Bu 75 wsu 73!

[Braves4Life]

I've got a Samsung Omnia through Verizon, and I can log-on bradleyfans.com and enter posts. The phone uses Opera as a browser. Maybe that's a difference?

Thanks ser solace. I've downloaded the Opera application and will give it a try.

[Dallas Brave]

Thanks SFP.

But here is the major distinction, and one that is important, regardless what the posters think.
There already is another message board that welcomes and encourages over-the-top negativism and criticism. And guess what, after Wednesday night's game, when there were nearly 200 people on this board, I checked that site because someone suggested I do so (I rarely visit other sites since this one takes up a bit of my time ) and there was 1 person on that site, a visitor, and not a single logged-in user.
Even now, our site has over 80 users online now, while the other site HAS 1 USER ONLINE! And it is one of the negative posters who wore out his welcome here and has been banned!

So maybe this is news to some people, most fans just get tired of the same droning negativity, and do not want to see it.
But even if they did, and people are welcome to wallow in misery all they want, this site has a predetermined agenda. We have never been secret that this is a pro-Bradley fan site, and we do not want the gratuitous negativity. So regardless of what anyone else thinks is fair, or thinks they have a right to say here, we will make that determination.

I get messages all the time from both sides. They run 90%-10%, and I'll let you guess which way the support leans. One side says we need to allow and encourage more negative criticism, and that if we don't, or if we moderate too much, this site will lose all it's posters and become irrelevant and die.
Hmmm... let's see, look at the above traffic numbers and see which site looks moribund. This site has never been more popular. Our page-hits have broken new records every month this season, and this m onth will set another record.

OTOH, multitudes of people from the other side constantly messages me that they hate to see all the negativism, and they ask that we not allow so much of it, and all the attacks that go with it. They say it ruins some of the passion and enjoyment of being a fan.
Fans that follow Bradley, as with fans of any sport, do so out of enjoyment and endearment. I can accept that there may be a minority of fans to follow Bradley with a different purpose or agenda, and if that is what they want, I encourage them to go for it. I hold no animosity toward anyone for the way they wish to express their fanhood. They can post all the negativity they want, just realize we have defined limits for that here.

This site was created and is run by private individuals, and with their own private resources, and we are under no obligation to allow "freedom of speech" here. I simply can't understand why that is such a difficult concept for some to grasp. Actually, I am sure most do understand, but feel compelled to push the limits of rules here. I also believe the misery-loves-company theory is also at play here.
Kool-aid Bradley fans don't care how much others dislike things, and are happy to allow as much dissent as the others want to put themselves through. But for some reason, the negative fans can't stand it as long as there is even 1 fan who doesn't wallow in the same misery they choose to live with. I simply hope both sides can see this issue, and allow us to moderate and maintain this community of Bradley fans the way we see fit.

I would be happy to lend advice to anyone who cannot understand this concept, or cannot agree or abide by it, so you may start your own website. But be advised- that has been tried before by private individuals who were not happy with the moderating restrictions here, and it has failed abjectly. It has also been tried by powerful newspaper backers with virtually unlimited resources, and who advertise their site extensively, and print links to their site in the newspaper, and online in every Bradley article. But nobody seems to want to go there or care.

So it seems I need to reiterate this every few months or so- but this site will remain predominantly a positive pro-Bradley site, and the decisions of the site owners and moderators are final, and not non-debatable.
Constructive, intelligent, and polite criticism will be allowed, as always.
But, anyone who wants to beat the drum of negativity, to carry things too far, or attack and belittle the posters who don't agree will not be allowed to do so here, and will be encouraged to go elsewhere.
Those who don't like this policy can always take their message to the other boards, and attack away at Bradley, the players, the coaches ad nauseum. And I am sure they will keep attacking BradleyFans.com, and the owners of this site as if anyone here cares. Thank you.

This Board is hands-down better than the other board. And I agree that some form of constraint is needed in what is allowed, or not allowed, to be posted. Some people will be unhappy, but society does need rules, right? I've posted several critical comments over this season and I don't recall any of my posts being deleted.

The 90/10 breakdown is interesting. What does the ratio represent?

1. genuine Bradley program supporters / non-Bradley fans stirring the pot
2. readers supporting some level of censorship / anarchists
3. JL supporters / JL critics
4. other

I would suspect that #1 and #2 are 90/10 or higher but that the minority 10% post at a higher ratio than 10%.

I do think the ratio for # 3 is less than 90/10. I think 90%+ would like to see JL succeed but the systemic problems plaguing the program the last 3-4 years need to be addressed. I would like to see JL address them, but I'm starting to wonder about his willingness to step back and recognize his strengths / weaknesses as a coach and complement his strengths. Then again, I might be skewed and be way off in my opinions of what problems exist. For better or worse, I learned I'm rarely 100% right even in things I'm suppose to know and I am far from an expert on basketball ... just a fan of the game who played team ball through high school and now watches it from the safety of my TV/computer.

[Bradleyguy10]

You are welcome to this opinion, but this forum does not promise transparency nor is there any reason we need to. Why can't you just appreciate that there are fans of BU who arw willing to spend their own money to provide this site, free of charge for fans to express their views,and all we ask is a little civility and to comply with a few simple rules. In the end, the rules will be enforced. We won't be bullied and posters will just have to take our word on the issue of how much support we get on either side actuall, it is well ovr 90% in favor of keeping this site more positive.

Wow....THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is all I ask for: "You are welcome to this opinion" rather than getting hammered and yelled at for being negative. I think this is one of the first times this has ever happened!!

By the way I do not think this board needs to be transparent or has every promised transparency...I was only saying that with the lack of it I will be skeptical of the 90-10 thing. I do think it's over 90% of people who think the board should stay positive but that wasn't the issue before. I do not think it's 90-10 in support of how the deleting, etc. goes on....just clarifying.