A bit of a poll / open discussion...

[Burney]

Yesterday a chap posted 'Is it worth me participating or is it a closed shop?' and I wondered whether we do appear cliquey to lurkers. We have mainly known each other for donkey's years, after all. But then I thought, nah, it's always been like that.

Maybe people just don't dive in like they used to? Perhaps they need an invitation?

I think we're like a Desmond's-style West Indian barber shop. Everyone in here clearly knows one another and keeps rehearsing the same old themes, indulging in the in-jokes and generally having the same old discussions and arguments. However, that's probably quite intimidating to any potential new bod and they consequently shy away.

In the old days, there were more voices on here, so it was easier for new people to join in as they could slip in almost unnoticed amidst all the noise. Now if we have a new person, they are instantly scrutinised.

Maybe the best thing would be if the likes of us ****ed off and allowed new voices to emerge?

[TheCurly]

I think we're like a Desmond's-style West Indian barber shop. Everyone in here clearly knows one another and keeps rehearsing the same old themes, indulging in the in-jokes and generally having the same old discussions and arguments. However, that's probably quite intimidating to any potential new bod and they consequently shy away.

In the old days, there were more voices on here, so it was easier for new people to join in as they could slip in almost unnoticed amidst all the noise. Now if we have a new person, they are instantly scrutinised.

Maybe the best thing would be if the likes of us ****ed off and allowed new voices to emerge?

Just had a quick look...there are 68 people viewing this forum as we speak.Take away the half dozen or so that are posting and you have 60 people interested in the Arsenal but for some reason won't join in.Personally I don't understand why,surely it can't be because they're frightened of someone calling them a ****?

[Pat Vegas]

Just had a quick look...there are 68 people viewing this forum as we speak.Take away the half dozen or so that are posting and you have 60 people interested in the Arsenal but for some reason won't join in.Personally I don't understand why,surely it can't be because they're frightened of someone calling them a ****?

On a separate note. Not 1 but 2 f ucking stickys! It's almost like they want Wenger to leave now.

[TheCurly]

On a separate note. Not 1 but 2 f ucking stickys! It's almost like they want Wenger to leave now.

Yeah,****s on here having a dig at young Theo when the guy can actually help you win a VIP experience.Shocking seens.

[TheCurly]

Anyway,lurkers! What would YOU like to see changed/improved?

[ArseMart - Enjoy every sandwich]

Anyway,lurkers! What would YOU like to see changed/improved?

The ****ing transfer policy of the club for starters

[Sir C]

The ****ing transfer policy of the club for starters

"Look mate, what exactly do you want?"

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Anyway,lurkers! What would YOU like to see changed/improved?

Ok, as a lurker since dial up days:

