How Does Your School View Your Fan Forum/Web Site?

[Catatonic]

The relationship between schools and their fan forums seems to range from cozy to cold. I am curious to know how your AD and/or Coaches look at fan site? Are you viewed as an aid to building fan interest/contributions/attendance/enthusiasm or as a nuisance/source of "leaks" about team secrets related to recruiting/injuries/team morale/participation in voluntary summer program and so forth?

[TheRevSFA]

Our AD doesn't like is but the coaches and SIDs do, as well as the alumni association. We aren't big by any means but the school is making efforts to help us grow

you want to tak about a not so great relationship, look at katfans and Sam. KF is easily the cream of the crop when it comes to fan sites in the SLC but they can't even get their alumni association to partner with them, let alone the athletic department. Also, don't ask about the inflatable helmet. It sucks for them because it is a great site with solid support

[ElonFirefighter]

Its a double edge sore. Unofficially our Athletic boosters like it as well as some of the coaches. Though its hard to get any official support. We do have an SID whos "unknown" on the site that does help answer a lot of questions. I think it really comes down to the fine line where schools love any support they can get but are weary of the media they cant control and could give the school a bad image. Its rare but I have received some inside info. When I do get it I still ask permission from the person to "leak it" and keep them anonymous.

[bonarae]

Regarding the Ivy general board on Voyager (http://www.voy.com/152805/)...

Most of the fans there do not post on national forums such as this one, but it's often the only reliable source regarding verbal commits, schedule rumors, Ivy reactions to national issues, opinions on the Presidents' strictures on football, etc. Haven't been there in years though (since I picked up ETSU when their football program was reinstated.)

[Laker]

I don't know if our AD looks at the things that fans post but I KNOW that our SID and athletic department staff and some coaches read it. I have been called by my screen name by some of them- there is no way that they would know that unless they had read my posts.

Also some of the friends and family of the coaches. They have made some pretty interesting statements and it didn't take very long to out them!

[McNeese72]

Probably don't like ours. We have too many armchair coaches, AD's, and SID's that pop in to tell everybody what the athletic administration is doing wrong.

[BisonFan02]

The owner/mod of Bisonville posts over here, so I would defer to him on any direct contact.

Some preventative TL:DR....I've met a lot of good people from Bisonville...but I don't imagine the athletic department overly enjoys some of their activities. Replace the "inflatable helmet" at Katfans with forum polls firing coaches being published on the local rag newspaper.

If you were to walk around a NDSU tailgate and ask about Bisonville, you will get 1 of these answers:

1) Yeah! I know of it! What's your username? Mine is........
2) No, wtf is that?
3) Yeah, they are a bunch of crazy rubes...I won't go over there.

and the athletic departments reaction when BV is brought up....

http://i.imgur.com/TCAuC6E.gif



another one is bisonation.info.....I personally like the info, but I can imagine the ath department is overly nervous about NCAA problems there.

[BEAR]

Probably don't like ours. We have too many armchair coaches, AD's, and SID's that pop in to tell everybody what the athletic administration is doing wrong.

Ditto for UCA. I've never heard one of them even mention the site.

[AmsterBison]

The owner/mod of Bisonville posts over here, so I would defer to him on any direct contact.

Well, I'd be the mod of Bisonville. I'd hope that Bisonville is viewed as a wretched hive of scum and villainy wherein the weak are tortured until they cry and everybody is an offensive coordinator, but I'm afraid that instead Bisonville makes the Algonquin Round Table look like Fox & Friends after a 2-bottle Nyquil binge. I try to get them to tone down the intellectual stuff but it just isn't happening.

Anyhoo, I haven't made contact with NDSU's athletic department since 1999. At that time, they suggested I put a disclaimer on every single page. Since then, I've lain low. I did a search on this site for bisonville and the term most strongly associated with it is "circle jerk."

Bisonville posters' accomplishments include, but are not limited to, getting the name Haywood Jablome into the Fargo Forum and instigating a horrified editorial in the Grand Forks decrying a parody of The Bunker video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udygefkLvjU

http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/officials-condemn-web-video

http://tosh.cc.com/blog/2009/12/29/the-pain-of-haywood-jablome

In comparison, Bisonation.info is an awesome resource with which nobody should have a problem.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Public forums are a double-edged sword, just like how sports media is a double-edged sword. When the program is going great, graduating valedictorians, helping fight MS or ALS, and winning conference championships and going on deep runs in the FCS playoffs, the chatter and hype is invaluable. When things are going not so great, it can devolve into something horrible, and can also highlight something the school would rather not be made public. I feel like forum admins need to strike a very delicate balance between the two, not overly focusing on one over the other.

