How do we get the word out about Utahby5.com?

[SoCalPat]

The initial week or so reminds me of a conversation I had with someone skeptical of the NHL's success in the stands. He was from Philly. Noted that the Flyers sold out every game, but it was the same 15,000 people every game.

What can UB5 do to ensure that the posters here don't comprise of mostly UF.N'ers? Word of mouth and links on same/competing web sites ain't gonna cut it. It's a start, but I feel there is a huge untapped section within the fanbase that doesn't even realize this or similar sites exist. Or they know they exist, but don't want to get involved.

I have my ideas but I'm curious as to what others think.

[wuapinmon]

If CUF stays crashed much longer you won't have to worry about it.

[SeattleUte]

UB5 is off to a good start, a lot stronger than CG/CUF. Those forums provided a good model for this one, but UB5 will ultimately be a lot more successful for various reasons. These include that UB5 provides a more competitive alternative to Utefans.net than CUF does for Cougarboard. The vast majority of BYU fans feel at home in Cougarboard's restrictive and homogenous environment. This board and format is more appealing to many Utefans than Utefans.net (I continue to submit that there is no competition as the boards are so different). This board and format is also more welcoming of BYU fans than CUF ever was of Ute fans. Some of my favorite Utefans posters, who you rarely see there any longer, came to CUF but were not really accepted into the community because their primary interest was Ute sports. We have attracted them and some other similar posters. BYU fans who are CUF posters often have wide ranging interests that now will be better stimulated here than on CUF. Unfortunately, CUF has turned more astringent and is trying to be Cougarboard II. I think UB5 has a very bright future.

[LA Ute]

The initial week or so reminds me of a conversation I had with someone skeptical of the NHL's success in the stands. He was from Philly. Noted that the Flyers sold out every game, but it was the same 15,000 people every game.

What can UB5 do to ensure that the posters here don't comprise of mostly UF.N'ers? Word of mouth and links on same/competing web sites ain't gonna cut it. It's a start, but I feel there is a huge untapped section within the fanbase that doesn't even realize this or similar sites exist. Or they know they exist, but don't want to get involved.

I have my ideas but I'm curious as to what others think.

SU's comments are on target. I'll add that there are at least four audiences for this board: (1) Current UF.net posters who want a different type of board, in addition to or instead of UF.net; (2) former UF.net posters who lost interest in that site; (3) posters on the former CougarUteFans site who left because of the name and focus change there; and (4) people who don't post anywhere right now, and maybe never have. (I've probably left out some categories.)

People in groups 1-3 will find out about UB5. It's group 4 that is a challenge to reach. We could try Facebook and Twitter, but most of the folks who follow the Utes on those social media are already following one of the message boards. I'd love to know your ideas.

[San Diego Ute Fan]

Lowell, with your prestige and clout, I'm sure you could get a double page ad at no charge in 3 consecutive issues of Continuum. Try that.

[3UteDad]

I gathered the idea was to not monetize the site, so I'm guessing there is no budget for promotion. As with most fan message boards, a fair amount of growth and interest will be word of mouth and social media links. It wouldn't hurt to have some organized presence at Ute events like the spring game and tailgates. I think most of the growth will be organic, and like it or not, the success of this site will mean the gradual decline at uf.n...just being honest.

[Virginia Ute]

I gathered the idea was to not monetize the site, so I'm guessing there is no budget for promotion. As with most fan message boards, a fair amount of growth and interest will be word of mouth and social media links. It wouldn't hurt to have some organized presence at Ute events like the spring game and tailgates. I think most of the growth will be organic, and like it or not, the success of this site will mean the gradual decline at uf.n...just being honest.

It already seems slower over there...but maybe that's just due to the off season.

[FN Phat]

I gathered the idea was to not monetize the site, so I'm guessing there is no budget for promotion. As with most fan message boards, a fair amount of growth and interest will be word of mouth and social media links. It wouldn't hurt to have some organized presence at Ute events like the spring game and tailgates. I think most of the growth will be organic, and like it or not, the success of this site will mean the gradual decline at uf.n...just being honest.


