HoopScoop Board Traffic

[tx4OU]

Is it me or does the traffic on HoopScoop seem slower than last few years?

[Matt Coatney]

I completely agree. I think the board has been tougher to follow since the split to four separate topics last year. Just for me personally, I have a hard time looking at four areas. When everything was under one folder, it was a lot easier to read and post daily.

[Cyclones Rule]

I just think it's slow because it non-conf and most of our teams are playing nobodies. Conf. play is right around the corner and with it will come the hoopscoopers.

[tx4OU]

I completely agree. I think the board has been tougher to follow since the split to four separate topics last year. Just for me personally, I have a hard time looking at four areas. When everything was under one folder, it was a lot easier to read and post daily.

Maybe that's it. But I remember coming daily (even multiple times during the day) just to keep up, b/c there were so many good posts. And I'm sure hitting the conf. sched. has a lot to do with it. However, since I've joined two years ago, you could come on here even before the season was about to start and there would be quite a bit of traffic.

Last year, having been on for a season already, I could start to notice when one or a few particular teams weren't doing well, then you'd either get a ton of people talkin' about what was wrong or you'd have silence from some of that school's regulars. That along with those teams doing well, there would always be high traffic/excitement.

I'm just a junior on the board, so my observations may be incorrect. Would be interested in hearing a little history of the board and how it got started and how it's transitioned to where we are today. I don't think any other conf. has such a unique community that I'm aware of.

[spooky]

I just think it's slow because it non-conf and most of our teams are playing nobodies. Conf. play is right around the corner and with it will come the hoopscoopers.

No doubt it will pick up a bit when conference starts, but it does seem that this non-conference season is slow when compared to previous non-conference years. For example, in past years, Chipper would post one of his preseason fill-in-the-blank questionnaires, and get more than one page of responses. The last one I can find from this year had zero responses.

While some attrition is natural from a site like this, I think there's a couple of big factors:

1) a couple of "below expectations" years from two of the marquee teams, both in terms of on the court history and in percentage of Hoopscoop posters, namely Texas and Tech. I definitely notice fewer posters from those schools, especially Texas. The Longhorn presence here almost disappeared during their first non-NCAA season. Hopefully the excitement and early success of the new regime will bring that back. The Baylor contingent grew significantly during the championship run, but as that trophy gets smaller in the rear-view mirror, so has the number of Bears who have stuck around. I think it's safe to say that on-court performance definitely affects board traffic.

2) A lack of any growth from the other schools. Missouri, OSU, and A&M are almost completely unrepresented. Even OSU's success last year and the Aggies rise to power hasn't translated into new posters like the rise of other schools (Baylor, OU, etc...) did. I don't have a clue how to change that, but I think it's definitely a factor. In fact, only OU has significantly increased its' fanbase here in the last couple of years (thanks CP!!,) but not near enough to offset the attrition.

[DblT81]

There are three factors that are directly responsible for the decline in my participation on this board, none of which is the success or lack of success by my favorite team.

[tx4OU]

No doubt it will pick up a bit when conference starts, but it does seem that this non-conference season is slow when compared to previous non-conference years. For example, in past years, Chipper would post one of his preseason fill-in-the-blank questionnaires, and get more than one page of responses. The last one I can find from this year had zero responses.

While some attrition is natural from a site like this, I think there's a couple of big factors:

1) a couple of "below expectations" years from two of the marquee teams, both in terms of on the court history and in percentage of Hoopscoop posters, namely Texas and Tech. I definitely notice fewer posters from those schools, especially Texas. The Longhorn presence here almost disappeared during their first non-NCAA season. Hopefully the excitement and early success of the new regime will bring that back. The Baylor contingent grew significantly during the championship run, but as that trophy gets smaller in the rear-view mirror, so has the number of Bears who have stuck around. I think it's safe to say that on-court performance definitely affects board traffic.

2) A lack of any growth from the other schools. Missouri, OSU, and A&M are almost completely unrepresented. Even OSU's success last year and the Aggies rise to power hasn't translated into new posters like the rise of other schools (Baylor, OU, etc...) did. I don't have a clue how to change that, but I think it's definitely a factor. In fact, only OU has significantly increased its' fanbase here in the last couple of years (thanks CP!!,) but not near enough to offset the attrition.

Good post spooky. You stated so much better than what I was thinking. BTW, the way I learned about this site was from some of the regular's references on OU's WBball threads. I still see some folks adding a link to HoopScoop everyone once in awhile when they want to pull some statics or quotes someone else over here has posted to give proper references to their information. I think that's a good idea as almost every B12 school has a basketball board (if not there own dedicated board) where women's threads are located.

[Dale8R]

You know, it is interesting that this topic should come up because just this afternoon I looked in and remarked to myself that the place was empty. Here it was a Sunday Afternoon with eight games on tap in the Big 12, plus numerous other games of interest and I am all by myself? Now that's just not right.

I am not exactly one of the most prolific and entertaining posters around here, but I certainly have appreciated those who have been. Since stumbling into this fine establishment (Thanks, Commish!) a few years ago, I have thoroughly enjoyed the mostly civil give and take between the partisan fans who have taken time to appreciate the players and fans who wear the "wrong" colors.

I won't mention any names for fear of leaving anyone out, but I have noticed an overall decrease in the number of posts by people who always manage to entertain and educate me about the players from their school and the games they play.

I probably have more that I could say, but I am with the posters who voiced the opinion that things will pick up after the Conference season starts. I certainly hope so.

