Shark Pool - Report Card for Sept 9 (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bryant]

I dunno if it's that kickoff for 2010 is less than 6 hours away and I'm just naturally in a good frame of mind there but it seems to me that the Shark Pool has been improving of late. Sure, we have the cat fight stuff and some assistant coach material but overall, I think it's getting better. We've seen some really quality posts of late and some great threads. And folks are helping with reporting the things that don't belong in the Shark Pool.

But I'm also aware that it may be just me and my optimism.

So thought I'd throw out a chance for you guys to give the Shark Pool a grade for right now. This isn't about Footballguys or the Moderators or that stuff as much as it is just the Shark Pool as a whole. How do you guys rate it as of today? We might do this again mid season to see how we're doing.

And for you guys that are grading it really high or low, I'd love to hear your reasoning with specifically what you're liking / disliking. Thanks.

J

 

[gandalas]

I gave it an A-. Definitely still room for improvement, but I feel more ready for this fantasy season than any in my playing history, mostly thanks to the discussions in this forum.

 

[Joe Bryant]

And for you old timers, I'd be interested to hear if you think it's getting better, worse, or staying the same.

J

 

[guderian]

I've been here since the cheatsheets.net days and I've also noticed a marked improvement of the in-season Shark Pool lately.

 

[Sylira21]

I too was once on cheatsheets.net. I've found better stuff in the Pool this year. One thing that really I find helpful is the in-depth team threads, like for the Cowboys and Skins and such. That depth of detail is really amazing, and helpful. Of course I got burned by listening to too much Felix hype last year, but my bad. Just wish there were more team threads like that.

A lot of good player analysis this year, I am hoping that some of the reads I got here will help out. But a lot of well-written, thoughtful posts. Not as much flaming. Didn't really even have to set the Favre-filter this year!

 

[Scooter71]

This is my first season with FBG and reading the Shark Pool, so I can't compare with prior years, but I easily gave it an A+.

I love reading the varying opinions on teams and players. Also love the insights offered by many of the posters on their local teams. Especially enjoy the in-depth analysis that some of the posters provide. And more often than not, I even enjoy the humor (such as the Finley exaltation of late). All good fun.

 

[LawFitz]

Shark Pool is the best place on the net for FF community. By far.

That said, the Finley schtick is getting way old.

 

[rzrback77]

Amazingly to me, it has seemed to be better with lower toolishness lately close to the season. This is opposite to normal in season behavior so I am very pleased.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Amazingly to me, it has seemed to be better with lower toolishness lately close to the season. This is opposite to normal in season behavior so I am very pleased.

That's always been my impression too rzr. As the anticipation builds to the season, it'd always been a struggle. But this year feels different. Glad.J

 

[bolldpt]

been a FBG forum observer for about 5 yrs. i have to say this year seemed a lil weak as far as useful postings. As of late it kinda picked up but just seemed like the good postings started later this year. B+

wow just saw ive been here 7 yrs. wild!

 

[sbonomo]

I have been on this board for many years....I would have to say that the discussion is up to par from years past. I really like some of the newer features such as player spotlight, draft pick discussion etc. As always, with the season kicking off activity has increased so discussion is going very well. Overall high quality material for a very low price. A-

 

[loompa17]

I hope it is okay if I bring up a little pet peeve of mine regarding the Shark Pool.

When we are talking about posters adding meaningful content to a topic, the opposite of that is the post that just says and nothing else. But it is okay, I can live with those.

What is even worse (and really bugs me), is when someone quotes a very long post and then adds nothing more than Then I have to scroll and scroll and scroll for nothing. Ugh.

Having gotten that off my chest, I will say that this seems to happen quite a bit less than what I remember from some other years.

 

[hooter311]

I'm going to go A-.

Better than last season for sure, I've been around since the yellow board days too.

My one problem is that there is one voice that tries way too hard to drown out everyone else's in here.

Player Spotlights were great this year, lots of stuff contributed by members on nearly everyone in the league that you just can't find anywhere else. Better than any rag could ever do.