I didn't know that DDD was a Ute fan! It all makes perfectly good sense. He is the Oz behind the curtain of UB5! No wonder he hasn't been posting...he has been busy assisting Jarid and Co in building a new site. He even tried to hide his identity behind the avatar of him on the toilet. Ha! I always thought that he was witty.

[3UteDad]

I didn't know that DDD was a Ute fan! It all makes perfectly good sense. He is the Oz behind the curtain of UB5! No wonder he hasn't been posting...he has been busy assisting Jarid and Co in building a new site. He even tried to hide his identity behind the avatar of him on the toilet. Ha! I always thought that he was witty.

You are correct about the witty part, but the rest of this flew over my head.

[Corvan]

I would add a fifth category. People who have posted on uf.n, still post on uf.n and intend to continue posting on both.

[LA Ute]

You are correct about the witty part, but the rest of this flew over my head.

DDD was a poster on the former CUF message board. He often followed his sharp-edged jabs (there were lots of them) with "Sorry, just being honest." That's really all you want to know.

[LA Ute]

I would add a fifth category. People who have posted on uf.n, still post on uf.n and intend to continue posting on both.

Duh. I left out my own category.

[OrangeUte]

How about contacts the espn PAC 12 blog about including us as one of their Lunch Links? Ted Miller and Kevin Gemmell are the bloggers. I could shoot them an email and ask them if they would be willing to do something like that.

[3UteDad]

DDD was a poster on the former CUF message board. He often followed his sharp-edged jabs (there were lots of them) with "Sorry, just being honest." That's really all you want to know.

EGADS! I have a message board doppelganger? And a cougar on top of it all? I'm going to have to gather my thoughts...

[SoCalPat]

Lowell, with your prestige and clout, I'm sure you could get a double page ad at no charge in 3 consecutive issues of Continuum. Try that.

Don't even need the double-truck (that's print lingo for a two-page ad that is printed off connecting plates; usually the centerfold). A story on how social media and message boards brings Ute fans together certainly has its place in a publication like Continuum. That said, the athletic department would just rather we didn't exist, and Continuum is a P.R. tool of the school.

[LA Ute]

How about contacts the espn PAC 12 blog about including us as one of their Lunch Links? Ted Miller and Kevin Gemmell are the bloggers. I could shoot them an email and ask them if they would be willing to do something like that.

A terrific idea. Go for it!

[SoCalPat]

Free ideas - Get people to promote on social media - twitter, facebook, etc.

Low cost ideas - get some banners, flyers, etc. and promote at tailgates / Utah athletic events. Radio advertising, not if sure if it's still available or not, but ESPN 700 had a deal running for $99 radio spots (30 seconds airtime).

Medium cost ideas - you can get a billboard to run downtown for 30 days for $4k -$5k depending on size.

I would love to know when those 30s run. For that price on the AM dial, you should be getting on Bill and Hans. We're in a world of trouble if we have to pitch that rate during football season, although I could see it for hoops. And nobody buys just one ad and expects to see results. Probably too cost-prohibitive of a move for UB5.

[FMCoug]

You guys are doing great. The best online communities grow organically. Too much growth too fast will be just as bad as little to no growth, maybe worse.

The bottom line is that the only real competition you have is a pile of dung. The good guys will find their way here. And you don't want the rest.

[LA Ute]

EGADS! I have a message board doppelganger? And a cougar on top of it all? I'm going to have to gather my thoughts...

Rest easy. His moniker was TripletDaddy. Not much chance of confusion.

[SoCalPat]

You guys are doing great. The best online communities grow organically. Too much growth too fast will be just as bad as little to no growth, maybe worse.

The bottom line is that the only real competition you have is a pile of dung. The good guys will find their way here. And you don't want the rest.

Certainly nothing wrong with that, although the same was certainly said about UF.N 10 years ago.

Perhaps mere adaptation to the times is the best way to sustain interest in the site.

