We weren't quite sure what to expect when we decided to open MorningBigBlue.com. We are very pleased to say that the response has been beyond our expectations. A big thank you to everyone who has come and contributed to make this place the success that it is.

After being open for only a week, I am proud to say that we have grown to 100 registered users and 950 posts in 55 threads.

With such an overwhelming response, we decided to invest in better software for the site. We found a package (special thank to Brandon for the suggestion) that not only provides the majority of the features asked for, but will allows us, with your help, to grow into a Winnipeg Blue Bomber Community rather then just a message board.

We hope that you will agree after giving the new site a spin that this software brings us from "amateur" to a professional, full blown site.

Some of the features we can now offer:

- A more aesthetically pleasing theme that allows for easier post differentiation, makes new posts easier to find, better search capabilities and and an overall cleaner, more professional design

- Easier site navigation

- More then 10 posts listed per page

- A fully integrated chat room

- Quick Reply box

- Preview of posts when hovering over topics

- The ability to collapse and hide the Twitter feed

- Ability to "Like" posts

- Ability to hide signature lines

- Administrators and moderators are now easier to find

- Ability to login with your Facebook or Twitter account (or continue using you board credentials if you prefer)

- A member blog section where any member of our community can create their own articles. Tired of the Winnipeg media's slant on the Bombers? Write your own article to refute them.

- A mobile version of the site (which you can easily switch on or off from your mobile devices)

- You still have the ability to ignore people!

And so much more.

The conversion seems to have mostly worked. A large number of your avatars did not convert properly. My apologies for the inconvenience. Please let me know if you encounter any issues with the new site.

As always, your feedback is important to us as we strive to make this the premiere Winnipeg Blue Bomber and CFL fan site around. We expect a few bumps as the new software gets broken in. Let us know of any issues you find, or suggestions for continued improvement.

I've also decided to go by my real name on this site from now on.

Rich (aka JimmyFresco)

Firstly, congrats to all who were involved in the creation of Morning Big Blue! This place looks great, and as many others have mentioned, the mobile version is fantastic! The "other" place was pretty brutal to view on an iPhone.

 

As someone who's been not much more than a lurker over there for the last 3 or 4 years, I didn't (still don't) know the whole story behind the spilt, and really don't care to.  What I do know is that most of the posters I enjoy reading are now over here, seemingly exclusively. Meanwhile, the other place has been completely taken over by one dude who's got a massive ego. I agree with Negatron...he could be the death of them, which would really be unfortunate.  Today, the talk over there is actually centered upon whether or not there was practice today...

 

Anywho, I'm glad I finally found this place. Can't wait to kick things off already! GO BLUUUUUUE!

yup, same here.

 

On top of that, I hate to say it but maybe they're UNDER moderating over there. 8 of the last 9 threads with replies in them were all created by that Access_Blue guy, who is very clearly a troll.

The only real "over-modding" so far has been Mark H, who I have nothing but respect for. He's (IMHO) prematurely shut down some threads and deleted comments that didn't really need to be, but whatever...all good. 

 

Personally, I hate censorship, and love internet fighting...but that's just me......

question for those who know about this stuff:

 

"finding this place" has been a reoccurring stumbling block for some folks... how do we make MBB easier to "find"? 

Yeah, keep this Access_Blue turd off here. A practice is a practice. Whether it's in full pads or a walk thru with no hitting at all. The guy is a full blown troll & shouldn't be welcome here at all. Funny how he just showed up when he did. He's their problem now.

question for those who know about this stuff:

 

"finding this place" has been a reoccurring stumbling block for some folks... how do we make MBB easier to "find"? 

 

The site needs better SEO: 

 

Check http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2067564/How-To-Use-HTML-Meta-Tags for a primer.

 

Basically I searched for "bomber fan forum" and the first mention I find for this site is from the stamps forum. When I originally found this site I had to search for a user that I knew signed up here.

The site needs better SEO: 

 

Check http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2067564/How-To-Use-HTML-Meta-Tags for a primer.

 

Basically I searched for "bomber fan forum" and the first mention I find for this site is from the stamps forum. When I originally found this site I had to search for a user that I knew signed up here.

 

 

thanks... i don't get most of that stuff but i get the gist of it.

 

on Bing, "Bomber Fan Forum" gets Morning Big Blue two thirds of the way down the second page for me. on Google i had it second last on page 2.

 

other than these meta-tags (which i will read up on), does the content of the site not influence the search? ie: when this site builds more content, it will pop up more often (and sooner) in searches? 

The only real "over-modding" so far has been Mark H, who I have nothing but respect for. He's (IMHO) prematurely shut down some threads and deleted comments that didn't really need to be, but whatever...all good. 

