blonde poker forum

i've read this forum for about 2 years and this was probably one of the best posts, out of all the diary's and stuff on here that are a little bit difficult to get into unless you're a regular member the one person who justs posts on all aspects of the forum and does so entertainingly is Mantis, as a writer and thinker head and shoulders above anyone on here, no disrespect intended, the only persons posts i bother to click on if i happen to read the site, you know that you might get something witty, funny or insightful with mantis whereas a huge % of other posts are usually regs asking newbies how much they want to be staked for when all they want is to try and join in the community, with no new posters allowed to come through because passing the test to get in the blonde clique it seems takes longer and is harder than doing your a-levels don't chase away the last half decent poster on the forum

hahahahaha

towards a newbie it's usually: "in for £200" isn't it?

"hahahahaha" just the same really, proved my point

I've also read nearly every single Mantis post. I'm not saying they're all terrible or looking to start an argument with him or anyone about it BUT he is not the best poster on this site, not by a long way. There are better posters, fact.

In fact, since he's been posting a huge amount less (maybe not at all) on the PHA board I think he's a far better poster/forum member than he was previously.

top 5 posters greeky?

the one with the tennis girl scratching her arse will be in there somewhere :)

In no particular order (and I'm choosing more than 5):

- Keef Orkins
- Horneris
- Sovietsong
- James Keys
- Red Dog
- Tikay
- Dubai

you only included me because i'm talking to you on skype (brag)...

Everyone has different reasons really. Tikay and Tom ARE blonde - I love their diaries and how good they are at doing them.

Camel just makes such good points all over the shop and would probably be the #1 person I'd recommend anyone to ask on here if they wanted a dispute settled etc on what is the right thing to do.

Keys and Dubai are a younger man's Camel (sorry Keef). <3 their input into PHA - just such a shame Keys stopped posting on 1000 posts.

Not meaning to make yours or Brent's heads any bigger but you guys I find the absolute funniest on blonde when on form.

good points, cant really argue.  I am pretty funny

Maybe if you opened yourself up a bit more to the forum you'd realise there is a lot more.

Agree on Mantis posting some great stuff, however the current best poster on blonde is Manuelsmum ainec (imho)

Geo

+1

Yo it’s Greeky, how you doing fella? Yeah, I expect those words from my new best friend ohdear did sting a bit.

I would encourage all new members like ohdear to be confident about offering their views on here (especially such insightful ones) because any opinion is equally valid, and without contribution a forum simply can’t work. An internet forum needs multiple contributions and lots of hits to be overall successful both commercially and sociologically so it’s vital people get involved. And it is good fun.

I really do recommend new members get involved with pha as well because it’s a fabulous interactive poker tool this forum provides completely free of charge. They will learn a lot and have access to some skilled poker players. They will also see all the threads I was involved in pulled impressive stats in terms of contribution and hits, the things that make a forum successful. These days the stats say there is much less discussion and many less hits. So in actual fact i’m a much worse Blonde forum member. So wrong again Greeky but I do like this new chilled out thai approach thou.

Best poster Girgy imo

I'm interested actually about the comment you made saying: "these days the stats say there is much less discussion and many less hits"

Is this just the PHA board you're talking about or the forum as a whole?

If you're talking about the forum as a whole i'm not surprised, i have no axe to grind with anyone on here and mostly i've enjoyed reading the forum over the past couple of years but if there is a general decline in these numbers it doesn't take a genius to see why, this forum has gotton the diary aspect so so wrong. i come from a bb'ing forum where there's a whole section for members journals, they're interesting to read, but they mostly revolve around people workout routines for the day, how it's gone, weekly gains, if they're on gear(steroids) what they're taking and how much etc etc, people will also include in their journals stuff that might've happend to them that day outside of bb'ing because it's their diary and it has something to do with their life's but it's a bb'ing forum, that's what people are on the forum for and that's what they want to hear about.

there is however several boards and subsections and our general conversation board probably gets between 20-30 new threads every day, it's thriving.

also on our forum people get reps(reputation power) based on what good advice they've given, a lot of people like to train naturally but a good few take steroids, the most important thing when people do is that they are properly advised and guided, if someone has good reps its a good indicator that if they're advising you about something steroid related they know what they're talking about, i'm not suggesting you do that here but the point i was going to make is even the most "preeminent" of memberS with the most posts, reps and likes wouldn't dream of talking about something of general interest or something topical in their own journal, they could there's no rule against it but it's just not done, it would be considered very disrespectful the the forum as a whole, like you're detracting from the community and general discussion part of the forum which drums up huge amounts of interest for the forum, of course people come firstly to learn about bb'ing but if they see there's an absolutely thriving community too it compels them to stay.

I understand that now and then a diary goes away from poker, some diarys on here are not even about poker at all which i actually think is ok but when you start discussing things that are happening in the media in your diary instead of starting a thread about it in the lounge you are hugely hurting the forum, it's traffic and potentially new members it would generate.

Personally i think it's an ego thing, i really don't mean that in a bad way but i know that their have been a few threads like this one where someone has done a runner with some money and that can sting a bit and maybe as a forum youregulars have put a barrier up against the outside, that's the way it seems from the perspective of an impartial reader, although i still mostly enjoy the forum.

I read some of the diary's, sometime tikay posts about completely random stuff, not to do with poker, not to do with logging his events of the day and things that have no real immediate bearing on his life, imagine if all (or at least some) of those individual posts he made as threads on the lounge, greekstien and red dog too, the place would be heaving again, the forum would be alive! and there's still be a ton of room to write about all aspects of other stuff on your diary's.

the worse thing ive seen is when the normal members start a thread about something that's happend in the news, spend all day discussing it, for all intents and purposes promoting the site, advertising that their can be good debate and discussion, just for a Senior member in his diary to come along that night and say: "did you see this in the news this is my 2p's worth2 without a thought about starting a new thread in the lounge on it let alone seeing if the normal folks of the forum have already, that is just so disrespectful to your own forum and the people that have put the effort in to taking the time to make that thread.

That unfortunately is why i imagine hits and interaction is down, sure the diary's gets lots of views but how many people regularly interact with you on them, i mean REGULARLY? 5? maybe 10, is the success of a diary worth the overall decline in the forum?

things like twitter, facebook and forums you're only as good as your last post normally and the viewing public are a fickle bunch, when you get told so many times what a great poster you are and how fantastic your diary is i think it's easy to get wrapped up in your own sense of self importance and people get the old can't see the wood through the trees syndrome, and it seems to be what's happend here, i'm sure the top posters on here know in the back of their minds and hearts that the stuff they're talking about in their diary's would be much better served, for the sake of the forum, being discussed in the lounge etc but the ego things comes into it and i've no doubt you guys love the forum hugely but just can't stop yourself from thinking about the posterity of your diary and how individualy it serves your own purpose all the while knowing how badly it's hurting the forum

2 years ago it wasn't like this, i've even gone back and read some stuff from 3 years ago and the place is unrecognisable, i know it's the case with forums that they evolve and have to adapt etc but it's sad to say that the way you've gone from the outside the forum looks like nothing more than a bunch of self indulgent diary's and DTD spam, it's not very pretty

 

When I was a new member I immersed myself in PHA. I was the board I spent most time in. So I completely agree that new members get involved. You seem to think I was saying they shouldn't? Not at all.

I was referring to your posting style on PHA which was very annoying for a lot of people. Perhaps unintentionally but there were many times that you were arguing against people posting in a way that your line in a hand > theirs when not only was that not the case, but it wasn't really the right way to go about it imo.

tl;dr

ohdear

Not going to argue your point on diaries. I disagree with it, but you are perfectly entiteld to hold the view

On traffic, the forum is busier for traffic in 2012 than it has been for some time, and post count runs at around 150% of monthly low points in mid 2010. That's taken quite a lot of hard work, and its not just diaries. For example, the Betting tips section has never been healthier

I think Mantis may have been referring to PHA. Not sure he's right on that either though. It may lack the huge cock waving threads that characterised it a year ago, but its a high quality resource now. Lots of great posts from top players. Occasionally Greek Stein too.


Welcome to blonde anyway. 

Nah bud my posting style was very intentional. If your objective is to encourage contribution and get hits it is a damn good posting style as well. Don't forget I did those hands of the week for Blonde pretty early on so I was always tuned in to achieving these commercial numbers on pha. Sure it's not going to make you very popular with the better players but that was also half the fun of it. Obv I am only a recreational player so any full time pro will be a better player and give better answers but just putting +1 would /thread and be dull. Also standing up for my views as a part-time player would hopefully encourage other part-time players to do likewise rather than being fearful. So all in all I think it was the right way to go about it, pha was never about getting along with people or proving I was the best player. I miss a bit of cock waving actually and might wave my cock again sometime soon.

ohdear I think numbers are actually higher overall across the forum these days. I'm not a big fan of the diary format either but they are ok. Maybe you should find stuff you like on the forum and post there.

agree 100% with ohdear's comments about diaries

Me too

what would bhe post count without the diaries tighty?

I <3 Blonde

A thread on the Betting Tips and Sport Discussion Board which started as a possible grim has turned into a debate about who has the best posting style and whether or not diary threads are a 'good thing'.

maybe it doesn't seem detrimental to the forum when you're emersed inside of it which i suppose is ok if you're happy with your existing member base and not looking to grow but from the outside they seem to fragment the forum so overtly and with such high volumes of discussion passing through them it makes it, at the very least daunting, at most impossible for a newbie to get into the swing of the forum, it's not like you can just hit the ground running with the diary's, a lot of them have deep histpry and severel running themes/jokes that newbies won't have been aware of. sure people like me will come in who have been long time readersd and are a bit up to date, also i'm sure you get people who are just generally comfortable in a forum setting so pick it up as they go along but if we're being honest a lot of people arnt, i think phil galfond said it in blog he wrote which someone linked in the lending money from poker players thread that a huge majority of online players are socially awkward & introverts, the place where they do feel comfortable expressing themselfs is on the internet, as i suggested before getting into the blonde can be hard enough as newbies get a rough ride but if you're determined enough and you get through that initial phase you get accepted, i imagine though many don't as they're are left scratching their heads wondering how it is they're supposed to interact and engage with people on the forum when a huge % of that is done by it's biggest and most innfluential posters on their own diary's, its daunting and disenfranchising.

Has it never been discussed for the diary's/jourals to have their own board?

I cannot see why you wouldn't have done this, if it has been discussed then the only reason why i can imagine it hasn't been implimented is because the people who's diarys are at the top of the rail want them to stay there and be centre of attention, again ive got no axe to grind it's just with the diary's it really does seem like an ego thing so if an idea to have a board for them of their own was blocked it wouldn't surprise me but i think it's a massive shame for the forum.

well the diaries have been around in some cases for over 3 years. Most sprung up early 2011 I suppose

If you took all the diary posts out from Jan and Feb post count this year, we are still up on the March-July 2010 (which included the veteran diaries)

My point is, traffic is on the up in other threads and boards too

As you know pleno, forums are evolving things. People come and go, characteristics change. A few years ago a lot of traffic was in things like "One word thread" "rate my breakfast" etc: Lounge threads. .Now, there's a lot less of the "recreational" threads and more betting, poker related diaries etc relecting a different mix of people on here

That may change again, too.  As may the policy of having diaries on the rail, its looked at all the time. As it is though, they are still incredibly popular by views, posts etc

Tighty, did my diary failure hit blonde pretty hard?

yes it has been discussed. People have different views, for sure

As for newbies, well one of the reasons is (and I say this as a criticism of myself, not most newbies) its easy to be suspicious of newbies. Why? Too many times had my mental pants pulled down by banned members signing up anew and causing trouble under new names. This might be scamming, grimming etc. 

