temperament of the board is much worse than during the last season, although they may have to with the 3 losses, more than anything. Quality posts are less common and it seems as if people are getting into ridiculous arguments at a much higher rate, filled with a lot more anger than necessary. People don't attack opposing arguments anymore, but instead they attack the person. Nonsensical behavior is just at a high point right now and it gets pretty annoying.
Sounds very similar to Ann Arbor during the school year vs. Ann Arbor in the summer
That's funny. You got banned cuz you went overboard. Now your back with a new identity, scolding me by going a little overboard. Deep breaths man. Deep breaths.
Thanks for your dedication and serious time commitment to the blog. And congrats on the future addition to your family.
I hope that you become a martyr in the good fight for rational discussions. Your exit can help shed light on the immaturity so many of us exhibit.
Thanks for the work you put in. Hopefully you still post here, but I understand you will be busy now.
Hopefully we can find a good mod to replace you. If I were a mod, I would be giving out so many neg bombs.
Thanks for your service, BiSB. Congrats on the baby. I nominate LSA Class of 2000 for mod.
I second that and will add that I couldn't think of a better nomination to replace BiSB.
Plus, I'm sure we could get some nice stats on all the posts he'd make in the mod thread, which could be fun.
Here's a thought:
500 to post
Posbangs don't add points and stay limited to five
Negbangs remove points and are unlimited.
This effectively kills trolls and prevents stuff like the posts from this afternoon.
Although this is a good idea, it could be exploited. Some posters have serial-negbangers—a person who downvotes them repeatedly no matter what, despite having generally high quality posts. This would then give a poster essentially the ability to silence someone they don't like, by removing a large chunk of their points, and if they are extremely persistent remove all their points and make them unable to start threads.
It could also kill dissenting voices on emotional topics, and that's not good. A bunch of riled-up mgobloggers could essentially silent a voice of reason.
I'm thinking about the Demar Dorsey situation as one example. There was a staggering amount of mis-information flying around and people were pretty heated up. I could easily imagine the Director of Admissions himself coming in to post useful, factual stuff (not that he would, but suspend disbelief for a moment) that would correct the prevailing view--and immediately being stripped of hundreds of points in the heat of the moment.
and I disagree. While both your and A2's points are very valid, they are the outlier scenarios I think. I know that people tend to pile on from time to time, however I don't think it has ever progressed to the point where it would destroy somebody's account. Here are a few thoughts:
- The most offensive threads usually get about 50-80 downvotes. This is perfect, because it will discourage someone from posting something stupid/offensive/inappropriate/misdirected after working so hard to accumulate 500 points.
- While there are people who make a concerted effort to downvote specific others whenever possible, the threshold of 500 would require someone to have been around for a long enough time to be able to vote. I would hope that this person would have learned to not be an asshole by that point. If not, mods could handle that type of situation on a one-off basis.
- In general, the long time posters (1,000 points+) have a good grasp on the rules. With the 500+ rule, these people would essentially do the moderating with their individual votes. This would essentially create a trusted user status as determined by your peers. If you are willing to spend the time to earn the points, they will know you well enough to trust you.
- In relation to your point about being the voice of reason and getting slammed by a group of trolls, that would likely not happen as much. Upon accumulating 500 points, most people have realized that this is not a place to come simply to bitch. The likelihood of multiple 500+ users getting cranky and piling on is slim and with the reduced number of people eligible to vote, the damage would be much less.
Nah...just kidding. Seriously, good luck with the new addition to your family.
I think kevin holt would be a great nomination.
Just kidding, I actually endorse this. Or Herm. Or that one rational OSU fan just for giggles.
Sorry to see you go, especially on such a sour note. Good luck with the baby
Thanks for sharing...
I'm a mod unleashed. That makes for a very dangerous man.
Shows you shouldn't be one. Good thing it's too much for you to handle.
BiSB, you became my favorite mod in your time here. I personally will miss you greatly.
Best of luck with fatherhood.
Will you give me a pile of unearned points? Think of it like a Presidential pardon. Yeah, those guys are totally guilty but they gave a bunch of money to the campaign and you aren't running again anyway.
PS. Bringing back the old point system might prevent a future moderator meltdown. Let us police each other. We won't abuse it...I swear.
