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What happened to the NLC Guys?


Guest DT

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Seems as if they all left us suddenly, and we are left behind.  The NLC Rapture?

The NLC has been in a bit of a tailspin over the past decade.  Despite the addition of Mishawaka, the conference seems detached and distant , as if they play in their own little world.  

They once had some of the most fervent supporters on the GID.  Now their schools are rarely mentioned here anymore.  Goshen, Plymouth, Concord, etc, is there  anybody out there?  Is there anyone at home?

Reminds me of the scene in Terminator Judgement Day, when John Connor and Kate Brewster make it down into the nuclear fallout bunker, and the place is deserted, and has been for 30 years.  Thats the NLC.

Fortunately, the fertile lands between Plymouth to the west and Warsaw on the east are still there and thriving, and havent succombed to the devastation of a thermonuclear attack.  

Perhaps a few will come out of their bunkers and breathe new life into the moribund NLC.

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It’s an interesting insight on how the GID works. Particular teams or conferences are the talk of the town ... for a while. Then kids graduate, friends and parents move on. New ones take their place. It’s happened with NLC fans. It happened with the Roncalli crowd.  It’s happened with the NIC people. Except, I have a sense that the GID is not replacing those that have moved on at a fast enough rate, with the result being that both the quality and quantity of the discussion and debate have deteriorated in the last couple of years. I would estimate that about 75% of the posts on here come from about a dozen people. That’s not a recipe for a healthy discussion board. Anybody have thoughts on what the answers might be?

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1 hour ago, Bobref said:

It’s an interesting insight on how the GID works. Particular teams or conferences are the talk of the town ... for a while. Then kids graduate, friends and parents move on. New ones take their place. It’s happened with NLC fans. It happened with the Roncalli crowd.  It’s happened with the NIC people. Except, I have a sense that the GID is not replacing those that have moved on at a fast enough rate, with the result being that both the quality and quantity of the discussion and debate have deteriorated in the last couple of years. I would estimate that about 75% of the posts on here come from about a dozen people. That’s not a recipe for a healthy discussion board. Anybody have thoughts on what the answers might be?

New blood, thick skin... I for one love the verbal joust, which some people shy away from.  RSN has seen the same traffic since their board crashed.

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10 hours ago, DT said:

Seems as if they all left us suddenly, and we are left behind.  The NLC Rapture?

The NLC has been in a bit of a tailspin over the past decade.  Despite the addition of Mishawaka, the conference seems detached and distant , as if they play in their own little world.  

They once had some of the most fervent supporters on the GID.  Now their schools are rarely mentioned here anymore.  Goshen, Plymouth, Concord, etc, is there  anybody out there?  Is there anyone at home?

Reminds me of the scene in Terminator Judgement Day, when John Connor and Kate Brewster make it down into the nuclear fallout bunker, and the place is deserted, and has been for 30 years.  Thats the NLC.

Fortunately, the fertile lands between Plymouth to the west and Warsaw on the east are still there and thriving, and havent succombed to the devastation of a thermonuclear attack.  

Perhaps a few will come out of their bunkers and breathe new life into the moribund NLC.

They may have started their own 'Club'.

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What I find interesting and a bit perplexing is that the two busiest and most lively discussion threads are the Hoosier Hills thread and the SIAC thread.  Both deep in the heart of southern Indiana.

Conversation has diminished significantly across the 4 main discussion locales in the north:

Region

NIC

NLC

SAC

Central Indiana discussion is driven by the sheer size and scope of the area and remains vibrant, at least during the season.  Offseason has been dismal.

What can the GID do?

I believe its a marketing issue.  The GID has done nothing to market its product since the passing of Tim Adams.  Perhaps its time to have an expert take a look from the outside to determine if membership and participation can improve.  Or maybe it just doesnt matter.  That would be my guess.  

 

34 minutes ago, MarshallCounty said:

Plymouth is in a talent void right now.  The are in the midst of a few lean years. I expect them to pick back up again in the future.

Plymouth has never been vocal on this board.  Plymouth haters certainly have

1 hour ago, Coach Nowlin said:

It is also Tax Day,  well what used to be Tax Day, so we are in the middle of April........ 

Not going to be PEAK HS FOOTBALL time.  