Recently a banned member (and banned for a very good reason) signed up as a new member. Within a very short space of time we knew who this was, but couldn't prove it. 1500 posts in we had the proof, and could get rid. Again

I do think we are welcoming to newbies most of the time, but its not as easy to be as welcoming as we should be.

I thought one of the characteristics of the diaries was that someone could start on the latest page, and join in straight away without knowing the back history. As you say though, people don't. So food for thought

Not as much as X-factor being axed would.

i was a huge disappointment this year on the x-factor game.  i need to change my sig but can't think of anything to change it to.

The reason i chose Blonde to be my home was the fact it is so diverse. Good community spirit and the vast majority of posts are intelligent and often witty. Also the updates, PHA and betting threads are second to none imo.

Understand what Gatso and ohdear are saying and admittedly there are still some shabby diaries out there, but i still respect people for sharing their thoughts and experiences.

Couldn't not have them though, Eso's and Taximan's diaries are must reads from the very first post imo.

Without Tikay's diary how would we all get to sleep?

i understand the scamming bit and why people would be suspicious of newbies(i first became aware of the forum after the stuff with blatch) so i understand why your regulars have their guard up, i think i said that in my first post, i didn't mean to come across as being critical, it's just from my observation of the bb'ing forum i post on where having a diary's section works so well it could also do here, but that was in response to mantis saying numbers are down, if they're not maybe my point isn't as valid and its not something you'd need to consider. i know that you've got this deal now with dtd that stops discussion of other places, combined with the diarys the rail looks like one huge big advert for dtd with a few diarys scattered inbetween, it's hard for a newbie to know where to start and what they can or can't say, moving the diary's would streamline this and open the forum up i think, it looks like you've gone out of your way to compicate the rail for newbies who are surely your bread and butter, the regs will stay, they're here already and arnt going to leave just because you find a new board for the diarys  

Some good points.

To the DTD stuff, they get a lot of views. Yes I am obligated to post up stuff on each product or major event, and sticky the threads but for "adverts" they get a lot of conversation, posts, views. DTD are very happy with them, as it takes a load off their customer support with questions being answered on here.

i think some of the diary's on here are quite good as well, i was never advocating getting rid of them, just that they have their own board

My bad, misinterpreted one of your earlier msgs which i thought Gatso was agreeing with where you mention stuff being discussed in diaries could detract from the lounge. Completely agree with diaries having their own board. This has been brought up a few times before and i can't remember the definitive reason for it not happening.

don't you think you should have created a new topic for this debate, newbies won't know its here and will be put off from posting as its in another established thread.

*edit - joke ruined when thread was moved to the rail.

lol

You'll not find a Uriel here and Tikay is like the Milky of the board......

Only relevant if I've guessed right on Ohdear's other forum :D

If Tikay is Milky who would be NoCarbs or MacUK? ;D

what do you think about how the journal system works over there in comparison to here?

Haha not quite sure...

For everyone on Blonde Milky is basically the most senior member of the forum which ohdear is talking of with regards to the diary system and an all round good egg  :)

I think that it works there because the forum is that much bigger and there is so much diary/journal traffic which makes it work. Here there are several people who keep diaries, I think they work fine as they are and don't think the number is sufficient to warrant a subsection.

Should another bunch crop up and last the length of time I'd say it may well make sense to create a subsection and keep things a little tidier if you like. I think everything works well as it is and while most people will still post wherever you move them it may cause some people to miss out on some excellent stuff if they have to search out things which are moved.

Yup so do I.

I read the vast majority of the diaries on here and enjoy them a lot, but they do have quite big side effects for the forum as a whole imo. Along with a very obvious disadvantages for newbies trying to get into the forum, you get situations where a great story/discussion will breakout in one of the diaries that is only accessible if you are a reader of that diary whereas in the past that would have happened in a thread of its own not on page 157 of a diary.

+1

I do not read diaries, because they often turn out something different from poker, more like a thread for 5 to 10 mates to have a bit of banter, not necessarily poker all the time. 

I have to search the rail forum for non-diary stuff, and then get annoyed at how much more dificult it is these days with the diaries, so do not bother looking any more.  I dont have a problem with the people doing their diaries, I just think that things will be better in their own location.

The arguement that the numbers are up in comparison to 2 years ago does not mean they would not be higher had the forum been a more tidy place to easier read poker related stuff in the right poker related section.  And yes, various diaries transcend into may subject areas which sometimes would be better discussed having their own seperate threads rather than in the diary only being discussed between the diary readers.

I know we have had the very same discussion before and the diaries stayed where they are now, but I always felt that decision was made without explanation or good reason when so many people put up a good case for them to be in a seperate area..

these couple of posts sum up perfectly what i was trying to say, maybe coming from 2 long term respected members it might carry a bit more weight

this bit in particular from shogun is exactly what i was talking about: "I have to search the rail forum for non-diary stuff, and then get annoyed at how much more dificult it is these days with the diaries, so do not bother looking any more.  I dont have a problem with the people doing their diaries, I just think that things will be better in their own location", that's coming from a long term user of blonde already familiar with the site, think how difficult and overwhelming then it can be for a complete newbie

I also compleyely agree that some diarys are vert very good whereas some are just a bunch of mates having a chat, might as well be one long conversation on twitter.

also i think longy summed up the second part of what i was saying, you get some great debates and discussions arise on diary's that by rights should really have their own threads, it's these threads that newbies need to see and be part of, as longy said a newbie or recreational user of blonde has no way of knowing, unless he reads every single diary on blonde, where the discussion of the day is and whether or not they're missing out on a great conversation.

it so unnecessarily marginalises potential new members, or at least deters them from staying

again i really think(and i say this with no malice intended) it comes down to an ego thing where the best posters with the best diarys want their diarys pride of place at the top of the rail for everyone to see instead of in some subsection somewhere, i understand that tbh but i'm sure the same people must be aware that for the reason that longy and shogun have stated, so much potential conversation that could be bringing in newbies to the site is being lost amongst the sea of diarys instead of in their own threads on the rail or in the lounge

They need to be all together so people can easily avoid or read them.

it's not just that (though I do agree with every word). it's also other people tend to follow suit and do the same thing, not just the diary's owner. so often someone will post something interesting on a diary that's completely unrelated to it saying something like 'I didn't know where else to put this'. how about on a new thread where people will see and comment on it?

I only read a few of the diaries as most of them don't interest me so miss out on loads of stuff, most newbies probs don't even read the few that I do so miss out on even more

it's a good point, i've noticed it a couple of times on some of the diarys i read. maybe it's just a general shift in online communication caused by social networking sites, people having something to say/post and instead of posting it for the forum as a whole to share they do so on the thread of their favorite diary where all their friends are, it's a very facebook, twitter-ishy thing to do.

Can someone clarify something for me please?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the suggestion seems to be that the diarists should try to decide which of their entries should be made in the diary and which should be used to start a new thread.

If that is so, the actual title of the post would need to be very descriptive and precise, otherwise the potential reader would still have to open the thread and read the post to see if he was interested.

Also. what would happen if it was a subject that he was interested in, but then it wandered on to a subject that he wasn't interested in.

Example: A few days ago I posted in my diary about the cruise ship Concordia, and ended up discussing Bawtry auction.

What if someone was interested in the Concordia, but not in Bawtry auction? Do I change the title of the thread to reflect the change of subject, and if I do, will that put off future potential Concordia post readers?

What if it then goes away from Bawtry auction on to something else, or even back to Concordia? Would I end up with fragmented threads all over the forum?

Surely it's easier for those who want to avoid my drivel to have it all in the one place.

BTW I do contribute to lots of other threads, and so do most of the other diarist.

For the record, I don't care where they put my diary, but I don't want to have (Nor would I be able) to decide what should go in there and what should go in a new thread.

 :)

I think the point is that before we had a lot of diaries on here there were loads more new threads being started, and people were contributing across the board and, perhaps, 'mingling' better.  Now a lot of the time that interaction is confined to a handful of threads.

Re the thread title needing to be specific etc, well if someone posted a thread that was called 'fun maths quiz', people who enjoy that kind of thing would probably open it up and have a look.  If tikay posted a link to a 'fun maths quiz' in his diary, thousands could potentially miss out.

My personal viewpoint is I don't have a strong preference either way.  I fully agree with everything ohdear has said about Mantis though, obv.

your discretion i suppose, you've been a mod and a well respected member of the community for a long time so i'm not sure why you would need someone else to answer that question, who better than someone who's spent as much time as you have and posted as many times on here to judge what posts of yours may be better served as individual threads in the rail or lounge to the larger benefit of the forum.
also it seems a bit pedantic to say "what if it digresess into another subject" etc etc, most threads digress and evolve into other things, that isn't really the point being discussed, in fact i'm not sure what point it is you're making, that you darn't EVER start a new thread outside of your own diary incase it goes off topic? seems a bit of a childish example to use but if it really needs responding to then i'll go out on a limb and say that if you were to start a thread about the concordia that evolved into one about bawtry auction then no that wouldnt cause floods of potential concordia newbie enthusiats heading for the exit, although i expect your questions were rhetorical and just served to make a point, not a very good one imo. there's been some good and coherent arguments both for and against moving the diarys and their impact on the forum but low and behold the first "throw toys out of pram" post comes from one of the biggest diarys owners, no one was attacking you, your diary or the forum, just throwing around some ideas that may improve the forum, your facetious post was unnecessary

Mantis rocks, diff gravy.

Oh dear, post more sir.

Has anyone called the diary police?

Agree completely with all the points ohdear is making, although that broadside at red-dog probably won't win him any friends.

However I think everyone is missing the main point here: Diaries are for teenage girls.

Yah, and public schoolboys

Adrian Moles mum was hot.

Eh? LOL.

