This is NOT the Elders Quorum: fixing the Misperception of Utah By 5

[USS Utah]

A couple of weeks ago, Devildog compared this site to an elder's quorum. Well, he isn't alone in viewing UB5 that way.

There is currently a discussion at UF.N regarding options for places to if the board is unable to continue, or if the boards does not make some needed changes. The mention of UB5 as option led to a few responses, including some comparing this site to an elder's quorum. There were some other issues as well. One poster's login to UB5 stopped working, he tried twice to communicate with the board administrators, but never heard back. Another poster had a login problem, emailed the administrators and never heard back. Another poster was dismayed by powder blue styling to the sites mobile theme.

[chrisrenrut]

Regarding to the powder blue theme, I believe that is the Vbulletin default. If you choose the UtahBy5 theme In the drop down at the bottom, it changes to a red theme.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Can't we change the color of the mobile? I use Tapatalk so I never looked at the mobile site until today.

[#1 Utefan]

Can't we change the color of the mobile? I use Tapatalk so I never looked at the mobile site until today.

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

[DrumNFeather]

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

Yeah...I think that's funny too. It was referred to on utezone as Utah by 5 ALUFs, which, again, okay. I actually think what is nice about this forum is that you can completely ignore posts and categories that you don't want to.

[LA Ute]

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

I'd like to have more posters like the ones we already have. Quality over quantity.


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[Rocker Ute]

This place seem more like a high priests group to me, where you can't hope to teach us anything, only to entertain us.


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[USS Utah]

One more comment from a poster at UF.N regarding UB5. The long threads that last months and even years are not very inviting to new members. Some folks, at least, are not going to want to read through page after page of long threads, and they might view it as difficult to jump into the discussion on the last page. It might be a good idea to retire threads after a while just to keep things fresh and inviting for newcomers.

[LA Ute]

One more comment from a poster at UF.N regarding UB5. The long threads that last months and even years are not very inviting to new members. Some folks, at least, are not going to want to read through page after page of long threads, and they might view it as difficult to jump into the discussion on the last page. It might be a good idea to retire threads after a while just to keep things fresh and inviting for newcomers.


An interesting idea. We could certainly do that with threads that are out of date, like the 2013 season thread, etc.

[USS Utah]

Also a primer for new members could be useful -- If there isn't one already (if there is, maybe make it easier to find) -- a post with tips on how to navigate the site, etc.

[chrisrenrut]

One more comment from a poster at UF.N regarding UB5. The long threads that last months and even years are not very inviting to new members. Some folks, at least, are not going to want to read through page after page of long threads, and they might view it as difficult to jump into the discussion on the last page. It might be a good idea to retire threads after a while just to keep things fresh and inviting for newcomers.

I don't get this. When a thread becomes inactive, active threads overtake it and it naturally drops to the back of the list. It would only come back to the beginning if someone posted in it (aka "bumps" it) again.


Also a primer for new members could be useful -- If there isn't one already (if there is, maybe make it easier to find) -- a post with tips on how to navigate the site, etc.

Someone suggested putting the New Posts as the default page when visiting. I agree with this, New Posts is the first thing I click when I come here. It's easy to ignore threads you aren't interested that way. I think new users would find that the most helpful tip, instead of starting with the What's New/Activity Stream.

[SoCalPat]

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

This. That's the pot calling the kettle black right there. The EQ comparison is short-sighted and ill-informed, unless you expect this board to be the chaotic free-for-all that UF.net has devolved into.

[USS Utah]

I don't get this. When a thread becomes inactive, active threads overtake it and it naturally drops to the back of the list. It would only come back to the beginning if someone posted in it (aka "bumps" it) again.

That's not the issue. The issue is long active threads that never end. It may be a good idea to retire active threads after a while, even if they are still active.

[concerned]

Another idea: list the newest posts in each thread first so that the two year old posts are at the end and you don't have to plow through them

[LA Ute]

Another idea: list the newest posts in each thread first so that the two year old posts are at the end and you don't have to plow through them

That's an individual setting, I believe. Each user can set it up either way. I have the latest posts first.

One challenge (minor, I think) with vBulletin is that it takes a little time to learn the finer points of navigating it. UF.net is pretty simple, and so the transition isn't slick.

[concerned]

That's an individual setting, I believe. Each user can set it up either way. I have the latest posts first.

One challenge (minor, I think) with vBulletin is that it takes a little time to learn the finer points of navigating it. UF.net is pretty simple, and so the transition isn't slick.

now I know. Fixed it.

[UtahsMrSports]

I can honestly say I have never visited UteFans.net in my life. Heard way too many bad things about it.

I enjoy the discussion here. While there is a lot of back and forth, I can't remember a time where I felt like I was on a traditional message board. No obnoxious trolls (though some might argue thats what I am).

Hopefully, we can get some new solid folks coming over here soon.

[Applejack]

I can honestly say I have never visited UteFans.net in my life. Heard way too many bad things about it.

I enjoy the discussion here. While there is a lot of back and forth, I can't remember a time where I felt like I was on a traditional message board. No obnoxious trolls (though some might argue thats what I am).

Hopefully, we can get some new solid folks coming over here soon.

I think the hunger for Utefan discontents is short sighted. I don't post there, but I have browsed and I can't stand the bipolar nature of that sight--Utah is either national championship material or fire KWhitt. I think attracting their posters, en masse, is a sure way to torpedo this site.

[LA Ute]

I think the hunger for Utefan discontents is short sighted. I don't post there, but I have browsed and I can't stand the bipolar nature of that sight--Utah is either national championship material or fire KWhitt. I think attracting their posters, en masse, is a sure way to torpedo this site.

Spot-on. I'd like to pick a few off, however. Mighty Alaskan Ute, UtahFanSir, ColoUte (who probably doesn't post there anymore -- UBlender, get on this!), Big Kahuna, HoopUte, San Diego Ute Fan, to name some. I'd love to get runnutz here, VegasUte, maybe heartless ute. Those last three are pretty devoted to UteZone.

[jrj84105]

I don't get this. When a thread becomes inactive, active threads overtake it and it naturally drops to the back of the list. It would only come back to the beginning if someone posted in it (aka "bumps" it) again.
There are a lot of threads on this board that are started as THE 2015 recruiting thread, or THE 2015 football season thread, or THE PAC12 whatever thread. Starting off with definitive threads on the most popular topics basically means committing to having one thread bumped perpetually for a year. I think these definitive threads give this site a very static/stagnant feel.



Someone suggested putting the New Posts as the default page when visiting. I agree with this, New Posts is the first thing I click when I come here. It's easy to ignore threads you aren't interested that way. I think new users would find that the most helpful tip, instead of starting with the What's New/Activity Stream. The Utehub site has started with the same default of making the activity thread the most prominent interface for the message board. It may not hurt the site now as it launched during football season, so football posts will own the activity thread, but in off season, when off topic posts and arguments prevail, that will lead to the same issues that earned all5ALUFS.com its reputation. Whichever site (UB5 or Utehub) that can move away from the activity stream default by off season may have a leg up with respect to acquiring/retaining new users who won't invest the time to learn ways to circumvent the defaults.

[LA Ute]

There are a lot of threads on this board that are started as THE 2015 recruiting thread, or THE 2015 football season thread, or THE PAC12 whatever thread. Starting off with definitive threads on the most popular topics basically means committing to having one thread bumped perpetually for a year. I think these definitive threads give this site a very static/stagnant feel.

Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that. What does everyone else think?


The Utehub site has started with the same default of making the activity thread the most prominent interface for the message board. It may not hurt the site now as it launched during football season, so football posts will own the activity thread, but in off season, when off topic posts and arguments prevail, that will lead to the same issues that earned all5ALUFS.com its reputation. Whichever site (UB5 or Utehub) that can move away from the activity stream default by off season may have a leg up with respect to acquiring/retaining new users who won't invest the time to learn ways to circumvent the defaults.

That button has been moved so that new posts is in the upper left -- is that a big enoughh change? "What's new?" is stil the first item in the upper left. Do you think that is a problem?

[UtahsMrSports]

Im curious, but in the 2.5ish years of this site, has anyone outside of a number of moose whistle aliases been banned?

[LA Ute]

Im curious, but in the 2.5ish years of this site, has anyone outside of a number of moose whistle aliases been banned?

Nope. Interesting question. I like to think we don't attract people who are likely to be banned.

(Uh-oh. Have I jinxed us?)

[NorthwestUteFan]

Well to be fair there were about 3 dozen moistknuckles sock puppets, followed by him grabbing the '@utahby5.com' twitter handle and spamming the world with his funky niche pr0n. That was enough banning fun right there to last for ages.

[Sullyute]

Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that. What does everyone else think?

I really like the "official" threads. It keeps things tidy and has all the go to info in it. It also makes it easy to finds threads when you are looking for them. I don't think we need to be pedantic about it like some posters are wont to be, but I like trying to keep "official" threads going where we can. Just my two cents.

[jrj84105]

Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that. What does everyone else think?



That button has been moved so that new posts is in the upper left -- is that a big enoughh change? "What's new?" is stil the first item in the upper left. Do you think that is a problem?

I think it's still problematic because the "What's New" tab is still a link to the activity stream. I think new users just click "What's New", are directed to the activity stream, and that is the sum total of their navigating experience. I think it would be better if it functioned like the "quick links" drop down (illustrated below).

1597

PS: I never donated to this site because I never noticed the donate tab. I think that people who design sites overestimate how much casual users actually pay attention to the layout especially when it is overwrought or overly complex. I think new users rapidly encounter the paralyzing problem of too many choices. Users enjoy an experience more when they are presented with fewer choices and don't feel like they're missing out on something because they don't have the time to fully explore a complicated layout with lots of options. For all the problems utefans has, I think it very successfully avoids this issue.

[Sullyute]

I just tried to get my brother on again. He was redirected to the adult site again.

At work, if I just goggle Utahby5 and then click on the first link, my company blocks it, but if i goggle utahby5.com then click on the first link, it goes directly here. Has your brother tried to type in the direct https://www.utahby5.com address?

[U-Ute]

I just tried to get my brother on again. He was redirected to the adult site again.

We are working on that.

New registrations are broken now anyway.

U-Ute

[UBlender]

Spot-on. I'd like to pick a few off, however. Mighty Alaskan Ute, UtahFanSir, ColoUte (who probably doesn't post there anymore -- UBlender, get on this!), Big Kahuna, HoopUte, San Diego Ute Fan, to name some. I'd love to get runnutz here, VegasUte, maybe heartless ute. Those last three are pretty devoted to UteZone.

I've been trying. Last time he brought it up, his response was basically the same as the origin of this thread--it's too much church talk and not enough sports. Still, I wish he'd find this place a sanctuary from all the online madness.

[LA Ute]

I think it's still problematic because the "What's New" tab is still a link to the activity stream. I think new users just click "What's New", are directed to the activity stream, and that is the sum total of their navigating experience. I think it would be better if it functioned like the "quick links" drop down (illustrated below).

I think U-Ute, our new volunteer webmaster, has this idea in his sights.


PS: I never donated to this site because I never noticed the donate tab. I think that people who design sites overestimate how much casual users actually pay attention to the layout especially when it is overwrought or overly complex. I think new users rapidly encounter the paralyzing problem of too many choices. Users enjoy an experience more when they are presented with fewer choices and don't feel like they're missing out on something because they don't have the time to fully explore a complicated layout with lots of options. For all the problems utefans has, I think it very successfully avoids this issue.

We haven't really pushed donations and have just gotten by with various folks chipping in. This place is sort of a labor of love. Maybe we can come up with a way to simplify along the lines you suggest. What does everyone else think?

[LA Ute]

I've been trying. Last time he brought it up, his response was basically the same as the origin of this thread--it's too much church talk and not enough sports. Still, I wish he'd find this place a sanctuary from all the online madness.

Man, I keep hearing this. (I even changed the thread title in response!) Maybe we need to do something more to make the religion threads not jump about at people. We've already taken steps, by moving the "what's new?" button, and we'll probably do more. Maybe we should require some affirmative steps for people to get to those threads? Or maybe there is a way to allow people to ignore certain sub-forums altogether. We'll look into it. (As you can see, I am very generous with U-Ute's time.)

For now, tell ColoUte that he's mistaken. He can ignore all the religion talk by just hitting the "New Posts" button when he gets here and look at the ones he cares about. Tell him we'll give him a signing bonus for showing up here. What will it take? I have a terrific football parking pass that I never use because I can walk to the stadium.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Just took a peek over at UteHub. Good lord that place is already a mess.

[jrj84105]

Man, I keep hearing this. (I even changed the thread title in response!) Maybe we need to do something more to make the religion threads not jump about at people. We've already taken steps, by moving the "what's new?" button, and we'll probably do more. Maybe we should require some affirmative steps for people to get to those threads? Or maybe there is a way to allow people to ignore certain sub-forums altogether. We'll look into it. (As you can see, I am very generous with U-Ute's time.)

For now, tell ColoUte that he's mistaken. He can ignore all the religion talk by just hitting the "New Posts" button when he gets here and look at the ones he cares about. Tell him we'll give him a signing bonus for showing up here. What will it take? I have a terrific football parking pass that I never use because I can walk to the stadium.
Taking a page from Cougarboard, I think the religion forum is only accessible to board contributors. I'm not sure what I think of this, but it probably does encourage more new users to visit and reserves the more contentious subjects for people who are already committed enough to donate. It seems pretty disingenuous to me though.

[FountainOfUte]

I like this site. I wish there were a little more traffic/participation. I read about the ALUF reputation of this site over on UFN over the weekend. I never have gotten that sense, but then again, I'm an ALUF, so I probably have some blind spots to that sort of thing. I just sensed less overt LDS cynicism over here.

I DO think this forum has too many categories. I think this site would do just fine by having two categories: sports and non-sports. Not too unlike the way the PAC-12 Message Board has organized theirs.

Anyway, I'm pulling for this place. I think it's a good community. (And I say these things in the name of Cheese and Rice, amen).

[LA Ute]

Once a reputation is established, it's hard to shed.

You mean we have a scarlet "M" on our site? 1599

[Sullyute]

You mean we have a scarlet "M" on our site? 1600

I have divested my avatar and signature line of any said scarlet M references. Just doing my part.

[U-Ute]

You mean we have a scarlet "M" on our site? 1601

When what we need is a different scarlet..

1598

Hey, if you guys need someone to take the class level down a few notches, I'm your guy.

[Diehard Ute]

I certainly think if you're not LDS this site feels more church related than if you are LDS.

It certainly has improved the sports content since I first came over, but I'm sure that perception is still around for some.


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[LA Ute]

I certainly think if you're not LDS this site feels more church related than if you are LDS.