Congrats and good health towards your future newborn, you've always been a valuable member of this site and I'll miss your contributions.
This wouldn't have happened if Rich Rod were still the coach...
seriously though, thanks for everything. Always enjoyed you're mod'ing. good luck with the little one.
Good luck with the baby. Sorry and thanks for the crap you had to put up with to make it a better experience for us.
I'm sorry, but things have not enough come close to taking an MLive turn.
But it's heading more toward MLive Mountain than away from it. Things are almost as bad as it was in late 2010, and things are going WELL now.
I pray only for sanity.
Maybe it's not the board. Maybe it's living in South Bend. I can't imagine being there this season is easy. Also, maybe you're experiencing a sympathy hormone surge from your wife's pregnancy. In any event, best of luck on the birth, and hopefully your reasonable ways will be back after the baby is sleeping through the night. You're going to need an escape. Trust me.
But I'm pretty sure it's not sympathy hormones. My wife can attest to the fact that I am remarkably un-sympathetic.
I have, however, put on plenty of sympathy weight. So there's that.
So you're saying you don't expect to see him until sometime after March Madness, when the baby weighs about 12 lbs (give or take)? Personally, I suspect it will be much earlier ... Like during those 3 AM feedings when his choices for entertainment are either MGoBlog or TV ads for Extenze.
BiSB,
You've consistently been one of my favorite posters on the board since I've started coming here a couple years back. I'm sad to see you go, but at the same time, I absolutely understand where you're coming from (especially with a kid on the way). The board has been infuriating in the last few days, and I'm sure that's been hell for the Mods. I hope you still comment here/maintain some sort of presence, rather than doing a full TomVH-esque disappearance. I just wanted to thank you for all you've done for the community in your time here. Best of luck, Bisbiño.
As mgoblog becomes more popular, you have to expect more idiots to register and post. Obviously it's annoying as shit, especially after games, but that is the beauty of the forum. I kind of enjoy stupid posts and their OPs getting ripped to shreds. It deters future stupid posts. (You would think, right?) So my question is why do those posts get locked? Do they consume way too much bandwidth for a very unnecessary reason?
Whatever the case, thank you for your moderating and wish you the best.
I admittedly neg an awful lot of your posts, but I'd +200 this if I could.
I would say it's because bending over backwards like this is what makes us the 25%. If we didn't, we'd be part of the 75%.
100% of the 75% believe they are part of the 25%.
Me? I'm different: I am definitely part of the 25%.
Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to shamelessly plug my Ultra-MGoBoard Chrome Extension. It's linked in my signature, and will let you hide any posters you want so you never have to see their ridiculous comments. Works pretty well if I do say so myself, I haven't seen anything from about 30 posters for quite a while.
Definitely a good plug-in. I use it for hiding worthless posters, but also highlighting particularly good ones. Like ones that generally have good info/insight (like ace, aquaman and DGdestroys).
my invisibility cloak....
Welcome to the MGoBoard, Jeremy Gallon!
How does he mod the LiveBlog if he's on the field???
+1 and newletter subscribed to.
Thanks BlockM. I like it. It also gives a nice double entendre to your name.
Took me a while to figure out where the Options link is found, but once I did, I found it works really well. Go ahead and ask BiSB for a nice, parting gift of +10,000,000 points, but don't spend it all in one place.
Sorry to read this. You were an asset to this board and I will miss your moderating ways.
Good night, and good luck.
Don't blame you.
I've started visiting less and less over the season. But that's equal part other members and Brian worried about music, matching away jerseys, and the "why don't we try Bellomy" meme early in the season.
It's Brady's second season and he's 18-5. I'll take that without all the bitching.
Not because of any insights you may have, but because of your avatar.
I hope you do, I'm pretty sure that I laugh at just about everything that you post. If not, I hope you reconsider, but best of luck to you and your family and your lawyering ways.
BiSB isn't the source of funny comments. He reads them, deletes the originals, and reposts them as original content. Trust me, I've seen it dozens of times in the live blog.
In all seriousness though, Congrats are due and I hope to still see BiSB around these parts.
Congrats on the kid. Sorry to see you go. The mods in general do a fantastic job. I don't think the board is what it used to be, but it still sure beats the Scout free board.