 

[sjacksonfan]

I gave it a C+. Still WAY too many posts where people interrupt the thread to tell everyone they picked up/drafted/traded for the player being discussed. I get far more from the "catfight" stuff (sometimes great info/perspective can come from an argument no matter how nasty it gets) than I've ever gotten from someone posting they have the player being discussed on their fantasy team. Those posts make up 10-15% of the forum. They're completely useless and need to be instantly deleted by moderators to make this place into an A in my book.

Also, for preseason 2011 I'd make an effort to whack threads where guys use creative ways to tell everyone about the team they just drafted. "Hey, I used what xxxxx said in his article or so and so's draft strategy and here is my team." Those thread add little and are just a way for people to say hey look at me and look at my team. If we all started that thread the place would be unreadable.

 

[Gr00vus]

Amazingly to me, it has seemed to be better with lower toolishness lately close to the season. This is opposite to normal in season behavior so I am very pleased.

That's always been my impression too rzr. As the anticipation builds to the season, it'd always been a struggle. But this year feels different. Glad.J

I've felt the same this year. Much less rampant animosity and nastiness than in recent years passed (past?) and I think the info in posts has improved. So I give it a B. The only things keeping it from an A are the lack of Keerocking - I really miss that - and I think Dowling was more fun/entertaining (on this board, not the FFA) as a member than a staffer.ETA: Also Switz and H.K. should post more often.

 

[montanagold]

It's not what it once was.... ( for me ), but in all fairness that may be lot to ask.

The internet has become much more diluted and many people have found it difficult to find the best resources for fantasy football, major affiliates such as NFL.com & ESPN have embraced fantasy football so all that keeps many from maybe making it here.

In addition the piss in the Shark Pool has pushed many away. I seriously had to leave the boards when the bandwagon Patriot fans where going crazy prior to the bellicheat-spying stuff.

All in all I think it is improving... and appreciate the effort to keep it as one of the top sources of football and fantasy football information on the net! I've found myself visiting more than I have in the last couple of years!

 

[Gr00vus]

My one problem is that there is one voice that tries way too hard to drown out everyone else's in here.

Do tell - who is this Mysterious Overposting Person?

 

[tombonneau]

And for you old timers, I'd be interested to hear if you think it's getting better, worse, or staying the same.J

Muuuuuuuuuuuch better than it was back in the day. I seem to recall as the season approached the SP would become unusable. Whether it was too many ACF posts or just a, ahem, early season lower caliber Internet persons creating noise.But it's been pretty good, other than that one guy who was talking in the third person and ruining threads.

 

[gianmarco]

ETA: Also Switz and H.K. should post more often.

Quite possibly this is why things seem to be better. Not because they don't ever add anything, but the schtick and bias is so over the top that it draws so many people into drawn out, pointless arguments that any good info is lost. Just sayin...

 

[The_Underachiever]

Shark Pool is the best place on the net for FF community. By far.

That said, the Finley schtick is getting way old.

I agree. Amen.....dola.Edit: I apologize for the FAIL.

 

[Limp Ditka]

My one problem is that there is one voice that tries way too hard to drown out everyone else's in here.

Do tell - who is this Mysterious Overposting Person?

 

[Insein]

Just found this place this year. Gave me alot of insight for my drafts. I do feel more prepared this season than any previous. Picking through the insight and the hype is the challenge. I'm still on a learning curve there. I gave it a B overall.

 

[Gr00vus]

ETA: Also Switz and H.K. should post more often.

Quite possibly this is why things seem to be better. Not because they don't ever add anything, but the schtick and bias is so over the top that it draws so many people into drawn out, pointless arguments that any good info is lost. Just sayin...

I enjoy their posts, knowing in H.K.'s case there's some serious schtick going on - I don't know that Switz is shtick though, at least most of the time. Also H.K. isn't quite as tenacious as Switz. But I somewhat agree with your point. Still enjoy their posts.

 

[RandyDB]

Grading the board against recent years there is marked improvement. But, it does not feel as good as it once was. Maybe this feeling of mine stems from the fact that much of the info I used to rely on on the board found is now readily available on FBG main site (which I have come to trust) and many other places.

