Forums?

mojo

Dormant account
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Location
East Coast
Goodness knows there are plenty of them. What is everyone looking for on forums?

For me it is:

*Information in this industry that concerns me as a player and affiliate.

*Getting to know folks across the globe,

*Venting on what pisses me off.

*Sharing on the good things in life.

*Making friends.

There is much to talk about. Sometimes we lose our temper. Sometimes some really great discussions come out. Sometimes people are hurtful to others.

Forums are a strange phenoneum. Sometimes I don't dare to post, sometimes I don't care to post, other times I have something to say dammit. Sometimes I have nothing to say. Sometimes I cringe when I see others posts. Sometimes I say "I wish I never posted that". LOL

Forums are weird. :laugh:

If no one minds, I have also posted this at the GIA and GPWA so far. It would be interesting to see the diversity. Don't mind me..I love seeing different perspectives and honest, in your face answers. :)
 
Good summary :thumbsup: - don't forget that Casinomeister also offers an unbiased and free problem solving service, too, along with entertainment like the web casts and the new videocast.
 
Good summary :thumbsup: - don't forget that Casinomeister also offers an unbiased and free problem solving service, too, along with entertainment like the web casts and the new videocast.

TY jetset. I am more looking at how people feel about the different forums. What kind of forums would you stay away from and what kind of forums you are attracted to. How do you feel about differences of opinion and the way different forums handle confrontation? Casinomeister is tops in MHO. That goes without saying. I am doing a survey on forums.
 
OK - just thought I would mention another couple of reasons why CM is a good personal harbour for me!

I tend to regularly visit relatively few information portals, preferring to spend more time reading in depth and participating on those I regard to be superior in content and ambience rather than skimming through many on a daily basis.

Forums are always a valuable vehicle for understanding what consumer (player) views are, and what the rogues and tricksters are currently up to.

That's an important function of an integrity-driven forum imo - helping players to avoid the pitfalls of a largely unregulated industry i.e. assisting players to research in order to avoid getting screwed.

I would suggest that the preferences you have so succinctly outlined above apply to most visitors; they certainly resonate with me.

My personal preference is for message boards that eschew excessive flaming and undisciplined behaviour, which may be amusing for some but imo distract (and detract) from valuable and - importantly - balanced exchanges and entertainment.

Differences of opinion are inevitable and a good thing in my view - provided they are handled by the members in an adult way that respects the right of others to have an opposing perspective.

We should be able to discuss/debate matters without resorting to personal animosity and childish abuse, which in my experience deters many lurkers from becoming active, and therefore more valuable, forum participants.

Perhaps I'm stating the obvious in saying that I don't appreciate clumsy forum-spamming runs, either. So I like to see a tough moderator who quickly short circuits that sort of dross when it pollutes a board.

For me, a one-stop portal - one that has diverse, well managed and solid content - has appeal. I'd rather not spend a huge chunk of my day perambulating around the Internet if I can avoid it.

It's also productive in my view to have an eclectic mix of posters, especially those from within the industry like the casino reps here who can help resolve issues and provide an alternative perspective to a variety of issues.
 
Well put jetset. I've been reading around the forums. There are so many good people and shared knowledge. It can be a great thing..or not. I notice that you can post the same thing on different forums and get totally different responses. I believe it is because of the Moderation. Forums that have attentive moderators fare much better. Moderators set the tone. It takes a level of comfort before a lurker will post. I think if you have good mods that care you will get the same from your members and the dynamics are well set. I think that is much of the reason CM is successful.

I notice that some board admins/mods don't participate. They tend to sit back and not jump in unless they absolutly have to. To me that is just as bad as a confrontational mod. Anything goes and the ones that like to argue quickly take over.

I enjoy a good debate, nothing wrong with that and we need different points of view. I have started off thinking one thing and after hearing others completely changed my view. I am trying to figure out why people seem to enjoy arguing (not in a good way) on forums. I remember a co-worker telling me one time that he went to some chat and made up a bunch of bs. I asked him why he would do that to those people and he said because it is fun. Sometimes I think that some people don't see forum posters as actual human beings. I wonder if posters are the same online as they are in person. I like to think most are.
 
Mojo........I just read your 1st post in this thread. You brought up many great points in a very eloquent post.
Hope to see you contribute more and often.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I also don't mind a good debate. I just want people to state their opinions and let others share theirs. Don't get nasty about it. I have found myself with differing political/lifestyle views than some on this forum but I only post something when it really hits me in the gut. You know what I mean? Diversity makes the world go round.

