Topic: What is RAWK?

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

There should be some sort of 'slate cleaning', done. If a poster goes 'x' amount of time without a warning, all previous occurances are wiped from their profile.

Otherwise some poor fella will just have a reputation as a repeat abuse giver and when a mod looks at a certain comment, there's a bias there.

We're intelligent enough to take the dates into account. Sometimes.

[LiverBirdKop]

How about instituting a Pay for Purge? 

[lorenzo23]

Just been reading a few of the threads and level of discussion without abuse or bullshit sums up RAWK i think,

The structure of Liverpool's football operation (a Football Manager-free debate

Not being Barca

So what are these Youth/Reserve Lads like

What is RAWK

The Anfield Wrap.

Just a few i looked over today, which if we could have more threads like this would help.

[Volante]

Just been reading a few of the threads and level of discussion without abuse or bullshit sums up RAWK i think,

The structure of Liverpool's football operation (a Football Manager-free debate

Not being Barca

So what are these Youth/Reserve Lads like

What is RAWK

The Anfield Wrap.

Just a few i looked over today, which if we could have more threads like this would help.

The reason those threads are so fantastic is because they require thought/involvement in the discussion.  You can't just pop into those threads and say "Downing is shit" can you?  Well I suppose you can.  But the player related threads at some point all dive into a dark place at times only because that's the nature of those threads.  They are reactionary and emotional threads based on what happens in the previous match. 

I think if it were possible there should be stickied topics for player threads, ie The Jordan Henderson thread stickied at the top of the main board and everyone should understand that you are not to open any new Henderson topics on the board as there already is one.  Think it'll help the mods keep track of everything as well as they won't have to trawl through pages of forums locking the 7 henderson threads in the last 2 months.

[Alan_X]

The reason those threads are so fantastic is because they require thought/involvement in the discussion.  You can't just pop into those threads and say "Downing is shit" can you?  Well I suppose you can.  But the player related threads at some point all dive into a dark place at times only because that's the nature of those threads.  They are reactionary and emotional threads based on what happens in the previous match. 

I think if it were possible there should be stickied topics for player threads, ie The Jordan Henderson thread stickied at the top of the main board and everyone should understand that you are not to open any new Henderson topics on the board as there already is one.  Think it'll help the mods keep track of everything as well as they won't have to trawl through pages of forums locking the 7 henderson threads in the last 2 months.

As a general rule we try and keep the number of stickied topics to a minimum. A sticky for every player would fill up the first page.

[Need_a_bevvy]

i know i was; i expressed a contrary opinion, lots of people disagreed and i engaged them all politely and calmly. the next morning i was banned for a fortnight.

i don't have a problem with mods being the wielders of ultimate power over the forum.  it's a private forum, after all, and they have better things to do with their time i'm sure than make this place tolerable to be around.  but i don't think i broke any rules.  and the next day a mod announced that he'd banned a load of people for "not having a fucking clue" or something. if an opinion can get you a 2 week ban, then it should be in the rules so everyone knows where they stand.

Just read the first few pages, but this leads me into my two pennies...

Love this site, and spends more time on here than is healthy - more reading and lurking than posting. 

The administrators and staff have set up the best Liverpool fan site that I have come across. 

So kudos to all of you.

Yet, as the bolded part illustrates, (I know it might not be a direct quote) too often the moderators come across as bullying.

People are banned without explanation, threads are locked without explanation - probably most of the time rightly so, but when moderators set this tone, it's not entirely surprising that many of us lesser mortals follow suit and in the end the atmosphere becomes more abusive and unpleasant (both between other members and towards our players). 

Instead of badgering, abusing and threatening messages - the exact same message can be conveyed in a polite and matter-of-fact manner which I believe would help set the tone for other posters to follow.

Of course I know the moderators do as they please, but since they asked for feedback I do believe this small attitude adjustment would improve the overall quality of the discourse here.

