Quote from: jknezek on December 09, 2024, 12:07:15 PMD3 is 415 or so soccer teams. When I was running the fan poll and helping with the d3soccer.com poll I kept track of about 100 teams or so. It wasn't that much fun. Felt more like a job.

Honestly, I've tried to get more W&L posters over the years in almost all the boards. It never seems to happen. So happy to have had Another Mom for the last few years. Wish we had football posters. It's better to discuss the teams with others of shared interest, even when that interest is limited.

But bulletin boards are a dying medium. I think if we were to ask Pat Coleman, the owner of this little corner of the internet, he'd tell you the glory days are 10-15 years in the past. Maybe more.

And I really don't expect that trajectory to change, sadly. I'm happy there is a place I can go to discuss this niche little obsession and thankful for the posters we have, but I expect at some point this little spot will become uneconomical and go the way of d3soccer.com. Until then, thanks to all of the posters who keep it active.

Even the occasional trolls. Eyeballs are eyeballs, and this place needs every one it can get.

I totally agree that discussion boards are probably dying as a social network medium, but I've found that the one area where it remains (even if not at its heights) is anything associated with colleges.  Boosters still use them to discuss their favorite teams.  There are big time football program sites, such as the Alabama page of the SEC football board or this Duke basketball discussion board), but some of the niche sports have even more posts, such as this DI men's lacrosse board.  Discussion boards for parents of college applicants are also still very active.  For example, the College Confidential board, which includes a NESCAC recruiting discussion thread and a thread devoted entirely to fencing recruiting that is second in number of posts to a swimming thread that got so hot they had to shut it down (I'm assuming the Kenyon boosters got out of hand, but I never tried to dive into it to find out what happened).  It's not just athletics either.  The Musical Theater college discussion section is pretty active too, with 1000+ posts last year alone about pre-screen results.  There is also a very active board for soccer in the DC Urban Moms (and Dads) Forum, which is kind of college adjacent in a sense since that is many parents' ultimate goal in the DC area with all activities.  The thread on ECNL back to school year from calendar year (which was going to happen, but now is not, at least not until 2026), is up to 446 pages and almost 7000 posts since it was started on May 28, 2024. 

Why are discussion boards still active in these areas?  Partly because the target group of participants are parents and alums - a more Gen X aged group - and they are more comfortable with discussion boards and aren't as active on sites like Reddit.  They also are educated people that are intensely interested in a niche topic and often in search of information or a place to complain about something with people who know what they are talking about.  Partly it's because college is considered such a massive decision, both in terms of cost and in terms of your child's career path, that people get really invested in it.  And then after people graduate, they have such a life-long devotion to it that they devour any information they can find.

One project I'm contemplating this off-season is to start a thread on Recruiting that includes both general information and a lot of sub-threads where parents can discuss specific issues.  Those parents are really operating in the dark and they hear from club coaches and recruiting services who offer advice that is not completely disinterested.  They could use some information from people who have been there.  If successfully plugged by people outside of this form, it might attract parents to this site who will stay because there is nowhere else where they might see discussion of their kid's team and it might attract alums and fans who could put in a good word for their teams to prospective recruits or at least dispel some myths.  It's also a nice place to cross-post SimpleCoach's coach-to-coach interviews, which are a great way to hear how a school sells itself and fields of dreams videos, which is the next best thing to going to see a school in person if you're just starting your search.  If I do get that going, hope people will chime in.  It's an excuse to check in during the offseason!

Skud, I hereby add you to my exceptions list...as I don't believe you have disclosed any particular affiliation.

Sociopath and now projection. Impressive.

Do YOU think I only talk about Kenyon and demand that others talk about Kenyon? Pretty sure I make that exceptions list as well, but maybe you've haven't been around long enough to see my featured presentations on schools like Wisconsin Lutheran, Keuka, Loras and Luther, NC Wesleyan, Calvin, OWU, Denison, NESCACs, TX schools, JCU and ONU, Hopkins, F&M, Johnson & Wales, etc, etc...

Apropos of nothing....I've got 6, maybe 7 Amherst College t-shirts.

If anyone wants any or all, they're free...and I'll cover the postage and handling.

A few are L and a few are XL.

Been a poster, defender (F&M, Centennial Conf), discusser (W&L, ODAC) for several years. Will probably continue, but maybe less as most of the kids who played with my son will graduate shortly. It is what it is. It has been great learning about other conferences and teams around the US. As will there be more or less, maybe, maybe not.

What may prevent some is the possibility of ridicule or maybe a dying medium. As to ridicule, I have pretty thick skin. If I put something out there, I generally try to not be emotional. Instead, I try base my opinion on facts which makes it very easy to swat away ridicule. I will also try to see where a person is coming from. They may have a point.

Ex. would be F&M's bench antics that tees people off to the point they chose to write F&M off. I understand why, but also know a lot about the team and why they do that. One thing you can't say is that F&M is not having a good time and the whole team being involved. Take it personally or not, it really isn't about the opposing team.

Also, they build some incredible bonds within the team. Son now has many very close friends that will last a lifetime. He got a lot of great life advice from older/alumni players and also has mentored younger guys. May the same at other programs, but did not see any of this when he played at the D1 level.  I think that is amazing selling point for many D3 teams over going D1. From what I see, this is not common for many kids going to college.

As to W&L, I have some interest because I went there and played very, very little. Also, as to the Baltimore area, I know some of the coaches and colleges.

However, beyond that, I know very little and will know even less very soon. I think the board will make me want to watch games next year. Also, I get to share with my son who is also watching.

Best of luck everyone. Great news to see that Koa Kaliebe, one of the best players I've seen at the D3 level, make the All American team! 
 