[swok34]

I know I haven't been as active. Nor have I been able to follow the preconference games as well as in the past. Mine's just a work thing, absolutely swamped. I'm hoping it changes here in the next week or so, have to get back to my basketball obsessed self :)

[tx4OU]

I feel the same way as you do Dale8R. I love this board b/c of the different perspectives from posters of almost all the schools in the B12. I learn things I would never have learned just from reading what little writeups there are in the DMN concerning WCB. It's very interesting getting little tidbits of info from people in the know from their respective schools.

I'm not sure what your 3 reasons are DbleT, but I've always enjoyed hearing what's going on out in the West Plains from you and other Tech HoopScoopers.

[mgood1]

BTW, the way I learned about this site was from some of the regular's references on OU's WBball threads. I still see some folks adding a link to HoopScoop everyone once in awhile when they want to pull some statics or quotes someone else over here has posted to give proper references to their information. I think that's a good idea as almost every B12 school has a basketball board (if not there own dedicated board) where women's threads are located.
Yeah, I found out about this board from occasional references over on raiderpower.com. I came by to read something and look around a bit for several years but only started posting last season after Big 12 play had started.

Being fairly new, I haven't observed the trends in posting numbers. But at a guess, I'd say that Cyclones Rule and spooky are dead on.

I too enjoy reading the views of fans from other teams and getting more than what I can see in the box scores. This board has made me a much better informed wbb fan.
Considering that we are rivals by nature of our interest here, it's nice to see that there is very little trash talking and "my team is better than your team" crap that you expect on sports forums. (There is some. There's got to be some or we wouldn't be fans, right? But it usually remains very civil.)

[dem]

I know that a big factor for me personally is that I moved far away from Big-12 land--right into another conference, in fact. I think that makes the early part of the season (now, that is) less compelling to follow, compared to when one is actually attending the games. But I know that many others of you have not let distance from the home arena diminish the intensity of your interest.

[mgood1]

I think distance increased my online interest.
I moved to San Diego in July '04.
Not being able to go to games and only rarely catching them on TV, the internet was the only way to keep in touch. I got sucked into the message forums and, if anything, got more interested in Big 12 women's basketball.
I'm back in West Texas now and have been to a couple of Lady Raider games this season and plan to attend more than I ever have before.

[mgood1]

As far as recent traffic, I am sometimes surprised and disappointed to come here looking for information and not find what I'm expecting.
For example, where's the Texas - San Diego thread? When I see that there isn't one, it makes me think that there must not be many Lonhorns around here.
(Not saying that there's something wrong with not having a thread on a particular game, just that the lack thereof seems an indication of less board traffic.)

[Gator]

I think the board has been tougher to follow since the split to four separate topics last year...Agree - it seems to me that when an interesting article was noticed by a poster and a url given, there was discussion about it more often that not. That has completely disappeared with the "feed" section of the board. Sometimes a game is discussed - in the games section. But usually that is just a few folks from the school's fan base. Sometime just DECIDING where to post something seems more trouble than it is worth. Just doesn't seem to be as much give and take as there once was and I miss it. A lot. Personally, I would much rather deal with one discussion place for everything WCBB. The mix and match of topics seemed to have an energizing effect.

Lots of other good points raised - including the seeming decline in the UT participation. Dare I say I miss the Longhorns? :)

[tx4OU]

As far as recent traffic, I am sometimes surprised and disappointed to come here looking for information and not find what I'm expecting.
For example, where's the Texas - San Diego thread? When I see that there isn't one, it makes me think that there must not be many Lonhorns around here.
(Not saying that there's something wrong with not having a thread on a particular game, just that the lack thereof seems an indication of less board traffic.)

Exactly what I thought when I went to the Collegiate Games Section earlier today. Even worse for me, there wasn't a thread for OU's game with South Carolina, and it was a little while after the game was already over when I even got on the board. I started one and eventually others posted that had watched or attended the game, but that was a little shocking to not see a thread for that game.

[mgood1]

Sometimes you'll have a thread where one or two or three people are giving constant updates for those unable to watch.
That sort of thread is interesting to read after the fact too. It's sort of a condensed version of going through the play-by-play from Gametracker plus comments from people who actually know something about the teams involved. If you are not that familiar with the teams, reading those threads may tell you not only that Susie had x number of points and y number of rebounds, but also whether that's typical or if she's having a career-high game, what class she's in, what position she plays, who's guarding her, etc.

Those threads seem rare this season. :(

[LadyBuff]

I think those threads where people are keeping others up to date from the radio will start happening for the Big 12. I miss those threads, too, but can't keep up with them when I am attending my team's home games. Can't always post on those the same night either.

My job will entail some evening work this tax season and I won't be able to even listen to some of the road games. I will be relying on UnkieMark to keep me informed of what happened. All I will get is the story in the next morning's paper.

Sometimes life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

[Bob_Ballew]

I've also noticed fewer threads and posts as opposed to previous years. Back in March during the Big XII Tournament was when I quit posting on the board. I got a little irritated with some of the posts, although they are nothing compared to some other message boards. It gets frustrating when folks rag on your coach, players, fans, etc...

There have been times when I would like to post how I really felt about the opponent or coach, but I have refrained because it was not the right thing to do. It is one thing to have a difference of opinion, but to stoop to name calling is uncalled for.

I've been a fan of the Baylor Lady Bears back when they were the Bearettes. I have a great admiration for coach Mulkey and the team. I either read a comment or heard coach Kim say something once about online message boards and how some people can say anything and get away with it because they hide behind a fake name. By meeting many fellow HoopScoopers over the last several years it has taken that feeling away for the most part. There are many posters on this site that I have gotten to know really well and I appreciate them and what they bring to the message board on a regular basis. This site feels much more welcoming than the BaylorFans message board for example. After reading some of those posts, you just wonder who those people are. That is the reason I started using my name.

