What is GTSWARM?

[Longestday]

My favorites threads have people talking about the game, what they liked, did not like, player ability comparisons, stats, recruiting, or what we could have done different to win. Not everyone is sing a long everything is rosy CPJ fan, but most of use hate the strong negativity that drowns out the good conversation.

There are other boards that would love to hear a constant voice of I hate the offense and hate the coach over and over and over. This board used to have very little of the constant mantra of the negative sky is always falling fire the coach crowd. My hope is that these soap stand conversations can stay on the other boards.

I don't know what the owners want for GTSWARM. I do want this board to be the most informative, interesting, and thought provoking board possible.

 

[GTonTop88]

Because those guys are migrating this way, bc this site is the best

 

[OldJacketFan]

My favorites threads have people talking about the game, what they liked, did not like, player ability comparisons, stats, recruiting, or what we could have done different to win. Not everyone is sing a long everything is rosy CPJ fan, but most of use hate the strong negativity that drowns out the good conversation.

There are other boards that would love to hear a constant voice of I hate the offense and hate the coach over and over and over. This board used to have very little of the constant mantra of the negative sky is always falling fire the coach crowd. My hope is that these soap stand conversations can stay on the other boards.

I don't know what the owners want for GTSWARM. I do want this board to be the most informative, interesting, and thought provoking board possible.

This is what I want to see as well. In perusing some of the other sites yesterday and today most what of I have seen is the same old b.s. from folks who wouldn't know a rocket sweep from a bottle rocket. When I invest my time in a site I want to read knowledgeable, well reasoned posts(whether I agree with the poster or not) and have intelligent discourse without to wade through a bunch of garbage.

 

[John]

I'm speaking for myself and myself only. I'm sure @Eric will have his own perspective that he can share here if he wishes. One thing I'll remind everyone of first is that in Eric's first post here, he made a point about the site being open to suggestions. We haven't really gotten much feedback from you guys regarding what you want this site to become. The mods have discussed this internally and have some "what we want to be" ideas, we just haven't been able to execute on them yet.

With that said...a couple of things:

Negativity
I don't mind the negativity. It's going to be part of an open community like this for every loss, especially after a loss to a rival. I think for the most part, we all have been good with keeping our emotions at bay and keeping things civil and I really appreciate that. I don't like the idea of censoring either. So open to suggestions here because announcing that you may only post rational/analytical/knowledgeable/etc. posts will get nowhere fast.

One thing that I've noticed from this past season about the negativity is that they are the loudest and most prevalent after a loss (not surprisingly). So what typically happens is someone will post what I will describe as a "negative" thread then make some points that no one can prove or disprove. Then it eventually becomes a futile back and forth about who is right and who is wrong and this can go on and on because no one wants to be "proven" wrong publicly. I've thought about this some before and eventually accepted that negativity will always be a part of an online community of passionate fans but I would love to be proven wrong here.

Analysis
Yesterday, I've been too busy trying to keep the board clean that I haven't had much time to think about what happened with the game. I also prefer the posts that do breakdowns of games, analyzing what we think went wrong, throwing out ideas about what can be improved and how regardless of the fact that what we discuss here will most likely never be translated onto the field. All the talk about firing coaches and trashing players because they missed plays, doesn't really interest me all that much.

I'm really looking forward to the post-game analysis by @Boomergump but we've had some done by other members already (ATL1, gtg936g, Leonard, etc.) Speaking of which... @Longestdays I really liked the scrimmage videos you used to post pre-season. What happened to those?

If anyone wants to (has the time, resource, etc) to do something like this that the UNC site posts for free after every game, please get in touch with me and Eric and we will make it happen.

 

[GTrob21]

I love this board, great discussion and honestly given time, the pro's of this board will overcome the other ones, and this board will be the most populated.

Even the negative and critical posters I feel aren't as virulent as some of the other ones from the other boards.

Love the board...

 

[Tempest_12]

I mean I feel like this board is pretty good as it is. I think there is a few bad eggs in here but, make a few additions to the ignore list and then everything is great.

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

To speak to your point, John, my suggestion is that this board be an 'analysis' board. Nobody likes being censored, but if the policy is that negativity is allowed so long as it's backed up by analysis then users will at least be contributing instead of distracting. That's the vibe of the board right now and I think that's a good thing. It allows me to post open ended observations like our overtime win/loss record and expect meaningful responses as to the why. On the other boards I'd get a combination of emoticons and people trying to prove that my fact was wrong instead of the why.