It looks like you picked the wrong week to stop sniffin glue. .
You fought the good fight, BiSB. Thanks for your efforts.
To be honest I am a new member so I have no clue who you are. But, I really enjoy being on this board and having the chance to communicate with other Michigan fans. It sucks being a UM fan living in CT....all I hear about are the Jets, Giants, and Patriots...they don't even like the college version here...it's awful. Anyways, I hate to see anyone go because of the negative attitudes of the board. One the one hand, it's terribly difficult to watch the team you love struggle repeatedly and not voice that frustration. It takes a lot of patience and maturity not to let your emotions speak. However, I like most, have allowed that to happen many times. I can only imagine that has taken place more in the last 5 years than in the previous 20 (not sure how long this board has been up). But, I would just ask that you try to have a positive attitude while remembering that often times when people do stupid stuff, it's often the same thing we'd do in their situation. That doesn't make it any better, but it does make us human. We all show love, pride, and support as well as frustration, dissapointment, and hatred.
So are leaving the board all together or just not going to mod anymore? Your well-timed wit would leave a large void.
But somewhat less frequently, given the family responsibilities and the lack of mod responsibilities.
it seems like an uphill battle when 100 points is the cutoff for posting.
Tell me you at least banned that asshat on the way out
I am Legend
Sorry to see you go I think that you have preformed admirably in your time as a mod. Congrats on the kud and enjoy the freedom.
Hopefully, you'll still post insta-classic zingers. And your avatar beats all.
Seppuku BISB.
Good call BiSB. I still read the blog, but have not posted as much since my first was born a year ago. The time commitment truly does change. I couldn't even imagine what it must be like when you actually have to care about what gets posted.
BTW - have always loved your avatar.
First kids are awesome, and life-altering (mine is 4 now). Hope you enjoy it half as much as we have!
Why wouldn't you hope he enjoys it just as much as you have?
You have something against subsequent kids?
Thanks for the efforts and congrats on the new family.
and thanks for all the fish!
In all seriousness, congrats to you and Mrs. BiSB on the baby! And thanks for scooping poop for so long - it's a crap job, we all know.
I feel like I'm the spice girls and BiSB is Ginger Spice, minus the drug usage. Goodbye my mod.
I have ALL THE SOLUTION: return to the simple up and down vote, bring back the negbangs. The kind that actually influence the meaningless number underneath a user's name.
When we had these things, believe it or not, it improved the community's collective moderation powers and was surprisingly effective. Now that 20% of any thread is sitting at the -1 threshold, and none of it has any impact on your High Score Bro, the moderators have to pick up the slack once shouldered by the community.
Sad to see you go. I agree that the board has turned a little in the past couple of weeks, but I still think the nadir was during the latter part of the RR era when people just lost their minds every day.
This place can have civil discussions, and most people do. The couple of nimrods who learned about this site from someone at work and thought their MLive personalities would play well here are idiots, and I'll throw my entire tough-guy Internet reputation behind that. We have enough sports radio stations for people to be goobers at, but MGoBlog is supposed to be a cut above.
Again, sad to see BiSB leave as a mod. Hopefully you'll keep posting.
BTW: Congrats on the soon-to-be new Wolverine.
Congratulations to you and your family!
Thank you for all you have done for this place. I hope you don't disappear from here forever. The board is better when you're around.
Crap, you might be my favorite poster here.
Your frustration is understandable, though I think this is what happens when a blog breaks through as clearly the go-to place for Michigan sports. You no longer just get people with a certain sense of humor, style, brain, etc. -- you get a much larger and more representative portion of the internet-active Michigan fan base. As much as everyone dumps on MLive, I hope that site thrives, if only to provide two very different Michigan sites for attracting different types of Michigan fans.
Good luck with the family, and I hope that you continue to post in your new role as a non-mod normie.
You will participate in nothing for the rest of your life that will have as much fundamental human importance.
As for the issues on the site, I think it's far, far, far from being MLive. However, it is closer to that hellhole than it used to be, and I think the decline stems from two factors:
1). MGoBlog is an amazing internet success, and therefore falls prey to the fact that the internet is flypaper for morons. You can't avoid it entirely if you have message boards.