I have to agree that work is more and more demanding and keeps me away from the board. I plan to start posting more next week. :)

[BenEClone]

Some of it might be my fault. I hadn't posted in so long, I had to login. The segmentation is an issue; I spend more time on CycloneFanatic and less time online overall than I used to.

The conference will pick things up, especially if there is a Pick'em and Hoopla! I've seen no talk about those, have I missed an announcement? I suspect Pick'em will be on the other forum:ISU:

[Texan]

I noticed that there wasn't as much traffic as years past as well. I've been on the board for many years, but don't post often. I'll try and pick up my posts.

I find the new structure of the board harder to follow. I liked it better when the game threads were combined with the conversation thread. I noticed there were a number of UT posters on the DePaul thread - so maybe we haven't completely disappeared : )

[mgood1]

The conference will pick things up, especially if there is a Pick'em and Hoopla! I've seen no talk about those, have I missed an announcement? I suspect Pick'em will be on the other forum:ISU:
Pick'em contest? (http://hoopscoop.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10131)
That should start with the conference games.
Everyone has their Big 12 opener on January 9.

[carolann]

I too have missed the conversations of years past and hope conversation will pick up during the conference season.

I could be wrong, but I've had the impression that the board has had difficulty over the past year finding the acceptable level of conversation. The board has had a few really disagreeable posters (and one or two who were even scary). On the other side, I've had the impression that some posters began to think they couldn't say anything more controversial here than "go team." Like some others, I'm sure, I scroll around to many message boards. I only post on Hoopscoop and occasionally hornfans. I've seen some good discussions started by posters who used to post here and wished they would bring the conversation here since I don't usually post on another school's site.

On winning and not winning teams. That seems to be another balancing act. First, there are the schools with little fan interest. Then, as a team's fans increase, the school is more likely to have an active message board that may become the board of choice for many of that school's fans.

I like this site. It is like a town that is big enough but not too big.

[Noah121]

Sometimes, I admit that I am a Husker homer. I try to follow the other teams too, but with my class schedule and everything else, I find it very difficult to post on a regular basis. Hopefully I can make that a New Year's resolution to get to know the rest of the Big XII better, and not just for scouting purposes :p

[Dale8R]

I think carolann has hit upon a point there when she mentions the "acceptable level of conversation." I know some have mentioned this in the past when mentioning that they no longer post as much as they once did.

I also would add my voice to those wishing we could combine at least the two main forums, I think it would take us back to more give and take conversations.

About the RSS feed thread, though it may have kept some from posting a certain article with their pertinent thoughts about it, I feel it is a good thing. It brings things to our attention that we may miss otherwise. And because of the sheer volume, I think it is a good idea to keep it a separate forum, but maybe anyone who sees something in there that they think merits attention, then they should bring it into the regular forum. Just my opinion on that.

I do know that posting in the Off Topic forum will almost certainly guarantee that your post will not be seen very much. I don't know how you can force anyone to read that forum though. Maybe we just need to use it more and make a special effort to tune in on a fairly regular basis.

And as I said earlier, just my opinions on all this for whatever they might be worth.

[Gator]

I like this site. It is like a town that is big enough but not too big.

GREAT description.

Suggestion: as we go to our fan boards, we all see a poster or two who is not an idiot (GRIN). We should invite those guys here with the information this this board is a great place to look at the entire Big 12 without bashing.

Which brings up the second point you made. What is bashing? There is a wide gulf between "i hate your team just because I do" and negative comments or questions in general. I think a lot of us know what we want this board to be and there are those who feel so strongly about their personal view that they do not hesitate to slap the typing fingers of a poster who violates that view. Unfortunately that self appointed policing has a chilling effect on the rest of us. Generally, we don't want to get into even a minor spat with a poster who we generally respect. However, often those "slappers" do not reflect my view of what this board is. Perhaps the chill is best handled if those who do have a different view, express it. That at least sends the signal that this is no "rule" here about what is and is not HPC (HoopScopp Politically Correct).

[mgood1]

About the RSS feed thread, though it may have kept some from posting a certain article with their pertinent thoughts about it, I feel it is a good thing. It brings things to our attention that we may miss otherwise. And because of the sheer volume, I think it is a good idea to keep it a separate forum, but maybe anyone who sees something in there that they think merits attention, then they should bring it into the regular forum. Just my opinion on that.

Is there any reason we can't reply in the RSS feed forum and discuss the article there? If people glance at the forums list and notice that the most recent post in the RSS Feeds forum is someone other than RSS Feed, then maybe they'll look in and join the conversation.

Or maybe as you suggest, we should start that conversation in one of the other forums and just post a link to the article to keep from having several conversations on the same topic in different forums. [That gets confusing, I know from other (non-sports related) forums that I participate in.]

[mgood1]

Sometimes, I admit that I am a Husker homer.
Hey, I'm a homer. I predict Texas Tech to win the conference every year.
I haven't been right in a long time, but that doesn't stop me.
What's wrong with that?

[Gator]

Hey, I'm a homer. I predict Texas Tech to win the conference every year.
I haven't been right in a long time, but that doesn't stop me.
What's wrong with that?Not a thing! As long as you aren't right all of the time :p

[Dale8R]

Is there any reason we can't reply in the RSS feed forum and discuss the article there? If people glance at the forums list and notice that the most recent post in the RSS Feeds forum is someone other than RSS Feed, then maybe they'll look in and join the conversation.