Ohdear are you Mike Ahearne aka Warrior from gladiators? Only really know him as a body builder who plays poker.
Is steroid rage really a side effect or just a myth?

if this was tongue in cheek then i apologise, sorry. it's just that there's been some really good arguments put forward by long standing members of the forum and they're not even being considered, i've maintained from the start that there are so many obvious benefits to moving the diaries to their own board but that was with some outside perspective being a long time reader and coming from a forum that already has it in place it seems so obvious to me though when i wrote my first post on the subject i didn't expect to be taken that seriously, i dont think i should tbh, i havn't really earned the right, i just wanted to tell you what my opinion was but when gatso and longy and others that are very well renowned posters here post on the subject and put forward a number of reasons, all good as to why this change would be a good thing for the forum then it at least merits some discussion.

looking back just through what gatso, longy and shogun said without my own personal view some reasons why the diaries should be moved to their own section and why maybe their posters could be more mindful to be active more on the forum in general were

-harder for newbies to get involved
-less traffic overall on the site
-frustrating for preexisting members looking for conversation on the rail when they dont follow all the diaries
-people post random stuff on the diarys of friends so its limited who can see it instead of starting a new thread
- important discussions being missed by regulars who dont follow particular diaries but the subject matter could just as easily, if not more appropriately, be in its own thread

and so on and so on, there were a few more ideas put forward as well, but so far not one real decent, if any, argument has come back, especially in light of the above reasons, why the forum wont even consider having the discussion about moving them. to me it's obvious but i hope i'm just being cynical, there is only one real downside to moving the diaries and compelling the originators of them to post more actively on the forum and that is because although it would be of overall benefit to the forum, i think most people can see that, it would be individually disagreeable to the owners of the top diaries to 1) have their diary stuffed away in a crummy little corner, and 2) not chatting about the days events, what's in the news etc on their diary would detract from it's importance. i think everyone knows this especially the people with the diaries but they've been worked hard on so in a way i dont blame you but on the other hand there's no way you can be so blind as to not see how monopolising the days events and current affairs chat on your diary is hurting the forum, its to the detriment of the forum and i think to sustain the importance of your diaries you've been willing to sacrifice certain areas of the forum and if you want the forum to grow it shouldn't continue imo.

greekstien posted this this morning, i thought at the time it may have been to wind me up because id just made my first post about this but even if this was an attempt to bait me i'll use it as an example just to finish off my point and leave it there, like i say even if his post was meant to wind me up or get me to bite i'll use it as an example as its exactly the kind of thing that goes on daily and is costing the forum

this thread comes up early in the morning about the kony2012 thing http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=57073.0

the guy posts with it the original video, links to news sites, his own opinion on it plus a description, a great post and a great way to start a thread

a couple of hours later on his diary greekstien posts this......http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=50836.msg1527770#msg1527770

is says: "I've seen stuff about Joseph Kony but a little ashamed to say I know nothing about him.

Can anyone provide the link to an article or youtube video (preferably a shortish one) to get me up to date.

Why has it all come out now?"

that sums up everything that's wrong with the forum and the out of control diary system in place, that original thread got a measly 12 replies, what if a newbie had happend to be killing time and saw the thread in the lounge, has an opinion on it, a strong one, thinks he'd like to jump in but sees at the time the thread only has 6 replies, not exactly enticing, oh hang on, what an idiot he is, didn't he thing to look on the last page but one of greekstiens diary for conversation on the matter?

if anything from what greekstien wrote he probably saw the headline of the thread in the community part of the forum and instead on investigating it it was natural to just come back to his own diary and ask what it's all about, this is where you guys have gotton it, and continue to get it so so wrong on so many different levels with the diaries imo

Fucking hell, and I thought i could go on a bit........

you should start a diary

Perhaps we can stickie this thread below the DTD threads. Diary board sorted.. and with a title thread.

lol if i was why did you put the aka bit and my gladiators name too? if i was Mike Ahearne despite the large amount of steroids i may or may not have taken i'd still remember i was in gladiators and what my stage name was ;D

roid rage is a myth fyi :)

Look I've met Mike a few times and for the most part he struggles to remember he is Mike let alone that he was actually Warrior back in the day :)

I think you dropped something herbie

so it could be me and i might not even know it?

Ecstacy or guts?

funnily enough tom the concordia was one example that popped into my head when thinking about this earlier. not because it typifies my opinion any more or less than any other example, it's just coincidence

what doesn't make sense to me is this- you're interested in the concordia and want to have a discussion about it on the forum, now this is cool and having a wide range of topics to discuss has always been a great thing about blonde

but do you not think that you're more likely to get a discussion about it going if you start a new thread called 'concordia' that everyone will see and be aware of than if you post in your diary that only those who read your diary will see?

more threads, more discussion, more people getting involved. it seems to be win win to me

I probably only open 4 diaries on blonde regularly, one of them is yours so I did see the concordia stuff but I'm sure I've missed so much stuff on others and other people who don't open yours are missing everything you write about which is a shame to be honest

i think these are exactly the points and the problems

"but do you not think that you're more likely to get a discussion about it going if you start a new thread called 'concordia' that everyone will see and be aware of than if you post in your diary that only those who read your diary will see?"

i imagine red dog doesnt just think this to be the case but knows it, i think all of the big diary posters do, i dont think its something they need to be made aware of, there's some great stuff that comes out of the diarys, some of the best stuff on the forum but when you've spent X amount of years on your diary, it's gotton a zillion views and replies, your life story and everything else from the concordia to poker is in it it's a hard habit to break, it becomes your baby, of course they know the end result of breaking that pattern and instead of posting something in their diary posting it in the general forum for all to see will result in "more threads, more discussion, more people getting involved. it seems to be win win to me", but then they have to balance that off against all the hard work and effort of years gone by that they've put into the diary and the content it's missing out on by posting stuff elswhere, because of how important peoples diarys are to them, understandably, no matter how obvious it is that it's having an adverse affect on the forum it's a hard habit to break, but for now it seems people are content to sacrifice the groth of the forum for the personal gain of their diaries

Loving this new diary  ;)

FWIW I think ohdear makes some very good points

There was a Concordia thread. 5th contributor was Tom:


There you go.

If he wants to discuss it on his diary as well that's his choice as far as I'm concerned. If every time a thread goes off on a tangent some trolling thread policeman demands a new thread be started, blonde would be overwhelmed with random crap. Maybe you ought to hang around longer and actually see how the place works for a bit before you try and fix it.

calm down! i'm not trying to "fix" anything, tighty said the numbers are fine, i just see a model that works on another forum and think that your groth, at a time when you could really do with it, could be so much bigger if you implimented it, it seems a few of your regulars agree.

I also think a change in attitude from some of your more prominent posters towards their diary would help, help to bring in new members and help to promote a higher volume of general conversation on the broader forum if they ventured out of their diary more often and segmented some of it's content into their own threads.

i said i've been a long time reader and i can tell you that looking from the outside the rail looks like a horrible cluttered mess, impenetrable to a newbie. i come from a forum where the system thats in place works great and there's amazing groth, thought i'd suggest it, i think you know the bit i've highlighted is not what i was suggesting at all so there's no need to get all defensive, with regards to me hanging around for a bit to see how the place works before i start sticking my nose in as ive said before i started reading the forum then the thing with blatch happend, that's been a couple of years now, just because i don't post doesn't mean i have no understanding of how the forum works.

you make an interesting point though: "If he wants to discuss it on his diary as well that's his choice as far as I'm concerned", it is his choice i agree, i think from the arguments put forward by many a member on this thread and for the benefit of the forum it would be nice if he chose to start some new discussions elsewhere on the forum, i like the forum and am glad that the numbers are up but if you want continued groth then i suggest a change is most definently need with regards to the diaries to bring in newbies but more importantly to make them stay, at the moment the lounge is almost dead and the rails top 10 threads are DTD spam and diarys, not very welcoming or user friendly for a new members

(http://www.butterpaper.com/vanilla/extensions/InlineImages/image.php?AttachmentID=969)

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meF7NmfnXZ0

you are stating this as if it is a fact. Its not. No growth of the forum is being sacrificed (evidence, traffic and sign ups), and no-one amongst the forum principals is interested in "personal gain of their diaries" over other aspects of the forum

You state a lot of further stuff as facts. They are not, they are opinions. Albeit verbose ones, that to me dilute some sensible points you make!

agreed, unfortunately.

i won't carry on going over the same stuff anymore, it's out there for the people at the top on here to see.

I will leave you with what is my own personal experience, i think marky147 was the one who knew what bb'ing forum i was talking about, it's a huge place maybe in numbers at least 50 times bigger than here, theres probably 20 boards and 30 new threads at least a day just on the general discussion section, when i first went there a good few years ago i wanted to get my macros sorted, so i posted about my carbs, ckal intake etc, what i wanted to achieve and was my diet correct to do it, very quickly got the answers i needed and was very happy, i ventured over to the general discussion board to see what it was about, let me tell you if i had seen a bunch of stickies at the top for a gym 500 miles away from me that i was never going to go to followed by the next 10 or so threads being members journals with their preexsisting jokes and history i wouldnt have gone near the place with a barge pole, they wouldv'e lost a customer right there and then, that couldn't have been less welcoming, as it was the louge was alive with easy to get into topics that you can hit the ground running with, it was the easiest forum to get into, then you've got this forum that in comparisson is much smaller but couldn't be harder to get into, when my mates on here told me of the thing that happend with blatch i read it for a while, i dont think you had the dtd stickies up then, not sure if you even had any but the rail couldn't have looked more off putting, it was just a sea of diaries it took me a couple of months of casually reading the forum to catch up with all the different groups and cliques on every different diary, took me a day on a bb'ing forum 50 times bigger to get to know the big posters, where everything is how everything works etc, it's like you've gone out of your way to make it as difficult as possuble for a newbie to join the community, it's just weird, you don't see it anywhere else. i feel a bit sorry for james dempsey, although hes winning major comps left right and centre so not that sorry lol but didnt he buy a big % of the forum from the prevous owner? what has he spent that money on? something that i was reading on tikays diary a few weeks back is nothing more than a forum that costs £200 too run a month that anyone could do, it's a bit out of order for him. if i knew that james dempsy had sunk all that money into backing the site i'd be bending over backwards to get as many new members through the door to help groth on the site and turn it back into a bussiness so the guy can see a return on all the money and time he's put in, not, like some of the top people are doing with how the configuration, placement and monopolisation of the site their diaries have, restrict the groth of the site by making it as difficult as possible for new members to get into

This really is too much. A number of people work extremely hard to this end

you sure the mazing growth isnt down to the amazing amout of steriods and supplements the members are taking on the bb forum

Not sure everyone has a high priority as you at attracting new members, having more posts etc...I am happy its a nice chilled forum with alot less drama that most these days. Looking at numbers/figures/profit etc aint what its about and I don't think James bought it to make any money.

I think it is a disgrace that this thread is stuck near the top putting off newbies.

PS  Took me forever to find that Concordia post only to find it wasn't very interesting.  Is the captain still guilty btw?