2). The change several months ago to a system wherein idiot comments are not truly dealt with via community policing. On occasion it could be cruel, but in general the idiots received quick punishment via negbanging. One problem with MGoBlog that has never been dealt with is gratuitious negging, wherein some routinely neg other commenters, regardless of what the nature of the comment is. IMHO There should be an individual cost to negging, and should include the temporary loss of posting privileges if it's abused beyond a certain stage. Points themselves should not be important except as a measure of the ability to post and comment.
I agree that a system whereby stupid posts (not just comments) could be democratically deleted would be great. It would keep embarassing or brainless stuff off the site without the need for constant policing by mods. Perhaps if a post gets -50 net points it's automatically deleted, and if a poster gets a sufficient number of net downvotes that poster gets banned.
The only problem with this is that the idiots could still post late at night when there aren't enough users around, but perhaps that wouldn't be a big deal.
It's probably worth emphasizing that although we all love freedom of speech, an individual website that allows complete freedom to its denizens stops being a place for reasonable people to hang out as soon as it gains a modicum of popularity. The internet breeds assholes. It's not "censorship" to keep such trash from overrunning one's community. Mods are the janitors of the internet. There are plenty of internet sites that don't have janitors, so it's not like there's nowhere to throw your shit just because you can't do it here.
I'd say their role needs to be closer to that of law enforcement.
We will always have the Monkey Rodeo memories at least.
Can I have a million points too!? Hate to see ya go BiSB, you've been one of my favorite mods BC you're so involved in all the discussions. Hope you reconsider after so much deserved down time. And congrats in advance!!!
First TomVH, now BiSB. I haz a sad.
Sooo... Can I have your Mgopoints?
/s Congrats and good luck!
Godspeed, BiSB.
You've been one of the best for a long time.
Until we get real voting back, the mods will have a near-impossible job.
Finally, I don't need to act sensible anymore. Whew, that's a load off
I dont get how whining and being critical about the coaches gets you banned, but calling people asshats is somehow okay? If someone is offbase on their opinion, the board will let them know.
We let Blue Blue Blue know his opinion was offbase and that didn't stop him from making another awful thread 6 hours later to discuss the same points as the first one.
are just begging to be called asshats.
Thank you BiSB for your contribution to this blog. I have a greater appreciation for the time the mgoblog employees/contributors and the mods spend here now. I was inspired at one point to provide a weekly contribution to this blog, but have found time to be too short as of late. High quality, well informed, and humorous posters make this blog one of the best out there. You are one of those that make this a better place.
I wish you the best with your new baby and leave you with this final thought -
I find this strangely creepy.
Last night we went on a romantic walk together. Only problem is that you didn't know I was there.
Babies are SRS BSNS so that more than justifies a change in duties.
I appreciare the explanation and am sorry you reached the breaking point. The problem is that the people who are going to care about this thread are not the ones who are causing the problems. The jerks are not going to read it, or they are going to interpret it as a huffy flounce, or they are simply going to be pleased that there is one less jackbooted thug mod around here.
But hey, I am not one of them.
I'm confused, what does a mod normally do beside act tough and complain?
Thank you for all of your work around here. I tended to agree with you about 99.4% of the time. Hope to see you on the board still from time to time. You are appreciated...by me at least.
Congrats also!
I know I might have been an a hole in the past, but I want to thank you for your service towards making this a great blog. don't let the morons ruin it for you. good luck with your future kid.
Congrats and good luck on the little one. Honestly, I don't think the board is getting worse, I think it just goes through phases. I remember a couple years ago, I told a friend not to waste his time going on MGoBlog, because it had turned into a bunch of whining bitches. Eventually, I came back, the board seemed better and all was good. If you can't mod, so be it. But trust me, you will spend some late nights checking MGoBlog once the little one gets here. The wife and I are expecting one this month (#2) so I look forward to the late night reading.
Get a goddam pardon? I keed I keed. So long BiSB!
Maybe you're just following guidelines or some sort of protocol for this site, but I do think the Moderators go too far.
I think Brady Hoke has done a lot of great things for this program. I have been pleasantly surprised with him...
But should it make him immuned from criticism? Absolutely not.
