The Gripboard

[Dan Cenidoza]

I've been a member of the Gripboard for a couple years now. I've met many people over this "on-line community" who I now consider very good friends. There is a wealth of knowledge here and I doubt there's better place in the world to learn more about hand strength.

However.

The board seems to have gone a little downhill lately... am I the only one noticing this? The above poll choices are actually things that have been said to me in regards to the Gripboard. If there's one person that feels this way, then there must be others.

Personally, I think the locking and deleting of posts has been a little extreme lately. It seems less people are posting as well and I wonder if this has anything to do with it?

Please understand I'm not bringing this up to condemn Wannagrip or any of the moderators. I'm sure everyone does what he/she feels is right and in the best interest of the board. But if we're losing participation because of earnest moderating, then we're doing the board more harm than good, IMO.

Comments?

[gerryg]

I like the strict rules of the Gripboard, it seems to keep the trolls away!

[mobsterone]

There's no 'nowt wrong with it as it is' option. Anytime you offer up a negative comment you do better for your cause and in showing a balance if you offer other options. Best board on the net (of 2?) doesn't cut it IMO.

[Scott Styles]

IMO the popularity of the board, especially the relationship with bodybuilding.com, has attracted a wider range of athlete. This is good in that it helps to grow the sport. It's bad in that you get more trolls and people who are just jerks. That requires a bit more moderation to keep the forum useful.

I also think that we could be more newbie friendly at times. Opposed to "use the search engine n00b", try "here's something I found using the search engine, more can be found by searching on keyword 'foo'". As the board matures, most questions have already been asked. There will be fewer breakthroughs in trianing approaches and equipment.

The big reasons I come around are to help new people, hear/tell stories, and see the latest record breaking work by the grip superstars. Current moderation supports all that.

EDIT - The other thing to keep in mind is that like gyms, most lifting forums slow down during the summer.

[dadams]

I like this board alot and i believe it is a great place to learn.

[pdoire]

This was my first exposure to gripping and I think it is a great place for someone to not only learn, but to advance their learning even if they are an advanced gripster themselves.

[smitty]

I believe, without a doubt, that this Gripboard is a community. I also believe that if there are rules that govern the board, then everyone who comes onto the board should follow them. If there are no rules, then there can be no standards or order.

I think the board is great and if there was responses to new posters about "do a search" - I thought that was a thing of the past...Haven't really seen that lately - maybe I missed it though...

Locking, deleting or editing posts is not meant to discourage posting - it is only keeping the board clean of profanity and ignorant comments - IMHO

[Soilworker]

I like the strict rules of the Gripboard, it seems to keep the trolls away!

←

Yes I must agree with my fellow New Englander here. As has been demonstrated recently elsewhere, there are people out there with way too much free time on there hands, bothering a grip forum no less.

[sprouffs]

As one of the n00b's referenced above. I have found this board very helpful and haven't felt at all like I didn't belong. Maybe I should have, but I missed the memo?

I can't really speak to the past of the GripBoard because I haven't been around but it seems the GripBoard is just experiencing growing pains and everything will work its self out with time.

I don't find the standards to strict or cumbersome. With the exception of locking the Lance Armstrong discussion in the anything goes forum. Yeah the issue dealt with the "S" word but it was a good question. Overall I think the standards are good to insure we don't have chaos. I mean there are a lot of members we need some kind of order.

Thanks again to Wannagrip and the other moderators for putting in their time.

[Z-man]

I voted for Best on the net but I do think its unfortunate that threads can be closed without any reason given, as some are not obvious. This is a good example:

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?showtopic=14971&st=20

I'd propose that the moderator edit be used for all closed threads so we can see where a line was crossed.

Other than that I thinks its an amazing site and still marvel that its free. Its like Singapore, strict enough to be a diverse and orderly society in a sea of homogenaity and chaos.

EDIT: I do like that reborn is 'off topic' and not 'anything goes'. Too many boards allow the 'off topic' to include topics that are racist, homophobic, or just plain dumb. 'Here is my list of the top 5 car chases in Jerry Brickheimer movies' types of things. waste of bandwith. Here you can get a blog, post pic and video, and shop all for FREE

Edited August 24, 2005 by Z-man

[joeyg]

Looks like i'm the lone vote on "scared to post"

The first thing I read was the "newbies post here" and it just seemed weird for a forum. Didn't want to ask any questions as they probably have been asked before.

[Dumleman]

Looks like i'm the lone vote on "scared to post" 

The first thing I read was the "newbies post here" and it just seemed weird for a forum. Didn't want to ask any questions as they probably have been asked before.

←

Hehe yes I understand what you mean, you shouldn't feel alone . But I rarely find a need for post things here because of the high quality. No need to ask questions when the answers are already given. A very very informative forum.

[sprouffs]

Looks like i'm the lone vote on "scared to post" 

The first thing I read was the "newbies post here" and it just seemed weird for a forum. Didn't want to ask any questions as they probably have been asked before.

←

I was that way at first but I think I'm quickly getting over it. The people I have interacted with so far have been very helpful.

[Dan Cenidoza]

Good points across the board.

I know I don't post as much as I used to, so I apologize for that - especially if I contribute to any ill feelings any of the members may have had. I do read a lot though, and try to do a write-up of any contests I enter.

