META: A message from former moderator profitgoblue

Submitted by profitgoblue on

I just wanted to take a quick moment to let you all know that I've stepped down as a moderator on this here Board.  LSA is stepping in to pick up my slack and probably perform a much better service than I have of late. 

I've been a moderator over 2 years now (!) but during past few months my outside life started to cut more and more into my personal time.  Two little children, a wife, and my career now leave a lot less time for my extracurricular activities.  A while back I stopped working nights - thank goodness BiSB and now JGB were there to pick up my slack - and I now find it increasingly more difficult to read through all of the threads created each day.  I realized that was not fair to Brian and you all, especially after seeing what a great job JGB is doing and realizing that a full-time moderator needs to be available much more than I have been.

In addition, when BiSB rage-quit I realized that he was feeling all those same things I am without having thought about it.  The Board is a great place but it just doesn't have the same feel as it used to.  I can't place my fingers on it and I don't want to go negative, but it just doesn't feel the same.  I'm hoping that by becoming a "normal" poster again and not moderating anymore will un-jade me.  You all might or might not realize this, but being a moderator is pretty damn hard, and not-so-rewarding, work.  I always took great pride in knowing that Brian and Seth appreciate our hard work at keeping the Board classy and respectable (e.g. not MLive-ish) but the wear-and-tear of the daily job is pretty tough.  At least it was for me.  I'll still be around to help provide damage control in case anything blows up and the Board goes crazy if they need me (kind of like BiSB is doing now).

All that said, its been a pretty entertaining run.  A special thank you to:  (a) FormerlyAnonymous and Brian for thinking enough of me to recommend and accept me, respectively, as someone who was worthy of my former role, (b) BiSB and JGB for being good friends and colleagues, and (c) most all of you for being respectful, patient, and understanding.  With that, time for profitgoblue to make like a fetus and head out!  You stay classy, internets.

1464

March 5th, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^

Are you starting some sort of fight club wherein you just yell at and/or beat the shit out of yourself?  I could see why that would take up a lot of your time.  Also, this board is just like anything else.  I think when you say it isn't what it was, that is applicable to many different things in life.  I think it is human nature to decide "It ain't what it used to be". My second kid is on the way as well.  You'll never regret not spending enough time on MGoBlog.  You will regret not spending enough time on family...

CooperLily21

March 5th, 2013 at 12:09 PM ^

You make a good very point.  When my second was born it wasn't that time-consuming because teeny babies just sleep a lot.  Now that the youngest is 1 and running around wreaking havoc, there is a LOT less time.  And nothing is more enjoyable than chasing those two rascals around.  Plus, work seems to be getting busier so my online time during the day is getting more scarce.  And to be honest, it just became much less enjoyable being the "bad" guy all the time.

Michigasling

March 5th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^

Your desire for privacy will be fully and responsibly respected, if you choose not to answer.  [See how mature we are here?]

Whatever they're named (and I do like Cooper and Lily), they will thank you for your transfer of focus.  Kids take a lot of attention, but they're a lot more fun than many of us, even when they're snarky or obnoxious. 

Humen

March 5th, 2013 at 11:56 AM ^

"The Board is a great place but it just doesn't have the same feel as it used to.  I can't place my fingers on it and I don't want to go negative, but it just doesn't feel the same. "

 

Maybe because you're all growed up

ijohnb

March 5th, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^

a lot of it on thought police.  Not the moderators, like profitgoblue himself and BiSB, all the mods are very fair with what is tolerated and what is not, but there are too many "board accepted opinions" in which all detractors are mocked without anybody really taking the time to read or understand their point.  Many of these board accepted opinions are either out and out incorrect or extremely biased, but are protected and upheld with intensity, i.e. uniformz are always bad and always ugly no matter the team or the circumstance (many are actually pretty cool), and criticizing coaches is the same as substituting your expertise for theirs (it is not, judging coaching performance is a fun and valuable part of fandom).

PB-J Time

March 5th, 2013 at 4:23 PM ^

I do agree that half the comments that are down-voted are simly unpopular opinions (often well-articulated) or fly in the face of something Brian said (or something similar). I do think that opposing opinions (and opposing fans) should be quite welcome, as long as they are done respectfully. 

And yes, criticizing coaches is a cathartic thing that us as fans can often (right or wrong). So who wants to start this one? I'll bite: I used to think that Red was a heck of a coach, but after this season I think the game has passed him by. Time to find a new coach!

/s (big-time)

Young John Beilein

March 5th, 2013 at 12:07 PM ^

I see everyone clamoring for a re-emergence of the "neg-bang", but I am curious about its specifics since I was not privy to the existence of this site at the time.  Will a certain number of negs result in banishment, temporary or permanent?  Sorry if it's in the site FAQ.  

