aeroxx
New Member
Is it to be an independent forum where fans can discuss CU football or is the purpose to further the (near-term) interests of the Football program?
The mission statement doesn't really answer this question, and this ambiguity is creating problems. The slogan suggests "for the fans by the fans" which suggests independence.
It is a contradiction to say that Allbuffs is a neutral arbiter merely commenting on other news stories on the one hand, and then in the other, to take ownership of that information to appease particular interests of the football program. (I'm not impugning the integrity of anyone here,, but I am saying there is some confusion that needs to be addressed)
If the purpose is the latter, then the priority becomes furthering the CU brand. Censoring "negative" topics looks advantageous. Constructive (not slanderous) criticism of recruits, players, coaches gets in the way of building buzz and glowing word-of-mouth reports.
I recognize that honesty is not the current standard or cache of business and marketing, but I would argue that over the long run, honesty builds the strongest brand loyalty. I also believe that one of the traditions of CU is to value honesty even at the expense of short-run results because the long-term benefits of integrity are so potent and appealing.
The recent action to delete the thread about Brian Cabral brings this question into sharp focus.
I do believe that journalists need to respect their sources and to be honest about the contracts they make with them. So if Cabral was the source about his "sudden retirement", then the following can be disregarded. He has the right to determine how his personal, proprietary information is used.
I do believe the moderators owe the fans an explanation for this apparent reversal and some reckoning for what the purpose is of the site. The current position is that a thread was deleted because Brian Cabral wished it. That leads to the conclusion that the purpose of Allbuffs is to further the particular interests of the football program as they are conceived by the current stakeholders, but not to be an independent forum.
If the purpose of Allbuffs is to advance the interests of the Football program, then I think the site loses a lot if its potential value. It merely becomes a voice of insiders who are expressing their views anonymously, and in the long-run devolves into a propaganda tool.
I would urge that Allbuffs and the football program have more to gain over the long run by treating Allbuffs as an independent forum, and that means tolerating a wide-range of opinions.
The mission statement doesn't really answer this question, and this ambiguity is creating problems. The slogan suggests "for the fans by the fans" which suggests independence.
It is a contradiction to say that Allbuffs is a neutral arbiter merely commenting on other news stories on the one hand, and then in the other, to take ownership of that information to appease particular interests of the football program. (I'm not impugning the integrity of anyone here,, but I am saying there is some confusion that needs to be addressed)
If the purpose is the latter, then the priority becomes furthering the CU brand. Censoring "negative" topics looks advantageous. Constructive (not slanderous) criticism of recruits, players, coaches gets in the way of building buzz and glowing word-of-mouth reports.
I recognize that honesty is not the current standard or cache of business and marketing, but I would argue that over the long run, honesty builds the strongest brand loyalty. I also believe that one of the traditions of CU is to value honesty even at the expense of short-run results because the long-term benefits of integrity are so potent and appealing.
The recent action to delete the thread about Brian Cabral brings this question into sharp focus.
I do believe that journalists need to respect their sources and to be honest about the contracts they make with them. So if Cabral was the source about his "sudden retirement", then the following can be disregarded. He has the right to determine how his personal, proprietary information is used.
I do believe the moderators owe the fans an explanation for this apparent reversal and some reckoning for what the purpose is of the site. The current position is that a thread was deleted because Brian Cabral wished it. That leads to the conclusion that the purpose of Allbuffs is to further the particular interests of the football program as they are conceived by the current stakeholders, but not to be an independent forum.
If the purpose of Allbuffs is to advance the interests of the Football program, then I think the site loses a lot if its potential value. It merely becomes a voice of insiders who are expressing their views anonymously, and in the long-run devolves into a propaganda tool.
I would urge that Allbuffs and the football program have more to gain over the long run by treating Allbuffs as an independent forum, and that means tolerating a wide-range of opinions.
