The Future of VMB

[losperros]

Good post, Jim. I share your concerns.

I think 808vikingsfan hit the nail on the head by saying: "Police yourself. Respect others. Think twice before hitting the submit button." Everyone needs to do those things.

Bottom line, it's a good board. It can be even better but only when WE the users want it to be.

Also, John Viveiros is correct. If someone is driving a person crazy, it's time to use the "foe" switch.

[NDVikeFan]

This board is kosher compared to others i've been on. Its like mother teresa vs idi amin. not even kidding. It'll be fine

I don't post all that much but I enjoy coming here and reading. I agree this board is one of the best out there. Goto Kfan if you want to really see a circus of stupidity!

[jackal]

To me the off season is always the hardest time, for sites like this...

To much frustration and speculation about either last season, or the upcoming one.

I don't understand some people, they seem to only be negative; and yet stay here, and post
about the Vikings. Don't me wrong I see the negative, but I also am hopeful, someday the
Vikings will get their rings.

[J. Kapp 11]

Some of it is just the nature of fans, especially those who have been disappointed as much as we have.

Think about it for a minute. We went through a stretch from the late 60s to the early 80s where our franchise was as respected as any in football. But we couldn't get over the hump to win a title. Since then, it's been a mish-mash of mediocrity, humiliation, and the occasional tease (1998, 2001, 2009). We enter each season with an odd mix of child-like hope and brutal realism. Some in the national media treat us with respect, while others see us as a joke. I'm not sure if any other fan base in the NFL deals with what we deal with, with the possible exception of Cleveland. Even the Bengals have been to multiple Super Bowls since our last appearance.

Given all we've been through, I'm surprised a relatively civil Vikings message board even exists. Sure, it occasionally gets snarky in here, but honestly it's one of the best fan boards in existence. So with many thanks to Jim for reminding us to keep it civil...from where I sit, the sky isn't falling.

SKOL!

[Mothman]

Some of it is just the nature of fans, especially those who have been disappointed as much as we have.

Think about it for a minute. We went through a stretch from the late 60s to the early 80s where our franchise was as respected as any in football. But we couldn't get over the hump to win a title. Since then, it's been a mish-mash of mediocrity, humiliation, and the occasional tease (1998, 2001, 2009). We enter each season with an odd mix of child-like hope and brutal realism. Some in the national media treat us with respect, while others see us as a joke. I'm not sure if any other fan base in the NFL deals with what we deal with, with the possible exception of Cleveland. Even the Bengals have been to multiple Super Bowls since our last appearance.

Given all we've been through, I'm surprised a relatively civil Vikings message board even exists. Sure, it occasionally gets snarky in here, but honestly it's one of the best fan boards in existence. So with many thanks to Jim for reminding us to keep it civil...from where I sit, the sky isn't falling.

SKOL!

Thanks for that perspective. The sky isn't falling but I don't think anybody is expressing that kind of panic either. The point is simply that this place has become nastier and personally, I think it has strayed from what it was intended to be when it was created. I'd like to see that change. I think the difficulties of being a long-time Vikings fan (which you outlined above) are all the more reason to make this a better place for Vikings fans to discuss the team.

[JellyBean2144]

I hate to say it but it seems to me that this board has become a much nastier place, full of sniping, baiting, trolling and sometimes just plain hateful language. There's a LOT of negativity, in one form or another, and I'm not proud of the fact that I sometimes allow myself to get drawn into it.

Some of you will undoubtedly disagree with this post (or find it laughable) and that's fine but I'm wondering: is this board, as it is today, really what we want VMB to be? Maybe it is and if so, that's fine but if it's not, what are we going to do to change it? It seems to me that a gathering of people who are here because they love something (the Vikings) should be a happier place, or at least a kinder, more fun, place. Tensions are obviously going to arise and people are going to have disagreements but I find I don't even enjoy reading a lot of what's posted anymore and worse yet, I find myself posting responses I regret, usually out of aggravation. That's making me question whether I should keep posting at all because that's not who I want to be.

Over the years, I've really tried to be a positive contributor to this forum by starting threads to encourage new discussion, linking to articles people may find interesting or informative, etc. I make a sincere effort to express what I hope is an intelligent, well-reasoned point of view (maybe I'm deluding myself there) and to admit when I make a mistake. I'm willing to apologize if I wrong someone and I try to joke around and lighten the mood once in a while. I'm far from perfect and I've probably failed at all of the above at one point or another but above all else, I try to be earnest. I know there are others here who do likewise, people who feel the same way, and people who are frustrated with the current state of this board. I also know the mods are trying to improve this place and I appreciate their efforts.

Anyway, I'm writing all of this (and probably overwriting it) because I've been here long enough to actually care about this place and because I'm wondering if VMB is what most of us want it to be anymore. If it is, that's fine. If it isn't, how can we, as a community, change and improve it?

Great post. The sad part, a lot of boards are full of people being negative, who make snide remarks, or do other things trying to get a response. The majority of poster here are mature enough to either not respond or just stay and post positive comments. We just have to ignore those people who want to try to bring their negative energy into our message board.

[Purple bruise]

Great post. The sad part, a lot of boards are full of people being negative, who make snide remarks, or do other things trying to get a response. The majority of poster here are mature enough to either not respond or just stay and post positive comments. We just have to ignore those people who want to try to bring their negative energy into our message board.[/quot

[IIsweet]

Have to say that I have not been on the site long, and have not made many posts, but I really do love it.
I was a member on another site and I really was much more active, but then something happened and the number of people on it just started to dwindle.
This site seems to have a core group of posters that are loyal fans and many of you have posted to each other frequently.
That is exactly what I was looking for.
I think that you have done a tremendous job with the site and keeping posts active every day. There is always a comment to read and look forward to!
Glad I found the site and looking forward to a great season !!

