Big Blue Huddle

As you know, we have always tried to recruit and retain the most thoughtful and knowledgeable Giants fans for our forum.  The success of this board has been and always will be because of all of you.  We believe this is the best discussion board about the NY Giants on the internet thanks to your efforts and contribution.   

The purpose of these discussions is to form a collaboration between BBH and Inside football to provide benefits for both.  If this comes to fruition we will be the message board for Inside Football.   We feel this would be a good marriage because the fan base of both seems to be a mirror image of each other.  Pat has a quality premium product that she publishes on a weekly basis to fans just like you.  We provide a discussion group that transcends the average run of the mill sports message board.  Pat herself has said many of her ideas have come from her fans and our board may serve as a resource for new and fresh ideas. 

We realize that we can't get everyone to agree on everything, however we will not proceed with out the blessing of the majority of our membership.  Therefore we are asking you to vote on this and if you vote no, please state the reason why.   

Be assured that we will never allow this board to be out of control, so if you have any reservations about it becoming too big city we don't for see that happening.   Here is a link to her existing message board called the Tailgate Club and here is a link.

http://insidefootball.websitetoolbox.com/ (http://insidefootball.websitetoolbox.com/)

Just to add to what Rich has already said. This has been discussed among the moderators for a while and we feel it is a win win situation. With Pat, we would gain a valuable insight into football and the Giants,a nd she would gain a message board that has no equal in knowledge and discussion of the Giants.
Let me reassure anyone that nothing will change here. Our board will remain the same, and we will go on, just as we have always done for the past two years. We will not allow anything to change from the way we conduct ourselves, and we would hope to gain more valuable posters, who would share our passion for the Giants and discussion of said team. If anyone doesn't know Pat, she is a class act. We used to post together on a message board many years ago, and her knowledge of football and the Giants is second to on one.

But,a s we have said we would always do here, we will do nothing without letting the membership know about it first, and let everyone have some input.

Again, if this goes thru, things here will remain the same, only, hopefully better. We have worked very hard to make this place a class forum, and we would never do anything to jeopardize that.

just to be on record....im good with the move....go Giants!!!!!

Yeah man, nice work Rich.   This is what you wanted, go for it.

This all seems good on the surface but I can't help but think of how quickly things went downhill at the BBWC when it aligned itself with Scout.com.

I'm not saying do not do it, just be careful not to make the same mistakes. This board is a bit of a country club. There are expectations of conduct and that is why the board was formed and certainly one of the reasons why I continue to read and post here. Bring in new members and exposure, but let's not lose that which created this board and site and other boards - this growing community of posters- no, community of friends. Gentlemenly, knowledgebale, respectful discussion of Giant football - that is how we got here and why the best fans who post on Giants football contribute to Rich's brainchild.

Good luck either way!!!

Edit to add; I offer no vote. Do what you think is best. I trust your judgement at this point.

Good points Bama. Here's to making a great site even better. Thanks in advance to Rich and co. for all the work they do to make this happen.

I'd like to echo what bama said.  This board has been around for over two years, yet our membership is still less than 450 posters.  Those that do post here are (IMHO) by far the most intelligent, principled, open minded Giants fans - or fans of any team, for that matter - that I have ever come across.

Maybe I'm approaching this with a "glass is half empty" frame of mind, but I'd hate to see this board devolve and lose its identity. 

But as bama said, I'll go along with whatever you think best.  You mods have done a great job with this board, creating a strong on-line community of Giants fans.  You know much more about the details of the situation with Inside Football than I do.   I trust you to guide this board in the right direction.

If you gentlemen (mods) think this is the best way to go you can count me in. :ok:

Ditto, mods know best.

As can be seen from my # of posts, I do not post often but I have been here from the beginning and was on BBWC for years prior to Rich starting this site.  As Bama says, BBWC seemed to go downhill greatly at one point and one of the things that happened there was every day there seemed to be tons of new posters many of which were young and not very interesting or knowledgable.  One of the things I enjoy about coming here is the small number of regular posters whom I enjoy reading.  When I speak football with my friends at work or socialize with I will refer to information I get from this board and refer to the posters here as "guys I know on this board" and even consider to be "friends".  There are many people here I respect a lot.  Rich, Lenn, Terry, Painter, Kmed, Bama, Tonka, Ceri, Troy, Drake, Weeze and all the other regulars I fail to mention off the top of my head are why I come here every day to get my Giants fix.  You guys that run this board have done a great job and I'm sure you will continue to do so.  It is entirely up to you to take this board in whatever direction you feel is best.  As long as my "friends" are coming here and providing me with information, respect and the joy I get from reading your opinions I will continue to be here.

