blonde Update - The Forum

[tikay]

Easily the most labour intensive part of blonde - by far.

But it's the seedcorn from which everything else grows, so we must protect it with our lives.

Lets start with the numbers.

New Topics in September, at 1,206, were the second highest ever. The record was in January, 1,325.

Total Posts, at 26,822, were also the second highest on record. The record was set in January (why January?) at 27,720.

New Members at 210 were the highest for 6 months. There was bound to be a levelling off, but we are holding firm at around 200 new Members every single month.

Most Online at one time, 302, was also a record, if we ignore two statistical freaks back in early 2005.

So, our Forum ain't doing too bad.

Well, as you all know, we've had some ructions this month. "blonde is yukky-yukky-nicey-wicey" sort thing. "You can't ban this/that geezer just because he was offensive/got stroppy". "What about free speech?".

Let me say this. blonde set out to be different. Poker with a smile. No flaming. Keep the "tone" civil. So our partners & kids can visit the place, & we don't have to worry about what they will see. We wanted it to be - I almost have to apologise for the word - "nice". There are plenty of Fora where peeps can act as they wish.

Our Forum is busy, by any reasonable standard, & has grown rapidly in less than two years. BECAUSE we have imposed those values. Are we going to modify them now, allow the ill-mannered & rude to pullute it? No, no way. So the battle will continue, & if folks think they can come on here & flame, be rude, use off-handed tone, they can think again, because we will never permit it. We shall keep this place "nice".

The Mods? Our two newbies have settled in well, & more new Mods can be expected soon. They all work tremendously hard, & we should all be grateful to them. They get pilloried, but rarely thanked.

Child Boards - we hope to announce, quite soon, a new Child Board or two, "rented out". Thats excellent news.

Our range of boards has steadily grown. Poker Hand Analysis is a great place in the making, Internet Poker & Live Poker are both well-populated, the GD Board remains very busy. We shall expand the Boards only with great care, & not just for the sake of it. Should we have a "non-poker" Board? I don't know - what do you think? It is taxing us, I confess.

Poker 425 branding. This has kept us afloat since mid 2005. There are major changes ahead with Poker 425 - news soon I hope - so I'm not sure of the longevity of our Contract with them. If we can, we will stay with them, for loyaltys sake as much as anything else. But if or when it's no longer appropriate for them to work with us - entirely possible - well I'm sure we can do a good deal with any number of potential partners, for good money, too. It just depends what happens with the TV Show. News soon.

Issues. We - the Mods - had a BIG problem in September. We believe it's our duty of care to protect blondes from flaming, & have always done so. But the question arose - does that care extend to the PM service? That IS a delicate one! But we did agree one thing. If anyone gets sent racist or threatening remarks, they can do two things. They can tick a box which prevents any further PM's from any specific Member. And they can report it to us. For now, I think that gives blondes the protection they need.

Should we allow links to other Poker Fora, or sites? This one is exercising our minds greatly. We just want to play fair by other sites, thats all. I must add  public "thank you" to Joe Beevers who has been a true friend to me. When I get attacked on his site, he always rings me & asks if I want it deleted. I thank him but tell him to leave it up - these things police themselves. He's a good guy.

Forum "mood". Amazingly, the Forum has moods - good, bad, average. And these mods spread, they are infectious. One snarly gnarly Post upsets two Members, they in turn upset 8 others, it spreads like wildfire. It's a black art, controlling a Forum's mood, but I want this place to be somewhere where people ENJOY themselves & look forward to visiting.

Backdoor spamming of affiliate deals via blonde PM. At least three examples have occurred, but thankfully, some of the recipitents always report them to us. You'd be amazed if you knew who'd tried it!

blonde really is unique. The Menbers regularly flock to other sites to Rail a blonde. Wish each other Happy Birthday. Talk about sad days & happy days, deaths & births. I got savaged a week or two back on another Forum because "tikay's mates are only interested in saying well done for winning a $5 tourney & wishing each other Happy Birthday". Too bad! And every time we ban someone, they visit other Fora & give us a workover. Oh deary deary me. And I got it again on Friday, because we'd banned a geezer. Sent me threatening e-Mails, "I'm gonna expose the Poker World", launched into me  - anonymously, of course - on another Fora., knowing I can't defend myself there. Such is life.

The Live Updates continue to amuse & entertain on a grand scale. Again, we've had some unpleasantness this month, which kinda spoils it for everyone. We will keep a close eye on it. It's free-to-view, which gives us the right to say, "look, if you don't wanna play by our rules, you don't have to view". In not so many words.....

Flopsy helped make a wonderful Vic EPT Update, & kudos to snoopy for stepping in when Jen became unwell. Next week it's EPT Baden, Jen & Flopsy this time. These Updates are superb, long may they remain so. More Updaters will join the Team soon, they are being evaluated now.

So, there we are. It's a smashing "community",  lot of folks see it as part of their daily life, & to blonde it is the foundation upon which the site is built. So, the Members & Team blonde will continue to look after it good & proper. I know you'll help us to keep it the way it is. We have WSOP Bracelet Winners, & guys who play $0.25-$0.50 cash. They all get the same treatment, & they all belong.