[S197]

As its been mentioned by a few people, ultimately it comes down to personal responsibility and what each member wants to get out of this community. As a moderator, I think that jobs basically entails enforcing the mean. What I mean by that is we're here more or less to keep the status quo, to weed out the really bad stuff and keep things relatively civil. Anything above and beyond that is really up to the members as it becomes exponentially more difficult to enforce higher standards, especially with just two of us. It's a collective effort to keep VMB above the mean, that standard was always set by the members that posted here and it's really up to the members if that trend will continue or not. I'm glad Jim brought up the topic because I think a lot of times these types of things do need to be self-policing and it means more to hear it coming from a long standing and respected member of the community.

There's many times I'll write something out and just decide not to hit the submit button. I'll re-read it and just say, "it's not worth it" or "that isn't the way I want to represent myself, maybe I need to cool off and come back to it later." Of course there are many times I'll say things I regret later, but it's more or less a personal barometer that I try to hit (even though I don't always succeed). I guess what I'm trying to say is take a second and re-read what you're writing. Am I feeding a troll? Does my post have more emoticons than words? Is this sentence really adding to the discussion or just adding to the negativity? It's that sort of personal dialogue that sometimes helps to keep me in check. Not always, I'm as guilty as the next guy, but it is something I consciously try to be aware of (except in gameday threads ).

Anyway, that's my two cents on the matter. VMB is over 10 years old now and I think that's quite an accomplishment. Even though many of us haven't been around for all 10 of those years, I'm confident we'll be around for the next ten. A "nudge" topic like this every once in a while is a good thing.

[Raptorman]

One thing I have learned about message boards is this. When your team is not doing well, the board is in a "negative" mode. In other words, there are more negative posts, and statements about, well, everything. When the team is winning it becomes "positive". Now there will still be negative posts, but it more about what went wrong than "who" should not be on the team, or coaching or whatever.

[frosted]

Good points, all around. I'm just so happy football is back.

[losperros]

Good points, all around. I'm just so happy football is back.

Absolutely correct! It's great to watch the Vikings play again, even if it's just preseason.

[J. Kapp 11]

Thanks for that perspective. The sky isn't falling but I don't think anybody is expressing that kind of panic either. The point is simply that this place has become nastier and personally, I think it has strayed from what it was intended to be when it was created. I'd like to see that change. I think the difficulties of being a long-time Vikings fan (which you outlined above) are all the more reason to make this a better place for Vikings fans to discuss the team.

Just trying to encourage you, brother.

I don't like it when we get nasty with each other, either. There's no reason for it, even though I honestly don't think it's that bad here (though admittedly not maybe as civil as it was a few years ago).

What I'm saying here is that I understand the skepticism, pessimism, and even negativity when it comes to the TEAM. Being a very optimistic sort, I never thought I'd say that, but I'm beginning to understand it. As a fan base, we've been at the wrong end of the bragging stick for a long time. All of us want a championship so badly, and sometimes it just seems like a pipe dream. Always rebuilding, always searching for a franchise quarterback, always wondering whether our coach has what it takes ... it gets old. Maybe that's a little of what you're seeing here.

Here's hoping Mike Zimmer ends the long line of mediocre coaches, and that Teddy Bridgewater finally gives us a franchise quarterback.

[Mothman]

Just trying to encourage you, brother.

Oh, I understood that and aI appreciate it. I apologize if my response seemed to imply otherwise. i just didn't want anyone to think I thought the issues were at a "the sky is falling" level.

I don't like it when we get nasty with each other, either. There's no reason for it, even though I honestly don't think it's that bad here (though admittedly not maybe as civil as it was a few years ago).

What I'm saying here is that I understand the skepticism, pessimism, and even negativity when it comes to the TEAM. Being a very optimistic sort, I never thought I'd say that, but I'm beginning to understand it. As a fan base, we've been at the wrong end of the bragging stick for a long time. All of us want a championship so badly, and sometimes it just seems like a pipe dream. Always rebuilding, always searching for a franchise quarterback, always wondering whether our coach has what it takes ... it gets old. Maybe that's a little of what you're seeing here.

I think it's almost certainly a factor and an understandable one at that. As a fellow long-time Vikings fan, I absolutely understand it! I think, as a group, we just need to police ourselves and make sure frustration with the team doesn't bleed too much into antagonism or ridicule on a more personal level, even if it's still football-related.

I hope that made sense.

Here's hoping Mike Zimmer ends the long line of mediocre coaches, and that Teddy Bridgewater finally gives us a franchise quarterback.

Amen. Just reading your descriptions of our long-suffering fandom reminds of just how much I want this latest GM/coach/QB combo to be the beginning of the Vikings team that finally wins it all. The wait has been far too long.

Thanks, Joe. I always appreciate your perspective.

[dkoby]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here... I wasn't going to because I just don't get involved that much here, but Kapp struck a cord with me with his input and I agree that if I express negativity with the team its because of the frustration of the unending failure to win it all.
I must say that I find this board to be one of the most civil. There are some really nasty forums out there. I think on the whole, the mods do a great job of defining the line of what is acceptable, and what is not, and taking care of it quickly.

A bit of self reflection is always a good thing.

Good thread, Jim.