It certainly has improved the sports content since I first came over, but I'm sure that perception is still around for some.

We really do need to fix that.

[jrj84105]

We really do need to fix that.
In addition to the activity stream thing, I think there are a few other fixes, although it may be a little late at this point.
1) No more definitive threads in the politics and religion categories. THE believer, THE unbeliever, THE marriage equality, THE today in church, etc threads just serve to perpetuate discord. All these threads need to have either some intrinsic expiration date or an external expiration date imposed.
2) No external links in the religion and politics threads. If a user reads a compelling article, and can summarize salient points in his/her own words in the length of a post that stands on its own, fine. But repeatedly linking to articles from external feeds is just spamming the board.

[justaute]

I'll share my two pesos worth of opinions.

1. I left ufn because I got tire of reading a bunch of twaddle. Although there are plenty of seemingly great folks there, the zoob-ish, immature behavior of a few made ufn less attractive. And, yes, there are zoob-ish behaviors among all fanbases -- or among all "people".
2. First, I am a sports fan. Second, I am a Utah fan.
3. As many have already mentioned, the ufn's outdated format also bothered me. Vbulletin is ok. Candidly, I have no problems "clicking" the various sub-fora; and, I do use the "Activity Stream", as well.
4. As an actively LDS member, I do find UB5 to have too much religious threads to my liking. I am only here to talk sports -- Utes sports. That said, I don't read those religious threads and are not bothered too much by them.
5. I avoid internet confrontations because those are useless. I respect others' opinions and am able to agree to disagree. Also, I don't let idiocy drag me down and waste my time. :)

[mUUser]

Spot-on. I'd like to pick a few off, however........

Careful. All it takes is one angry, overtestosteroned Mr. C to ruin it for everybody.

[LA Ute]

Careful. All it takes is one angry, overtestosteroned Mr. C to ruin it for everybody.

He is not on the list of those we'd like to pick off.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Twitter has most of those types fully occupied. (Althiugh I admit it would be nice for Portland Ute to drop in once in a while)

[UtahsMrSports]

He is not on the list of those we'd like to pick off.

For what its worth, I remember him saying on twitter some time ago that he wasn't interested in this site because SeattleUte posts here. So thank you, SeattleUte, you are a real, American hero.

[NorthwestUteFan]

For what its worth, I remember him saying on twitter some time ago that he wasn't interested in this site because SeattleUte posts here. So thank you, SeattleUte, you are a real, American hero.

We definitely got the better end of that trade deal.

[mpfunk]

We definitely got the better end of that trade deal.

Easily. In any sport, that would be one of the most lopsided trades in history. SeattleUte is a national treasure. Mr. Crimson is a piece of shit.

[Senioritis]

Easily. In any sport, that would be one of the most lopsided trades in history. SeattleUte is a national treasure. Mr. Crimson is a piece of shit.

I freaking love Mr Crimson.

But he ain't CatBlue. Nobody is CatBlue.

[SoCalPat]

Everything talked about here is purely cosmetic. You want to lure people to this site, you have to offer something in the form of original content. Everyone has an opinion. You can get that anywhere, and the number of outlets in which people can spout off are too numerous to count.

Credibility is key. I pay more attention to what people like Ma'ake, Utebiquitous and VegasUte say, because they've established over the years that they know what they're talking about, and in the rare instances I disagree with them, I respect them enough to know I have to make a compelling argument saying so instead of popping off with some Fanboy response.

What would really help is having the exclusive views and .02 of former players. It's too bad former BYU LB Brandon Ogletree stopped doing his blog -- that was the best example out there of what a former player can offer to educate today's fans. I'd pay money for anything a former Ute player offered in that regard. We need to reach out to guys like Steve Tate or John Cullen to see what they would be interested in doing.

[SavaUte]

What would really help is having the exclusive views and .02 of former players. It's too bad former BYU LB Brandon Ogletree stopped doing his blog -- that was the best example out there of what a former player can offer to educate today's fans. I'd pay money for anything a former Ute player offered in that regard. We need to reach out to guys like Steve Tate or John Cullen to see what they would be interested in doing.

Nailed it right here! So, as a free site not making money, how could any of these guys be incentivized to post thoughts here?

[SavaUte]

Another thing that was mentioned was religion politics only being viewable to donors. I don't support having to pay for content (and that doesn't seem to be in the eyes of any of the owners here), so maybe just have it so those sections are not viewable until someone registers or hits 100 posts or something like that?

I don't know if you can do it within the framework of the site, but maybe as you registered if it showed you all the sections of the board and you had to check the ones you want to see.

Unfortunately, this doesn't do much for the stigma of EQ over here, but it would help people that actually visit to not be overwhelmed by it.

[1Colonial]

I am more a lurker than a poster. And one thing I enjoy about utah by 5 is their intelligence about Utah bb, my first love. From Manny Hendrix to Little Brandon, this is the site that I respect for bb content. Like socalpat says, I am not here or utefans or utehub for anything more than reading content or finding humor on things. I appreciate the hard work you all do to have a place for us to lurk. Go Utes!

[Solon]

I am more a lurker than a poster. And one thing I enjoy about utah by 5 is their intelligence about Utah bb, my first love. From Manny Hendrix to Little Brandon, this is the site that I respect for bb content. Like socalpat says, I am not here or utefans or utehub for anything more than reading content or finding humor on things. I appreciate the hard work you all do to have a place for us to lurk. Go Utes!
Welcome!
don't be shy about contributing your own thoughts.

I am not basketball intelligentsia, but I can't wait for the season.

[SigmaUte]

I'm not as active of a poster here as I would like to be; I think there is a lot of great posters & quality content over here.

I will say this though, I think one thing that hurts this site is exposure. I had no idea it even existed for a long time. I can't even remember how I first heard about it, I think it may have been a poster on utefans.net that mentioned UB5.

[Devildog]

I certainly think if you're not LDS this site feels more church related than if you are LDS.


This statement is accurate from my perspective.

[SoCalPat]

This statement is accurate from my perspective.

I guess I'm LDS, but I haven't been practicing for over 20 years. I don't get the churchy impression from this site that so many others claim to have.

But if it's an issue, just dump the religion site entirely, or make it available to donors. There are so many more outlets out there where people can discuss that topic. If it's in any way a defining feature of this site, then the mission of this board has failed in a major way. Again, it's not a problem with me. But UB5 is at a crossroads of sorts with this issue. It can either ignore the criticism, thereby giving religious discussion tacit approval, or it can make a bold step and get rid of it entirely (and maybe bring it back in the future to members who want to pay for such a feature.).

[LA Ute]

I guess I'm LDS, but I haven't been practicing for over 20 years. I don't get the churchy impression from this site that so many others claim to have.

But if it's an issue, just dump the religion site entirely, or make it available to donors. There are so many more outlets out there where people can discuss that topic. If it's in any way a defining feature of this site, then the mission of this board has failed in a major way. Again, it's not a problem with me. But UB5 is at a crossroads of sorts with this issue. It can either ignore the criticism, thereby giving religious discussion tacit approval, or it can make a bold step and get rid of it entirely (and maybe bring it back in the future to members who want to pay for such a feature.).

It's really just a sidelight to the board, IMO, but some people (the ones who made got this place started and made it happen) really enjoy it. I like the idea of making it a feature you have to make some mild affirmative effort to find -- i.e., it doesn't jump out at you when you come here, but you can get to it easily if you want to. U-Ute, can this be done?

