Get rid of useless forums!!!!!!

[DÛke]

...

Spiderman, I first heard of the CPA from Zadok on Star City. MTGnews had nothing to do with it. I did, however, get overly tempted to join the CPA because of YellowJacket.

Baskil -- I just went to MTGNews, at 3: 17 Eastern Time. There are 99 logged members *and* 48 guests!I Don't know about you, but how does that apply to the "stagnation point all around"? We don't even have 48 active members -- MTGNews has them as guests. Now that's a difference.

This place is doing bad. It will die. There's no discussion to make it live. You can change the direction and change it to a different site, like I suggested in my previous post. That's about all you can do. Either that, or watch time eat its victim.

Have you guys noticed that even the Off-Topic stage is not gettin' much attention? It's over. We know each other too well, we've argued, we've fought, and we've done it all. There's nothing else to do...

And Spiderman, it wasn't due to cursing. Istanbul didn't think Arhar's joke was funny or something, or maybe it was a stupid joke or just plain meaningless babbling -- Istanbul edited the darn thing out, and there ya go. Is that so hard to believe? Go back and check it out man...it's all in the archives.

 

[Gizmo]

I think Arhar had written an article that was almost completely without magic content or something, and Istbanbul had just cut out like two thirds of it and left only the magic content in... and Arhar was extremely cross and complained long and hard about his article being editted.

 

[Spiderman]

Perhaps I'd better take a look-see myself to refresh my memory... on Monday

 

[Baskil]

Duke, you should know better than most of the other people that host here that we wouldn't want the kind of crowd that posts on that board. Not to sound elitist or anything, but about 99% of the posters here have more maturity in there small left toe than any of those masses of posters over there.

As far as the stagnation point goes, for the amount of traffic that MTGNews gets, 99 people on there boards is not a lot. I'm not completely aware of the numbers, but that would roughly translate to about 10 people on here.(since most of the registered users here never post)

 

[arhar]

Uh.. to clear up the confusion:

Istanbul just took over the editing position.

I submitted an article with a multiplayer deck and analysis (I'd appreciate if you checked your facts, Mr. Gizmo... it WAS about Magic, and almost exclusively about Magic) and it was posted in almost entirety, only with two paragraphs cut, that DIDN'T have anything to do with Magic, but I felt they were an important part of the article, and without them it was very bland.

At the same time, Ransac submitted an article and it was rejected (I don't remember why)

We didn't make too much of a ruckus about it (at least I don't remember myself doing that), but there was a huge flame war between various members regardless.... And then Istanbul quit editing.

That's what happened.

Now, I realize the CPA's downfall is partly my fault, since I used to be this site's featured writer... but that was a long time ago, and I don't think people cared enough about my articles, which dealt exclusively with multiplayer, anyway.

 

[Gizmo]

Checking facts is awful hard to do when we are talking about events over two years ago with no way of searching them out.

I got it wrong. So did Duke. So sue us.

 

[DÛke]

...

You're right Baskil. I just scanned the place real quick. A "clan" forum? <laughs> It's true. Each average CPA member is probably worth around 15-30 average MTGNews member. I think the majority of them are young kids (7-13), because I can't confront any fact that those are actually 16 year old kids and older.

And Arhar, I don't really think it was partly your or anyone's fault. I think it just something that happened. To be honest though, I truly believe in Istanbul's decision making ability, especially when it comes to editing articles or anything written...back then, if it was me, I wouldn't have said a thing. In fact, I got one of my ultra stupid articles rejected by Istanbul too. I didn't say a word, but I could have because TheOrgg is the one who *wanted* the darn thing to be an article in the first place...

As for Gizmo's deal that you may sue him or I -- forget about it.

 

[Multani]

I don't really post that much on the CPA anymore, but that doesn't mean the CPA is declining.
There are reasons for the decline of the CPA. Let's face it, people have lives. And right now, Magic is just not...as turbulent...as it used to be.
Odyssey and Invasion pretty much leveled the playing field, stablized the environment, and practically took the excitement out of Magic.
Now, I think that if you guys were really worried about the CPA's demise, then you would all be doing something to save it, instead of sitting around and complaining. Me, I'm not worried. The CPA's lowkeyed now, but it will recover. Besides, I perfer small, homey little message-boards as opposed to mainstream ones like MOTL and MTGNews.
In the meantime, live life, and let the CPA take its own course.

 

[Gizmo]

I dont think that a decline in Magic is the cause of a decline in the CPA. Right now magic is more interesting and enjoyable than it has been in three or four years!