I don't feel the need to wade through the floatsam as I once did just to get the info I need.

 

[Pipes]

Shark Pool is the best place on the net for FF community. By far.

That said, the Finley schtick is getting way old.

I agree. Amen.....dola.Edit: I apologize for the FAIL.

Overall a B. Still get a ton of useful info here and there are many quality posters who provide insightful info. The Finley schtick is getting old. It was funny a couple of weeks ago when everyone was drafting and over hyping him but now that's over it's not that funny.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

Grade A

I genuinely have liked the discussion and love it when someone comes up with an argument that just kills my preconceived opinions. I like to learn from others that are much more intense in this hobby than I am. On Sunday, I kinda lose focus on the FF world when my team is playing. Then I can always come back to the Shark Pool to get the most up to date reports and postulation that you can't get anywhere else.

The only gripe I have is with people who assume that I give a darn about my "board cred". All that stuff doesn't matter a bit to me. If you claim you are better than me at FF, I'll generally agree with you.

 

[Winning IS Everything]

Another old cheatsheets.net guy here. I voted for a B+. I agree with some of the others that there still seems to be a tool factor at times, but it is better than it used to be. The schtick that goes on can get old too.

The news breaking posts and most of the viewpoints are top notch. This place is about as good as it gets.

 

[Scrooloose]

old yeller vet here. I have never used another FF forum. If I need another opinion on a trade or FA pickup, I always find the answer here.

I usually by-pass anything that veers off topic since I dont have alot of free time. It has always been a A to me.

 

[solorca]

I give it an A-. This is my first year using the site and I initially just read the articles and used the tools. After a while, I ventured into this area and I really feel like I picked up a lot of great information.

 

[griff321]

To me this is the best collection of thought provoking and insightful hometown info on the web and it's not even close. Sure their is some knee jerk reaction and blind homerism, but it's not even close to some of the horrible stuff on other forums. This forum easily beats most of the information found in other pay sites.

Even if the site got overrun with a lot of other stuff, I haven't seen another place that would come close.

 

[bonesman]

I hope it is okay if I bring up a little pet peeve of mine regarding the Shark Pool.

When we are talking about posters adding meaningful content to a topic, the opposite of that is the post that just says and nothing else. But it is okay, I can live with those.

What is even worse (and really bugs me), is when someone quotes a very long post and then adds nothing more than Then I have to scroll and scroll and scroll for nothing. Ugh.

Having gotten that off my chest, I will say that this seems to happen quite a bit less than what I remember from some other years.

 

[Brady Marino]

It'd be nice if more people here would follow the rules and keep ACF threads in the ACF forum.

 

[Neo]

And for you old timers, I'd be interested to hear if you think it's getting better, worse, or staying the same.J

To be honest, it seems the same to me. I love MOP and shader and the dynasty ranking thread, not to mention Waldman, Sigmund, Cecil, EBF, SSOG, Fear and Loathing, and Yudkins posts. I learn a lot from each one of them. I think right now, to me, it feels like what usually happens....a ton of posts from a lot of people I never really see posting.....a product of fantasy football redrafts and you guys being the top site out there. In a way, I really enjoy the offseason in the pool, but there always seems to be a lot more to read this time of year. Seriously, this is like my second home....I don't know if that's sad or if it's just become such a part of my daily routine that it's an addiction at this point. Either way, overall, this seasons articles and pay sections by far have been my favorite in years...you guys are killing it in that department....and I joined the FFPC league, used the draft dominator (for the 1st time), and joined your facebook following...great work all around!

 

[5-ish Finkle]

I guess I'd give it a B.

As was mentioned, it sorta seems 'the same' to me comparing it to recent history. There are still plenty of 'empty' threads, but it's typically stuff by the same yahoos that are pretty much known for that at this point, so they're easy to filter/avoid.

I enjoy the Shark Pool, even in the offseason, but I've been looking forward to the typically yearly 'exodus' of the redrafters for a couple weeks now(even if it maybe has been better than, say, 2008...which was brutal, IRRC.)