I also hate the flaming and sometimes childish behavior of some posters but that's just the way some people are. I don't mean this forum per se.
 
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QUOTE: I think that some people don't see forum posters as actual human beings. I wonder if posters are the same online as they are in person. I like to think most are. UNQUOTE

Valid comment, and it's perhaps pause for thought to reflect on whether posters would react and say the same things in the same way were they face to face with the other person.

I think that's one of the unique social behaviour phenomenoms of Internet message boards, not just from the point of view of aggression and discourtesy, but also from the aspect of how much very personal information is sometimes revealed.

But look how well the social interaction works out sometimes - I'm thinking of Swede and Cynthial as a great example right here!

No matter what some may opine to the contrary, good and influential message boards are a significant force, especially in this industry where there is on occasion a real need for collaborative detective work or assistance to right wrongs and warn other players.

We've seen that on numerous occasions here, and there are plenty of other examples at other venues - a recent one that springs to mind is the excellent work that continues to be done by the player-detectives at 2plus2 on the UltimateBet and Absolute scandals.

I think that makes message boards of integrity with a good membership a valuable contributor to the industry as a whole.

I agree with Mojo on the question of moderation - preferably benign but effective; there needs to be constant oversight as a precaution against damned spammers and the minority who often seem to go out of their way to antagonise and disrupt a message board either through a lack of personal discipline or perhaps to boost their own egos.
 
My previous joke aside

I like this forum because:

Like Jetset said before, its a one stop shop! It has my hobby in here with well informed information

It has people from all over the world which I find amazing still to this day. I just think its so cool that I can befriend someone from half way across the world and at the same time befriend someone that lives 10 min away

It has lots of information about my hobby from the normal everyday person to the athlete to the business owner to the housewife

It gives someone like me who doesnt get out much a chance to interact without leaving my home

Its monitored by caring people who take this site seriously. I honestly try to say on here what I would say in person. I look at people in here as people. Sometimes people just see words and can say some very nasty things without thinking. If you cant say it in person dont say it online. The other thing is some of us have been here for awhile and when a new person comes in and sees a disagreement they may feel we are "nasty" when in reality, we are just treating each other like we would our own families when fueding lol

Some people in here are affiliates or in the business so they have to belong to other gambling sites for work reasons and I totally understand that but for me (just a gamer) I feel no need to belong elsewhere:)
 
Most people handle forums just fine. They can interact on whatever topic they are interested in with others of like mind. That's why we are all here. We all are fascinated with the world on online gambling. There is something new every day to share here with others that is beneficial to us all. It is satisfying to share that knowledge as good people. We need everyone to say.."hey....did you see this??" Maybe I hadn't seen that and a thank you is in order for posting it. Excellent.

As a long time lurker here, I finally joined and posted. I was completely disappointed and regreted wholeheartedly that I joined. A member here immediately gave me a world of grief in my introduction post. Apparently he thought I was someone else in disguise. :what: Then when that was corrected, he immediatly called me a rouge affilaite. I guess he just wanted something to do. He is no longer a member here btw. I had asked CM to remove my membership, my bad for joining. I don't belong here. I felt there is no room for a player/affiliate. Fortunatly for me he didn't. I had pm's from caring members and was very impressed that one little new member would be cared for by this big community. To me that makes all the difference in the world.

I ramble but it brings me to lurkers. Any lurker who saw what happened then, it would have clinched the deal to never ever post. However, this is a caring well moderated forum. Sometimes when posting there are elements we may not see. Some people may be homebound or depressed. Any unkind word may be much more devastating to them than the average person. Some may just not want to get involved in an argument. Your face gets hot and you swear off forums forever.

Understanding forums is a college credit in itself.


But look how well the social interaction works out sometimes - I'm thinking of Swede and Cynthial as a great example right here!

Hmm jetset. Can't wait to hear! I met my BF in a chat room and we've been together here almost 3 years. :D

:)
 
QUOTE: Sometimes when posting there are elements we may not see. Some people may be homebound or depressed. Any unkind word may be much more devastating to them than the average person. Some may just not want to get involved in an argument. Your face gets hot and you swear off forums forever. UNQUOTE

Another very good reason for posting with discipline.

