ANNOUNCEMENT: Boards Closing May 5 (New Date)

[ellicottraven]

Let me be brief. Most of what I feel has already been articulated pretty well by several people. To me why this site worked for many of us was simply the moderation involved in keeping the conversation civil and curtailing excessive trolling. That helped make this board very intellectually stimulating, educational and a whole lot of fun. Most of us have never met each other or perhaps never will. But, we can't deny that there was a kinship formed that isn't easy to erase (at least for me). Now, there is no substitute for that readily available for us to migrate to. Facebook and other social media websites are despicable in the content and exchanges. It is not a replacement for genuine fans of a ball club. That is what makes this closure so baffling to me.

Sorry didn't end up brief.

Edited 15 hours ago by ellicottraven

[RavensDieHard21]

11 hours ago, Admin 3 said:

Our plan is still for this Friday to be the last day of the boards.

(Commenting on the site's news articles will continue however.)

So our accounts will still function on here to comment on the news articles? Or, do we have to access them via social media?🤔

[RavensDieHard21]

Only have been a member since 14' but I remember checking in on the comment section every morning after games during the beginning of the  Flacco-Harbaugh era to see what the other fans felt and it always felt awesome to know there was so many other passionate fans out there. 

I've learned a lot about the game and our team over the years and I'll miss these boards, especially the draft crew! Shout out to you semi-pro scouts and analysts haha. I hope I'll catch you guys on another forum soon. 

[Filmstudy]

I've enjoyed the discussion on this board.  Good football fans, not too many trolls.

I hope the folks moving to other boards will consider either using the same handle or identifying themselves.

For what it's worth, I'm Filmstudy everywhere (no alter egos) and also post on RSR, the Sun boards (occasionally), BSL, Ball So Hard University (Reddit), YBR (occasionally), and Baltimore Beatdown.  All have some interesting characters and good conversation.  I have a favorite linked for each. 

I'm sad to see this board go, because the quality of discussion was so good, but I hope the posters for whom this was their only home will find a good place at one of the others.

[Purple Nurple]

Totally sucks but it is what it is. We have alternatives. The best one being a temporary forum until the proper sanctuary is built. Everyone is being all emotional but weve got places to go. Get on the Ark, lol.

[K-Dog]

6 hours ago, ellicottraven said:

Let me be brief. Most of what I feel has already been articulated pretty well by several people. To me why this site worked for many of us was simply the moderation involved in keeping the conversation civil and curtailing excessive trolling. That helped make this board very intellectually stimulating, educational and a whole lot of fun. Most of us have never met each other or perhaps never will. But, we can't deny that there was a kinship formed that isn't easy to erase (at least for me). Now, there is no substitute for that readily available for us to migrate to. Facebook and other social media websites are despicable in the content and exchanges. It is not a replacement for genuine fans of a ball club. That is what makes this closure so baffling to me.

Sorry didn't end up brief.

Spot on.

[Bruce_Almty]

Goodbye to All,

Enjoyed reading your thoughts and posting my own. I won't be moving to FB. Best wishes to all my Raven brothers and sisters.

[RayRayRaven]

5 hours ago, Purple Nurple said:

Totally sucks but it is what it is. We have alternatives. The best one being a temporary forum until the proper sanctuary is built. Everyone is being all emotional but weve got places to go. Get on the Ark, lol.

 

23 minutes ago, Bruce_Almty said:

Goodbye to All,

Enjoyed reading your thoughts and posting my own. I won't be moving to FB. Best wishes to all my Raven brothers and sisters.

wuld like to see everone on tha same site. we got thangs to resolve. how bad humpf will be. weather oz and harball can survive anutha losin yr. what this yr wil mean to joe flacco. its bean percolattin for 5 yrs now and the brew is bout ready to be reviled. we canna miss da final eposoad.

Scout is clearly the most secure and professional site. ur not gonna want ur ups left with some of the folks talkin the temp unsecure site. jus not responsiball.

purpleflock.com looks nice have queshans bout security though take a look I see jonny unitas and black dog are thar

 

https://purpleflock.com/ 

[The Mom Gene]

10 hours ago, Inqui said:

Why do you argue so passionately for the decision makers upstairs? Just because someone made the decision through official channels doesn't mean it was the right one or that people are being stubborn for disagreeing as you implied in your next post. Do you also feel that strongly that the Chicago Tribune made the right decision when it canned all its news photographers?

Saying the site will be sticking around is a copout. The news threads are about what you'd expect from an internet comments section (which is hardly surprising since it is an internet comments section) - they're a step up from Facebook but only a small one.