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I think August this year was much better than 4 or 5 or 6 years ago. Used to be the last two weeks before the regular season, this place was flooded with "Who do I draft?" and "Rate my team" threads. Whether the lessening of these types of threads are due to more efficient moderating, more reporting, a wised-up customer base, or those who frequent the ACF and keep it active enough to make folks want to post there - I don't know (probably a combination) - but even with thousands more members these days than back in the old days the SP seems cleaner to me. I think some of the "SP was better in the golden age of ought 3" is just nostalgia. I actually think now - opposite of what I would've expected - that more posters make it better. Maybe it dilutes the tool factor, I don't know.

 

[roadkill1292]

Old timer here. C+, up a little from a C in recent years, mostly because it seems like you're not getting your head chewed off if you make a joke. Oh, and the Pats fans have cut way back on the whining.

This could become a B if we could just get Bentley and Mojo back into the game threads. Right now, Bostonfred is carrying the humor load in those and that's a lot to ask of one man.

 

[Tanner9919]

B-

seems to have improved..

now, if we could just work on Phil and Otis and their 3rd person schtick..

 

[Power Monster]

I rated the report card at a B+

Very good analysis and breaking news. The debates and cat fights really offer quality insight. The tool factor is way down but there are still posters that come here and add nothing by trying to instigate.

For the record- I can care less if someone is going to post 5 threads a day about their perspective on the NFL, and or fantasy football. This is what they are passionate about and these folks offer some great insight.

I know that there are a ton of articles up here but I would like to see some more staff injecting some insight into threads up here. For me- information and projections based on matchups etc are truly what I come up here for and when I see a guy on my roster being discussed I hit the thread fast.

Otherwise very solid job.

 

[Peiz]

I give it an A-, this is my first year here and as a subscriber and I have this battle in my mind of telling my buddies about it and not because I don't want them to know. I've never felt so prepared for a season, and I owe a ton of that to this forum. I am consistently amazed by the great posts that actually offer great info. That's why I rarely post, because I can't compete with a lot of the details people give.

My only negative is, like a few others have said, I tend to skip the "I picked this guy, is he going to be good?" posts because they belong in the other forum and they don't give me as much opinion because people complain they belong somewhere else, which just drags it out.

Overall, I can't believe I didn't find this place sooner!

 

[ratbast]

I used to visit other forums. I have settled here permanently.

Anyone grading The Shark Pool down for "rate my team" or "flame wars" really should get out more.

This is by far the cleanest forum when it comes to "tools and trolls".

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Been here since Cheatsheets and I wouldn't want to post up on any other sites. I have been asked to write for a couple places and everytime I peek at their boards I cringe and keep right on going. I think this place is unique and I like the fact we can interact with the writers, owners, and staff which is pretty comforting.

"A" for me

 

[stuckinthemuck]

It's so surprise that the grades are top-heavy. Folks who would rate the board C or lower have probably left. This happens in well-designed research studies too. See "mortality rate" or "attrition rate" for more detail. Basically don't be too self-congratulatory with the high grades because the ones who don't like the boards left the forums before the poll was posted.

 

[Joe Bryant]

It'd be nice if more people here would follow the rules and keep ACF threads in the ACF forum.

You can help with that. I think people assume we see and read every single post. The reality is that we don't. If you see things that don't belong here, please use the report button and let us know.Thanks.J

 

[David Yudkin]

I go WAY back, so I have a broader spectrum to draw upon. IMO, these days there are still too many tools, personal attacks, and schtick for my liking. Ten years ago, there was a lot of great football posts and people's informed opinions, but there were no cliques or much name calling. A lot of people would read and absorb posts and add content and comments to threads to futher things along and keep the conversation going with value added information.

In more recent times, people would simply post a link or a story and get their head handed to them . . . as if they wrote the story, getting attacked by people who somehow think that by posting something then they are an idiot. There's no more of a buzz kill than having a decent thread get ruined by a few folks who want to take it outside.