Sorry to hear about your bad start. The main thing is you're here now and participating - message boards need that diversity of opinion and experience and I'm glad you decided to hang in instead of being repulsed by an ill-informed attack.

So, in (the right) message boards we have:

Knowledge and experience

Entertainment

Personal interaction without intimidation (where moderators do their jobs)

News and views

Red alerts on bum websites and their operators

Green alerts on promos where you won't get screwed when you win

Help in resolving issues

And all for free.

That's quite a package, and a good reason to join and belong to become more informed, well entertained and less vulnerable!
 
Sorry to hear about your bad start. The main thing is you're here now and participating - message boards need that diversity of opinion and experience and I'm glad you decided to hang in instead of being repulsed by an ill-informed attack.

TY jetset. Soon I'll be able to venture out of the Attic and partake in the players forums lol. Still a little traumatized. :thumbsup:
 
Hi guys, thought it might be worth adding a few words from a veteran moderator, a slightly different view on things perhaps.

What do I look for in a good forum?

- a large, active user base.

- an opinionated but knowledgeable _and_ self-policing user base: these folks are the backbone of a good set of forums and are invaluable to helping the newbies get up to speed.

- a good variety of forum topics ... more or less accomplishing Jet's "one stop shop" idea (I'm paraphrasing). On the other hand a forum can become too "one size fits all" if there are dozens and dozens of subtopics. It's a balance and if the mods are attentive they'll know what their readership needs as opposed to what they think they want. I know that sounds a bit superior-minded but I do believe it to be true: know thy customer is not the same as pander to thy customer.

- a non-flaming, non-spamming environment: here again, self-policing by the members is incredibly valuable, both to the membership and the management if I may say so.

- management that is on the job as opposed to part-timers. AWOL management is death, and disrespectful toward the membership. I dare say BB is a fine example of the "on the job" kind of guy, always working on improvements, new features, upgrades, etc. Sure some of the initiatives may not fly but that's life right? What matters is that some of them really do take off and that's incredibly important to long-term viability.

- the forum offers something unique: such as the PAB service here at CM, for example. Other forums I frequent have an incredibly large membership, or exceptionally knowledgeable and generous core members, or very reliable and dedicated posters. Any one of these things makes a forum really stand out, and helps it survive the tides of time. Believe me it's not a sure thing by any means.

Anyway, there you go, a few thoughts on the subject from the other side of the show.
 
Hey Mojo

I too didnt see your bad start. Sorry you went through that. I also had a start that wasnt nice too. THat person has since been banned as well. It was my very first post and response lol. It can be traumatizing when your new to a forum and you just want to introduce yourself

This was 2 years ago and I still remember it and I got a pm from a member that encouraged me to stay anyway and I did :)

Welcome
 
management that is on the job as opposed to part-timers. AWOL management is death, and disrespectful toward the membership.

an opinionated but knowledgeable _and_ self-policing user base: these folks are the backbone of a good set of forums and are invaluable to helping the newbies get up to speed.

With that, a forum earns respect back. Great post max. It's a pleasure to meet you. :)

Thank you for your kind words babs. I'm glad we stuck around.:thumbsup:

You're among friends - break out into the main forum LOL!

I just may do that jetset.

You guys are all a pleasure to know.
 
I participate in a number of forums on different topics, some more colourful than others! I avoid boards where personal confrontations are commonplace as it achieves nothing. I use boards generally to gain knowledge, although striking up friendships can be a fun and often useful sideline.

A good board is one with good discussion that respects other peoples opinions, whether they strongly disagree or otherwise. There's nothing worse than a good, interesting thread getting derailed by someone with an agenda.

My only wish is that more people here and elsewhere would consider their posts from the opposite perspective - how would it feel if it were aimed at themselves. Too many people use the anonymity aspect to be hurtful, either deliberately or otherwise.

Another thing I find entertaining: when someone gets banned from an Internet forum for disrespecting someone, then crops up elsewhere playing the martyr and complaining they were censored. :D
 
Good post - especially in the current climate here generated by the heated 3Dice thread, Simmo!

The point in your final sentence is well made, too.

Something for every active poster to remember is how quickly public opinion can turn. I think it was Laurie in the other thread that commented: "...we forget about the good things we have said in the past about a casino and start ragging on them (kinda like a lynch mob) myself included....."
 

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