We shall continue to work hard to protect & improve the blonde Forum.

[Indestructable]

 

There are other sites for those that want to post obsene rants and glad that Blonde has retained it's current stance.

With regards to 425 I must admit that I have been a little confused by the link for some while. The show is sponsored by William Hill and the Poker425 site again has William Hill, but click on to the forum and it is run by Blonde Poker. I have no problems with this, but always seemed a bit odd to me. I guess there is some history to how this has evolved over time.

[ifm]

General discussion is i think the best place for off topic stuff, as you know i hate the added boards (not the actual boards but the amount), i dislike stuff looking "busy", just my thing.

The PM service is just that and i believe outside of yours or the mods remit, even if someone is wronged by PM that's just life, don't read them. Would you prefer driving PM's onto the forum?
People constantly say "take it to PM guys" that is where it should be, unmonitored too!

Mods, i believe are the biggest problem, or lack thereof to be more specific, there are gaps where the forum is unmoderated and more frequently too.
With Mugly away (and busy with his other stuff) and tighty busy also, then Roberts disappearance it leaves little "coverage".
I don't criticise mods (believe it or not!) i have questioned why they have done certain things in certain ways but i believe they are a necessity and deserve a lot of credit.

[tikay]

General discussion is i think the best place for off topic stuff, as you know i hate the added boards (not the actual boards but the amount), i dislike stuff looking "busy", just my thing.

The PM service is just that and i believe outside of yours or the mods remit, even if someone is wronged by PM that's just life, don't read them. Would you prefer driving PM's onto the forum?
People constantly say "take it to PM guys" that is where it should be, unmonitored too!

Mods, i believe are the biggest problem, or lack thereof to be more specific, there are gaps where the forum is unmoderated and more frequently too.
With Mugly away (and busy with his other stuff) and tighty busy also, then Roberts disappearance it leaves little "coverage".
I don't criticise mods (believe it or not!) i have questioned why they have done certain things in certain ways but i believe they are a necessity and deserve a lot of credit.

Thanks Ian - We are, perish the thought, largely of one mind on this.

[tikay]

There are other sites for those that want to post obsene rants and glad that Blonde has retained it's current stance.

With regards to 425 I must admit that I have been a little confused by the link for some while. The show is sponsored by William Hill and the Poker425 site again has William Hill, but click on to the forum and it is run by Blonde Poker. I have no problems with this, but always seemed a bit odd to me. I guess there is some history to how this has evolved over time.

Yes, it's a historical thing. www.poker425 - owned by William Hill - carries the blonde Forum as part of the deal. Hence, if you watch Poker 425, the "Poker 425 blonde Forum" gets plenty of mentions. With 425 being moved to 854 (?!), and various plans in the melting pot for the show's future, we shall have to see if this arrangement can continue. Wm Hill presently pay blonde a monthly sum for the 425 Branding. That's vital income to us.

[snoopy1239]

I think it's deserved. If it wasn't for blonde, I'm sure viewing firgures would be way down.

[The_nun]

I dissagree with you on the blonde/viewing numbers Snoops..as I have heard it from a reliable source that on wedsnesday nights all OAP homes across the country have been allowed to stay up an extra hour to watch their Sex God in action..all adourning WE LOVE TIKAY  tops..

[tikay]

I dissagree with you on the blonde/viewing numbers Snoops..as I have heard it from a reliable source that on wedsnesday nights all OAP homes across the country have been allowed to stay up an extra hour to watch their Sex God in action..all adourning WE LOVE TIKAY  tops..

Behave Maureen.

It really is Darby & Joan night tonight (Sunday) on Poker Night Live - Malcolm Harwood & me!

A blonde cap to who can correctly guess the combined age of we two. I'll give you a clue - it's nearly 90.

[RED-DOG]

I dissagree with you on the blonde/viewing numbers Snoops..as I have heard it from a reliable source that on wedsnesday nights all OAP homes across the country have been allowed to stay up an extra hour to watch their Sex God in action..all adourning WE LOVE TIKAY  tops..

Behave Maureen.

It really is Darby & Joan night tonight (Sunday) on Poker Night Live - Malcolm Harwood & me!

A blonde cap to who can correctly guess the combined age of we two. I'll give you a clue - it's nearly 90.

Come off it. Malcolm has to be older than 21

[Ironside]

you mean nearly 190

[The_nun]

 TOM   

[Indestructable]

I will go for 88.

[The_nun]

I say 121

[wormster]

I think it's deserved. If it wasn't for blonde, I'm sure viewing firgures would be way down.

what do you mean snoops? Poker425 has more viewers than Eastenders!! lol

Seriously though, I fully appreciate that if it wasn't for Tikay, the blonde forum &, of course, the poker players themselves (most of which are blonde members), we wouldn't have gone has far as we have done. As Tikay has hinted at, there may be some changes ahead (all good i hope!!) to the show and, from a personal point of view, I hope we keep the connection with blonde.

wormster

[NoflopsHomer]

With Heid gone, there has only been an increase in Mods by one. I think it's vital that at least two female mods are recruited if possible.