Attracting New Members

Sorry about the lecture, folks, but this has to be said...

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS WEBSITE??!!!

To me, there are three adjustments that desperately need to be made to this website to make it more appealing for new members to join.

Here are my suggestions...


(1):
I see there is quite a collection of topics about 'rape' building up in the Main / General section, and I'm thinking that would be driving visitors away, for two reasons:

Firstly, this is supposed to be primarily an anti-SPORTS website, and having such a high proportion of topics about 'rape' in the Main / General section is causing this site to drift off topic. Anyone googling "i hate sports" and arriving on here and seeing topic, after topic, after topic about rape, rape, rape, rape, rape could easily see all those 'rape' topics there, and decide that this site isn't really what they had in mind when they googled "i hate sports", and hit the "Back" button straight away, and be gone in an instant. We need to stop that happening.

Being an anti-SPORTS site is something very UNIQUE. There are already tons of anti-rape sites out there, and if this site becomes just another 'rape' site, then it loses it's UNIQUENESS as an anti-SPORTS site. And that would be a pity.

Secondly, rape is quite a HEAVY topic to be confronting casual passers-by with in the Main / General section, which is where they would probably go to see what we are all about.

The Main / General section is sort of our front reception area to the world, and I really think that we should keep the worst of the misery to a minimum in there, if we want to convert passing visitors into regular members.

So my suggestion to deal with both of those two issues at the same time, is how about expanding the Bullying section to include 'rape' topics as well? That way, if anyone CHOOSES to look in there, then they will know what they are getting themselves in for. They will know what to expect. They will have had fair warning, rather than being confronted with all that very heavy material UNEXPECTEDLY in the Main / General section, and the Main / General section gets to stay primarily focused on anti-SPORTS topics, as it should.

So how about changing the Bullying section to...

The Dark Underbelly of the Sports Culture
Bullying, rape, and the trail of misery associated with sports.

...and moving all those 'rape' topics into there?

I can't believe how many 'rape' topics there are on here already!...

Is Torrington Another Steubenville?
Yet another football rape case . . .
A tale of a truly courageous woman
Reebok Promotes Rape Culture!!!
Jocks Are Deified! Rape Victims And Handicapped People Are Demonized!
George Takei on rape
FOX NEWS Airs Name of 16-Year-Old Steubenville Rape Victim
So You're Tired of Hearing About "Rape Culture"?
Is Steubenville an isolated incident?
Sickening Video of Steubenville Athletes
Rape Victim Bullied By High School Football Fans (From the Sports Bore section)



(2):
CLUTTER. I see there is also a lot of NON anti-sports topics building up in the Main / General section as well, and to me, they are DILUTING the anti-sports message of this website.

Could they all be moved into the Off-Topic section?

I really think that the Main / General section of this website needs to be sharply focused on anti-sports topics, so that visitors passing by have no doubt as to what this site is about.

Surely the Main / General section of this website should contain the most highly concentrated collection of anti-sports topics anywhere on the internet, and not get clogged up with petty, self-indulgent off-topics.

It needs to be clear what this site is about. Clarity and focus is to our advantage. Chaos is decay. Some of the topics in the Main / General section at the moment are so off-topic to sports, that they could easily be posted anywhere, on any website on the entire internet, and they wouldn't be out of place.

The topics I'm thinking of are...

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! The Ray Saga Continues!
I WASN'T FOOLED!
April Fool's, Skul!
Did i miss anything?
We have a new member! Welcome to I Hate Sports!
Hey Skul! You once said, logo flags have ragged looking edges. I can fix it!
We Have Two More New Members, Fat Man, and Fatman!!!


Could they all be moved into the Off-Topic section?

I really wish people would apply a stricter test before posting topics in the Main / General section. Perhaps something like these...


Q: Is this topic that I'm about to post mainly and/or specifically an anti-sports topic?