A few years ago things were way worse than they have been in recent months, so that's a plus. I would say that 8-10 years ago things were an A or an A+, things dropped way down to a C or a C+ for a couple years, and have now settled into the B something range.

There still are some A level threads that come along, and I think part of me is afraid that what others might rate an A, I might give a B-. Overall though, still a great place to find information and share ideas, even if there may be more rubble to have to sift through at times.

 

[butcher boy]

Still lots of people who dont bother reading threads. Look at the Subscriber contest thread as an example. Every single page has someone asking how they can see their team number or where to go to see the projected winners, etc.

 

[cobalt_27]

B

This place won't be as hardcore football related until there is a separation between fantasy content and NFL Football content, imo.

 

[Angry Beavers]

B+

The SP is about where it has been in years past, maybe a little better as there is less noise to sort through to find the good stuff. There is a lot of great insight here but you have to be willing to sort through some of the junk to get it. This forum is a must read for me on a daily basis in the weeks leading up to the season.

I should add that I understand that it is tough to police the amount of "noise" that sometimes occurs and that certaintly is not FBG's fault but the fault of the posters who clog up the board with nothing to really add.

I would really like to see the forum limited to subscribers only once the season starts ( particularly on Sunday AM's when injury news is coming out and the board seems to be superslow)

 

[identikit]

B+

The SP is about where it has been in years past, maybe a little better as there is less noise to sort through to find the good stuff. There is a lot of great insight here but you have to be willing to sort through some of the junk to get it. This forum is a must read for me on a daily basis in the weeks leading up to the season.

I should add that I understand that it is tough to police the amount of "noise" that sometimes occurs and that certaintly is not FBG's fault but the fault of the posters who clog up the board with nothing to really add.

I would really like to see the forum limited to subscribers only once the season starts ( particularly on Sunday AM's when injury news is coming out and the board seems to be superslow)

The SP wouldn't be nearly as valuable if this happened IMO.A subscription really has no bearing on the insight and knowledge of the contributor.

 

[Tau837]

I go WAY back, so I have a broader spectrum to draw upon. IMO, these days there are still too many tools, personal attacks, and schtick for my liking. Ten years ago, there was a lot of great football posts and people's informed opinions, but there were no cliques or much name calling. A lot of people would read and absorb posts and add content and comments to threads to futher things along and keep the conversation going with value added information.In more recent times, people would simply post a link or a story and get their head handed to them . . . as if they wrote the story, getting attacked by people who somehow think that by posting something then they are an idiot. There's no more of a buzz kill than having a decent thread get ruined by a few folks who want to take it outside.A few years ago things were way worse than they have been in recent months, so that's a plus. I would say that 8-10 years ago things were an A or an A+, things dropped way down to a C or a C+ for a couple years, and have now settled into the B something range.There still are some A level threads that come along, and I think part of me is afraid that what others might rate an A, I might give a B-. Overall though, still a great place to find information and share ideas, even if there may be more rubble to have to sift through at times.

Great post. I agree with all of this. If it's better than in recent years, it's only because things had gotten pretty bad for a while. It's still not close to what it once was IMO. And it's still not nearly as good in season as during the offseason. But that is probably to be expected with the growth in popularity of the forums.I know all the staff is quite busy, but it would help a lot if staffers like Jason, Chase, Doug, Maurile, and David could post more often. (Or maybe I am somehow just missing a lot of their posts...)

 

[Tau837]

B+

The SP is about where it has been in years past, maybe a little better as there is less noise to sort through to find the good stuff. There is a lot of great insight here but you have to be willing to sort through some of the junk to get it. This forum is a must read for me on a daily basis in the weeks leading up to the season.

I should add that I understand that it is tough to police the amount of "noise" that sometimes occurs and that certaintly is not FBG's fault but the fault of the posters who clog up the board with nothing to really add.

I would really like to see the forum limited to subscribers only once the season starts ( particularly on Sunday AM's when injury news is coming out and the board seems to be superslow)

The SP wouldn't be nearly as valuable if this happened IMO.A subscription really has no bearing on the insight and knowledge of the contributor.