Or maybe as you suggest, we should start that conversation in one of the other forums and just post a link to the article to keep from having several conversations on the same topic in different forums. [That gets confusing, I know from other (non-sports related) forums that I participate in.]

I'm not saying we couldn't, but we certainly aren't, which is why I made the suggestion. I just now made an informal check. The last RSS feed that had a response was on December 14. Since then (at last approximate count) there have been 91 additional posts, each with a little 0 next to them.

Then look at the number of "reads" ~~ you have to look pretty hard to find any with as many as 10. So clearly, we need to do things differently if we are really going to get any good out of the RSS feeds. Again, I speak for no one but myself. Just an opinion from somebody on the fringe of the Big 12.

[Bball Girl]

Great discussion - I was thinking about that yesterday as I checked to see what was happening.

I admit my passion for the Lady Raiders has cooled a bit - distance makes it hard to feel part of the team like I used to feel with my season tickets and visits to open practice. I still care - I still listen/watch and I still pull for them no matter what but it's not all consuming like it use to be. It used to be my main outlet and it isn't any more. That's a good thing.

At time last season - I was really bothered by the need for name calling and personal potshots in place of honest disagreement. It's not necessary and takes away from what could be an honest, open and passionate discussion I don't care how much you disagree with someone, you can do so without name calling and personal attacks. I really hate that on the school boards especially when directed at opposing players or coaches.

What I've enjoyed about HoopScoop the most is the community of basketball smart folks who love women's basketball as much or more than they love their team. We can be homers while still appreciating other teams and other coaches. It's possible to disagree strongly, be passionate about one's teams and one's opinions in a civil manner.


I too have found the extra boards hard to keep up with. I do use the "new posts" link on the navigation bar pretty frequently to check all boards for "new posts" but it doesn't always pick them up.

And the RSS feeds are mainly from the school sites - I've been negligent in reading the Lubbock A-J and posting tid bits here and there - but will try to get back to that.

Also it doesn't seem like there have been as many non-conference games on tv this year - maybe I'm wrong, but it feels that way to me. So...we haven't had as much to see and discuss.

I have been planning to post about ASU/USC yesterday - just haven't gotten there.

[dem]

I have never been enthusiastic about the fragmenting of the board forums. My original suggestion was to keep it at around three maximum, and that still seems like a pretty good number to me. I like the "One-stop shopping" concept.

[tx4OU]

Some of it might be my fault. I hadn't posted in so long, I had to login. The segmentation is an issue; I spend more time on CycloneFanatic and less time online overall than I used to.

The conference will pick things up, especially if there is a Pick'em and Hoopla! I've seen no talk about those, have I missed an announcement? I suspect Pick'em will be on the other forum:ISU:

We need to get this started pretty quick. I know swok usually does a good job of posting the games, but sounds like she's been pretty busy with work lately.

[Jimi]

I kind of like the board set-up as it is now. There are a few things I post in the off topic forum that I would not if it was just all in a single forum.

[YCN]

Pick'em will be starting up in the next couple of days.

I haven't been posting as much because there aren't enough people who are regulars on Hoopscoop to keep the game threads lively, so I tend to go to the best places for game discussions, which frankly isn't usually here. Also, I have a lot of interest in the national perspective during the non-conference part of the schedule, so I tend to post more often where my words have a national audience.

This has always tended to be a close-knit and self-policing community, but separating the posts into separate forums - particularly game discussions - has created more segmentation than we really need. Seldom ever have forum pages gone by at more than one or two a day, but with the segmentation the posts are not at a frequency that I feel is conducive to lively discussion. That's simply my own opinion.

It seems like there used to be many more posts speculating about positive possibilities for the conference relative to negative ones than is currently the case. I've seen a number of recent posts about how the Big 12 isn't a very good conference, and yet the conference is at least one of the two or three best this year, and maybe better than that.

I'd post my positive thoughts about OU, but people around here are tired of the overabundance of Sooner posts. I could understand the irritation. In fact I'd love to discuss the relative merits of the different teams as we approach conference play, but somebody is going to get offended and attack such a post if it happens, so I'm disinclined to do so.

Regarding the Texas game yesterday, that game started at 10 pm central time on the 30th of December, so I'm not surprised that a thread didn't happen under those circumstances. Texas should not have been challenged, few people would be awake for the end of the game, and any thread would have little traffic in any case.

[LadyBuff]

I check in every day. It's part of my routine. Often I don't find a thread that interests me.

I am definitely looking forward to Pick Em. I may not do well, but I find it fun.

I will gladly admit that I'm a home. Go :CU: Watching the same team for over 30 years tends to make you a homer. :eek:

[Noah121]

I will gladly admit that I'm a home[r]. Go :CU: Watching the same team for over 30 years tends to make you a homer. :eek:

The :eek: is right--that's at least 1.5 times longer than I've been in existence. (laugh)

On topic, I think I may have to agree about the segmented forums discouraging participation on all of them. Some people say that if you try to grab everything, you grab nothing. I never read the Professional Basketball forum, and don't often read the RSS feeds. Furthermore, I have to agree with people that there's more continuity if the game threads are in the same forum as the general discussion.

At huskerhoopscentral, they split the board into NU men's basketball, NU women's basketball, college basketball, and other sports, when before, it was just a single forum. I understand the separation of men's and women's, but the other forums don't get much attention.

[LadyBuff]

I started watching the Lady Buffs when I was in grad school and I'm still watching. I think I could be their grandmother's now.

[swok34]

I'll be all ready for Pick'em.......

I usually won't put the slate of games up until the Friday or Saturday before the Wednesday's games......

