largehat,our Bolton board is awfully quiet. Any ideas? I'm hoping we didn't make a mistake in letting Bolton nuts, post promotional stuff on here.

hi Admin1, we've only lost one regular poster to Bolton Nuts - ie, he posts there, but he doesn't post here anymore, and that's Reebok Rebel (latterly known as Trigger).

It's true that a number of posters from our board here also post on there now, but it's horses for courses. They only post on there because it has a general discussion forum for non-football chat, and the moderation is much looser, so you can swear and call people a etc.

There will have been a little cannibalisation for sure, but the standard of football discussion is far poorer on Bolton Nuts, and indeed all of the other dedicated Bolton forums.

Here, we have a core of 30-40 regular posters and we kind of all know each other well, but I think the disappointing nature of being a Bolton fan is the biggest reason the board is so quiet in between games. It's the same reason many people don't watch Match of the Day (or should I say, the Football League Show) when we have lost ... and we've won 8 games all season. On the back of relegation it has kind of killed enthusiasm a bit and being a Bolton fan feels like a bit of a chore just at the moment I'm afraid.

Another factor is being outside the top flight, very rare we have an internet stream of a game, so the in-match discussion is much poorer because people are either at the game, or listening to the radio or live text updates, rather than commenting on the actual game as it progresses.

I don't have any suggestions off the top of my head but I'll certainly have a think about it and get back to you either here or via email.

LH - we both know it has nothing to do with Bolton Nuts!!!

I am in regular contact with a number of posters who have left this site.

No worries, just wondered. It was concerning to see little in the way of new articles and and was worried the action was elsewhere.

Keep in touch anyway. I suspect there is a plethora of Bolton fans we just need to get to sign up on ja606 through some inspired idea.

Admin 1 - I can try and get them back and a few new ones, but the tone of the board needs to change or it won't happen!!!!

CEF - that's a really cryptic post mate, I'm genuinely unsure what you're driving at. I know Reebok Bricks is in the Bermuda Triangle, but that's all I can think you're referring to.

comment by CEF - Sordell & Ngog equals playoffs!!!!! (U3090)

posted 16 seconds ago

Admin 1 - I can try and get them back and a few new ones, but the tone of the board needs to change or it won't happen!!!!
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CEF, in the world of social media, you can't force the conversation, you can only be part of it.

I can only echo what LH has said. Its not a great time to be a Bolton fan and I think that is what is causing our board to become a bit of a ghost town.

Most topics have been done to death and simply result in arguments and going over old ground and nobody can be bothered with it.

Heck even my Predictions League has seen a drop in participation. Only got 22 comments/predictions in the last round compared to averaging around the 40 mark back in October.

I'm sure if we start stringing together abit of form people will come back.

LH - come on - you know exactly what I am referring to.

Admin1 - I get what you are saying, but the Bolton board has become a dictatorship. You can't expect people to come on here when every comment they make is greeted with abuse and ridicule!!

CEF - no, I really don't, I've inferred from your subsequent posts that you think that the tone of the board has put people off, but I'm more disposed to Admin1's point of view to be honest.

I can think of one poster I haven't seen in a while who knowingly posted a controversial article about a particular players, his views got widely panned, but I don't recall it getting needlessly personal.

Look at our 100 point friend. He gets a lot of grief but he sticks up for himself and isn't deterred. As did Bricks. It was the same on old 606 and that thrived. It's the nature of football debate, sometimes people get a bit shirty. All IMHO.

Admin1 - I get what you are saying, but the Bolton board has become a dictatorship. You can't expect people to come on here when every comment they make is greeted with abuse and ridicule!!
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I would get laughed of the site, if I went to people and issued "You be nice or else " ultimatums. We would see a quite Bolton board then, if I tried to pull that carry on with grown men.

*quiet

I think dictatorship is a bit strong.

Certainly there has been an increase in people getting personal with their comments and not really discussing so much as arguing/ telling people they are wrong/delusional/idiots.

But we've always had spells of that on the Bolton board over the last 5 years since Sam left. It usually coincides with a run of awful or below par results.

Its also not a new phenomenom for the board to have very quiet periods. Even back on old 606 at the height of the Bolton boards usage where we had one of the most frequented boards on the site there would be periods where you could go almost a week with no new articles and very few comments.

Admin - let me try another way to explain it.

I am only still on here because of my King of Pundits competition, or I too would have gone some time ago.

This board isn't like the top prem tems. I know you have to dal with LAL, Mafiaboy, Chicken Children and all the other Arsenal, Spurs and LAL'ing complaints every day.

Clubs like Bolton always had a decent posting level, and we have 100 pages of posts which puts us quite high up in the pecking order in terms of users.

But, the site is dominated by a few posters who dish it out if you don't agree.

So, yes, people who use social media do indeed need to participate, but why bother if all your comments are met with negative BS!!!

WF - I am just saying it like it is. I communicate with the missing posters off site. It is waht they say.

Admin1 asked the question, so I am answering honestly!!

But, the site is dominated by a few posters who dish it out if you don't agree.

So, yes, people who use social media do indeed need to participate, but why bother if all your comments are met with negative BS!!!
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It is a forum for grown men. Unless it all goes way OTT people probably need to take the flack on the chin. It is the nature of anonymous internet sites. Our Leeds Utd board has been in a state of civil war for almost 2 years. But short of issuing "Now you be nice!" ultimatums there is zilch we as moderators can do.

I don't think you're giving either the people you're referring to who have left or the people you think are dominating the site much credit with the way you have characterised their actions and motivations, CEF.

But I do respect your opinion, and if I can think of any constructive ways to drum up more custom on here, I'll happily share.

WF, great to hear your perspective on things, I sometimes forget you've been around on here much, much longer than I have.

LH, sorry for hijacking your thread. It was a throw away comment, just to keep tabs on out Bolton board.

Admin1, you can redeem yourself by giving your opinion on Jan Gregus's goal

Admin1 / LH - a question was asked and I have answered why.

It is really that simple.

You have mentioned grown men a couple of times. I would suggest the real grown ups are the ones who have left. Why would you stay to be ridiculed??

Particularly when the people in question are the best posters???

I try to forget how long I've been around on here! I dread to think how much time I spent on the old 606 at uni rather than doing any actual work!

As for the original topic you actually beat me to the punch on this, I'd just seen a video of it on the Lion of Vienna Suite (good old NewsNow sent me there!) Its a absolutely cracking strike.

It is hard to critique in isolation, but was a stunning, goal. The opposition he was playing against was totally irrelevant to the quality of the goal itself. Both the speed of the strike and the way the topspin brought it looping down into the net was truly commendable. A player who can score like that is of tremendous value when playing against teams that are backs to the wall 10 men in the box or against quality European teams who keep it tight. If you can get chances like that outside the box, then you can get goals with a player like that.

we're still here admin. wait until we win a few and things will get a bit more interesting. One thing i have wondered about though is how this website is going to get new people signed up without being on the bbc website anymore?

comment by royston-vasey (U4179)

posted 1 minute ago

we're still here admin. wait until we win a few and things will get a bit more interesting. One thing i have wondered about though is how this website is going to get new people signed up without being on the bbc website anymore?
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We are launching a ja606 spin off news site and there are commercial tie ups that should help us expand our reach. Albeit we will end up with ads on here.

@ Admin1's in-depth analysis and consideration of velocity, spin, and prospects of the player's future prospects.