Mods, thanks for not being "that guy"

[cambodia36]

I liked V5, but there was no way on earth I was going to pay for a sliver of "insider" access when everyone will find out the exact truth on subjects at the same time. Finding out some 3* TE is going to commit 6 hours early isn't really my idea of worthwhile paid access.

I also liked that people were a little more free to rant on V5 without the barrage of "Yay bulls #1!" eternal optimists that down vote anything with a hint of negativity, as if we aren't allowed to be frustrated with the program in what have been some frustrating years. 

But yeah.. I don't know that guy personally, but I know people that do that can't mention him without an eyeroll or 3. But he was always respectful to me over there, and whether my options differed from others there, so was everyone else (as I was towards them) 

[JupiterBull]

9 hours ago, CallMeCognitiveDissonance said:

I'm not a subscriber to 247, however I've known Collin for the better part of 15 years. Push comes to shove, the guy is a die hard Bulls fan like all of us and would have your back or my back in a heart beat. I don't necessarily believe Collin is pontificating - I think we've entered a new era of writing where sports writers emulate Bill Simmons. To many, Simmons is the pinnacle of the industry - and I might be wrong with this one on Collin, but that's how I've seen Collin's writing evolve throughout the years. When it comes to a message board, I'm personally attempting to dial down my neuro-activity (this is leisure reading at best anymore). I'm definitely not trying to break out a dictionary. When I read the VD5 articles from time to time, there was no time to dial down. However we shouldn't look at that as a bad thing. Collin is a great guy with a strong opinion on certain subject matters. Let's leave it at that and call it a good night. Go Bulls!    

Agree Collin is all in on our Bulls.  But on this point, I think he over reacted, and his stance is over the top.  But, that's my opinion...and I still value most of what he posts on Twitter (and was a VD5 occasional reader).  Hey, I love & respect a lot of people, but I can dissent without wavering on my underlying view.  I also think readers don't like being scolded like a child, with a condescending tone.  He can be awesome to many, but also smarmy at times.  But, with social media as in life, he can be whoever he wants to be, and people can decide whether or not they want to be around him, or read what he writes.

[slowdown]

6 hours ago, cambodia36 said:

I liked V5, but there was no way on earth I was going to pay for a sliver of "insider" access when everyone will find out the exact truth on subjects at the same time. Finding out some 3* TE is going to commit 6 hours early isn't really my idea of worthwhile paid access.

I also liked that people were a little more free to rant on V5 without the barrage of "Yay bulls #1!" eternal optimists that down vote anything with a hint of negativity, as if we aren't allowed to be frustrated with the program in what have been some frustrating years. 

But yeah.. I don't know that guy personally, but I know people that do that can't mention him without an eyeroll or 3. But he was always respectful to me over there, and whether my options differed from others there, so was everyone else (as I was towards them) 

The recruiting stuff was a lot more than just breaking commit news first, their was a lot more depth.  I always came here for a good portion of the fan talk, but Newberg particularly had a lot of insight from recruits, HS coaches, family members, etc that was entertaining and worth what I paid.  Also, a lot of the members were quality posters and their wasn't a lot of muck to wade through for the regular stuff either.   However when Newberg gets involved with something, and leaves the recruiting to someone else, recruiting coverage inevitably goes downhill fast. 

[GaUSFBull]

8 hours ago, 2000bull said:

He's not going anywhere...we can't afford the buyout

Nah.  I have a quarter here that should cover it.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, CallMeCognitiveDissonance said:

I'm not a subscriber to 247, however I've known Collin for the better part of 15 years. Push comes to shove, the guy is a die hard Bulls fan like all of us and would have your back or my back in a heart beat. I don't necessarily believe Collin is pontificating - I think we've entered a new era of writing where sports writers emulate Bill Simmons. To many, Simmons is the pinnacle of the industry - and I might be wrong with this one on Collin, but that's how I've seen Collin's writing evolve throughout the years. When it comes to a message board, I'm personally attempting to dial down my neuro-activity (this is leisure reading at best anymore). I'm definitely not trying to break out a dictionary. When I read the VD5 articles from time to time, there was no time to dial down. However we shouldn't look at that as a bad thing. Collin is a great guy with a strong opinion on certain subject matters. Let's leave it at that and call it a good night. Go Bulls!    