 

[John]

I'm hoping this can be a very constructive and fruitful thread.

so long as it's backed up by analysis then users will at least be contributing instead of distracting.

I think the difficulty with this will be how anyone would judge a particular analysis as a valid analysis. Because in most cases, the negativity does include some type of reasoning which even the most gold-colored glasses wearing person won't be able to refute.

On the other boards I'd get a combination of emoticons and people trying to prove that my fact was wrong instead of the why.

Good point, at least we're not here yet.

 

[John]

By the way, this is the "throw out ideas" thread and there's really no such thing as a stupid idea. Some ideas may be difficult to implement technically but I'll still research it if there is enough support for the idea.

So I'll start... how about a new "Football Analysis" forum?

 

[collegeballfan]

Good thread Longestday. We needed this. Thanks.

I use this site to keep up with what is happening with GT sports. All of them. The negative stuff I read if it is well reasoned. What I do not enjoy is a contest to see who can be the most negative.

This site is a wonderful place to go for just plain information about recruiting. I believe we all did a solid job with the early signing period in men's basketball. We were on top of virtually every move from August forward.

We are doing a wonderful job with the 2014 football signing class. (A pat on the back to Eric.) Recruiting in college sports, like drafting in pro sports, is the lifeline of the organization. I would vote to keep recruiting as a major effort of gtswarm. Here can I go and get the info that otherwise I would get only by visiting 6 to 8 other sites. A community effort in the best of that tradition.

To the management team, good job and many thanks.

 

[Boomergump]

This is a good thread and worthy of discussion. Lord knows I have been very negative with certain players in my game write ups in the past (other site), but it usually focuses on their play and not the person. I try to vocalize the same things I would with a player as his coach in the film room. I hope that is OK here. I have tried to call it like I see it with the coaches too.

I guess above all, I want a spirit of respect to permeate the members. Negativity is fine, but you should have to be willing to back it up with argument instead of name calling. Drive by shootings on threads with a specific intent to derail the conversation really drive me crazy. So far I have witnessed the intent of moderators, through editing, to keep to the original subject of a thread. I like that, even though I have been taken to the woodshed as a violator already.

I am a huge fan of the game of football and I like to learn and share as well.

I don't have the patience to tolerate petty hatred and venom with no constructive purpose. The way I see it, there are plenty of boards already out there with plenty of that. We don't need another one here.

 

[Eric]

For me...I wanted to start a new site where Tech fans could go and discuss Georgia Tech sports....without every thread being changed to something else, "butthurt" being in almost every post...I simply wanted a site where we was Georgia Tech fans can discuss things and get opinions and feedback from each other.

I also love recruiting, it is my forte and what I enjoy covering the most. I wanted to be able to discuss recruiting with others and share any info I may have and hopefully get the Tech fanbase more interested in Georgia Tech recruiting.

As John said we are open to any and all suggestions and would love to add as much as we can to the site.

I will always handle recruiting as it is what interests me the most but hopefully in the future we can have someone who handles the basketball side and someone who breaks down games like the link John posted to the UNC site.

Lastly I would like to say I thank all of you for helping to get the board to where it is today...John and myself are here for the long haul and look forward to continued growth.

 

[jwsavhGT]

I've just have a couple of thoughts (for what they are worth). First, I want to thank everyone who contributes to keeping this board up & going. Second, I will never be able to contribute much in the way of analysis, projections, etc because I just don't have that ability. Truth be told, I probably only understand about a third of what is talked about when it comes to analyzing the games BUT I enjoy reading about my favorite team. I live in a town where the local sports reporting is all Ugha - tv & paper. I appreciate having access to GT info & news, but with a little less negativity.

 

[Lexjacket]

I've just have a couple of thoughts (for what they are worth). First, I want to thank everyone who contributes to keeping this board up & going. Second, I will never be able to contribute much in the way of analysis, projections, etc because I just don't have that ability. Truth be told, I probably only understand about a third of what is talked about when it comes to analyzing the games BUT I enjoy reading about my favorite team. I live in a town where the local sports reporting is all Ugha - tv & paper. I appreciate having access to GT info & news, but with a little less negativity.

You articulated where I am also. Wish I was better at analysis, but I'm learning from the 'students of the game' and I closely follow folks like Boomergump (even though he is a former Marine and a Marine threw up in my lap). I have been a Georgia Tech fan since I was 10 years old (for 52 years) and I am proud to be one. This site is an 'oasis of sanity'. I have no problem with constructive criticism, it is needed for a realistic view. I do have a problem with unbridled cynicism, and careless name calling by folks who live in 'dark places' and are insecure in their own skins. To me the game of football is a noble sport that prepares young men for life, which is not a game but a struggle. I have always loved Georgia Tech because they have kept the game in perspective and I admire that they always strive to treat 'student' athletes with decency.

