The discussions/threads here have diminished a lot

[NCAAUCoach]

This board used to be very active. I come here and see the activity is down substantially. Why do you think this is?

Is it that a lot of threads require premium level to access? I understand this is a business and they want more to pay for content, but is this actually deterring participation?

It’s the beginning of a season where we have some good transfers and new faces. I would expect a lot more activity.

 

[Goheels83]

College b-ball has lost its luster with all the transfers.

 

[Ozheelfan]

Agree 100%.
The site owner has every right to run things as he likes but I believe flooding the Board with links to premium articles and so forth has diluted the input from board members
.
Having been on here for somewhere around two decades I still come back… but there’s less meat on the bones nowadays.

 

[NCAAUCoach]

Agree 100%.
The site owner has every right to run things as he likes but I believe flooding the Board with links to premium articles and so forth has diluted the input from board members
.
Having been on here for somewhere around two decades I still come back… but there’s less meat on the bones nowadays.

Agreed. Maybe offering some tidbits without everything being premium would help. I’ve stopped even opening threads.

 

[Canadian_Heel]

Agree 100%.
The site owner has every right to run things as he likes but I believe flooding the Board with links to premium articles and so forth has diluted the input from board members
.
Having been on here for somewhere around two decades I still come back… but there’s less meat on the bones nowadays.

Reading through threads where 90% of posts are personal bickering may have something to do with reduced traffic.

 

[Tarheelsman71]

Reading through threads where 90% of posts are personal bickering may have something to do with reduced traffic.

exactly! 50% of the issue right there. and I agree with the threads from the owners of website are too much. I look at the author of thread and if it is AJ or DK and dont even open. Which means I potentially will miss something interesting IF it isnt just a link to an article I dont have access to. But I get it.

 

[illini-heel]

This board used to be very active. I come here and see the activity is down substantially. Why do you think this is?

Is it that a lot of threads require premium level to access? I understand this is a business and they want more to pay for content, but is this actually deterring participation?

It’s the beginning of a season where we have some good transfers and new faces. I would expect a lot more activity.

Spot on. I will go to click a thread here and see that is just a link to a premium article. Just clickbait...
leaves me disinterested in most of the content.

 

[illini-heel]

Agreed. Maybe offering some tidbits without everything being premium would help. I’ve stopped even opening threads.

100% for example, I clicked on a thread about yesterday's Lehigh game and that for some reason was premium! I watched the freaking game, how can anyone's commentary on that be premium?😂

 

[tarwhiz]

What is anybody clicking on while in the forum Tar Heel Radar, that they can't see? If it is on Radar, you can see it.
If you are not paying for premium, why then would you be in Four Corners? I pay for premium, so I guess I don't know what you don't see in Four Corners if you go there without being a paid subscriber.

 

[DSouthr]

This site is a for profit operation and it should be because they offer a service many do enjoy.

NCAAcoach asked why traffic is not what it once was, I think what he can see is a microcosm of our society as a whole, the increasing inability of people to rationally discuss topics that they may not agree with. I know for sure it is much harder to engage in a good discussion without someone bringing out the flame thrower. The good natured back and forth discussion had been replaced with my side your side and you can never be right. I post a good bit, I want good solid back and forth discussion, absolutely love a good spirited debate but it is rare that can happen. It used to be that the trouble makers were fans of rival programs looking to cause trouble but now we eat our own. I keep hoping it will change but it seems to get worse, it is not nearly as much fun as it used to be.

People act like you have committed an unforgivable sin by simply not agreeing with every word they say? I don't agree with every word I freakin say!!! It is ok to not agree, but you should respect the other opinion until you are treated without respect. WE do have a few posters here and on premium that I find to be VERY disrespectful yet they post a lot. We just won a game yesterday by 20+ Pts and there is very little discussion about it, it is as if folks no longer care?

 

[NorCalTarheel]

It's the constant arguments, insults and "I'm a bigger fan than you" stuff that keeps me from posting more. My skin is plenty thick enough, I just don't need any more of that stuff in life, especially from a website fully fans who should be somewhat aligned.

I have actually gone to other team's websites to see if the amount of bickering there is similar to ours. It isn't. There are usually one or two turds but not nearly like it is at UNC sites.