Collin is also a good writer, so his content is worthy (in my opinion) of being supported.  But he went a bit over the line with this type of attitude:

"And I'm in charge around here, so what I think a message board should be is what this one will be. If you don't like it, there's plenty of other places to fling green and gold poo."

That attitude doesn't build a community... and it certainly doesn't make people want to pay money to support him, especially when the forum is free and almost all of the content is free.  Brad gets a lot of donations here and has a few ads (plus other minor revenue streams), but pays most of the cost out of his pocket to provide this site.  The other boards have networks to cover the costs, so their publishers have no skin in the game.

In the 13 years since I joined the online community of Bulls fans, one thing has been certain, everyone needs to do what they can to make the tent bigger.

[Rocky Style]

7 hours ago, cambodia36 said:

I liked V5, but there was no way on earth I was going to pay for a sliver of "insider" access when everyone will find out the exact truth on subjects at the same time. Finding out some 3* TE is going to commit 6 hours early isn't really my idea of worthwhile paid access.

I also liked that people were a little more free to rant on V5 without the barrage of "Yay bulls #1!" eternal optimists that down vote anything with a hint of negativity, as if we aren't allowed to be frustrated with the program in what have been some frustrating years. 

But yeah.. I don't know that guy personally, but I know people that do that can't mention him without an eyeroll or 3. But he was always respectful to me over there, and whether my options differed from others there, so was everyone else (as I was towards them) 

I also liked the rantability of V5.

[Raetus]

29 minutes ago, JimUSFSig said:

Collin is also a good writer, so his content is worthy (in my opinion) of being supported. 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but Colin is an okay writer, at best. If we're talking purely about skill, I work with teenagers that would write circles around him -- he's easily replaceable in that regard. His merit lies in the fact that he sincerely supports USF athletics and even if he is dissenting against a USF effort, he is doing so with the university's best interest in mind. He wants USF to be successful and I appreciate that as a fan.

So, I'm glad that he's able to write about the teams that he enjoys supporting, but he's a mediocre internet blogger, not the President of the United States. If he can't keep his ego in check enough to handle the lofty position of Internet message board moderator, then maybe he should stick to blogging.

Edited December 26, 2015 by Raetus

[Who'sYourData?]

_{Collen is a piece of work.  He doesn't want a thread of speculation about a USF coach.  Instead, he self-congratulates himself for overreacting in an immature manner, and creates a multi page thread about his immaturity.}

_{I'm not one to get too excited anymore about a coach leaving or not.  But I would certainly rather read about that than about someone's narcissistic attitude.  My thoughts about him really haven't changed since he announced on TBP that he would no longer post here because he was starting blog.  I didn't care.}

[Bull Matrix]

1 hour ago, DataBull said:

_{Collen is a piece of work.  He doesn't want a thread of speculation about a USF coach.  Instead, he self-congratulates himself for overreacting in an immature manner, and creates a multi page thread about his immaturity.}

_{I'm not one to get too excited anymore about a coach leaving or not.  But I would certainly rather read about that than about someone's narcissistic attitude.  My thoughts about him really haven't changed since he announced on TBP that he would no longer post here because he was starting blog.  I didn't care.}

He hates the Bullspen as he said that Brad let this message board turn into a cesspool lol. As USF fans we must unify not divide our small fan base. I take offense at anyone taking shots at TBP as Brad put a lot of time and effort at making TBP happen. I believe that Brad has been more of a unified USF supporter compared to what they have going over there. 

[cambodia36]

I'm all for trying to keep things in a positive direction, but..you can't just try and squash any speculation, or people that don't just crap USF sunshine in every post. I get not wanting to perpetuate every weird, oddball rumor (like, just as a weird example, if I came on here spouting rumors that player X was gay and being shunned by the team, I would expect a stern warning, maybe a temp ban and for my thread to be taken down immediately) but speculating what's going on w Allen, when Auburn boards are doing just that every day, is entirely fair game, and to me, precisely what message boards are for. I want to be able to read some of the between the lines type stuff, even some 3rd party "my friend who knows coach Y says he's staying at UM" type stuff. To say "let's just focus on the game" to a message board poster and/ or twitter follower, is like saying "let's just focus on the show" to people on a celebrity gossip forum talking about Whatever the Kardashians did this week.