1. Tree view was much better. Every night I could scroll down and appreciate the one-liner jokes and still find the posts I wanted to dip inside.
2. Even though I mostly read at night, so there wasn't much point in replying, I could find things and reply to people by PM. I can't find that now. But I used to have PM conversations one post each per day with people like Jorge and Herbie - not great for the board, I accept, but I enjoyed it.
3. Personally, I liked Jorge. I miss him.
4. Yes, it is cliquey for outsiders. I could post something and see it ignored. {I dunno - Feo not squaring it in the 80th min} A couple of posts later, one of the in crowd would say exactly the same thing and it gets ten replies in ten mins. Am I really gonna join that thread when those ten people have made it clear that they will only discuss said Feo ****up with their mates, not with me?
5. Though since the board's died, I now to get replies. I've had more replies in the last 2 months than I have all century. Perhaps the in crowd should have treated the many other like me as they now do as opposed to ignoring us all until there were only half a dozen people left.
6. Yes the AW/Septic owner disaster is to blame. Everyone's depressed by it. cf that eternally optimistic paddy blogger. Even he's now saying what I've been moaning about the yank ****ing the club. If we'd bought a worldie this summer there would be more traffic. I reckon we know this season is over all ready and that this may be the end - it's certainly not gonna be 1998-2006 again for a while.
7. Thread hijacks. Even now, when I do get replies, I'll post. {Unfortunately, as as lurker who never used to get any replies, I still often forget to check to see if anyone has responded.} Now I do, eg half an hour after my post, I'll have say 10 replies. {10 more than I used to get, I admit.} First 3 will be about the subject and then it's 2 people talking about what wine goes with what they're eating that night. No point in me joining in - I like food and wine, but it's clear the thread is now for them, not me.
8. I dunno much about social media - I don't use twitter or facebook etc - so I'm not the one to say if this is killing forums. All I do know is that last April, some mid-table team beat/drew with Sperz meaning their title bid was ****ed. WBA I think. I went to their forum {bit brown nosed, I admit} to say "well done lads, I saw you beat us 3-2 at ours a few years back but I don't begrudge you now cos you've ****ed up the Sperz. Respect" I had about 40 replies that night. And there were hundreds of other posts replies. Do they not have blogs and social media too?
9. When I pointed that out here, someone said its cos all Arsenal fans have moved to commenting on blogs. So I went to Arseblog to see if this was true - yes hundreds of comments {called Arses} but nothing like the conversation you used to get here. Can't believe people have switched from here to Arseblog. It's not the same at all.
10. So old people leaving and not being replaced has become a viscous circle. More leave, fewer join. Repeat ad infinitum. It feels cliquey to outsiders, the team is on a downward spiral, no PM, no nightshift, no treeview, thread hijacks, no replies but the same post will be replied to if made by one of the in crowd, many of the best posters going with no-one welcomed as a replacement, etc etc.

That's just the take of this lurker.

Hope it all works out cos I've enjoyed it, but I do reckon the club is in the worst place it could be. If we dropped to mid table we'd at least have some cup runs/ upsets to look forward to. A regular change over of players. But the yanks owner and AW going mad don't help.

But please tell me cos I was away. What did you lot do to Jorge?

Herbie's barely here anymore. LA may not have liked me much, but at least what he wrote was informative and insightful, and if I posted something intelligent he'd give me a respectful reply. But as a lefty, we needed Jorge to balance the arriviste Tories, and now he's gone political discussion is pointless. "I say, don't you agree that the '97 vintage is the best when eating roast pleb?" "Yes, old boy, but the '98 in the best for feminist tartare" "Your mum"

So anyway, in the unlikely event anyone will reply to me, what happened to J and can I at least PM him somehow to say cheerio?

[Ash]

{stuff}

I'm sure I have responded to you quite often, GG--AAFC. Though you do sometimes rant a bit, if I may say so.

If you find it cliquey, it has always been so, and more so in the past because, as you point out, occasional posters stood out less amongst the din. We all get ignored from time to time, but it's hard to become a part of a community if you don't try. Lurking, making the odd post then sulking if it doesn't get the attention you sought might not be the best approach. The quality of posts, rather than their length, can have a lot to do with how they are recieved. Worth thinking about.

To say that it is not worth discussing politics because Jorge is not here seems odd if you tended to agree with him, unless you are one of those who prefer to discuss politics with those who agree with you, rather than disagree. There is a tendancy to big up posters who have left, saying "I hardly ever post, and you lot are all crap anyway, not like good old XZY". Then complain that you don't get attention.

Jorge left after Burnley said something like "Fùck off and die. Seriously" to him.

[SWv2]

I think you need to look at improving the overall user interface which in turn would lead to a better customer experience.

For example it would be nice when you log in each morning for Awimb to recognise this and automatically launch into Art School by The Jam. Think about it, you log in and “1,2,3,4 …”.

And swearing needs to be allowed.

Jorge also. He’s an Apple loving venn diagram drawing extreme hipster spod but of crucial importance he is our Apple loving venn diagram loving extreme hipster spod. I would suggest sending a packet of single origin fair trade coffee to Bradford in a peace making effort to get him back.

I can imagine the lad sat in Yorkshire as the transfer window get closes to slamming shut and the list of obscure unheard of solutions he had on the tip of his tongue, or mouse.

Just a thought.

Let me know if you need further help.

Less poncey Dutch people also.