...Actually this reminds me of a fun game. Put your middle name with the street you live on and that would be your porn name. Mine recently changed from "Clayton Candlestick" to "Clayton Valley"...everyone should have their porn name and collecting preferences registered with with our grading company. It would also be VERY entertaining...
OK, I'm going to climb out here on a limb and dissagree with most of you.
I'm one of the people that think it's a pivotal time for card collecting and card grading in general.... there are lots of real issues out there that need to be addressed or I think they could start to ruin the hobby. These "little problems" that today only effect a very small percentage of us, seem to be growing a tiny bit every day.... and I really don't see anybody, doing anything, to try and stop them.
I agree that 90% of the troll posts are garbage, but every now and then a troll brings up a valid point or says something that no one else will say ... for fear of retaliation or being banned from the boards.
When the allegations or rumors arrise, they usually bring on heated debates which make us think about the issues, and try to resolve them in our little court of opinions here. That seems like a good thing to me. Even if some of the situations are fictional today .... they could easily be reality someday. The bogus rumors are usually uncovered for what they are, the lying trolls are ousted, and the truth eventually rises to the top.
I fear that if everyone was totally "out in the open" (and required to link their forum name to the pile of cards they have waiting to be graded) that this board could easily turn into a bland forum of meaningless posts that never dealt with any of the negative issues. Are you really going to tell your waiter that you think his service sucks .... before he brings you the food?
I too get tired of the trolls and the negative bashing that occurs sometimes, but I think they have a place in this community.... and every now and then maybe even serve a purpose. I would much rather weed through a few bogus troll posts,.... than have this board turn into a PSA love fest that never dealt with the tough issues.
MIKE - Your post makes alot of sense and I'm not in disagreement w/ it. But say the message boards was shut down by PSA or say it never existed. Graded cards have been around for over a decade and this board is about 3 years old, so with that said. what would happen to all our gripes then? From the petty ones to the serious allegations. I suspect life will go on, and as far as the grading companies go, the strong will survive and flourish and the weak will have problems maintaining. It is my belief that the good grading companies will do what it takes to be active industry leaders with or without us board members posting. From WIWAG, To the Rose rookie situation, SMR pricing, turnaround times etc... Does our posts make PSA a better company? Maybe it does, maybe it propels them to come up w/ answers and to fix the problems. But perhaps each negative thread may do more harm then good. I don't have the answer, just thinking outloud...jay
<< <i>I too get tired of the trolls and the negative bashing that occurs sometimes, but I think they have a place in this community.... and every now and then maybe even serve a purpose. I would much rather weed through a few bogus troll posts,.... than have this board turn into a PSA love fest that never dealt with the tough issues. >>
Though this board is owned and operated by PSA, I have seen no evidence of a "PSA love fest" in my four months here. I've seen quite a few comlpimentary posts made concerning PSA. I've seen quite a few critical posts made toward PSA. I've seen PSA personnel address some questions/issues. I've seen PSA personnel ignore some questions/issues. I've seen posters be courteous to each other. I've seen posters be disrespectful to each other.
Of the 6 things listed above, I can accept and tolerate the first 5. I'd bet most others feel the same way.
The problem this board has is one that I've seen on many other boards that are not associated with card collecting. Some people don't: (A) understand the difference between opinion and fact, and/or (B) understand the line between criticism/discussion and name-calling/bashing.
Mike, you may not have a problem "weeding through a few bogus troll posts." I really don't either. But I can assure you that, based on experience, many DO have a problem with it. And frankly, I can see why and I understand. The problem here is that as things run more and more amuck with the trolls, you lose more and more of the high-quality posters. Is THIS worth the guarantee of 100% free speech?
No, I don't think it is. Besides, as a PRIVATELY OWNED web site, PSA is entitled to control it as it sees fit. That can include banning posters and closing threads. Somebody mentioned the word "censor" in another thread. Nobody, including PSA, is out to "censor" anything -- if "censor" means actually deleting or changing something that's written. But somewhere, a line HAS TO BE DRAWN or this board will become a ghost town, like many that have gone before it. And what does THAT achieve?
Every message board should put as many obstacles in the way of preventing members from posting anonymously. There has to be some type of software that can be used that can perfrom verification. Credit card verification like Paypal does would be great. If you want to post you need to be verified and have a confirmed address.
If PSA were to charge a small fee for the use of the boards and give the same credit on your submissions it would discourage those who are here only to make trouble.
I have chosen to be anonymous here and would like to remain so. Just because someone is "known" doesn't mean they are a better contributer. Keep in mind that some prominent "known" posters in the past -- such as Davalillo (Jim Crandall) and BOTN (Greg Schwartz) --ended up getting booted from these message boards. There may have been some other known posters from the past that you can add to this list. Of course, unknown ones have been tossed too.
I believe this should be turned into a members-only board. Each person could sign on using their membership number and a password and then post under a single user name. Whether they be anonymous or not, at least this would preclude multiple identities (unless someone for some reason had multiple memberships!) This would be a nice, exclusive benefit for those who pay their membership dues.
I have no problem with the regular users here seeing my information but it also makes it available to all the trolls.......not sure if I want it out there for them. I'm going to have to think about this.
Skycap - I don't know about that...on the one hand, it seems like a great idea. On the other hand, I know I came on here and asked a bunch of newbie questions before I ever bought my first PSA card or made a submission. Making it for members only would exclude certain people when they're just beginning to sniff around the graded card world. I don't know that that is the best way of doing things.
