As I mentioned previously (LINK), I am making small tweaks to the site here and there. Next up is a discussion with my tech guy about installing upvotes and downvotes. So I ask for your help with the direction of this aspect of the website.
Above is the standard Reddit upvote/downvote button. The orange-highlighted arrow reflects the user’s individual vote, and the numeric total in the middle represents the net vote total. In this example, the user upvoted the comment/post and it currently has two more upvotes than downvotes. This is a spare but clean approach.
The image above is a screenshot from MGoBlog. As you can see, the upvote arrow and downvote arrow are both visible, as are the totals for each. If this post were upvoted 10 times and downvoted 9 times, those totals would be visible rather than a simple -1 like the Reddit example above. Add in the join date and the “MGoPoints” – which reflect the user’s entire membership career – and it’s a much more complex and comprehensive representation of the user’s posting history.
Rather than an upvote/downvote button, a thumbs up or thumbs down button could be used. If you’re a Facebook user and ever wanted an “Unlike” button to go along with the “Like” button, maybe we could make this happen.
The images above represent the voting process on 247 Sports. It’s a simple upvote or downvote selection, and the vote total is revealed only after the user votes. That presumably prevents “groupthink” and people jumping on the bandwagon if they see something getting a ton of upvotes or downvotes.
What are your thoughts? Do you like any of these ideas better than others? Do you like having your posting history (sign-up date, number of posts, etc.) connected to your name and avatar?
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I’d leave it alone. The arguments are good entertainment. I think voting is superfluous.
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I am fine with Roanman’s suggestion. But if you choose to show voting. I do like MGoBlog’s style. I want to see totals for up and down. Not just the net.
Join dates do add a little perspective. Would prefer.
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I tend to agree. I myself don’t value the vote thing that much.
If one is to be implemented, then keep it simple.
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Join dates are fine. One of the things that annoy me at MGOBlog is the upvote/downvote games.
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I think the voting is not a big deal, and Im surprised that some people feel strongly about it. If some enjoy it, it would be a plus for your forums, those that do not enjoy it, should simply not use it. Perhaps a compromise would be to place the vote function far to the right of posts. History is most important, imo. The 24/7 is the slickest tool, but add history.
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I like 247’s idea, although I’m not in love with its implementation.
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Bottom line….it’s fun. I like fun. Let’s have fun!
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I don’t like the voting idea. I’ll still come to your site but it reminds me of Facebook (which I despise) and the freakin’ Millenial generation and their needs for smily faces and thumbs up!
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That’s the joy of the downvote button – you can make all those millennials pay for their upvotes by downvoting them.
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Up/Down voting is pure idiocy. It accomplishes nothing. It turns people in ego-maniacs like most of the clowns on Mgoblog. Just a bad idea.
One of the things i have always liked about this site is the lack voting and how it seems more civil. Please dont turn this into another site that is just for attention seeking ego-freaks and stick-up-the-ass elitists like at Mgoblog.
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I respect your opinion. Part of my goal is to encourage people to involve themselves in the comments, message board, etc. So far I’m having trouble drumming up involvement in the message board, so I’m trying to come up with ways for people to visit/participate more. I’ve tried starting threads, linking threads, tweeting out topics, etc. and nothing seems to be working so far. I would also be interested in other suggestions if you have any.
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Would be nice if you had an EDIT button though….lol. Since i see i have a couple of typos in that post. Note to self: Dont try to type while eating pizza.
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I like the voting option but it is not all that a huge deal.
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Obviously its the off season for football talk Thunder. Even with it being the middle of spring practice its just a very slow time of year for hardcore football fans like us that will frequent these types of boards. I know you are very aware of that too. Give it time. I have been visiting this site for a long time but only today did i decide to register so i could put in my worthless 2 cents on the voting issue.
I think you have a good site here and it will only get better. I think i am even ready to contribute to it!
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I see what you’re saying, but the message board has been struggling all along – during the season, before/during National Signing Day time, etc. You’re right that this is a slow time of year, but the slow time of year is when I have the time to upgrade the site and pay attention to this type of stuff. Once the season previews start, football practice starts, etc., I’m a very busy guy. I think Brian at MGoBlog is in the same boat, because he’s currently working on his site redesign while he can, too.
That being said, thanks for signing up for the site and lodging your first couple of comments.
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Sending you an email Thunder about how to contribute to the site.
