Old Titan Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Imagine my surprise when I heard last night on two different local TV sportscasts that the Mid-Con's new name is the Summit League. Because this information has not been officially released by the Mid-Con office. Nor by ORU. Nor any of the other schools in the league. In fact, the ONLY place I had heard or read about this bit of news was from this very message board yesterday afternoon. By way of a fan in North Dakota. Who got the information from an Indiana TV station's website. Who apparently got it from an IPFW season ticket ad in a brand-new addition of the Fort Wayne yellow pages. Moral to the story: these are strange times we live in, when yellow page ads in Indiana and enterprising fans in the Dakotas form the basis of stories on the ten o'clock news in Tulsa. Did Channel 2 and Fox 23 get their information for their stories last night from our very message board? I don't know. They may have found it some other way. But just in case they did, it should serve as a prime example - and a warning - that what we say here on our little ol' message board can have far-reaching implications on the public perception of ORU athletics, when apparently the whole world - or at least the sports media in our little corner of it - is now watching. In this case, it was a harmless little story involving the Mid-Con conference office. No harm done. But what if the next news tidbit involves one of our coaches, or players, or recruits? What if it's something perhaps not so flattering about them? What if it's something unsubstantiated that might jeopardize - or even ruin - a career? Bottom line: what if the information is flat out wrong and it could hurt someone? While I can't even think what any such stories might be, it still begs to question in a world where perception is the new reality. I think we should all consider this latest incident as a wake-up call to the growing power of message boards. Love them or hate them, they can be a really cool thing when accurate and interesting information is posted and discussed by friends and foes alike in a civil manner. But they can also be a disaster for everyone involved if hearsay, innuendo, and rumor is allowed to overwhelm the equation, turning the forum into the a cyber-equivalent of writing on the bathroom wall. Just a word to the wise...feel free to discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Well said..... I think it is fun to speculate and talk about ORU athletics, but we should always post with the thought of who is reading the message board. "..... whatsoever is pure and of good report - think on these things...." Some of us know (or think we know) things, but do not post because it is not the right time or do not feel liberty to do so. This community has shown civility and restraint in the past and I'm sure will continue to do so. But just in case, I am always there to keep everyone in line..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Terry, you shouldn't have ended that post with a , you should have ended it with a !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Ask Terry some time how many visitors we have to the board - it's a surprising number. And you never know who it is that's visiting. It would probably surprise you to know - during the Mid-Con tournament I heard someone say Greg Kampe is a regular (at least during the season) on our board. We actually had a little discussion on this topic a while back. You can read some of the comments from that here. As Terry said, I think most of the regulars on the board try to be judicious about what they post. We surely don't want to cause harm to the program or anyone associated with it. My son recently texted me from school to tell me a piece of news he'd learned about an ORU player from a person who should be a very reliable source. He wanted me to post it to the board, and couldn't understand it when I refused. Whether or not it is actually true, it would benefit no one to spread it as a rumor. There are others (think Sauron) whose job it is to release information at the proper time and through the proper channels. I'm all for letting them do it. But that doesn't necessarily mean that speculation about things isn't permissible. Maybe there's a fine line between the two . . . between rumor and speculation. Anyone with an opinion on THAT??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Blevins Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I prefer Sauron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Moral to the story: these are strange times we live in, when yellow page ads in Indiana and enterprising fans in the Dakotas form the basis of stories on the ten o'clock news in Tulsa. A beautiful example of the power of message boards! They break news and make news. When you were following the Scott Sutton saga a few weeks ago, where did you go? Tulsa World? TV? Radio? Web site of any of the above? No, you HUNG OUT ON MESSAGE BOARDS, and probably had several open at once, because that's where the story would break. Someone knows someone whose on the inside, the info gets out, and the FIRST PLACE it goes in on the board. On the flip side, why should a TV sportscast be relying on a message board for their scoop? I would think that IF a rumor from a message board were to be spread by way of a television newscast, that proved to be inaccurate and harmful to an individual or program, and the only source they could cite was a forum, then the station would be liable for the damage done. Just one thing I'm curious about - I think ORU has some pretty enterprising fans, but when was the last time one of US was on the web site of a television station in Ft. Wayne??? That's going pretty far afield to get the scoop. FargoBison deserves a high five or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I prefer Sauron. My mistake . . . been corrected ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadAdder Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 Wow, I saw this topic title and immediately thought of a scene from an episode of "The Office" last season. DWIGHT: The Great Tall Tailor always comes to little girls that suck their thumbs *are you listening Sasha? Right* And ere they dream when he's about, he takes his Great Sharp Scissors out, and cuts their thumbs clean off! MICHAEL: Dwight, what are you doing? DWIGHT: These are cautionary tales for children. MICHAEL: No, you're not going to read them something from your Nazi war criminal grandmother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OKC Eagle Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 I'm sure the Tulsa World would get another source to verify something from a message board before running a story on it. If they don't, they are more irresponsible than the poster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 I'm sure the Tulsa World would get another source to verify something from a message board before running a story on it. If they don't, they are more irresponsible than the poster. In this day of instant updates and highlights, daily newspapers have been reduced to little more than the "official record" of the previous day's events. Consequently, they can afford to be - and have to be - more accurate and thorough in their reporting. On the other hand, the electronic media seem to have thrown caution to the wind when it comes to confirming the facts, in their haste to get stories "out there". These are the guys I worry about when it comes to some of the topics we discuss on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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