I know that everybody makes mistakes, there is no perfect coach. I just disagree with censorship of unpopular opinion.
Definite groupthink issues on this board
This is where I'm at.
between voicing an unpopular opinion and being a troll. The problem is that most trolls don't know the difference.
People are free to post unpopular stuff. Section 1, who I disagree with almost every time he posts, and who is about as contrarian as anyone, remains free to post despite being negged at every turn. What people CAN'T do is post threads designed to start fights. For example, starting a thread to bitch about a decision from the offseason that came to fruition 15 days ago, and throwing in a RichRod reference for good measure, is a recipe for disaster.
I do find it hilarious that after a full year of "WHY DOES BRIAN HATE HOKE SO MUCH HE'S BEING UNREASONABLE," we've moved swiftly into "WHY DOES BRIAN LOVE HOKE SO MUCH HE'S BEING UNREASONABLE"
Politely state your case in disagreement or ignore it and it will die on its own.
...and I laughed and laughed...
As a Moderator on one of the largest GM Camaro sites and as a former Admin/Mod on the largest Turbo Buick site I can relate to what you are feeling and are going through.
Sometimes things will drive you mad and other times you will do the same to others. Either way, life goes on and at some point you'll realize that none of this means much in the grand scheme of things.
Go Blue :)
Taking your talents to South Beach?
/s
Seriously though congrats Bisb on the baby. Good luck and hope to see you around.
If people would follow the Golden Rule and treat others how they would like to be treated then lots of issues would be solved.
Goodbye BISB. You'll be missed.
Make sure you teach the MGoBaby about the good things in life. The Victors, the M Club Banner, Michigan Stadium, Brady Hoke, Bo Schembechler, ham sandwiches. Stuff like that.
I was drawn to this site because the level of discourse, general intelligence, and overall fairness far exceeded any other college board I've visited. And there's some excellent non-sports content posted as well.
I try to post and give a "different perspective" when possible and it seems like as long as I can back up what I say, with the exception of a few taboo topics, my opinion is generally respected. I've even had Michigan fans defend my opinion, you never see that on other boards.
I've been registered for 2 1/2 years, maybe things were better before then, but Michigan football went through a pretty tough transition (I can relate, some of the posts I've read here were identical to Nebraska's during our problems), I think that explains much of the bad behavior when it occurs.
Sure, there are bad days when too many people overreact and say crazy stuff, naturally people will vent at certain times, but you guys have a great board, the smart and thoughtful posts far outweigh the stupid ones. Most of the time you get it right.
Long time lurker, first time poster (I forgot the password for my [long since used] email, so I had to make a new one).
Sorry to hear that the daily wear and tear of being a mod has brought you down, but I just wanted to let you know that many people here really appreciated your work here.
On behalf of lurkers everywhere, we respected and appreciated the unique viewpoints you provided for this site. Hopefully you can continue to contribute to this site despite resigning from your post. If you can't find it in yourself to continue to be an active member of the MGoBlog Community, live long and prosper!
And of course, Hail to the Victors!
One of the best Seuss stories out there.
Signed
Plain old Mack
BiSB, you're a delight. It's a shame you won't be on as much anymore.
Make me a MOD and I will clean this place up!
Thank you for everything you've done here. I've always enjoyed your posts. Sorry to see you go. Why people refuse to understand that this is Brian's site and he can do what ever the hell he wants to (including deleting posts and comments he disagrees with, either himself or through the mods) is something I will never understand. It's his site. Don't like it? Find another site or start your own. I'm betting that the failure to understand that simple point contributes to 99% of the headaches you've had whole doing your job here. Good luck with the little one and hope to still see you around as "normal" poster.
I have been coming to mgoblog long enough, lurking for a couple years and joining a while back, to see posters and readers and protocol change significantly. There are many formerly active board members who have moved on, or who have made peace with just staying in the background. I understand, and have cut way back on posting myself.
It isn't easy being a moderator. Sometime, a long time ago, I posted a thankyou to ALL the mods who do such a good job. I don't think everyone here understands what a pain it must be to be a moderator. You guys have to read through every stinking post on every stinking thread. If you say anything in the least construed as negative, people get their shorts in a wad.