I'm surprised by this

I've posted at least a couple of times on how i'm happy to take your word that the numbers are up and even conveyed that i'm glad about this, being a long time reader. that doesn't mean to say that numbers, hits, groth etc couldn't be better.

the second part of what you say to an extent is true, although it shouldn't "dilute" any of the points i've made, of course they're only opinions, im not a mind reader, i can't say what's in another mans head and what compells him to act a certain way so no, they're not facts, i think even if it comes across as being stated as such people are intelligent enough to know i couldnt state factually about whats in another persons head so you didn't really need to make that point.

with all the arguments on here for moving the diaries and changing the way their owners think about them and not really any arguments against it, with it still not even being discussed then yes, it is my ardent opinion that "forum principals" are putting the "personal gain of their diaries" in front of other aspects of the forum, to it's detriment

i think they'd be happy to see a thread at the top of the rail that wasn't a diary or a sticky

fair point, i understand a lot of work has gone in to building the place back up since you had a cardroom(don't know what happend with that so can't comment) and specifically from what i've read a lot of that work has come from you, didn't mean to detract from the time or effort you personally have put into the site which is unquestionable

Is "groth" some special term i'm not familiar with?

no it's a word that i keep on missing a letter out of, although as a moderator thanks for picking me up on my spelling, you can always tell which way a discussion is going when people have to resort to pullling you up on your spelling, especially a mod  :)

You are welcome :)

On my post I did actually spell familiar wrong but hastily edited it...

it's a fair point, a good point actually.

if there's no overall plan to expand the site, make it a business again showing a profit etc and bring in new members then i suppose the way it is is ok, i know there's been lots of trouble on the forum before and if it's nice and chilled at the moment you can't really buy that, even if there are a few existing members(or long time readers like me) who don't like the layout of the diarys but long term respected members like gatso, longy and shogun are not about to leave the forum because of it so it's not a problem, looking at the rail today 10 out of the top 20 threads are diaries with 5 dtd stickies above them, it's so ugly but if the site isn't looking to grow then tbh it doesn't really matter, if it is, well it seems you can't teach old dogs new tricks.

Look at it another way

There are 50 threads on the front page. 8 are diaries. 4 or 5 of these are mostly if not all poker content. Views on the big two have rocketed (no exaggeration) in the last three months.

The stickied DTD threads, well its Rob's wish to have a thread for each DTD "initiative" stickied, so that's a given

It works both ways. I put a thread up yesterday. Good title, controversial content, really quite inflammatory stuff. Not a single reply, and it was in the top 15 threads all day

It's not as if other threads aren't being posted, and any member can post a new thread on the rail. Most that want to see diaries on a new board (perfectly understandable) don't post new threads.




 

tbf - Im def new, and the diaries r one of the main things that attract me here.  Some great stories.  Have read the entirity of 4 diaries while sitting in work (sorry work) and they are the first thing I check every morning.

I'm not saying anything bad about the stickies, i know you've got the deal with DTD and they're needed, it was just a point that combined with lack of traffic elsewhere and the diary domination of the rail they combine to make it look very unwelcoming, on their own i completely understand with why you have them and agree with the need for them to be there.

the point you make is a good one, has the climate of posting uniquely on diarys now become so deep-rooted that even if you wanted to change it would be extremely difficult? i think it was gatso who made the point about one of the most frustrating aspects of the diarys for him is that if someone had something, fun, entertaining etc that they wanted to share then instead of posting a thread about it in the lounge or rail it was just natural for them to automatically go to their favorite diary where 10 or so of there friends post and say: "wow look at this, what do we all think"?, it's become second nature, if the diarys were on their own board, visually disdinguishable from the rest of the forum people might start to think about discussing such stuff on the general forum again where everyone can enjoy it but it's become so much "the norm" to post a new topics on a diary that's not even yours it's difficult to know how exactly to reverse try and usher people back into the general area of the forum, like i said before a start would be to give the diaries their own board, there's probably 15 active right now, enough to warrent a diary sub-section and people seeing that the diaries were in their own little spot mentaly may just compell them to pay more attention when they're on the rail to the other threads, even compell them to start new threads

you also failed to capitalise your I. have some respect for yourself, you're worth a capital I

The spelling police have to be above the law or else we all doomed...fail thread pls.

I opened that up, read "Bitar Statement, Pollack, Borrowing, Drink in Face" and had no idea what you were on about or what the content was, still don't, so there was no way I was going to watch a 20 minute video

That was the title of the v-log by Negraneau. Fail by me then. It's worth a listen

also just to ask about the numbers, even though they're up haven't you gone through 10 or so different forum sponsors and everytime get dumped, the reason being not enough traffic through the site, not enough clicks on the sponsors banners, generally not enough new members and growth(yay got it right) for a sponsor to justify continuing, if this just keeps on happening and happening time and time again does it not leave you scratching your heads as to why you're not able to keep a sponsor, didn't even DTD sponsor you before and it just didn't work? i think even though you are growing the numbers are nowhere near enough to keep a sponsor happy or interested, if you don't need a sponsor then it doesn't matter, if you do and you've failed with a handfull of them then shouldn't you be looking at why it is you're not getting the new numbers in and growing in accordance with how a sponsor would like, in that case i'd be breaking my back to make this place as easy as possible for new members to come into, with the configuration of the rail and mentality if the diarists it's like your actually trying to make it as difficult as possible, it's a shame, it's like you're living day to day and just about keeping your head above water when you should be thriving and growing, make a start, have a word with the owners of the diaries, get them to get their stuff out onto the rail and in the lounge, streamline the rail, move the diarys to their own section, it'll tidy up the rail and the whole forum and make it so much easier for newbies to get involved

example of this from yesterday. I don't remember who it was but someone posted a video on tikay's diary about how people aren't very good at walking straight. as far as I can see there's no logical reason for posting it there. it probably got 2 or 3 comments as not everyone reads that thread and stuff on there gets lost in amongst the other stuff. if it had been posted on a new thread something like that would probs run to 2 or 3 pages of comments

Each diary has it's own set of followers and not everyone reads every diary.  Like minds tend to flock together to a certain extent.  Pretty sure people will still go to the diary of their choice to post a topic, even if they're all placed in a new sub section.  Thing is, each diary has it's own special 'feel' and people who read them know what works in them.  They know what's of interest to the 'owner' and like to interact.  Posting those topics in the diary aids the interaction.  

Sure the owners of the diaries like to see people reading, but the readers like to read them too.  It's a two way street.  And fact is, while they may not be one person's cup of tea - there's a whole lot of viewer stats to suggest they appeal to many others.  I don't care if they're moved or not, but I don't believe for a minute they make any part of the forum look messy.  That's just silly.  Doesn't matter if it's a diary or some other thread.  Something's going to turn up there.

The reason is that the current member base is "mature" (mostly  :) ) and in general either has accounts everywhere already or if they don't its a struggle to get them to support blonde online initiatives. Its not that traffic is weak. blonde worked fantastically as a promotional tool, but that is difficult to quantify.

because Manuels Mum, who posted it, thinks it will appeal to tikay

i think responsibility for that should be equally shared between the poster and diary owner, marky147 made reference to the guy Milky on my bb'ing forum, he's not a mod or admin but he's the man, most posts, most reps, likes etc, if someone posted that on his diary he'd be like: "wtf are you posting that on my diary for, go and post it in the general discussion area and we'll talk about it there" and rightly so imo, and you often see threads there "FAO Milky" (or whoever) because it benefits the forum and everyone knows that, i think that's what the guys on my bb'ing get and maybe what some people here have lost sight of, i really think it is a ego thing and it must feel really good when everyone's telling you how great your diary is and even brining content directly to it for discussion, it's a huge stroke to your ego, but as you've said with the example above if that doesn't clearly demonstrate how it's of greater detriment to the forum as a whole then i don't know what will, so many people, specifically newbies, missing out on so much stuff, a lot of it great stuff

an example of the opposite backing up that post ^^^^ by ohdear

camel's tips for tikay thread

he could've chosen to put it on tikay's diary where it would've got swallowed up amongst everything else and almost certainly died a death pdq

instead he started a new thread with an appropriate title, it's now approaching 100 pages and has turned into a great read

therefore could he not start a thread in the lounge entitled "FAO tikay" thus opening the subject up to a whole bunch of existing members than don't read tikays diarys as well as potential newbies

yes he could, but who is anyone to tell a poster where to post?  That's not what a community or forum is about

but that's Camel's choice. As to my reply above, why should we be rigid and prescrptive as to where people post

I've posted 2,800 new threads. My choice. Some spam (a lot spam) but the non spam ones, some work, some don't. I also post on diaries

If everyone complaining simply started a few of their own threads, then the "problems" people are pointed out would be partially alleviated,

I don't see a lot of people complaining starting ANY threads

copletely agree, it's exactly the thing i'm talking about, and tikays done great getting into the swing of it, i'm sure that the recent interest and growth in the betting section is in no small part down to that thread and tikays presence and participation in it, if that kind of willingnes to engage in the forum outside of his own diary was done so more often and followed by other prominet diary owners, maybe willing to discuss some of the more topical stuff outside of their diares on other areas of the forum i think you might see the forum as a whole become a lot more livlier like the betting section has, bringing in a lot of new members too

Sigh.  Blinkered much?

I wish oh dear would use capital letters and paragraphs like the rest of us. His posts are so tilting to try and wade through, it's just a big wall of text with the occasional decent point mixed in, it's just not worth the effort anymore.

tikay and RED-DOG to name but two contribute to masses of threads, not just their own diaries. You don't see that?

I agree that tikay's participaton in BTSD is a major part of the boom in that section, yes.

Don't even know where to begin.

Blonde is good how it is now. I like it.

Reminds me of arboby

ohdear, are you arbboy?

i don't disagree with any of that, trust me it's not that you've so well communicated your point that i don't get it or that im "blinkered" it's that maybe your missing the point, the point i'm making and the point being discussed about diaries and their broader impact on the growth and numbers on the forum, you say i'm blinkered but go on about how each diary has its special feel and its unique followers, lol just to let you know i understand what you're saying agree with it, mostly because thats what for the past 7 pages i've been saying is exactly the problem, keep up :)

"but who is anyone to tell a poster where to post"?

responsible senior members that can see misplaced posts are causing people to miss out on good debates and interesting discussion?

i'm glad i remind you of arbboy, he turned up, got on everyone's nerves, turned out to be completely right though  :)

obviously misplaced threads and posts are often moved by moderators. they are good at it

Someone posting something that doesn't break the forum guidelines in a diary of their choice is definitely not something a moderator is going to get involved in

It's personal choice of the poster. Would it be good if more people started new threads? Yes. Does that have to mean people don't post what they wish in diaries? No.

Lol. Wtf is arbboy doing on a body building forum.  Ohdear is more likely to be Arnie than Arrboy

and your alter ego didn't know when to stop, either  :D

No no no.

That idiot came on and tried to tell us something we were unravelling ourselves the proper way. He just made it a more lengthy process and was actually a stumbling block for us finding out about the Blatch scam.

Good fail of a post there though.

Can't please all the people all the time but comparing Blonde to UK-M is probably not really the way to go and as has been mentioned you can't go telling people where to post. What works in one place isn't going to be a good fit for another and I think that's the case here too.

The forum isn't perfect, it's a very good forum though and seems to be as good as I can remember it in my limited time as a regular poster.

Also fwiw I post on a lot of forums #waytoomuchtimeonmyhands #nolife :D

They all work although they are all very different and imo that's just life, of course people are going to post more in the diaries that are most applicable/relevant to them and in turn some members will miss out on some good threads.