Bill

We chose Inside Football after months of consideration. Patricia Trainia is a well respected writer in the Football community. The type of coverage is in depth and in detail. Her publication is not for the average fan. The manner in which she approaches the game and the integrity with which she conducts her business can clearly be seen from observation over the years. This professionalism has clearly carried over on to her message board and in the letters from her fans. She sets the bar, she sets the tone.

Our concern is that we lose members over time through attrition and the quality of the member is not replaced. Another concern is that after years of discussion, we all form the same point of view and become one voice. Both will lead to a dried up and dead board.

We have found that we have a steady stream of new members which translates into about 10-20 a month. Out of that number, we find that 10% actually post and get somewhat involved. After examining recent activity, it was decided that we become more aggressive in our approach to inviting new membership.

Membership here comes with an open invitation, but spammers and hackers are carefully weeded out. Becoming a member doesn't make you a member for life. There is a code of conduct and integrity to which you must abide. You need to learn how we do things around here and respect the code. We clearly understand that you all want to be associated with a peer group of fine character. We as moderators speak from one voice and hear our pledge as it echoes from these pages.

We never allow this board to deteriorate in the standards we have all set here and in the quality of content provided by it's members. Never!


That being said, please realize that all of our core members, must do their part in extending an open hand to new members and gently guiding anyone requiring a little help. We have an opportunity to make many new friends here. More than a few of us can proudly say that the friendship and bonds we have formed with others are very valuable and this com-radere will join us through our walk of life.

We have no doubt that we can rely on the support of our membership to help us through this anticipated transition. Thank you all for your sense of urgency in responding to this request.

I voted yes.

Great stuff...well thought out!

We've been burned before, but we've only been so when blindly rushing into a bad situation with little forethought. Rich and the the other mods have created something here that we all value, and nothing has ever been done since the inception of this website that did not involve forethought and deep consideration. It's yet another one of the things that makes this site the only site I go to for discussion and news about the Giants. So if it has been thought out and deliberated on by the men who have put so much time and effort into this site and they deem it to be a good idea, my vote is Yes, as I have a great deal of respect for the guys who make it all happen here.

Boog

The Tailgate club is a small community of close knit members. They have concerns about being absorbed into our larger group, where their identity may be lost in the mix. I can understand the feeling of insecurity.

Pat won't move on this if her members vote no. My personal opinion is I wouldn't want to either, even though there is a much larger picture involved. This move would not only bode well for us, but it might also be a significant step for Pat's business. The strength in numbers would only serve to validate her fine work to those exploring the site before deciding to purchase the product. I respect her loyalty to her members. See what I mean about Pat Trainia? 

bamagiantfan, Thank you for stepping up and addressing the concerns of Pat's members. It's appreciated. Obviously our Mods can't go over there as it would reek of agenda. We want to earn their respect. I think what you did was enough to paint a picture of life over here. I think now we should let them be and make their decision.

Having only posted on this board for less than a year (albeit a might bit too often, at least for my boss's taste ;)) I'm on board (no pun intended) with whatever the Mods think is right.  This is w/o a doubt the best board about the Giants anywhere bar none.

Thanks for all of the hard work you guys do.  Now here's to the future.  Oh and btw, I read Traina Thought daily, and she's even posted a letter of mine.  No complaints about her in any manner; very professional, prepared, and honest.

As always...IMHO...Cid

It may be hard to be certain in advance whether there will be any risk of the BBH standards being compromised, but no one has a greater investment in its future than Rich and his Merry Mods. If they are for it, I'm for it.

Cheers!

Hi to all,

It's been a little while since I've been last on (due to my new job--working in Bradenton Monday through Friday and coming home on the weekends to chill with the family) however, I am in agreement with this move. Anytime you can link up with other people that share your love for something (knowledge/info of the Giants) it can only be a tool to improve something.

Of course we run the risks of some negativity throughout conversations and posts, however I feel the MOD's on this site have proven to be fair when it comes to dealing with sensitive issues, and have also proved to be active in assuring the quality of this board to be maintained.