[U-Ute]

So what is our identity?

I feel it is smart, knowledgeable posters that love the Utes but can also discuss other topics with an open mind.

[LA Ute]

So what is our identity?

I feel it is smart, knowledgeable posters that love the Utes but can also discuss other topics with an open mind.

Handsome. You left off handsome. Otherwise, I like it!

[U-Ute]

Handsome. You left off handsome. Otherwise, I like it!

But is it accurate?

Which is why I left off "handsome". I'm having a bad hair day.

[LA Ute]

But is it accurate?

Which is why I left off "handsome". I'm having a bad hair day.

Witty. You left that one off too.

[Devildog]

You two have quite the little circle jerk going on... enjoy yourselves brothers. :flush:

[LA Ute]

You two have quite the little circle jerk going on... enjoy yourselves brothers. :flush:

I'm sure you're handsome and witty too, DD.

[Virginia Ute]

I never thought this site was too churchy, but I definitely got the impression that it was far more 'intellectual' than the other sites I frequented. I consider myself decently well-educated, but I never felt at home here because I almost always felt like an idiot when participating in discussions on here. That's not so much a knock on this place as it is a compliment, but it's just not what I was looking for in my spare time. Sometimes you come to these message boards to read stupid things, and there wasn't enough of that here. I liked the increased level of respect in the Mormon/not Mormon debates as opposed to to hostility you see on UFN, though.

I was never really active on here mostly because the format is so new to me and I'm too lazy to try and get used to it. UFN and CB have ruined me in that I only tolerated the threaded format. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get used to it.

[U-Ute]

I'm sure you're handsome and witty too, DD.

Remember, I was trying to emphasize "accurate" here.

My point is: how can we convey that sense on the front page?

[LA Ute]

I never thought this site was too churchy, but I definitely got the impression that it was far more 'intellectual' than the other sites I frequented. I consider myself decently well-educated, but I never felt at home here because I almost always felt like an idiot when participating in discussions on here. That's not so much a knock on this place as it is a compliment, but it's just not what I was looking for in my spare time. Sometimes you come to these message boards to read stupid things, and there wasn't enough of that here. I liked the increased level of respect in the Mormon/not Mormon debates as opposed to to hostility you see on UFN, though.

I was never really active on here mostly because the format is so new to me and I'm too lazy to try and get used to it. UFN and CB have ruined me in that I only tolerated the threaded format. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get used to it.

Dive in! Nobody here is as smart as he or she pretends to be. It's just an act to repel BYU fan visitors. Once you get comfortable with the format you'll love it here -- you'll be able to check out any time, but never leave.


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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

I know! Sometimes, I just want a stupid gif as a reply instead of a well thought out argument. I like a lot of things/posters on Utefans, including the humor.

I'm doing my best to dumb things down around here, but it's hard to overcome all these fancy talk lawyers.

Have you tried putting it in a bag of rice?

...Sorry.

[LA Ute]

Have you tried putting it in a bag of rice?

1604

Certain concepts must not be allowed to enter here.

[Devildog]

I'm sure you're handsome and witty too, DD.


Remember, I was trying to emphasize "accurate" here.

My point is: how can we convey that sense on the front page?

You two go ahead and knock yourselves out with your little tea party... I'm good, unless you have some Jameson... and in that case...

[USS Utah]

I never thought this site was too churchy, but I definitely got the impression that it was far more 'intellectual' than the other sites I frequented. I consider myself decently well-educated, but I never felt at home here because I almost always felt like an idiot when participating in discussions on here. That's not so much a knock on this place as it is a compliment, but it's just not what I was looking for in my spare time. Sometimes you come to these message boards to read stupid things, and there wasn't enough of that here. I liked the increased level of respect in the Mormon/not Mormon debates as opposed to to hostility you see on UFN, though.

I was never really active on here mostly because the format is so new to me and I'm too lazy to try and get used to it. UFN and CB have ruined me in that I only tolerated the threaded format. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get used to it.

For some, "intellectual" might equal "stuffy."

[LA Ute]

For some, "intellectual" might equal "stuffy."

I am still trying to get my mind wrapped around the idea that this place offers some noticeable level of intellectual content.


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[Diehard Ute]

I am still trying to get my mind wrapped around the idea that this place offers some noticeable level of intellectual content.


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With the amount of esquire's here it truly is shocking ;)


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[Slim]

You know it's been an interesting week with people starting to call Chris out on Utefans and the creation of Utehub, it certainly makes you take stock of what you've got here and where you're headed.

I think Virginia Ute hit the nail on the head on this being more of an intellectual site. Off the top of my head I think of LA (a lawyer) and USSUtah (a WWII history guru), now I know there are morons as well, (count me in that mix I'm crazy enough to be a middle school math teacher) but at least my perception of the people here are more well rounded and intellectual. I for one enjoy the religious talk on this board compared to others because here for the most part it's civil and the talk doesn't turn into bashing and name calling. There's a level of respect for the other posters which I don't think is on the other board.

When you think of something being intellectual, sports isn't something that accompanies the word intellectual. Maybe that is why others feel this board is too religious or what not. On the other boards you get a lot of sports/rival talk (too much rival talk as of late) and a little of religious topics sprinkled in there, where this site I think the ratio isn't as skewed. There may be just as much sports talk as the other site, but there is more religious/non sports talk as well, making it seem more churchy. In the end sports is nice but not the end all be all, and people have other interests.

I think there is a place for all of the sites, they all serve a different purpose. I do feel like Utefans has fallen off the last couple of years and is a shell of it's former self. Depending on my mood is where I go for my Ute fill for the day. If I'm acting like my students I head over to Utefans, and if I feel more adult I'll come here. Ute Hub (so far, it's only a couple days old for crying out loud) seems like somewhere in the middle of the two, and more like what Utefans was during it's prime.

All this of course is from a lurker more than a contributor, so please take with a grain of salt.

[U-Ute]

I am still trying to get my mind wrapped around the idea that this place offers some noticeable level of intellectual content.

We aren't quite to your level of sophistication yet. I am just getting used to using full words for phrases like "are you" instead of just the letters "r" and "u".

If it helps I can use some of my 8th grade Latin to class it up: Semper Ubi Sub Ubi.

Loosely translated: "Always where under where".

Sorry. But it's the best I got.

[mpfunk]

You two go ahead and knock yourselves out with your little tea party... I'm good, unless you have some Jameson... and in that case...

I'm waiting for the mild barley drinks to join in.

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[mpfunk]

Sometimes you come to these message boards to read stupid things, and there wasn't enough of that here.

You are clearly not a student of my posts.

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[Damage U]

I like this board for the same reasons Virginia Ute and Slim state. I enjoy the mutual respect that is here. I like that subjects are split up so if you don't want the churchy stuff you can pass on it and find something else to light your fancy.
Since I work in the medical field and work the weekend shift, I like the Elders Quorum sections of the board. It makes me miss and glad I'm not there on Sunday's. Just like being there for real.

[Devildog]

So what is our identity?

I feel it is smart, knowledgeable posters that love the Utes but can also discuss other topics with an open mind.

The boards identity really is mostly a bunch of Mormon University of Utah sports fans. Some of you are very well educated...

But damn near most of you are dorks. It goes hand in hand with the whole Mormon thing (embrace it).... just don't dork the place up so much it becomes like Cougarboard. That place is Comic con come to real life. I'm sure Darth Vader and the Ewoks are posting there right now.