I'm not going to speculate as to the financials of the forum as like you I have no clue and at present everything seems to be ticking along happily enough. Tikay is on a spin up, Tightend is getting his 100hrs updating a week and Mr Dempsey has enough change to keep him in Foie for the forseeable.

Also paragraphs please it is pretty hard to read your posts chief and some of your better points are probably being missed due to migraine onset midway through ;)

^^^ THIS

He didn't have a shift-key, return-key or the ability to use full stops either...

well said that man 100% in agreement all these people that think arbboy is some kind of hero have there heads up there own backsides blatch had been caught out before arbboy was even heard of he came on to rubber neck and came up with stuff and made public stuff that the boys in the know working on the case already knew

wait have i just agreed with greekstein must be something in the water normal service will resume soon ;-)

I have spoken with him quite a lot Cos but never about the Blatch stuff because it was before my time. He seems really knowledgable about all sorts of random stuff and I like and agree with a lot of stuff he has to say about poker.

Calling him an idiot is more like something I would and it takes a lot to wind you up. Do you hold a grudge against him and would you not welcome his return to blonde?

Just read Ironsides and kinboshi responses too. Guess the mods don't like him either

I'm meeting arbboy tonight. If ohdear is arbboy, I'm gonna hit him. Really hard.

I don't know who of the diarists you're referring to when you say they don't contribute to other threads. Red and Tikay, you've already agreed post loads elsewhere. Greekstein does, mondatoo does, I certainly do (I mean I don't post in the betting section cos it's not my thing) maybe ant doesn't, but his diary is all personal content and he doesn't discuss issues that could be in a separate thread anyway.

I think all the diarists contribute loads to blonde in general, not just from having popular diarys that attract new members, but from their posts all over the forum.

i have no problem with arbboy just his ego and the fact some miss informed people seem to think he brough the blatch scam to light
i dont hold grudges and i try not to take thinks online to heart

lol i only came on here to stick up for mantis  :D

reading the forum for ages without posting trust me gives you a bit more perspective, the bb'ing forum i post on has the perfect balance for the diaries/jounals, you've made a complete mess of it imo and it seems obvious to me that it's hurting some aspects of the forum, just for tightend that isn't a fact btw just my opinion, this could be easily rectified but it wont because of the egos of individual diary owners not wanting to have the importance or prominence of their diaries lessened, i think it wouldv'e been nice to have the discussion about the diaries, moving them to their own board etc but because the only real reason in place to stop that is the self serving ones of diary owners not only will they never be moved but the discussion about it will never even take place otherwise it would come to light the only thing blocking the diaries being moved were a few of the top diarists noses being put out of joint(no pun intended greekstien) there's not much more i can say on it, there wont be any movement so i'm off to take some steroids and lift some weights in front of a mirror whilst screaming "ARBBOY" after every rep :)

mantis is big enough and i have been assured ugly enough to stick up for himself

None of the diarists have ever argued against having a separate diary board as far as I'm aware?

I wouldn't mind at all.

I like it here, I read what I like the look of, I ignore what I don't. I enjoy many of the diaries, others less so...yes, I may miss a few things as we don't have a set of regimentally organised boards - however that makes it even better when you find something like Taximans diary and can kill a couple of hours while playing in a very good way.

I think debates good on a forum, however don't thinking of these areas are "biggies" - just chill, enjoy the sun and Cheltenham - in the scheme of life it's not important and enjoy the forum

Sick rubs for Eso.

someone said it earlier on the thread that the discussion started up once before but it was very quickly swept under the rug and no explinations were given as to why it was dismissed, i think i've made it clear on what my view is about why that probably was

He does too! There's Sean as well but he doesn't really support my point so I had to leave some out haha :P

Blonde had an opportunity to go boom a while ago, Tony G did not fit with the forum members so it was passed over. But thats just one example of where blonde could have sold out.

OK then let's restart that debate. Why isn't there a separate board for diaries?

Again, simply incorrect. I will find the thread from a year ago. It ran for many pages and nothing was swept under the rug. Simply not our style. Everything is discussed here, far more openly than I sometimes like!

Surely we just put this to a vote? I can see an overwhelming majority voting for Diaries just to have their own board.

Yeah but when you wanna talk about tats n pussy would you have to start a different thread  :dontask: :dontask:

TBH I'm shocked and dismayed to find that I have obligations and responsibilities.

edit http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=51309.0 120 posts

I think you're more likely to find that the overwhelming majority aren't too fussed either way

i am still waiting for the cowboy diary

Ohdear - no I would not welcome arbboy back. That's because as knowledgeable as he may be, he was a terrible poster.

If he dropped all that ego and bullshit, then I can't see any reason why I wouldn't welcome him as a member.

you say it ran for several pages and nothing was swept under the rug, just read through it and i couldn't disagree more, it's 8 pages of people mostly joking and laughing around with a bit of debate inbetween, there are a few good posts and arguments as to why diaries should be moved, benefits etc and lot of the stuff that's been raised again in the thread, hardly anything against the idea.

there is one post against it, one single explination as to why they won't be moved, it''s on the very first page before anyone has had a chance to dicuss anything and it's not again in the thread expanded upon or even refrered to, it's from tikay and it says: "It has been debated many times, & for now, we decided they will stay where they are"

any clarification on who it's been "debated" by exactly and why it was decided they'll stay where they are?

Really this thread?

why do you keep going on about arbboy, im not him, my comment about him was made in response to tightends joke about me being him, my response about him turning up being correct in the end etc was a joke also, in keeping with tightends joke made first, calm down

the mods admins and staff and some masters debate this and other topics all the time
and we do take on views of all memebers

pleno you contribute 100x more to other threads than you do your own diary!

did your work just phone to find out where you are?

Side track (maybe I should make a new thread ;)) but this seems like a complete whitewashing. In that thread you had the whole of blonde railing on arbboy, telling him he was wrong...but what you guys are saying now is that you knew all along and it was all a charade on your part, at that time, to play dumb? And that somehow arbboy is the villain here for pointing out what should've been pointed out, not knowing that you guys had some sort of secret plan behind the scenes? What if someone not in your immediate circle wanted to invest in Blatch and was encouraged to do so by those of you who supposedly knew what was going on but didn't want to say?

Apologies for the side track, but reading that just massively tilted me.

Could be right, only one way to find out..

I think if you did your own vote and it came back 99% in favour of moving them they still wouldn't budge

it does make me laugh seeing that thread from a year ago, 8 pages of people again mostly wanting them to be moved now this one and not a single argument or explination against moving them has been put forward, by anyone, all that's come out is that; "they won't be moved" end of.

does no one find that in the slightest a bit odd?

i am flogging a dead horse here but the reason that a year ago and an 8 page thread and now this one has containing so many arguments for has fallen on deaf ears and not a single reason or argument against moving them has ever come out is because there is 1, and 1 only reason as to why certain people doen't want them moved, it's the ego thing, that's why it won't even be discussed because their are no reasons that, in the face of such support to move them, they should'nt be moved

Love someone coming from a bobybuilding forum, to tell another group that their main problems are ego, and self interest.

I'd say the reason they've not been moved is because only a small handful even feel strongly about the topic in the first place while most aren't bothered.  

Just because a handful carry on complaining for x (what page are we on here now?) number of pages, doesn't mean it needs doing.

 rotflmfao  Day made, ty

No idea what point Iron is trying to make

However blonde mods etc definitely did NOT know all along, and definitely were NOT withholding any information. I know a minority of people had doubts and suspicions, but I was only aware of this after the fact

so all bodybuilders are egotistical narcissists?

do you also think that every russian drinks vodka and all jewish people are tight with money?

just wondering how far you take your stereotypes

how much can you bench oh dear?

About 15 lines of text per post.

you're really not getting it are you, it's not so much about existing members not loving the diaries it's the potential newbies missing out on conversation that would be better served elsewhere on the forum, the way the diarys clog the rail detering newbies from getting involved or joining at all, mostly about how they impact the growth of the site by marginalising newbies once they're here or deter them from even signing up in the first place, as you say "X amount of pages", well if after X amount of pages you're still not getting that i'm going to explain it to you again

It's a fair point............ but I did go and check out a bb forum before I posted.... ;)

do you train?

nah i just bought a bmw

 ;bumwiggle; ;karabiner;

pics or Nobmw

joke doesn't really work here actually, marky147 would get it though  ;D

would've been comedy if you'd said Audi, also that only works on the other forum  ::)

you can see it in my diary :P

point i am trying to make is that the grimm had started to be uncovered on the htread and stuff was comming out before arbboy even joined the forum
people were trying to contact blatch others were saying on the thread to wait and see and arbboy came and rubber necked didnt state much other than you boys have
been grimmed which a few people were already becoming aware of and others counldn't believe dont think arrboy cam up with any facts and figures that wasnt already
in public domain or other betfair regs from this board were finding out

this made me laugh so much as I know you've read this post recently as you posted straight after it http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=56992.msg1528626#msg1528626

haha

all i can see is you completely butchering a hand, obviously quad jacks are coming  :D

also in a £50 f/o it would be pretty funny to fold qq pre then when the j comes on the turn and the other guy with queens starts calling for a queen you can tell him you folded qq  ;D

As I love the arbboy I think it's OK to lol at the idea of him being keen on a BB forum

point i am trying to make is that the grimm had started to be uncovered on the htread and stuff was comming out before arbboy even joined the forum
people were trying to contact blatch others were saying on the thread to wait and see and arbboy came and rubber necked didnt state much other than you boys have
been grimmed which a few people were already becoming aware of and others counldn't believe dont think arrboy cam up with any facts and figures that wasnt already
in public domain or other betfair regs from this board were finding out
[/quote]

What he did very well was expose quite how nonsensical the thing was as he was clearly quite knowledgable. His direct calling out of Blatch missing some big betting coups did result in an accelerated confession/end to the sorry saga.

Can't see why anyone would find his contribution anything other than helpful, opened my eyes quickly as I was quite blinkered by wanting Blatch to turn out good in that situation and be the guy I'd met and liked

The Nando's thread is the nut example of this. It ran to 16 or more pages I think and was basically a question about chicken, rice and side orders.

On the diaries it would have got far fewer replies and been forgotten about when the next subject was brought up.

In a way that's the prob tho Laxie. I really love reading some of Tom's threads but I don't really read his diary as it is so big and I have missed months of it so need to fill in some gaps. I would read every new topic Tom made cos he is a funny guy. It must be a given that Tom's new thread count has gone down if he mainly posts his stuff on his diary.

I had never given this subject any thought at all until ohdear mentioned it but I do think he has a point.

That abs isn't true tho, after he posted I read thru the Blatch thread and spotted several things that made no sense, I hadn't read it before then.I agreed with what Arboy was saying and I got grief too. In the end he was spot on, sometimes it pays to listen to what someone is saying but ignore the way they are saying it.

+1, I got PM's telling me I was wrong to say things about the guy because he was a valued member of the forum and a good mate. Basically had to explain that you could not do what he claimed he was doing without paying the PC or gambling with the kitty on other events and generating commission. Arboy was bang on, he was a pain in the arse in the way he conveyed it but he was right.

