Tarhog Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 How to Fix Extremeskins.com, End World Hunger, and Win the War in Iraq I love this place. Like your own family, once you’ve loved them, you really have no other choice. They may piss you off, disappoint you, and force you to eat bad food in distant places occasionally, but you will always love them. This place ain’t what it used to be, its not what it could be, and it could be so much more. I have some ideas. Take them or leave them: 1. Extremeskins needs a larger moderating staff. You all do a great job – I would know. But a larger mod crew would give you the ability to interact with anyone who needs guidance on a personal level, and to man the Feedback and Tech Support forum where questions frequently go unanswered for extended periods. If someone has skills, ideas, and is motivated to move the board forward, but doesn’t have the temperament to be a moderator, give them other responsibilities, but you need more staff. 2. There needs to be open communication between the team and the board’s staff. One guy cannot be the sole spokesperson for a 60,000+ member board. The team may prefer it that way, but it doesn’t work. One guy’s respectful opinion. 3. Review the forum setup – many of the forums are barely used. If I had never been to the site before, I’d have no idea looking at the front page that ‘The Stadium’ and ‘Tailgate’ had 99.9% of the activity. 4. Alter the cookie cutter appearance of the front page. You have one of the most talented ‘flash’ creators in America as a longtime member – use him to spice this graphically dull thing up. Is it beyond the realm of technology to give staff back the ability to have an ‘editable’ section of the front page where we can upload the latest photos, ‘teasers’ to new content, and other graphics? ExtremeSkins.com looks like every other site on the internet. It didn’t used to. It doesn’t have to. 5. Bring back the old features. What happened to the ‘gameday countdown clock’, the NFL Spy feature (yeah TK made an effort to rebuild it, but its not the same), the Fan Map, and the players/games/coaching/draft databases. Increase the staff to include guys who want to help re-create these features. 6. Lobby the team for some true IT support, and for the ability to have some clout in driving change. Hey Redskins – WE, extremeskins.com members are the customers, remember? It was our site before you ever knew it existed. It was lovingly and passionately built, and we used to care about whether we were improving it every day. If you can’t commit the resources to improving it, give us back some control – we can do it for you, for free – its what we do. 7. Give us some real access – get rid of the lame ‘Tiger Beat’ player and coach chats – or at least supplement them with some real-time 'live' chats. If you stick with them, let us post the audio – what are you afraid of? Who wants to read a bunch of written canned replies to some of our questions – we can read the Post or go to any other traditional media outlet for that. 8. Give the staff access to players of old. Why can’t we get Charley Taylor on extremeskins, and have stories, live thread chats, and info directly from him? We could be doing this kind of thing with Redskin greats every couple of weeks. How cool would that be? Why aren’t we doing this kind of thing. I’ve volunteered. I’ve asked for contact information – nada. It’s a damn shame. It requires nothing – nothing – from anyone else and yet would add a way cool feature unavailable anywhere else on the net. 9. Start a Redskins History forum on the board. How can we not have this??? I’ve tried to get this ball rolling before, as has TK. It’s a crime that we are so closely tied with the actual team, yet have no better stuff in this regard than other sites. It would be an ideal place to house our databases if we still had them up and running Let us establish a relationship with NFL Films so we could legally showcase historic Redskin video footage. 10. Identify a group of ‘staff writers’. You have an incredible wealth of talent here. Beyond those that obviously have and deserve the ability to write articles (Om, Art, others) there are many folks here that both would jump at and deserve the opportunity – if you had the ability to spotlight an article on the frontpage (as we used to do), you’ve got guys like Bulldog writing better sports articles than you’ll find in real sports media journalism. There are many others. Tap those creative sources. Yes, we have ‘threads’ where people can express themselves, but you create an environment where truly special threads get special attention (I mean besides ones Art, Om, or another staffmember writes) you might see the quality of them dramatically improve. How about putting the best post each week on the frontpage of both extremeskins.com and redskins.com? 11. Get real chat software for game days. It’s a no-brainer. 10 or 20 chatrooms, named after redskin greats, active only on game days, so we can gather with the group we like the best, and interact. Members have asked for this and suggested it over and over. Its basic internet stuff here. Do it. 12. Start making real use of the ‘Access’ we said was so important to us when we made this deal. Allow 4 ‘regular fans’ staff-supervised pre-game field access every single game. Do you have any idea how cool it is to walk up to a fan in the FedEx parking lot and say ‘would you like to come on the field with us before the game?’. Allow 2 ‘regular’ extremeskins members, with staff supervision to attend and cover each game and all training events (just like staff – on the field, in the pressbox, in the lockerroom) and let them share their experiences. The accompanying extremeskins staff are responsible in all areas for their conduct. 13. Facilitate the invitation prior to every home game of one former Redskin player to the extremeskin Tailgate so that fans can meet and interact with their former heroes. 