A: IF NO, THEN DON'T POST IT IN THE MAIN / GENERAL SECTION!


Q: Is this topic that I'm about to post so off-topic to sports that it could easily be posted anywhere, on any website on the entire internet, and it wouldn't be out of place?

A: IF YES, THEN DON'T POST IT IN THE MAIN / GENERAL SECTION!


I really think that the Main / General section of this website should be sharply laser focused on anti-sports topics, and not get clogged up with petty, self indulgent chit-chat type topics.

SURELY THAT'S WHAT THE OFF-TOPIC SECTION IS FOR!



(3):
And while I'm at it, this last one is just a bit cosmetic, but it's something that bugs me every time I see it! Up at the top of the page, in the big dark blue area where it says the name of the site - "I Hate Sports", well to me, that just seems to be missing an exclamation mark. I think an exclamation mark there would just make it a bit "cheerier." A bit friendlier. A bit more appealing to visitors. Don't you think? Every time I look at it, it seems to be missing that finishing touch!



Anyway, that's my three suggestions.

PLEASE, Skul, PLEASE, could we please try those three adjustments, and see how it looks?

ÜBER BAN FOR YOOOUUU!!!

Okay, being serious now.

I guess all the casual chit-chat was in the General section because we were so used to it sometimes happening on the old forum. I'll give others the chance to see this topic and respond before I go changing things.

For any other suggestions, drop them in here and I'll be sure to ignore them.

There's no need to apologize for the lecture, Agent 47. You're right! I happen to agree with you. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your suggestions, and I give my endorsement to them. I appreciate your interest in the new forum and your desire to improve it.

As I've already indicated, I have no problem with expanding the bullying board in the way that you have proposed. I would also have no problem with including P.E.-related topics in this expanded board. However, I have no problem with scandals such as Steubenville being mentioned or referred to in the general board, as they have everything to do with why some people have lost respect for the school sports establishment. But, yes, I'm receptive to the idea of the details of these scandals being posted in the expanded board you've proposed, Agent 47.

Some topics may be hard to limit to one board or another. For example, my topic entitled "Rape Victim Bullied By High School Football Fans" certainly is relevant to the issue of feral fans, as well as the problem of rape in the world of school sports.

I also support your suggestion that "I HATE SPORTS" should be followed by an exclamation mark.



So, Agent 47 gets my vote!

Thankyou for your understanding, Earl.

Earl wrote:I have no problem with expanding the bullying board in the way that you have proposed. I would also have no problem with including P.E.-related topics in this expanded board. However, I have no problem with scandals such as Steubenville being mentioned or referred to in the general board, as they have everything to do with why some people have lost respect for the school sports establishment.

No, of course I'm not advocating for some kind of "ban" on certain issues from ever being uttered in certain sections. Of course not! I realise that once a topic is posted anywhere, then there is no telling what direction it will go in. But if "rape" topics could get posted in the appropriate section to start with, then that would be a big help towards alleviating the two problems I outlined above:

(1): Forum drift
(2): Visitors being unexpectedly confronted with very heavy material, and leaving.

Earl wrote:But, yes, I'm receptive to the idea of the details of these scandals being posted in the expanded board you've proposed, Agent 47.

Much appreciated, Earl.

Earl wrote:Some topics may be hard to limit to one board or another. For example, my topic entitled "Rape Victim Bullied By High School Football Fans" certainly is relevant to the issue of feral fans, as well as the problem of rape in the world of school sports.

I included that one in the "rape" list because it's got a double whammy in it - raping AND bullying, and it would fit in nicely in an expanded bullying and raping section.

Often, general anti-sports topics can be milked for a bit of humor. But not rape. Or bullying. Rape and bullying are pretty heavy topics, with pretty much zero potential for humor.

I was really hoping that the Sports Bore section could remain a fairly humorous section, and not get bogged down with doom and gloom and misery.