For instance, instead of locking a thread, how about the moderator make well reasoned argument as to the desired direction of the discussion.

Kev does this very well at times in the current affairs section. 

When he can keep an Israel/Palestine thread civil there, anything should be possible on the main board 

Cheers.

[rednich85]

Be good if your warnings told you who actually gave the warning.

A mod or two has it in for me......honest.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Be good if your warnings told you who actually gave the warning.

A mod or two has it in for me......honest.

We moderate as a team.  So we've all got it in for you

[A weatherfield winter wonderland]

I hate polls meself. Coming over here, taking our jobs etc etc.
For some reason I'm reminded of Sarge?

No, I think he's Irish.

[JohnBarnesBigToe]

As a general rule we try and keep the number of stickied topics to a minimum. A sticky for every player would fill up the first page.

Perhaps you should go the other way....have a couple of stickied 'crap' threads for people to post their Football Manager wishlists and such. With the presumption that all the other threads should be more considered.

[SP]

Be good if your warnings told you who actually gave the warning.

A mod or two has it in for me......honest.

6 different mods have given you warnings. The most warnings an individual mod has given you is 2.

We moderate as a team.  So we've all got it in for you

The stats agree with you.

[Jellies]

You could have a subforum with stickied player specific threads if the problem is them clogging up the front page.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

When he can keep an Israel/Palestine thread civil there, anything should be possible on the main board 

But whether Dirk should play instead of Ryan Babel is far more important than that

Point taken and well made though mate.  In our defence, we are human, and despite rumours to the contrary the reason we ended up as mods was because we spent too long on here because we love the club.  Which means we care, we get angry and we sometimes lose it.  Personally I've stopped moderating after games when I have just got back from the pub because I was guilty as you charge above.  I still post after games, but I am posting with my user hat on not my moderator hat.

[Johnny Foreigner]

Fantastic site.

I hope you don't change too much; posters come and go, and I guess the quality/volume wil tend to fluctuate depending on time of year and the way things are going..

I appreciate the fact that you are allowing a wide range of opinions, but are very strict on clamping down on a few matters..

I prefer the moderators to engage in discussions; some of you are relatively clued up ;-) and I think you are manouvering the roles very nicely..

Its hard to get through the work when you're down, so if there should be any help in more donations, you shouldn't hold back to ask for more..

tks to all of you

[fredfrop]

Rawk is a vehicle for acquiring free wedding dresses, rigging polls and generally annoying corporate bankers and their clients.

[the 92A]

Just read the first few pages, but this leads me into my two pennies...

After a defeat, everyone of us is pissed off, we know that Match of the Day and the papers are out of bounds and the defeat polarises our reactions. For some defeat brings out a horrible negativity and the need to blame, others try to look below the surface at the reasons why (you can tell which side I'm on) but at that time both sides are like a red rag to a bull to each other. Historically we've always been a managers club and RAWK and the moderation reflects that, this combined with posters who only seem to come on after defeats and post negative 'one liners' means that it can be an explosive mix. That few hours after a defeat is probably the worst time to log onto RAWK, whilw we're open to suggestions I don't think there are any easy answers, the time that the moderation team are under the most pressure, coincides with a time where some posters want to vent their anger at the team, the manager or other posters.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

After a defeat, everyone of us is pissed off, we know that Match of the Day and the papers are out of bounds and the defeat polarises our reactions. For some defeat brings out a horrible negativity and the need to blame, others try to look below the surface at the reasons why (you can tell which side I'm on) but at that time both sides are like a red rag to a bull to each other. Historically we've always been a managers club and RAWK and the moderation reflects that, this combined with posters who only seem to come on after defeats and post negative 'one liners' means that it can be an explosive mix. That few hours after a defeat is probably the worst time to log onto RAWK, whilw we're open to suggestions I don't think there are any easy answers, the time that the moderation team are under the most pressure, coincides with a time where some posters want to vent their anger at the team, the manager or other posters.

