About the new board name (cougarstadium.com)

[Harry Tic]

This is not a sports board. This is a LDS Board that talks about football and sports a lot.

Non Sports Posts = 564,693

Sports Posts = 330,962

Should the name reflect the majority of the threads and postings, or should it reflect a vision of 2009?

With 895,655 votes counted, 63% agree that the old CUF was a place for friends to gather and talk about religion, pulled pork, TV, and sports, but mostly things other than sports. 63% in any poll would be a landslide.

I'm admittedly a new guy, which means I don't have the perspective that some of you long-timers have. Of course that means I don't have the baggage either. Yet. But I think that Clack raises a very good point. This is a sports board that, while occasionally hosting some very well informed and entertaining exchange on that count, has nevertheless evolved into something else, which is no less significant and very possibly a unique kind of community. The BYU/Utah rivalary is, I think, just window dressing.

To be honest, one of the things that drew me to the board was not only substantive sports discussion but the quality of the posters on all sorts of subjects. I'm wary of any change that would alienate a significant number of the people that I most like on this board, sports rivalries be damned. I won't follow the Utes sports threads very closely but I'm happy to see them hosted here.

Again, I'm new, and I can't speak to demographic trends or pretend to know anything about the members of the old guard that have wandered over to greener ("bluer"?) pastures. Of course I think I'm also starting to get a sense of how Lebowski sees this unfolding and, all joking aside, I'm happy to support him because I think he knows what he's doing, especially since this is coming out of his hide and not mine. But I don't claim to understand it.

[Indy Coug]

This is not a sports board. This is a LDS Board that talks about football and sports a lot.

Non Sports Posts = 564,693

Sports Posts = 330,962

Should the name reflect the majority of the threads and postings, or should it reflect a vision of 2009?

With 895,655 votes counted, 63% agree that the old CUF was a place for friends to gather and talk about religion, pulled pork, TV, and sports, but mostly things other than sports. 63% in any poll would be a landslide.

The demographics of this board has changed; the recent posting activity is increasingly sports-related. The Foyer used to rule this board but now it's a shell of its former self.

[Solon]

Let's cut JL a break.

It's clear to me that the driving forces behind this change were YOhio's complaining about avatar-changing after Utah football wins, and pelagius's wanting to avoid sorting noise for Utah score predictions.

It's a good name.

I'm a little sad to see the token sop to Ute fans go, but if Ute fans didn't already feel a little minorityish around here, then they were either oblivious or kidding themselves.

EDIT: I meant that it's a good name for a byu sports board, which is what this place already is.

[UtahDan]

As I have stayed awake tonight (working, duh), I think the undercurrent of this change is as simple as a site owner/operator being a BYU fan, who didn't like Utah sports, wondering why he runs a message board with the name Ute in it. Wondering why he puts in the time and effort to appear to support something he doesn't like. It would be like me hanging a BYU sign in my front window. No offense, but it isn't happening outside of losing a bet. JL wants to be the owner of a BYU message board, not a BYU-Utah message board. Pure and simple.

This would make sense to most of those who are trying to figure it out. Discussions of diminished rivalry, health of the board, future market share, don't make much sense, which is why the explanations have many people scratching their heads.

In my opinion you have your finger on it here. I think the other explanations, while sincere, are post hoc rationalizations that don't make very much sense. So much so that people are speculating about all sorts of things. I think Jeff and the EC are saying "we want this place to more of a BYU sports board" and that certainly makes some people happy. It leaves a lot of others scratching their heads.

[smokymountainrain]

Internet drama is fun. Pure entertainment, nobody gets hurt.

[jay santos]

In my opinion you have your finger on it here. I think the other explanations, while sincere, are post hoc rationalizations that don't make very much sense. So much so that people are speculating about all sorts of things. I think Jeff and the EC are saying "we want this place to more of a BYU sports board" and that certainly makes some people happy. It leaves a lot of others scratching their heads.

JL said the emphasis was on new growth.

What does CougarUteForum mean to someone who has no background or info on the site?
It sounds like a place where Ute fans and Cougar fans dialogue together and talk about the rivalry or whatever.