YCN is the rule maker and tally, so perhaps he can elaborate on the rules.

I've always been more happy with quality than quantity here at Hoopscoop. I know we don't have every team covered with a fan, but for the ones that we do, post about your school, the games....I miss not getting some in depth information on the out of conference games.

OU almost seems like a new team to me this season, given that we are chalk full of underclassmen, I'm sure other teams are as well...young, that is.

[Cyclones Rule]

I check in every day. It's part of my routine.



The same goes for me as well. I check in every day and most times several different times within that day.

[ChipperF1]

"In fact I'd love to discuss the relative merits of the different teams as we approach conference play, but somebody is going to get offended and attack such a post if it happens.

I doubt that very highly.

I think it'll all work itself out as the season unfolds. I see a lot of people coming back and a lot of new people coming in. The new format has been a little bit to get used to.

But also, lets consider that as much as we love basketball we also have lives to lead, too. I know I haven't been around as much because I've been hit with a lot of real life stuff, some good, some bad. And sometimes, basketball falls lower on the priority list, but as we head into 2008...It'll be rising like a bullet...including a much needed vacation in Kansas City around tournament time.

I've had a chance to watch a lot games so far. This season will be a really fun year for the sport. :)

[TTU79]

I check in at least twice a day and read everything. I haven't found the new arrangement hard to deal with and usually read everything (I'm retired so finally have the time to do this). I'm like Lady Buff, been watching, rooting for and buying season tickets for the Lady Raiders for at least 25 years. I appreciate everyone who posts to the Board, but, I'm not very good at giving all the observations, statistics, etc. that others can. The one thing I know at this time is that the Lady Raiders have gelled must faster than I thought they would (9 new faces), they're great fun to watch, they're going to win more games than many thought they would and they won't be in the bottom half of the Big 12.

[carolann]

Well, this thread has certainly gotten traffic! To keep it interesting, I guess more of us have to jump out there with our thoughts instead of relying on someone else.

In fact I'd love to discuss the relative merits of the different teams as we approach conference play, but somebody is going to get offended and attack such a post if it happens.

I've enjoyed reading the discussions of relative merits of different teams on the Sooner boards and a couple of national boards. Sure, I disagree some of the time. I may get my Longhorn feelings hurt a little from time to time, but I'm generally not really offended.

[buffgal]

Sorry to jump into the conversation kinda late. I'm one of those people who used to post, if not abundantly, then at least on a semi-regular basis. I haven't posted much in the last couple of years, for a number of reasons.

One, I moved away from Boulder and can't go to the games any more, so I no longer have any particular insight into my team's players, coaches, or game performances. This is compounded by Ceal's retirement and the shift to new coaching in Boulder.

Two, I now have a job with the federal government, which blocks my access to this site at work. I don't have a computer at home, so my viewing of this board is limited to trips to the Moab library or the town internet cafe. By the time I do get on, threads have usually progressed beyond the point where I feel I have anything new to contribute.

Three, I've always thought, once, twice, three times before posting. There are so many posters with a better understanding of the game than I have, that I don't often think I have anything intelligent to add to most of the threads.

Four, the Great Unpleasantnesses of the past year definitely had a chilling effect on my willingness to post. I do have some fairly strong opinions, but have felt more inclined to keep them to myself.

All that said, this is a great board and I enjoy reading it, though I expect to remain more of a watcher than a poster for the time being. I found it via Ted and Sara's Women's bball blog. Does Hoopscoop have links available on other blogs/boards? It's definitely one way to bring in more participants.

[HoopScoop]

Thanks to everyone who is giving their opinion. Frankly, I find this thread speaks volumes more than trying to assess the amount of traffic on this site. You all care about the discussions here and the community you all are creating here. Don't worry about it - it will be what you want it to be.

I doubt that very highly.

I think it'll all work itself out as the season unfolds. I see a lot of people coming back and a lot of new people coming in. The new format has been a little bit to get used to.

But also, lets consider that as much as we love basketball we also have lives to lead, too. I know I haven't been around as much because I've been hit with a lot of real life stuff, some good, some bad. And sometimes, basketball falls lower on the priority list, but as we head into 2008...It'll be rising like a bullet...including a much needed vacation in Kansas City around tournament time.

I've had a chance to watch a lot games so far. This season will be a really fun year for the sport. :)

Amen to that Chipper. This has been a very strange year for me. I did not see my first regular season game in person until OU's game against South Carolina two days ago. I've had two earlier conflicts (a.k.a. life getting in the way of basketball :) and I just could not bring myself to go to the Central Arkansas game when I knew we would win by at least 50 and family/holiday obligations took precedence.

[HoopScoop]

Thanks for everyone's input so far. I see a majority prefer to have all posts on women's collegiate basketball in one location. I can definitely see why this is preferred. I will consolidate the RSS_Feeds, Women's Basketball Potpourri, and Collegiate Games into one board. I've been hesitant on consolidating the RSS_Feeds, but I don't think it will create a problem with the extra posts from the official university websites. I suppose we could also consolidate women's professional basketball posts into the same board as well. Afterall - it is only primarily used during that season when collegiate basketball is not being played.

One input I would like from everybody - does anyone go to http://hoopscoop.net - the home page at all? Is that a starting place for everyone? Or do you just go directly to the forums page at http://hoopscoop.net/forums ?

There will be a separate board for announcements and off-topic posts. In fact, I've had a couple of requests for providing a separate board for both Big 12 softball and volleyball. There seems to be several of you who follow these sports in addition to basketball. So that may be a good idea.

[LadyBuff]

This is what I have bookmarked:

I go straight to the forum.