BMW

Regards

M

I'm upto page 9 itt, I haven't read any of ohdear's posts cos they're too long and I'm pissed so cba. But, earlier itt it was suggested people that have diaries are doing it for there own beneficial interests, what are they ? I love blonde but I've no idea what benefits I get from having a diary ?

Really ray? I do the diary mostly for my own benefit - I enjoy it and find it helpful.

pretty pointless reading the thread if you're not going to read ohdear's posts tbh, they're the main point of discussion

admit the lack of paragraphs is rather tilting though

Or just the odd captial letter ffs

tbf we don't do capital letters or paragraphs on the bb'ing forum i come from, if people understand the words that you've used in a particular order to make a sentence and what the meaning of that sentence is therefore fulfilling the basic principal of communication that usually suffices  :D  

in my defence since you last said it my last 4 or 5 posts have been better structured no?

screw that, abs no need for capitalisation on t'internet. paragraphs however make things readable

Its like you're a caveman

Since you have taken the first step to improving your written communication I feel able to offer some advice

In addition to paragraphs, I suggest you introduce more sentences. This is easier than improving grammar.

A significant reduction in word count would help too

when you posted this comment i was going to write something like: "lol good luck with that", but thought i'd bury my cynicism for a while and give it a chance, got pretty much the response i expected.....

 ;booder;

I feel you've denigrated cavemen, have you ever seen a cavemans carvings from 35,000 years ago? far more concise and succinct than my poorly constructed, excessively long posts

i have to +1 this

as soon as i've written them once i've gone away from the thread then come back again to re-read my post and see what a long winded poorly written post devoid of structure and proper grammer it actually is i usually think fuck that and move on to the next one

I think the reason there isn't a big debate is most people are like me. ie we're pretty indifferent since we have no ownership interest in the site.

Those that do, believe the various diaries are an attraction and the view count/page count on these is a selling point (to an extent).

Buried within your posts is a cogent alternative perspective. I think your perspective is quite logical and has a good deal of merit from a business point of view.

However, it isn't really surprising that existing forum users don't really give a shiz.

Best post of the thread so far.

And only 250 more to go before we can finance your poker in a staking thread or supplement your supplements from grimming us in some sort of body building scam :)

Dear oh dear,

I'm more than happy to contribute to this debate, with an open mind, asap.

Before I do, however, I'ld like to ask your permission to Post on this thread the PM you sent me this afternoon.

The thread has been about Diaries generally, & raises some interesting points, some fair, some not so, but it now transpires it was personal, & purely aimed at me, nobody else, & not at Diaries generally. We could have cut to the chase much sooner if only you had made your personal views about me known earlier.

We can still have the debate, of course, but as a starting point, it helps if everyone knows specifically what point you were trying to make, & why.

You OK with that?  I will not upload it, of course, unless you give your approval.

Let me know, please.



 

 

Very much this. What you say is pretty sensible, and well thought out.
Probs best not to go attacking people too early though (particularly not well respected posters like Tom / Tighty), as it deflects from the good points you are making.

FWIW I am also pretty indifferent, as I get much more out of the forum, than I put into it.
I can see though, how new visitors would feel more comfortable, if some changes were made, in line with your suggestions.

This ain't one of those Angela Burberry type things is it?

no i don't agree to it, the debate on here and pm i sent you are not connected, the things i said in the private message were private opinions seperate from that expressed here, if you need a "starting point" chose any of my posts from this thread.

I imagine your refrence to my pm is an attempt to again derail the discussion about diaries further, i really am interested to hear if there is a legitimate reason as to why not only do the diarys not have their own board but why the matter is never discussed and is always seemingly brushed under the rug

thanks, i'll have £2000 for a 2 month cycle of Deca, test and Dbol  :)up

Sigh,as has been said, most of us aren't that bothered, .....sure you could argue it has pros and cons......but a bloody big mountain and a tiny molehill come to mind!

are we there yet?

Sigh, I didn't even want to see the PM until I found out I wasn't going to see it...

looked at some of your stats

new threads started:

january 2009 = 699

febuary2009 = 513

january 2010 = 458

febuary 2010 = 389

january 2011 = 463

febuary 2011 = 381

january 2012 = 355

febuary 2012 = 293

 ;gobsmacked;

and you're not alarmed by this statistic that happends to coincide with the rise of the diaries?

for a forum that's supposed to be growing to have a statistic that shows new threads started per month are down by a ridiculously huge 50% from 3 years do you not think that's worrying

i don't think a statistic could better show how the diaries, where they're placed and how much they're posted on, is hurting the forum overall and impeding growth

ohdear, if you have an agenda that is other than you really care about Blondepoker, and would dearly like it to be even more sucessful, then I think it is fair that you declare it now.
From Tony's post, it appears that their is probably another angle, which explains you over-zealous pursuit of threads vs diaries.

If you are not open about the things that are driving your sudden urge to post, I think it undermines your argument.

having been a reader of the forum for a long time and posting on the other forum (the bb'ing forum where they have a diary section) it has tilted me so hard how the rail looks so cluttered and messy when i try and read it, especially when i come off of ukm forum and onto here and look at the comparison between the two and it's always occoured to me that it must be causing serious growth problems, i've never said anything because i've never wanted to post before, i did so this time just because of the mantis thing, he happend to mention growth and i said my 2ps worth on it, i don't play poker that much these days, in the 90's i was a monster for it, but have several friends that still do and i'm still interested in it, as an outside observer its semed so obvious to me how they're stopping growth because even i was deterd from posting on the rail because i didnt have a clue where to start at first, and on the other forum the simple model was in place to have their own section and it worked so effectivley, i couldn't work out why it wasn't done here, the only thing i could come up with was that it was an ego thing, and i still think that tbh, that's pretty much what i conveyed to tikay in the pm, that for the sake of his diary the forum has suffered growth and that he must see it and the only reason not to change it is the ego thing, it's dissapointing to me the diaries have killed other aspects of the forum

Complete rubbish. Can understand why you wouldn't want your PM re-posted, that's for sure

when it comes to the forum tikay has a single vote, and majority rules in the mods room so if your implying that tikays ego is stopping it then thats impossible as every time it has come up the mods/staff and sdmin have decided as a whole to keep the status quo, so if you want to blame anyone you can blame celtic,tightend,ironside,cf,red dog, andrew t. ginger, roberhm, kinboshi, sherrif fatman and tikay as a whole rather than picking out one person

If we are allowed to pick just one person, can I vote to blame Boshi please?

+1

and lolz, is ginger still a mod?

Ha was just gonna ask that!

FWIW I would rather see a separate area for diaries, and ohdear makes some good reasons why, however I'm more interested in this added intrigue....

What's in the PM to Tikay?

What are ohdear's motivations?

Are there really more body builders than poker players on forums, and why don't they like paragraphs?

Why doesn't ohdear start any other discussions?

hhhmmmmm I'm hooked!

Great thread Dewi

I wouldn't bother mate.

The route chosen was to do individual DTD threads for various events and initiatives

Board restructuring (leaving the issue of diaries aside) is possible, but not imminent

ffs i knew u reminded me of someone noel edmonds is in the building we have 2 threads called deal or no deal that might intrest you

QED, in a way

In your OP you say you have been a reader of blonde for 2 years, just intrigued as to why you didn't join the debate of where the diaries should be placed a year ago? (mines in the lounge, i thought that was the appropriate place when I started it)

Have you thought of starting your own forum? Then you would be able to direct your members as to where to place their new threads.

 ;applause;

Well that's bloody obvious to everyone.

it's no at crusade or anything lol

the more and more though i can't get a single answer from 1 single person of the mod team as to why they shouldn't be move the weirder and weirder it gets

no you don't understand why i don't want my pm to tikay shared, it's not what you think, why can't tikay just come on and say "this is why the diaries wont be moved......." and yay everyones happy, tikay didn't do that though he wrote a whole post about my pm instead, lol you fellas are good at swerving the issue.

in my pm i said to tikay that i probably thought it was a loose arrangement that he had in his contract with sky to spam sky on his diary that has gotton X amount of views and posts, also i imagine it was discussed with dtd that it should be used as a tool to promote them, that's fair enough, combined with it having been going for 4 or 5 years and tikay probably being very proud that his diary is "the place to be" on blonde despite the fact the figures i saw which show new threads(as a result of the diaries) are down 50% from last year, which you can't deny are hurting the forums growth there's not a cats chance in hell for those personal reasons that tikay would let his diary be anywhere other than the top of the most popular board, despite how much you could demonstrate it's taking away discussion from the rest of the forum, impeding growth, deterring newbies and exasperating some existing members, to me that seems a little bit selfish.

there has been so many different reasons and arguments as to why they should be moved, if you actually came up with just one reason why they wont be, and why the discussion keeps getting ignored you'd probably shut me up but i can't help sitting here scratching my head wondering why in an 8 page thread a year ago and now a 15 page one here not one of you can put forward one single reasonable, logical argument as to why they shouldn't be moved, just makes me think more vehemently that i'm right about why they wont be moved.

i wasn't singling tikay out, i sent him the pm and those were the specifics of why i thought he didn't want his own diary moved, i think the other top, prominent diary owners have similar reasons and my argument is, and always will be against having all diarys in the general section because i think it can only be a bad thing, not just for all the reasons i've stated but also for the statistic i've posted which show the huge decline in new threads being started

look it's your playground do what you like, i'm sure you were already awre that maybe this was an issue, from my bb'ing forum there's a way they do it that works very well, impliment it, dont impliment it its up to you, i dont mean to have made this sound like one big long diatribe, ive probably got more and more frustrated as its gone on where maybe you guys think a wall of silence, brush it under the rug, ignore it attitude wil suffice and hopefully everyone will forget like they did last time, i don't really care anymore, if you have another year where new threads are down 50% again you might start to have words with the most prominent diarists about not being so selfish and starting to post on the open forum a bit more  

i didn't see the thread a year ago

if i started my own forum and the diaries were stopping growth then yes i'd probably "direct" some people to actively post on the open forum a bit more for the benefit of the community and not just think about their diary, but they would already be in their own section so i don't think the situation you've got yourself into here would even arise,

it's funny you should post actually you wouldve loved it if tikay posted my pm, i spoke very highly of your diary(and geo's posts about the army) as examples of real interesting stuff here on the forum that's outside of poker

I haven't seen figures and too lazy to go look for them as I am still in my pit, new threads might be down might not, thus time last year we would wake up to 20 new threads from the spam bots every day, new threads numbers will be hurt by that, but rest assured new post count is sky high, so high infact I.haven't time to read any diaries

The thing is m8 you're referring to how it works so well at UKM and it does, the main difference between the two forums is SIZE, it's pretty much a case of square pegs and round holes.

The number of threads that are generated over there pre day in general conversation probably exceeds the number of threads created in a day on Blonde as a site. Some valuable pieces of information, discussions etc. undoubtedly do get missed out by some and that's unfortunate but it's hardly the end of the world.