I remember when I first discovered the old forum, how FUNNY it was. And I guess I'm just trying to "pay it forward" and preserve at least one small space on the internet where people can enjoy some unique anti-sports humor.




Perhaps I'm sounding like a bit of a "Topic Nazi" or something with all of this, but I'm just trying to help get this whole thing growing! I'm doing all this for the greater good you know, people!

Skul wrote:I guess all the casual chit-chat was in the General section because we were so used to it sometimes happening on the old forum.

Yeah, to me that was a problem with the old forum. Too much clutter build up. I found it quite disheartening. I guess it built up gradually, so it just became "normal," and then it was too big a problem to fix. But with a fresh website like this, there is a fantastic opportunity here to get on top of it right from the start, before it gets out of hand.

You know, shortly after this website started, we were on page four of a google search of "i hate sports", but we have been slowly moving up the search rankings, and we are now half way up page two. I'm assuming that we are steadily heading towards page one, so our chances of having new visitors are increasing all the time, so a bit of a tidy up for potential new visitors would be nice!

Agent 47 wrote:Thankyou for your understanding, Earl.

You're welcome.

Once again, I'm in agreement with you. I share your view that the Sports Bore board should have a humorous tone. I contributed some humorous posts myself in that board. There is no humor to be found in bullying and rape. Incidentally, without underestimating the negative impact of rape upon the victim, in a way rape could almost be viewed as an extreme form of bullying. Certainly as a historical tool of oppression (e.g. the rape of black slaves in the antebellum South, the systematic rape of German women and girls by Soviet troops accompanying the defeat of the Nazi regime in World War II, etc.). So, putting bullying and rape in the same board makes sense.

I guess I've had a slight fear of certain topics becoming "ghettoized" -- hence, the tendency to place them in the top board so they won't be overlooked. But I do realize that is not a major problem. After all, we've been conversing in the "Off-Topic" board, which is listed at the bottom of the index.

Unless someone has a better idea, I believe that chit-chat between each other (especially new members) and about each other should be tolerated or even encouraged in the first-listed board so we can get to know each other and perhaps establish some sense of fellowship. It's nice to post in a forum where there is an "atmosphere" of friendliness, as opposed to the cliquishness that characterizes a certain forum I won't mention.

None of my comments here are chiseled in stone, so to speak. I'm open to any suggestions or constructive criticism (although I don't make the decisions in this forum). I'm just offering reactions to hopefully stimulate more thought, as well as being considerate of the other poster. I wish one or more of our other members would let us know what they think.

Again, Agent 47, your comments are deeply appreciated. Members such as yourself are an asset to any online forum.

Oh, Earl!

We were going so well!

But now I have to disagree with you on one point!

So, (respectfully!)...

Earl wrote:Unless someone has a better idea, I believe that chit-chat between each other (especially new members) and about each other should be tolerated or even encouraged in the first-listed board so we can get to know each other

Firstly, when you say "first-listed board," I assume that you mean the "I Hate Sports" section, or what I have been referring to as the Main / General section. So, working on that assumption, I say - NO!

No! We SHOULDN'T be ENCOURAGING chit-chat type topics to be INITIATED in the I Hate Sports / Main section! Like I said in my opening post, the I Hate Sports / Main section should contain the most highly concentrated collection of anti-sports topics anywhere on the internet, and chit-chat type topics initiated in there DILUTE that section with CLUTTER!

Hey, I'm not against having a friendly community, or against chit-chat per se. Chit-chat can always occur spontaneously in any topic at any time anyway. And that's fine. I'm not trying to "ban" chit-chat! But if you want to intentionally START a chit-chat type topic, THEN SURELY THAT'S WHAT THE OFF-TOPIC SECTION IS FOR!

The world is SATURATED with traditional media pumping out sports bullshit 24/7 on TV/Radio/Print, and what we have here with this website is an opportunity to COUNTER that with ANTI-sports material. We have an opportunity here to be the ANTI-SPORTS MEDIA. So why would you want to DILUTE that with IRRELEVANT CLUTTER and squander this incredible opportunity that we have here?