What does CougarStadium sound like?
A place where BYU fans go to talk sports.

Which of the two is more likely to attract new visitors?

Which of the two is more likely to attract new visitors who stick around and add value in all the ancillary discussion areas like church, politics, etc?

I came here because I started at CougarGuard and was part of the community. It would have been very difficult and maybe unlikely for me to join a forum with the name CougarUteForum had I not already been part of the community and known the posters. Not that I have that much disdain for the name Ute in the name, but just that I would have assumed the subject matter was not something I'd be interested in.

[dabrockster]

I do not understand all the angst over this at this level of heat. I can understand a little frustration but to move it into a conspiratory level seems trivial and unneccesary..


All this anger makes me feel stupid for even questioning the issues I had with the banner..

[UtahDan]

JL said the emphasis was on new growth.

I'm not sure where we disagree. As I say, that is a great trade off for some and others not so much. An influx of people who currently post on CB might be just what we need.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I do not understand all the angst over this at this level of heat. I can understand a little frustration but to move it into a conspiratory level seems trivial and unneccesary..

Did you not read the part of Dude's explanation where he said the hammer was being put down on Ohio State discussion? I assume you'll be getting a PM soon.

[LA Ute]

BTW, I resent your implication. That had absolutely nothing to do with my motivation. The best thing for me financially would be to walk away from this board and never look back.

I am sorry you resent it. I was just saying that of all the explanations offered to that point, that one was at least rational and not emotional. I should have added: That doesn't mean the explanation is a good one, because this board is never going to be much of a money-maker. So the real reasons are emotional. Call me a back-pedaling passive-aggressive if you want, but that's what I meant. Honest.

Your comment seems to have an unfair under-current to it, but here goes: I strongly support the decision. I do feel bad that valued Ute posters (like yourself) may feel marginalized to some degree by the change. I want you and other great Ute posters like Il Pad or Jarid (and many others to stick around). But I essentially agree with Leb's stated reasons.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I really do.

You're making me laugh.

I never really liked the name, but thought there was some deeper, cosmic meaning behind it. I found out there wasn't. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and now finally, acceptance.

I suppose the EC realized that taunting like this, and cougjunkie's, and AA's, would also result from the decision. But I gather the EC hopes we don't mind.

There are a few people who hung some wallpaper, painted some rooms and probably built some of the walls. I understand why they are upset.

Yup.

I'm just having a hard time understanding why changing the identity of this site to something that automatically characterizes a large portion of the community as outsiders is a good thing.

It's OK. The EC thought about this and hopes we don't feel too bad about it.

As I have stayed awake tonight (working, duh), I think the undercurrent of this change is as simple as a site owner/operator being a BYU fan, who didn't like Utah sports, wondering why he runs a message board with the name Ute in it. Wondering why he puts in the time and effort to appear to support something he doesn't like. It would be like me hanging a BYU sign in my front window. No offense, but it isn't happening outside of losing a bet. JL wants to be the owner of a BYU message board, not a BYU-Utah message board. Pure and simple.

This would make sense to most of those who are trying to figure it out. Discussions of diminished rivalry, health of the board, future market share, don't make much sense, which is why the explanations have many people scratching their heads.

A perfectly rational and convincing explanation. Also the one that I think is closest to the truth.

For me the first issue is the lack of regard for the community that has developed here. Make no mistake, that is going to change. I will miss it.

Second, I don't think the folks who drove this decision thought or cared much about how this would come across to Ute fans who care about this place and felt at least some measure of welcome and investment here. If they did in fact think or care about those things, they completely blew the rollout. It could not have been handled much worse.

In other words, all of you are saying, "You Utes are still welcome here, etc.," but you must realize that your actions are screaming much louder than your words.

We will all get over this but you all must realize also that you're changing this place. One must assume that you're also quite willing to accept that change. We all have to decide individually how we feel about that.

[Solon]

We will all get over this but you all must realize that you're changing this place. One must assume that you're also quite willing to accept that change. We all have to decide individually how we feel about that.