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I’ve been going to Mgoblog for 5 years and haven’t even registered a user name. To me, it’s been my go-to for Michigan football news. However, I won’t post anything on the site because there are so many users who, I believe, just enjoy seeing themselves in writing. They aren’t funny, post ludicrous title threads and attack other posters. I visit sites like “Touch the Banner” because there aren’t many opinions given by others. Always enjoyed your analysis on players and found myself dissecting Hudl films after reading your articles. If I do post it’s because I want Magnus/Thunder to respond, not because I want to know what others think. I just don’t want you to jump the shark!
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I understand what you’re saying, and I do like to participate and interact with readers/commenters. However, there’s a reason (well, many reasons) that MgoBlog gets millions of hits per month. I’m not saying that upvotes/downvotes are the sole reason, but I think they’re a part of the equation.
It’s kind of like your local mom-and-pop grocery store vs. WalMart. I’ll never become MGoBlog because I don’t have the resources, infrastructure, time, etc. But I also don’t want to be satisfied picking up the crumbs, either. If there’s a way to improve interaction, traffic, etc., I want to explore those ideas.
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The upvotes/downvotes may be part of the equation but your sites are entirely different. At least they are right now. Their site is at least 90% driven by fans who have very little background in football coaching and/or recruiting. They post off-topic viewpoints and ridiculous clickbait. It’s pure garbage. For the other 10% (Brian, Ace, you and a few others) it’s great. I know what I’m getting that when I go to that site and only look for 1) Brian’s recent comments 2) Something newsworthy that just happened, like a commitment. Your site is YOU! Sure, you want to drive opinions but those opinions should be from YOUR analysis or opinions. An actual coach with years of experience dissecting films.That’s what I think your site should be. If you want to more like Walmart, I’m sure there are plenty of ways. Just hoping you stay closer to mom and pop stores that know you by name.
Also, I LOVE the girls you post pics of. Gorgeous! Don’t know where you find them all but great job. However, I have to avoid this site sometimes during work hours because of it. I’m always looking over my shoulder watching to see if anyone is coming down the hall before I can click on the babes. There may be a better way to put a separate link to the ladies in a different spot so I don’t “accidently” get caught.
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There are definitely parts of MGoBlog (and Rivals and Reddit and Facebook and every site) I don’t like. The thing is to find a balance between being a mom-and-pop store on the verge of going out of business and “going corporate.” Staying on your indie label or signing with Atlantic. This is a passion project, yes, but traffic brings revenue with it. I could afford to do my own thing on Blogger because it was free, but now I’m paying for bandwidth, tech help, etc. My net income from the blog is less than it was before moving. I don’t think it compromises my ability to share my opinions and interact with commenters if there are more people visiting. Of course, it’s easier to respond to 20 comments than it is to respond to 100 comments, but it’s a trade-off.
I have done research, tried some new things, asked for suggestions, etc. I’ve expanded my social media platforms, posted links elsewhere, linked to the message board, etc. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I think there are still tweaks to be made.
As for the girls, I guess I don’t have a great answer for you. The links are posted above the jump, and the only reason to view the full post is to see the pictures of the girls. If you’re using the “Home” page or the “Blog” page, you basically won’t see any of those pictures (except the thumbnails on the sidebar). I thought that was a pretty safe way to hide the slightly-NSFW content.
I appreciate your feedback/interaction. I don’t want it to come across as if I’m arguing with you. I’m just trying to make sure you understand the motivations behind my desires to make some changes.
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How big can negative numbers get? I look forward to finding out.
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You post on MGoBlog sometimes. It’s not that bad.
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BTW the spring practice preview stuff was pretty good. I enjoyed it. Thanks.
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+1
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Yes I think there should be a voting system. For me I’d like it to show total positive and total neg but the key is that it’s simple to understand. That way newcomers to the site don’t feel discouraged from joining in…and if it’s really complex I think that could happen. I definitely think it will lead to more use of the comment section without a doubt..and I’ve read where you’ve said that’s a major goal now with the redesign up and rolling.
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It has actually been nearly 8 years since I signed up with Mgoblog. I split my time almost 50/50 between the U.S. and Mexico and this is the first year I’ve really hit the boards because Harbaugh has been creating so much news, and as Urb says, “the future is looking bright,” but it’s looking damn good in AA as well. I think Mgoblog has become a lot better, although I agree with Extrajuice – I believe he is the one who wrote it – initially I thought the site was made up of English majors or wannabe writers, and I just dropped by to discuss a little football. I am a decent typist and as long as my message got through I was happy. Due to my work, prior to retirement, I always make an attempt to structure correctly, use proper grammar and punctuate as needed. But when I was getting negged for misspellings or not adding paragraphs when the formatting options wouldn’t allow me to, I thought there are better ways to spend my time.
