Hope this thread finds everyone in a chipper mood. I wanted to take a second and write after my comments today about this Board on my radio show. I have always had a terrific love/hate relationship with this message board forum, going back to when it was originally Kentucky Sports Report before the merger (what year was that?). There is zero doubt that without this board and my "Magloire52" days, I would still be a lawyer and having a miserable time with my existence. The message board communities, especially of the old days, were the centerpiece of my UK Fandom and were the original basis for everything UK sports related on the Internet. Those days, ranging from the big online recruitments (Darius Rice anyone?) to the message board feuds were some of my favorite times in the UK online world and I do miss them...which is probably why I still post here from time to time.
Today I said on the radio a few things that I do believe...some positive and some negative. I said this is undoubtedly the biggest UK message board community on the internet. There was a time when there were many such places but that time has passed and honestly this is the last relevant one that exists. I often say that there are really only three sources of relevant UK information...KSR, Cats Illustrated and Twitter. The mainstream media sources can all be found via Twitter and if you read those three places, you know all there is to know. With that said, I do think message boards such as this on average draw an older crowd. While there are some younger people here, an entire generation has grown up having their UK discussions on Twitter and other social media. Some still find their way here, but most of the posters on here (I bet) are 35-40 and over. There are undoubtedly lurkers of all ages, and those that get news from here, but posting on message boards is what most of us do when we are bored at work (as I am now). This is the largest message board community of UK and its not close. But as those of around in the old days can say, message boards as a whole aren't what they once were in terms of traffic. More options now exist, from blogs to social media, that didn't before. The fact that this place has as many people as it does (when message boards of ALL Schools have seen significant drops) is a testament to its success.
My complaint today about "old idiots" on this message board was aimed at a small, but loud segment of folks here...the ones that bash me every single time my name is mentioned. They of course have a right to their opinion but I am constantly amused by the "I DONT LISTEN TO HIM but he is an idiot, blah, blah blah" threads that follow ever time my Beetlejuice is said in the crowd. It is usually followed by how I am liberal (somewhat true, although less than you think), single (true but happily), gay (not true), arrogant (true of most people who believe anyone would care about their opinion about anything), a jerk (hopefully not true, but I do get riled up from time to time) or a dork (undoubtedly true). Those folks bash me all the time but then get royally offended if I say anything about them, usually becoming quite angry in response. I do think those folks are often (or always) "old idiots" who care less about debating a particular point, rather than blasting me personally. Their act amuses me greatly and I have no problem mocking them in return. I only wish that when, as happened today, they begin their outrage, they would at least quote me correctly and in context.
But the VAST majority of the folks on here seem like good people. I read this site almost every day and pick up something from it every time. People like to accuse me or KSR of "stealing information" but that is honestly silly. We all hear the same information and whether people say it or not, we all have sources even if we don't share them. What I do use this forum for is to get a pulse of the fan base....specifically the hardcore, long-time fans who are engaged significantly in the details of the programs and who lean towards the negative side. I think that is a fair description of most (but not all) of the posters here. I use Twitter for the 20-35 year old fan, Snapchat for the 25 and under, Facebook for the 40 and over, my radio show for the broad fan base, the TV show for the Lexington/Lou fan, etc. I have been a part of doing demographic studies of every form of UK media (it was a big investment a couple years back and the resulting numbers have helped fuel how I approach all of my work) and they follow patterns that are fascinating. Each represents a slice of the overall pie. This board is the best to figure out what the hardcore group intimately engaged in every story is thinking. And I use it as such.
Long story short, this is the best place to find out what a segment of the fan base is thinking. That is crucial for my job...I enjoy reading this site and think the folks that run it (Rowland, TJ, etc) do a really good job. The anger and hatred of a few (along with my schedule) make me post less than I used to, but it is part of my daily preparation routine. The fact that there exists a small group of "old idiots" who believe I am the epitome of all thats wrong with the world amuses me, but won't stop my visits.