I do, because they obviously know more than we do.

[jazz1988]

10 hours ago, rmw10 said:

To get somewhat back on topic, it's been real guys.  My time on message boards is likely coming to an end this Friday, as I don't immediately plan to join any other site.  I think that time has come to focus more on real life, despite how much I've enjoyed talking football with many of you.  I figured I'd say my "goodbyes" now before Friday so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.  I'll still be around over the next couple of days so feel free to reach out.  A few of you have my personal contact information, and I'd be more than happy to share it with a few others that have meant a great deal over these last 6 years if you'd like to keep in contact.  If one of these new homes starts to develop a following, I may consider a return to the message board world.

I can honestly say I wouldn't know the game of football as well as I do without a large majority of you.  I have always considered myself more knowledgeable than the average football fan that calls into 105.7, but learning from a lot of you really made me realize just how complex this game is.  Learning how to evaluate prospects, read coverages, etc. wouldn't have happened without the insane amount of knowledge that can be found around here (some more than others, obviously).  I sincerely thank you guys as it has really strengthened my love for the game, despite never playing it other than backyard games in the neighborhood.

It's been real, ya'll.  Go Ravens!

 I'm gonna miss The rmw10 . This  is so beautiful .

[jazz1988]

Ok so today's the last day of the boards. I really enjoyed the many conversations /discussions   with other Raven fans on this site concerning The Ravens or just overall football related topics.. There's no one on here that I think   contributed on this board  in a way that didn't make it fun  even  the ones that tend to be  jerks at times for no reason(just being honest). I  encourage everyone to cherish  every moment we had on this board but also I encourage  you all to  keep on striving in life because  it's bigger than this board or this site in general. Some of you probably gain alot  of football related knowledge from this board and some of you may have gain new friends or developed a strong friendship that won't stop even when this board ends on Friday. I think that's a beautiful and wonderful thing because at end of the day we all gain something  so when this board ends we all still have something.Everything comes to a end and nothing  last forever but anyway  adios everyone and I hope you all have great day today and  a awesome year. 

Edited 5 hours ago by jazz1988

[Admin 3]

9 hours ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

So our accounts will still function on here to comment on the news articles? Or, do we have to access them via social media?🤔

Yes, all accounts will still be active and function the exact same way to allow commenting on news articles.

[Tank 92]

3 hours ago, RayRayRaven said:

 

wuld like to see everone on tha same site. we got thangs to resolve. how bad humpf will be. weather oz and harball can survive anutha losin yr. what this yr wil mean to joe flacco. its bean percolattin for 5 yrs now and the brew is bout ready to be reviled. we canna miss da final eposoad.

Scout is clearly the most secure and professional site. ur not gonna want ur ups left with some of the folks talkin the temp unsecure site. jus not responsiball.

purpleflock.com looks nice have queshans bout security though take a look I see jonny unitas and black dog are thar

 

https://purpleflock.com/ 

Thanks, you just made the decision for me.  No purpleflock.com for me.    lol

[RavensFanMania]

I'm going to miss this board.  i started following the Ravens avidly in 2014 after many years of being a Redskins fan and season ticket holder for 11 years.  I didn't stop rooting for that team because they were losing.  I left them because I couldn't support a team with Dan Snyder as the owner.  I was taken in and if it wasn't for this board I wouldn't have learned so much about the team in such a short period of time.  

I participated in many well thought out discussions, participated in the best mock draft on the net.  No other message board has free agency and salary cap as part of the mock.  I also participated in the Draft a Franchise game also another great game that I haven't seen on any other message board.

im going to miss everyone and hope everyone transitions to @BOLDnPurPnBlacK.  @rmw10 your content as @-Truth- mentioned is among the most thought out on the board and will be missed.  Hopefully you'll continue to atleast come back for the Forum Mock!

Go Ravens!

  

 

Edited 4 hours ago by RavensFanMania

[The Raven]

13 hours ago, rmw10 said:

To get somewhat back on topic, it's been real guys.  My time on message boards is likely coming to an end this Friday, as I don't immediately plan to join any other site.  I think that time has come to focus more on real life, despite how much I've enjoyed talking football with many of you.  I figured I'd say my "goodbyes" now before Friday so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.  I'll still be around over the next couple of days so feel free to reach out.  A few of you have my personal contact information, and I'd be more than happy to share it with a few others that have meant a great deal over these last 6 years if you'd like to keep in contact.  If one of these new homes starts to develop a following, I may consider a return to the message board world.