Either way, Go Heels!!!

 

[NCAAUCoach]

What is anybody clicking on while in the forum Tar Heel Radar, that they can't see? If it is on Radar, you can see it.
If you are not paying for premium, why then would you be in Four Corners? I pay for premium, so I guess I don't know what you don't see in Four Corners if you go there without being a paid subscriber.

Your premium access tier grants you access to read. The items posted by site owners on this forum are links to premium content.

 

[tarwhiz]

Your premium access tier grants you access to read. The items posted by site owners on this forum are links to premium content.

Ok, I was unaware there were things on Radar that only premium posters can see. I stand corrected.
I would not like that either. I do not pay for Inside Carolina since switching to Rivals, but I still lurk over at that site to read the content. It does bother me when I want to react to something said but can't lol.
I would actually prefer not to see something if I can't read/react to it.

 

[heels05champs]

It's the constant arguments, insults and "I'm a bigger fan than you" stuff that keeps me from posting more. My skin is plenty thick enough, I just don't need any more of that stuff in life, especially from a website fully fans who should be somewhat aligned.

I have actually gone to other team's websites to see if the amount of bickering there is similar to ours. It isn't. There are usually one or two turds but not nearly like it is at UNC sites.

Either way, Go Heels!!!

Take a peek at Rupps Rafters sometime, especially after they lose a game. It might change your opinion a bit.

 

[2DDIMOND]

Take a peek at Rupps Rafters sometime, especially after they lose a game. It might change your opinion a bit.

The Blew Devils have plenty of vitriol on their sites as well. Some like to think they are the boss & no other opinion could possibly have merit.

 

[sctarheel30]

Agree 100%.
The site owner has every right to run things as he likes but I believe flooding the Board with links to premium articles and so forth has diluted the input from board members
.
Having been on here for somewhere around two decades I still come back… but there’s less meat on the bones nowadays.

Amen

 

[andrew jones]

Agreed. Maybe offering some tidbits without everything being premium would help. I’ve stopped even opening threads.

80 percent of our content items are free. And if the threads with links are a burden, don't bother with them.

As I have said many times, very few Rivals sites even have non-premium boards anymore, but I've opted to keep them alive. It actually adds more work for me, so I am not doing it for the site's benefit. If someone wants to click the links and if they are inspired to sign up, great. If not, great.

 

[andrew jones]

Spot on. I will go to click a thread here and see that is just a link to a premium article. Just clickbait...
leaves me disinterested in most of the content.

It's not cickbait, it's legitimate journalism of subjects you guys are obviously interested in. The links are there if you want them, and if not, so be it. But they are not clickbait.

The non-premium boards are not necessary in our network, but I keep them because plenty of people enjoy them. Trust me, I work 90 hours a week and work about 362 days a year, this actually adds to my workload. So I don't do it for me. That people complain about it is head scratching.

 

[andrew jones]

Your premium access tier grants you access to read. The items posted by site owners on this forum are links to premium content.

80 percent of our content is FREE for everyone.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I believe the bickering is more of a problem than the premium enticements. I may have to take some of the blame if my reactions have been off putting. I will endeavor to be less reactionary, but it really does chap my arse when peeps constantly insult our players and coaches! I believe we are a Family and should act accordingly. I love a good debate and participate when I can. I hope nobody feels I am not respectful of others' opinions though! Wait...does this mean I have to be nice to SDung??? That is asking a great deal!

 

[NCAAUCoach]

I believe the bickering is more of a problem than the premium enticements. I may have to take some of the blame if my reactions have been off putting. I will endeavor to be less reactionary, but it really does chap my arse when peeps constantly insult our players and coaches! I believe we are a Family and should act accordingly. I love a good debate and participate when I can. I hope nobody feels I am not respectful of others' opinions though! Wait...does this mean I have to be nice to SDung??? That is asking a great deal!

I think the anonymity of message boards leads to a lack of civil discussion, especially factoring in fandom. Over the years many people create fake accounts just to stir the pot. Idiotic, but it happened.

The premium content is completely the choice of the site to post. They are a business and want to make money. Maybe a way to identify which posts are premium and which are free would be great. I would guess if more people read the free content they would be more inclined to maybe upgrade.

