What has happend to soxtalk???

[SoxFanForever]

Some of us grew up and have day jobs and families now. Just my $.02

Agreed completely. I know when I joined up here I was 19 and in college. Believe it or not, a lot changes in 4-5 years for people.

Edited August 18, 2008 by SoxFanForever

[greg775]

I don't even know what WSI is ... apparently that's a good thing for me.

[lostfan]

I don't even know what WSI is ... apparently that's a good thing for me.

Correct. Save yourself the trouble. JMO anyway, there are good posters there but the mods as a whole are seriously awful. And it seems like they're aware of that, and just don't care.

[stretchstretch]

I don't even know what WSI is ... apparently that's a good thing for me.

 

same here, today's the first I heard of it.......I find the exchanges here satisfying, so why waiver.......

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

I found WSI before Soxtalk, but I won't post at WSI anymore. I hate the fact that if you say something negative and don't expect the Sox to win the World Series every year, you are a "dark cloud." What I love about this site is the different opinions people have. There is no doubt in my mind that the posters here are a lot more knowledgable than the ones at WSI. Plus, the minor league discussion is a lot better here.

[Soxbadger]

This place has changed a lot over the years. I dont think that I will ever consider it small because I can remember when there were not that many who posted here. Prior to 2005 the whole board had a different atmosphere as the board was filled with people who loved the White Sox no matter what. Most of us had barely seen any success in the playoffs in our entire life time, so most of the threads ideas were always upbeat dream scenarios about how the White Sox would some how do it with limited payroll.

 

Its hard to remember what it was like to be a White Sox fan and expect so little.

 

I still read almost every thread, I just dont post that much (well compared to others I never really have posted that much) because it seems more people are quick to get down on the Sox and not enjoy the ride like they used to be.

[WilliamTell]

The biggest difference is the game thread posts like the thread initially mentioned. I think having a terrible year last year might have something to do with it compared to 2006 when we were the reigning champions, but I'm not quite sure. Someone else also mentioned people growing up and getting jobs, which I'm sure has contributed. And if people are like me, they have other things to do instead of sit on a computer. I'm not saying sitting on a computer and reading everything on this site is a bad thing, but people now have kids or other important factors and do not have time to be on a message board routinely. 2 years ago I was at 12 posts a day, now I'm at 7.3 so I have been a victim of not being on the site as well.

Edited August 18, 2008 by WilliamTell

[YASNY]

This place has changed a lot over the years. I dont think that I will ever consider it small because I can remember when there were not that many who posted here. Prior to 2005 the whole board had a different atmosphere as the board was filled with people who loved the White Sox no matter what. Most of us had barely seen any success in the playoffs in our entire life time, so most of the threads ideas were always upbeat dream scenarios about how the White Sox would some how do it with limited payroll.

 

Its hard to remember what it was like to be a White Sox fan and expect so little.

 

I still read almost every thread, I just dont post that much (well compared to others I never really have posted that much) because it seems more people are quick to get down on the Sox and not enjoy the ride like they used to be.

 

You know what, you just summed it up perfectly. So many are so critical of any particular failure that they fail to see the big picture and enjoy the fact that Sox are a pretty good team. A team that can break our hearts or send us to an '05 like ecstasy. Either way, we were picked to finished in about 4th place and are now in an exciting race for the postseason. Fans can choose however they want to approach this season. I'm not going to change anybody's mind, so I have basically just shut up about the negativism. But for me, I'll just enjoy the ride, wherever it may end.

[chimpy2121]

You know who I wish would come back? Goldmember. He's the one that brought me over here from NFL-Fans in the first place.

[Hawkfan]

I hardly ever post because there are much more knowledgeable posters than me, but i also do not like reading through 100 posts that say the same thing over and over again and i would hate to contribute to that. However, I come to this site every day and if i lost it today I'd go insane. This is easily the best sox forum and its gotta be one of the best in the MLB. I don't need 800 pages of idiots giving their opinions and changing the subject when i can come to soxtalk and read quality posts from reliable sources.