I can honestly say I wouldn't know the game of football as well as I do without a large majority of you.  I have always considered myself more knowledgeable than the average football fan that calls into 105.7, but learning from a lot of you really made me realize just how complex this game is.  Learning how to evaluate prospects, read coverages, etc. wouldn't have happened without the insane amount of knowledge that can be found around here (some more than others, obviously).  I sincerely thank you guys as it has really strengthened my love for the game, despite never playing it other than backyard games in the neighborhood.

It's been real, ya'll.  Go Ravens!

Oof. Good luck and take it easy man. 

[Admin 3]

Just to clear up a few misconceptions...

This has been pointed out multiple times, but it seems to keep being brought up so I will once again clarify that the monetary cost of running and maintaining these boards was a non-factor in the decision to sunset them. Yes, it does cost money to run them, but that was not even part of the discussion of closing the boards.

The boards will remain open through the end of the day tomorrow. (Friday, May 5 is the final day.)

When we talk about the usage drop-off, it refers to every metric we have -- not just registrations or post counts. We completely understand that the vocal group on here is extremely passionate and active. However, the number of actual active users is considerably smaller than many seem to imagine. Despite the 70,000+ registered accounts, only a very small majority have been active in the last year to two years -- and that includes people who don't post comments. We understand there are plenty of members who come to read, rather than post their thoughts. (In fact, more than 70% of registered users have never posted a single time.) When we talk about activity, it includes those fans as well. All of it has declined. The number of members visiting and posting on the boards on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis has reached very low levels. (Last preseason/regular season, only about 3% of members visited the boards. And in October and November, all of the posted comments were made by just 1% of the users. These numbers include news article comments as well.)

The mods and I greatly appreciate all of the compliments about how our board is better than others out there and how much better our members are than those on other boards. (We have always agreed.) But as any of the mods can attest, it's not easy to keep it so clean and the trolling to a minimum. There is a significant amount of effort and behind-the-scenes communication going on between the mods and admins. (In fact, the amount of conversation taking place in the mod area is greater than all of last season's game threads and this year's draft forum post volumes combined.) To keep things up to our high standards requires a great deal of time and human resources, and we must constantly evaluate how we're utilizing those resources so that we might best serve all our fans.

As you may have noticed, several fans have been looking to launch an unofficial community for those still interested in interacting with each other in a message board environment beyond tomorrow. I have been in contact with those creating the boards at www.purpleflock.com and invite you to check them out.

We know that many who have voiced their displeasure will still disagree with our decision to close the boards, but we hope you might respect the fact that, since last offseason, much thought, debate and consideration has gone into this decision. We greatly appreciate your support as fans and thank you for your unsurpassed passion.

[cobrajet]

What can I say today that hasn't been said by many already? I guess I will just say that for years I knew what everyone else here knew and that was that - baltimoreravens.com was the best website on this entire planet! I feel blessed to have found it because I have gotten so much enjoyment out of it for so many years. I know that this site will still be around and I will still continue to check out the news stories, but it will not be the same. I will check out some of the other sites to see if they become what we had here. I want to keep this short so I will just say that I am going to miss the hell out of what this site was before tomorrow and I will miss the heck out of everyone. We sure had some fun, didn't we? God bless you all, my friends for life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rossihunter2]

it'll be weird not having the boards tab always open on my laptop when I open it up

[bravensfan52]

I shall miss u guys

[AsianRice]

Later everyone; I will still use my same name if I ever sign up for any Ravens new site......

 

PS: Time to take off the Ravens message board from my favorite tab.....

[ellicottraven]

37 minutes ago, Admin 3 said:

Just to clear up a few misconceptions...

This has been pointed out multiple times, but it seems to keep being brought up so I will once again clarify that the monetary cost of running and maintaining these boards was a non-factor in the decision to sunset them. Yes, it does cost money to run them, but that was not even part of the discussion of closing the boards.

The boards will remain open through the end of the day tomorrow. (Friday, May 5 is the final day.)

When we talk about the usage drop-off, it refers to every metric we have -- not just registrations or post counts. We completely understand that the vocal group on here is extremely passionate and active. However, the number of actual active users is considerably smaller than many seem to imagine. Despite the 70,000+ registered accounts, only a very small majority have been active in the last year to two years -- and that includes people who don't post comments. We understand there are plenty of members who come to read, rather than post their thoughts. (In fact, more than 70% of registered users have never posted a single time.) When we talk about activity, it includes those fans as well. All of it has declined. The number of members visiting and posting on the boards on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis has reached very low levels. (Last preseason/regular season, only about 3% of members visited the boards. And in October and November, all of the posted comments were made by just 1% of the users. These numbers include news article comments as well.)