 

 

Youre reaching my friend.  The ship is taking on water and you are drinking cocktails in the ballroom.  

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16 minutes ago, DT said:

What I find interesting and a bit perplexing is that the two busiest and most lively discussion threads are the Hoosier Hills thread and the SIAC thread.  Both deep in the heart of southern Indiana.

And they have been for probably the last 10-12 years....certainly the SIAC threads which used to be even more active when Reitz was on a tear.

There do seem to be less SAC/Ft. Wayne posts the last year or so, though.

 

Edited by Lysander
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I think what the GID needs to do is to interact more closely with these inactive areas of the state and give them a reason to come and use The Digest.

A few examples of what the GID can do :

 

* Send a corresspondent to summer 7 on 7 tournaments and report on the action.  Talk to players and coaches.  Conduct some interviews.  Take some pictures.  This will automatically draw new users to the site, which will spread as kids go back to school.

* Interview coaches in the offseason and discuss what they are doing to improve their individual programs.  Post the interviews on The GID.  These are a draw and people from all over the state enjoy these interviews if done right

* Do conference previews, or look for a local GID member to conduct a conference preview.  Local coverage continues to decline and The GID may be the only outlet for news 

* Promote in season Pick em contests

* Promote a GID Game of the Week for North, Central and Southern Indiana

 

 

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1 minute ago, Lysander said:

And they have been for probably the last 10-12 years....certainly the SIAC threads which used to be even more active when Reitz was on a tear.

 

The SIAC has more balance today than it did 10 to 20 years ago, which has been good for the conference.  The rise of Central and the Memorial run and the additions of Jasper and Vincennes make the SIAC a very compelling watch every week of the regular season.  

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1 hour ago, DT said:

 

Youre reaching my friend.  The ship is taking on water and you are drinking cocktails in the ballroom.  

OK

51 minutes ago, DT said:

I think what the GID needs to do is to interact more closely with these inactive areas of the state and give them a reason to come and use The Digest.

A few examples of what the GID can do :

 

* Send a corresspondent to summer 7 on 7 tournaments and report on the action.  Talk to players and coaches.  Conduct some interviews.  Take some pictures.  This will automatically draw new users to the site, which will spread as kids go back to school.

* Interview coaches in the offseason and discuss what they are doing to improve their individual programs.  Post the interviews on The GID.  These are a draw and people from all over the state enjoy these interviews if done right

* Do conference previews, or look for a local GID member to conduct a conference preview.  Local coverage continues to decline and The GID may be the only outlet for news 

* Promote in season Pick em contests

* Promote a GID Game of the Week for North, Central and Southern Indiana

 

 

1.  Go for it,  that goes for anyone, anyone can participate at that level if they choose to 

2.  Love it  (would also be open for somone to take that lead on a volunteer level)  I know at one time a few years ago, I contacted local universities looking for jounalism majors looking to get writing and reporting experience, came up empty

3.  Again, Love it HOWEVER, one could also say that in every part of the state, local print publications have also declined in these type of pieces 

4.  Already have its location, yearly, again, other than the Hoosier Conference, that takes an individual willing to lead the way and VOLUNTEER their time to conduct said pickems.   

5.  I will attempt to establish that in 2021

 

I love all of those thoughts @DT  this has been site made by a coach, currently ran by a couple of coaches on the day to day with the tech owners in the background, if you remember, Coach Adams ended up giving up coaching full time to go out and do many of those things you mentioned above, I cannot speak for others on the "leadership" team, but for myself, I  do not, or will not have any sort of time to committ to those items above you mention.   

I do appreciate your thoughts, and equally appreciate your resistentance to go to the "pay" model for content

 

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Yeah it is highly unfortunate that over the last 4 years I would say our NLC thread has dropped tremendously in participation. I would say a majority of comments come from about 3-4 of us at most. As well, I would agree with @DT here some in the sense that I do not feel like the forum gets a lot of exposure. I would bet if more people knew about it, they would get on it and add comments. I am not as in touch with current parents of players and other supporters at Warsaw anymore as I do not live in the area, but I keep updated by listening/watching games and reading game recap articles on Saturdays. I bet if I asked 100 current parent/supporters at a Warsaw game if they knew what the Gridiron Digest forum was... 98 or more would have no idea what I was talking about.