 

[DSouthr]

"I think the anonymity of message boards leads to a lack of civil discussion, especially factoring in fandom. Over the years many people create fake accounts just to stir the pot. Idiotic, but it happened."

That is the whole thing coach but there has been a noticeable change in that it used to be fans of other programs, fans that hated UNC that were the trouble makers, they were the trolls. But in the last few years it seems we have an element that has joined the fray that is causing folks not only to be upset but folks are just not willing to engage, they either just read now or the don't visit. The element that I see are folks that really don't much care for UNC sports but feel the need to pretend to be experts and when you notice them say something that makes no sense and call them on it they act as if they should be treated as untouchable?

I post a lot and I am very opiniated, I could care less about impressing anyone, I simply say what I think and others are invited to agree or disagree. I have never jumped at someone for disagreeing with any thing I have to say, anything I post here I am 1000% ready to say face to face, that has always been my governor, if I wouldn't say it to your face I will not post it here. I post with respect for everyone here UNTIL they become disrespectful toward me, I do not accept disrespect well nor should anyone. There is a serious lack of respect not only on this site but across our country now days and that did not used to be the case. I have said this so many times in the past and it seems to always fall on deaf ears (or in this case blind eyes). It reminds me of that kid on the play ground way back when I was in elementary school or middle school that kid starts a fight and then runs away, didn't like it then, like it even less now. If anything I have tried, since AJ took over this site to drive traffic by giving as much discussion as I can, Mikey used to keep a lot of this stuff at bay (you have not been forgotten my friend) but since Mikey passed we rarely see a moderator post on Radar, they post on 4Cs but when was the last time we had a mod post on Radar other than AJ?

 

[TPFKAPFS]

The Tombstone was an excellent deterrent!

I also take exception to the idea that there are fewer trolls or disagreeable peeps on other sites! I am here because TOS became unbearable due to them being so cliquish, argumentative, and attacking anyone who had a lesser post count or posted a dissenting opinion! I got banned on the pukie site for mentioning that their house was made of glass when they wanted to trash UNC for violating rules. I also got banned on TOS but they didn't have the cajones to tell me why. My last post was saying it wasn't fun anymore because they spend so much time attacking each other that they don't actually end up supporting the Heels! I sometimes lurk over there just to get perspective but I still see the same childish behavior. This place has been a welcome respite from other sites and a true bastion for Family! I blame the new breed for not really understanding the Family concept but I know this place can return to being special. Hubs did it for the program and we can do it for the site!

BTW: we used to have face-to-face meetings at a Franklin St watering hole. This did wonders for our camaraderie because it is harder to spew at someone once you have met the real person. I know one of my true online "enemies" got along great in person and it changed the way we responded to each other. Also, My wife and I met a fellow poster and his son and they are some really great people who are true UNC fans!

 

[ChiShankCity]

I think the fact that we haven't been an elite program over the last 5 years plays a part. I'm guessing traffic to this site (and all team specific sites) are better when the teams are really good. And obviously the tone of fans becomes much different when your teams are really good. I believe that fans can get apathetic pretty quickly.

I may be wrong, but when this program was absolutely rolling under Roy, there were a lot more voices and discussions on this board (I think it was Carolina Blue back then?). Also, I felt there were a mix of college kids, young adults, and older people on the board. It feels like there are fewer college kids and older people on the board today, but that's just my feeling. I definitely don't see some of the people I interacted with 15 years ago on this board. Who knows. Maybe they had life changes and bantering on a message board is no longer a life priority.

I also think college basketball has a regular season issue. UNC plays a challenging non-conference schedule this year, but there's only so many games against Radford or UNC Asheville that will peak everyone's interest.

But I think the biggest thing is UNC has been a tough watch for the past 5 years minus 10 games in 2022.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

It is never hard to watch my Tar Heels no matter how much I hate losing!

While I completely understand what you mean, I disagree with the premise. If I can go to Morocco and see Tar Heel jerseys we are elite. As long as we have 7 banners we are elite. As long as we are in a Natty champ game we are elite. As long as we can pull in 2 top 10 recruits and are top of mind for the majority of the top 50, I think we are just fine! And as long as programs around the country still try to emulate us, we are elite! 5 years is a blip to peeps who have supported the Heels for 50+! Youngsters might be prisoners of the moment, but Family endures knowing trouble never lasts forever!

