Should we stick only to football..?

[oldcolner]

By all means talk about whatever takes your fancy, but it would be nice if as much time and effort went into football threads. Recently the site has become much more of a political one, with continual and repeated attacks on the BBC, the Royal family, the government, the PM and I’ll admit I have tried to redress balance by having a go at Russia, Labour and Jeremy. I’m not a political activist and am even unsure who to vote for so it’s not my scene.
I don’t think it helps for the moderator who I thought was to provide for balance, to play a leading role in some of these, maybe you should ask Football mad for their thoughts. I doubt new members will be attracted by the politics. Few seem to stay around for long.
As I said I’m stopping contributing on those threads, partly for my own sanity, but also in the hope we spend most of the time talking about football and especially our club. I probably overpost and some may not merit discussion, but very few get more than a handful of responses, so I’m questioining why I bother.
There is little news about the club on here these days and what does mainly comes from the papers or internet. Alto manfully runs match threads but few of us contribute. I wrote an article months ago on a past player that has yet to appear so have stopped doing these.

Maybe few of us are local to Burnley I’m not so it is a challenge especially as I’m not a Sky subscriber and get to one game a year.
Can we do anything to build up our local contacts and members and football content?

[sinkov]

By all means talk about whatever takes your fancy, but it would be nice if as much time and effort went into football threads. Recently the site has become much more of a political one, with continual and repeated attacks on the BBC, the Royal family, the government, the PM and I’ll admit I have tried to redress balance by having a go at Russia, Labour and Jeremy. I’m not a political activist and am even unsure who to vote for so it’s not my scene.
I don’t think it helps for the moderator who I thought was to provide for balance, to play a leading role in some of these, maybe you should ask Football mad for their thoughts. I doubt new members will be attracted by the politics. Few seem to stay around for long.
As I said I’m stopping contributing on those threads, partly for my own sanity, but also in the hope we spend most of the time talking about football and especially our club. I probably overpost and some may not merit discussion, but very few get more than a handful of responses, so I’m questioining why I bother.
There is little news about the club on here these days and what does mainly comes from the papers or internet. Alto manfully runs match threads but few of us contribute. I wrote an article months ago on a past player that has yet to appear so have stopped doing these.

Maybe few of us are local to Burnley I’m not so it is a challenge especially as I’m not a Sky subscriber and get to one game a year.
Can we do anything to build up our local contacts and members and football content?

Do you know what I think the problem is OC, there's not much new to say on footy, especially BFC, as Sean seems to run a very tight ship and not much news worth discussing gets out. He's been here a long time, we've all had our say on his tactics, substitutions, MO etc, we've all had our say on the players, and there'll be no new ones to discuss for few months yet, we've all given our opinion on the Europa League, and now we're sort of drumming our fingers on the table top wondering what else to talk about.
On the other hand the political scene changes on a daily basis, it changes so much and so rapidly that even me, to the right of Ghengis Khan on occasions and BT a fully paid member of the fascist hard left, find things to agree about. There is always something new to discuss and that's the attraction for me. Not saying it's a good thing that the political discussions seem to take precedence over the footy, just saying why I think it's happening.

Anyway mon ami, all this talk about you taking your bat home, don't you dare, I can't afford the bloody paper bill to find out what rubbish the gutter press are printing if you stop telling us. You'll stick around mate if you know what's good for you, else me, BT, and a couple of my scouse chums will be round to your house with our baseball bats. Be warned !!

[Altobelli]

I don’t think it helps for the moderator who I thought was to provide for balance, to play a leading role in some of these, maybe you should ask Football mad for their thoughts. I doubt new members will be attracted by the politics. Few seem to stay around for long.

I class myself as one of a group of many posters on here who is no better than anyone, maybe a lot worse but not better, I join threads I feel I can contribute to, or to make my own point, or have a laugh with.

What sort of balance do you mean Colner ? is it that I should not join in in too many of the same topic threads ? or do I lump all discussions of the same topic on one long thread ? I tried that with the transfer window but a few including yourself kept doing new ones so I discontinued it for the benefit of a few.