[chrisrenrut]

When home teaching assignments are made, I'll take Devildog if I can also have Damage Ute and someone who has a boat.

[Diehard Ute]

When home teaching assignments are made, I'll take Devildog if I can also have Damage Ute and someone who has a boat.

Sorry I only supply beer and a fully stocked bar


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[LA Ute]

1606

[U-Ute]

The boards identity really is mostly a bunch of Mormon University of Utah sports fans. Some of you are very well educated...

I resemble only half of that. I'll leave it as a mystery as to which half.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

1606

1607

[USS Utah]

I am still trying to get my mind wrapped around the idea that this place offers some noticeable level of intellectual content.

The real problem is that there are too many lawyer types. ;)

[USS Utah]

I think Virginia Ute hit the nail on the head on this being more of an intellectual site. Off the top of my head I think of LA (a lawyer) and USSUtah (a WWII history guru),

Which is crazy, I mean, I never even graduated from college.

[LA Ute]

I think Virginia Ute hit the nail on the head on this being more of an intellectual site. Off the top of my head I think of LA (a lawyer) and USSUtah (a WWII history guru), now I know there are morons as well, (count me in that mix I'm crazy enough to be a middle school math teacher) but at least my perception of the people here are more well rounded and intellectual.

On this board I'm a goofy Utes fans 1st, a lawyer 5th.


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[GeorgeSer]

Hmm, not sure. I use Google Chrome at work and view the WH forums all the time with no problem. Wonder if others are having issues with it?

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Hmm, not sure. I use Google Chrome at work and view the WH forums all the time with no problem. Wonder if others are having issues with it?

I appreciate the attention to our religion forums. Bring back the EQ rep!


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[jrj84105]

So I came back to this discussion because the site basically navigates the same and the religion/politics discussion still occupies the center stage. I know this core of users likes the community here and doesn't want a utefanificatuon of the board, but with a better layout I think this site could be much more inclusive without losing its identity. I made a lot of recommendations above for how to enable this kind of inclusivity, and now I've sort of gone a step further to basically mock up what Utahby5 could be. I'm sort of willing to step on toes a little bit if it means broadening the reach of this community. So here's what I built (http://Uofuboard.com). Can we work something out and get this user base paired with a layout that might allow some room for growth?

If not, I'm ready for suggestions of where to shove it :)

[chrisrenrut]

So I came back to this discussion because the site basically navigates the same and the religion/politics discussion still occupies the center stage. I know this core of users likes the community here and doesn't want a utefanificatuon of the board, but with a better layout I think this site could be much more inclusive without losing its identity. I made a lot of recommendations above for how to enable this kind of inclusivity, and now I've sort of gone a step further to basically mock up what Utahby5 could be. I'm sort of willing to step on toes a little bit if it means broadening the reach of this community. So here's what I built (http://Uofuboard.com). Can we work something out and get this user base paired with a layout that might allow some room for growth?

If not, I'm ready for suggestions of where to shove it :)

I'm not the expert, but I don't think that VBulletin allows that level of customization.

Are you only navigating the site using the What's New or Activity Stream screen? It will show the most recent activity by post at the top, regardless of the category or thread it was posted in. I always click on the New Post link in the top menu, and it takes me to a page where I can see a list of threads with activity since I last reviewed them. That way, I can pick and choose which topics/threads I want to waste spend time looking at, and ignore the other threads (e.g anything to do with baseball and hockey). That way, I have only myself to blame if I end up spending wasting time reading posts in a thread I don't want to read.

[jrj84105]

I'm not the expert, but I don't think that VBulletin allows that level of customization.

Are you only navigating the site using the What's New or Activity Stream screen? It will show the most recent activity by post at the top, regardless of the category or thread it was posted in. I always click on the New Post link in the top menu, and it takes me to a page where I can see a list of threads with activity since I last reviewed them. That way, I can pick and choose which topics/threads I want to waste spend time looking at, and ignore the other threads (e.g anything to do with baseball and hockey). That way, I have only myself to blame if I end up spending wasting time reading posts in a thread I don't want to read.
That's exactly how I browse, and what I think is a serious limitation of this board. The number of political and religious threads that occupy what's new and the activity stream are going to cause the majority of visitors to immediately nope out.

What I suggested and ultimately built was an active thread (http://www.uofuboard.com/threads/recent) that filters out the religious, BYU, and political topics. The home page also has a New Threads list that lets you see new topics that aren't buried in active threads. The BYU, Religion, Politics, and Pissing&Moaning category is called the Cesspool (http://uofuboard.com/board/8/cesspool) and is members only. Although the cesspool is eliminated from activity threads, if you participate any activity will show up in your personal followed4 threads.

if this kind of customization isn't available on vBulletin, I think it would be well worth looking at other products.

[LA Ute]

We changed the startup page to push people toward clicking on "New Posts." Maybe that hasn't solved the problem. I'm all in favor of ways to avoid misperceptions. U-Ute: Have at it! You'll get a little something extra in your paycheck next week if you solve this.


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[Rocker Ute]

Do things actually need to change here though? Maybe because I use Tapatalk the majority of the time I don't see the issue, but I can view this site however I want. I can only see posts I've participated in, I can watch all new posts, I can watch only subjects I've subscribed to or whatever else.

The proboards.com platform really doesn't seem all that different from vbulletin and no offense but the uofuboard.com design looks dated to me already. Maybe that is my aversion to mid 2000 icons.

I'm all for being welcoming. Maybe we do put the politics and church talk behind the registration wall, but I think the only result will be making this board look inactive. No pun intended.


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[jrj84105]

We changed the startup page to push people toward clicking on "New Posts." Maybe that hasn't solved the problem. I'm all in favor of ways to avoid misperceptions. U-Ute: Have at it! You'll get a little something extra in your paycheck next week if you solve this.

Those views are still typically 30-40% religion/politics with a much higher proportion once basketball and football recruiting seasons end. It's easy to remove those topics from the new posts and active threads views on the Proboards product. Not sure about vBulletin.

[LA Ute]

Those views are still typically 30-40% religion/politics with a much higher proportion once basketball and football recruiting seasons end. It's easy to remove those topics from the new posts and active threads views on the Proboards product. Not sure about vBulletin.

Serious question: Please forgive me if I've missed this already, which may well have happened. On Tapatalk, I look at the "New Posts" option just to see what has recently been posted. I almost always skip most topics, including politics, believe it or not. As Rocker notes, I could set my page so I see only threads I've participated in or subscribed to. Are you saying that the format is confusing so that new users do not take that approach and get turned off by an apparent imbalance in topics?

[chrisrenrut]

Serious question: Please forgive me if I've missed this already, which may well have happened. On Tapatalk, I look at the "New Posts" option just to see what has recently been posted. I almost always skip most topics, including politics, believe it or not. As Rocker notes, I could set my page so I see only threads I've participated in or subscribed to. Are you saying that the format is confusing so that new users do not take that approach and get turned off by an apparent imbalance in topics?

I visit another VBulletin based forum for a owners of a model of a motorcycle that I have. They have 22 different forum categories, about half of which are not specific to this specific motorcycle, and about 1/4 of which have nothing to do with motorcycling at all. I usually skip over about 3/4 of the threads in the New Post page while I pick and choose the threads I am interested in. I enjoy this ala cart type viewing, and I guess it is why I am not really understanding jrj's concerns. Boards like Utefans.net and Cougarboard that give you no option to pick and chose without endless scrolling drive me nuts.