14. Build an extremeskins.com store on the site. Give the staff the ability to develop, market, and sell our own gear. Theres a huge demand for it, you don’t have the time or interest to do it yourself, and the staff wants to do it. Let us. We’ll gladly share whatever profits there are. Again, a no-brainer. Win-win-win. There are many more ideas floating around out there. This site used to be one of the most dynamic and creative on the internet. If people asked for something, we tried to give it to them. Even when they weren’t asking, we were constantly striving to make the place more interesting, fun, and the best place in cyberspace for redskin’s fans to hang. I guess if I didn’t believe it could return to some of its former glory, I wouldn’t still be hanging out here myself. I understand an internet messageboard, no matter how beloved by its members, will likely never be a top priority for an NFL team. But you have guys here, myself included, who would love to help you make it special – the best in the NFL, the best internet site out there. You acquired the damn thing – why, unless you thought it had some meaning and importance? We can do it, we want to do it – help us do it. Mr. Snyder, Mr. Swanson, VPs of Marketing and Public Relations, give creative control of extremeskins back to the staff and the fans. Let us make this place special again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallntfox Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Great post Tarhog. I hope that some of your suggestions are placed into action and that this community evolves into a place that we can all be proud of...all of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisL4064 Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 sweet, now how do you end the war in iraq? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 16, 2006 Author Share Posted December 16, 2006 We spend a lot of time talking about the 'membership', decline in the quality of the conversation, and the loss of the 'community feel' but I don't buy it. We still have most of the same great people we've always had coming here. The difference is, the board just isn't as fun as it once was. Make it fun again, and the rest fixes itself. Ask the Redskins. 99% of the 'problems' they're dealing with now would go away with a winning season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkFan8 Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 15 fix the BBC code in the Washington Hockey section! :laugh::laugh: But really, nice post Tarhog. I know in the grand scheme of things that I have only joined recently, but I really think this is the best sports discussion board I have been a part of. With a bit of tweaking it could be even better. Just a thought, but why not start up an IRC channel or something for game-day's? Or even just leave it up all week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD0506 Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Wow!.....just Wow! It is almost painful to see so many good ideas just tossed out there that easily. Even if some of them could be implemented it would be amazing. As an adjunct to several of your suggestions why not canvass the member base to see what THEY might have to offer and be willing to do? I know a lot of people might not want to make the commitment to being a regular, but I absolutely believe that there are tons of members that could and would help answer tech questions, mentor newcomers, and offer their suggestions or designs. If nothing else just offering the opportunity to participate in a wider sense than just posting a reply in a thread would encourage people to see this as more than a "mere football message board" and value it more highly, because I see that as the root of many of the problems here. The greybeards, the people that have been here since ES's infancy have invested a lot of resources in it over the years and hold it dear. They should, this is something special. There are a billion blabsites out there in the cyberwastelands that are virtually interchangeable and equally worthless, this isn't one of them. To a lot of others it IS just "another" message board, why is anyone expecting them to act any differently than they do in the others? It seems like we as a whole are approaching some watershed moment here where it is going to shake off the negatives and flourish or we all start dying a little. There is no way to "turn back the clock X number of years" and make ES what it once was. So the options appear to be either pull together as a community, as that Skins family that so many like to say we are, and work together to do what's necessary or just drift away and maybe notice the obituary in the papers some day down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joncevensen Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 That hit the nail on the head. I've been a member of this board since March 2005, and even before that I skimmed the board for news. I'm sure that many of the board members, including myself, would be willing to step up and help bring extremeskins.com back to where it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 16, 2006 Author Share Posted December 16, 2006 I think the 'watershed' moment comes when the team soon decides whether to continue on with the site run 'by the fans, for the fans' or purges it and blows it up in the belief they can run it better themselves. I really hope they continue on. The staff here are truly great guys. I would guess that the #1 reason so little has happened in terms of keeping this site a dynamic, fun, evolving experience is that the team simply doesn't have time or resources to focus on it. Thats why I'm asking them to let the staff and members here have more control in developing the site going forward. There is talent here. Lots of it. You're a prime example LDO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSF Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Those are some great ideas Tarhog, and I appreciate what you are doing. Weren't most of those ideas first mentioned during there merger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt'n Obvious Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I know that I am young, but I'd would be willing to help out any way that I possibly