Quote from: Kuiper on December 09, 2024, 01:04:07 PMWhy are discussion boards still active in these areas?  Partly because the target group of participants are parents and alums - a more Gen X aged group - and they are more comfortable with discussion boards and aren't as active on sites like Reddit.  They also are educated people that are intensely interested in a niche topic and often in search of information or a place to complain about something with people who know what they are talking about.  Partly it's because college is considered such a massive decision, both in terms of cost and in terms of your child's career path, that people get really invested in it.  And then after people graduate, they have such a life-long devotion to it that they devour any information they can find.

GET OFF MY LAWN!!

https://media1.tenor.com/m/fUr6-sYkHIEAAAAC/clint-eastwood-cry.gif

PN glad you can decipher my humor as I am trying to relate to an expert! Thank you for including
me on the list!

I try to keep up with all the different threads on the forum but will never use a computer to do so. Therefore I miss quite a few conversations that go pages long with quotes and replies that are easy to miss when using a phone.

My forensic analysis of PN; no you focus on much more than Kenyon....

You are the voice of Oz....  All knowing, sometimes welcoming and sometimes very scary and judgmental (as am I), and I believe you enjoy being the arbiter of what's good and what is evil on this forum.

Do you think that's accurate?

Skud, guilty as charged.

Some of that is just years of being here. Most of the old-timers who still post with some frequency probably carry more weight than we should, and I know I am guilty of minimizing how someone could be scared off. I do not feel good about that.

Arbiter of good and evil? Yes...I like that lol.

Another interesting question...

Some of us are here day and night every day or almost every day. I'm sure some of us would deny that on the stand, but there are data so just embrace it.

But wtf are we doing? Especially when no one is posting and during stretches where there are no posts for days?  Just staring at the threads unchanged and hitting refresh over and over and over? Like what are we looking at? How will I explain my behavior to future generations?

Another Vermont team makes a Final 4.

UVM headed to College Cup after dispatching Pittsburgh 2-0.

UMass departs in the Elite 8 as Denver romped 3-0.

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2024, 02:35:35 PMAnother interesting question...

Some of us are here day and night every day or almost every day. I'm sure some of us would deny that on the stand, but there are data so just embrace it.

But wtf are we doing? Especially when no one is posting and during stretches where there are no posts for days?  Just staring at the threads unchanged and hitting refresh over and over and over? Like what are we looking at? How will I explain my behavior to future generations?

Personally, being a caveman at my core I check in every day to see if there's any drama. We're all competitors in the end, right? In all seriousness, there's just something special about the nicheness of it all. All the schools represented on here have large alumni pools but it's still cool to see someone from your own institution pop up in the wild. I sometimes feel I annoy people with my SLU/LL centric posting but I mainly try to keep that contained in the LL thread. I've stirred things up plenty myself, I have no issue admitting it (though I am always right about Rochester's pool C shenanigans). But do I actually care if SLU or the LL isn't getting the attention I think it should?  Truthfully I don't. It's nice when it happens but that's one of the better things about d3, an array of schools and teams all getting their due from an eclectic pool of posters.

I really don't know where I'm going with all this so I'll shut my trap for the time being.

I'm here regularly, but I'm also on the football and basketball boards and the future of D3 boards. I used to be more involved than I am now, so in some ways I've cut back. But also, the boards have cut back as well. Used to be the ODAC football boards would hardly go a day without a post of some kind in season. Now it can be almost a week with little or nothing. When LaxPower had boards I spent time there as well in the spring, so I'm just a W&L/ODAC athletics follower. Whether I have people to talk to about it or not.

Stlawus, I am deeply offended by your non-stop assaults on Rochester.

Rochester is your Amherst....except for when Amherst is your Amherst.

]

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2024, 02:35:35 PMAnother interesting question...

Some of us are here day and night every day or almost every day. I'm sure some of us would deny that on the stand, but there are data so just embrace it.

But wtf are we doing? Especially when no one is posting and during stretches where there are no posts for days?  Just staring at the threads unchanged and hitting refresh over and over and over? Like what are we looking at? How will I explain my behavior to future generations?

To answer your question ....

refresh....refresh...refresh.... refresh... refresh....

SC.

Back when the board seemed like it was affiliated with D3soccer.com, and before I learned otherwise but never accepted, I relied on (in my own mind) "oh, I'm buried deep in the archives figuring out who Brandeis beat in the 2nd round in 1983" or memorizing the list of national champs and finalists or checking out the scoreboard. 

To hear it's dying -- and I agree -- makes me feel like we are most nobly specialists in palliative care...at the bedside...and waiting.

Quote from: jknezek on December 09, 2024, 03:31:31 PMI'm here regularly, but I'm also on the football and basketball boards and the future of D3 boards. I used to be more involved than I am now, so in some ways I've cut back. But also, the boards have cut back as well. Used to be the ODAC football boards would hardly go a day without a post of some kind in season. Now it can be almost a week with little or nothing. When LaxPower had boards I spent time there as well in the spring, so I'm just a W&L/ODAC athletics follower. Whether I have people to talk to about it or not.

SLU is playing W&L in lax this upcoming season, so you'd have one person to talk about it with!

I also feel like covid/the great d3board outage had an effect on this.  I think some folks just didn't think it was worth the hassle tracking down usernames/passwords again in combination with the weird vibes of d3 athletics that occurred in the season post covid.  Reading old threads from ~15 years ago can be a fun time killer.  It's like stepping into a time machine.  Just read the LL basketball board circa the 06/07 season and you'll see a ton of Hamilton posters complaining about Tobin Anderson.  Little did they know...