Maybe if we want to have the focus be on sports talk, we see if there is a way on the New Post page to have threads from the sports categories float to the top? I'm just spit-balling here.

[jrj84105]

Serious question: Please forgive me if I've missed this already, which may well have happened. On Tapatalk, I look at the "New Posts" option just to see what has recently been posted. I almost always skip most topics, including politics, believe it or not. As Rocker notes, I could set my page so I see only threads I've participated in or subscribed to. Are you saying that the format is confusing so that new users do not take that approach and get turned off by an apparent imbalance in topics?
First, I don't think the majority of visitors interface through tapatalk, at least not initially. I don't use it personally as if at all possible I'd like to access a site through a browser rather than an app.

Second, the average new viewer probably doesn't selectively scroll through a bunch of titles and read some threads and ignore others. They're going to Browse the top 3-4 threads, form an opinion, then leave or stay. On this site, those 4 threads are likely to be one religious, one political, one 2016 football thread that is 15 pages long starting with preseason, and one basketball thread that is similarly long and hard to jump into midstream. It's very inaccessible from a new user standpoint.

This inaccessibility seems not to be seen as problematic by the current user group, but the current user group is a selection of all the visitors who came and weren't turned off and is not representative of the potential user base.

[sancho]

First, I don't think the majority of visitors interface through tapatalk, at least not initially. I don't use it personally as if at all possible I'd like to access a site through a browser rather than an app.

Second, the average new viewer probably doesn't selectively scroll through a bunch of titles and read some threads and ignore others. They're going to Browse the top 3-4 threads, form an opinion, then leave or stay. On this site, those 4 threads are likely to be one religious, one political, one 2016 football thread that is 15 pages long starting with preseason, and one basketball thread that is similarly long and hard to jump into midstream. It's very inaccessible from a new user standpoint.

This inaccessibility seems not to be seen as problematic by the current user group, but the current user group is a selection of all the visitors who came and weren't turned off and is not representative of the potential user base.

I think this is true. The board has been heavy on politics lately (not so much religion). If we want new posters, showing the sports posts first makes sense.

Also, there is a list of questions to answer for new users introducing themselves. The list is largely ignored, but the religion question could/should be removed from that list.

What's funny is that utefans always had as much politics/religion talk as we have here. The layout makes it feel like the opposite is true, especially to visitors.

[jrj84105]

I'm all for being welcoming. Maybe we do put the politics and church talk behind the registration wall, but I think the only result will be making this board look inactive. No pun intended.
I think this change is sort of long overdue. The part about the only result would be "making the board look inactive" is what answers the initial question of does there need to be a change.


The proboards.com platform really doesn't seem all that different from vbulletin and no offense but the uofuboard.com design looks dated to me already. Maybe that is my aversion to mid 2000 icons.
That's what happens when the styling is left up to someone who doesn't even know what CSS stands for.

[Rocker Ute]

I think this change is sort of long overdue. The part about the only result would be "making the board look inactive" is what answers the initial question of does there need to be a change.


That's what happens when the styling is left up to someone who doesn't even know what CSS stands for.

So why are you doing it then? I'm really not trying to be a jerk, I guess i'm just not getting it. I've seen you pitching the site around a few places so I'm just curious.

And maybe I should explain my POV. I've spent enough time around message boards to realize that the quickest way to kill something is to try to control what is being communicated and what should be communicated about on a board. Almost universally the boards that do well and have large memberships are allowed to be pretty organic while maintaining a level of respect. For good or bad, non-sports subjects are the glue of a site in a lot of ways and what keep people sticking around and making it habitual. Trying to suppress that will likely just kill the board.

Put aside for a minute the technical and design issues of UF.N and just consider the community. Long before any of those issues UF.N has long since become a place I don't feel welcome because many of the people there have drastically different views and interests than I do. I went from posting multiple times a day to once a week and then eventually not at all. I could spend time trying to correct that (and fail) or I can find a community that works for me. For others the content and community of UF.N have never been better and so that is great. Let UF.N be what it is.

Conversely this community came from the cougarute forum and I was (am) a bit of an outsider here. I'm not as smart or good looking as most of the people here, but I still enjoy it for what it is.

My 2 cents.

[jrj84105]

The community is great here. The basketball discussion is very good compared to other Ute sites. ALL forum layouts are intrinsically less accessible than the threaded format of Utefans and Utehub but have the advantage of fostering more depth of discussion and are less prone to the sort of memetic drive-by posting that ultimately dominates most threaded boards. The more cerebral nature of this board is as much a function of it being a forum as it is of the individual users IMO. The layout influences how people interact.

Because a forum is intrinsically less accessible due to partitioning and a requirement to click a few times before viewing anything, I think the design has to try and compensate by promoting greater accessibility. That's why I sort of complained about definitive THE whatever threads that ran interminably. There's also no way a Utes board is going to succeed or have any breadth of users unless it handles religion and politics somewhat separately from sports.

I bring all this up becaus I think Utefans is on it's last legs. If the attitude here is that we don't really want any of those posters, and we're certainly not willing to change to facilitate new users, then that's certainly cool. If the attitude is that additional users are wanted, then it's time to get moving on making some significant changes, IMO.

[sancho]

And maybe I should explain my POV. I've spent enough time around message boards to realize that the quickest way to kill something is to try to control what is being communicated and what should be communicated about on a board. Almost universally the boards that do well and have large memberships are allowed to be pretty organic while maintaining a level of respect. For good or bad, non-sports subjects are the glue of a site in a lot of ways and what keep people sticking around and making it habitual. Trying to suppress that will likely just kill the board.


I don't think he's really suggesting that anything be suppressed. Just make it so that when someone hits "new posts," it shows the sports posts in a bunch on top and the other posts in a bunch underneath (if I understand correctly). If possible, I don't think it's a drastic change.

I guess we could try to be better about parsing threads so that a new user doesn't have to try and join an ongoing, 3 year conversation. I, of course, still like the idea of killing everything over a year old just for routine street sweeping.

[jrj84105]

So why are you doing it then? I'm really not trying to be a jerk, I guess i'm just not getting it. I've seen you pitching the site around a few places so I'm just curious.

And maybe I should explain my POV. I've spent enough time around message boards to realize that the quickest way to kill something is to try to control what is being communicated and what should be communicated about on a board. Almost universally the boards that do well and have large memberships are allowed to be pretty organic while maintaining a level of respect. For good or bad, non-sports subjects are the glue of a site in a lot of ways and what keep people sticking around and making it habitual. Trying to suppress that will likely just kill the board.

Put aside for a minute the technical and design issues of UF.N and just consider the community. Long before any of those issues UF.N has long since become a place I don't feel welcome because many of the people there have drastically different views and interests than I do. I went from posting multiple times a day to once a week and then eventually not at all. I could spend time trying to correct that (and fail) or I can find a community that works for me. For others the content and community of UF.N have never been better and so that is great. Let UF.N be what it is.

Conversely this community came from the cougarute forum and I was (am) a bit of an outsider here. I'm not as smart or good looking as most of the people here, but I still enjoy it for what it is.

My 2 cents.
First off, I love futureman. "Did you see what he was wearing" was probably my favorite line of that movie.

You're not being a jerk at all. And "why" is a great question. I spend too much time on boards. I look at boards of other schools and conferences, and for the most part the boards are totally amateur compared to what you find for different interest groups, especially nerdy topics where 90% of the users are programmers. But those poorly designed sports boards WAAAAAY outperform their design and are heavily trafficked.