can. :logo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 16, 2006 Author Share Posted December 16, 2006 Those are some great ideas Tarhog, and I appreciate what you are doing. Weren't most of those ideas first mentioned during there merger? Yes. The problem has never been a lack of ideas. This site is, contrary to Steve Czaban's assessment, chockful of smart, creative people of all ages and backgrounds. We just stopped listening to them somewhere along the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nace14 Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 i agree with everything, especially the kickoff countdown. i especially miss the kickoff countdown in may. personnally it would be nice to see a countdown till draft right now too the way the season has played out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Weirdo Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Tarhog you are the man! Join me and we will create a better world for all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 i thought the introduction of the fantasy football and madden threads help alot in the offseason.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Die Hard Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 John.... you are asking people with power to relinquish some of it (on many levels). Ain't gonna happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airborneskins Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Very good suggestions Tarhog. Now how do we get the ball rolling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskinsunshine Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I think the 'watershed' moment comes when the team soon decides whether to continue on with the site run 'by the fans, for the fans' or purges it and blows it up in the belief they can run it better themselves Are you saying that this is already under consideration, but that the team has not yet made a decision? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Die Hard Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 We just stopped listening to them somewhere along the way. No one stopped listening. It just gets discussed to death to the point of exhaustion and then dies.... because the decision is never unanimous. And then you get stagnation and ambivalence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 16, 2006 Author Share Posted December 16, 2006 John.... you are asking people with power to relinquish some of it (on many levels). Ain't gonna happen. I didn't really post it believing anyone would. But no one can say I'm one of those who ****es but offers no solutions. If I thought we could get some movement and momentum going in the right direction, I'd be right back in the trenches with these guys doing whatever it took to keep it a special place - they know I love them. I love you too bro And if it falls on deaf ears, I have the satisfaction of knowing I was right and always had my heart in the right place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Die Hard Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Very good suggestions Tarhog. Now how do we get the ball rolling? You start your own site. Sad but true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 16, 2006 Author Share Posted December 16, 2006 Are you saying that this is already under consideration, but that the team has not yet made a decision? I'm not delving into specifics - and I'm not on staff now so anything I would say is conjecture. What I'm saying is the obvious, that the team owns the site, and they can either go one of two directions: continue to make the site about making their fans happy and giving the staff a larger role in shaping what this place is and becomes, or try to turn it into another marketing machine without us. And obviously, I hope its the former and not the latter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte51Coleman Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Extremeskins as it was is either dead, or at best, on life support. Some will say that is progress. Others will disagree. One thing is certain; If drastic changes are not made the direction that this board has taken over the past year or so will continue to evolve, and the tone, tenor, and integrity of it will continue to decline at an accelerated pace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airborneskins Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 You start your own site. Sad but true. Trying to get rid of me Die Hard? [/sarcasm] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD0506 Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I think the 'watershed' moment comes when the team soon decides whether to continue on with the site run 'by the fans, for the fans' or purges it and blows it up in the belief they can run it better themselves. When and if that happens then ES will just be reborn elsewhere, maybe under another name but the spirit that gave birth to this will be rerooted in different soil, I refuse to believe otherwise. There is talent here. Lots of it. You're a prime example LDO. Nice, but I know better :laugh: But I also know from my own personal experience that I have asked plenty of members about things totally unrelated to football or the Skins, questions about how to post things, PhotoShop, computers, legal opinions, politics, renaissance festivals, etc., etc., and gotten back in-depth well expressed explanations on all of these things and more- quickly, kindly, freely offered to a total stranger for no other reason than we both came here to ES. I'm not even a blip on anyone's radar here and I have seen the wealth of information and knowhow possessed by the membership and their willingness to offer it. There simply has to be some way to harness for the benefit of us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twenty-eight Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Tarhog, I hate saying this but I wouldn't be surprised if its the latter. It seems as if everything that Snyder does is about marketing and money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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