So, I start there, sign in and then look around.

My life gets very busy during tax season, as I prepare tax returns, but my team and this forum are some of the things I do to relieve the stress. This is my retirement job. :p It allows me to do things I couldn't do on just my pension, but it keeps me away from the Big 12 tournament. I think this year, that will just kill me.

[Gator]

One input I would like from everybody - does anyone go to http://hoopscoop.net - ...

There will be a separate board for announcements and off-topic posts. In fact, I've had a couple of requests for providing a separate board for both Big 12 softball and volleyball.
I used the home page a couple of times when you first put it up but found I was only really using it to get to the forums so now go directly there. I like the Off Topic board and think the other boards are a good idea. I'm not interested in those sports personally but think it would be wonderful if a B12 community developed around those sports too.

[ChipperF1]

"In fact I'd love to discuss the relative merits of the different teams as we approach conference play, but somebody is going to get offended and attack such a post if it happens, so I'm disinclined to do so.

Here's an idea. Put your thoughts on the forum and see what happens.

I think you greatly underestimate the caliber of fans who are here. Many of us would like to discuss the merits of different teams and most of us are adult enough to do it in a polite manner.

I doubt that somebody who pride himself on being "Your Crimson Nightmare" would be necessarily worried over offending someone because you give an opinion based one what you see in a ballgame.

[mgood1]

One input I would like from everybody - does anyone go to http://hoopscoop.net - the home page at all? Is that a starting place for everyone? Or do you just go directly to the forums page at http://hoopscoop.net/forums ?
I go to www.hoopscoop.net but all I do there is log in and go straight to the forums.
I come here for the forums. If there's news I need to read, someone has usually posted a link to it here. :)

[Matt Coatney]

I have it bookmarked to go directly to the forums. I can't recall the last time I went to the homepage.

Hey, I know that last season there were more than a few occasions in which discussions got intense and away from what made me really come to love HoopScoop, which is the camaraderie and the general love not only for all Big 12 teams, but women's basketball in general. I sense that's what has kept more than a few of the long-time "solid" posters away, and that's really sad because there were just a few relative newcomers who seemed to spoil it for so many of you.

I would just encourage everyone and anyone who posts to remember that the players who play this game on the floor are students first and they leave it all out there for our enjoyment. When I first started describing games on the radio about 400 years ago :), I was the same age as the players. Now I have my own children about the same age. Each and every day they seem more like my kids to me rather than players. I have a really hard time saying something negative on the air or on here about a kid who attends class, goes to two hours of practice a day, is away from their family, has to mix in the same amount of study as a non-athlete, and ends up writing a term paper or studying for a final on a bus trip or cramped into an airplane seat at 1 a.m. on a weeknight.

Obviously I want the Huskers to win every game, but I also admire and want great things for every player in this league. Anyone who knows me can tell you how much I love watching people like Jhasmin Player, Heather Ezell, Alyssa Hollins, Danielle McCray, Jackie McFarland, Danielle Gant, Jenna Plumley, Andrea Riley, Kimberly Dietz, Erin Myrick, Erneshia Bailey and on and on. I know this board has always been populated by posters who seem to have that same love and respect for the entire league also, and that's why I have read this site every day for about six or seven years now.

Personally, I'm pretty fired up about this conference season as the Big 12 has fared so well in pre-season play. I'd like anyone to tell me who the "easy out" is in this league and I'll debate that with anyone. It really should be a lot of fun and I hope to see many of you at the areanas and most of all, I hope to continue to read impassioned, lively and intelligent discussion here on HoopScoop.

Matt

[Noah121]

I have always come directly to the forums.

[Scamp]

My shortcut is to the forums index page and I visit at least twice a day. http://hoopscoop.net/forums/index.php

[giraffespots]

I've been lurking on this thread since it started, but am just now responding. I have this site bookmarked and I come directly to the forums. I like the idea of consolidating also, just makes it easier. I also come here more than once daily.

As for the commentary, I personally would like more lively discussions between the team fans. Because of the fact that underneath it all, we all just love this game and this conference, I feel that we should be able to get into some discussions that are not always all hugs and roses. I know I respect each poster here, but I do not always agree with all posts.

Another reason for wanting to keep discussions lively is the fact that there are many, many people here who just lurk. I know my mother reads this board just to see what people are saying. She loves it when discussions get "heated" because it is interesting and fun. As long as we know that the underlying respect is there, there is nothing wrong with disagreeing.

This is, by far, my favorite board and I frequent about 10 different boards daily. (I know, I know, get a life)

[Jennifer]

I generally come directly to the forums.

My posts counts have gone down because I no longer work an office job where I had ample time to come to the boards. I still try and check in a few times a week, but 'my' time is at a premium these days, so. . .

[tx4OU]

Well, this thread has certainly gotten traffic! To keep it interesting, I guess more of us have to jump out there with our thoughts instead of relying on someone else.

I've enjoyed reading the discussions of relative merits of different teams on the Sooner boards and a couple of national boards. Sure, I disagree some of the time. I may get my Longhorn feelings hurt a little from time to time, but I'm generally not really offended.

Well, I had no idea my question posed to start this thread would have been answered not in content, but instead from just the sheer resounding number of posters that have shown up to respond. It's now a four pager!! I guess everyone is still here, but for the many different reasons mentioned haven't been posting as in years past.

I personally think there have been some really great ideas for suggestions about the site. I would also like to add, that the number of Buff posters seems to have grown since I've been a HoopScooper. I can really feel ya'll's excitement in your team and it's nice to see. Go :CU:. Now if we can just get :MU: and more :KU: fans. There are a few Jayhawkers, but I can't remember the last time a Mizzou fan posted. (Not sure that is going to change though after reading their attendance numbers for their games.)

