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Parents, how can we increase the traffic here? Compared to other college discussion boards (which I don't need to name), this is so civilized. And Roger is unfailingly courteous that when I am in trouble, he is one of the first persons I think of and want to talk to

By Chris Donohoo on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 09:12 pm: Edit

I don't have a suggestion on how, but on a focus that might be attractive. On the other college discussion board which you don't need to name, postings about Ivy league and US News top 25 type schools predominate. The very mention of a middling state school, or a lesser LAC brings out nasty postings about "third tier toilets". Maybe create a forum about "real world colleges."

By Solomon on Tuesday, May 07, 2002 - 09:46 pm: Edit

I guess it's assumed that reasonably intelligent people can differentiate between a simulating discussion encompassing dissenting viewpoints and flamebait, engage in the former and ignore the latter.

By collegemom aka Anon Mom on Tuesday, May 07, 2002 - 11:50 pm: Edit

Amd, I'm trying to drop info about this board from time to time as I see the chance at PR. I mentioned it to a newcomer there today who got some nice responses to his first thread (guess who stayed out of it for a change). The one thing the PR board has going for it is that the threads are visually much easier to deal with and respond to--I think the layout of this board makes people less inclined to jump into a conversation for some reason. It's a psychological thing, maybe, with the vertical layout of the threads (and I really don't like coming up with the oldest thread first (sometimes from, say, last fall!)when I open a thread, but that's just my personal preference).

Have other people spotted the Doonesbury cartoons this week? Check them out at the New York Times site (http://www2.uclick.com/client/nyt/db/--use the drop down menu to view the ones from earlier in the week)or your local paper...he's skewering college tours. Pretty funny so far.

By Ishkabibble on Friday, May 10, 2002 - 08:56 am: Edit

I wish that the moderators would jump in and assist even when they think a discussion is off and running on its own. What I mean is that there was little participation from some of the most valuable posters in the recent forums about the NYT article even though so many interesting issues were raised by that series. That discussion was a good one, as far as it went, but I would have liked to hear more from Dave, Roger, AFL, etc.

By Dave Berry on Friday, May 10, 2002 - 09:26 am: Edit

FYI, Roger and AFL have been on vacation all week, which leaves yours truly in charge of all things College Confidential. If you have specific questions for Roger, AFL, or me (or others), please reference our name(s) as the first word in your post ("Dave, what do you think...") and we'll see it on the list of new messages and respond. It's difficult to read every word of every post every day while minding the store and counseling students and parents, but we try. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

By Victoria Burns (Ohiomom) on Thursday, May 16, 2002 - 10:26 pm: Edit

This board seems much more my "cup of tea" than the sometimes quite hostile enviroment of the PR board.

Seems over there if you aren't aiming for an Ivy you are dirt beneath their feet and not fit to be civil to.

I'm new to this whole process and find it intimidating enough without having to dodge the bullets and flame throwers there.

Think I might have found a perfect fit here.

By Dave Berry on Friday, May 17, 2002 - 07:14 am: Edit

Welcome to College Confidential, Victoria. I think that you'll find the atmosphere here quite enjoyable and accommodating. Our board moderators check messages constantly and are not afraid to pour cold water on the slightest flame or spam. We have a zero-tolerance policy for foolishness. As one of our moderators says so colorfully, "A Keep Off The Grass sign is much more effective when there's a dead body or two lying next to it."

Obviously, our objective here is not to intimidate our posters, but, rather, to facilitate meaningful, instructive, and fun exchanges. If the kids and juvenile adults want to waste PR's server space, that's fine with us. It's a free country. However, our goal at College Confidential is to accommodate the free exchange of helpful, college-related discussion. Life's hard enough without being called a moron for wanting to go to non-Ivy college.

Thanks for your comments, Victoria. Come back often and bring a friend.

By stressedout on Friday, May 17, 2002 - 07:42 am: Edit

I've been tempted to drop the name of this site on the PR site, but am afraid of attracting that site's more unsavory elements here!

By Dave Berry on Friday, May 17, 2002 - 08:57 am: Edit

It's been dropped several times already, s.o. We've seen a few trickles of mindlessness come our way already but have moved quickly to eliminate them.

My overall observation about discussion forums in general is that they are a microcosm of the world at large. People will push the law as far as they can, probing for weakness and apathetic enforcement. Once a crack appears, the water of chaos rushes in. That's what has happened on the PR site. Within the past year or so, their parents board has been dominated by three individuals, two of whom, thankfully, have become either bored or offended (much less likely) and have gone away. One main player remains, obsessively dominating, and thus ruining, what was once a useful informational forum. At the risk of repeating myself from above, that will not happen here.

By Victoria Burns (Ohiomom) on Friday, May 17, 2002 - 05:14 pm: Edit

Thanks for the warm welcome Dave. I will be back often and will pass the word along to other moms in my area who are also embarking on the dreaded senior year.

I love your comment on the zero tolerance policy and the Keep Off The Grass sign...what a visual!

Again thanks for putting out the welcome mat.

By Dave Berry on Friday, May 17, 2002 - 07:54 pm: Edit

You're welcome, Victoria. Even though we love to put out the welcome mat for our visitors, keep in mind that you don't have to take your shoes off to come in! I think you'll find the company here very cordial and helpful. If there's something you need to know, just ask. There are no dumb questions here.

BTW, take a few moments and read the Help & Rules and New Messages - Message Search sections on the left. You'll get more enjoyment out of our board when you become familiar with its flexibility. Thanks!

P.S.: Don't forget to read how to do Smilies!

By Chrisd on Monday, May 20, 2002 - 09:19 pm: Edit

I've been going back and forth between PR and here
lately. I find that if I want popular opinion, I'll go to PR. If I need "informed," and thoughtful, opinons, I will come here. As my daughter is a junior, I think I will be coming here more as we move through the application process.

