Jim Main Knocks RWO?

[voodooguru]

I'm not obsessed with this kind of thing but thought this might be of interest. This is a quote from Jim Main's column in Inside Footy:

Then there are the bloggers and, believe me, they are a separate race of nincompoops.
I used to look up a Swans? website, but gave it up when I realised that reading some of this garbage made me feel as if I needed counselling.

Not looking to start a debate, just assuming that he's referring to RWO. The rest of the article is here -

Inside Football: The Magazine the players read

[ash3]

I used to look up a Swans? website, but gave it up when I realised that reading some of this gar?@bage made me feel as if I needed counselling.
They bag anyone and everything and seem to take particular delight in running down players they do not like for some reason or another.
In English soccer these fans are known as ?boo boys? and, until I read this website, I didn?t real?@ise fans could eat their own.
The knockers had been mercilessly critical of several players who have given the Swans out?@standing service over many years.
These ?boo boys? dished it out to Ben Mathews, Jared Crouch and Jude Bolton ? three premiership players.
They should be revered rather than criticised and even while Bolton continues to rack up the hard-ball gets they criticise him for not having silky skills.
Another beef with these clueless fans is that they all too often question coach Paul Roos, despite the 2005 flag and his magnificent record of never missing a final series in any of his full seasons in charge.
If a player gets dropped, they query it; if a youngster doesn?t get a game, they want to know why; if a player gets traded, Roos has blooped again.
Yes, I even have read threads asking whether Roos has reached his use-by date. Can you believe this?

I'm afraid I completely agree with him.

It does amaze me sometimes how people here do "attack"

[voodooguru]

I'm afraid I completely agree with him.

It does amaze me sometimes how people here do "attack"

I dont completely agree. Though I've often wondered how players who are being ridiculed would react if they read some of the things we say about them, at the same time I think we should be free to say what we think, no matter how right or wrong it might be; and the players should be able to understand that it's all a part of the package. No one has to pass a test to be able to post, just like Brent Staker doesn't have to be able to play the game to do the odd thing right, or something.

[SimonH]

Just 18 months ago, Inside Football had no web presence whatsoever. Lovely old-school paper, but for technical troglodytes. And Jim Main doesn't know the difference between bloggers and forum users.

So there are plenty of people on here who have opinions that he disagrees with. If RWO didn't exist, those people would still be fans who hold opinions that he disagrees with; so the exact problem with having a forum is... ? If you get to the point of applauding injuries or making nasty personal (i.e. non-football) attacks on players, then all criticism of the site is valid, and mods should come in and shut it down. But his argument really is a pretty weak 'thin edge of the wedge' one, i.e. 'this sort of rampant free expression leads to people applauding Jimmy Hird getting injured, so people shouldn't be allowed to criticise how Jude Bolton plays either'.

He realises that he's turned himself down a blind alley, though: how dare people print critical things about players who are trying their best? Like, almost every media commentator? Well, "I do criticise but never to the extent of some of the blogs I have seen." Well, that's okay then: I do beat people up, sure, but I never smash them to a bloody pulp like some I've seen. So don't call me a hypocrite when I say violence is getting out of hand, alright?

[DeadlyAkkuret]

So Main is one of those people who believes that having a premiership medal makes you immune to critisism.

[TheHood]

Sometimes these things are like personal footy diaries. They are a forum for putting your fears and concerns to others.

We are not journalists and not particularly balanced so often opinions are without too much basis in fact, they are feelings, gut feelings mostly and sometimes they are wrong.

I like Jim and what he wrote was mostly his gut feel about "bloggers", but I would say that Jimbo is having quiet week. An article about fan sites is fairly hollow.

[Legs Akimbo]

Several weeks ago, there was the blow up in the Melbourne media about 'fan sites' and players getting depression reading them. Main referencing this, and extends it to his own personal experience (borderline ironic).

Here is what it boils down to.

Traditional media faces declining readership. Declining readership means declining advertising revenue. Declining advertising revenue means less to spend preparing a quality publication. Declining journalistic and editorial standards creates a viscious circle of decline.

Readers are instead spending time online INTERACTING with each other. We all have a limited amount of time to spend and if our eyes are looking at RWO, then they are not looking at the Herald Sun, The Age, or dare I say, Jim Main's rag (even if it is the rag 'that players read') .

