OT: will we ever have a "just OT threads" tab on the mgoboard?

Submitted by UMxWolverines on
While I still think pretty much everyone on RCMB is crazy and UM obsessed, I do like that they allow almost all OT topics posted such as the other day they were complaining about their mother-in-laws, that was great. And while there's no sports really going on, the blog seems to get boring. It would be nice to have just general topics about what's going on in life.
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aaamichfan

January 22nd, 2011 at 1:53 PM ^

Start a few "general topics about what's going on in life" threads, and if they stay kosher, it shouldn't be a problem.

Joined: 10/23/2009

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BlockM

January 22nd, 2011 at 2:11 PM ^

Yeah, I was wondering what was missing from the MGoBoard, and then I read your post and realized it was the fact that I don't know any stories about everyone's mothers-in-law. 

I'm all for an OT post every once in a while, and they can be entertaining, but the fewer the better.

Joined: 07/03/2008

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bronxblue

January 22nd, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^

Listen, I love my mother-in-law...but yeah, probably don't need to talk about it.

RCMB is insane and, frankly, they have posts that go on for pages about how their fantasy football team did last week.  I think there is a place for that on the Internet, but MGoBlog rocks because it stays tight to its mantra of covering UM sports.

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mackbru

January 22nd, 2011 at 2:19 PM ^

Smart suggestion. I wonder why an M football/sports board includes a bunch of threads having nothing to do with the subject at hand. (I even wonder about non-football threads. But that's me.)

This is a broad and eclectic community, I realize. So, yes, why not create a separate OT section? Partition this country. Like post-war Germany.

Joined: 09/01/2009

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BlueDragon

January 22nd, 2011 at 2:24 PM ^

I think the OT thread is an accepted part of the MGoCulture, but sometimes it gets out of hand and absolutely takes over the board (see:  the weeks surrounding RR's firing).  However, we shouldn't put OT topics in a separate area from the rest of the threads.  Some of my favorite times on the board have been when I see some random joy interspirsed among all the ponderous graphs and charts.

If the board had continued to melt down, or if there were a mass exodus of all the quality posters after some catastrophe of recent years (take your pick), maybe it would have been time to take more extreme measures.  But thanks to the banhammer, snark, and the power of the neg- and the pos-bang, the board rumbled on.  I don't think we should mess with a successful formula for unclear results.

Let us not forget the ancient adage of the Message Board God:  "If you do not like the topic, do not click on the thread."  Amen.

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JeepinBen

January 22nd, 2011 at 2:28 PM ^

and correct me if I'm wrong, but the OP was wondering if there was ever going to be an "OT Board"

Right now the top of the MGoBoard sidebar says: New / Recent / Hot / Tom

It's been brought up before, but if there's an "OT" up there, people looking to hang out on MGoBlog can do so, bring up funny stories, etc. while the people who are here for their football fix, and that only. It's more of an organizational thing than any... 

I believe that was one of the "site improvements" Brian talked about for this offseason

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BlueDragon

January 22nd, 2011 at 3:01 PM ^

By your logic, we should have a "Football"-only area, because there are people who only read those stories.  And I believe that separating Football from the rest of the threads would be almost as bad as separating OT from the rest of the threads.

Joined: 11/14/2010

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BlueDragon

January 23rd, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^

I think it's easier to self-police the boards when everything is in the same place.  As soon as something "dumb" is posted, within 3 minutes there will be 7 or 8 commentors mocking it and establishing the mood for the rest of the thread.  That obviously doesn't happen with a Tim or a TomVH post.

So the two golden rules of the current board, to me, are:

1.  If you don't like the topic, don't click on the thread; and

2.  If the commentary seems snarky, the thread is probably not worth your time.

I don't want everyone to turn into the Board Police but looking at the MGoBoard feed on the right side of my screen, I count 3 OT threads out of 15 listed.  There's a ton of turnover as people post new things and old posts get pushed off the front page.  I agree that more organization would be nice at times but the OT issue is less of a problem then it's made out to be sometimes.

Joined: 11/14/2010

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