I've sometimes wondered about what makes mgoblog "good," and what would cause it to dengenerate. Of course, everyone has a different opinion. The points thing is a two edged sword. As Brian and mods have said, who really cares about points?
Having said that, I'm beginning to wonder if a return to "points" in the old days before the board melted down from some kind of attack would be a good thing. I don't completely like the "group think" aspect of points, but if the board community speaks, well, wouldn't that make things easier for moderators?
Maybe if the old system points came back, mods could focus on giving bonus chunks of points to thoughtful and well argued posts which espouse an unpopular position? I dunno.
I also think that more personal accountability is a good thing. When people have to stand behind what they say instead of this anonymous internet tough guy stuff, it makes people a bit more civil.
Regardless, thanks for your service to the board, your wit, your contributions. They will be missed.
amen
I think the mods all work hard at an utterly thankless job. Sorry to see you go but I totally get it. As much as we all love MGoBlog, raising your kid(s) is fantastically more important, fun and rewarding. Like others, I agree that letting the MGoCommunity moderate this site will be effective. Power to the people and all that.
Good luck with Little BiSB.
you say you can't deal with the immaturity and insistence on acting like children....yet you support people posting random pictures of cats
Because cats are always funny. Being a douchenozzle seldom is.
Thanks for all your work BISB - especially in the (ever chaotic) liveblog!
lurker and infrequent poster (as evidenced by my low point total) i too have cut back on posting and reading this site.
It wears on you after awhile.
Good luck on the little one BiSB. I thought you did a helluva job and you will be missed.
I always appreciated your sense of humor, and your MOD work. You will be missed. Good luck with the baby. I hope you at least pop in to say hello to the board once in a while, and deliver one of your nice quick-witted jabs.
No fanbase can treat a thrilling win worse than a loss like us.
raise the points to post period...
Understandable especially since it seems you have much more important stuff going on. With that said, seems like a pretty childish way to go out
Sorry to see you go, BiSB. It gets tough modding when so many unujustifiably assert that any moderation is "censorship of unpopular dieas" and "groupthink," but that's the internet for you. I am of the opinion that everyone should be forced to be a discussion group moderator for a year somewhere, and no one should be asked to do it longer than that.
Thanks for your contributions, and I hjope you stay as an ex-mod. You have paid your dues, and have more than earned your ex-mod-dom.
I'll even go through the verification process to post this! :)
MGoBlog is different, and for the better. Having said that, I do think the mods need to chill a bit and let people post. As long as there is no obscenties or overt trolling/flamebaiting, let people post, man.
I like BiSB. I'm sure it has not helped with all the Notre Dame fans in South Bend driving him crazy. They probably sent him over the edge....
That being said, as a Mom, I totally need to hear what kind of baby he has and what he names said baby. At least let us know that....
Kind: Wolverine/human hybrid.
Name: Baby in South Bend, right?
Sorry to see that you are putting down the moderator's internet point thingy, I seldom found fault with your decisions, and that is amazing in and of itself.
As a former moderator of the site,I sympathize with and agree with what you say.
But may I suggest, to any mod, that this thread get locked at this point? A 200 post thread debating the merits of BiSB, and the status of the boards devolution doesn't seem, to me, to serve any purpose. Best case is that it becomes a sort of obnoxious hagiography of BiSB and the more cynical posters can accuse him of martyring himself (I'm not saying this was his intent)
Catharsis. Long season means they don't get to vent meta for months, and locking it just means the garbage moves to a new thread.
Honestly thank you for your mostly thankless job. But also, I'm glad to see you moving on (not trying to be a dick, though I suppose I am being one). I like a moderating hand, but not a controlling, snarky, its'about-me moderator - which at times I felt that you were. I say that fully knowing that I could *not* do the job you have done. I get that. But I'm also being honest b/c I think this opinion is healthy for the board to discuss - how do we want our mods moderating?
"(not trying to be a dick, though I suppose I am being one)"
Very astute of you...
/outsnarked
I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL BISB. ALL SHALL BOW TO ME, OR I SHALL DEPART AS YOU ARE CLEARLY NOT WORTHY OF MY AWESOMENESS.
"I always stood up for the right of ANY true Michigan fan (those clearly not trolls) to voice their opinion no matter how unliked."