You'd make a good mod you would....  oh...

[Nessy76]

I think if it were possible there should be stickied topics for player threads, ie The Jordan Henderson thread stickied at the top of the main board and everyone should understand that you are not to open any new Henderson topics on the board as there already is one.  Think it'll help the mods keep track of everything as well as they won't have to trawl through pages of forums locking the 7 henderson threads in the last 2 months.

Problem with that is that if there was such a sticky Henderson thread, it would be pretty much unreadable. If there's a specific, relevant point to be made about a particular player at a particular time, there's no point trying to make it in the middle of that sort of free-for-all where it would vanish into the slush of name-calling and blazing rows that would go on there before anyone got a chance to read it.

I also wouldn't envy the mods trying to reign in that sort of thing. At least as things stand there's some respite for the poor lad when his threads drop onto page 2 for a while.

[redk84]

What is RAWK?

A forum i read on and off for a couple of years before joining last year....after leaving a different one.

As with any forum, you get the "clique" thing where certain posters will be listened to, whereas some wont....(usually the ones with the least amount of posts)

BUT there are enough people on here for someone to take note of your views if you want that.....and its definately a decent slice of what our fanbase are like these days..whether you like it or not!

i stay because the site's a good source of information....i dont tend to get pissed off by people but i do like reading how different peoples viewpoints can be.   

some great blogs/articles/opinion-pieces posted up too which i enjoy reading.

good job!

[redk84]

And im not sure on any improvements that can be made....

duplication of topics are always annoying, but i understand that would be very hard to cut-down with the amount of users on this site.

[audioedge]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned as I haven't read through the preceeding 17 pages.

Some discussion forums have the ability to allow other users to vote up/down posts. This allows for the community to decide if a post is worth reading or not, and ones that get voted down disappear into the abyss. I've seen this work really well on some music forums I visit, but obviously there would be some technical issues running it on RAWKs SMF platform.

But yeah, its a quick fix and a move away from the authoritarian approach of editors.

Also I think 'necro posting' should be banned.

[Caffeine]

I prefer to read instead of posting a lot, and I'm guilty of not supplying epic posts cos there's not much I can add that hasn't already been said, but one thing that really annoys me on here is people re-posting stuff in a thread that has already been posted, e.g. the Warrior website splash yesterday before the kit reveal, which was repeatedly reposted in the "new kit" thread again and again. If people took a bit of time to check a thread before trying to be the first to reply with the exclusive info, they would be shorter and more readable. Same goes for when there's a piece of news on the official site or someone tweets something and it's reposted 20 times in the same thread.

[Caffeine]

Oh another thing- I know it's deranged in there, but thank fuck for the Transfer Forum, cos summers would be dull as dishwater without it.

[the 92A]

What is RAWK?

A forum i read on and off for a couple of years before joining last year....after leaving a different one.

As with any forum, you get the "clique" thing where certain posters will be listened to, whereas some wont....(usually the ones with the least amount of posts)

We don't want cliques developing in the negative sense that it makes new posters feel out of the loop and not part of the site and the site becomes insular and inward looking, but over the years people make friendships both on or off the site. Despite the extra work it can entail weeding out some of the more idiotic posters we do regulary open the doors and while it can risk letting in the usual WUM's, it's worth it to let in some new blood who turn out to be great posters. RAWK is not an elitist site, we try to judge everyone on their opinions but of course if someone is known and been an asset to the site that is taken into consideration whether consciously or not but  we've also lost long time posters if they step too far out of line. Additionally some long time users tend to know how it works and heed warnings and 'shots across their bows' and don't blow it by being completely indignant when warned but that can be done by anyone despite their postcount. I'd honestly say postcount is not as important as most sites.