As for "a leading role", I am only here in the Mod capacity for when the schite really hits the fan, you may think that I am lapse or don't give a toss, but I do, and the one thing I don't intend doing is to sound bossy, overbearing and be censoring posts every 10 minutes like the old guard used to do.

There is a special Moderating Forum that only Mods can log onto, and I hear FootyMad are pleased that ClaretsMad does not need much if any Moderating.

You are right, the "Match thread" can be a lonely place sometimes with not many folk contributing, "Today's other games" gets only a few replies now and then, and as for the "Word Of The Day" thread, I doubt anyone looks at it much, but it breaks the board up, I'm like you Colner, I take time and effort to try and keep the Forum ticking over, I don't get paid a penny for doing it, although some folk think I do.

I believe, even though we are sparse, we have something special here, just like this post I write, its good we can converse with each other when things don't appear as clear as it should be.

[oldcolner]

Alto
I wasn’t aiming at you at all, I thought you were one of two administrators so sorry for that. You behave impeccably.
I thought there was the only one moderator and I think he has admitted he can go OTT whenever Tories May Jeremy Russia etc get mentioned. I enjoy the banter on here too and the many original points that come from a diverse and widely distributed membership. Where it gets tiresome is when the site moves almost entirely away from football to politics.
I never suggested the site should be football only by the way, there are lots of other things we have seen posted and contributed to on here, but our prime aim surely has to be football and what is going on at Burnley, and wider football arena and helping each other. Or am I wrong?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I knew you meant me OC and that's why I post under the name of the Bedlington Terrier.

I deliberately allowed myself to enjoy the debates free from restraint by being regarded as just "another CT" who was accused by many of autocracy and mini-dictatorship when he had the responsibility of running Clarets Mad.

For the serious stuff, the reports, the articles, BT has an alter ego TEC (The Editor's Chair) who does not post, stays in the background and allows BT to join in the fun!

Just to explain the method behind your perceived Clarets Madness. There now exists about six unofficial, fairly serious separate sites/forums for Burnley Football Club but they all to my mind replicate each other.

TEC had major discussions with the four moderators who got together following CT's abandonment of Clarets Mad and now only Alto and BT remain.

Our original idea was to allow fairly open debate free from moderation and just let the site flow and grow back from ground zero following the departure of more than 1000 members.

Two moderators took objection to two separate bans imposed solely by TEC from posters who I still believe had hidden agendas and were just stirring trouble up on our forum to suit outside agencies.

The last twelve months has seen Clarets Mad remain in business, the numbers are steady if not spectacular but we are almost now totally free from nasty, acrimonious posts and threads.

TEC in an editorial role refuses to try and replicate anything that is offered elsewhere. What is the point of that?

TEC is in constant communication with DSG and they are 100% happy with how the site is run. If I recall correctly you were given your own access to publish articles free from restraint? That option is still open which sort of proves the worth in which your acumen and contributions are held.

To summarise, this site is NOT the royal prerogative of one person. Alto (who does a fantastic job IMHO) moderates in a totally relaxed manner. He reminds me of an old Labrador we once had, he seems to sleep a lot but always has one eye on things!

BT is a left wing radical, Burnley mad, match attending, hard drinking lunatic and not really the sort of person you want in the Editor's Chair of a well run unofficial Clarets fan forum.

That what TEC is for!

TEC asked me to remind that you have the key to a typewriter and open access to this board. If you want to contribute football only subject matter that is 100% fine by him.

Can you in all honesty ask fairer than that?

[oldcolner]

BT
No, I can’t, I appreciate all you have done to keep the site viable in both of your identities and the help you have given me in the past.
Unsure if I can or could do it but I don’t want to publish articles on my own thanks. I have found in my past that it’s not possible to be a producer of material and a quality controller of that. (Or a referee and a player at the same time)
The tag says BT is a moderator and if that is the case I suggest he should be moderate in what he says and does. Maybe you need a third identity to post the radical or abusive stuff! and Alto should keep him in check.
Now about your other identities, how many more are there? - Businessman, Momentum activist, Labour.
Just wondering have you seen a doctor? Lol

[The Bedlington Terrier]

OC please send your articles to TEC, you know the drill.

I promise on his behalf to edit them and publish them on receipt of copy.

All football related of course.

It's hard being a schizophrenic you know!