BiSB

March 5th, 2013 at 4:02 PM ^

Brian mentioned that the site was heading for a revamp, which will include a return to something approximating the old point system. Due to land some time this spring/summer, I think.

GoWings2008

March 5th, 2013 at 12:41 PM ^

but the negging seems to be feely given nowadays.  This may be what the poster formerly known as profitgoblue was having a hard time putting his finger on with the board.  Folks are quick to neg someone for something that in the grand scheme isn't a big deal, but is slightly inaccurate and...here we go.  Its a lot like some arguments I have with my wife...some people don't leave enough room for someone to make a mistake and then say sorry and move on.

MGlobules

March 5th, 2013 at 11:59 AM ^

three-four years ago. I don't think there's any doubt that the collective IQ was higher when 10 wildly enthusiastic people--most of them close to the action--were dominating the posting, but this place still cooks at times. Best of luck and thanks for your contribution. 

turd ferguson

March 5th, 2013 at 1:15 PM ^

Yeah, I go back and forth about whether it's worse now or that's just typical nostalgia for something that wasn't as good as we think it was. If there's an explanation for why it might be different/worse, my best guess is that as MGoBlog has become the clear go-to site for Michigan sports, it's pulling in a much broader population of internet-using Michigan fans.  Before, MLive would attract a certain type, the Free Press and News would attract another, etc., leaving MGoBlog with a very particular personality profile, but I think those days are probably gone.  Regardless, I still almost always enjoy my time on here and want to see more board posts.

WestSider

March 5th, 2013 at 12:03 PM ^

for your contributions. I don't know how people have the time to invest, but I appreciate your investments. Btw, first post on this thread from your new account made me lol. Best to you.

ClearEyesFullHart

March 5th, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^

Small children leave little time for the interwebs.  I dont think I would ever try to be a moderator.  Must be so hard to try to be impartial.  At any rate, you didn't seem like a douche.  So there's that.

Darker Blue

March 5th, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^

So you were a pretty good mod. I know we've had our differences in the past, but I really thought you did a good job on the board. I'm sure being a mod is a thankless job. Good luck with returning to normal posting!

mGrowOld

March 5th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^

I always respected the hell out of the job you did poster formally known as profitgoblue.  Thank you for all your work over the years-it may have gone unacknowledged but never unappreciated.

As far as the board changing I would say it stems directly back to the change in our voting powers.  Back in the day when mob rule ran the site a wayward poster could get hammered and hammered hard by their peers.  Conversely, good posters were rewarded by same.

Moving that power from the rank and file to the mods changed the dynamic here IMO and not for the better.  Hopefully it does get restored soon and the "old board" comes back with it.

Bryan

March 5th, 2013 at 12:33 PM ^

When we were all able to neg the troll or reward an awesome comment things seemed a little less mlive-ish That said, the site is generally far above most other user-generated sports sites. I thank Profit for his work (I can't believe it has been 2 years...) and good luck in mod retirement. May it be filled with golf and hitting on younger women.

Now what do we have to do to get the old points system restored? I know this has been brought up time and again over the past few years but has Brian ever given an answer on if this is something that might return? Can we get a kickstarter going or something?

bluebyyou

March 5th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^

What I find objectionable, and somewhat different than when I joined about three+ years ago, is that there seems to be a lot more of the short, cutesy back and forth responses which really don't deal with the substance of the thread, something which no one will "neg" someone about, because the comments are innocuous.  What they do, though, is cause a member to have to go through a large number of posts to see a post that contains a well thought out response. 

Thanks, Profitgoblue, for the time you have put in to help our community. 

bluebyyou

March 5th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^

This was one of Profitgoblue's comments in his post, which, to some extent, suggested that the feel of Mgoblog had changed.  I agreed with his assessment and gave my reasons why.

"The Board is a great place but it just doesn't have the same feel as it used to.  I can't place my fingers on it and I don't want to go negative, but it just doesn't feel the same." 

 

Blue in Yarmouth

March 5th, 2013 at 12:27 PM ^

I'm glad you're sticking around, even if in a reduced role. You've always been one of my favorite internet personalities on this site and I enjoy your contributions. I hope eveything in your personal life is fine and nothing of a negative nature has forced this change. Stay strong profit! (or lily21...It will take a while to get used to that).

justingoblue

March 5th, 2013 at 12:27 PM ^

At the risk of repeating the gist of what I told you yesterday (although I suppose this puts it "on the record" so to speak), I really appreciate everything you've done to help me out in this transition. I would have struggled big time without your help, and you deserve a lot of thanks for not letting me look like an idiot the entire month of December, maybe longer.

I'm struggling to post something more broad without getting cheesy, but suffice it to say that I think you've done a lot of positive things for the MGoBoard, and I'm glad you're staying on to post like in the old days. Hopefully posting for a while will remind you that this place can be pretty cool at times and you decide to stick around. Go blue, profit.