The difference between the Falcons OMB's and other OMB's (Long Read)

[Superfan]

Ok most of you know that I have a contract with the Falcons and they pay me to do the cartoons. As far as I've been able to find out, I'm the only "official" cartoonist in the NFL and for that I am very grateful. I have a ball with the 'toons and I hope the gig continues for many years and that everyone enjoys looking at them as much as I do making them. It's been a dream-come-true for me.

I've met and had lunch with the all folks that run the show as far as message boards and other things similar go in Flowery Branch and I can tell you all that they are some really good folks. J. Mike is gone and I haven't met Jay Adams in person yet, but we've talked on the phone several times and we're planning on lunch when I go down in a few weeks to deliver the first Hick'ry Stick Award. By his presence on the OMB's and what he's already done as far as the HSA and other things, I think all would agree that he's a top notch fellow and an asset to the organization.

So, I'm not here to trash AtlantaFalcons.com by any means, and I certainly (by the same token), understand and support why this board was started with some of the problems they are having "over there", which leads me to the point of this thread: The OMB's aren't being run right, plain and simple, and while I am NOT pointing the finger at anyone in particular @ Flowery Branch, I can certainly back up my claim with a few facts and/or perhaps just my own opinion.

Many complaints about trolls and spamming have seemingly fallen on deaf ears (or blind eyes, as it were), over the years on the OMB. One reason is that the boards were originally set up over 8 years ago with a "Welcome All" policy that is still intact today. What does that mean? It means that any idiot with a computer can register an account and instantly start trolling and/or spamming the boards. This is not the case with other OMB's, but more about that in a minute.

The other reason is that the OMB's are under-moderated. Years ago there was only one mod and he could not possibly police those boards 24-7 and I'm tellin' y'all, I was there and it could be a really ugly place to visit. Racial slurs, porn, spamming, it had it all. Realizing the problem, the mod incorporated 8 fan mods, or "mini-mods" as we called them then, to help police the boards and it worked great! The boards stayed cleaned up and any flagrant violators weren't there for very long. The problem now is that most of those fan mods have either dropped out or disappeared altogether and have never been replaced. There are only 3 active mini-mods left: Rev, Shiney and Sac. Sac is consumed and concerned with the College Sports Forum only, NEVER comes into TATF, so really there are only 2 mini-mods that give a damn about TATF and that ain't nearly enough for a forum with that much traffic. Sure, there are other admins, but they're not nearly as active in TATF as good fan mods are and have more important responsibilities. We're pushing for more fan mods and we'll see how that goes. Until and IF that happens, those boards are and will stay under-moderated or, as I say, "not enough boots on the ground".

Still with me? Ok. Back to the "Welcome All" policy that AF.com has: It's not the same around the league. I rarely visit other teams OMB's but I thought I would post my new cartoon on the Cardinals OMB's and have a little fun with some friendly smack talking. (Supes is no troll) I had never been there before and registered an account there well over 24 hours ago and STILL can't post! I get this: "Your account has been activated but you are currently in the moderation queue to be added to the forum." They might not admit me until the game is over, and only then if they win! lol But I understand what they're doing. They figure if you REALLY wanna post there, you should be willing to wait for however long it takes for the mods to decide to let you in. A policy like that keeps out a lot of trolls and spammers I would imagine, although it keeps out friendly rival fans like myself as well. In any case, I think it's a good idea in an imperfect cyber-space world and something similar should be implemented @ our OMB's.

I have an old account with the Bronco's OMB's (can't remember why), and decided to pay them a visit last Tuesday to ask if their boards crash regularly on game days. I posted my question in the wrong forum and I wanna tell ya, it was moved to the right one before I could blink an eye, That tells me that those OMB's are very well moderated with plenty of boots on the ground. Anyway, they were very nice and no, their boards never crash, even after the spanking the Bronco's took last Sunday at the hands of the Jags. How come theirs can handle heavy traffic and our OMB's can't? It's a legitimate question that no one on in Flowery Branch has been able to adequately answer yet.

Again, the folks at Flowery Branch are very good people and I truly do believe that they DO care, but I get this nagging feeling that somebody somewhere is asleep at the wheel.

Ok, sorry for the long rant and thank you if you made it this far. Now you know how Supes really feels about it.

[JKH5785]

Extra mods wouldn't hurt in TATF, but fair mods, not one on a power trip

[The Falcon Jedi]

SuperFan - agree on all points.

No one here has really "Left" the AFMB. I am still there, as is Peyton and Tandy and others. We just felt we needed an alternative place to be able to post. It's not Mutiny, or Revolting. This is just somewhere for a lot of us who have had problems with AFMB to come discuss Falcon Football, without problems or having to walk on egg-shells with the Mods, or deal with trolls and haters all the time.

I personally have a problem with a certain Mod at AFMB that I feel is very unfair to certain long-time Falcon fans that he doesnt personally Like. He lets his personal emotions affect his job there, and I dont respect that at all. I also have a problem with a lot of people that just think im crazy or bi-polar, and they -1 me every time I post without even reading my posts. On top of all the latest changes to that board I just got sick of it. I dont need all that stress. I hate arguing with fellow Falcon fans all the time for no reason. I just needed somewhere different.

I am a lot more happier here. I am more calm and relaxed and not stressed all the time. I feel like I can post here and say my opinion without getting jumped on by 10 people at once. It's just a better atmosphere here for me.

[nativefalcon]

Good info Super fan, Ive always wondered about that, they could get more mini-mods. If thats the problem? Your right ive seen some gross stuff posted on the OMB in the PAST and it was just plain sic. I agree with all that your saying.

[DaMeatTrough]

SacFalcon and Shiney seem quite power hungry to me.

[Superfan]

(09-18-2010 12:32 AM)JKH5785 Wrote:  Extra mods wouldn't hurt in TATF, but fair mods, not one on a power trip

Well, it's a thankless duty that doesn't pay any money, so kudos to anyone willing to take on the responsibilities. It wouldn't be me, that's for sure.

I don't know about any "power tripping". The current CoC on the OMB is rather vague and can be open to personal interpretation in a lot of ways, The mods are human and thereby naturally flawed, but overall I think the only 2 ones we have over there now do a pretty good job. They just don't have enough help.

[The Falcon Jedi]

(09-18-2010 12:40 AM)DaMeatTrough Wrote:  SacFalcon and Shiney seem quite power hungry to me.

Shiney has no business being a board moderator. He is awful at that job.

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(09-18-2010 12:41 AM)Superfan Wrote:  Well, it's a thankless duty that doesn't pay any money, so kudos to anyone willing to take on the responsibilities. It wouldn't be me, that's for sure.

I don't know about any "power tripping". The current CoC on the OMB is rather vague and can be open to personal interpretation in a lot of ways, The mods are human and thereby naturally flawed, but overall I think the only 2 ones we have over there now do a pretty good job. They just don't have enough help.

I like Sac. I liked Bankerbird. But I have no respect at all for the job Shiney has done.

[Superfan]

Also, just so y'all know, the current +1 -1 rep system will be totally done away with when the boards are upgraded next month. The intention was good, but it never worked out as planned.

[DaMeatTrough]

This might seem random.....but there used to be an AOL only Falcons "private" message board where only the best posters on the AOL public board were invited to. This was probably around 2000-2003 or so. Did anybody here post there?

[Superfan]

(09-18-2010 12:41 AM)The Falcon Jedi Wrote:  Shiney has no business being a board moderator. He is awful at that job.

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I like Sac. I liked Bankerbird. But I have no respect at all for the job Shiney has done.

Bankerbird is another mod that has all but vanished and needs to be replaced.