I look forward to it, and hope everyone can make room for some change.

Peace to all,
Aaron

most of us are refugees from other boards and we're here for the same reasons, respect for each others thoughts and opinions whether we agree with them or not and thats what seems lacking on other boards. So if we can make this change and not lose any of the things that brought us here then I say do it....

"Pat is a professional: just let us not deteriorate into the Crew again"

Hello All:

This is my first post on BBH.  Although I am not all that familiar with you folks, I have known Patti Traina for many years.  I

Thank you Marty. A lot of us have read your insightful camp reports and have met you personally in Albany. In fact you and I have met before. Your endorsement is appreciated.

Yes vote....

Looks like controlled growth to me.  I certainly trust the thoughts of the Mods....

In Rich we trust. Im moving my chips to the center of the table.

About a year ago - about midnight on a Saturday, I was logging into my account at Inside Football and experienced some problems.  I emailed them and asked for help and was shocked to get an instant reply from Pat herself!  We exchanged some lighthearted emails and she solved the problem for me.  To say that she is dedicated to her job would be an understatement.

I wholeheartedly support this move. 

If anyone didn't vote, please do so. If those who voted no would explain why, it would be appreciated. What if we didn't think of something important to consider?

Also, you can change your vote too, in case you changed your mind.

tia

Also, if you have reasons not and don't want to post them, you can PM one of the Mods.

btw, we have no concerns about the existing and active Tailgate members. I'm sure everyone would agree that they would fit right in here.

Guys: A lot of hand wringing over nothing. There's about 7-8 regular posters on the tailgate club. Good guys. Mostly vanilla stuff. I've tried for years to ratchet it up a notch, but they won't hear of it. The moderator started censoring me (nothing profane, just took issue with him deciding what get's read and what doesn't), and I bugged out for a while). But if you're looking for calm, "gentlemanly" discourse, these are your guys. You might find me a little rowdier (it is a football site, correct?), and my "buddy" Shawn is an outside the box thinker, but these guys are diehards. Chris, Boogie, Matt, Eli10, Greg, Joeker, etc. all bring good stuff to the table. Truth is, it would do us all good to see what guys outside our little worlds think.

Thanks Stu and welcome. Like I said, we're not concerned at all with any of the Tailgate members. It's the unknown volume that only comes to mind from a few of our members.

As for your group and getting lost in the volume here, just look at the number of responses to our poll. Less that 50 active posters here and usually half that. A lot of readers who seldom post.

I've read enough here to convince me that we shouldn't be worried about merging. I say go for it.   :yes:

After looking over the Tailgate board, they seem to run the board very similar to ours (intelligent, thought out discussion; regular posters).  I can't see any cons in this move really.  What's worst case scenario?  The boards don't gel, part ways, and we're back to square one.  The pros of having more regular members posting and offering new thoughts and opinions is too good to pass up.

I'm all for it.

Who would be running the board?  Would it be Rich and the mods or whoever they have in charge?

good question, keith....go Giants!!!!!

We would still be running the message board. 

I voted "yes" the other day (after reviewing the Tailgate Board) but did not write a comment. However, I have thoughly enjoyed and respected the comments I have just read here and thought I'd add my thoughts briefly.

I completely respect and admire Rich and the other mods. This board has been extremely enjoyable and fulfilling to me since I first joined it at it's very beginning.

I too have been thinking the last few months that I would like to see us grow a little larger, so I am very happy to see this proccess started. I hope  the Insider Footballers would like to join us and give this merger a chance on both our behalfs to work for us all.

I am pleased and hopeful and have my fingers crossed.

This is my first post on BBH.  Although I am not all that familiar with you folks, I have known Patti Traina for many years.  I

Hello all,

Hope you don't mind that I'm chiming in here but I thought perhaps if I had an account it would enable me to contribute as well as address concerns you might have about a merger.

For those unfamiliar with Inside Football, we've been around longer than any other independent paper covering the team -- our roots go back to the mid 1970s. Our founding editor always stressed quality and professionalism in all that we do, and that's something I try to maintain to this day.

