it's only hard to read if we're actually a good team, we're winning games, and people are still complaining. right now, we look pathetic so it's almost therapeutic reading through other people's vents.
The GARM is like a high school party that got out of hand. The parents are out of town and it sounded like a cool idea to get a keg, invite some girls over and hang out with the fellas. Then Likes-to-fight-guys show up and pretty soon the cool people are huddled up in a back bedroom waiting for the drunk jerks to pass out, or go home. Have I stretched this metaphor out long enough?
And then you wake up the next morning and find your best friend shoving kitkats and pickles up your ass. Who started that thread on here by the way?
I'm guessing none of you actually saw the Sixers game. I sympathize, I just don't fully side with you guys. It's hard to when you complain there isn't enough content to your liking, yet you don't post in the forum. Why aren't you posting the threads you want to see? (and after the Sixers game, what are those threads exactly?) As for me, I read the Rockets forum a lot... I just have a system where I'm able to recognize a solid take and one that's garbage, though I admit it might be a help that I read knowing that I have the admin rights to organize it better. Maybe because of that I'm not seeing the bigger picture. I don't think criticism should be confused with lack of intelligence. I don't mind if people want to start "FIRE ADELMAN!", I just try to prevent 10 threads on it. I don't think you can have a big board and not expect that type of opinion from, at a minimum, a handful. I also respect the user system on the board enough to know that posters are generally held accountable for what they post. DaDakota's Dan Langhi prediction still comes back at him to this day, as would things he got right (theoretically, if they existed). There are clowns and jerks... I try to block many of them. I finally kicked blazer_ben for good. Trust me, there are many blocked who could make it worse. And yes, there have been some terrible, terrible Yao fans. You should see how many times a simple criticism of Yao gets reported as "trolling" or "racist" and some of the vicious responses to a comment like that are embarrassing. I prefer to listen to suggestions. Do we start locking negative threads? I'm not being sarcastic... I mean, do we? Maybe implement a user reputation system, which I've resisted for awhile. I don't know.
Negative threads are fine, it's redundant negative threads. it's redundant threads that say the same thing basically. I almost wish we can trade Yao so that all the YOFs will follow him to his new team and whatever board their on.
I only take a quick look to the GARM, to see if anything is worthy (like RPD pics or something), but I started to avoid the GARM, since the season started. I prefer the Hangout
I've always noticed, even during the time I lurked, that I don't recognize anyone from the Hangout. Until now I was wondering why don't more people post in both subforums. And I agree, when I accidentally discovered this forum (about 3 years ago), the overall quality was much better. The thing I've noticed lately is that a large quantity of posts are made by members who've joined during the last couple of months and that has lead to the level of GARM sinking even more (I know, it's ironic for me to say that...) Going a bit off-topic, I don't like how some older posters reply to 'rookies' with posts that imply that they are more relevant just because they are 'members' and not because their opinions are more thought-out, analytical and whatnot but I acknowledge that the chance from reading a good post from a 'member' are higher than from a 'rookie'. Anyway, how would a user reputation system work? Never heard of it but it might not be a bad idea.
I think even in an ideal world on a good day where the Rockets are winning and there's Rocket related news of former players, that there's only so much solid analysis to make about the team. I mean I can honestly only think of a number things to start a thread over. <Insert Player or Coach> Appreciation Thread Articles of sports journalists and the subsequent praising or b-itching to follow. Post-Game Analysis Sticky Thread Trade threads that aren't unreasonable, but end up being diluted by rage posts and the impossible likelihood of trading a penny for a dollar in NBA talent. Hastily made prediction threads of the Rockets either winning a championship or failing to make the playoffs. But these types of threads aren't on a good day. On a good day when the team wins, everyone should be happy, but discussing the team to great lengths will eventually run dry. It's not like many of us have die hard Rocket fans to talk to on a daily basis. And when we do, we can talk about them for hours on those rare occasions without getting tired, because they're rare. Instead we discuss the Rockets on here daily. Not on a rare occasion. Don't confuse this as me saying I grow tired of hearing the Rockets after awhile. It's just there's not a whole lot to discuss especially among a crowd that may try its best to give a coach's insight of the structure of the team, but is ultimately incapable and has to resort to speculation alone. A+ for effort for those guys that try though. Cliff Notes: Even the well thought out posts on an ideal day would end up repeating the same discussion of the Rockets ad nauseum much like the same repeated drivel you can find on the board right now. Only not as dumb.
I think the reason why the GARM is full of members that have recently joined within a couple of months is because they haven't really discovered nor cared about the Hangout forums. I mean members mainly joined this site for the basketball aspect of it, not the Hangout. I remember when I first join I was pretty much glued to the GARM and NBA Dish. I think my first 500-600 posts were mainly in the GARM. I didn't really think much of the Hangout back then. Then as it progressively gotten worse, I started to look elsewhere and now I'm hooked to the Hangout. Like someone here have stated, I think the repetition of thread subjects is what drives most people away. It's pretty much the same things over and over again after a loss. Also I don't like the negativity. I know this team is in quite a hole and it's normal to see negative threads, but I just don't think I can take it after getting all pissed from watching us lose with such grandness and then being constantly reminded of it at the GARM. I can't wait until this team get it's act together and start winning, and all everybody will complain about is Rafer again.
For me it's just the community has gotten way too huge for me to really want to participate too much, so I just lurk for the most part. The community in the hangout is kind of what the GARM used to be. I don't think there is a way to ever make it like it was, but I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, it's just a different animal.
Too many redundant negative threads. Some guys start new threads just to make sure their rant gets read by more people since it's an opening post. My suggestion is lock these up quickly. For consistent repeat offenders, remove their thread-starting ability. This would help limit the damage of GARM meltdowns. I strongly feel an opening post should be held to a high standard. A user reputation system may be necessary. The folks that rant without ever saying anything analytical should be curbed, IMO. For the record, I've been spending more time in the NBA forum than the GARM recently. To help cope with what's happening with the Rockets, been watching a lot of non-Rockets games on off nights and on the west coast.
The hangout is where I spend most of my time reading now days. I also spend a lot of time in the NBA Dish and Astros, Comets and Texans forum.
I really do wish there was a way to put rookies on ignore. I’m not trying to be an elitist jerk or anything, but a lot of them really do clutter up the GARM because they don’t understand the bbs culture. They haven’t taken the time to understand it before they start posting away like this is an ESPN board or something. Ironically, they are actually changing the culture by doing so. I don’t even know if this is possible, since I know as much about running a website as I do about fixing cars, which is nothing. But it sure would make the GARM a lot more bearable and it would be a lot easier to find good posts, which DO exist contrary to what a lot of people here think.
I love Yao, but I've thought the same thing many times. The majority of Yao's fans are just that. Yao's fans. I'm a Rockets fan. If Yao was traded tomorrow, I'd still love the Rockets. Forever and ever, amen.