By amd on Monday, May 20, 2002 - 10:15 pm: Edit

I just wish that there is a way we can pick up the traffic here. It is annoying to find a day after you have posted to find that your post is still the last one on the thread.

By Roger (Roger) on Monday, May 20, 2002 - 10:16 pm: Edit

Hey, amd, maybe that just reflects the quality of your posts... once you put in your two cents, there's little else to say!

By amd on Monday, May 20, 2002 - 11:46 pm: Edit

Thank you Roger, I will accept this backhanded compliment . Welcome back from your vacation.

By Nebma on Thursday, May 23, 2002 - 07:03 pm: Edit

Quality is better than quantity. Most likely, the quantity will increase because of the quality. I've found the posts very informative here.

By 1sttimecollegemom on Wednesday, June 05, 2002 - 07:53 am: Edit

Everything said in this thread is true! It's nice to know that I can can get college advice without being bashed because #1 my son couldn't go ivy even if he wanted to, and #2 being told I was a troll on PR just because I mentioned a school which was listed in some book written by some guy named Pope. Funny thing, I had no idea this book even existed until the post, so in essence, being called a Pope troll, was actually advertisement for the book. I HAD to actually go out, purchase and read the book, to know whether I'd been insulted or not.

By Vitamatic on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 01:47 pm: Edit

There seems to be some misconception that concern about the way Pope's philosophies were presented were attacks on Pope, although his views are as open to criticism as much as any other published author. Somehow it became okay to challenge writers like Hernandez but never Pope. People got defensive and circled the wagons at the slightest question, which only raised more suspicion. There should be no sacred cows in an honest, mature discussion, every author and philosophy is open to scrutiny and analysis. Once someone puts an author's name on the table for discussion it's not realistic to expect that only positives will come out. Maybe the amount of flak is proportional to the amount of plugging that's going on. Many of the complaining posters were unable or unwilling to ignore flamebait as if it (the bait) gave them an excuse to complain.

By Ohiomom (Ohiomom) on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 05:48 pm: Edit

1sttimecollegemom...welcome to CC. I know what you mean about the PR board, the atmosphere can sometimes be quite intimidating, but there are quite a few really nice and helpful people there too. I'm learning to keep my hip waders out when posting there and yet really enjoy the advice and opinions I find here too. I'm sure the traffic here will pick up later in the summer, I feel certain I will find a lot of helpful information in both places.

By Posta on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 11:30 pm: Edit

I, too, know how you feel, 1sttimecollegemom. I was insulted when I asked for substantiation of statements which were floated as fact. That, in itself, was an answer, so remember that flamers use rudeness to mask their deficiencies and avoid the real issues. When faced with an angry reply, it helps to consider the source, it tells you a lot about the validity of would-be information a poster is propagating. So far, it's a lot more civilized here. I hope it stays that way.

By Ampy Pikarsky (Eleven) on Saturday, June 08, 2002 - 01:13 pm: Edit

Okay, kids -- I'm coming over and joining this party. At least here, you can ask a civilized question and get a civilized answer. When asking for advice on the PR boards, it's hard to speak frankly about challenges because you *know* you'll get flamed. While I don't care what anyone says about me, I have a very low tolerance for rude comments about my kids! BTW, I finally picked up a copy of Pope's book (mainly BECAUSE he got such a bashing on PR), and I'm pretty curious about two schools he mentions. Does anyone here have any first hand experience with Ursinus or Juniata? Also, Franklin & Marshall are new on my daughter's radar screen. Any input? It will be greatly appreciated!

By Holly Golightly on Saturday, June 08, 2002 - 01:20 pm: Edit

Be sure to check the section here called "College Discussions - Individual Schools," Ampy. If you don't see messages about the schools you're interested in, it's perfectly okay to post a message there and ask about them.

By AP11 (Eleven) on Saturday, June 08, 2002 - 01:27 pm: Edit

Thanks, Holly!

By Ishkabibble on Saturday, June 08, 2002 - 03:57 pm: Edit

Glad to have you join the party, Ampy/Eleven/AP11. I welcome anyone who objects to flaming and scrupulously avoids participating in it.

By Lucidity on Sunday, June 09, 2002 - 09:53 am: Edit

Ampy Pikarsky and 1sttimecollegemom, a discussion that led you to Pope is fine! I didn't find Pope's website impressive at all but that doesn't mean it's worthless for everyone. Not everyone is going to like or agree on the same college or author {except for Dave and his colleagues, of course :-)!} People should try not to take critical analyses personally. I sincerely hope this community will be supportive of a balanced exchange. Some of the nastiest attacks on other discussion boards have been from posters complaining of rudeness!

By Roger (Roger) on Monday, June 17, 2002 - 08:51 pm: Edit

"I sincerely hope this community will be supportive of a balanced exchange."

Rest assured that we are committed to exactly that, Lucidity. We are veterans of other online communities, and have seen good, bad, and ugly discussion forums. No spam, no commercial posts, no flames, no ad hominem attacks... those are the basic rules. But it's not just good moderation, it's the quality of the posters that really makes a good forum. We've got some great participants already, and seem to be attacting new quality contributors as people discover us. Thanks for your comments!

By Lucidity on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 09:14 am: Edit

You are too modest, Roger. There's some overlap and I suspect that some of the same people who squabble of there co-exist quite nicely here. So far, people have understood and respected the limits you've set. I hope that doesn't change.

By joannie on Thursday, June 20, 2002 - 06:35 pm: Edit

Ampy,
I have a daughter at Juniata. Her top two schools were both "Pope" schools although we didn't learn about the book until she had already chosen her school. She is very happy at Juniata.