There is no such "right".
Please don't be like the dickhead dad after a divorce that just f-ing leaves. Come back and visit us once in a while...
It's what makes this site so tremendous when it's at it's best. And it's also what makes it so messy and divisive when it's at it's worst. Whether or not this is a good era for the blog or a bad one largely depends on your own personal opinions of those who are making the most noise, and their own attitudes, for better or worse. The blog is evolving again...
I am sure I will see you around, Blue, here or elsewhere... But thanks for a stellar job in the face of confusion.
For what it's worth, I don't know why you ever even cared. As a Mod, what you say is just the way it is. Thread not up to snuff? Get rid of it. Bad post? Get rid of it. Bad poster? do what you gotta do. They complain? Why would you care?
This is the predictable result of the elimination of Neg-Banging and the establishment of the current teethless voting system. You want the clowns to go away, then bring back the A-Train to Bolivia.
BiSB,
I have been a reader for a few years, and I have posted a few times, but i always appreciated how quickly you shut down the idiots and posts that were destined for failure. Good luck with everything, and as a parent of two kids under three, definate good luck with that. Parenthood is the greatest adventure you can ask for.
I very rarely post here, but just wanted to say thanks for the effort and time. I'm not really involved in the community but I quite enjoy the game day events, which can only happen because of vigilant mods.
GL with the kid.
Was amazing, unmoderated, and hilarious. I miss chunks the hobo and his amazing dream followed by the rude awakening of Bill Martin urinating on him
now those threads were entertaining.
pure anarchy, and so much fun.
How much does an MGOBLOG mod make? Also, I am interested in becoming a mod here myself and I wondering if there is a page to apply in, assuming someone will take BiSB's place.
But when you die, on your deathbed, you receive... well, actually, still no money.
You've got that going for you...
/StonerSmile
Wait, I thought you guys at least were granted sips from the Brown Jug, which much like the Holy Grail, grants eternal life.
/disillusioned
You're good people. Good sense of humor, good mod. Good gooder.
How is babby formed?
You were the best mod in the live blog. You kept all of us up to date on the play by play. Many of us have to work weekends and it is great following the action in the live blog. I thought you did the best updating us on all the plays of the game. Thanks!
what do mods even do? honestly im curious
Goodbye BiSB. See you around this spring and summer. Gets too crowded around here this time of year. Preemptive congrats on the addition to your family.
power to the people!
Is Brian making you turn in your key to the executive washroom?
Who posts once ever two months. You've said you'll still post, so that's good. Too many mods have quit and disappeared as a poster too (though not doing it as much when the kid comes is understandable).
Used to be the powers that be were the mods, with a couple of volunteer helpers. Now it seems like the mods do the board work and then inform them because what's going on at the site is so much bigger than it used to be. And it's their (kind hearted) goal to give everyone a say that's the problem. It's not a public place. It's a private site. Putting up with jackasses wastes everyone's time, annoys everyone, and wears out mods. People like that poster who come on twice in 9 weeks just to stir up trouble, Bolivia is a waste of time and just puts off the inevitable. Ban their ass. The site is big enough now that they're not going to bankrupt it over page hits. Not a long time, generally good contributor who has a bad post or night. But people who contribute nothing but one track venom.
Eventually Brian's going to have to weigh his sense of fair play for jackasses vs. mods and other good posters saying enough is enough. Which does he value more? Because in democracy we have to put up with morons saying what they want; but you don't have to put up with it in your own house.
The banhammer definitely needs to be unleashed a little more often.
If MGoBoard were a job and getting banned was the equivalent of getting fired, I feel like you could miss an entire week of work, show up drunk 4 or 5 times, and assault a fellow co-worker before finally getting the axe. The kicker is, that's the leash for people with little or no caché with the company, just new hirees off the street.
The price of growth as the site expands.
Our public library used to have a room where adults could sit and read and talk and smoke while the kids sang and did kid stuff. I wish the Internet had such a place, although adult reading rooms on the Internet are a much different thing.
I guess this is the part where we play a montage of BiSB's finest moments to that one Green Day song.
Making voting that powerful is something I disagree with for 2 reasons...