 

[bluetoe]

it's me, isn't it.

 

[DSouthr]

it's me, isn't it.

Trust me blue, with your name marker (the cheer leader), you would be bringing in more than running them away! LOL

 

[bluetoe]

Trust me blue, with your name marker (the cheer leader), you would be bringing in more than running them away! LOL

LOL, I'm glad you like it. Soon after I adopted it, someone asked me very politely to consider something else because it seemed a tad risque. I don't necessarily disagree, but what you see is what you're inclined to see. I don't see sex or vulgarity at all. Well, not much sex. To me it's just such a perfect, normal, and innocent demonstration of a young guy finding fascination with two of the most important things at once, one of them being that Carolina blue. It's a sort of Norman Rockwell of what life is all about.

ETA...I call it "A Tar Heel Fan is Born"

 

[Steat]

I'm going to give away 6 premium subscriptions in about 6 weeks in the Prediction Contest. For posters who are not playing the game, jump in and have some fun.

 

[alabamaheel]

I think the fact that we haven't been an elite program over the last 5 years plays a part. I'm guessing traffic to this site (and all team specific sites) are better when the teams are really good. And obviously the tone of fans becomes much different when your teams are really good. I believe that fans can get apathetic pretty quickly.

I may be wrong, but when this program was absolutely rolling under Roy, there were a lot more voices and discussions on this board (I think it was Carolina Blue back then?). Also, I felt there were a mix of college kids, young adults, and older people on the board. It feels like there are fewer college kids and older people on the board today, but that's just my feeling. I definitely don't see some of the people I interacted with 15 years ago on this board. Who knows. Maybe they had life changes and bantering on a message board is no longer a life priority.

I also think college basketball has a regular season issue. UNC plays a challenging non-conference schedule this year, but there's only so many games against Radford or UNC Asheville that will peak everyone's interest.

But I think the biggest thing is UNC has been a tough watch for the past 5 years minus 10 games in 2022.

I tend to agree with you on this. You have to win and winning cures all(most of the time). It’s kinda hard to agree on something when so much is going wrong. Easy to lay blame. Easy to lash out. Easy to argue. When things are rolling the glass is half full for most people.
I’ve stepped back and done more reading than posting the past few years, bit my tongue, and also realized not ONE person on here can change what happens on that court for the heels or coaches. It’s a sport and team that I love and hate to see struggle. But, dang it, I’m ready for this team to bust out for sure. We win, we all agree and thrive. Fact lol

 

[al would]

With all the portal crap and transfer drama ... not to mention the changing cultural/political slant of sports in general it's no wonder sports following is down. I used to love to follow the players and their development when they actually stayed (drama free) for 3/4 yrs. Now I just wait until a month or so before the season starts just to see who's filling the roster. And with the ACC expansions the purity of the conference and the old school rivalries have been damaged beyond recovery. Not to mention the relocation of the ACC tournament. The shine is off the dime and it won't come back .. imho.

 

[gobblercalls]

The biggest thing is we miss Mike as monitor.

 

[pooponduke]

I've been a member for almost two decades now. Always on premium. In fact, I think this is my first actual post on THR. So, maybe I'm a bit bias, but it amazes me that anyone would bitch about something they are getting for free. If you were paying for content and didn't care for something, that would make sense to me, but complaining about free stuff really rings hollow. The alternatives are to have it completely shut down or to get absolutely bombarded with ads, videos and so much crap that you are paying for it anyway, just in a different form.

Any links, articles, etc. posted by @andrew jones or others are simply a way to market the great content that you get on premium. You click on it because it's of interest to you. If you find yourself clicking on those links and are getting to the point of curiosity or even frustration, what's that telling you????? No, the answer isn't that it's bs for the links to be here. It's that your level of interest and fandom means that what you really should be doing is signing up for premium. I get that pricing and budgeting is an issue for almost everyone. I'm no exception. Look at the annual pricing rather than monthly, as it's a better value. Watch for the specials they run. Maybe give up something else in exchange such as eating at home instead of a dinner out. The holidays are coming, so ask for it as a gift from someone. Get creative, you won't regret it.