And since I rarely (if ever) bother to sign my posts using my real name, I'll go ahead and change my tagline sig as well.
Sheeez, seems like we're taking it pretty seriously. This was meant to be (and is) the equivilent of sports talk radio about sportscards on the computer.
Who cares what some yo-yo says. This was meant to be fun.
I don't know if that's really necessary. Yeah, this board occasionally gets attacked by a stray jack-off, but let's face it-- overall, the bulk of the posters here are pleasant and informed hobbyists. The BS level on these boards is already significantly lower than it is elsewhere, and on the balance I'm quite happy with the graciousness and civility of this particular 'virtual community'.
Also, there are certain former posters who've been banned, but whose imput I miss. If either Dav or BOTN is still posting here under a pseudonym I'm personally grateful.
Comments
let's forget for a moment at who
is here supporting this idea
and
focus on those who are Not here
or oppose it and the reasons they would.....
"Ned Garvin, male prostitute"
...Actually this reminds me of a fun game. Put your middle name with the street you live on and that would be your porn name.
Mine recently changed from "Clayton Candlestick" to "Clayton Valley"...everyone should have their porn name and collecting preferences registered with with our grading company. It would also be VERY entertaining...
dgf
I'm one of the people that think it's a pivotal time for card collecting and card grading in general.... there are lots of real issues out there that need to be addressed or I think they could start to ruin the hobby. These "little problems" that today only effect a very small percentage of us, seem to be growing a tiny bit every day.... and I really don't see anybody, doing anything, to try and stop them.
I agree that 90% of the troll posts are garbage, but every now and then a troll brings up a valid point or says something that no one else will say ... for fear of retaliation or being banned from the boards.
When the allegations or rumors arrise, they usually bring on heated debates which make us think about the issues, and try to resolve them in our little court of opinions here. That seems like a good thing to me. Even if some of the situations are fictional today .... they could easily be reality someday. The bogus rumors are usually uncovered for what they are, the lying trolls are ousted, and the truth eventually rises to the top.
I fear that if everyone was totally "out in the open" (and required to link their forum name to the pile of cards they have waiting to be graded) that this board could easily turn into a bland forum of meaningless posts that never dealt with any of the negative issues. Are you really going to tell your waiter that you think his service sucks .... before he brings you the food?
I too get tired of the trolls and the negative bashing that occurs sometimes, but I think they have a place in this community.... and every now and then maybe even serve a purpose. I would much rather weed through a few bogus troll posts,.... than have this board turn into a PSA love fest that never dealt with the tough issues.
Just my opinion
Mike
updated as well.
wpkoughan@yahoo.com
Collecting 1970-1979 PSA 9 & 10 Baseball Cards
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
Todd
ebay id: nolemmings
It is nice that we can all get along........
Collector of Vintage Golf cards! Let me know what you might have.
<< <i>I too get tired of the trolls and the negative bashing that occurs sometimes, but I think they have a place in this community.... and every now and then maybe even serve a purpose. I would much rather weed through a few bogus troll posts,.... than have this board turn into a PSA love fest that never dealt with the tough issues. >>
Though this board is owned and operated by PSA, I have seen no evidence of a "PSA love fest" in my four months here. I've seen quite a few comlpimentary posts made concerning PSA. I've seen quite a few critical posts made toward PSA. I've seen PSA personnel address some questions/issues. I've seen PSA personnel ignore some questions/issues. I've seen posters be courteous to each other. I've seen posters be disrespectful to each other.
Of the 6 things listed above, I can accept and tolerate the first 5. I'd bet most others feel the same way.
The problem this board has is one that I've seen on many other boards that are not associated with card collecting. Some people don't: (A) understand the difference between opinion and fact, and/or (B) understand the line between criticism/discussion and name-calling/bashing.
Mike, you may not have a problem "weeding through a few bogus troll posts." I really don't either. But I can assure you that, based on experience, many DO have a problem with it. And frankly, I can see why and I understand. The problem here is that as things run more and more amuck with the trolls, you lose more and more of the high-quality posters. Is THIS worth the guarantee of 100% free speech?
No, I don't think it is. Besides, as a PRIVATELY OWNED web site, PSA is entitled to control it as it sees fit. That can include banning posters and closing threads. Somebody mentioned the word "censor" in another thread. Nobody, including PSA, is out to "censor" anything -- if "censor" means actually deleting or changing something that's written. But somewhere, a line HAS TO BE DRAWN or this board will become a ghost town, like many that have gone before it. And what does THAT achieve?
Scott
If PSA were to charge a small fee for the use of the boards and give the same credit on your submissions it would discourage those who are here only to make trouble.
I believe this should be turned into a members-only board. Each person could sign on using their membership number and a password and then post under a single user name. Whether they be anonymous or not, at least this would preclude multiple identities (unless someone for some reason had multiple memberships!) This would be a nice, exclusive benefit for those who pay their membership dues.
Skycap
Dave
Now collecting:
Topps Heritage
1957 Topps BB Ex+-NM
All Yaz Items 7+
Various Red Sox
Did I leave anything out?
And since I rarely (if ever) bother to sign my posts using my real name, I'll go ahead and change my tagline sig as well.
Nick
Reap the whirlwind.
Need to buy something for the wife or girlfriend? Check out Vintage Designer Clothing.
Who cares what some yo-yo says. This was meant to be fun.
Scott Roberts
Also, there are certain former posters who've been banned, but whose imput I miss. If either Dav or BOTN is still posting here under a pseudonym I'm personally grateful.