[ElonFirefighter]

I feel like forum admins need to strike a very delicate balance between the two, not overly focusing on one over the other.

Its the fine line that I walk. Between free speech and hurting the school. Most of the time the dirty laundry gets push into private forum so as not to get aired in public eye

[RichH2]

Public forums are a double-edged sword, just like how sports media is a double-edged sword. When the program is going great, graduating valedictorians, helping fight MS or ALS, and winning conference championships and going on deep runs in the FCS playoffs, the chatter and hype is invaluable. When things are going not so great, it can devolve into something horrible, and can also highlight something the school would rather not be made public. I feel like forum admins need to strike a very delicate balance between the two, not overly focusing on one over the other.
Mood swings understandable and usually just ventig by disappointed fans. We all have those posters that oush the envelope to ridiculous depths of vitriol,ala "The Fan" here.

[344Johnson]

Well, I'd be the mod of Bisonville. I'd hope that Bisonville is viewed as a wretched hive of scum and villainy wherein the weak are tortured until they cry and everybody is an offensive coordinator, but I'm afraid that instead Bisonville makes the Algonquin Round Table look like Fox & Friends after a 2-bottle Nyquil binge. I try to get them to tone down the intellectual stuff but it just isn't happening.

Anyhoo, I haven't made contact with NDSU's athletic department since 1999. At that time, they suggested I put a disclaimer on every single page. Since then, I've lain low. I did a search on this site for bisonville and the term most strongly associated with it is "circle jerk."

Bisonville posters' accomplishments include, but are not limited to, getting the name Haywood Jablome into the Fargo Forum and instigating a horrified editorial in the Grand Forks decrying a parody of The Bunker video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udygefkLvjU

http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/officials-condemn-web-video

http://tosh.cc.com/blog/2009/12/29/the-pain-of-haywood-jablome

In comparison, Bisonation.info is an awesome resource with which nobody should have a problem.

I had forgotten about the bunker video. I believe that was around the time I started reading bv.

[lionsrking2]

Ditto for UCA. I've never heard one of them even mention the site.

They can't ... it's an NCAA no-no.

[BisonFan02]

Mood swings understandable and usually just ventig by disappointed fans. We all have those posters that oush the envelope to ridiculous depths of vitriol,ala "The Fan" here.

Holy ****....haha I miss that guy! xlolx

[ElonFirefighter]

They can't ... it's an NCAA no-no.

Thats the approach ive always taken. Ive tried round about ways like using the alumni mag as an avenue to promote what alumni are doing or school news paper. But I still seem to hit roadblocks

[Tribe4SF]

For years our athletic staff viewed the message board as a nuisance. I think that has changed dramatically with the advent of social media. The board is now viewed as just another place that helps promote Tribe Athletics.

[Mattymc727]

I had no idea UNH athletics viewed ours, but another UNH poster informed me that they indeed do, and even approached him after a few games about some mean comments made towards a player on the board. Knowing that, now I have been making really good suggestions hoping they are writing them down....

[aceinthehole]

Its a double edge sore. Unofficially our Athletic boosters like it as well as some of the coaches. Though its hard to get any official support. We do have an SID whos "unknown" on the site that does help answer a lot of questions. I think it really comes down to the fine line where schools love any support they can get but are weary of the media they cant control and could give the school a bad image. Its rare but I have received some inside info. When I do get it I still ask permission from the person to "leak it" and keep them anonymous.

Agreed.

CCSUfans.com is not endorsed or support by the university, but we know many in the department and administration read it. It has "grass roots " support and we try to keep any discourse civil.

Anytime there is a forum to criticize those in power, which they can not control, it can be a very sensitive issue. But we have worked cooperatively with the SID when an unknown poster leaked a new athletics branding logo that was not yet officially released by the university. Like a news reporter dealing with a national security issue, we agreed to remove it and enforce an embargo from posting the new images until the school did its own announcement and roll-out.

We've also had our far share of family members posting about students playing time and coaches. If it is deemed "sports talk" regardless of the arm-chairing QB's posting, we let it go and let the audience decide for themselves. We've also had many criticisms about the administration regarding conference affiliation, facilities, etc. - but we have also posted tons of positive fan-feedback when they've made improvements.

Like anything in life, if managed by reasonable people, there is a delicate balance to be had - but it can be of great value to the school and the fans.