As to the quality, amount, and type of discussion, I would agree that it is reflective of an overall reflection of our society (always only two sides of an issue versus middle ground, keyboard warriors versus face to face civility, and influence of social media & 24/7 news cycles, etc.) and the change in the norm of our bball team (always being in the top five discussion, going to final fours, winning the ACC/natty's and it being THE league, etc.).

Seriously though, give premium a whirl and participate. Most will be happy they did. And to @gobblercalls , you are so right. Anyone who doesn't miss Mike simply doesn't remember him.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I was premium on TOS for a bit and maybe developed a bit of PTSD. I have even gotten it free here (contest winner b4) and not participated. I am working on my issues and will eventually try it here. I love my Heels and love any good debate! I despise trolls, keyboard warriors, and negative Nancys so I make liberal use of the "ignore" function! I wish there was a way to close the quote loophole but otherwise I have no substantive issues with this site! AJ and his team give way more leeway for peeps to be themselves than any other site and I absolutely love the amount of content I receive!

Bring back the Face-2-Face!

 

[bluetoe]

I've been a member for almost two decades now. Always on premium. In fact, I think this is my first actual post on THR. So, maybe I'm a bit bias, but it amazes me that anyone would bitch about something they are getting for free. If you were paying for content and didn't care for something, that would make sense to me, but complaining about free stuff really rings hollow. The alternatives are to have it completely shut down or to get absolutely bombarded with ads, videos and so much crap that you are paying for it anyway, just in a different form.

Any links, articles, etc. posted by @andrew jones or others are simply a way to market the great content that you get on premium. You click on it because it's of interest to you. If you find yourself clicking on those links and are getting to the point of curiosity or even frustration, what's that telling you????? No, the answer isn't that it's bs for the links to be here. It's that your level of interest and fandom means that what you really should be doing is signing up for premium. I get that pricing and budgeting is an issue for almost everyone. I'm no exception. Look at the annual pricing rather than monthly, as it's a better value. Watch for the specials they run. Maybe give up something else in exchange such as eating at home instead of a dinner out. The holidays are coming, so ask for it as a gift from someone. Get creative, you won't regret it.

As to the quality, amount, and type of discussion, I would agree that it is reflective of an overall reflection of our society (always only two sides of an issue versus middle ground, keyboard warriors versus face to face civility, and influence of social media & 24/7 news cycles, etc.) and the change in the norm of our bball team (always being in the top five discussion, going to final fours, winning the ACC/natty's and it being THE league, etc.).

Seriously though, give premium a whirl and participate. Most will be happy they did. And to @gobblercalls , you are so right. Anyone who doesn't miss Mike simply doesn't remember him.

lol dang man, are you trying to outdo me? Just kidding, I can read and I don't mind zipping through a few more words than average.

Great post, exactly how I feel except for signing up for premium. I have a premium account that I can't get into because of some Rivals snafu, and they aren't charging for it. I mentioned it elsewhere and Andrew came in and offered to help me get it squared away. That's what I appreciate about the way he does business...he has to sell it to survive but he soft sells it. He doesn't ram it down our throats or play those little games that coerce you into buying by taking things away from the free account. I appreciate his approach a great deal. I have resisted getting back into premium just because I spend too much time here as it is. But I miss it a lot and one day I'll get back on that horse.

 

[bluetoe]

The Tombstone was an excellent deterrent!

I also take exception to the idea that there are fewer trolls or disagreeable peeps on other sites! I am here because TOS became unbearable due to them being so cliquish, argumentative, and attacking anyone who had a lesser post count or posted a dissenting opinion! I got banned on the pukie site for mentioning that their house was made of glass when they wanted to trash UNC for violating rules. I also got banned on TOS but they didn't have the cajones to tell me why. My last post was saying it wasn't fun anymore because they spend so much time attacking each other that they don't actually end up supporting the Heels! I sometimes lurk over there just to get perspective but I still see the same childish behavior. This place has been a welcome respite from other sites and a true bastion for Family! I blame the new breed for not really understanding the Family concept but I know this place can return to being special. Hubs did it for the program and we can do it for the site!