[YASNY]

I hardly ever post because there are much more knowledgeable posters than me, but i also do not like reading through 100 posts that say the same thing over and over again and i would hate to contribute to that. However, I come to this site every day and if i lost it today I'd go insane. This is easily the best sox forum and its gotta be one of the best in the MLB. I don't need 800 pages of idiots giving their opinions and changing the subject when i can come to soxtalk and read quality posts from reliable sources.

 

If you've been a soxtalk member since 2003, I'm sure that you have acquired a wealth of knowledge. Please join in and add your opinions to the site.

[mr_genius]

I haven't noticed any drop-off of posts

[santo=dorf]

A few things I noticed:

 

There's more branching off with Sox message boards, and this board has become more mature. In addition to people just growing up, the language filter has been added and there were quite a few members part of the "bassment" who left/were banned.

 

I like it more here than about three years ago when it was "can somebody make me a sig?" or "to Join {blah, blah, blah} fan club, PM me."

[Wanne]

Tell ya what...this is the FIRST place I log on to for any Sox news. People on here are pretty friggin knowledgable and up to date. Sure...many people use this place also to vent all their frustrations with the team and tend to be negative when things go bad...but take it with a grain of salt dude. You won't find another site with better information and insight IMO. I love reading everybody's different insights. Some are spot on IMO...some a completely off the wall. But it's all good. Join in and enjoy is my recommendation.

 

btw...the guys that run this site do a hell of a job.

Edited August 18, 2008 by Wanne

[MurcieOne]

Let the healing process begin

 

Soxtalk

[Cali]

this. board. is. dead.

 

 

[Jordan4life_2007]

I actually think Soxtalk changed the minute we won the World Series. It's hard to explain. But that's what I think. I still love this place. The good totally outweighs the bad.

[thedoctor]

You know who I wish would come back? Goldmember. He's the one that brought me over here from NFL-Fans in the first place.

 

what happened to nfl-fans anyway? last time i went to check it out it redirected me to a different site.

[Texsox]

I don't post anywhere, but I read everywhere. I used to read you guys every single day and you were great. This board was incredibly active in 05, 06, 07. But what has happend in 08??? I also read whitesoxinteractive and they are like 10 times as big now. It used to be about even. Their post game threads normally have double digit pages, here sometimes there isent even a post game thread! This used to be the place to be for sox fans like me, i'm just dissapointed to see how far its fallen.

Usually when someone with 4 posts posts something like this they are just trying to champion their favorite site. A troll in sheep's clothing.

[Texsox]

I think it's pretty sh***y that whoever deleted it never even bothered to message me seeing as it's unwritten and since it was 'written' before I even joined.

 

Yeah it was s***ty to not tell you why, and something we try not to do. Damn volunteers.

[kapkomet]

I think it's pretty sh***y that whoever deleted it never even bothered to message me seeing as it's unwritten and since it was 'written' before I even joined.

Yikes. I don't think anyone meant anything by it.

 

 

[caulfield12]

I think the sites have two very different drivers.

 

1) Is it to get mentioned the most in newspaper articles and blogs, cited as a reference and as the "view from the street" perspective on the team by those writing about the Sox for local/regional/national publications?

 

2) Is it to draw the highest number of page views and even generate revenue streams or full/part-time jobs?

 

3) Is the goal to have the highest number of "members" and "guests," and/or users on-line or is it to have the best site for the serious White Sox fan that doesn't want to wade through a bunch of garbage?

[southsider2k5]

There are a bunch of different factors at work here.

 

-Most of the people who run Soxtalk are fairly young, and have gone through life style changes that have completely changed their freetime dynamics. Heck in the 5 1/2 years I have been here, I know I have a job where I work a lot more now, and I have had two kids and bought a house. I don't have time to post 40 times a day like I used to. Most of the admins are in the same boat, so things aren't as well looked after and active as they used to be.