 

[theorgg]

I also remember when Istanbul dropped as Editor.

Shawn J. Houtsinger was the author that broke the Camel's back, banding or not. After the Ahar article had some trash talk cut from it(at that point, me and Istanbul were teaming up on the editing, pretty much at the same rate as Spidy and I do now-- i.e. when I have time I'll check the comments and see if there's any articles that arn't already on another site), Istanbul kept right on editing.

Until he cut out a large amount of unnessissary profanity and left nothing in its wake.

Shawn J., a.k.a. HOUTS on thedojo's chatroom, was a cocky S.O.B. who wrote articles regularly and cared absolutly nothing about the CPA.

I mentioned the CPA to him on the Dojo chatroom. "HuH? You Mean The Place That puts up My great Articles?"

Without doubt, not one for the community aspect, and his attitude of "everyone else sucks" didn't sit well with me either. I figured he'd skip off somwhere eventually, when they thought he was getting paid for wrighting here. CCGprime did this soon after Istanbul stepped down, and right after his last CPA article went up. I was not sad to see him go.


I've caused a few articles about community issues(like Duke's post on the feeling of the site) that Istanbul didn't think were front page material, I also helped edit some of the best articles on the site from Ura et al.

I still play Magic, and have been having the biggest blast with it for the last year or so I can. Why? I might not be able to in the future, and there's also some new blood this year at school-- so much new blood, that the freshman class contains more members of the Magic club than the original club ever had!

The CPA hasn't been as active on Magic topics because there isn't anything to be angry about-- and human nature gives into complaints much easier than it does to complements in many cases.

Take a look at Misetings.com's article replies: Ninty percent of the time, "yer shit" appeared as one of the first three comments, whether the article was funny, dumb, informative, or otherwise.

Since Magic is more enjoyable than when Urza's influence was cast upon the land, the need of a human to bitch about the conditions subjected to is not being activated. How many peope are learning to enjoy things like 5-color?

*theorgg raises his hand

How many of ya'll are taking a real liking to the currently free Magic Online?

*theorgg raises his hand more

How many people believe that the world is going to end soon for the CPA?

*theorgg drops his hand with much haste


By the way, Welcome Back Baskill! How about starting the Top and Bottom twenty of Magic and trying to get the CPA another attraction?

*theorgg is also working on an interview, but with who it will not be said. PM him any questions you would like to ask a former funnyman who has a trained typing Ferret. Article should be done with selection of questions as soon as the last ***** Article Archive selection is done, though the permission hasn't been officially asked for, though...

 

[Hetemti]

Honestly, I don't like 5C, I don't like MtGOL, and I don't forsee the end of the CPA anytime reasonably soon.

 

[Istanbul]

Houts.

Yes, he was why I stopped editing. It just wasn't worth all the grief I'd been catching anymore. I remember quite clearly: between the people who wanted this to become a "real" Magic site and the people who wanted more causal/fun articles to be posted, I couldn't please everybody...and whichever I chose, I would alienate enough people that it simply wasn't fun anymore. Houts was really what cinched it: the profanity I wouldn't let him post on the front page, he sent at me via e-mail. As much as he could. Paragraphs of it. Over and over and over again. Harassment. It got so bad that I had to block him.

And I quit editing for the same reason I've quit RL magic (though I'm heavy into Magic Online, I mean REALLY heavy...to a degree to which it is required that I not discuss)...it just wasn't fun anymore.

Would it surprise you to know that Houts is making a jack*** of himself on MOL too? (Yeah, me neither.) Look up houts000 in Trading Post sometime. His attitude isn't any more welcome there than it was here.

I honestly don't have a problem with where the CPA is right now. Ironically, this very discussion has sparked a renewed interest in the CPA; I'm seeing more posts. Not a LOT more, but more. I really do believe that if we tried, we could bring more people into the CPA. Probably in much the same way I stumbled across it: advertise, tell people you meet and like, stuff like that. But if that's not the direction the CPA takes, if we stay a small group of tight-knit people that can all talk casually with one another without necessarily having to talk Magic, I'm okay with that too.

If I stopped playing role-playing games with my friends, they'd still be my friends. That's how I feel about the CPA.

 

[Ransac]

Arhar: No, my article didn't get rejected. What caused such an uproar before was that it was accepted. It was an article on the coming of 7th(I believe the title was "Return To Rath") and my enthusiasm of Rath cards returning. However, someone brought it to the boards attention that the article was on the Bottom Ten list and is cause havoc on one thread(that I still look back at for laughs).