Edited by NLCTigerFan07
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40 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

OK

1.  Go for it,  that goes for anyone, anyone can participate at that level if they choose to 

2.  Love it  (would also be open for somone to take that lead on a volunteer level)  I know at one time a few years ago, I contacted local universities looking for jounalism majors looking to get writing and reporting experience, came up empty

3.  Again, Love it HOWEVER, one could also say that in every part of the state, local print publications have also declined in these type of pieces 

4.  Already have its location, yearly, again, other than the Hoosier Conference, that takes an individual willing to lead the way and VOLUNTEER their time to conduct said pickems.   

5.  I will attempt to establish that in 2021

 

I love all of those thoughts @DT  this has been site made by a coach, currently ran by a couple of coaches on the day to day with the tech owners in the background, if you remember, Coach Adams ended up giving up coaching full time to go out and do many of those things you mentioned above, I cannot speak for others on the "leadership" team, but for myself, I  do not, or will not have any sort of time to committ to those items above you mention.   

I do appreciate your thoughts, and equally appreciate your resistentance to go to the "pay" model for content

 

I would be interested in purchasing The GID.  Please talk  to DK , Jimmy and Mrs Adams about a price.  

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2 hours ago, DT said:

The GID has done nothing to market its product since the passing of Tim Adams.  Perhaps its time to have an expert take a look from the outside to determine if membership and participation can improve.

I think the GID could make more effective use of its Facebook page. Facebook “sharing” would be a relatively easy way to drive guest traffic to the GID.

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2 hours ago, DT said:

What I find interesting and a bit perplexing is that the two busiest and most lively discussion threads are the Hoosier Hills thread and the SIAC thread.  Both deep in the heart of southern Indiana.

Conversation has diminished significantly across the 4 main discussion locales in the north:

Region

NIC

NLC

SAC

Central Indiana discussion is driven by the sheer size and scope of the area and remains vibrant, at least during the season.  Offseason has been dismal.

What can the GID do?

I believe its a marketing issue.  The GID has done nothing to market its product since the passing of Tim Adams.  Perhaps its time to have an expert take a look from the outside to determine if membership and participation can improve.  Or maybe it just doesnt matter.  That would be my guess.  

 

Plymouth has never been vocal on this board.  Plymouth haters certainly have

Youre reaching my friend.  The ship is taking on water and you are drinking cocktails in the ballroom.  

The GID isn't  product and never has been.

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6 hours ago, Bobref said:

I think the GID could make more effective use of its Facebook page. Facebook “sharing” would be a relatively easy way to drive guest traffic to the GID.

Then I would have to create a Gonzoron facebook account.

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I firmly believe that most Indiana High School football fans these days are not interested in the honest debate of issues surrounding their team and/or sport.   Instead they flock to other social media outlets where confirmation bias and navel gazing are the norm.  It makes them "feel good", and that is all that matters, right?

 

 

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30 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

Instead they flock to other social media outlets where confirmation bias and navel gazing are the norm. 

Confirmation bias has largely replaced critical thinking skills. I know a lot of people want to de-emphasize a college education as not justified based on the return on the investment. But of all the things I learned in college, the skill of being able to think critically is the one most responsible for any success I’ve had. The ability, through social media, to find large groups of people who support pretty much any position, no matter how stupid, and to bring withering criticism to bear on any contrasting viewpoint, stifles honest debate. It makes us, collectively, dumber.

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I started reading this site in 2000-2001 when I was a 18/19 year old freshmen at Ball State.  I'm now a fat, old, weak, and dumb 39 year divorced single dad raising 2 sons on my own.  It's not that I don't love the debates and reading the information, my attention has changed.  I also don't fire of a response like I did when I was younger.  I read things, raise my eyebrows, and move on.

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19 minutes ago, Bobref said:

 I know a lot of people want to de-emphasize a college education as not justified based on the return on the investment. 

Speaking of college,  this was recently part of a Frankfort High School daily newsletter:

 

image.jpeg.93d04877e8be5e04cb5e49f4eba80e39.jpeg

And this particular company has recently advertised it's looking for experienced plumbers,  compensation for them up to $100,000 dollars a year.  Sorry, I don't see how your average English or Library Sciences degree from a traditional 4-year college can compete.

 

 

 

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