1. It creates an environment where dissenting opinion on a certain issue is going to be discouraged. If there is a raging topic of 10 guys just whining their butts off about say out of conference scheduling and you don't agree with their position, you're going to be far less willing to jump into that topic and contribute knowing that you will most likely be downvoted within minutes.
2. There are plenty of posters on this blog with ALOT of mgo points who are lazy and immature posters. that means they will have just as much power to down vote and handicap others as the good posters with lots of points.
This fallacious idea needs to die.
I was around in the long long ago, when the voting system actually meant something. People with unpopular opinions might have seen a few downvotes thrown their way, but no one was ever negbombed or silenced for having an unpopular opinion, and they aren't now either.
The occasions when posters with a dissenting opinion get negbombed are as follows:
*When they're being dicks about their unpopular opinion.
*When they whine about the "hive mind" being against them.
*When they whine about MGoPoints.
*When they exhibit a martyr complex with regard to their opinion ("I know I'm going to be negged for this, but it needs to be said..." "I'm going to educate all of you fools who just don't want to accept the TRUTH!" Dahblue is a prime example of a poster who continuously does this.).
So it basically comes down to "don't be a dick" or self important, and you'll do just fine. People are more than willing to upvote unpopular or dissenting opinions, especially when they are well thought out and/or have some sort of statistical backing.
The problem is when people with obvious/stupid/whiny/bitchy opinions think that they're being victimized by downvotes because their posts go against the hive mind, when in reality, they're being downvoted because they have obvious/stupid/whiny/bitchy opinions. 99% of negbombings based on the poster having an unpopular opinion fall into this category.
REMEMBER THE MELMETS!
Always.
I have to find a way to sticky or bookmark this post and just cut and paste it every time it comes up again to save time. I'd put it in my sig line if it'd fit.
Thanks for all your work BiSB. Good luck with the kid.
I thought you did an excellent job policing the masses BiSB, but as the father of a 19 month old little girl, I can say without hesitation, you will NOT have time to deal with babysitting this place once your little bundle of joy arrives. Congratulations to you and your wife and best of luck.
so as far as mods go, I guess you were better then most. This however was dumb.
This, also, was dumb.
Dude, if someone else posted something, about how they were leaving, nobody would give TWO fucks. But when a guy with a good track record here, does it, thats okay? Look I spend a lot of time on this board trolling the irrational assholes, and in this case BISB acted like an irrational asshole.
You don't wanna be a mod? Well don't be a mod.
Dude, your trolling "irrational assholes" is going to get you sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Bolivia. Why don't you let us handle the "irrational assholes" and you go ahead and stop trolling. We already have moderators on the board - we don't need your help. (FWIW, this kind of crap is exactly what pissed BiSB (and me, to be honest) off enough to quit his role.)
Fuck me.
You're a good man, Charlie Brown. If I'm being honest, I've had the same feelings you have had recently and considered the same action. Just know that you'll be missed. And don't be a stranger.
Oh, and if you're ever down my way, don't hesitate to shoot me a message.
To spend time with your family, because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man....
I used to read every post on the board, along with most/all of the comments. I have nowhere near that commitment now. I pick the topics that interest me and stick to those alone. There's way too much nonsense on here with all the gifs and repetitive comments.
Good for you for walking away.
I have imagined what it would be like to walk away, but so far I haven't found a big enough reason. It will happen sometime, though.
This thread is rife with one of the most common sentiments found in many e-communities:
This place was so much cooler before you got here.
Yawn
You should have read this site at the very beginning. 100% of the commenters were Brian Cook, and you had to be a computer engineer to get all the jokes.
Congrats on the impending parenthood, BiSB. But honestly, I'm glad you're no longer a mod -- now that fascism is dead and Hitler has been deposed (how did this thread go so long without this reference?), I'll be able to find out when Tool is coming to the Palace!
I've been on a few internet posting sites, and the ones that are "wide open" where anyone can post anything are THE WORST.
Making an honest effort to limit what gets posted to either something informative, attempted humor, or attempted logic--none of which include douchebaggery--is what keeps this site a cut above the rest. We don't need more threads; we already have plenty. We need good Mods to help keep this site good.
Thanks BiSB, for your service, and I hope that whoever takes your place continues to limit the board to relevant/hilarious content only.