Journalists, some of whom still two finger type on manual typewriters, feel threatened. How dare their audience actually write stuff! Secretly, they just want the good old days back - to be the voice of authority and rake in the money.

Personally, I pine for the days of quality journalism, but unless the journos understand the world has changed and can adapt, they face becoming an anachronism.

Get with the times Jim.

P.S. - I agree there is a lot of @@@@ written on this site (some of it by me). However, the nature of the information age is overwhelming content and uneven quality. One has to know what one is looking for and appreciate the context in which it is written.

[CJK]

And Jim Main doesn't know the difference between bloggers and forum users.

This. Fail from Mr Main.

[desredandwhite]

I think we had a big old thread about the beatup a few weeks back.. My comment then, still valid now, is that it is still a big beatup

These articles conveniently ignore the majority of posts which are constructive and occasionally entertaining.

[stellation]

So there are plenty of people on here who have opinions that he disagrees with. If RWO didn't exist, those people would still be fans who hold opinions that he disagrees with; so the exact problem with having a forum is... ?

I think you've nailed it right there, people have opinions and this is just a different avenue to voice them; I don't think it's at all a situation of "what came first- the forum or the opinion?"

I'm afraid I completely agree with him.

So you agree that he should question whether footy fans should chat about players being dropped/young guys not being played/regular team members playing poorly? That's what he is suggesting in that quote. I wonder if Main would burst into tears if he walked into the Bat and Ball after a game and heard exactly the same things, or if that would be okay because it wasn't on these here sets of tubes and webs.

[goswannie14]

I bag some players on here, as is my right, I also applaud others. I did it before I was a member of RWO, the only difference is that before I joined RWO it was the other fans at the game (and possibly the players too) that heard my criticism.

What forums offer is an avenue for us to discuss, bag, applaud the players that play for our team with wider range of supporters, who, in many cases become life long friends who we would otherwise never have met.

Jim Main needs to get into the 21st century, but to do that he needs to get to the 20th century first.

[dimelb]

RWO is like an argument in a pub. The difference is that it's online and more people can join in. The value of the opinions varies in both places.

[ash3]

I think you've nailed it right there, people have opinions and this is just a different avenue to voice them; I don't think it's at all a situation of "what came first- the forum or the opinion?"

So you agree that he should question whether footy fans should chat about players being dropped/young guys not being played/regular team members playing poorly? That's what he is suggesting in that quote. I wonder if Main would burst into tears if he walked into the Bat and Ball after a game and heard exactly the same things, or if that would be okay because it wasn't on these here sets of tubes and webs.

Ok so maybe "completely" is a strong word to use, but some of the bagging on these forums is enough to make me puke. There have been times when I sit back and question if people actually think before they type!
Its true thats this forum is a wealth of Sydney Swans Knowledge, (it has 100% more information than the actual swans site!) but some people here have genuine vendetta against players who have delivered to the club there life in order to make the club the success it is.

I'm all for freedom of speech and open conversation, but there is a line.

[NMWBloods]

I love the hypocrisy of the media questioning fan sites querying players being dropped or poor form of players or certain other things. This is the same media that makes a living out of such things, not to mention other unsavoury tabloid rubbish, such as chasing Cousins all over the world, speculating about drug usage, talking about brawls in pubs, etc.

Fan sites are there for the fans to make comments, in exactly the same way as they have done for over a century at work or in the pub or at home. They are not a place of worship where supporters faun all over the players and coach. Everyone is free to have their own opinion on every player and every coach and every game.

And someone needs to explain to the media what bloggers are!

[CureTheSane]

I'm afraid I completely agree with him.

It does amaze me sometimes how people here do "attack"

I agree with his comments about Roos.
To me, he is nowhere near over and done with.

I don't think many people here have bagged Crouch.
Few comments lately that he is over and done with, and they are kind of fair considering he's sunk into oblivion.

As for Bolton, Main said that he gets the hard ball but is criticised for not having 'silky skills' should have read 'appropriate skills'
The gut does his job most of the time , but is a continued frustration for supporters.

Defending Matthews only makes Main seem like a football hack.
Blind Nelly can see that he hasn't contributed enough to the team to warrant a place over the last couple of years.
Vindication for Matthews' criticism came in his eventual dropping.
Seems the 'bloggers' were ahead of their time

Welcome to the internet Mr.Main, where everyone is free to say what they think, even if you don't agree