Everybody: I still don't think the CPA is going to die. Face it, we've NEVER been able to compete with MTGNews.com. I don't think we ever will. There's so much stuff on that site, not just the message board, that attracts more people. I don't think that we should put our standard so high. Are we competitive over who gets the most people. No, I think not.

The reason I come here is for the quality of the posts on the items that matter(plus, the Off-Topic/Battle Arena forum(s) are way too addictive). When I go to MTGNews.com, I can't start a thread of a new topic because since posts happen too fast, no one sees my posts on the Search Results(which is the way I select what thread I read).


If CPA dwindles and everyone abandons it, I guess I'll be here by myself, posting to just me.




'Cause I'm not leaving.



Ransac, cpa trash man

 

[Baskil]

Originally posted by theorgg
By the way, Welcome Back Baskill! How about starting the Top and Bottom twenty of Magic and trying to get the CPA another attraction?

I've pretty much given up on writing about Magic for a while (it's been about a year since I've written anything related to Magic). I've been concentrating on getting my screenplay done, so I can try and find some contributors. That doesn't mean, however that there might not be the occasional article up on Prime.

 

[DÛke]

...this is great. The CPA has been getting a bit more activity lately.

If you ever stumble across someone who you think is a good addition to the CPA -- don't tell them it's just a Magic site, make sure you highlight all the other great features too, so when they come here, they wouldn't be disappointed by not seeing much Magic activity, and leave. This way, when we get a new member who was "recruited," we have a greater chance of keeping that member since he or she decided to join although knowing that it is not the biggest site when it comes to Magic.

Maybe you all already know that, but I just decided to say it incase someone never really thought about it.

 

[Gizmo]

Yeah I came for the magic, but I stayed for the annoying personalities. Im annoying - you`re all equally annoying. Its my natural home.

 

[theorgg]

DUke's right-- anyone you meet that you think would be a great addition to these forums here, take the nearest common and scribble "WWW.CASUALPLAYERS.ORG" on it.

I've gotten several people here with that, though only one has actually stayed with us for more than six months.

And he won't be posting to himself if everyone else leaves. I guess It'll be a one-on-one e-mail system.

NOTE: Make sure to tell them the forums are the best place on the site-- many people said they visited, but didn't see from the front page why I like it so much...

 

[Turtlewax Joe]

i love the cpa...it was the first message board i ever signed up for...i was a complete newbie. Thgis is the GREATEST site in the world *next to a couple of anarchist sites* but i would prolly be lost at MTGnews if it weren't for this site....

I LOVE YOU CPA!!!! EVEN IF YOU ARE A MAN!!!


T.J.

 

[Thallid Ice Cream Man]

If worst came to worst, we could always turn it into a Magic dating site...

Anyway, I got Apprentice recently, so I should be playing more actual Magic. That probably won't help much, but at least it's something.

 

[Spiderman]

The whole article thing: Now that people mention it, I thought it WAS over Houts that the whole profanity/editing thing blew up. What reminisces... I think Isty did a fine job and was MUCH more effective than myself... and I like MP articles (well, any article that's well-written, but the CPA seems to be a special place for them anyways)

Baskil:

As far as the stagnation point goes, for the amount of traffic that MTGNews gets, 99 people on there boards is not a lot. I'm not completely aware of the numbers, but that would roughly translate to about 10 people on here.(since most of the registered users here never post)

Are you talking overall numbers or people on at the same time? 'Cause it never reaches that number at the same time during the day EST; maybe close to 5-7 at around 4-5 PM...

from Gizmo: I dont think that a decline in Magic is the cause of a decline in the CPA

I agree with him on this. Just because there aren't any "problems" or whatever in Magic now doesn't mean there has to be an absence of Magic talk on the boards. Like I said before, there has hardly been any strategy, any decks, or any whatever concerning Magic.

DUke:

...this is great. The CPA has been getting a bit more activity lately

Yeah, from this post (and of course it started out as a complaint/observation about the site) What happens when everyone gets their say in about it and this thread disappears from the top page? Are things going back to the status quo of slowly declining?

theorgg:

Make sure to tell them the forums are the best place on the site-- many people said they visited, but didn't see from the front page why I like it so much...

Maybe we need to tell Ed to make the forums button even more prominent and better labeled?

TICM:

If worst came to worst, we could always turn it into a Magic dating site

Uh, offering our eligible bachelors?