Tarhog

Good luck guys and gals. Most importantly - Hail to the team we all love and better days ahead. Best of luck.

4 minutes ago, Tarhog said:

The other factor would be if you want to retain an archive of previous posts. That could increase your costs. You should have no problem technically with importing/migrating the current database (if the team agrees to give you access) but that might require a higher tier (and higher cost) server. 

It might make more sense to stay with Invision if you want to basically continue on as you have - it would probably be the cheapest option again assuming the team is willing to help you move it to a private account. You would have all the server costs and have to have guys to learn the software and become competent in admin duties. At least you would have the ability to keep the site current and updated though which obviously the team has not made a priority. Would save you upfront money purchasing other software and setting up a new site. But I would look at whether Invision is the best long-term software (and I can’t give any guidance on that as I am Invision ignorant).

The other factor would be if you want to retain an archive of previous posts. That could increase your costs. You should have no problem technically with importing/migrating the current database (if the team agrees to give you access) but that might require a higher tier (and higher cost) server. 

Just my best guess to do a quality site with the kind of traffic here, I would guess 2-3

grand to get it up and fully built (again, dependent on how many bells and whistles you want) , and then $1000-$1500/quarter to keep it up and running. The quarterly cost could be more dependent on how much bandwidth you’d need based on high traffic.

Another resource you might want to look at is The Admin Zone. It's great because while there are software-specific subforums, it's basically a site for those who are interested in or have already started a forum. I mean, it is a one-stop shopping place for 'Everything you ever wanted to know about starting a forum but were afraid to ask'. The Admin Zone is another Xenforo-based forum, so again, that might say something   I have found it a very friendly site full of experts (very similar to the old vbulletin.org forums that used to be a place for vbulletin forum owners to find answers on). You will find folks who are passionate about other forum software brands, including Invision.

19 minutes ago, Die Hard said:

Honestly, you need at least 2 people who are technically proficient to cover most web development requirements. And to do it just for the love of it…. partly out of pocket…. and almost a full-time job (install, maintenance, upgrades, etc). You have to love it for its own sake. 
 

It’s not something you can create/maintain half assed and things run on its own.

 

And for the ppl who want to run the show, pick your bedfellows very very very carefully. 

 

 

Very true. I have always enjoyed the tech aspect - how to add some feature to the site, or solve or troubleshoot a problem. I mean - the discussion is awesome too and of course the members, but if it weren't for the technical and creative part of it, I probably wouldn't have been interested in doing a site. It's a lot of work - more than one would guess up front.

****

We haven't allowed political topics in over 5 years, because we couldn't find a way to manage member on member warfare. Most of our 'righties' are long gone, so there were casualties on both sides. Kudos if ES has been able to manage it without the fallout. We could never figure it out. So much more fun now that we steer clear of politics and 'social' issues.

On 11/9/2023 at 8:53 PM, tshile said:

I loved BGO

 

Just not 2 particular people, and they weren’t owners/mods or anything like that

 

but was a cool site

tshile - you are a class act.

35 minutes ago, RVAskins said:

Not sure I agree with this. I know things change as time goes on. Heck, when I first started on the internet, I would use my modem to connect to bulletin boards. I don't know if anyone here remembers Blue Ridge Express. I'm in Richmond so I'm not sure how far that reached a fan base. I think ES is different. Here, I feel more like Norm walking into Cheers. I personally don't use twitter so I love seeing the tweets here. Love hearing different opinions on all things Commanders. I think with new ownership and fans coming back to the team, ES will still be the place to go for insight and opinions. I sure hope I'm right.

 

I'm not arguing whether forums/messageboards have *value* - they of course do. But they are dying as a social media entity. Whether vbulletin, Xenforo, or any other of the primary forum softwares out there, the number of communities has dramatically declined over the past decade. And even in surviving forums, traffic is way down. ES has always been the dominant forum amongst Redskins fans but during the peak of forum popularity, there were numerous new threads started every day with energetic discussion ongoing. That is no longer the case here or on almost any other forum, at least in the context of what it once was. Of course the quality of product the franchise has put out hasn't been helpful, but it's a larger trend than something specific to this team and the fanbase.

There are exceptions. I'm a member of a Xenforo golf-oriented board @TheHackersParadise which thrives - but that's because folks are rabid about all things golf. I have no doubt that new ownership and a return to a winning tradition (if it happens) will boost all Washington Football forums traffic and membership. But it will never return to what it once was, before there were large-scale megasites like Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc... I hate it, not only because I run a similar fan forum, but because again, there is what you get at Chi-Chi's or McDonalds, and then there is a finely crafted meal at a family-owned restaurant. It's not at all the same experience, but folks seem to want what is quick, easy, and generic. 

A @Blade thread certainly gets ones attention, even one almost a year old.