[DFW HOYA]

Bisonville posters' accomplishments include, but are not limited to, getting the name Haywood Jablome into the Fargo Forum and instigating a horrified editorial in the Grand Forks decrying a parody of The Bunker video.

Best quote of the article is a PR person attempting to comment on the Downfall meme: "We don't support, condone or endorse anything he's babbling about."

[AmsterBison]

Best quote of the article is a PR person attempting to comment on the Downfall meme: "We don't support, condone or endorse anything he's babbling about."

That last sentence is a much better answer to the thread's question than mine.

[McCowboys]

Probably don't like ours. We have too many armchair coaches, AD's, and SID's that pop in to tell everybody what the athletic administration is doing wrong.

In other words, it's like Nazi Germany. Don't question or criticize anything. xthumbsupx

[Laker]

The head coach of one of the other NSIC schools claims that he and his staff pay no attention to the NSIC board. However, one of their biggest fans told me that the assistants admitted to him that they did. Why not- it isn't Occupied Europe listening to the BBC during WW2.

"John has a long mustache"
"The chair is against the wall"
"wound my heart with a monotonous languor"

[clenz]

The way they should.

Shame and disbelief.....

[SDFS]

The UND message board is definitely read by athletic department personal. I believe that from time to time they have engaged the fanbase looking for feedback. I believe that when the TV contracts were changing for UND sports - they had a verified UND athletic department user answering questions as they were posted. I thought that it worked very well for getting information out to the fans and answering questions quickly.

[Catsfan90]

I feel like with the importance of social media for marketing in this day and age it is important to find a way to embrace all avenues that lead to fan feedback whether good or bad. They can either fight it and be upset, or figure out a way to use it to their advantage. It's that simple.

[Catatonic]

ACU Cat Chat is a small board (100 active members vs 700 active members on Bisonville), appealing mostly to hard core fans--alums, parents of players, former players. In the off season we get about 1,200 page views a day. That number goes way up during the season.

I'd say our board is suspect in the eyes of our staff and coaches. ACU in general and the the athletic department in particular like to control the media narrative about our school and teams. It's a part of a pervasive culture that includes but is not limited to our independent board.

For the most part our members are very positive about ACU sports, but following a loss or two we have our share of armchair QB's who second guess game plans and play calling...at least for a day or two.

Our Coaches monitor the site to be sure we aren't revealing any team secrets, such as injuries. They make discrete contact to request that closely guarded information be deleted. Some of the individual coaches don't take criticism well and have been known to confront players whose parents have made critical comments on our board.

Other individual coaches have been supportive to a point, although the information they confirm or deny is not very specific. They may, for example, confirm that wide receivers are our top recruiting priority but nothing more specific (which would be a NCAA violation).

On the whole, our alums are apathetic about ACU sports. We' d like to work with our AD to promote a more enthusiastic fan base but have not been very successful thus far.

[clenz]

The UND message board is definitely read by athletic department personal. I believe that from time to time they have engaged the fanbase looking for feedback. I believe that when the TV contracts were changing for UND sports - they have a verified UND athletic department user answering question as they were posted. I thought that it worked very well for getting information out to the fans and answering questions quickly.
There isn't an athletic department that doesn't read at least their board - if not the national and conference related boards as well. It's silly for them not too as it gives them a look inside the more hardcore of the fan base to see how it's reacting to things that are happening. Doesn't mean they view the board in a good light.



As for the controlling the narrative posted by our ACU fan - again, not a school (athletic department or academic side), business, or professional franchise that doesn't do (or try too) the same thing.

[McNeese72]

In other words, it's like Nazi Germany. Don't question or criticize anything. xthumbsupx

Not exactly. There are posters who are constantly negative that don't have a clue about what is really going on in the background at McNeese. Especially with the financial situation. They think they could do it better but don't have a clue about what they would be facing.

[Cocky]

Ours love it when we win, hate it when we lose.
I have no idea if they read it but Im sure curiosity get the best of them.

They damn sure dont implement any of the suggestions. Even the good ones.

[BisonFan02]

The UND message board is definitely read by athletic department personal. I believe that from time to time they have engaged the fanbase looking for feedback. I believe that when the TV contracts were changing for UND sports - they have a verified UND athletic department user answering question as they were posted. I thought that it worked very well for getting information out to the fans and answering questions quickly.

When is that message board going to change their URL and name? If the athletic department actively posts on that site, will they continue if the name doesn't change?

[SDFS]

When is that message board going to change their URL and name? If the athletic department actively posts on that site, will they continue if the name doesn't change?