While I don't disagree, LA, for me it changed a while ago.
The name-change was just a formality.

[kccougar]

I think it's an indication that everything of redeeming value has now been sucked away from Utefans.net, and there's nothing left there worth attracting.

[MartyFunkhouser]

While I don't disagree, LA, for me it changed a while ago.
The name-change was just a formality.

The more I think about it the more you are right, the name change was just a formality. Utes have been increasingly not welcome on this site. A Ute fan that acts like cougjunkie would likely be banned and certainly not beloved on the site. The change has already happened in the board, the name change is just a formality.

I've said this before in posts, the Dude has every right to make this change. He has invested more time and money into this site than anyone else on here. He owns it and with ownership he has the right to make these changes.

I hesitate to say more on this, but here goes. The name change in an of itself is not causing me to rethink my involvement here. However, the explanations, from 2 people that I really like and respect, the Dude and surfah are causing me to seriously rethink how I should participate in this site. While neither of them directly said it, the undercurrent of both of their explanations is that they really do want Ute involvement on this site minimized. They both seem to like some of the Ute posters and have no problem if they stick around, but would be happier if those pesky Utes didn't litter their cougar board with posts about the Utes.

Over the years, this site has morphed for me into more of a sports message board. At the beginning that was not the case, but changes over time has made that what this place has become. In the early days of cougarguard (and let's be honest cougarguard is a part of the history of this board) there are many friends that I had on this site that helped me through a really tough time in my life. The Dude and Surfah among those friends. These people were a part of me overcoming serious depression that nearly killed me and helped me find God and hope in life. I'll always be grateful for that.

The community of this site means something to me on a personal level. I'm sad to see that dead and sad to see that the clear message has been sent to some of the participants here that, yes we like you but we would really like this place better if you were a less active part of it.

[kccougar]

The more I think about it the more you are right, the name change was just a formality. Utes have been increasingly not welcome on this site. A Ute fan that acts like cougjunkie would likely be banned and certainly not beloved on the site. The change has already happened in the board, the name change is just a formality.

I've said this before in posts, the Dude has every right to make this change. He has invested more time and money into this site than anyone else on here. He owns it and with ownership he has the right to make these changes.

I hesitate to say more on this, but here goes. The name change in an of itself is not causing me to rethink my involvement here. However, the explanations, from 2 people that I really like and respect, the Dude and surfah are causing me to seriously rethink how I should participate in this site. While neither of them directly said it, the undercurrent of both of their explanations is that they really do want Ute involvement on this site minimized. They both seem to like some of the Ute posters and have no problem if they stick around, but would be happier if those pesky Utes didn't litter their cougar board with posts about the Utes.

Over the years, this site has morphed for me into more of a sports message board. At the beginning that was not the case, but changes over time has made that what this place has become. In the early days of cougarguard (and let's be honest cougarguard is a part of the history of this board) there are many friends that I had on this site that helped me through a really tough time in my life. The Dude and Surfah among those friends. These people were a part of me overcoming serious depression that nearly killed me and helped me find God and hope in life. I'll always be grateful for that.

The community of this site means something to me on a personal level. I'm sad to see that dead and sad to see that the clear message has been sent to some of the participants here that, yes we like you but we would really like this place better if you were a less active part of it.

I'm fine with continued Ute content. The mixed company here is a fun way for me to keep tabs on what is happening on the hill.

[SeattleUte]

I don't care what Jeff calls it. The original name sucked. The problem is that this one sucks too for different reasons. He needed a name that captured the distinctive quality of the board, and as someone noted, sports or BYU sports isn't really the main part of that. There IS something unique about this place that could attract a wider following, and it's not that utefans and cougarboard refugees were the founders. This looks like Cougarboard's little brother. Yawn. This name is too generic too. How many teams are called Cougars? No imagination. Progmoblog would have been better.

There is even money to be made on Intenet sites if the branding is right. About.com recently sold for about $300 million (I expect to start seeing testosterone supplement and smart phone ads here soon).

Let's face it. Jeff has the highest IQ here, he's a great engineer. He has failed at naming this place. Two times a loser.