The mods and I greatly appreciate all of the compliments about how our board is better than others out there and how much better our members are than those on other boards. (We have always agreed.) But as any of the mods can attest, it's not easy to keep it so clean and the trolling to a minimum. There is a significant amount of effort and behind-the-scenes communication going on between the mods and admins. (In fact, the amount of conversation taking place in the mod area is greater than all of last season's game threads and this year's draft forum post volumes combined.) To keep things up to our high standards requires a great deal of time and human resources, and we must constantly evaluate how we're utilizing those resources so that we might best serve all our fans.

As you may have noticed, several fans have been looking to launch an unofficial community for those still interested in interacting with each other in a message board environment beyond tomorrow. I have been in contact with those creating the boards at www.purpleflock.com and invite you to check them out.

We know that many who have voiced their displeasure will still disagree with our decision to close the boards, but we hope you might respect the fact that, since last offseason, much thought, debate and consideration has gone into this decision. We greatly appreciate your support as fans and thank you for your unsurpassed passion.

So help me understand this. It isn't about money but it was about time resources spent on moderating the boards? There is something in these two remarks that seems contradictory to me. Couldn't more of these resources be hired if it wasn't about the money?

[AsianRice]

1 minute ago, ellicottraven said:

So help me understand this. It isn't about money but it was about time resources spent on moderating the boards? There is something in these two remarks that seems contradictory to me. Couldn't more of these resources be hired if it wasn't about the money?

Lol I thought the same thing but didn't bother to respond; time=money so if money not the issue, time shouldn't be the issue...

 

I think they just try to give whatever reason to get over it cuz they just want everything transferred to FB and other social platform regardless....

 

PS my way or high way...haha

[PuRock]

Devil's advocate.  But the decline in registrations, posts, and activity might go hand and hand with the product that is being put out on the field.  Hard to generate new users and generate heavy activity when the product is average. 

In the seasons we were going to the playoffs every year and won a Super Bowl there was a lot more activity.  Things to get excited about and generate interest.  New fans were coming out of the woodwork.  

[rmw10]

3 minutes ago, PuRock said:

Devil's advocate.  But the decline in registrations, posts, and activity might go hand and hand with the product that is being put out on the field.  Hard to generate new users and generate heavy activity when the product is average. 

In the seasons we were going to the playoffs every year and won a Super Bowl there was a lot more activity.  Things to get excited about and generate interest.  New fans were coming out of the woodwork.  

Agreed.  I think all of us can admit they've been a hard team to watch at times in the last 4-5 years.  Hard to generate interest when a team is coming off of the Super Bowl high and doesn't maintain that level of play.

[Alexir]

See everyone over at the Ravens board over at Reddit.

[SepticeyePoe]

10 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

Agreed.  I think all of us can admit they've been a hard team to watch at times in the last 4-5 years.  Hard to generate interest when a team is coming off of the Super Bowl high and doesn't maintain that level of play.

It doesn't help if no one knows this place exists. I didn't know there was a Ravens site until maybe the 2013 season and it took me another year to find the forum.

[PuRock]

11 minutes ago, rmw10 said:

Agreed.  I think all of us can admit they've been a hard team to watch at times in the last 4-5 years.  Hard to generate interest when a team is coming off of the Super Bowl high and doesn't maintain that level of play.

Several seasons like that will only leave the die hards still standing. And even their activity will decline.  

[AsianRice]

7 minutes ago, PuRock said:

Several seasons like that will only leave the die hards still standing. And even their activity will decline.  

so true..

[rmw10]

13 minutes ago, PuRock said:

Several seasons like that will only leave the die hards still standing. And even their activity will decline.  

I think it has also brought out the so called "boo birds" around here as well.  I used to be much more active in the Ravens Talk section but with the losing seasons, we started to get a serious influx of complainers.  There have always been some but they started to take over nearly every thread (and still do).  If I wasn't interested in the draft and the offseason forum games, I would have been gone a long time ago.  Ravens Talk has become a barren wasteland of trolling and a general lack of education since the Super Bowl.

[jimjim5]

I personally think and IIRC, when the past format changes to the BaltimoreRavens.com website were enacted, the link to the forums became obscure; initially, I couldn't find the forum/boards link again. I think this change, plus the fact that the Ravens have cast a less that stellar product on the field has definitely led to this board's demise.

Case in point, the "Join the Conversation" link has disappeared on the website, pointing to the ominous sign of the forums going dark. I'm sure many didn't even realize this piece. I'm willing to bet those changes to a more mobile friendly, but less visually spectacular website killed things.

Too bad, as this board was the bees-knees.