[Rocker Ute]

If the goal as stated isn't to monetize this site, then I would say work on quality over quantity. Banner ads, radio spots and things like that aren't going to achieve that. Social media may be the most effective, some good SEO work to get this up in search terms for things like, "utah sports" and "utah sports boards" will probably do far more than anything traditional media could ever bring.

People like to speculate about the 'decline' of uf.n being due to stars or format or what not, but really it started to struggle when it went from 30-40 people online at any given time to 300-400 during the Sugar Bowl and PAC12 announcement times. The board moved too fast to be readable and the inmates began to run the asylum.

I tend to think that building a good online forum is like smoking a good brisket: Slow and steady while controlling the temperature, the right dry rub, pulling it off at the right time, letting it rest and slicing it in the right direction. Yup, those are the keys to a good forum and brisket.

Ohhhhh man... I'm think I'm going to go smoke some brisket tomorrow.

[Jeff Lebowski]

UB5 is off to a good start, a lot stronger than CG/CUF. Those forums provided a good model for this one, but UB5 will ultimately be a lot more successful for various reasons. These include that UB5 provides a more competitive alternative to Utefans.net than CUF does for Cougarboard. The vast majority of BYU fans feel at home in Cougarboard's restrictive and homogenous environment. This board and format is more appealing to many Utefans than Utefans.net (I continue to submit that there is no competition as the boards are so different). This board and format is also more welcoming of BYU fans than CUF ever was of Ute fans. Some of my favorite Utefans posters, who you rarely see there any longer, came to CUF but were not really accepted into the community because their primary interest was Ute sports. We have attracted them and some other similar posters. BYU fans who are CUF posters often have wide ranging interests that now will be better stimulated here than on CUF. Unfortunately, CUF has turned more astringent and is trying to be Cougarboard II. I think UB5 has a very bright future.


SU's comments are on target. I'll add that there are at least four audiences for this board: (1) Current UF.net posters who want a different type of board, in addition to or instead of UF.net; (2) former UF.net posters who lost interest in that site; (3) posters on the former CougarUteFans site who left because of the name and focus change there; and (4) people who don't post anywhere right now, and maybe never have. (I've probably left out some categories.)

People in groups 1-3 will find out about UB5. It's group 4 that is a challenge to reach. We could try Facebook and Twitter, but most of the folks who follow the Utes on those social media are already following one of the message boards. I'd love to know your ideas.

Hilarious. I knew you two wouldn't disappoint.

[Jeromy in SLC]

How about contacts the espn PAC 12 blog about including us as one of their Lunch Links? Ted Miller and Kevin Gemmell are the bloggers. I could shoot them an email and ask them if they would be willing to do something like that.

Wouldn't that require some sort of blog/news content? I am not aware, but I don't think they link to standard message board chatter. Perhaps I am wrong on that one.

[IdahoUteTroutHead]

More brisket.

[Jeff Lebowski]

If CUF stays crashed much longer you won't have to worry about it.

They did the v3.8 -> v4.2 upgrade just fine last night so we decided to try to go to v5. That didn't work so they rolled it back to v3.8 and attempted the update to v4.2 again. Now they are getting database errors. Should be fixed soon.

[San Diego Ute Fan]

You took that seriously? It was TIC.

[SeattleUte]

They did the v3.8 -> v4.2 upgrade just fine last night so we decided to try to go to v5. That didn't work so they rolled it back to v3.8 and attempted the update to v4.2 again. Now they are getting database errors. Should be fixed soon.

What a disaster; horrible timing. I almost feel sorry for you.

[Jeff Lebowski]

What a disaster; horrible timing. I almost feel sorry for you.

Yeah, we have been offline for almost one day. I don't know how we will ever recover.

[LA Ute]

Hilarious. I knew you two wouldn't disappoint.

So you're saying that is not a category of poster who'll want to come here? By "posters on the former CougarUteFans site who left because of the name and focus change there," I was trying to be neutral. I still post on that board, after all.

And be careful! If you keep lumping SU and me together like that people will start to suspect that he and I are really one and the same person, and we don't want thinking like that gaining any traction. Too dangerous.