BTW: we used to have face-to-face meetings at a Franklin St watering hole. This did wonders for our camaraderie because it is harder to spew at someone once you have met the real person. I know one of my true online "enemies" got along great in person and it changed the way we responded to each other. Also, My wife and I met a fellow poster and his son and they are some really great people who are true UNC fans!

funny, the negativity on TOS is why I'm here also. And like you, I got booted for reacting against it...and they didn't have the decency to even notify me, they just cut me off. When I contacted the head honcho to find out what was going on and to get connected again, he said that I hadn't even apologized yet. Wha? They cut me off without explanation or even notification and hold it over my head because I haven't apologized, when I had no idea that I needed to apologize or what I would have been apologizing for. And I had paid the annual and they were happy to keep the balance.

What it turned out that I was supposed to apologize for was a post criticizing (really more like complaining about) the lack of control over the insane negativity that was going on at the time. It wasn't even particularly critical.

The really ridiculous thing is that not much later, they were begging me to rejoin. Fat chance of that ever happening, I've never been back even to take a peek. That was years ago and I'm in a much happier place here. Thank you @andrew jones.

 

[bluetoe]

someone seems to have taken umbrage at my post #28. I welcome him to explain why that is, either here or maybe in a PM. I certainly did not mean for it to offend, and frankly I don't see how it apparently did. If I erred or was insensitive, I really would like to know how.

And either way, should that person choose to respond, I promise to be nice about it.

 

[illini-heel]

It's not cickbait, it's legitimate journalism of subjects you guys are obviously interested in. The links are there if you want them, and if not, so be it. But they are not clickbait.

The non-premium boards are not necessary in our network, but I keep them because plenty of people enjoy them. Trust me, I work 90 hours a week and work about 362 days a year, this actually adds to my workload. So I don't do it for me. That people complain about it is head scratching.

Seeing a thread title on the free board that links to a "pay-per-view" article is clickbait by definition 🤣

Even DSPN finally started adding the little yellow "+" as an indication that clicking the link doesn't give you the story.

If you simply indicated in the title that these links went to premium content, most of us would probably accept that.

 

[andrew jones]

Seeing a thread title on the free board that links to a "pay-per-view" article is clickbait by definition 🤣

Even DSPN finally started adding the little yellow "+" as an indication that clicking the link doesn't give you the story.

If you simply indicated in the title that these links went to premium content, most of us would probably accept that.

No, it's not clickbait at all. It's there in case people want to read it, and if it encourages someone to sign up, outstanding. But it's not clickbait.

There isn't any need to designate them as premium, it's an extra step I don't have time for. That I'm up at 2:30 and just finished some NC State advance stuff is an indication that adding anything to my plate like that simply isn't going to happen.

And, as noted many times already in this thread, about 80 percent of our stuff is free anyway. Not sure why this is such a nuisance to some people.

 

[NCAAUCoach]

No, it's not clickbait at all. It's there in case people want to read it, and if it encourages someone to sign up, outstanding. But it's not clickbait.

There isn't any need to designate them as premium, it's an extra step I don't have time for. That I'm up at 2:30 and just finished some NC State advance stuff is an indication that adding anything to my plate like that simply isn't going to happen.

And, as noted many times already in this thread, about 80 percent of our stuff is free anyway. Not sure why this is such a nuisance to some people.

@Andrew, I don’t think anyone is disputing you work hard. I think it’s really listening to and understanding your target market. I don’t think the switch to posting links to premium content is the sole reason of a decline in participation in the free board, but I know it has impacted what I click. I had no idea 80% of your links were free. That’s awesome. It is frustrating opening a topic and it being premium. “Maybe” just identifying what is premium in the title would lead to more people clicking what is free…and seeing the quality to the point they want to sign up for premium. It’s really just adding a word in the title or a Star. Nothing that is time consuming.

I understand your frustration as you put so much time into this. You definitely don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do as well. Running a business, I can understand how much work goes on behind the scenes to give an end product. I appreciate that and I know many do.

I help businesses as my career and I can see you are frustrated and maybe even feel not appreciated. The fact that you’ve said a few times you don’t understand why anyone (insert feeling/thought) shows an opportunity to listen to and connect with you target audience, which could lead to a better experience for you and them.

You likely I do this because you love it and are proud of your work. You also do it as a career, so making money isn’t bad either.