The Gripboard is a great forum, and though I do believe it's taken a turn recently with pre-mature editing, I still think it's the best forum on the net.

-Dan

[Bill Piche]

Threads locked often have the offending posts removed first. So, that is why it may seem weird or unknown why it was locked.

The moderators are human and mistakes will be made because they are human. They also volunteer their time for service to this community we have here.

[daveb]

I like the strict rules, leave the trolls at bb.com

[Sybersnott]

The first thing I read was the "newbies post here" and it just seemed weird for a forum. Didn't want to ask any questions as they probably have been asked before.

←

The Newbies Post Here was my idea as to get newcomers onto the forum and introduce themselves. I felt like a lot of them would register and then lurk, but then NOT contribute anything at all. This is a mistake!

However, it does seem like a double-edged sword: asking a question that has been asked a million times before. I think newbies to the forum (or any forum for that matter), tend to get lazy and not search for the answer FIRST. OR... they don't ask someone who has been-and-done here (PM's do work by the way).

I feel like the GripBoard is a house - come on in, make yourself welcome, talk to some of us (we're suckers for good conversation), and... learn about grip strength and training your grip! Watch out for Papa Wanna... he runs the house and makes sure that everyone is having a good time and is not causing any trouble. If ya cause trouble, Papa will correct the problem - THIS IS THE WAY THE HOUSE IS RUN! Just like your house.... no troublemakers allowed.

[milkbone]

As to the idea that newbies should not post questions asked before, I agree and disagree. If the question is fact-based (how heavy is the Blob, Inch, etc), I agree it should be searched first.

If the question is opinion-based, I think it is relevant to repost the topic. There could be more members now compared to when the original thread appeared. Also, there may be more people qualified to chime in with an opinion today than when the original thread was posted.

An example might be, "what can I do to get past a sticking point on gripper x?"

More #3 closers (and higher) exist on the board now, so sometimes it's nice to get fresh opinions. Also, people are always coming up with new training ideas around here. For this reason, I don't think any new member question should be referred to search unless it is clearly a fact-based question that would never change.

Spring size of the #3, dimensions of the Red Nail, Inch DB handle size, etc.

Just my .02

I still prefer this forum to all others out there ... for grip related topics and otherwise.

[bencrush]

I still think it's a great place to post and to read other's posts. Tons of great info from very strong guys.

Great video gallery also.

[Oldtime]

I like the strict rules of the Gripboard, it seems to keep the trolls away!

←

thats one thing i like about this board, haven't seen one troll here yet. I came here from bb.com, basically because i was tired of everyons S**ty attitude, you couldn't ask a simple question without getting flamed, everyone is uptight and bothersome.

and basically i dont post on bb.com at all anymore..

Here, on the otherhand everyone is happy, relaxed, and willing to help a newbie. they dont flame, they dont overeact, and the moderation is much better on this site.

IMHO this board is as good as it can get.

Edited August 25, 2005 by Oldtime

[Clay Edgin]

The end result of tight moderation is that this is a serious place to discuss grip. You don't have TwistMasterSqueeeeeeeze lookalikes stinking up the place.

It may not seem newbie friendly at times, but once you get to know the people who are gruff it ain't so bad.

[com202]

As you can see I have been on the board since December 15, 2003 and I only have 25 posts. I just recently started posting.

I didn't want to jump in and look stupid with my questions. I think sometimes the Search option is forgot about and sometimes you get a whole lot of returns while using the search, then you have to go through quite a few.

To all the new guys, don't worry about asking any question. Everybody I have dealt with was great.

Sending a PM always works great also, If you don't want to start a new thread or if you don't want your question hidden in the middle of one.

Back to the topic at hand: The gripboard is awesome, best information and best people.

Edited August 25, 2005 by com202

[Blarg]

This board seems reasonable both as to moderation and general tone. I think the other one has weird manifestations of touchiness to it that can seem very out of place among reasonable people and not to its credit, and I'm glad this board doesn't have quite that "Principle Skinner" feel to it.

[Blarg]

Wouldn't let me edit my post, which I wanted to add to after I read the first page(had realized there was one at first). Anyway, here's something I added when the first page made me think a little more about moderation.

=====================================

I do hope that when threads are moderated, a scalpel is used rather than a sledgehammer, or running a backhoe over the top of it.

I've seen on some boards moderation get very sloppy, deleting an otherwise interesting and inoffensive whole post when it could have just had a single over-the-top statement taken out, or shutting down a thread that is very popular and full of good ideas and participation by the community just because one goofball went nuts on it. What is that called -- throwing out the baby with the bathwater? That's the lazy and very careless way to moderate, and it's probably worse than no moderation at all.

As long as the moderators hold themselves to the same standards of good sense and community spirit that is expected of the members, that shouldn't be a problem. The tricky thing about power, of course, is that it tends to get very sloppy and it becomes ever easier to treat it as a right or personal indulgence than as a responsibility. This isn't all that uncommon on internet forums, and I hope we avoid it on this one.

[Soilworker]

I think the other one has weird manifestations of touchiness to it that can seem very out of place among reasonable people and not to its credit, and I'm glad this board doesn't have quite that "Principle Skinner" feel to it.

←

So this board is what, like Shelbyville?