I believe that they are waiting for the selection of a new and then they will re-brand after that.... but all bets are off if they change the name to "Sun Dogs"

[BearDownMU]

I just started the Mercer board a couple of years ago when football came back. Response has been pretty good so far. I'm not sure if the Athletic Department reads it. I suspect they do. As a former Mercer athlete, I still know people inside the department and they won't officially "endorse" or promote it, but I haven't gotten push back.

I think with new football and a rejuvenated department, they like the activity.

Also, as the admin, I've tried to be really sensitive to certain things about recruiting/recruits and calling current players by name if someone is being really critical. So far, it's been pretty drama free.

[veinup]

i would hope that my school looks at the fan messageboard with a sense of disgust.

[Laker]

I believe that they are waiting for the selection of a new and then they will re-brand after that.... but all bets are off if they change the name to "Sun Dogs"


They will have a hard time marketing this if they do.

http://www.thepatientceliac.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Sun-dogs-in-South-Dakota-photo-by-Joe-Unterbrunner.jpg

[BisonFan02]

They will have a hard time marketing this if they do.

http://www.thepatientceliac.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Sun-dogs-in-South-Dakota-photo-by-Joe-Unterbrunner.jpg

Beats the urban dictionary definition..... xlolx

[FUBeAR]

So far, it's been pretty drama free.

Yeah - unless you are part of the Alpaca Illuminati...

[bjtheflamesfan]

I'll simply say its a "interesting" relationship but defer to Sly Fox or one of the other Liberty posters on here to give more details

[BearDownMU]

Yeah - unless you are part of the Alpaca Illuminati...

Alpaca Illuminati - AI - Artificial Intelligence. COINCIDENCE?!??!

[DuckDuckGriz]

i would hope that my school looks at the fan messageboard with a sense of disgust.

No kidding.

It's a circus of a few guys who need to get out of the house every once in a while (when they're not physically threatening one another).

[bkrownd]

Haha - I don't know if there is one. I recall a very tiny one back in the "good old days", but it was so tiny I'm sure it died.

[FUBeAR]

Alpaca Illuminati - AI - Artificial Intelligence. COINCIDENCE?!??!

That's IT. A superior race of alien robot alpacas!

(Guess we should take this back to http://www.mubeardown.com before the AGS 'Hardcores' ban us. Pretty sure I'm on the Watch List (and I don't mean the 'good kind')

[eiu1999]

I'd tell you if we had a forum : P

[caribbeanhen]

How Does Your School View Your Fan Forum/Web Site?
rarely if ever

[IBleedYellow]

University of Texas just made their biggest fan site "Shaggybevo" change their name to "Shaggytexas".

Whoops.

[Smitty]

I'm not sure they really know the forums exist, or they just wrote them off during the down years.

[clenz]

University of Texas just made their biggest fan site "Shaggybevo" change their name to "Shaggytexas".

Whoops.
Why?

[Catatonic]

Why?

Bevo is the name of UT's longhorn mascot. The name is trademark protected. Not that it mattered until Shaggy Bevo broke one of the 10 Commandments:

Thou shalt not express criticism of the boneheaded decision making by the new Athletic Director.

[FordhamFan]

Administration just laughs at our board. They read and follow along, but for the most part don't take it serious one iota as far as I know

[centennial]

Bevo is the name of UT's longhorn mascot. The name is trademark protected. Not that it mattered until Shaggy Bevo broke one of the 10 Commandments:

Thou shalt not express criticism of the boneheaded decision making by the new Athletic Director.
http://www.anygivensaturday.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21048&d=1438546077

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Administration just laughs at our board. They read and follow along, but for the most part don't take it serious one iota as far as I know

That's the proper response to that forum :)

[Sader87]

I think the admin/powers that be take our board (www.crossports.com (http://www.crossports.com)) with a grain of salt....but I think they do know that only THE most committed (wackos) post there, so they do pay attention to what's posted there to a certain extent.

[frozennorth]

UND staff and press routinely post on the Hitler Youth board, and not anonymously.

[Daytripper]

Our AD doesn't like is but the coaches and SIDs do, as well as the alumni association. We aren't big by any means but the school is making efforts to help us grow

you want to tak about a not so great relationship, look at katfans and Sam. KF is easily the cream of the crop when it comes to fan sites in the SLC but they can't even get their alumni association to partner with them, let alone the athletic department. Also, don't ask about the inflatable helmet. It sucks for them because it is a great site with solid support


This is an accurate assessment. The Sam AD is a control freak and doesn't take kindly to anything related to Sam sports that is out of his sphere of influence.