Our readers are very much like the folks here in that they don't have time for the trivial stuff. They are hardcore Giants fans and they know their stuff. Not that I would try this, but you cannot put anything past them. I am constantly amazed at the depth of their knowledge and appreciation of the history of Giants football. They are professionals and I can honestly say that I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to step in to slap someone's wrist for "misbehaving"  since we launched the boards however many years ago.

One of the reasons why I agreed to have discussions with the mods here at BBH about a merger is because I am a big fan of community. I know the folks at IF have their own little community going, just as you guys have going here, but regardless of the board you're on, it's because of one reason: the Giants. In a perfect world, there would be one place where all Giants fans shared ideas about the team.  Can you just imagine?

One of the things I hope to do if this merger goes through is to be more active on the boards. I have so many hours during the day and then there's always the option to start the next day's work in advance if I so choose. I am a big believer in being accessible via email to readers because without the readers, there is no Inside Football. Therefore, if someone tells me they want to see a story on a player, or they have a question for the coach, if I have the opportunity to address it, I will.

I realize I'm rambling a bit here but again, I felt it important that you hear from me. If anyone has specific concerns or questions they'd like to address, the best way to reach me is via e-mail as I don't always have time to check the boards.  My address is editor@insidefootball.com.

One last thing you should know about me and how I do business. I treat others the way I want to be treated. And anyone who knows me knows that I don't judge others, I don't attack others, and I give my best effort every day. I'm not perfect -- I won't sit here and tell you otherwise. But I'm very devoted to what I do (as are the others who work on Inside Football with me) and I appreciate those who do take time out of their day to read what we write or who send a letter to us.

Best,

Patti Traina
Editor, Inside Football
http://trainathought.insidefootball.com/ (http://trainathought.insidefootball.com/)

  Thanks for the insight. Whether the merger happens or not I just want you to know alot of us here at this site are big fans of your work.

Quote from: bedl365 on September 06, 2009, 08:38:48 PM
  Thanks for the insight. Whether the merger happens or not I just want you to know alot of us here at this site are big fans of your work.

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback!

Quote from: bedl365 on September 06, 2009, 08:38:48 PM
  Thanks for the insight. Whether the merger happens or not I just want you to know alot of us here at this site are big fans of your work.

++1

Thanks Pat.

Thanks for bringing us into the loop Pat. I hope my post on the IF board wasn't inappropriate. Just trying to calm some fears and I was curious to see what you had over there.

Best of luck and thanks for your reports from Albany. They not only were appreciated but much of what you reported became topics for discussion on the board over here.

Welcome Pat and please continue to contribute, regardless of merger implications. I hope the merger does goes through and your board would like to merge with us. What a great place for the Giant fan to congregate and disseminate information. Rich is a class act who has worked to make BBH a premier Giants board  and putting together the two boards would be a grand slam home run. Your readers and board would fit with ours in so many ways. I am very excited about the possibilities.
Geeze, I am an old man here and have been a diehard loyalist since the mid '50s. But that is in the past; the present and the future is what most matters. And that is what makes this board special-- not what has transpired but the anticipation of the upcoming season and seasons to come. The love and camaraderie of the best Big Blue fans is indeed special. Welcome and looking forward to an even better board with your family!
dasherdale

Welcome Pat from another half century plus Giant fan.

I too hope this merger goes through. Classy and quite professional input from you. If your board members are as good as I believe they are, this will be a true success.

Sam56

Quote from: bamagiantfan on September 06, 2009, 08:56:47 PM
Thanks for bringing us into the loop Pat. I hope my post on the IF board wasn't inappropriate. Just trying to calm some fears and I was curious to see what you had over there.

Best of luck and thanks for your reports from Albany. They not only were appreciated but much of what you reported became topics for discussion on the board over here.

Not at all. We're all adults and I'm sure both sides are going to have concerns about a possible merger. Trust me, no hard feelings here. :)

Very glad to see you here, Pat. I've read the forum at IF and I agree with the folks here who feel your membership would fit right in here and be welcomed into the family.

Obviously, BBH would benefit by being associated with the kind of quality reporting you do -- and hopefully, our lively and growing discussion community would be of some benefit to you and IF as well. And as others here have said, regardless of the outcome of these discussions, you and your forum users are welcome to chime in here any time.