As for your questions Commish.....I come straight to the Forums Homepage.

[TTU79]

I have bookmarked and go straight to the women's basketball potpourri page. After I've read the new posts, I go back to the forums page. I rarely go to the homepage. I would love to see sections specific to softball and volleyball. I would keep the RSS seperate. It seems to be mainly a journalist type writing and I'm not prone to discuss those writings.

[swok34]

I come straight to the forums as well, not even sure what is on the front page any more. I agree with TTU79 in keeping the RSS threads on their own thread, don't most of them come straight from a team's website? I have excerpted out a portion of an article if I wanted to make comment on it here in this forum.

I appreciate everyone's comment on the games they see. I think we all have our own "take" on what we see. I know I see different things than my other Sooner compadres.

[Cyclones Rule]

I go directly to forums also. I also agree with ttu79 and swok that RSS feeds should remain a separate forum.

[unkiemark]

My bookmark takes me to the homepage, but almost always I go directly to the forums.

In the past I enjoyed the reading the articles that were linked on the side of the home page from various newspaper articles.

I must say that I don't read many of the posts that aren't directly related to the Buffs during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The exception is when there is a general overview of a team or conference. Once the conference games get going I read more about the other teams :-).

[Row6Seat10]

I go directly to the forums when I come here. I mostly check to see if the validity of the calendar is accurate. I then check the Collegiate games & pickem contest threads and then look at the potpourri threads. I occasionally check the off topic forum. If the title of a new thread doesn't sound interesting to me I find myself not reading it. I used to read almost everything that was posted. I think it's because I'm beginning to think I should be doing something else with my time other than sitting behind a computer.

[Bob_Ballew]

I go directly to the forums also.

[brolewis]

I go directly to the forums when I come here.... I then check the Collegiate games & pickem contest threads and then look at the potpourri threads. I occasionally check the off topic forum. If the title of a new thread doesn't sound interesting to me I find myself not reading it. I used to read almost everything that was posted. I think it's because I'm beginning to think I should be doing something else with my time other than sitting behind a computer.That describes me as well. Having gotten married last August, I have seen my life situation change as well and have spent less time on the board.

Commish, you already know my position on Volleyball and Softball ;) Get r Done! :)

[HoopScoop]

Okay - so I hear most of you saying keep RSS feeds separate but consolidate the rest. After looking at the RSS feeds - I do not think they would unnecessarily clutter the main forum as a busy day would only have 5 posts. But if most people want them separate - so be it. They are not getting read that way, though, as almost none have more than 10 views. I would rather have them consolidated with everything else.

They at least serve the purpose of putting new information out there quickly if no one else brings our attention to it. Just my two cents.

[Dale8R]

OK, I am changing my "vote." I say we go with the Boss on this one. As he says, it is not necessarily all that many in any one day. If it gets the messages read and promotes more discussion, then I say we ought to try it.

Oh, and I always go directly to http://hoopscoop.net/forums/index.php Once every couple of weeks, I may check out the front page, but that is about it.

[dem]

For some time now I have always gone first to womenshoops.blogspot.com, looked over the national news, and then followed their link directly to the forums here--easier "one-stop-shopping." In keeping with my support for consolidating, I'd have no problem with integrating the RSS feeds together with the other stuff. The only thing that I would definitely keep separate is the "Off-topic" forum.

[mgood1]

Okay - so I hear most of you saying keep RSS feeds separate but consolidate the rest. After looking at the RSS feeds - I do not think they would unnecessarily clutter the main forum as a busy day would only have 5 posts. But if most people want them separate - so be it. They are not getting read that way, though, as almost none have more than 10 views. I would rather have them consolidated with everything else.

They at least serve the purpose of putting new information out there quickly if no one else brings our attention to it. Just my two cents.
I agree that the RSS feeds should be kept with everything else, for exactly the reasons you mention. Leaving them in a forum by themselves is probably the next thing to not having them at all. Everyone will link directly to the page with the forums they do read and most will never even be aware of what might be in the RSS Feeds page.
But if others want them seperate and you go that way, I have no real problem with that. It's not going to bother me, really, one way or the other.
I do like the idea of consolidating the Women's Basketball Potpourri with Collegiate Games & Pick 'em Contest. The RSS could be in there or not. Putting them in isn't going to hurt anything. Leaving them seperate will mean little traffic there. Right now, people probably get the news on their teams from the teams sites and, as has been mentioned, don't have that much interest in reading about other teams playing cupcakes. People will probably be more inclined to read them once Big 12 season starts next week. So traffic could pick up some. Having them out there by themselves will cause some people not to see them, so it'll probably balance out and have about the same number of views as now. (Just guessing.)

[HoopScoop]

By the way - I've set up the RSS feeds to take advantage of the new standard being adopted by everyone out there. It helps to brings all the news of the Big 12 to us automatically. All I did was take about 20 minutes and find all the Big 12 RSS feeds. Well - all except Texas - could never find theirs.

But this can be done with other RSS feeds as well - like the Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, Yahoo, etc. So we can expand the number of feeds and keep ourselves as up-to-date as possible. I will not take the time each and every day to hunt news articles down myself. Obviously don't have the time for that - no one does. Plus - making this automatic brings the news to our doorstep as soon as the news articles are published on the internet.

Anyway - just wanted to give a little background. And if others would like to hunt down additional RSS feeds (obviously only about Big 12 women's basketball) - then just let me know what they are and I can add them to the system. Thanks.