[Jeff Lebowski]

So you're saying that is not a category of poster who'll want to come here? By "posters on the former CougarUteFans site who left because of the name and focus change there," I was trying to be neutral. I still post on that board, after all.

And be careful! If you keep lumping SU and me together like that people will start to suspect that he and I are really one and the same person, and we don't want thinking like that gaining any traction. Too dangerous.

You agreed with SU's post. I am curious to see him explain how this site is going to be more attractive to BYU fans than CUF was/is to Ute fans.

[Jeromy in SLC]

Yeah, we have been offline for almost one day. I don't know how we will ever recover.

800mg of ibuprofen for the headache, a 32-oz Gatorade (or sports drink of choice) for rehydration and electrolyte loss, and 16 oz of V-8 for vitamin loss. Oh, wait. I thought you wanted my hangover cure recipe. I guess I have nothing to help you.

[Jeromy in SLC]

And be careful! If you keep lumping SU and me together like that people will start to suspect that he and I are really one and the same person, and we don't want thinking like that gaining any traction. Too dangerous.

I have never seen you two in the same place at the same time. So, I am going to guess that SeattleUte is Tyler Durden, and LA Ute is Jack.

[LA Ute]

You agreed with SU's post. I am curious to see him explain how this site is going to be more attractive to BYU fans than CUF was/is to Ute fans.

OK. I don't agree on that point. I thought you were talking about the bolded language in your post. (Silly me. ;)) SU's just trolling you on the idea that we'll have more BYU fans here than you will.

[LA Ute]

I have never seen you two in the same place at the same time. So, I am going to guess that SeattleUte is Tyler Durden, and LA Ute is whatever Edward Norton's name was (IMDB says "The Narrator", but I know that can't be right).

See, this is the kind of thinking I was afraid the Dude's post would provoke. Now read carefully, Jeromy: Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

[Jeromy in SLC]

see, this is the kind of thinking i was afraid the dude's post would provoke. Now read carefully, jeromy: pay attention to that man behind the curtain!

fify

[LA Ute]

fify

:mad:

[Pheidippides]

OK. I don't agree on that point. I thought you were talking about the bolded language in your post. (Silly me. ;)) SU's just trolling you on the idea that we'll have more BYU fans here than you will.

How do you know SU is trolling? This could be the one time in history he isn't. If you're also being honest then that would make two improbable events.

[LA Ute]

How do you know SU is trolling? This could be the one time in history he isn't. If you're also being honest then that would make two improbable events.

Boy, you're really asking for it. Just wait until I get you on my lawn again....

OK, since you and El Duderino are pestering me, I'll go point by point through dear SU's post.


UB5 is off to a good start, a lot stronger than CG/CUF.

The first half is true. I don't know if the bolded part is true or not. You'll have to tell me. Looks like trolling to me.


Those forums provided a good model for this one, but UB5 will ultimately be a lot more successful for various reasons. These include that UB5 provides a more competitive alternative to Utefans.net than CUF does for Cougarboard.

I think this is true.


The vast majority of BYU fans feel at home in Cougarboard's restrictive and homogenous environment.

I think you would sadly agree with me that this is true.


This board and format is more appealing to many Utefans than Utefans.net (I continue to submit that there is no competition as the boards are so different).

True, beyond a doubt.


This board and format is also more welcoming of BYU fans than CUF ever was of Ute fans.

I don't know if this is true yet, but I hope it will be. I would limit it to housebroken BYU fans, not to all BYU fans. So far you and the Dude are behaving appropriately.


Some of my favorite Utefans posters, who you rarely see there any longer, came to CUF but were not really accepted into the community because their primary interest was Ute sports. We have attracted them and some other similar posters.

True. Runnutz, for example, tried CUF out but was basically repulsed by the gratuitous hazing-snark new people at CUF tended to get, especially Ute fans. UTEopia would never darken CUF's door, but is here now, and one of the most realistic, well-connected, and knowledgeable Ute fans anywhere.


BYU fans who are CUF posters often have wide ranging interests that now will be better stimulated here than on CUF.

Time will tell, but that is not one of this board's goals.