[redk84]

We don't want cliques developing in the negative sense that it makes new posters feel out of the loop and not part of the site and the site becomes insular and inward looking, but over the years people make friendships both on or off the site. Despite the extra work it can entail weeding out some of the more idiotic posters we do regulary open the doors and while it can risk letting in the usual WUM's, it's worth it to let in some new blood who turn out to be great posters. RAWK is not an elitist site, we try to judge everyone on their opinions but of course if someone is known and been an asset to the site that is taken into consideration whether consciously or not but  we've also lost long time posters if they step too far out of line. Additionally some long time users tend to know how it works and heed warnings and 'shots across their bows' and don't blow it by being completely indignant when warned but that can be done by anyone despite their postcount. I'd honestly say postcount is not as important as most sites.

Ok...well its good that its something the moderators are aware of as a whole.

i only noticed the "clique" thing i mentioned the more i posted here....but its not something that bothers me to be honest, and i dont think its a major issue on this particular site....its a generic thing which i dont think you can get away from on the internet id imagine (being the expert which i am NOT ha)

i also understand its not always a negative thing. Sometimes people just want to talk amongst themselves...because they have discussions they want to continue or value the opinion of whoever they are talking to.

im not even goin to try and pretend i know how hard it is to control a bunch of people armed with a keyboard....but think on the whole a good job is done on the site...for what its worth.

[simesy]

Probably been said already in a previous page but what RAWK is to me, was perfectly summed up during the period of time when our club was being ripped apart by those two cowboys and a wanna be football manager.RAWK kicked into action the e-mail campaigns,protests, the standards corrupted shirts, uniting everyone toward a common purpose which was saving our club from going under.Everyone has different opinions and there's been many a heated argument on these pages but despite that RAWKITES everywhere pulled together at that time.

[The Flying Pig]

RAWK is a place where we can communicate and interact with our red brothers and sisters locally,nationally and worldwide.


It is a place where reds who have left the area can remain in contact with the day to day workings of our club.

It is a place where we can pick up news and stories about the club often not easily available from other sources.

It is a place where we can discuss with,agree with,disagree with and often learn from our fellow reds.

It is a place where we can moan,bitch,whine and complain (within reason) and generally vent our feelings.

It is a place where we can celebrate together when things go well and commiserate (or fall out) with each other when things go wrong.

It is a place where we can try to maintain the standards and traditions of “The Liverpool Way” and communicate our feelings to those who fall short of those standards.

It is a place where we can rally together and co-ordinate our actions against those who would harm our club.

It is a place where we fomented  rebellion against  the bastards who threatened to destroy our club and drive it into ruin.

It is a place where the “auld arses”,steeped  in the legends and lore of our club,can pass on their tales for the enjoyment and instruction of newer generations and those still to come.

[rednich85]

6 different mods have given you warnings. The most warnings an individual mod has given you is 2.

You're a mod 5 minutes and you're running round this thread like John Rambo.

The stats agree with you.

We all know how useful stats are!

In all seriousness, at one stage, I did feel aggrieved by some of my bans. But I'm an idiot sometimes.

[Alan_X]

What is RAWK. Read the 'not Barca' thread.

Read the auld arses thread

Read the Liverpool life forum

Read the betting forum

Read anyone of a hundred topics in news...

Read the Hillsborough forum

Read he level three thread

Read jonnowhite's posts, and Black and White Paul's posts

Read Kev's music thread

Read one of Capon's threads - mad as a box of frogs but fuck me what a depth of knowledge

Read one of macca's 'fuck your sister/wife/girlfriend' posts and then one of his 'serious' posts...

Read one of royhendo's posts, or hinesy's, or Juan loco's or yorky's or one of too many to mention.

Read the stadium threads or the campaign threads....

Read...

And that's the bottom line...

No offence, but you lads banging on about the right to vent and the right to post shite are missing the point...

We're a long way from perfect, but fuck me, there's some good stuff on here.

[Johnny Foreigner]

No reason not to include yourself Alan FX..

excellent summary as well..

[moloch]

The best LFC related forum & one of the best forums in general.

