The Back Alley Archives

Facebook?

Back to trolling GatorCountry?

Here's a list of other message boards and my comments on them:

• GatorCountry: Been big for a long time; although they've lost a lot of users, they're still probably the most active Gator forum out there. Shitty-ass admins and moderators though.

• MudLizard's Virtual Swamp: Probably the oldest forum out there, it still has a lot of followers but its interface is just terrible.

• FightinGators (Scout): Activity on the free forums is very low - mostly the same few regulars trading jokes. Premium forums do a little better, but it's still not a hive of activity.

• InsideTheGators (Rivals): About the same as Scout. The free forums have a small core group of posters. I have never seen the their premium forums.

• TheGatorNation (freeforums.org): A middle-sized forum, which is what I'd like to see the BA become. Clearly run by a group of fans, rather than a corporation. Most of the regular contributors seem to be pretty friendly - but they don't like too much risque stuff.

• GatorNation (proboards.com): Another fan site, started by the guys who were behind the now-defunct FireRonZook.com. Very small amount of regular posters - fewer than 10, probably.

• [strike]TheGatorPlayersClub[/strike][strike]: I think they were originally a splinter group from GatorCountry who wanted a place to post lots of nude pics; our friend Darth was one of them if I remember right. While they used to be fairly active, they're also down to a handful of posters. The guy who pays for the hosting is considering shutting it down soon.[/strike] Now defunct.

• TheGatorBoard: Another splinter group, but this time filled with refugees from the Gator Sports Message Board, which is run by the Gainesville Sun. Some crossover with the Players Club. Pretty strange crowd - they tend to insult each other constantly.

• GatorSports.com: The aforementioned site run by the Gainesville Sun. Terrible format.

• Gatorbait.net: The last vestige of a once-popular publication now resides on the 247Sports network.They seem to have good participation from some actual sports reporters, but not much of a community

• GatorEnvy: Bless these guys, they try. They write lots of columns and stuff about Gator sports, but the forums seem to be the same 2-3 guys messaging each other over and over again, and only on the sports boards. Their off-topic and political forums are deader than even the BA.

• GatorTailGating: A relative newcomer, focusing on - you guessed it - tailgating. Very little activity on the forums, however. Interestingly, some of the news stories are written by someone named "Andrew Hines." Any relation to Ray Hines?

I don't think I'll be going to any of these, sadly. Maybe it's me getting older, but I think that the quality of sites for Florida sports has gotten worse over the course of my experience over many years. I think the first one I found was something along the lines of Scout and that was because I was looking for recruiting info. Those were the great early days of the internet when not everyone was on it and you had to have a little savvy to finding your way around.

I didn't start posting until I got on Gator Country and that's probably almost ten years ago. I have to say, I never learned any info there that wasn't known to the public. I've had info at times that wasn't known, but that was when I lived in Gainesville and had sources from time to time (when I was a TA, I had football players and a team manager for the basketball team who used to tell me behind the scenes stuff; I've told you guys privately about the conversation I got to sit in on with the wife of a former football coach about the real reason he left). And I think the quality went down steadily over the years. I still remember the night of Urban Meyer's first year as coach when he got blown out by Bama and then cried after losing to LSU and the boards there went into full meltdown mode about how he needed to be fired and he was out of his league. Fucking idiots.

But the Pub was fun at the time and was for a few years after. But then we all know what happened after that. It's been a sad downward trajectory but it is what it is and I've gotten too old to care as much anymore.

Def not GC. Florida.Scout.Com, I'm somewhat partial to. The crowd has changed so much from 04-06, when I was a douchebag on the boards, lol while I was in my teens.

I've been spending a lot of time over at The Gator Board. Definitely an "irreverent" atmosphere over there, but there's a lot of in-jokes and they don't hold back when it comes to insulting and making fun of each other (some of it is good-natured ribbing, but then some of it is not - particularly toward certain posters). You have to have a pretty thick skin if you start posting there or they'll eat you alive.

No NSFW forum there, though. ShaggyBevo is pretty good for that, as well as having more of a no-holds-barred atmosphere, but it's a Texas forum. Still, useful for getting an outside perspective of college football (although they don't like the SEC in general).

I don't want the BA to go away!! And screw GC - its no fun over there anymore.

I agree with a1 - I just don't care enough anymore to go there. I bet GC is melting down with calls to fire Muschamp.

[quote=DocZaius]I've been spending a lot of time over at The Gator Board. Definitely an "irreverent" atmosphere over there, but there's a lot of in-jokes and they don't hold back when it comes to insulting and making fun of each other (some of it is good-natured ribbing, but then some of it is not - particularly toward certain posters). You have to have a pretty thick skin if you start posting there or they'll eat you alive.[/QUOTE]

Certain posters there are... well... not liked. At all. I'm probably one of those.

[quote=ufgators68]Certain posters there are... well... not liked. At all. I'm probably one of those. [/QUOTE]

There are a couple whose presence seems to be unwelcome but tolerated for entertainment purposes.

[quote=slideman67]I don't want the BA to go away!! And screw GC - its no fun over there anymore.

I agree with a1 - I just don't care enough anymore to go there. I bet GC is melting down with calls to fire Muschamp.[/QUOTE]

Shutting it down has been something I've been thinking about for a long time. It just gets very tiring monitoring, improving and advertising the site when we have probably five users who post once in a while. The place is dead.

I'll keep the database in case I put it back up or if someone wants some of the content.

It was a good run, considering it all started with a core of us getting purged/banned from Swampgas back in 2007. A lot has happened since then. I know I've been off and on over the years, especially with changes in whether I could access the site from work, job changes, etc. where I went long stretches without being able to post. It happens. Props to Doc for keeping it going this long.

Exactly - Props to Doc. But where are we going to get our nudie pics without paying?

[quote=slideman67]Exactly - Props to Doc. But where are we going to get our nudie pics without paying? [/QUOTE]

If only there were an interconnected network of computers whereby people could transfer photographs of unclothed women for free... I know it's a crazy dream of mine but one day... one day...

I've been having problems accessing here because my work sometimes blocks this site, and sometimes not. I think they are constantly fiddling with their firewall or something. And with 4 kids under 5, I don't have time to get online when I get home from work or on the weekends. But we've had a good run. We just need to make sure and keep the facebook group to stay in contact.

Yeah I don't think the FB group is going anywhere.

[quote=DocZaius]If only there were an interconnected network of computers whereby people could transfer photographs of unclothed women for free... I know it's a crazy dream of mine but one day... one day...[/QUOTE]

Yeah but here they are conveniently in one spot.

And how am I going to date Ariane?

Ariane has her own web site. http://www.arianeb.com

What happened to the version with the three way with her and that other chick? That one was great!

Looks like GC has had quite a few updates the past few months or so. The Pub no longer there?

Sorry to see it go but fully understand.

***Sorry about that, false alarm.

The new GC page just made it impossible to navigate.

I'm all for going back to florida.scout.com

Damn sure going to miss this place. It was the first site I checked after getting to work for a long time. It was really incredible when it was private with about twenty great folks who posted non-stop. I remember having votes for any new additions to the group. I really miss some of the folks that I got to know over the years. I'm holding out to be the last person on earth without a Facebook account so that eliminates me from keeping up with them.

I still have my subscription to Fighting Gators (scout) and I'll post over there from time to time. Work and life has just generally gotten in the way of internet life. TT, I recommend joining facebook, if for no other reason than to keep up with everyone.