[tx4OU]

I'll pipe in with my opinion on the RSS Feeds. I do click inside that forum, but I hardly ever read them. What I do is just mouse over the thread title and read the information in the pop-up window just to get the score or if it's an upcoming game announcement.....who that B12 team will be playing and if it's going to be telecast. If it's not in the mouse-over pop up, I may click on it to find out the score or the other info, but rarely read the entire story.

Now, if those stories had comments from fellow HoopScoopers; I'd definitely be clicking on each one, not to read the story, but the HoopScooper's comments. I guess I'm more interested in my fellow B12 fan's perspectives and views more than I am about reading the media's regurgitation of the stat sheet. Not saying every story is boring, I just prefer the nuances you get from someone that attended the game than a journalist's game recap. Again that's not always the case, esp. if something exciting happened such as the infamous "handshake," b/c the reporter may have gotten the inside scoop. But that's not always the case.

If the stories were located together with the majority of where all of our traffic is, then I think there will be greater opportunities for people to make their own comments with specifics inside the story. That would definitely get my traffic to the story's thread.

[wildcatwomen]

I'm chiming in on this a little late, but wanted to get my two cents in. First off, I always go directly to the forums. I have also noticed the decline in traffic and can see several reasons for this, all of which have already been discussed.

Personally, I have done a lot of tongue biting (or rather exercising keyboard restraint) in the past year. It seems that there are a few posters who are always ready to jump down my throat when I say something they don't agree with. Usually they are insinuating that I am not intelligent enough to be on this board. I resent that and simply choose to keep my opinions to myself most of the time. Although I do not have multiple graduate degrees, I am a college graduate (with one grad degree) and not an idiot. Several others of you have stuck up for me and I appreciate that greatly. I am accepting of others opinions even if I don't always agree and I've always thought that was why these boards existed - to share ideas, observations and opinions. We all have a different view and I enjoy hearing from the rest of you.

I will be the first to admit that I am extremely partial to my team and even to my favorite player. But, following that player is what brought me here and got me started following the entire Big12 so I do not see it as an entirely bad thing. We all know we have favorites and as was previously stated, we wouldn't be fans if we didn't.

I've been surprised at how few KSU fans are posting anything. I have gotten on here a few days after a game and found that no one had posted anything about the game. I usually went ahead and gave a brief summary but by then it was old news. I think last year's conference season really disappointed a lot of KSU fans, but we are all here for the kids and to support them. Winning or not, they deserve our support.

I'm looking forward to the Big12 season as I feel like it will be a true test for our KSU ladies and will give them an opportunity to prove they can put their talent to use. I just hope they follow through! I've even been considering making some feeble attempts at participating in the Pick 'Em contest. I silently observed last year and found it fun and entertaining as well as informational.

[Jimi]

I'm glad to see you in here Wildcatwomen. I read your reports and like them. I hope you stick with the pick-em and have fun with it.

If I have offended you, or ever do, PM me or slap me upside the head on the board. Most of us don't want to offend but may do so unintentionally. Your opinions are as valid as anyone's and I hope you feel free to state them.

I have been very busy and also pay some attention to the WNBA boards now that we have 5 players on rosters including my favorite, Nicole Ohlde. My wife and I will be off to the game this evening and hope your favorite player does well.

[tx4OU]

Personally, I have done a lot of tongue biting (or rather exercising keyboard restraint) in the past year. It seems that there are a few posters who are always ready to jump down my throat when I say something they don't agree with. Usually they are insinuating that I am not intelligent enough to be on this board. I resent that and simply choose to keep my opinions to myself most of the time.
I agree with Jimi, wildcatwomen.

I have a philosophy that I have instigated within myself after posting on OU's football and men's bball boards. There seems to be a clique of a few regulars over there that degrade anyone who makes a differing point of view post that doesn't agree with their opinions. They attack. Sometimes I wonder how old those few posters are. It's a message board and all things are open to discussion without resorting to name calling.

My stance has and will always be, that no matter what anyone says, get used to me, b/c I'm not going away. I'm as much entitled to make my opinion heard as they are. I feel the worst thing I can do is to play right into their hands by being squezzed out from ever posting there again. I will never give them that pleasure. It's really not been all that harsh as in times past, but I say, make your thoughts/opinions heard. The worst thing I think that can happen to a message board is to have people thwarted into not ever posting again. The thing I think a lot of people need to realize is simple: We can all AGREE to DISAGREE. And then just leave it at that.

Keep posting!!

[wildcatwomen]

Thanks Jimi and Tx4OU! I am probably a person who can be too nice at times and therefore would rather avoid confrontation; yet I do have opinions and I feel that I can provide insight into the game of basketball and into human nature. I need to do just what you suggested and just ignore the people trying to assert themselves as the experts and continue posting. Maybe this will become my philosophy for the new year!

Jimi - Please cheer on our girls for me! I returned at 4 a.m. from our LA trip where we watched the ladies play two wonderful ball games. The first was solid and the second was downright fun to watch. The chemistry was back; the fun was back;the team showed a little of what they can do when they work together. I'm heading out to run errands and pick up a pizza so I can eat during the game (which I'll be watching online).

[walkaway]

I had begun to think I'd been parked on a forum-wide "ignore" list, or something.
I haven't devoted as much time to the Lady Raiders this year as I have in previous seasons, but I depended on hoopscoop to give me a hook to hang my hat on for news of the other Big XII teams ... and it's been, dare I say, eerily quiet?
I'm not sure why, but I have a strong impression that wcbb in general isn't making the news (or sports headlines) as often, so far this year.

Am I the only one who thinks so?