Utah boards, including this one, are better than the average college sports board but are WAAAAY less trafficked. Why? Because, as you said, non-sports subjects are an essential glue for holding boards together, especially in maintaining off-season traffic. Ute fans, more than any other fanbase IMO, are polarized and passionate about religion, politics, and sports and the unique convergence of those topics in this state. Essentially, our glue is bad.

So I watch as new sites spring up (Utahby5 and later Utehub) and they look good, but then I sort of question "what are you doing about the glue issue?" and the answer is "Just click what you like; nobody's forcing those topics on you". Although I agree that an unsupervised spontaneous site is better 99% of the time, I think it has failed 100% of the time for Ute-related boards.

So I sort of thought maybe it's just technically really hard to segregate content, and like most of my IT requests it's poorly worded and impossible. So I tried to see what it entailed so I could better explain what I wanted. That snowballed into just building a site as a thought exercise in segregating content. It works for Cougarboard, and they (unfortunately) are probably a better model for what might work for Ute fans than other fan bases, so why not try it?

So for why? Because persistent unaddressed bitching led to a thought exercise that turned into a forum. It was an accident. And after investing a certain amount of time in an accident, it turns out that it's not so bad. Ultimately, I want a Utah web presence that actually lives up to our enthusiastic fanbase. I don't think that's possible until somebody designs with the primary attempt of fixing the glue issue. I'd rather a really good web developer do that while I sit back and enjoy, but the glue doesn't seem to be seen as the top priority for others who have tried.

So because I see a window for opportunity for uniting the fanbase when Utefans collapses, I'm sort of imploring somebody (Utahby5) to fix their glue and be prepared to step into that void when it opens.

[sancho]

It works for Cougarboard, and they (unfortunately) are probably a better model for what might work for Ute fans than other fan bases, so why not try it?


It's been years since I've been to CB, but they don't have the glue problem you are describing, right? I imagine that place as more of an echo chamber than a cornucopia of ideas/opinions.

Again, if it's an easy change for U-Ute, I see no reason why we can't group "new posts" into sports and other categories.

[U-Ute]

It's been years since I've been to CB, but they don't have the glue problem you are describing, right? I imagine that place as more of an echo chamber than a cornucopia of ideas/opinions.

Again, if it's an easy change for U-Ute, I see no reason why we can't group "new posts" into sports and other categories.

It doesn't appear to be that easy. I can hard code a filter to remove forums, but I'd rather have that be user configurable because what one person may want filtered out, another person will want to see.

[U-Ute]

First off, I love futureman. "Did you see what he was wearing" was probably my favorite line of that movie.

You're not being a jerk at all. And "why" is a great question. I spend too much time on boards. I look at boards of other schools and conferences, and for the most part the boards are totally amateur compared to what you find for different interest groups, especially nerdy topics where 90% of the users are programmers. But those poorly designed sports boards WAAAAAY outperform their design and are heavily trafficked.

Utah boards, including this one, are better than the average college sports board but are WAAAAY less trafficked. Why? Because, as you said, non-sports subjects are an essential glue for holding boards together, especially in maintaining off-season traffic. Ute fans, more than any other fanbase IMO, are polarized and passionate about religion, politics, and sports and the unique convergence of those topics in this state. Essentially, our glue is bad.

So I watch as new sites spring up (Utahby5 and later Utehub) and they look good, but then I sort of question "what are you doing about the glue issue?" and the answer is "Just click what you like; nobody's forcing those topics on you". Although I agree that an unsupervised spontaneous site is better 99% of the time, I think it has failed 100% of the time for Ute-related boards.

So I sort of thought maybe it's just technically really hard to segregate content, and like most of my IT requests it's poorly worded and impossible. So I tried to see what it entailed so I could better explain what I wanted. That snowballed into just building a site as a thought exercise in segregating content. It works for Cougarboard, and they (unfortunately) are probably a better model for what might work for Ute fans than other fan bases, so why not try it?

So for why? Because persistent unaddressed bitching led to a thought exercise that turned into a forum. It was an accident. And after investing a certain amount of time in an accident, it turns out that it's not so bad. Ultimately, I want a Utah web presence that actually lives up to our enthusiastic fanbase. I don't think that's possible until somebody designs with the primary attempt of fixing the glue issue. I'd rather a really good web developer do that while I sit back and enjoy, but the glue doesn't seem to be seen as the top priority for others who have tried.

So because I see a window for opportunity for uniting the fanbase when Utefans collapses, I'm sort of imploring somebody (Utahby5) to fix their glue and be prepared to step into that void when it opens.

I'm a little confused.

Your initial posts were saying that there's too many non-sports related posts, and now you're saying their necessary to keep the board interesting. Perhaps what you really want is a good balance?

I'm wondering if the problem is the number of sports related forums vs non-sports related forums. We have 5 sports forums, of which only 2 are active (>100 threads) and 9 non-sports forums, of which 4 are active (>100 threads). But the interesting thing is that the number of threads that are sports related (880) is basically the same as all of the non sports threads (828).

So maybe the fact that those non-sports related threads are spread out across multiple forums gives the appearance that there are many more non-sports related posts when there isn't.

[jrj84105]

I'm a big believer in the concept of overchoice, and think that the limited browsing options for Utefans was a big part of its success. That's why I think suppressing the religiopolitical stuff for all users rather than presenting another choice is preferable. That is unless the site browsing options are otherwise markedly reduced to leave it as one of very few choices.

Having too many approximately equally good options is mentally draining because each option must be weighed against alternatives to select the best one. The satisfaction of choices by number of options available can be described by an inverted “U” model.

Although larger choice sets can be initially appealing, smaller choice sets lead to increased satisfaction and reduced regret. Another component of overchoice is the perception of time. Extensive choice sets can seem even more difficult with a limited time constraint.

[sancho]

So maybe the fact that those non-sports related threads are spread out across multiple forums gives the appearance that there are many more non-sports related posts when there isn't.

Our active sports threads are often short lived (the WSU/UW road trip thread will last one week, and then we will move on to the Ducks). The only sports thread that is built to last forever (like some of the politics/religion threads) is the BYU hate thread. All the rest of them have expiration dates. So...put expiration dates on all the threads? The "2017 believer thread," for example. Spitballing here.

[U-Ute]

Our active sports threads are often short lived (the WSU/UW road trip thread will last one week, and then we will move on to the Ducks). The only sports thread that is built to last forever (like some of the politics/religion threads) is the BYU hate thread. All the rest of them have expiration dates. So...put expiration dates on all the threads? The "2017 believer thread," for example. Spitballing here.

Your observation does bear some truth.

There are 55,008 sports related posts and 22,187 non-sports related posts, but the way it is presented gives the opposite impression.

[jrj84105]

I'm a little confused.

Your initial posts were saying that there's too many non-sports related posts, and now you're saying their necessary to keep the board interesting. Perhaps what you really want is a good balance?

I'm wondering if the problem is the number of sports related forums vs non-sports related forums. We have 5 sports forums, of which only 2 are active (>100 threads) and 9 non-sports forums, of which 4 are active (>100 threads). But the interesting thing is that the number of threads that are sports related (880) is basically the same as all of the non sports threads (828).

So maybe the fact that those non-sports related threads are spread out across multiple forums gives the appearance that there are many more non-sports related posts when there isn't.
Now you've really hit the central issue: Balance is in the eye of the beholder. Broad and potentially offensive stereotypes to follow.