I think that by moving the diaries to a 'journals/diaries' subsection you are going to solve nothing. I would merely expect things to continue as they did before and the subsequent sections which they inhabit at present will become quieter. I'd imagine as well as missing out on some things being posted in the main forums, you may also see some things noticed that wouldn't otherwise be by people who only generally come to look at diaries.

I don't doubt it's more the other way but I don't see that it's going to be hugely detrimental to the forum as a whole if things continue in the same vein as they have. The surefire way to alienate posters is to start telling them not to post things which may be of interest in their diaries and instead to make a point of posting new threads in the relevant sections.

As for saying that people don't post general stuff on journals over there I call...

Milky's and Flinty's journals which are 2 of the busiest over there have conversations on just about any subject you could think of throughout the course of a week. They don't get that long that fast if they're just talking about training splits, macros and ideas for a next cycle......

i agree that the numbers are completely diferent, not sure if that's relevent though because i really do think as a rule the diaries should go in a subsection, once 6 or 7 arose years back it should've been created but so i think there is an example can be taken from ukm, although you make some good points.

on the last bit you say about milky and flinty, like all jounals people want to read how someone's getting on with their training predominently and people update about their life, sure that spills into conversation but does milky not usually start 1, if not 2 brand new threads in genral discussion every day and is flinty not one of the biggest posters on that section?

It is because over there if you have all the diaries in the same section they would fall into oblivion over the course of a few hours even. I'd guess and say there are 6figs of journals active over there, I've not updated mine for a week and it's probably on page 8 or something by now.

They have possibly mid 6 figures of sub sections over there and infinitely more areas of the forum too which in turn reinforces the requirement for a journal section. This is a much smaller forum with probably less members than there are that post regularly in gen con of an afternoon, what works for one isn't necessarily going to be a good for the other is my point.

My point about those guys and their journals is that you say it's disrespectful to post nonsense or random chat in there and I'm saying that it's not the case. Those journals along with many of the other more popular ones are so popular because of the varied content and discussion topics which arise daily. No different than the diaries here just on a smaller scale, they don't say to someone that posts something random which is nothing to do with lifting/aas/nutrition 'oi post that up in gen con it shouldn't be here'.

The journals thrive on this varied discussion topics and because there are so many members gen con doesn't notice that a few odd pieces slip through without all members seeing them. This happens here too but it's not going to see Blonde slip into obscurity, it just means some members who aren't active in the diaries may miss out. If some members want to be more proactive about it maybe they can post into the rail articles/topics which they feel may be good to bring to the attention of members of the forum that don't frequent the diaries.

I think on the whole comparing the setup over there to here is like comparing apples and pears, they're both fruits but completely different types as Blonde/UK-M while forums are very different too

i have honestly seen on quite a few of the diaries ive read people tell someone to start a thread about it in general discussion to see what everyone else thinks, you never see that here, and i've also seen on ocassion people saying that they don't want to talk about specific stuff on their journals thats not relevent to training and pulling people up if they do.

maybe a better way to explain it is the example gatso gave of someone having a video about people not being able to walk in a straight line, instead of making a new thread about it in the lounge they went to tikays diary and said here evryone have a look at this, that would never happen on ukm, no one with a hillarious video etc would decide out of the blue to go and post it on a jounal, they'd start a thread about it in general discussion, that's the point i'm trying to make, forgetting about the numbers once you seperate the diaries you don't get caught up in this culture in the first place where nearly all of the sites general conversation is flowing through a few diaries.

i sort of disagree and think the model for ukm and why it's so big is a great example of how to get the diary aspect right, i think the way it is set up on ukm is the reason its so big, i think the way it's set up on here is the reason why new threads are dramatically down and growth is almost impossible as newbies are so badly marginalised when looking at the semingly impenitrable sea of diarys that comprise the rail (there's currently 10 in the top 20 threads on the rail which for a board which is your bread and butter is a joke)

Why do you even care?!

Make posts shorter and more to the point too.

People can do what they want in their diaries and talk about what they want and let it flow. Personally though I do think a separate board for them would be good

70's DJ's were where it was at man.  

That conspiracy idea is just so ridiculous i actually can't believe you wrote it down.

That's the version for public consumption, too.

Is this thread really a PR campaign for a body building forum?  Because it's not helping blonde much imo.

update your blog pls or delete it from the sig k ta.

This thread is incred.  What a life oh dear must lead.

Thank you for your reply.

The main reason I am still here is although it is obviously a poker forum (the reason I joined initially) it is because there IS a wide variety of subjects bought up, commented on, debated, and IMO that is what makes it special.

The word community is used often here, but thats exactly what it is, people come and go, people fall out, the forum has it's ups and downs, and I have always spoken my piece when I feel the atmosphere has got low, but isn't that life in general?

Through the forum and poker I have met many people who I probably would never have got to meet otherwise and whilst they are not people I see very often they are like 'mates' who have not seen each other in a long time within 5/10 minutes of meeting up it is like it was only yesterday that we were in each others company.

For me personally this means a lot.

I don't have an issue as to where the diaries are so long as the people who wish to read them have that opportunity. Earlier in the thread you mentioned about people and their egos, I certainly didn't start my diary to have my ego boosted, that said it is always nice when people drop in and make a comment and the encouragement has been much appreciated during my 'journey' the past 4 years.

As for the other diary writers again I dont honestly believe ANY of them have done it to inflate their egos, like myself I feel they just wish to share their experiences with others and if people wernt interested the diary's wouldn't have continued as they have.

this of course is only my opinion.

as for the lack of new threads you mention I think you should be contacting Dewi  ;)

is it a "theory" that there's 50% less threads started than a year ago? nope that's a fact, and it's because all the stuff that used to be posted on the forum is now discussed in a small handful of diaries, that's another fact.

if my ridiculous idea is so ridiculous why is it no one in authority can give a good reason( lol actually not even a good reason, ANY reason) as to why the diaries don't have their own sub-section?  

Are posts up or down compared to a year ago?  (I haven't looked, just a question)

I'm going to go outside and enjoy the sunshine now.

Make sure you put your tin-hat on.

overall up, but posts by who and where? existing members on a tiny number of diaries

posts by new members on new threads, down

Posts on the forum in general, in total on a month-by-month basis? 

I haven't checked, it was just a question.

Can you give the figures on posts by new members on new threads (less than 50 posts shall we say for a new member?) this year and last year's for comparison?  Thanks.  I always find it's good to back up a statement/claim with actual evidence. 

mmmmm

something smells fishy here.

You're going after this topic so hard it reads like you're trying to un-earth a huge scandal. What massive scandal could possibly be behind there not being a seperate board for diaries on blonde? You say you're just doing it cos the rail tilts you, surely this discussion is more tilting for you?

For simple fact I cannot work out why you care I'm calling bullshit on your motives, I think you're up to something although I'll be danmed if I have a clue what it is.

Very odd

i haven't checked that stat either, both parts of what i said were guesses, i'd be surprised if i was wrong though

OK, so you're just making stuff up?

You are coming across now as someone who is going to hammer away until they get their way......a bit like a spoilt child stamping their feet.

I can quite understand why Tighty, Tikay etc... Do not want to get involved, and I don't blame them.
It's not even that big an issue - certainly not as big as you want to make it.

Chill down, get involved in a few other threads, and enjoy the scenery.
Then in a few weeks, if you quietly, and politely, raise the subject again, I'm sure a decent discussion could ensue.

(http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/2634771/2/istockphoto_2634771-hitting-a-nail-on-the-head.jpg)

lol i was going by what you said, i thought your question was rhetorical and was stating a fact

if you want to talk about the weather could you not start a new thread please?  :)

Is this a bit like the cat playing with the mouse?  Let it think it's got running room then eventually we'll get bored and squash the mouse? 

You stated something, so I asked you a question - what did I state?  If you're attempting to put forward an argument, it does help to back it up with evidence - rather than resorting to ad hom attacks and demanding people provide you with reasons for why they run their forum as they do.

Have you tried any other poker forums?  Some of them might be more to your liking if this one isn't.  I'm sure we'll eventually recover from your absence.

The threads stats are a bit artificial, or they were a year ago. A year ago we had big problems with spammers. We introduced new Captcha software mid 2011 since when the spam problem has reduced dramatically

I went back overnight (because this crap was keeping me awake, lol, get a life) and counted spam threads in deleted posts from January 2011

Of 463 threads total around 180 were started by spammers trying to sell you viagra, porn etc and of course they are deleted

The idea that new threads are down 50% is a complete red herring


You say that we aren't prepared to discuss the issue. Well, I spent all morning yesterday discussing the issue

The simple answer is the mods team (not one individual and his supposed ego) see no convincing reason to alter the status quo

There is no ego led agenda as you imply.

Are we ruling out change per se? No of course not,completely open to it. That includes Mr Ego himself

Traffic is strong. Until you came along, Mr ohdear, the forum "mood" was the best it has been for about 3 years.

DTD are happy, the mods are happy, most members are happy. We spoke to James Dempsey 10 days ago in person. He's happy


All other things being equal would I like more people to start new threads? Yes? 

Do most of the people who complain about the diaries not being in a new section start threads? No

Do most of the diarists contribute enormously outside their own blogs? Yes, very much so

Ironically then you obviously spend too much time reading diaries yourself  if you've seen that happen quite a few times as I never have :D

I think that you're making a problem that's not really all that big much bigger to suit your point of view if I'm honest. Yes some people may miss out but I don't think it's going to be the make/break of the forum. If you start policing posts and instructing people where to post I think that would be far worse.

I think the model for UK-M is because it's a fking monstrous forum with at a guess members running well into the 6 figures.... This forum isn't so imo you can't compare the two, it's really a case that you've set your stall out now and aren't going to budge though :D

I agree with some things you have said and you make some good points but using UK-M to compare how it works isn't really something that can be done due to how different the forums are in their setup/size etc. Also a poker forum is going to appeal to a much smaller group of people than a foruma bout health/exercise/training/nutrition/aas etc.

If people don't want to be marginalised then put yourself out and make yourself known. As with all forums it takes a while to insert yourself for want of a better word into the community. I really can't believe how this thread has gotten so long and I'll shortly be done with replying as I'm going to watch my money go up in smoke all afternoon :)

To suggest that the people who post in their own diaries are neglecting the main forum is also a bit of a joke as they all contribute all over the forum from what I can see!

With forums people will come, people will go, people will move on, some will come back and such is life

I kept looking for these links but you kept removing them - bloody mods  ;)

lol i don't have conspiracy theories or ultiroir motives, as much as everyone wants to believe that

somehow i seem to have been caught up in what people percieve is a witch hunt against tikay(and others) which just isn't the case, i don't give that much of a shit, i stated my opinion, i had my ideas about why the diarys were dealt with how they were but i didnt say what they were, i wanted to hear if there were genuine reasons for not moving, i really wanted to know what the idea was behind keeping them on the rail, somone might've surprised me and said: "its for this particular reason............" and i might've thought "wow that makes sense, never even occoured to me" but not a single answer came out and all debate and discussion about it was even ignored, made me think even more that the whole diary ego thing was the reason for not moving them to a less popular area.

now tightends spent the last 4 messages talking about my pm to tikay hoping that everyone will infer from that that i'm a bad guy with agendas, kinboshi is starting to dig out everything i say all the while no one will still give any reason why you wont move the diarys, jeez you guys are weird.

page 2 of this thread you say to me: "ohdear we havent moved the diarys because..............." and i wouldv'e said ok, fine, i agree/disagree, thanks for the answer but if the mods had spent 10% of the time they have trying to make me out to be the bad guy in just giving an answer as to why the diaries wont be moved this would be done and dusted.

so yes i firmly believe the reason why the diaries wont be moved, why it won't be discussed and you you wont even give an answer on it is because some people are being too selfish here putting their diaries in front of the forum and i think the new thread stat proves that imo

 

You are odd. Have you simply ignored my post above?