But as I said, all of a sudden, the members are behaving much better and actually seem interested in the football content. And to be totally honest I didn’t even know about the point system until Brian contacted me and informed me I would be able to do additional things because my point total had reached a certain number. I said, “Thanks Brian, but I wasn’t even aware of the point system.” But you belong to both, so I trust your judgment and it’s your site, so if you believe it adds, I have no problem with it.
I don’t know Thunder if you caught one of my posts explaining on how I ran a defense similar to Brown’s in the 80s and 90s, but for completely different reasons. Most of the teams were running a 52 with some holding on to the old ND 44. Unlike Brown, who was able to devise his schemes with forethought, I had to devise a way to hide the weakest part of our team, and that was me as HC. The HC I was working with accepted a job that was just too enticing to refuse. And after the smoke had cleared I was the first non faculty head coach of the football team. I had played it for a number of years, as qb, and understood the basic blocking schemes, but for the same reasons as Brown, I just thought it would be better to attack outside the colors, Eagle and other stunts associated with the 52. So I just incorporated a lot of X stunts that almost always had now fewer than 8 attacking, often times 9, but I did learn the value of an attacking defense and again, with intent to make life miserable on a h.s. qb, we were able to stay in most games and even won a few.
After spending a couple of years with two local HOF coaches, I returned to same job and against their advice – they thought I was too aggressive – I never looked back and that is why I am so damn excited about this year’s D.
As I told you in my email, I was impressed by the site and I will try to bounce back and forth between the two. Brian has been very nice to me as well. My son and friend of his have a sports related site I think is aimed at anything that cannot be mistaken as serious, so I’ll see if I can pick up some ideas from him that may be of help.
Anyway, all have a great night and I look forward to stopping by and I will gave serious thought to purchasing a subscription or donating, whichever you have decided is best for you. Keep up the good work, and I’m sure it will work out for you, but I realize competition is stiff. And I say this not to be a prick, but target Rival members. That’s a site we could do without. Actually, it’s an entire network that has allowed things to get out of control. But as stated, I did not log on to speak badly of someone else.
You all have a wonderful evening.
Go Blue!!!!
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I think the members are behaving better at MGoBlog because there is some good football being played, and people are excited about the program. The bad years of Rodriguez and Hoke dragged down the fans’ morale, although there was a brief respite during Hoke’s solid 2011-2012 seasons.
I don’t think I saw that post on MGoBlog about your coaching situation. I knew that you were a coach based on some of the other things you’ve said, but not any of the details. I’ve never consistently run a 5-2 defense, although we have always had adjustments from 4-man fronts to play some form of 5-2 for stretches and against certain packages. One of our rivals has run a 5-2 for a long time, and it fouls us up because we’re so used to teams playing 4-man fronts now.
Thanks for the compliments and words of encouragement. I don’t plan to move to a subscription service, but I am curious how that’s working out for Matt Pargoff (formerly of Rivals) at Maize and Blue News. Rivals has gone downhill over the last few years, at least the Michigan site. The writing and analysis have dropped off, and I’m to the point where I don’t take most of their information seriously. If I were a full-time recruiting writer, I would be rather embarrassed to publish some of the things they do.
Thanks again, and have a good one!
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I always liked Matt and for that reason became a subscriber as soon as he started the site. I don’t know if it was still because Rivals was going strong, but he had a hell of a time getting it moving and I am not certain he is still at it. I dropped you an email explaining about a bio I started here and just wanted to let you know it was a draft only and I will have to cut it down considerably. Just got on a roll and lost myself for a bit.
I will continue to familiarize myself with your site. Seems to be a good, although limited number at the present time. But sure it will grow.
Have good day,
Wolfman
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I think Matt Pargoff is still at it. I mean, he definitely still posts content, and I follow him on Twitter. I assume his site is still subscription-based, because there’s a “Subscribe” button at the top of his site. I did get your e-mail about the bio. I’ll keep an eye out for when you whittle it down.
There’s significantly more interaction on the blog during the season, but things have been pretty slow lately. Have a good one!
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There is a timely and maybe cautionary thread on MGOblog recently started by Wolfman. I am not a member there and have only posted on GBMwolverine and now here.
The upvote/downvote snark is mostly personal and about the OP (Wolfy) as opposed to the subject matter. He offers and remembers how great Wheatley was as an RB. Wolfman tends to be a lightning rod for this type of response and he forgets that the second guy always gets the flag thrown on him when he retaliates. But, the subject was Wheatley’s greatness as a RB and I sure agree with him about Wheats.
In this case the snark itself generates the clicks.
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