 

-Things aren't as friendly as they used to be, and all you have to do is look at a couple of the initial responses in this very thread for evidence of that. Personally I think as the site has gotten older and the posting base has gotten used to each other, many of the early nicities have gone away. Its almost like instead of being on our best behavior and polite to each other as we were new here, we have become family, and don't feel the need to waste our time with that anymore. In general its not a big deal, but for people who haven't been around a long time, it comes off as brash and rude. It doesn't make someone who isn't in the loop feel welcome. I know I have been as guilty of that as anyone, so maybe we all just need to take a second to reflect before we submit posts.

 

-The game threads poster was just an honest mistake. We have had a system for two seasons now where whoever posts the game thread for a particular day has the right to keep posting the next one until the team loses. I know you were upset, but just PM someone and ask what happened. We'll let you know.

 

-There has been an on-going pissing match between a couple of different groups of people for a while now. There is the group who feels that it is their duty to point out everything wrong with the team. There is the group who feels like it is their duty to point out every good thing about this team. There are the groups who feel that no matter what they say, THEY should never be the ones being judged. Some of those groups overlap, but conflict is pretty inherent between these groups. I have seen posts from all groups involved here, sniping at their opposites, and the net effect is that the quality of posting itself loses. The basic problem is that too many people have become obsessed with being right over all other things, and will do what it takes to prove themselves right. What is the solution? I have no idea. Some people see Soxtalk as their personal place to unload everything, others see it as a place to enjoy the White Sox with other fans. The biggest issue has been that neither side shows the other side much respect. Maybe again the solution is to think before you post and wonder what your reaction would be to the post you are about to make.

 

-Game threads are what they are. Maybe it is the instant nature of reaction, but they are pretty much going to be dictated by who is in them. For some reason, the people who post in them mostly have initial reactions that are negative. Its not my favorite thing, but it is what it is. People react the way that they react, and there isn't much you can do about that. The only way to change that is for the people who want to see more positive stuff talked about, post more and drown out the negative talk.

 

-WSI has its own style, and that is fine with us. We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we also don't spend as much time and money on the site as they do. That could be a very big part of why they take their mod/admin posts more aggressively than we do. We have always had more open philosophy, and the fact that this thread still exists and has had a good many of Soxtalk staff post in it, is a first hand testimony to how we view ourselves. A lot of people here use both sites to get their information and discussion fixes, and that is great. WSI does a great job, and I have nothing but respect for what they contribute for Sox fans. Would I run my site like they do? No. Does that take away from the work that they do? Hell no.

 

 

[southsider2k5]

Eh, I didn't mean to post that yet, as I had one more thing I wanted to talk about.

 

-The catch-all threads came out of a couple of factors. First was repeat subject postings. The Second was super-high volume making it hard to keep up with the different threads. We sure can think about changing that if a lot of people don't like the format, even if it is just in PaleHoseTalk.

 

And finally, as always, if you have issues let us know. We talk about anything and everything, so PM, Email, or post to us. We do listen.

[Kyyle23]

I just dont see how a Catch-All thread is a downfall of this site. It doesnt detract from the amount of posted threads IMO, there is still plenty to sift through. To me, specific threads are like the newspaper, and the catch-all is like sports talk at the bar with buddies ("hey did you hear what happened to so-and-so?"). They each serve a purpose. Maybe something should be done to curb the amount of posts in the catch-all (maybe a 25 page limit before the catch-all is dated and archived), but I definitely think that it serves a good purpose.

 

As this site has grown, it has obviously matured. Some of that is driven by the people who have grown up and moved on to a different time in their lives, some of it is driven by the image that this site reflects on the rest of the Internet. There is always other sites that people can move on to if they dont appreciate what ST has to offer, some people swear by WSI, and thats fine by me. Im here because I enjoy the banter and the people on the site, when I feel that has changed, I might not post as much, but I will always read.