If the Main / General section of THIS website doesn't have the most highly concentrated collection of anti-sports topics anywhere on the internet, then what section should? Or what WEBSITE should? Should some OTHER section on some OTHER website be the best anti-sports section on the internet? Are we aiming to be SECOND BEST to some OTHER website? NO! WE SHOULD AIM TO BE THE BEST!

We CAN have a friendly community, with chit-chat type topics being initiated in the Off-Topic section, AND have the most awesome, highly concentrated collection of anti-sports topics anywhere on the internet in our I Hate Sports / Main section AS WELL! We can have BOTH!

WE CAN HAVE IT ALL!

LET'S AIM TO BE THE BEST!

NOT THE SECOND BEST!

CHIT-CHAT TOPICS INTENTIONALLY STARTED IN THE I HATE SPORTS / MAIN SECTION ARE IN THE WAY OF THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS WEBSITE, AND SO THEREFORE SHOULD BE DISCOURAGED IN THERE, AND ENCOURAGED INTO THE OFF-TOPIC SECTION INSTEAD!

That's just logical!




Anyway, they're my thoughts and observations and concerns as a user of the anti-sports facilities here. I just couldn't sit back and NOT say that!

I have to shoot through for about a week or so now, so catch ya's in a little while.

Done and done. We really should remember Rule 6:

§6) Post in the right forum

Make new threads in the correct forum. If you're unsure of which forum to post in, feel free to ask a moderator. This is just to keep the forum neater.

Thank you, Skull!

Thank you very much for revising the index and for moving topics from one forum to another! Thanks for doing all that work!

Agent 47, I fear you misunderstood me. I was not saying that entire topics devoted to chit-chat should be posted in the first forum. I was just calling for a little flexibility. We actually have no disagreement here. From now on, I shall be more careful where I post OPs.

This controversy has been resolved! (But no one else participated! )

Just a quick one...

Big Fat Heretic wrote:HEY! I like the new arrangement for our forum topics.

Works for me!!!

I think it is an excellent idea to have a separate index to talk about the sports rape culture, so that newcomers to our forums can have the choice of either plunging into those topics, or shying away from them.

Yes, a very good idea!

So glad to hear that, Big Fat Heretic!

Earl wrote:Agent 47, I fear you misunderstood me. I was not saying that entire topics devoted to chit-chat should be posted in the first forum. I was just calling for a little flexibility. We actually have no disagreement here. From now on, I shall be more careful where I post OPs.

Those things needed to be said, Earl!

And I'm glad I did too, because what a great consensus it turns out that we have here!

Skul wrote:
Done and done. We really should remember Rule 6:

§6) Post in the right forum

Make new threads in the correct forum. If you're unsure of which forum to post in, feel free to ask a moderator. This is just to keep the forum neater.

Wow! Thankyou very much, Skul!

Awesome.

Totally.

Awesome.

Skul deserves a round of applause!

Earl wrote:Skul deserves a round of applause!

I agree! Skul deserves a round of applesauce, uh . . . I mean . . . applause!

Skul, any chance of one small bit of fine tuning to that last lot of adjustments?

This one is dead easy. It's just changing one single word. It's changing the word "Underbelly" in that section title, to the word "Side." So it would read...

The Dark Side of the Sports Culture

I've been agonising about whether or not to suggest that change, because I think "Underbelly" says nicely what needs to be said there, but perhaps it might be a bit too descriptive a word, a bit too specific, and perhaps a bit "clunky."

I think "The Dark Side of the Sports Culture" would simplify the title, and give it a bit broader appeal. It would even be a pop-culture reference (i.e. Star Wars).

Any chance of trying that, and seeing how it looks?

Okie-dokie-lokie. Just changed that now.

Thankyou very much, Skul. Nice bit of fine tuning there!