[rednich85]

Self praise is no praise!

[conman]

It's also a place we learned about wives getting stuck in Cat-flaps, and Bonjella being the solution to all life's little problems

[Aleeed#]

I classed myself as a pretty big supporter before I signed up, but RAWK has allowed me to interact with (and meet some) top, top Reds. I missed the 'glory days'.. Being born in 1992, but I've learned a lot about the club that I would never have known before hand. The board is a great education tool for some, you never stop learning about the club in some respects.

It's a struggle for those of us who can only get to a few games a season, but RAWK is a saviour - you get to constantly debate, discuss and share opinions on the great football club we all love.

The place drives me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't swap some of the experiences that this board has given me for the world.

[bepoq]

How about instituting a Pay for Purge? 

oooooh, what an idea! or better yet, selling indulgences. Now that's a way to keep the coffers full. A fiver's donation to RAWK buys you the opportunity to call someone a clueless c*nt without fear of ban? People'd be paypalling you £50 in the 89th minute.

[NHRed]

One big main forum is probably part of the problem.

One goal of RAWK moderators is to keep the signal-to-noise ratio down and encourage good writing and thoughtful commentary.  On the other hand, most posters want to rave on about their current LFC obssession, whatever that may be (Bring Back Rafa, Carroll is Shite, We Suck Syphilitic Goats, etc...)

You're not going to get these people to stop.  May I suggest you don't try.  Give them their own sandbox and make sure they stay there.  Another soccer board has three fora devoted to one of the main subjects of the site.  In descending order of moderation and ascending order of damnfoolishness they are:  Rumors, General, News & Analysis.   

Rumors is devoted to exactly whatever heavy-breathing, badly-spelled twitter-fueled insanity is currently echoing around the intertubes about LFC.  Moderators can shove topics there as needed, we can all read it when we need a laugh, or not, or even occasionally rave on when we need to. General is for about where RAWK's natural level is - lots of discussion, a fair amount of chest-thumping, but everyone has their say. News & Analysis has stricter guidelines and is heavily moderated.  Off-topic threads and posts are dumped readily whenever necessary.

The whole point here is that if you want to have an intelligent conversation about something, you can find it in the News and Analysis forum; the only threads are going to be deemed to qualify as intelligent discussion and posts regarded as too off-topic or idiotic will get binned.  If you want to just chat about LFC, go to General.

If you want to talk about twitter, about Sky, about this thing whosis said about whatever in some crap newspaper... rave on.  Rumors is where you belong, and have fun.

[shelovesyou]

You could argue that without this place and the posters we may well have seen our club
Go down the panny.

[vNauuuM]

A second family! <3

[Marty 85]

While this sounds sad, is there any way that there could be a 'like' dislike thing going for posts. Sometimes I see really interesting / funny posts that I would recommend but all you can do is quote the quote the post then put either the laughing smiley or put 'this'. Ones with most 'liked' can then be put in a separate folder etc. Posters who get disliked regularly can go in a folder of shame. Maybe this way quality posters will have their stuff read as closely as the prolific ones who don't actually have anything decent to say, just lots of it.

Also, one negative I have noticed creeping in is that certain posters seem to get away with absolute murder, calling people c**** and so on and so forth regularly, especially if they are speaking to someone who has the gall to go against status quo. I enjoy the debates, it someone wants a certain thing to happen at the club then the pros and cons should be debated. There are too many times I see decent, well argued posts made only for the poster to be pointlessly abused without any reason given as to why they are wrong.

I've mentioned this before. Would certainly do away with some of the WUMS

[BlackandWhitePaul]

RAWK is a place where we can communicate and interact with our red brothers and sisters locally,nationally and worldwide.

I'm here to communicate and interact with any person wherever they are from and what team, if any, they follow.

I like this place and am at home here.

With such a massive membership and the number of posts, over 10 million I believe, I appreciate the work the moderating team do to keep the peasants in line