Victor Blackwell

[PonyDoh]

This board just lives to steal pay info, and the mods don't do a thing. Presumably, b/c they are bitter that a pay site exists. Way to work together SMU!

#1, both pay services courted us for 5+ years, and we turned them down repeatedly because we didn't feel they offered PonyFans enough value for the money. The additional money we'd make wasn't worth the members we'd lose. As difficult as the times have been over the past 25 years, pay sites haven't proved viable until June Jones arrived. It's no coincidence that we've been the only real coverage the Mustangs have had over the last decade. As long as we can continue to generate enough support through advertising and sponsorship, PonyFans.com will remain free to its members.

Nobody is complaining about ponyfans as a free site, nor do I care if you've turned scout/rivals down. That is your decision, you have your reasons. I know a great many publishers on all 3 services, and I'd never blame anyone for remaining independent. That said, w/o a legit database & recruiting coverage, the ceiling is pretty low. As webmaster of ponyfans, I'm sure you understand the importance of the services with regards to recruiting. Pay sites may not have been viable until June Jones, but what we now know is that they help recruiting immensely. I can give several pertinent and topical examples, in both revenues, just in the '10 class. If as a community, we care about SMU recruiting, we need to do everything to make sure at least one of the services is alive and thriving.

#2 Being that the ownership and management of PonyFans.com is comprised of SMU grads has its pros and cons. On the plus side, our writers' knowledge of SMU sports is unmatched. On the con side, we have to be careful about contacting recruits (because of our alumni status). So to an extent, we leave that niche to the pay sites. The pay sites are run by SMU outsiders, so they don't have to concern themselves with NCAA rules prohibiting contact by alumni.

There is nothing niche about recruiting, it's what runs college sports message boards on the web, 7 months out of the year. The issue isn't that people link from this site to that site, it's that they blatantly steal info, come over here and post, w/basically no repercussions. Most times it's not even pulled.

#3, we repeatedly ask posters to post their original content on PonyFans or link to the original source. To my knowledge, THE MANAGEMENT AND MODERATORS OF THIS SITE HAVE NEVER posted premium content from another site. Linking to the other sites actually does the Rivals and Scout guys a huge favor because we have about 20 times as many members as they do. Inbound links from PonyFans.com are also hugely valuable. In fact, our policy of allowing links to those sites is hugely helpful to them from an SEO standpoint and is very detrimental to us.

In other words, posting links from our site to theirs is actually doing them a huge favor, which is what the author of this thread is doing.

If this is your view, it proves my point. This thread has nothing to do w/the link. It has to do w/the entire conversation on a premium message board, condensed, and re-written by the OP, followed by the link to the kid's profile. What is your policy on someone swiping a whole thread on a pay site, and then reposting it here? It happens all the time. Here is recruiting on ponyfans. Thread subject: New verbal to SMU football reported on rivals. 2nd post: I wonder who it is? 3rd post: a link to his rivals profile

[Webmaster]

I don't really feel that compelled to debate you. As Webmaster, I try to stay neutral and refrain from editorializing. We only have an obligation to edit posts for profanity, racism, sexism, etc. The fact that we take time out of our busy schedules to remove or edit posts and to link them back to the pay sites takes a lot of effort. Remember, there are something like 4,000 PonyFans and only 3 of us that monitor these boards -- and we all have full-time jobs. We can't catch them all, and even when we do, it may take us awhile to find and edit them.

Anything on the web is public domain. That's the magic of the medium. And if you don't think those guys don't "borrow" liberally from PonyFans, you're cracked. Hell, the Rivals guys stole PonyPride's freakin' name to use for his site.

The original poster included a link to the pay site. So what more do you want?

As for recruiting...

I guess you haven't been around very long. Our recruiting coverage (the Recruiting Roundup) is the best, most extensive coverage anywhere. I think it's better than the stuff Pride does for the Cowboys. We interview our coaches, the recruits' coaches, and the recruits themselves. We just refrain from contacting them until they commit.

If this is your view, it proves my point. This thread has nothing to do w/the link. It has to do w/the entire conversation on a premium message board, condensed, and re-written by the OP, followed by the link to the kid's profile. What is your policy on someone swiping a whole thread on a pay site, and then reposting it here? It happens all the time

I disagree. Posting links to their site is by far their best advertising. Our policy is that we request our posters to link back to the article. We remind them of this frequently, although admittedly, doing so isn't among the Top 50 things I have to accomplish on any given day. If it's premium content that can't be linked to, the best thing to say is "so-and-so committed", or "Scout is reporting that sos-and-so committed". That way people can go look up the info on the pay sites if they want to.

[Samurai Stang]

Anything on the web is public domain. That's the magic of the medium.

If it's premium content that can't be linked to, the best thing to say is "so-and-so committed", or "Scout is reporting that sos-and-so committed". That way people can go look up the info on the pay sites if they want to.

If it is premium content, would not the best thing be to say nothing? Individuals depend on subscriptions to their sites for their income, and while you can justify it to yourself with "the magic of the internet," it is a complete falsehood. In fact, almost all content on the internet is not public domain. This applies even if the work is not explicitly stated to be copy written, as courts will often side with there being ownership of intellectual property. I had hoped that ethics alone would lead you to form the correct response, but perhaps the true legality of the matter will do differently.

