Man do I miss the old boards

It's been over 48 hours since anyone has posted here. Sheesh. I miss the good old days when this was the place to hang out and exchange ideas and thoughts and what not. The game sure has changed.

Any ideas on why things have changed? I did enjoy the general strategy discussions such as J-Pav's Secret Formula.

People used to post their teams and ask for suggestions. The community would give honest answers and try to help everyone. Plus there was still banter.

I really can't say why it has disappeared. But it's sad and probably doesn't bode well for the future of this game. We've lost so many stalwarts in the past few years who knows how much longer it will survive.

egvrich wrote:

I really can't say why it has disappeared. But it's sad and probably doesn't bode well for the future of this game. We've lost so many stalwarts in the past few years who knows how much longer it will survive.

Man you're harshing my buzz.

Your post brought back a specific memory: I remember one day Bernie (who was the lead - if not sole - programmer) was sitting at a Panera's having breakfast and working on some SOM project. Throughout the morning he was posting on the boards, asking questions, soliciting suggestions, and updating everyone on where the project stood. There must have been 20 or more managers interacting with him on that boards while he worked things out.

To me, that anecdote typifies the old culture of the message boards. When you feel that management is working with you, you have a lot more motivation to be involved. As the old timers will recall, Bernie posted frequently on the boards, joining in on this thread or that. There was a feeling that we were all contributing in some way to making the game work better. Managers felt that, to some degree, they had a stake in the SOM online game.

My memory is that when SOM made the big move to consolidate everything under one umbrella (and made Bernie go away), they made it clear that the free wheeling atmosphere between customer and management was a thing of the past. They buttoned down the boards and stated explicitly that all communication between management and customer was going to be top-down. And that was the moment the culture of the boards changed drastically. I think there were a lot of veteran managers who, up until that point, felt they had a stake in the SOM online project but who, after that point, started going away in significant numbers.

Remember how it took forever for the new management to import all the career managers' records from the old server? I don't think that was an accident. I think it was part of their new business model. My theory is they felt the "old crowd" of managers had sort of taken over the game to the extent that it was suppressing (intimidating?) rookie manager sign-ups. How long did it take after the consolidation until we once again had the ability to see managers' career records? A year or more? That was very insulting to the crowd of old school managers who had been customers since the modest beginning and had thus built up very impressive career records.

That's my two cents worth on the issue. I think the current culture of the boards is exactly what the new management was intending to create. I think it was their intent to break up the old crowd of managers, get control of the message boards, and expand their customer base.

Kevin A

I have to agree with you Kevin, and although I've only been here since ATG IV it was a joy to communicate on these boards in the past, now not so much. I miss Bernie, Bobby, PJMB (rip), I miss Nev and Petro who made these boards fun with their banter, bickering and baloney! As far as increasing the customer base I don't believe STRAT have done that, in fact I pretty much play most of the same guys. Public leagues fill slow and many folks are losing interest, in spite of all the new cards added. Just my opinion, but I think ATG is in it's last year or two of existence.

Mike

A newcomer chiming in here, BUT, I am someone that was steered towards the online game by one of the old timers.

An old timer that I am related to, that did part way with Strato. His reasoning to pack it in, was based largely, on his feeling that the powers to be at Strato, no longer paid attention, or actually cared about what the customers were saying. His main beef, was...….Community boards were created so that WE the customers, could voice our opinions, BUT, recently the opinions voiced have largely been ignored! The Dale Murray card, and nothing being done about it, being a prime example of what sent him packing.

Why then even have these boards, if the comments are falling on deaf ears???

He did often tell me how much he enjoyed the game, but, the enjoyment ended up being sucked out of him, by having nobody steering the ship.

I sure as heck hope that they get their act back in gear, and, we not only stop losing the old timers, but perhaps get some of them back on board before it's too late.

I've been here since the tail end of ATG 1. Back then I was "Coach Rich" which is why it made me chuckle the other day when Petrosian referred to me as Coach Rich. It tells you how long we've both been doing this. And because I've been doing it for so long I can also tell you how much it's changed.

The camaraderie just isn't what it used to be, not that it's gone totally but it's definitely not what it once was ... A bunch of really good guys (well mostly guys) who just had fun playing a game they love. We chatted, teased and respected each other in equal doses. Advice was free flowing and always sincere. If you had a problem with a team or a league or another coach or even in real life, people were there for you.

And it's not just these boards. Nowadays I've had leagues go an entire season without a single message between the league. 54 nights not counting preseason and playoffs and not a single person felt compelled to say anything to the league.

I agree that if they don't get their act in gear, this game is not long for the world. Which is sad because right now I'm actually enjoying it as much as I ever have.

I've been here since the tail end of ATG1 also. I've encountered a whole bunch of great people playing this game online -- doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, filmmakers, bus drivers, writers, you name it, with one thing in common -- a passion for StratOMatic baseball. Managers from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, England, Germany, Canada, and all across the United States.

Why would a company with a broad and fascinating customer base like that make a deliberate decision to suppress its online community of supporters? It completely baffles me. They should be doing just the opposite, especially in this age when the typical person under the age of 30 identifies more with their social media neighborhood than they do with the people living on their block.

I'm currently one of a small circle of managers arranging a weekend outing where we will all meet in a major league city, take in a game, and spend the rest of the weekend doing a face to face SOM tournament. None of us have ever met in person.

Why for heaven's sake isn't SOM management doing stuff like this? They should be capturing all the demographic data possible about their customers and creating SOM experiences for them. They should be encouraging interest groups, geographical networks, sponsoring regional seminars with SOM corporate advisers like Keith Hernandez and Doug Glanville making presentations. What great fun it would be to attend a regional event along with other SOM managers where the keynote speaker is someone like Bob Costas recalling his experiences growing up playing SOM baseball or any one of the number of current MLB front office executives who learned their "analytics" playing SOM as a kid. The boards would be buzzing with managers talking about this or that special event or SOM community experience they had. And one idea like this would begat others. What potential for bringing together the game, the company, the online community, and the real world experiences. And just imagine what this would do for their customer base with all the excitement being created.

The potential for a dynamic SOM online community is staggering.

Instead they've decided to go with a hide-bound 1950's corporate business model. Distant, aloof, with an I-Thou relationship between management and customer. Here's our product. Buy it if you like it. Keep quiet and please do not bother us as we are busy. Totally baffling.

Kevin A

I never knew the old boards.

The game is still pretty great now--at least from my perspective. Sure, I'd like more chatter.

As to why the ownership is less than responsive--unclear to me as well.

Chompsky