Just a couple quick thoughts, the comments about forums dying - are dead on. The whole messageboard phenomenon that ES and other topic-specific forums rode throughout the 2000's began to die a slow death the minute Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, etc... arose. The analogy I use is that amazing family owned sphaghetti house that can't survive chain restaurants like Olive Garden and Red Lobster popping up in their backyard. Folks are lazy. They want to do one-stop shopping where they can talk about anything and don't have to put more than a couple of sentences together to do so. They want that predictable, fast food that never changes even if it's not quite as good as that handmade meal they used to enjoy.

It's a shame, but that's just the reality of the world we live in.

There are still a lot of great forums out there, but you have to hunt to find them. They survive largely because of the connections and loyalties folks forge that are difficult to replicate on mass social media sites. The people that stay do so for the relationships, not the subject matter. But even those that have survived are shadows of their former selves in terms of traffic and popularity.

No idea what the Harris group will do with their social media footprint. Hopefully they at least remember that their are a number of fan communities that support Washington Football (beyond the one they reportedly own :)) out here full of passionate people who have been fans their entire lives. If they truly want to have their finger on the pulse of fan sentiment, there are few better places to measure it than fan forums and messageboards. If they had understood that during the previous name change process, we wouldn't have been saddled with one with almost negligible fan support.

Just my .02 (not .06) cents.

Judah will get slaughtered against Margarito. he doesn't deserve the shot, he doesn't deserve any shot, yet he still gets the shot...........unbelievable

Mararito's the guy we should be talking about this morning anyway.

thats a problem alot of boxers have, they don't like admitting defeat on camera. the common themes for the loser of a decision is that they:

1. were never hurt at anytime during the fight
   
2. thought they were doing enough to get the decision
   

that problem isn't exclusive to Zab, i just think its the nature of the sport. Especially now when a single loss can be devastating to a fighters career. I think Zab realized this was and should be his last shot to remain relevant.

Those are good points. I've seen a few that acknowledged 'he was the better fighter tonight' - so its not unprecedented.

I agree - he fought tough. On the other hand, it never should've gone to the scorecards since the cut clearly was the result of a punch - in other words, Clottey stopped him plain and simple. Judah's punch count #'s were dropping like a rock, so I think the result was inevitable when the cut occured, although you never know what will happen in boxing.

i wouldn't say he got punked, Clottey is the real deal in the welterweight division and will be a problem for anyone he faces at 147. Zab was still standing and trading before he cut. the Zab Judah of a couple of years ago would've folded up shop and did something stupid

he is now officially a gate keeper though

I agree. I think he fought hard and showed a lot of toughness. I just wish he could 'publically' acknowledge a loss. Watching him congratulate Clottey, I think he was gracious and knew he'd been outfought. Why he can't do that in front of the cameras, I don't know - I think its sad and embarassing.

Judah is a *****. Can't man up and just admit he got out fought. He knows damn well it was a punch that caused the cut. Man up.

Looking at the way the dog is running and seeing as how he is making now attempt to actually grab the child it's clear the dog is playing. I've seen dog attacks and been attacked by a dog myself. They don't run by hopping when their goal is to attack. They snarl and attempt to drag you down while tearing at you. The look of an angry dog is pretty easy to spot.

That and the fact that my fathers dog does the exact same thing as the dog in the clip when he's playful outdoors.

Having said all that Tarhog I don't think your concern says anything negatively about you.

I can distinguish between a dog attack and an out of control dog that might hurt a child unintentionally. My point is, it isn't funny, and I've seen too many incidents where a child gets hurt because of stupid adults.

All that being said, please return to laughing. At other things I would hope.

If you all have no problem with that clip - fine. I think it says more about you than my 'concern' says about me. You ever had a young kid mauled by a dog jrock?

No. I didn't think so.

And I obviously have earned a lot of respect around here. The days of 'sorry, I didn't think that would bother anyone, I'll take it down' are obviously long gone.

Naah. Unsonny's right. 2 year olds getting knocked down by pitbulls is good stuffs.

its called the Own3d Thread for a reason

the doggie is just playin

How do you know that? That looks vicious to me bro. And 'playin' or not, I don't think its funny. I don't think anyone who's had a toddler attacked by a dog would find it funny either.

Sorry.

And thanks for the flip-off. She looks a lot better doing it than you do.

Unsonny - that clip of the kid and the dog is pretty disturbing. Not sure I see the humor there. Sorry

It seemed to ignite after my post and I was wondering ??????

Sorry for the rant.

Just a coincidence

There were some posts that were way over the line and had to be removed by the staff.

If you all are referring to my post at the top of the page, I have edited it to show it's relevance to previous posts.

And if you think that it is still over the line then I have to call Ghey!

Mods feel free to delete above mentioned post and ban me if deemed necessary!

I don't think yours are the posts in question.

Someone posts inappropriately, warn them once, if they do it again, ban them. That pretty much ensures they won't do it again. It's not rocket science. Theres no reason to close this thread.

Everybody loves a little *****

I think you're back in the circle of trust!