Rumor Mill Threads

[bigtenbadboy]

I've noticed a lot of threads lately that by my interepation of the forum rules should be posted in the open discussion forum or in the main football or basketball boards.

The first line of the rumor mill forum description reads: "This is the one and only forum appropriate for rumors related to the Ohio State Athletic Department".

What does Rick Majarus or the University of Akron stadium, for example, have to do with the OSU athletic department?

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of having the rumor mill to discuss potentially sensitive and unconfirmed issues pertaining to the OSU atheltic department in a relatively secure area with other Buckeye supporters? The rumor mill lets us speculate about OSU athletic issues without needlessly painting the athletic department in a bad light to the general public or perhaps shield certain "trade secrets" from non supporters.

I guess i'm just looking for clarification here. Is the purpose of the rumor mill as I have described it or is it now the appropriate forum for general sports speculation regardless of impact on the OSU athletic department?

I know it's not really a big deal, but this site prides itself on "a place for everything and everything in it's place" attitude which is part of the reason it is so great.

So instead of bickering every time someone posts something in the rumor mill I don't think is appropriate I'm just going to bite my lip and let the mods and admins do their respective jobs. I just wanted to convey my thoughts in the appropriate forum.

 

[stxbuck]

It is a place for in teresting RUMORS- not only OSU related ones. It is not like there is so much traffic there that OSU info is getting pushed off the 1st page. It allows for rumors to be speculated on w/out screaming and fighting on the main boards-which is a good thing.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

I agree with btbb. Nobody's feelings are hurt if we post the Majerus thread in the OD or even college basketball forum. The Mill is a place for things people hear about OSU but want to place them in a controlled environment.

 

[jwinslow]

I agree with btbb. Nobody's feelings are hurt if we post the Majerus thread in the OD or even college basketball forum. The Mill is a place for things people hear about OSU but want to place them in a controlled environment.

whose feelings are hurt if someone dares to post a non-osu thing in the rumor mill?

 

[osugrad21]

No offense, but this one is simple to me. If the thread topic does not interest you, don't open it.

 

[buckeyefool]

No offense, but this one is simple to me. If the thread topic does not interest you, don't open it.

WHAT?? How dare you tell me that I should not open a thread just because I have no interest in it. :) I think that is a violation of my rights some how :) I'm totally offended now

 

[SparkyOSU]

whats so bad about sharing news?

 

[3yardsandacloud]

whats so bad about sharing news?

We are somewhat fanatical about presenting facts as facts and rumor as something else. We expect facts to be verifiable (usually by some media source). Rumor on the other hand would be "so and so's sister told my brother, who's a big time booster that _________". Posting this type of information often time derails the course of a thread. It is also information that (for some odd reason) some folks can't seem to handle. Even if properly labeled as rumor they tent to freak out and jump to all manner of wild conclusion. Hard to believe but true. For those reasons we created a forum that can handle this type of information - Rumor. In that forum ALL posts are clearly labeled Rumor, Confirmed, Refuted, or some other similarly identifying title. Members can now choose to read such information or ignore it by not entering the forum. They no longer need to assess the validity of posts on the other forums.

 

[jwinslow]

psst, he was posting in a bunch of threads to try and gain points. But thanks for the thoughtful reply
:bones:

 

[methomps]

I've noticed a lot of threads lately that by my interepation of the forum rules should be posted in the open discussion forum or in the main football or basketball boards.

The first line of the rumor mill forum description reads: "This is the one and only forum appropriate for rumors related to the Ohio State Athletic Department".

What does Rick Majarus or the University of Akron stadium, for example, have to do with the OSU athletic department?

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of having the rumor mill to discuss potentially sensitive and unconfirmed issues pertaining to the OSU atheltic department in a relatively secure area with other Buckeye supporters? The rumor mill lets us speculate about OSU athletic issues without needlessly painting the athletic department in a bad light to the general public or perhaps shield certain "trade secrets" from non supporters.

I guess i'm just looking for clarification here. Is the purpose of the rumor mill as I have described it or is it now the appropriate forum for general sports speculation regardless of impact on the OSU athletic department?

I know it's not really a big deal, but this site prides itself on "a place for everything and everything in it's place" attitude which is part of the reason it is so great.

So instead of bickering every time someone posts something in the rumor mill I don't think is appropriate I'm just going to bite my lip and let the mods and admins do their respective jobs. I just wanted to convey my thoughts in the appropriate forum.

I think some of the forum descriptions need to be updated. For one, the poli board is no longer "temporary" as it was in the beginning. And the rumor mill has evolved beyond simply tOSU-related rumors. As 3yards pointed out, some people have a hard time grasping the concept that rumors are not necessarily facts.

Whether the rumor mill should be reserved for tOSU-related topics is certainly open to debate, but keep in mind that the rumor mill is not, as you say, a place to "speculate about OSU athletic issues without needlessly painting the athletic department in a bad light to the general public or perhaps shield certain 'trade secrets' from non supporters".

The rumor mill is not restricted to verified Buckeyes. I'm not a Buckeye fan and I have access to the mill. Other visitors probably have access, and you can't predict their intentions. Plus, nothing can stop lurkers (friendly or otherwise) from reposting rumor mill threads in other places.

The point I'm trying to make is don't assume that the rumor mill is a safe place to discuss sensitive things. Assume that Tom Friend and Llyod Carr have access to the rumor mill. Information that can hurt tOSU shouldn't be posted. If in doubt, PM an admin.

 

[Deety]

I'm not a Buckeye fan and I have access to the mill.

CODE SCARLET! WE HAVE A SECURITY BREACH!

And oh yeah... excellent points. This forum is definitely just a way to create a more responsible separation between what we know and things we aren't sure we know but would like to confirm... and that's about it.

 

[3yardsandacloud]

I think some of the forum descriptions need to be updated. For one, the poli board is no longer "temporary" as it was in the beginning.

Reread the poli board description. I changed it about 2 months ago and didn't say anything about it just to see if anyone would notice.

Otherwise good points. I have also stated that the descriptions in the FAQ section (for each forum) are totally open for editing by the moderators for each specific forum. I wrote them as a starting point, but the final wording, tone, goals and rules you would like to set are open for discussion, and change. That is also the place you should point people for a FULL description and expectations for a particular forum.

So, talk with the mods in your respective forums. Change what you see in the FAQ section if you so desire. A sr mod or admin might need to make that change for you, or I can grant you mod access there (the FAQ forum) to make the changes yourself. If the forum descriptions need changed/edited, say the word and I will make the necessary changes.

FWIW, the Rumor Mill was originally an "access by request" forum. The access was granted by DiHard/Alan. I was only a place for folks that were trusted (by Alan I guess) with sensitive info. Obviously, you can see how THAT worked out. It was soon changed to full access to everyone.

 

[methomps]

CODE SCARLET! WE HAVE A SECURITY BREACH!

Doh! Ok, you got me. Congrats. To honor your victory, take this gift. It was given to us by the Greeks a long time ago. We got a kick out of it, so now we want to pass it on to you.

 

[Deety]

Whoohoo! I may need that to infiltrate Circuit City in a week or so. They love to hold my computer hostage. EDIT: If they'd even take the damn thing in the first place... evil, evil, evil!!!!