 

[techfan101]

easily my favorite Georgia Tech forum website, thanks for starting it!

 

[Longestday]

The thing that most turns most people off is negativity for the sake of negativity, repetition of negativity, and negativity to the point that you wonder if they are really a GT fan.

These boys are the ones that signed on to play for GT. I support them for that fact alone. I do have a hard time pointing out their flaws without feeling guilty. I have no problem with other people pointing out where players need to improve and where coaches need to improve. I have no problem with someone wanting another coach. Not everyone will like this O and others will hate the next O scheme.

Vomiting hate all over the screen does nothing for no one. Vomit in general makes me sick. Why would I go participate in a place that makes me sick? I cannot even join the game day chat group on one board due to the amount of vomit that spills across my screen. Root for the boys! Call the boys out if need. Cheer and Boo if needed.

We all know that guy at the game. The one that cannot shut up about how bad everything is at Tech. How the players and coach can do nothing right. He is always yelling negative things at players. You wonder why and the heck do you come watch the game if you hate everything so much. That is the same type of post that kills the mood and enjoyment of the forum.

 

[OldJacketFan]

The thing that most turns most people off is negativity for the sake of negativity, repetition of negativity, and negativity to the point that you wonder if they are really a GT fan.

These boys are the ones that signed on to play for GT. I support them for that fact alone. I do have a hard time pointing out their flaws without feeling guilty. I have no problem with other people pointing out where players need to improve and where coaches need to improve. I have no problem with someone wanting another coach. Not everyone will like this O and others will hate the next O scheme.

Vomiting hate all over the screen does nothing for no one. Vomit in general makes me sick. Why would I go participate in a place that makes me sick? I cannot even join the game day chat group on one board due to the amount of vomit that spills across my screen. Root for the boys! Call the boys out if need. Cheer and Boo if needed.

We all know that guy at the game. The one that cannot shut up about how bad everything is at Tech. How the players and coach can do nothing right. He is always yelling negative things at players. You wonder why and the heck do you come watch the game if you hate everything so much. That is the same type of post that kills the mood and enjoyment of the forum.

+1!!!!!

 

[John]

The thing that most turns most people off is negativity for the sake of negativity, repetition of negativity, and negativity to the point that you wonder if they are really a GT fan.

Point taken. I don't want to put anyone on the spot but if you guys can PM me links to posts you think are like this, I will go over it. Not just Longestday but everyone.

I think I've been pretty diligent about keeping an eye on this sort of thing and I thought I have been but then again, I can not possibly read/review every post that is submitted.

Thanks.

 

[John]

Point taken. I don't want to put anyone on the spot but if you guys can PM me links to posts you think are like this, I will go over it. Not just Longestday but everyone.

I think I've been pretty diligent about keeping an eye on this sort of thing and I thought I have been but then again, I can not possibly read/review every post that is submitted.

Thanks.

Actually, please don't PM me. Click on the "Report" link and put in a note. You're not really reporting the post, just pointing out posts you think fit in that category.

I keep forgetting to remind everyone that under ever post there is indeed a "Report" link you can click to alert the mods.

 

[John]

This is a good thread and worthy of discussion. Lord knows I have been very negative with certain players in my game write ups in the past (other site), but it usually focuses on their play and not the person. I try to vocalize the same things I would with a player as his coach in the film room. I hope that is OK here. I have tried to call it like I see it with the coaches too.

Good point here boomer. Some of you may or may not know that we have just one rule here (so far anyways) and it deals with personal attacks. I've had many different conversations/debates with different folks here about what constitutes a personal attack and I admit, there's definitely gray areas that we mods can't promise we'll be able to enforce consistently.

One thing I realized is that because it's such a norm and even accepted thing to do on other sites, people are caught off guard when I send them a warning about it.

So going back to boomer's point. Here's my thinking on this that I wanted to bring up as another point of discussion. If a player makes a bad play, I don't see a problem with pointing that out. Let's take an example GT player named John Smith:

• John Smith should've made that play.
• That was a horrible play by John Smith.

I think the above two statements is critical of the player but it focuses on the plays. On the other hand, once you start calling them names, that's where a criticism turns personal:

• John Smith was stupid all game.
• If it wasn't for [insert any swear word here] John Smith, we would've won.

Then there are extreme cases like Alabama fans that send death threats to their players. There's no gray area there.

Thoughts?