This is NOT the Elders Quorum: fixing the Misperception of Utah By 5

[USS Utah]

A couple of weeks ago, Devildog compared this site to an elder's quorum. Well, he isn't alone in viewing UB5 that way.

There is currently a discussion at UF.N regarding options for places to if the board is unable to continue, or if the boards does not make some needed changes. The mention of UB5 as option led to a few responses, including some comparing this site to an elder's quorum. There were some other issues as well. One poster's login to UB5 stopped working, he tried twice to communicate with the board administrators, but never heard back. Another poster had a login problem, emailed the administrators and never heard back. Another poster was dismayed by powder blue styling to the sites mobile theme.

[chrisrenrut]

Regarding to the powder blue theme, I believe that is the Vbulletin default. If you choose the UtahBy5 theme In the drop down at the bottom, it changes to a red theme.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Can't we change the color of the mobile? I use Tapatalk so I never looked at the mobile site until today.

[#1 Utefan]

Can't we change the color of the mobile? I use Tapatalk so I never looked at the mobile site until today.

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

[DrumNFeather]

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

Yeah...I think that's funny too. It was referred to on utezone as Utah by 5 ALUFs, which, again, okay. I actually think what is nice about this forum is that you can completely ignore posts and categories that you don't want to.

[LA Ute]

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

I'd like to have more posters like the ones we already have. Quality over quantity.


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[GeorgeSer]

Hmm, not sure. I use Google Chrome at work and view the WH forums all the time with no problem. Wonder if others are having issues with it?

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Hmm, not sure. I use Google Chrome at work and view the WH forums all the time with no problem. Wonder if others are having issues with it?

I appreciate the attention to our religion forums. Bring back the EQ rep!


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[SoCalPat]

Interesting some of the posters there compare this sight to Elders Quorum when half the time I go there I see anti-Mormon threads and incessant criticism of the LDS Church. My impression is that at least some of the people that post here left UFN because they grew tired of all the crap and idiots that frequent that board.

Maybe the mods here would welcome the increased traffic but if the UFN self annointend board elite crowd were to migrate here, I think I'd probably spend all my time on Utezone.

This. That's the pot calling the kettle black right there. The EQ comparison is short-sighted and ill-informed, unless you expect this board to be the chaotic free-for-all that UF.net has devolved into.

[Rocker Ute]

This place seem more like a high priests group to me, where you can't hope to teach us anything, only to entertain us.


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[USS Utah]

One more comment from a poster at UF.N regarding UB5. The long threads that last months and even years are not very inviting to new members. Some folks, at least, are not going to want to read through page after page of long threads, and they might view it as difficult to jump into the discussion on the last page. It might be a good idea to retire threads after a while just to keep things fresh and inviting for newcomers.

[LA Ute]

One more comment from a poster at UF.N regarding UB5. The long threads that last months and even years are not very inviting to new members. Some folks, at least, are not going to want to read through page after page of long threads, and they might view it as difficult to jump into the discussion on the last page. It might be a good idea to retire threads after a while just to keep things fresh and inviting for newcomers.

An interesting idea. We could certainly do that with threads that are out of date, like the 2013 season thread, etc.

[USS Utah]

Also a primer for new members could be useful -- If there isn't one already (if there is, maybe make it easier to find) -- a post with tips on how to navigate the site, etc.

[chrisrenrut]

One more comment from a poster at UF.N regarding UB5. The long threads that last months and even years are not very inviting to new members. Some folks, at least, are not going to want to read through page after page of long threads, and they might view it as difficult to jump into the discussion on the last page. It might be a good idea to retire threads after a while just to keep things fresh and inviting for newcomers.

I don't get this. When a thread becomes inactive, active threads overtake it and it naturally drops to the back of the list. It would only come back to the beginning if someone posted in it (aka "bumps" it) again.

Also a primer for new members could be useful -- If there isn't one already (if there is, maybe make it easier to find) -- a post with tips on how to navigate the site, etc.

