Where do FGM members post? POLL

[Skeld (FGM)]

Randy makes a very good BBQ sauce.

The whole clicky thing was humorous for awhile but like any good topic it starts to stink after getting beat to death.

I like the General Discussion area idea, keep it out of the CM forums.

This, like all that I may convey, is in my ever so humble opinion.

[Tanker]

Not wanting to be one of the "Great Silent Majority" I'll say I don't mind these posts in the CM area. They make amusing and entertaining reading. That's part of the reason I read here. I don't feel it clogs anything up. When I don't feel like reading a topic, it's not to hard to pass by. IMHO.

[RedDevil]

Leto]

multi forum memberships exist everywhere, how does singling out FGM make any distinct revelation when there's a multitude of dual members posting elsewhere? FGM has different activities going on and their members post there as well as here when the topic suits them. All sorts of different activities happen on different forums and people post where they are involved in something.

Here at the Blitz, the activities are low because there are few members who step up to the task of managing them. The Club needs people who will step up and give back to the community, there are examples of this in all the other communities, but not here.

Since people have more time to discuss non CM topics here, rather than actively attracting the community interests with programs linking to history or wargaming, the posting slows down for lack of interest.
Many members don't want to be reading the complaints and the finding faults with TheBlitz threads. They'd rather be posting about an activity or tournament they are participating in.

This, not clickies (with the exception of, oh perhaps, 3-5 members), is the reason for the slow down of posting in these forums.

Incidentally, the only place that attracts these types of posts (discussions about issues of the Blitz) is in the CM forum. The other forums seem void of these types of "discussions".

I've learned long ago, contrary to belief, that MANY MORE TheBlitz members do NOT want these types of posts cluttering up their forums than there are who want to detour the interests away from the games. People come here to play games and find opponents and discuss tactics and strategies.. not wade thru posts that find fault with something or negativity posts of the Club features, staff and members.

I may be making a bold statement here, but I'd say that's why a lot of FGMers post over there.

If there is a need for a general topics forum, we can vote on making it happen so the discussions can be dedicated to the areas for which they were designed for. This would certainly lead to more postings pertaining to the subject matter and less clutter of designated areas with out of topic material.

As bold as BBQ sauce... yep. What I hear you saying is that people don't like what myself and others post (humor, having fun, poking fun) if it does not have anything to do with CM.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

I guess if you see yourself as the authority on that, then I'll curb my postings to tailor that structure and ignore methodological logic for the drawing of conclusions to questions.

I really don't want to be messing with a good thing.

BUT: You always say that nobody steps up to the plate to take some leadership around here, but I think that I did. I tried to get a great deal of people interested in reading and posting their own AAR DAR's... not many followed.

POS incited me to spread some of my CM knowledge in tactics, and even before that, I had always willingly divulged tips, tricks, tactics and other CM material.

I've not so subtely let everyone know of my displeasure with the clicky system, as it truly was a great feature that whether abused or not, excited me to post here (even if it was only a "clique" thing, excuse the pun, that the majority of people perhaps didn't get, or were not interested in...), yet this is seen as a shot at management or whiney complaint... you do not get it... it had an impact and disprportionately so, becaue the small cadre of posters were using it.

That's all we were saying, and at no time did I disparage the mods or staff about it.

And we had our year long tiff that I can honestly say that reduced both our reputations immensely and that people did not want to read about, but hell, we both propogated it, so some hypocracy falls upon us both there. I hope that's not going to be rehashed any further, just using it as an example.

SO in AGGREGATE, I REALLY hope that you are not pointing a finger at me here, when talking about "those people" that could be working to advance the betterment of the club instead of just complaining.

For your information... I do both.

But if you honestlly HONESTLY think that my posting habits are a detriment to this club, I will most certainly correct them.

: )

Cheers!

Leto

1st, Allow me to say that you are absolutely not being singled out or pointed upon in any matter for your posts. I know that sometimes my straight forwardness on how I see things from my standpoint is misconstrued as an attack or head butting.
It is NOT my intentions to do so, I am merely putting my cards out front and showing my hand, sometimes a bit too early, per say, or because I'm not quite understanding the situation.
I am trying to explain that what I have seen here on these forums before is what I personally feel is the reason for some lax in post counts.