'Gees, we gotta get a new table, and a set of new coffee and beer mugs for all the FNG's (new guys) we have to absorb here at the BBS cafe.
No problem, here. Bring 'em on! At least they should deliver the inside goods: Woodson to the Skins ( Yahoo, he is a UK pig G'Bye! idjit"

I requested the sample of the Inside Football newsletter/updates/I see a lot of members here read and quote it quite a bit.I visited the tailgate site and it really made me appreciate the work Rich and crew have done in making this such an eye pleasing site to visit.

In Rich We Trust!  :flag:

I vote yes.

My apologies for taking so long to respond to this.   After reading what everyone has had to say so far it sounds like a GREAT idea to me.  I voted yes.

Sorry to join the conversation so late.

I'm ok with it too.

pagan43

I'm all for it as well.

I'm signing in from the TAILGATE.  From what I've seen, this is a GREAT site!  And, you guys are making us feel at home.  I'm looking forward to posting with all of you.  just for a wee bit of background, I've been a Giant fan since 1946.  So, I'm really into everything Giants!

Sorry for being so late but I'm also with this move.  I spoke with Ed (Vette) at the Jet Giant game and told him then that the move would be best for our group.

As it appears that this has been debated and extensively thought out and when considering the track record of the mod's, although late I voted yes.

Hey Pat. Is that your High School gratuation picture?? It's been a while since we met, but that is about how I remember you. Now, me, of course, have aged about 25 years in a 10 year span.  =)) =))
I am truly looking forward to talking Giants football with you again.

Yes vote fro me too.

Quote from: jimv on September 08, 2009, 12:58:00 PM
I'm signing in from the TAILGATE.  From what I've seen, this is a GREAT site!  And, you guys are making us feel at home.  I'm looking forward to posting with all of you.  just for a wee bit of background, I've been a Giant fan since 1946.  So, I'm really into everything Giants!

Thanks Jim and welcome to the BBH. Nice helping Pat over there with the Tailgate Club.

As long as it stays free, it's for me.

Quote from: drakew on September 07, 2009, 12:53:20 AM
'Gees, we gotta get a new table, and a set of new coffee and beer mugs for all the FNG's (new guys) we have to absorb here at the BBS cafe.
No problem, here. Bring 'em on! At least they should deliver the inside goods: Woodson to the Skins ( Yahoo, he is a UK pig G'Bye! idjit"

From the looks of it we're going need a couple of new tables. Welcome to all the new guys and I am definitely in favor of the move.

Way to go guys!!

Hi All!
I'm a moderator at TAILGATE and have already posted a few times here because I feel at home here.  As a matter of fact, I had trouble getting my account set up here and Rich took care of it in a flash.

I just read through the four plus pages of this thread and found that your opinions about the possible joining of our websites run the same gamut as those of our small group.  I can assure you that our standards match yours.  Pat is very strong on that.  We've had the infrequent slip up on civility and I've zapped them as soon as they appear.  I can't even remember the last time it happened.

It looks like win/win for both sites!

jimv 

SO LET'S GET IT ON!!!

:ok:  :ok:  :ok:  :ok:

Quote from: LennG on September 08, 2009, 05:44:33 PM

Hey Pat. Is that your High School graduation picture?? It's been a while since we met, but that is about how I remember you. Now, me, of course, have aged about 25 years in a 10 year span.  =)) =))
I am truly looking forward to talking Giants football with you again.

LOL, nope. It's my official press photo. I burned my high school graduation photo. If you look closer, you'll see I've definitely aged.

QuoteI burned my high school graduation photo

Haven't we all :laugh:

I still have my 1960 yearbook Lenn!

Why you ask?  

Hell, I was way thinner than and had all my hair (in what they called a "Hollywood Crew").  

Now?  It's a  :what:

Quote from: LennG on September 09, 2009, 09:35:55 PM

QuoteI burned my high school graduation photo

Haven't we all :laugh:

Speak for yourself, ump -- I love my HS graduation photo.  Porn 'stache + tinted aviator shades = HAWT

By archiving this thread- does it mean the merger is off or on hold?

Dasher, our talks with Inside Football and Pat are continuing and going very well. 

I'm not the mod that archived this discussion, but I believe it was moved simply because the voting had come to a standstill and the discussion seemed to have run its course -- no reflection on the status of our symbiotic joint venture.

I'm all for it providing we have the ability to enforce the respect and decorum we currently have in place.
This board has been terrific biut could definitely use more good members. I would love to see more activity providing it's classy.