Unfortunately, CUF has turned more astringent and is trying to be Cougarboard II.

Trolling.


I think UB5 has a very bright future.

True, I hope. I am enjoying this place a great deal.

Now you have my definitive response to SU, you miserable vomitous mass.

[Pheidippides]

Boy, you're really asking for it. Just wait until I get you on my lawn again....

OK, since you and El Duderino are pestering me, I'll go point by point through dear SU's post.



The first half is true. I don't know if the bolded part is true or not. You'll have to tell me. Looks like trolling to me.



I think this is true.



I think you would sadly agree with me that this is true.



True, beyond a doubt.



I don't know if this is true yet, but I hope it will be. I would limit it to housebroken BYU fans, not to all BYU fans. So far you and the Dude are behaving appropriately.



True. Runnutz, for example, tried CUF out but was basically repulsed by the gratuitous hazing-snark new people at CUF tended to get, especially Ute fans. UTEopia would never darken CUF's door, but is here now, and one of the most realistic, well-connected, and knowledgeable Ute fans anywhere.



Time will tell, but that is not one of this board's goals.



Trolling.



True, I hope. I am enjoying this place a great deal.

Now you have my definitive response to SU, you miserable vomitous mass.

The fact that you admitted to any trolling at all is a step towards recovery. However, as one not unqualified in the art of trolling, I believe I can safely say that the truth of a matter is irrelevant to whether or not one is trolling. In this respect, SU is the master, and in a world without CB, CUF or BYU, his post becomes irrelevant past the "hey, we had a great start!" bit (with which I heartily agree).

His amazing persistence in this is what makes him so endearing.

Of course an astute observer would now comment that I am trolling the troll. I've just breached the fourth wall, so to speak, to confirm it. But like any well-seasoned troll, he will probably not respond, too sagacious to give me the lolz.

Also, you need to get crustier and swear more for the old man and lawn thing to work, at least after Gran Torino. You are no shotgun-toting Clint Eastwood; you're the codger who shakes his cane at the bicycle riding speed demon seven year olds in the cul-de-sac but then gives them all an old fashioned peppermint candy at church if they give him a hug.

[Jeff Lebowski]

So SU is FOS regarding about half of what he says? That sounds about right. Yet this was your response:


SU's comments are on target.

If only our cornerbacks could backpedal like you can.

[LA Ute]

Also, you need to get crustier and swear more for the old man and lawn thing to work, at least after Gran Torino. You are no shotgun-toting Clint Eastwood; you're the codger who shakes his cane at the bicycle riding speed demon seven year olds in the cul-de-sac but then gives them all an old fashioned peppermint candy at church if they give him a hug.

I am too crusty! I am, I am, I am, I am!!!

[Jeff Lebowski]

For the record, it looks like UB5 is off to a smashing start. I am happy for you.

[LA Ute]

If only our cornerbacks could backpedal like you can.

You should be so lucky. My 40 time in high school was a deceptively fast 5.2.

[big z]

I'd suggest also teaming up with other PAC-12 school message boards. Some of the better sites i'm on have members of not only their team but also the opposition

[U-Ute]

You should be so lucky. My 40 time in high school was a deceptively fast 5.2.

Is that minutes or hours?

[Corvan]

In response to BigZ's idea of cross-promoting with other message boards.

One board you may want to look to hooking up with is pac12board.com. Small startup but seems to be growing and well moderated. cactusranch.com is an ASU message board I've visited as well as bruingold.com for UCLA and goazcats.com for U of Arizona. Cardboard.com is a rather unserious Stanford board. Try bearinsider.com for Cal.

Stay as far away from allbuffs.com as you can. They are a bunch of condescending pricks that are extremely unwelcoming. Plus it didn't help that the first Utah fan they met in 2011 was Moose.

[LA Ute]

Is that minutes or hours?

Neither. As I ran my coach would yell out, "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...."

[big z]

One board you may want to look to hooking up with is pac12board.com. Small startup but seems to be growing and well moderated. cactusranch.com is an ASU message board I've visited as well as bruingold.com for UCLA and goazcats.com for U of Arizona. Cardboard.com is a rather unserious Stanford board. Try bearinsider.com for Cal.