I was very conservative in my MB moderating before, limiting some things and completely blocking others that, IMHO, had no reasons to be posted on the CM forums. That attitude is still with me in some sorts, but I feel that the moderating changes made here are working and do not wish for anyone to feel I'm going to whack their posts or membership status without warning or explanations again.

The person to watch out for is McIvan these days :stir:

Let me climb up on the box here..
:soap:
4 score and 7 years.. err

Our history is a valuable tool in how the future is developing. :)
I know now my actions were not the best I could have done at the time and do regret the many complexities the past left us, but I cannot change that and can only influence how it evolves further.

Leadership is not the issue I think, it's mainly the staying power and commitment of following thru on activities that are started. Starting them is also a big obstacle.
I can think of a few odds and ends ideas to "copy" from FGM like the military history quiz and the WW2 picture quiz, I'd ask Shane first of all to ensure he's ok with this tho. I'd love to bring Domination to the Blitz but I'd need someone to manage it as I cannot. The Fight Clubs are also an interesting twist to CM gaming, but of course I would have to ask to "copy" them first.

All sorts of ideas, but not enough time or resources to maintain them is the problem. Members need to give a little, to have a lot .. the deterrent to this probably is time contraints or even the lack of appreciation or publicity, I don't know really. I never thought about polling to find out.
It brightens my day when I see thanks for some things I do here, but it's not something I expect or need to continue doing it.
I love TheBlitz because it's made my past gaming years most enjoyable and I'm willing to do whatever it takes behind the scenes to ensure this place remains active for years to come. Those who donate the funds to keep us alive certainly know where I'm coming from.

:soap:
Stepping down, now my BBQ sauce is needing to be bottled and labeled :P

Again, I have no problems with the "discussions" you or anyone else for the matter, bring here, I just think it is funny that they don't occur anyplace else on TheBlitz.

We're either blessed or cursed.. :chin: :whis:

[McIvan]

Moderating consistently is a difficult task, and on ocasion I have felt conflicted by a self-imposed desire to try and maintain consistency with past standards rather than building a new consistency based on my personal philosophies. But, in general, I imagine (that's the thing about self-evaluation...that most difficult of tasks...it's all purely subjective imagination of ourselves as we would like to be seen) that I'm a fairly relaxed moderator and it takes a cumulative set of irritants or irrelevancies to prod me into action. I draw the line at continuing threads that have nothing to do with the club and contain members taking shots at one another......I really do want to see harmony etc. I hate seeing real barbs being thrown, rather than friendly banter/teasing.

Randy is quite right that people willing to step up and run things are rare....we have some good tourneys going on run by very good people, but there are often more ideas than time permits. There could always be more done. It is interesting to consider whether or not FGM soaks up motivation that might otherwise manifest itself at the Blitz....but given that all FGM are Blitz mebers, you could also view it as a Blitz side project that helps keep Blitz members involved and entertained.

In any club there is also another class of member, and that is the "personality"....whether they be good or bad, and there are usually both kinds. That's the class which I think is overlooked in a narrower focus on strictly CM related tasks.

Any club has a social element to it as well as a gaming element. The "good" personalities can make a forum a much livelier place, and are to be robustly encouraged. The bad ones can kill a forum stone dead, and need to be managed and, if ultimately unmanageable, removed. If the "good"....as I am perhaps generously describing them.....are encouraged and entertained by a particular forum feature (what on earth could that be? :whis:), then I'm willing to tag along with it and give a little push.

This is possibly better said in the clickie thread than the FGM posting thread, but I started writing it thinking about FGM so here it is.

[Copper]

yakkity yakkity...

Blah blah blah,

Good posts, the both of you. I wish I could give clickies... green ones of course... but alas....

: )

There is an old saying in management strategy: If you have the ability to analyze your weaknesses and strengths with some degree of confidence, ignore your weaknesses and concentrate on improving your strengths, for it is your strengths that provide you a competitive advantage.