 

Personally, I hate censorship, and love internet fighting...but that's just me......

 

shrug

Finding this site was super difficult. I googled and sent PM's to a couple members on OB but it appears they had already left the site, finally I just asked in a thread and got a couple of PM's one of which arrived before what this automatic filtering thats happening. 

Incase I'm the first to notice it looks like morningbigblue.com has been filtered and now comes up thatothersite.com which took me to some weird japanese site. I hope that it wasn't some bukakke site that's gonna get me flagged for being a weirdo (My normal Goggle search history can do that on its own!). 

thanks... i don't get most of that stuff but i get the gist of it.

 

on Bing, "Bomber Fan Forum" gets Morning Big Blue two thirds of the way down the second page for me. on Google i had it second last on page 2.

 

other than these meta-tags (which i will read up on), does the content of the site not influence the search? ie: when this site builds more content, it will pop up more often (and sooner) in searches? 

 

Yep exactly this. As the site gets larger (more posts, articles etc.), Google and Bing will index the content and then rank it appropriately on searches.

Finding this site was super difficult. I googled and sent PM's to a couple members on OB but it appears they had already left the site, finally I just asked in a thread and got a couple of PM's one of which arrived before what this automatic filtering thats happening. 

Incase I'm the first to notice it looks like morningbigblue.com has been filtered and now comes up thatothersite.com which took me to some weird japanese site. I hope that it wasn't some bukakke site that's gonna get me flagged for being a weirdo (My normal Goggle search history can do that on its own!). 

 

I'm Lore over there so I'm glad my back-up plan of sending you the image with the site name and URL on it worked. I was so surprised when I initially tried to send you the information and saw that the censor had changed it. 

That's funny. I posted there this morning to address something and I referred to our site as "that other forum" without the censor. I wonder if Colin thinks I tried to type in the name.

 

I've been told by a few people that there are rumblings over there that we planted that Access_Blue guy to stir **** up. I can't see why we'd want (or need) to do that.

thats hilarious.. That guy is such a clown shoe. I can't believe his posting styles, he seems to think hes suddenly the football guru over there and yet his info went from decent to shockingly bad..  I hope he gets canned there quick and never finds his way here..

That's the thing. He morphed quickly from some fan who seemed to know what he was talking about to what he is a now... just a joke. 

I happened to check out OB last night and saw people claiming that we are over-modding and shutting down threads over here.

Only real modding I've done is to shut down bashing of OB.

I am not one who likes to see even stuff like that modded, but honestly, one of the best things about this place so far I think is that you all do a good job of not over modding. People are allowed to say what they will for the most part, just the excessive piling on seems to be kept under control and that's a fair way of dealing with things. 

question for those who know about this stuff:

 

"finding this place" has been a reoccurring stumbling block for some folks... how do we make MBB easier to "find"? 

I saw one guy on ourbombers said he just googled 17to85... so yeah, I guess I'm kind of a big deal... 

I saw one guy on ourbombers said he just googled 17to85... so yeah, I guess I'm kind of a big deal... 

 

somehow i question whether making: "this is the forum that Dave is posting in" is the optimum expansion strategy... glad it worked for somebody though.

There are some other things in addition to meta-tags that can be altered to help boost search engine rankings as well.  Such things like the site title and description, which should incorporate the terms "blue bombers" and "fan forum" in them.  It should be an easy adjustment, but what do I know...

I saw one guy on ourbombers said he just googled 17to85... so yeah, I guess I'm kind of a big deal... 

Funnily enough, this is how I found this place as well...

Funnily enough, this is how I found this place as well...

 

Me too!

So, Access_Blue was banned over at OB.

I prefer to call it.....Access denied.

So, Access_Blue was banned over at OB.

Better late than never.

somehow i question whether making: "this is the forum that Dave is posting in" is the optimum expansion strategy... glad it worked for somebody though.

pffft what better way to get people here? 

Can you guys add a delete button?

So was Argo Dave Access Blue?  Either way it was annoying that someone would troll the old site,  not very cool.          

 

I noticed Colin originally had a burst of topics and participation, but that has all but gone now.   

 

This site needs more Do Or Die thoughts/opinions and definitely this site needs more gifs!!!

So was Argo Dave Access Blue?  Either way it was annoying that someone would troll the old site,  not very cool.          

 

I noticed Colin originally had a burst of topics and participation, but that has all but gone now.   

 

This site needs more Do Or Die thoughts/opinions and definitely this site needs more gifs!!!

 

-it wasn't Dave. he's been AWOL for awhile.

 

-i'll take completely predictable outcomes for $100, Alex

 

-Do or Die needs to be here more... maybe he's waiting for the games

 

-i like the gifs... if they're contained to the gif thread... speaking of which, there's a game tomorrow...