Someone suggested putting the New Posts as the default page when visiting. I agree with this, New Posts is the first thing I click when I come here. It's easy to ignore threads you aren't interested that way. I think new users would find that the most helpful tip, instead of starting with the What's New/Activity Stream.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Well to be fair there were about 3 dozen moistknuckles sock puppets, followed by him grabbing the '@utahby5.com' twitter handle and spamming the world with his funky niche pr0n. That was enough banning fun right there to last for ages.

[Diehard Ute]

I certainly think if you're not LDS this site feels more church related than if you are LDS.

It certainly has improved the sports content since I first came over, but I'm sure that perception is still around for some.


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[LA Ute]

I certainly think if you're not LDS this site feels more church related than if you are LDS.

It certainly has improved the sports content since I first came over, but I'm sure that perception is still around for some.

We really do need to fix that.

[jrj84105]

We really do need to fix that.

In addition to the activity stream thing, I think there are a few other fixes, although it may be a little late at this point.
1) No more definitive threads in the politics and religion categories. THE believer, THE unbeliever, THE marriage equality, THE today in church, etc threads just serve to perpetuate discord. All these threads need to have either some intrinsic expiration date or an external expiration date imposed.
2) No external links in the religion and politics threads. If a user reads a compelling article, and can summarize salient points in his/her own words in the length of a post that stands on its own, fine. But repeatedly linking to articles from external feeds is just spamming the board.

[justaute]

I'll share my two pesos worth of opinions.

1. I left ufn because I got tire of reading a bunch of twaddle. Although there are plenty of seemingly great folks there, the zoob-ish, immature behavior of a few made ufn less attractive. And, yes, there are zoob-ish behaviors among all fanbases -- or among all "people".
2. First, I am a sports fan. Second, I am a Utah fan.
3. As many have already mentioned, the ufn's outdated format also bothered me. Vbulletin is ok. Candidly, I have no problems "clicking" the various sub-fora; and, I do use the "Activity Stream", as well.
4. As an actively LDS member, I do find UB5 to have too much religious threads to my liking. I am only here to talk sports -- Utes sports. That said, I don't read those religious threads and are not bothered too much by them.
5. I avoid internet confrontations because those are useless. I respect others' opinions and am able to agree to disagree. Also, I don't let idiocy drag me down and waste my time.

[Devildog]

I certainly think if you're not LDS this site feels more church related than if you are LDS.

This statement is accurate from my perspective.

[SoCalPat]

This statement is accurate from my perspective.

I guess I'm LDS, but I haven't been practicing for over 20 years. I don't get the churchy impression from this site that so many others claim to have.

But if it's an issue, just dump the religion site entirely, or make it available to donors. There are so many more outlets out there where people can discuss that topic. If it's in any way a defining feature of this site, then the mission of this board has failed in a major way. Again, it's not a problem with me. But UB5 is at a crossroads of sorts with this issue. It can either ignore the criticism, thereby giving religious discussion tacit approval, or it can make a bold step and get rid of it entirely (and maybe bring it back in the future to members who want to pay for such a feature.).

[LA Ute]

I guess I'm LDS, but I haven't been practicing for over 20 years. I don't get the churchy impression from this site that so many others claim to have.

But if it's an issue, just dump the religion site entirely, or make it available to donors. There are so many more outlets out there where people can discuss that topic. If it's in any way a defining feature of this site, then the mission of this board has failed in a major way. Again, it's not a problem with me. But UB5 is at a crossroads of sorts with this issue. It can either ignore the criticism, thereby giving religious discussion tacit approval, or it can make a bold step and get rid of it entirely (and maybe bring it back in the future to members who want to pay for such a feature.).

It's really just a sidelight to the board, IMO, but some people (the ones who made got this place started and made it happen) really enjoy it. I like the idea of making it a feature you have to make some mild affirmative effort to find -- i.e., it doesn't jump out at you when you come here, but you can get to it easily if you want to. U-Ute, can this be done?

[U-Ute]

So what is our identity?

