I've been thinking about ways to improve and enliven the message board, now that things are slowing down towards summer and we've been through one season. One of the ideas I've had is to create a Student Section of the board, actively promoted on Twitter. I have no idea how it would go over-- it could be a flop (more or less ignored), it could be a big moderation headache, or it could lead to a lot more engagement. I'm leaning toward giving it a go to provide a place for students (either primarily or exclusively) to interact and discuss LU sports. I sometimes get the feeling that students are reluctant to mix it up on the message board because it's currently dominated by alumni, and they don't feel "ownership" or knowledgable enough to withstand the scrutiny of oldtimers and LU sports geeks.

Any other ideas or suggestions would be appreciated. (I realize that this might seem like a big fat softball pitch served up for swella, but I'm hoping to get some serious thoughts)

I think that's a great idea. If it flops, it flops, but it's worth a shot. I know I read the old board as a student but never jumped in because it felt like everyone on the board knew each other.

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It's a noble effort, but I think you're fighting a losing battle with the demographics of college sport message boards, which skew old. Just the nature of the beast.

But I agree with ahunte that it's worth a shot if you go into it with a realistic notion of its chances of success. I even promise not to pick on the youngsters at the start.

For whatever it's worth, WheatShockers.com tried to recruit students by posting flyers around campus and a few other things. I don't recall it working. The only college aged kids I can recall posting on either board, that I'm aware of anyway, were ones that started posting while in HS. I take that back. Back when I was a student the first time at WSU, ShockerNet did have a handful of guys that started posting but they were also from out of state and didn't grow up as WSU fans. But that's been awhile.

It's worth the effort though as I think younger posters do bring another element to the table. I think were some boards go wrong is when a new, young poster shows up they're quick to ridicule them and that turns a lot of people off. I've seen new posters disappear pretty quickly from ShockerNet because too many posters wanted to be superior to the new guy. As long as you're able to keep most of that away then it's easier to get them to post and stay. I believe ShockerNet has an average age of 60 or close to it. WheatShockers I would guess is closer to 30. And I know they hope to attract younger posters but we'll see how that goes as they grow.

Essentially, just be welcoming to new posters regardless of age and it'll go a long way. And you guys have seemed to be very open to new posters anyway so I don't think that'll be an issue. It has more to do with the success of the Ramblers programs. When they generate more excitement more people will look to get involved.

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Coming soon... Ramblermania podcasts. Target date: Monday, May 5.

Great idea!

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