My inquiry into FGM's posting habits and my overzealous diatribe on clickies are but two singular examinations of what may be strengths and what may be weaknesses with respect to the management and use of the Blitz CM MB.

Even though it may be considered a weakness (for the blitz) that FGM'rs post over at FGM and forego the Blitz, we can easily ignore that based upon the axiom provided above.

What Coil was so succinctly and voluminously prattling on about was that the posters that were posting here due to clicky gathering was a perceived strength by some (or even many). As ironic as it sounds, with the loss of clickies, the motivation that drives me to post here the most is discussing the philosophy of clickies (god help us all if I have created another subjunctive field of sociology).

There is nothing more that I or anyone can do, as the clicky system that was a (perceived by me) strength, is now gone. So perhaps this debate has finally come full circle, and without the interjection of new thoughts and ideas - by not just me - but all involved (who still give a rats ass) to either find new strengths, or let this ship sail to whatever port of calling that fate and the sea decide upon.

Cheers!

Leto

[RedDevil]

All that typing and I get a yakity yakity quote reference.. :rolleyes: sheesh..

This is prolly suited on the clickie thread as well, but I'm here... So..

I'm simply waiting on some more Staffers to give a bit of input on the Clickie issue..
We'll either do a poll for the club members to vote on or simply make an unanimous management decision to make a swift hack into the code and give it a whirl. We then watch the results and gather INTEL on the success or failure of the change.
If all is good, then it remains, if it's a problem, then it goes away.

[Copper]

BURP.

I've upgraded you from yakkity yak.

: )

Good to hear. IF your hack does get implemented, my advice would be to build an General Zod prison for POS that is impermeable to deranged prattlings of abuse and red clicky whining, otherwise your results may be biased (with regards to its success of failure).

lol...

I'm still quite interested in what the general consensus of the club is towards building on other strengths... for as powerful as the CLICKY truly is, it in and of itself is not the only solution to the overarching problem (just the niggling and annoying little problems of myself and a few other "freedom fighters").

Cheers!

Leto

[Copper]

Leto]Why is it that every time anyone says anything around here, or makes suggestions, or asks questions, you guys think it's an attack of some kind?

Apologies I didnt realise you construed my post as an attack.

But as Randy and McIvan have pointed out the FGM is and has always been open to all Blitz members. Ive even pointed out in the past that the FGM should be considered The Blitz Competition section.

It has worked well as one way or another we have gotten a lot of great players to pull back the curtain and take a look. Nort, Rico, mTk, RedDevil, The Coil, Lord bane etc etc etc.

Not many people have had a bad thing to say about FGM since becoming members. We provide for the Blitz.

I see where your coming from regarding some members post more at FGM than Blitz... well I think there is 2 reasons for that.

As previously mentioned people post where they have something to talk about. The FGM continually runs new competitions and has 2 ongoing daily quizzes. These generate posts.

Another reason I think members post over there is because the view they have of the Blitz was maybe a little tarnished after the shenanigans regarding other clubs and personality clashes which existed not so long ago.

The FGM has been flame war free from day two and all the members get along like a house on fire.

I could close down FGM and say to all to carry on their activities at the Blitz but why should I do that when the FGM members have built themselves a CM utopia. :) A utopia that anyone is welcome to join. :P

[The Coil]

Five quick notes:
1)

What Coil was so succinctly and voluminously prattling on about...

*checks thesaurus*

Umm...

2) I've always thought of FGM as sort of "varsity Blitz", you tend to get more committed players, less likely to drop on you, more likely to return files quicker. I tend to post here because I think the forum is more widely read, and, well...no clickies at FGM...

3)

It has worked well...a lot of great players...The Coil...

If not clickies, we should have some sort of "virtual hug" option, just for moments like this...

4) Ok, forget about clickies for a sec. New priority: someone make it so I can quote Leto without his silly %hirr% playing havoc with the quote.

5) I'm not trying to point fingers, RD (*big virtual hug*), but did you notice it was you who turned yet another thread into a clickie thread!? Admit it, it's hard to post about anything else, isn't it? *rubs hands together in a sinister manner and ponders how well the clickie resistance is going*