For an active LDS user for whom religion plays a large role in daily life, a 50/50 split might seem somewhat balanced. For a non-religious person or even a person of another faith where religion is less prominent in daily life, that 50/50 mix could be seen as very unbalanced. Although the board content is whatever people post, and there'a nothing layout wise that you can or should do about that, how that content appears to the user is a product of the design. Broadly, I think that design could present:
1) an unbiased representation of content- the current model here.
2) a user selected bias (actively check/uncheck your categories-the Cougarboard model).
3) a design determined bias (the design specifies the checked unchecked).

I don't think option one works for this fanbase. I think option two is the best IF users have a positive first impression and commit to the site before customizing. As above, I think first impression is problematic here. I think 3 might work as long as it's easy enough to backend into the unchecked content once you're familiar with the site. That's what ai'm trying as I haven't seen that approach on a Ute site before.
PS: if you look at the number of logged-in users viewing the site versus the number of guests checking in, it's clear that most people are going to see the design specified layout rather than a user-defined selection. That's another reason why I favor option 3.

With that, I better take a discussion break and work on some other stuff.

[Rocker Ute]

Now you've really hit the central issue: Balance is in the eye of the beholder. Broad and potentially offensive stereotypes to follow.

For an active LDS user for whom religion plays a large role in daily life, a 50/50 split might seem somewhat balanced. For a non-religious person or even a person of another faith where religion is less prominent in daily life, that 50/50 mix could be seen as very unbalanced. Although the board content is whatever people post, and there'a nothing layout wise that you can or should do about that, how that content appears to the user is a product of the design. Broadly, I think that design could present:
1) an unbiased representation of content- the current model here.
2) a user selected bias (actively check/uncheck your categories-the Cougarboard model).
3) a design determined bias (the design specifies the checked unchecked).

I don't think option one works for this fanbase. I think option two is the best IF users have a positive first impression and commit to the site before customizing. As above, I think first impression is problematic here. I think 3 might work as long as it's easy enough to backend into the unchecked content once you're familiar with the site. That's what ai'm trying as I haven't seen that approach on a Ute site before.
PS: if you look at the number of logged-in users viewing the site versus the number of guests checking in, it's clear that most people are going to see the design specified layout rather than a user-defined selection. That's another reason why I favor option 3.

With that, I better take a discussion break and work on some other stuff.

Non sports related posts ≠ religious posts though. But I get it. You want the sports stuff here, you don't want to hear LA Ute harass me about filling out proper paperwork for scout activities.

I think really the best way to address this issue, if it really is an issue, is simply to have the ability to ignore a topic. There appears to be a way to do this. This was 15 seconds of searching, but it is a plug-in/hack to do that in vbulletin. http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=323495

The other is if we are trying to attract new users then move the politics and religious stuff behind registration (I think you can already do that with no modification to the system).

I'd also suggest maybe a CSS freshening up here a bit. U-Ute, you know I am willing to help with that if you'd like.

As a sign of my goodwill, attached is a new header image that isn't so pixelated for your consideration.

2082

[jrj84105]

Non sports related posts ≠ religious posts though. But I get it. You want the sports stuff here, you don't want to hear LA Ute harass me about filling out proper paperwork for scout activities.
2082
Yes- there are plenty of benign off topic things to discuss. I like the religion and politics stuff, but the overwhelming response from people who didn't join or stick around here was that it took too large of a stage. I'm glad to see some people seriously considering these changes. I also love your header.

[U-Ute]

Non sports related posts ≠ religious posts though. But I get it. You want the sports stuff here, you don't want to hear LA Ute harass me about filling out proper paperwork for scout activities.

I think really the best way to address this issue, if it really is an issue, is simply to have the ability to ignore a topic. There appears to be a way to do this. This was 15 seconds of searching, but it is a plug-in/hack to do that in vbulletin. http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=323495

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it works for the Activity Thread. It allows you to specify which forums to ignore elsewhere on the board though.


The other is if we are trying to attract new users then move the politics and religious stuff behind registration (I think you can already do that with no modification to the system).

I'd also suggest maybe a CSS freshening up here a bit. U-Ute, you know I am willing to help with that if you'd like.

As a sign of my goodwill, attached is a new header image that isn't so pixelated for your consideration.

2082

I like that look.

[Rocker Ute]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it works for the Activity Thread. It allows you to specify which forums to ignore elsewhere on the board though.



I like that look.

Bummer on the activity thread. Meanwhile I got a hankerin' for some tinkerin' and tweaked the CSS a bit to freshen up the design. I'm happy to do this to the site if people like it:

2083


A little lighter and cleaner look. I've always been a minimalist when it comes to design though.

[jrj84105]

I think it would be a good idea to roll out the redesign and the new site features simultaneously rather than piecemeal. Again, presuming this site would like to expand its user base, I think the best approach would be a global relaunch/rebranding.

[LA Ute]

Bummer on the activity thread. Meanwhile I got a hankerin' for some tinkerin' and tweaked the CSS a bit to freshen up the design. I'm happy to do this to the site if people like it:

2083


A little lighter and cleaner look. I've always been a minimalist when it comes to design though.

I like this!

[LA Ute]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it works for the Activity Thread. It allows you to specify which forums to ignore elsewhere on the board though.

I like the idea of making the board look more balanced and not unintentionally off-putting to many potential members. If we can add the plug-in you've found, why not?

I wonder if we can add something prominent like "How to Use This Board" so people who aren't familiar with vBulletin will not give up quickly.

Also, if any of us know people who we want to recruit from other boards, let's invite them and respond to any concerns they express. That's the best way to grow with quality posters.

[jrj84105]

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it works for the Activity Thread. It allows you to specify which forums to ignore elsewhere on the board though.
I went with the Proboards because that was the one option where I could specifically get this function to work. I'm too ignorant to know if or how it can be done on vBulletin, but I think it's a critical piece to putting the the religion/politics in the background. Also, I really think the religion/politics needs to require users to opt IN rather than opt OUT. Otherwise visitors and lurkers who don't log in are going to be fully aware of that content.

[jrj84105]

Any more thought about broadening the reach now that Utefans seems to really be dying?

[LA Ute]

Any more thought about broadening the reach now that Utefans seems to really be dying?

I think we should do what we can. Some ideas seemed to have consensus support but probably were set aside. Can we revive them?

[U-Ute]

I don't think we want to change software wholesale. I think that will cause more problems than it is worth.

The only real workable idea I'm aware of is to merge some of the forums.

[U-Ute]

One thread per game helps too instead of doing a thread per week for basketball.

Let's try that this week and see how it looks.

[jrj84105]

I think we should do what we can. Some ideas seemed to have consensus support but probably were set aside. Can we revive them?
UteHub users now have the same complaint.
http://www.utehub.com/forums/topic/i-have-a-proposition/

[LA Ute]

Maybe there is a Tapatalk user forum that will tell us how we can allow our users to put certain subforums on ignore. Have we looked at that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[U-Ute]

vBulletin allows you to filter access pretty easily. We could make the non-sports forums be inaccessible by default. Although I'd like people to still be able to see they exist. Not sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

vBulletin allows you to filter access pretty easily. We could make the non-sports forums be inaccessible by default. Although I'd like people to still be able to see they exist. Not sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe we can set up a button for "Additional Forums" or something like that? That would let people know there is more. We do appreciate you looking into these things.

[bestellen]

Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get used to it.