I feel it is smart, knowledgeable posters that love the Utes but can also discuss other topics with an open mind.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Twitter has most of those types fully occupied. (Althiugh I admit it would be nice for Portland Ute to drop in once in a while)

[Virginia Ute]

I never thought this site was too churchy, but I definitely got the impression that it was far more 'intellectual' than the other sites I frequented. I consider myself decently well-educated, but I never felt at home here because I almost always felt like an idiot when participating in discussions on here. That's not so much a knock on this place as it is a compliment, but it's just not what I was looking for in my spare time. Sometimes you come to these message boards to read stupid things, and there wasn't enough of that here. I liked the increased level of respect in the Mormon/not Mormon debates as opposed to to hostility you see on UFN, though.

I was never really active on here mostly because the format is so new to me and I'm too lazy to try and get used to it. UFN and CB have ruined me in that I only tolerated the threaded format. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get used to it.

[LA Ute]

I never thought this site was too churchy, but I definitely got the impression that it was far more 'intellectual' than the other sites I frequented. I consider myself decently well-educated, but I never felt at home here because I almost always felt like an idiot when participating in discussions on here. That's not so much a knock on this place as it is a compliment, but it's just not what I was looking for in my spare time. Sometimes you come to these message boards to read stupid things, and there wasn't enough of that here. I liked the increased level of respect in the Mormon/not Mormon debates as opposed to to hostility you see on UFN, though.

I was never really active on here mostly because the format is so new to me and I'm too lazy to try and get used to it. UFN and CB have ruined me in that I only tolerated the threaded format. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get used to it.

Dive in! Nobody here is as smart as he or she pretends to be. It's just an act to repel BYU fan visitors. Once you get comfortable with the format you'll love it here -- you'll be able to check out any time, but never leave.


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[USS Utah]

I never thought this site was too churchy, but I definitely got the impression that it was far more 'intellectual' than the other sites I frequented. I consider myself decently well-educated, but I never felt at home here because I almost always felt like an idiot when participating in discussions on here. That's not so much a knock on this place as it is a compliment, but it's just not what I was looking for in my spare time. Sometimes you come to these message boards to read stupid things, and there wasn't enough of that here. I liked the increased level of respect in the Mormon/not Mormon debates as opposed to to hostility you see on UFN, though.

I was never really active on here mostly because the format is so new to me and I'm too lazy to try and get used to it. UFN and CB have ruined me in that I only tolerated the threaded format. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get used to it.

For some, "intellectual" might equal "stuffy."

[LA Ute]

For some, "intellectual" might equal "stuffy."

I am still trying to get my mind wrapped around the idea that this place offers some noticeable level of intellectual content.


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[Diehard Ute]

I am still trying to get my mind wrapped around the idea that this place offers some noticeable level of intellectual content.


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With the amount of esquire's here it truly is shocking


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[Slim]

You know it's been an interesting week with people starting to call Chris out on Utefans and the creation of Utehub, it certainly makes you take stock of what you've got here and where you're headed.

I think Virginia Ute hit the nail on the head on this being more of an intellectual site. Off the top of my head I think of LA (a lawyer) and USSUtah (a WWII history guru), now I know there are morons as well, (count me in that mix I'm crazy enough to be a middle school math teacher) but at least my perception of the people here are more well rounded and intellectual. I for one enjoy the religious talk on this board compared to others because here for the most part it's civil and the talk doesn't turn into bashing and name calling. There's a level of respect for the other posters which I don't think is on the other board.

When you think of something being intellectual, sports isn't something that accompanies the word intellectual. Maybe that is why others feel this board is too religious or what not. On the other boards you get a lot of sports/rival talk (too much rival talk as of late) and a little of religious topics sprinkled in there, where this site I think the ratio isn't as skewed. There may be just as much sports talk as the other site, but there is more religious/non sports talk as well, making it seem more churchy. In the end sports is nice but not the end all be all, and people have other interests.

I think there is a place for all of the sites, they all serve a different purpose. I do feel like Utefans has fallen off the last couple of years and is a shell of it's former self. Depending on my mood is where I go for my Ute fill for the day. If I'm acting like my students I head over to Utefans, and if I feel more adult I'll come here. Ute Hub (so far, it's only a couple days old for crying out loud) seems like somewhere in the middle of the two, and more like what Utefans was during it's prime.

All this of course is from a lurker more than a contributor, so please take with a grain of salt.