[eiu1999]

I think if we did have a forum the AD/SID wouldn't give a hoot.

[Skyhawk71]

We don't have a forum, but some of our guys are avid members of the JSU Gamecock forum.........funny stuff there

[AmsterBison]

I believe that the usual technique is to view bisonville.com in a tabbed browser. That way, they can quick switch to something more acceptable (like Japanese tentacle porn) if somebody walks into their office.

Too far?

[katstrapper]

This is an accurate assessment. The Sam AD is a control freak and doesn't take kindly to anything related to Sam sports that is out of his sphere of influence.

The Rev is spot on in his assessment of the relationship and you are correct Daytripper. The AD is a definite control freak. He thinks KF.com is a disease when in all actuality it could be a great thing for the program and the university. But, ole BW in his infinite wisdom thinks its better to alienate KF.com . Funny thing about it is that the more he pushes them away, the more involved they get.

[tomq04]

I believe that the usual technique is to view bisonville.com in a tabbed browser. That way, they can quick switch to something more acceptable (like Japanese tentacle porn) if somebody walks into their office.

Too far?

Seems probable

[LeeshaJo]

Is there a list of all the active FCS forums? I know when we have an out of conference game I like to go see what the other team fans are saying. This isn't just for football, but all sports.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I need to get a life, I know.

[Sam_Kats]

Our AD just likes to pat himself on the back over things that happen naturally throughout the day. For example, he’ll hang his hat on the fact that the sun rose a tint of orange or how lucky we are as Kat fans to be able to breathe air.

Obviously a bit of an exaggeration but it just gets old after a while. Sad thing is, about half of the KF.com posters buy into it.

[Catsfan90]

Is there a list of all the active FCS forums? I know when we have an out of conference game I like to go see what the other team fans are saying. This isn't just for football, but all sports.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I need to get a life, I know.

haha we all do it don't worry! at least that's what I tell myself......... xbawlingx

[jimbo65]

I don't know but I believe their reaction depends on the topic. Basketball and the Athletic director, before the present incumbent, were generally slammed. Often with good reason. With a new bball coach, the fans are in a sort of wait & see posture. Football has been quite good recently and is gererally commended by our posters. What really starts the rants is the fact that there is no plan to replace the basketball arena. This place was state of the art, except that was literally 90 years ago. This is the fault of the present, and former, presidents. This I will say, when a poster finds a mistake on the official Fordham sports board, it is usually fixed. Somebody is reading our board.

[eiu1999]

haha we all do it don't worry! at least that's what I tell myself......... xbawlingx

Life? We're all here, what does that say?

[Jason Svoboda]

We're in the same boat as you folks with our forum that I run. That said, one of our members did get our AD to start fielding questions from our boardies so there have been some inroads.

http://www.sycamorepride.com

If you want to check what I mentioned out, click on the "Ask the AD" link on the nav bar.

[BisonFan02]

We're in the same boat as you folks with our forum that I run. That said, one of our members did get our AD to start fielding questions from our boardies so there have been some inroads.

http://www.sycamorepride.com

If you want to check what I mentioned out, click on the "Ask the AD" link on the nav bar.

Wow. I can't even imagine trying that for NDSU.... xlolx Good for you guys!

[Daytripper]

I don't think ADs really appreciate the value that a popular fan forum brings. Anytime a school or program is being discussed (good or bad) is beneficial. At least people care. What you don't want is crickets about your program. The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference.

[Jason Svoboda]

Wow. I can't even imagine trying that for NDSU.... xlolx Good for you guys!

I'd gladly trade it for one of your shiny foosball trophies. Deal? xlolx

[BisonFan02]

I'd gladly trade it for one of your shiny foosball trophies. Deal? xlolx

Naw.....that's OK. xlolx xthumbsupx

I'll trade you our "Herbie" for your spot in the MVC. ;)

[Jason Svoboda]

Naw.....that's OK. xlolx xthumbsupx

I'll trade you our "Herbie" for your spot in the MVC. ;)

We'll take it and you can have Evansville's spot.

[BisonFan02]

We'll take it and you can have Evansville's spot.

Better not tell your MVC private school overlords that. xlolx

[clenz]

Better not tell your MVC private school overlords that. xlolx
Evansville is the red headed step child of the private school world in the MVC even.

Hell, they're the redheaded step child of the MVC in general

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Jason Svoboda]

Better not tell your MVC private school overlords that. xlolx

Ha. I'm someone that has said an ultimatum should be given to have football or GTFO.