You've had answers

The new thread stat proves nothing was inflated by spam a year ago and isn't now

It's being discussed ad nauseam

The reason i keep mentioning the pm is it is hideous, really disgraceful and insulting and very much shows your motives are personal.

Ohdear deserves some credit for the apposite choice of username.

thankyou

i don't agree with a lot of it, some of it i do, but thankyou for the answer

specifically this part: The simple answer is the mods team (not one individual and his supposed ego) see no convincing reason to alter the status quo

if i'm being totally honest i think it's a weak answer but an answer nonetheless so i appreciate that.

if that is genuinely the reason then from an outside perspective i think they're hurtfull where they are not helpful, to both newbies and existing members, that's just my opinion though, maybe with some of the other expressed on here it might make you re-think the status quo

i posted that before i saw your other one

Can't help but feel something interesting and not related to diaries will emerge soon

Here's my guess

Tikay is going to be exposed as a huge con-man, using the diaries on blonde to propel some monster grim, we later discover that Tikay is both Arrboy AND Jack Kershaw and the reason Blatch was able to pay people back was because Tikay gave him 80k on the proviso he moves to cyprus and sells timeshare for him for the next 5 years. His real name is Mausood Kalim and he was born in Nigeria in 1978 and uses the "old man" persona to gain trust and abuse people's trust. Talented con-artist a-top the MOST WANTED for 16 years, known as "Tip-Toe Tony" for his stealthy and long winded approach.

and to think I let this man buy me breakfast.

IN BEFORE SCANDAL #1 itt

Blatant 'tikay bought me breakfast' post imo.

Tikay gave me his chips once in a BB tourney

It wasn't a dig at you, just when I've had a tipple I cba to read posts longer than 6 words, that's the limit. Will reread thread after detoxing.

IIRC, you were a pretty major dog for him to actually find the restaurant, never mind spring for it.

The thing is, whilst this might be the overall consensus, it's not to say as a group we do not see some of the points that yourself, and others, are making. It's been discussed before and your topic has cause us to discuss it again.

I just find the whole thing odd though. I'm not entirely sure why you'd join a forum and quickly get to 60ish posts harping on about diaries. Don't you have better things to be doing with your day?

Quotes!

Have another beer imo...

Since when were diarists posting on other threads?

Thought we were too big time for that.

making a joke about something like that probably works better when it's not true  ::)

Who says it was a joke? Lol.

Been infrequent elsewhere at best funnily enough because I was put off by the amount of pages on others' diaries but have been told recently that starting from the last page and easing yourself in is the best way to go which I will start doing for all diaries. Won't be lazing anymore.

sussed out boshi in a matter of hours...........took us years.

time for me to sleep now, looking good for reading material at work tonight  :)

To be fair, it didn't.  You just haven't been able to get rid of me! 

no worries ohdear you more than likely have me on ignore most of the punters on here have aswell thats why you missed out on the issue of why there are less new threads but more new post today than 6 months ago

so i will give you the reason for you to ignore again why the diaries havent got there own board

there is a group of people called mods/admins/staff we were appointed to help keep the forum running smoothly we on the whole dont get paid and do it for our love of the forum. we have debates all the time on how the forum is going and how we can improve it, including diaries, new boards,layouts etc etc etc. we have all been at blonde for a number of years and understand where we are pitching the site

in our wisdon we believe its better for the forum that the diaries are not segergated so that people who stumble accross the diaries and return for the diaries can stumble accross other chit as well like recipies for gravy which they wouldnt stumble accross if they just visited the diaries board.

now you have the facts why dont you come out with your real reason for being here and the fact you are just jealous of the fame and attention of certain diary writers

cheers, good answer.

LOL i don't know whats funnier about this comment, the fact that you think i'm jealous and that's why i'm here or the fact that you think that "certain diary writers" get is "fame and attention", LOL SO good!

pop bands & film stars get "fame and attention", the certain diary writers to which you refer probably get about 10 regular people that consistantly interact with them on their diaries

seriously pmsl at "fame and attention", i cant work out if you were joking or not but i hope you wern't  :)

Why are you here ohdear?

Serious question.

fame and attention was toungue in cheek but you have a serious jealous problem and i have no idea what it is

initially because i thought the camel was out of order with what he said to/about mantis, i hadn't read that tennis thread in a while and was just catching up, mantis always seems to get a rough ride and i couldnt have disagreed more with what the camel said, i thought the tennis analogy he made was genius and i felt like saying something

that's the serious answer, if mantis hadn't mentioned the forum stats thing, although having read the forum it's something i've always thought about the diaries, i would've never have brought it up

so if the "fame and attention" part was tongue in cheek what is it you're saying i'm jealous of?

Ban Mantis imo.

If the diarists and blonde team were quite as up themselves as dearie implies, he would be banned I'n a heartbeat for all he has already sayed.

I feel I should help here and give permission to ban he'm now.

I don't quite understand this. You refuse to let tikay publish your PM, but you take the time to explain to us what was in it and to assure us that you have no hidden agenda.

If you are being honest about the contents of the PM, why not let him publish? Once the members see it, he will look like a complete idiot and you will be totally vindicated.

this

Yeah plus 1 to letting him publish the PM.  ( only coz I am a nosey bastard and don't like not knowing what the hell is going on)

Once someone had said no to having a pm published it does not sit easy with me when mods start hinting at the contents and/or trying to persuade them to change their mind. Either have a rule about publishing pms and stick to it or don't have a rule

Good point.

Pleno said mods can see pms  ;ifm;

Tighty and kinboshi certainly can just before they submitt their RSQ answers :)

Just seems bizarre for a new member to have such an interest in something as obscure and inconsequential as where diaries are kept on a forum that he joined a week ago. Surely almost everything else in the world is more important than this, real life and a bit of perspective ftw.

Agreed, its very bizarre. I know he says he was just 'expressing' his opinion but this is another level. I wonder how many words collectively in all his posts over the last few days?

All this because he feels a forum (on which he's never posted) could do one small thing to attract new members.

Cba reading 20 pages, cliffs anyone please?  :)

Why is having a big ego a bad thing btw? I've got a massive ego. If there's one thing poker players and bodybuilders share it's a big ego isn't it?

Anyhow Tikay you wanna join me and Celtic for dinner tonight? If you do book a table in the restaurant and let me know, my shout. Would pm you but no confidence it wouldn't be published ;)

The rule, afaik, is PM's are not published without permission.

I'm not hinting at the contents mate, Tony says it proves that ohdear has a hidden agenda. That's not a hint, that's a statement.

So long as I do it honestly and openly, I see nothing wrong with my suggesting he vindicate himself by allowing its publication.

No one's hinted at the content have they? 

The rule is that PMs aren't published, and it hasn't been.  From what I read, Tikay and Tighty were asking ohdear to post the PM he sent to tikay on the thread.  No one is forcing him to.  Just the same way as no one is forcing him to post in this thread.

Yes, a mod can see a PM when it is sent to them.

Not really.

He said the pm couldn't be posted. He wasn't really prodded until he started talking about the pm and what he said in it, yet he wont let it be posted.

Can every one have a pm of the pm  ;)

The pm should have never even been brought up in the first place, that it is the point of private messages!

Ohdear as i mentioned earlier in the thread I felt you had some valid points, but that validity is being diluted everytime you post again on this thread. Just let it lie.

Good point

everyone just wants to see the pm now to be nosey, everyone said they didn't have an interest in this debate now everyone wants to see the pm though and is suddenly very interested in the debate/thread/me etc. and i'm the one apparently that has no life?

and red dog vindicated of what? i dont need to be vindicated of anything pal

tightend gave an explanation, not a great one tbf, to my question after 17 pages and i was grateful at least to get that and said so, ironside gave a better explanation which i thanked him for, i wish that had just been said on page 3 lol, that was all was asking from the start tbf

as to what i wrote to tikay in the pm that was my opinion on why i thought he didnt want his diary moved and what i thought about that. that was between me and him and it's got nothing to do with what my beliefs are about why you should have a diary subsection and why you should be compelling diarists to post more on the open forum, believe me or don't, i don't really give a shit

if you post the pm and it seems really nasty and like i have a massive agenda does it then invalidate all the other posters on this thread who have put forward several and varied opinions on why the diarys should be moved? no, so what the fuck does it matter

i don't blame anyone though for wanting to see it, now its been built up etc, its just human nature, the mods are probably dying for you to see it hoping that it may cause a lynch mob and everyone else because, well you're a bunch of nosey bastards lol, so would i be though so i don't blame you.

the questions i put about the diaries were answered, not greatly, ironside's explanation was good and i believed some of those reasons, that did for me.

the thing i said to tikay was between me and him, and now all the mods lol, but in doesn't really matter if you, them , anyone thinks i have an agenda because all the reasons i have for disliking the diarys, what they do to the forum and where they're placed have already now been said by a bunch of other blondes so you can discredit me or question my motives for posting which apparently invalidates my arguments but they've already been made by a bunch of other blondes who no one would suggest has an agenda so it makes no difference now

i'm trying, i'm not going to post again

i even said to tightend in a private message ealier that after i'd thanked him for the explination he finally gave and was done with the thread since then CF has come on and said i had no life and ironside came on said i had jealousy problem

in fact it's only all kicked off in the past 3 or 4 pages after i've twice said thanks for finally getting an explination about the diaries, lol go figure

Some newbie called oh dear who does steroids and might be related in some way to mantis is causing mischeif of epic proportions and although has never posted before is trying to police the joint! He hates the mods and is trying to tell forum members what they can and cant say in their own diaries.


Or something like that

ffs how can anyone on this planet mix up a tighty explaination and an ironside one

Oh dear for mod

I don't know who this dude is. He just came on and said as a thinker and writer I am head and shoulders above anybody on Blonde. Seemed like a regular shrewd fella to me.

He was saying you're quite tall?

must be on day release from the local loony bin :-)

Mantis is Boldie?

FML I missed that one

Geo

Oh dear not having an agenda available here at 16/1

no max bet

Well if nothing else can be understood by these weird 20 pages, 2 great accidents:

Some bloke has learnt to write in paragraphs,

Same bloke put an explanation by Ironside ahead of one by Tighty!

Wiiii Alex likes me  ;) edit and remembered I have a diary

Nah, I just had to come up with something ;)