Stay as far away from allbuffs.com as you can. They are a bunch of condescending pricks that are extremely unwelcoming. Plus it didn't help that the first Utah fan they met in 2011 was Moose.

Ducksattack.com - Oregon

Also check this site out for the other schools http://www.collegesports-fans.com/college-sports-boards/pac-10-forums/

[midnightversion]

It already seems slower over there...but maybe that's just due to the off season.

No, it is slower, VA - noticeably slower.

[Jeromy in SLC]

:mad:

Told you I was the evil twin :D

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[Corvan]

No, it is slower, VA - noticeably slower.

Totally agree that uf.n is noticeably slower than it was in the time leading up to signing day. However I don't know if that's due to ub5 or just the landscape in general.

A poster on CB posted a joke that I couldn't resist sharing with rolltidebama.com which is one of the main Alabama fan sites, particularly for football. I posted it on rtb at 3:25pm. Their board is one that moves a post with a reply to the top of the board. One post came in at 4:05 bumping mine down one notch. Another at 4:32 moved me into third and at 4:47 a reply to my post moved it back to the top. It sat there until 5:53 when a response to another post moved ahead of me.

Uf.n is slower today than it was before but I think it's slowed down on message boards in general bit since LOI day. Just talking a quick look cactusranch and bruingold appear to have decreased traffic as well.

[Tacoma Ute]

Totally agree that uf.n is noticeably slower than it was in the time leading up to signing day. However I don't know if that's due to ub5 or just the landscape in general.

A poster on CB posted a joke that I couldn't resist sharing with rolltidebama.com which is one of the main Alabama fan sites, particularly for football. I posted it on rtb at 3:25pm. Their board is one that moves a post with a reply to the top of the board. One post came in at 4:05 bumping mine down one notch. Another at 4:32 moved me into third and at 4:47 a reply to my post moved it back to the top. It sat there until 5:53 when a response to another post moved ahead of me.

Uf.n is slower today than it was before but I think it's slowed down on message boards in general bit since LOI day. Just talking a quick look cactusranch and bruingold appear to have decreased traffic as well.

It's definitely slower on UFN and UZ lately. It's fairly slow here too. I'm not sure there's a connection. There seems to be a decent amount of people logged on to all the sites. It's just that no one is posting.

[Tacoma Ute]

​Well. He found his way in again, and got caught pretty fast. So long Moose. Talk to you when you sneak in with your next moniker.

[IdahoUteTroutHead]

What happened? Did Moose get booted again?

[Tacoma Ute]

What happened? Did Moose get booted again?

Yep, he had a post above mine that said something about there only being need for one Utes board. (Which is utter BS) It's been deleted. He went by "Larry" this time. That guy must have a bank of computers with multiple accounts with several providers. I shouldn't give him any pub but you know he'll find his way back no matter what. What is his deal anyway?

[LA Ute]

What happened? Did Moose get booted again?

Yes. He keeps popping up. We play whack-a moose here instead of whack-a-mole.

[Tacoma Ute]

Yes. He keeps popping up. We play whack-a moose here instead of whack-a-mole.

You got him fast this time. Well done!

[IdahoUteTroutHead]

He is resilient, I have to give him that much.

[Tacoma Ute]

He is resilient, I have to give him that much.

LOL. No question. He is good at his life's work, which is apparently sneaking his way onto message boards, agitating, then getting banned again. I guess everyone needs a hobby.

[Jarid in Cedar]

LOL. No question. He is good at his life's work, which is apparently sneaking his way onto message boards, agitating, then getting banned again. I guess everyone needs a hobby.

His mother must be so proud.

[Viking]

This place is thriving quite quickly. Impressive.

[execUTEioner]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EZNNshzsyd4/ThWsY7LGvQI/AAAAAAAAChc/oa8cznwYckM/s1600/Golden-Palace-Tattoo.jpg http://media.syracuse.com/news/photo/11934195-large.jpg

Any volunteers?