If you feel as though you have an inadequate number of moderators you can always call upon others.

[PonyDoh]

If it's premium content that can't be linked to, the best thing to say is "so-and-so committed", or "Scout is reporting that sos-and-so committed". That way people can go look up the info on the pay sites if they want to.

If it is premium content, would not the best thing be to say nothing? Individuals depend on subscriptions to their sites for their income, and while you can justify it to yourself with "the magic of the internet," it is a complete falsehood. In fact, almost all content on the internet is not public domain. This applies even if the work is not explicitly stated to be copy written, as courts will often side with there being ownership of intellectual property. I had hoped that ethics alone would lead you to form the correct response, but perhaps the true legality of the matter will do differently.

If you feel as though you have an inadequate number of moderators you can always call upon others.

you sir, have a proper grasp on the situation.

[Webmaster]

I would like to know what your agenda is. If Josh or Armen wanted us to change how we were handling things with respect to their sites, they would let us know. We see them almost on a weekly basis.

I'm not here to police our members. We do it out of necessity, not a desire. I am not a babysitter.

Unless it's copyrighted, everything on the Internet is public domain. Southwest Spots Media Group owns the intellectual property rights of the stories we write and the original images and videos we post. WE DO NOT own whatever individuals post (nor do we want to be liable for it). We, nor they, have claim to content posted by a third party to their site. I cannot, by way of example, claim your last post as our property, as we did not create it.

We do not, and never have, published anyone else's original content without their permission. A link to someone else's site is not publishing their content, it's doing them the courtesy of directing our "customers" to their business.

[PonyDoh]

If it's premium content that can't be linked to, the best thing to say is "so-and-so committed", or "Scout is reporting that sos-and-so committed". That way people can go look up the info on the pay sites if they want to.

speechless

[Samurai Stang]

I would like to know what your agenda is.

I do not believe he has an agenda, and insinuating that he does is not fair to a concerned poster. Reading his posts, I simply believe he wants what is right to be done. Paraphrasing is stealing content as well, and he feels as though this is not being addressed. I came into this conversation later, and as a third party can say that I have found such content to be plentiful on the recruiting board. Simply because I would see the death of a murderer does not mean that the murdered was a member of my clan. In the same way, Pony Doh wishes to see justice in this situation so as to do what is right.

[Samurai Stang]

If it's premium content that can't be linked to, the best thing to say is "so-and-so committed", or "Scout is reporting that sos-and-so committed". That way people can go look up the info on the pay sites if they want to.

speechless

Agreed.

In the case of articles regarding unknown commitments, giving the name of the recruit is giving away the article.

[Alaric]

The onus to not steal intellectual property needs to be encumbent upon us from moral suasion. Don't wear out the ponypride and webmaster who are doing us a big favor for bringing ponfans alive. I'm guessing they probably lose money and spend a good chunk of their free time on this. Not saying they couldn't have legal liability but a non-paying member of this site doesn't need to hassle them as to what they should and shouldn't do. He's right. Tell Armen and Josh and they can contact them.

[NickSMU17]

Anything on the web is public domain. That's the magic of the medium.

If it's premium content that can't be linked to, the best thing to say is "so-and-so committed", or "Scout is reporting that sos-and-so committed". That way people can go look up the info on the pay sites if they want to.

If it is premium content, would not the best thing be to say nothing? Individuals depend on subscriptions to their sites for their income, and while you can justify it to yourself with "the magic of the internet," it is a complete falsehood. In fact, almost all content on the internet is not public domain. This applies even if the work is not explicitly stated to be copy written, as courts will often side with there being ownership of intellectual property. I had hoped that ethics alone would lead you to form the correct response, but perhaps the true legality of the matter will do differently.

If you feel as though you have an inadequate number of moderators you can always call upon others.

This is a very gray area and a slim tight rope you are walking...You will find that the winner of the arguements as in most lawsuits is the person/party with more capital...

I would venture to say Rivals has had a major increase in subscribers just from talk on this board...Should we charge Armen because individuals on this board market his site whenever they post about how great it is...

You guys in general need to calm down...I like the rivals board but anytime small info slips on here it is good for the rivals board...

[SMU 86]

Let's go get Victor Blackwell. That young man would really help our program.

[The PonyGrad]

Let's go get Victor Blackwell. That young man would really help our program.

Right, any comments our there? Otherwise rename the thread.

[SMU 86]

Let's go get Victor Blackwell. That young man would really help our program.

Right, any comments our there? Otherwise rename the thread.

Darryl Fields this year, Victor Blackwell next year.

[smupony94]

I am on this board more than anyone so I choose myself as the new moderator. Interview to be handled at 1st & 10.

[Buddha]

Let's go get Victor Blackwell. That young man would really help our program.

Watch yourself, 86. It's hard to imagine you would mention a recruit on the RECRUITING board, when a couple of worked-up Perunaphiles would prefer attack the moderators of the only site that matters.

Of course, you're also absolutely right. Blackwell sounds like one hell of a player.