Do chess forums 'work?'

[Collin Smith]

This is the National forum, yet only a handful of people 'pipe up'
Chess has an abnormally high percentage of anti-social types, or eccentrics if you will, I believe this stereotype is partially to blame as to why chess forums will never be busy places.

Many players have little or no interest in anything other than their own games. There are guys I know who play very regularly for teams and in congressess etc, who don't even know the name of any English GMs, or even who the current world champion is!
The majority of chess players are just too insular to participate in a forum.

I'm doing my best here to stimulate, but fear I'm you 'know whating' in the wind!

[Ian Kingston]

Forums certainly don't seem to work anything like as well as they should. The Universal Membership Scheme topic (http://forum.bcfservices.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=247) is generating very little interest, yet if this ever becomes a live issue there's going to be a very heated debate in clubs and associations all over the country. Everyone, including some highly opinionated loudmouths (who could of course run chess better than the current lot with their eyes closed and one arm tied behind their back, but who never quite find the time to get on any local committees or even captain a club team), will be demanding to have their say. A vigorous discussion here would highlight the issues that people think are important and help the ECF to formulate a proposal that would anticipate objections and increase the likelihood of gaining broad support.

Some people have asked that ECF Board members and other officers show their faces here more often. That would probably help. I do understand why they might not do so, of course. Martin Regan (somewhere on this forum) has pointed out how time-consuming this sort of thing can be. I don't post as often as I'd like to for just that reason, and I suspect others feel the same.

Perhaps it's also worth pointing out that even on some very popular blogs and forums, the percentage of people who actually post comments and messages is very small. This forum has 141 members (as I type this), most of whom rarely (if ever) post. Somehow more people need to be encouraged to join and participate.

I think this forum is a valuable one. I've received useful advice and learned a lot. Is there a better way to sell the usefulness of this forum to chess players?

[Carl Hibbard]

The rule regarding full and real names etc. has put some people off to be honest

The board felt it was possible they could be somehow responsible for content that was posted and to a degree they are correct - other forums have folded because of elements of this, plus of course you get a lot of nonsense posted if people are anonymous as well

But it has cut down on the postings - swings and roundabouts that one!

[Charles W. Wood]

Internet Footprint is a big issue these days, I don't mind personally. I quite like this forum, it should have more members but it doesn't yet. BUT a lot of people do use the forum to get information though.

[Carl Hibbard]

Internet Footprint is a big issue these days, I don't mind personally. I quite like this forum, it should have more members but it doesn't yet. BUT a lot of people do use the forum to get information though.

Quite, the Google searching is so quick most posts are up (and searchable) as soon as you press return

[Charles W. Wood]

Some people have asked that ECF Board members and other officers show their faces here more often. That would probably help. I do understand why they might not do so, of course. Martin Regan (somewhere on this forum) has pointed out how time-consuming this sort of thing can be. I don't post as often as I'd like to for just that reason, and I suspect others feel the same.

I show my face as often as possible, I know the board read the forum but its also hard because as an official of the ECF Board they can feel that their independant opinion is not always inline with ECF policy. That can create a debate where policy and opinion are blured.

[Nigel Wright]

I show my face as often as possible, I know the board read the forum but its also hard because as an official of the ECF Board they can feel that their independant opinion is not always inline with ECF policy. That can create a debate where policy and opinion are blured.

So? It's a free country isn't it? We are all entitled to our own opinions, and if the ECF is seen to be a flock of sheep following the leader, they're not going to get much respect. In my opinion they need to grow some balls and do something.

[Charles W. Wood]

I show my face as often as possible, I know the board read the forum but its also hard because as an official of the ECF Board they can feel that their independant opinion is not always inline with ECF policy. That can create a debate where policy and opinion are blured.

So? It's a free country isn't it? We are all entitled to our own opinions, and if the ECF is seen to be a flock of sheep following the leader, they're not going to get much respect. In my opinion they need to grow some balls and do something.

What the problem is that being a board member, a manager or any official title because we (and I even mean me) think every thing they say is official ECF policy. So holding an official post anywhere holds a certain level of responsibility. Football: England Manager says in his own opinion the Queen shouldn't be ..... (Fill in the gap with just about anything), he'd be fired on the spot. Same thing here, to keep things simple its sometimes best not to post. So that mean we need to fill in the gaps for them, they read this a lot, tell them what you need.

[Ian Kingston]

If ECF officials (whether Board members or not) wish to post personal opinions without the possibility of implying that what they say is official policy, they can include a standard disclaimer in their signature. If they say anything inflammatory, of course, they can still be taken to task, but I would have thought that a reasonable level of discussion ought to be possible without compromising anyone's position.

Is another part of the problem the fact that media such as this forum are not well understood by the older generation who (mostly) make up the ECF Board? (Judging from the photographs on the ECF Officials page, only Claire Summerscale would appear to be on the low side of 40.) Younger people are much more comfortable with electronic communications – witness Nigel Wright's level of involvement on this forum.

[Carl Hibbard]

If ECF officials (whether Board members or not) wish to post personal opinions without the possibility of implying that what they say is official policy, they can include a standard disclaimer in their signature. If they say anything inflammatory, of course, they can still be taken to task, but I would have thought that a reasonable level of discussion ought to be possible without compromising anyone's position.

Is another part of the problem the fact that media such as this forum are not well understood by the older generation who (mostly) make up the ECF Board? (Judging from the photographs on the ECF Officials page, only Claire Summerscale would appear to be on the low side of 40.) Younger people are much more comfortable with electronic communications – witness Nigel Wright's level of involvement on this forum.

A member of the "older generation" considers individual grade manipulation the next time he changes the online system just to prove his level of comfort with electronic communications

[Charles W. Wood]

If ECF officials (whether Board members or not) wish to post personal opinions without the possibility of implying that what they say is official policy, they can include a standard disclaimer in their signature. If they say anything inflammatory, of course, they can still be taken to task, but I would have thought that a reasonable level of discussion ought to be possible without compromising anyone's position.

Is another part of the problem the fact that media such as this forum are not well understood by the older generation who (mostly) make up the ECF Board? (Judging from the photographs on the ECF Officials page, only Claire Summerscale would appear to be on the low side of 40.) Younger people are much more comfortable with electronic communications – witness Nigel Wright's level of involvement on this forum.

I'm 37, but that just supports your argument.