Those of us in the magazine industry were jealous of these hot-bed Message Boards because magazines could never get the type of interaction that these Message Boards could provide. The WCOFF board was the place to be from 2002-07 with some of the most creative writing you'd find. I can remember going there each day and just being amazed by the creative posts and strong opinions expressed by each player.
Our NFBC and NFFC Message Boards were slightly less active, but more volatile. We had some early personalities that stole the show and give credit to Mark Srebro -- aka Gordon Gekko -- for bragging that he was going to win the $100,000 grand prize and then going out and doing it. Crazy. He drove people crazy, but we also had some feuds that made the Hatfields and the McCoys seem like best friends. It wasn't a healthy sounding board, but it sure was active.
Heck, I can remember a time when folks said they would never play with us as long as our Message Boards remained so poisonous. We understood, but we let folks go at it on the playground. We had enough to do and we let you folks police yourselves. But I do remember a day when I said to Tom that I wished there would be a day when the Message Boards were quiet and the emphasis was just on the games.
Well, that time has come. But how did it come?
It's not only our boards that are quiet these days, it's other high-stakes games as well. The WCOFF made a HUGE mistake (one of many by the new owners) when they changed from their UBB boards. We also left those boards as they were no longer serviceable, but admittedly many high-stakes players were used to the look and feel of those boards and everyone at one time was using them.
The change was a contributing factor, but honestly I think this is why the boards are less active these days, and honestly it's not a bad thing:
1. Back in the old days, we basically all prepared for the Main Event drafts. The WCOFF and NFFC didn't have any online satellite leagues until 2006 and thus the entire emphasis of the off-season was forming opinions of the player pool and bragging about your abilities. Today, people are drafting every day and if you have a strong opinion of someone, then shut up and jump in a league and draft him. Enough of the talk; put your money where your mouth is.
2. After 10 years of competition, you can smack talk all you want about your abilities, but the track records tell the whole story. Those owners who are good have won consistently in the last decade and there's no disputing the facts anymore. So bragging is down all across the board.
3. People are drafting, not posting on Message Boards.
4. There are other ways to communicate among players: Facebook, Twitter, text, etc. Friendships have been formed through our contests, but communicating to each other can easily be done on other venues.
5. DFS. Owners are also busy with daily lineups, so who has time for chit chat on message boards?
None of this is bad and none of it is a reflection of the high-stakes games. It's a sign of the times. It's part of the change that has been going on in this space for 11 years now. More drafting. Less talking. More money to win. Less to brag about. The lack of Message Board posts isn't a reflection of a lack of interest, just a maturation of the space.
I don't miss those old days, although I do miss interacting and chatting on the boards with all of you. Maybe a few responses here will create some fun banter again. Go for it, at my expense!!
Good luck all and keep on drafting. That's more fun than debating on the boards anyway. Although a debate once a week wouldn't be bad!!
