Overall quality of the BBS

to be fair, trolls exist everywhere...in fact I would say that the high troll ratio is a benefit. The MOAR trolls the higher success the board is having...after all who wants to troll if the board is dead?

Also, the Rockets as a whole have been pretty mediocre over the last 8 years or so, naturally discussion moves away from that and in to more base forms of discussion such as a racks ON racks on RACKS.

Also, dont go to the D&D. Its a warzone.

 

I think the GARM has actually improved over the past 3 weeks, when the LOFs were just plain insufferable. Now that Lin's doing well, they have become slightly more tolerable...

 

I'm another member who thinks things have improved lately. So no, the BBS isn't declining. If anything, things have leveled out and the quality is starting to creep up. In my opinion, of course. It would help if people would stop complaining all the time. I'm guilty of some of that myself. If members would cut down on the complaining, perceptions would improve.

Groovy is as groovy does, people. Be groovy!

 

The last two years I have mostly been lurking in the GARM because it had become so insufferable and juvenile. Hangout has become raunchier but it seems about the same as it was, although there seems to be way more talk about fapping than I think anyone should ever reveal publicly. The D&D during the election was really going downhill with those basically trolling the board about the inevitable Romney landslide. I think it has gotten a better since.

 

Hangout turning into BBs MISC section

 

The problem is, there is only one thread each on the best ass and rack in the hangout.

 

If you're at work, click on a "best ass" thread and are surprised there are nsfw pics then I don't know what to say.

 

Hmmm....

This

 

I think it's improved as well.

I think it has improved because many posters, including me, have stopped baiting the LoFs as much as we were.

That said, if Lin doesn't make the All Star Game, I will be avoiding the GARM for a while.

 

On second thought, I will be avoiding the GARM even if he makes it.

 

In my decade or so view of it, I think the board is doing just fine. Seriously, even with the rack/ass threads, etc. It still seems a huge leap above most other venues, and there are still zero other boards where I will post.

I will always think the Yao era was pretty unique for a whole influx of international users, but that brought it's own challenges.

I even think D&D is improving in fits and starts. There seem to be more genuine discussions going on, now and then.

 

I don't really see it. The GARM still has some great posters who frequent it. There are others who flood the board with their (usually ridiculous) opinions, but it's not too hard to overlook that. I've grown used to it. These posters are inevitable.

Hangout is cool. Please don't change.

D&D isn't a warzone. It goes back and forth between (as the decription says) monkeys flinging poo at each other to a big circle jerk with a bunch of people who agree with one another posting about how brilliant they are and how ignorant those who oppose them are. It is best to view this section and those who frequent it with pity and to realize that nothing of consequence ever happens there.

 

Eric, you're one of the better peeps to ever grace the Rockets jersey, my man. I don't care if you were put in injured reserve and missed the '94 playoffs. You were an integral part of the Championship years. THAT, and I don't have anything else to contribute to this thread.

 

Clutchfans is just fine.

 

I enjoyed rereading those threads, Clutch!

this was my favorite post:
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=3817108&postcount=30

 

I've been around some form of Clutch City for over half my life.

Had this been my first forum, I'd probably share the same sentiments too, but one thing I learned over the years is that there's only one constant: change.

When the boards were much smaller, the personal bonds were definitely tighter, and it also seemed the place grew "right". More good newcomers outpaced the bad. Except the other part of the equation is the one sitting and reading this post right now...y o u. For me, I was a stupid high schooler reading the site and forums then. Now, I have much different tolerances and expectations. In other words, that quality you personally maintain is hard to quantify is infinitely harder to maintain with more and more people and ultimately, more time.

I know what to expect from many members now, and what traits from some of them annoy me. I also miss some posters who don't post as much and have felt that the new blood doesn't replace that gap. ...Except, isn't that life in general as well? If they were unique enough to be noticed in the first place, then it makes the sense to feel that way after they're gone. You can focus on the bad, let that ruin your perceptions of the boards, or you can spend a little more time through the crowd to interact with the new personalities.

What makes this board different is definitely the admin and his staff. If all this new attention and responsibility over the years has gone to Clutch's head, I haven't seen it. If I was swamped for time, the first thing I'd cut off is sifting through the threads in the GARM. Even if the overall quality is a 3, there's just too many posts to read. But he still stays connected, even when he's on the road for a team related event or running responsibilities from his personal life.

The other great thing about the guy is this board is pretty flexible and civil for a forum with 45k members. I've seen that Spurs fanboard from links on here and the language, pictures and demeanor is much cruder than here. I don't know how he and the crew runs this forum to make it click, but maybe it's from the solid fundamental rules they laid down and the him giving us the trust to self-organize.

What Clutch said in response is just that. You can be as big a part of the community as he is. If the board is missing something to you, try to do something about it and it might even stick.

It's not easy running a site like this. I've seen other admins become distant strangers as the site grew, or worse off, power hungry and foolish. You don't know it until you lose it, so I guess this is my way of saying thanks and I hope it lasts for another half of my life.

 

i'm good