The Oregon Brand has changed with the massive improvements in recruiting, which the fans love, but that change has also marked the demise of the high scoring offense that made Oregon known nationally, which a great many of us have lamented. But let’s face it folks: the recent extension of Coach Mario Cristobal‘s contract has cemented Oregon’s new “tough” label. Our collective celebration of that extension shows that we all are finally adjusting to this changing of the brand.
FishDuck, born during the Chip Kelly era, is also undergoing a brand change. The family of websites inside the CFF Network LLC is growing with the addition of the Our Beloved Ducks Forum being officially introduced to the public today. Please go over and check it out, register and create “reply” posts as well as start new topics. We are asking everyone to begin writing all comments to articles in the new forum where there will be a topic started each day with a link to the FishDuck article.
CFF Network’s brand change will be apparent in the logo at the top of the page; no longer does it refer to this site as “Oregon Football Analysis,” because although we still do that, it is no longer our primary objective, but simply one of many types of articles we will offer the public. Instead you will see “Oregon Sports Community,” as that better describes what we are evolving into, and happily so.
Why is the forum called the Our Beloved Ducks Forum? Click on the video above as it starts at the very ending and plays for only ten seconds, but you hear me utter the words for the first time. This occurred in one of the shooting “takes” in only the second video made out of 50 in 2011 and 2012, (viewed over two million times) and I adopted it immediately. I had never heard that term before, and since then it has been used by many commercial mediums, including even ScoopDuck right here in the first sentence. I have noted it in print innumerable times since I coined it and have also heard it in radio ads. It is a heartfelt expression that appeals to all Oregon fans.
How is the Our Beloved Ducks Forum Different?
My friends, you have noted that I use the word ”ponder” often because it best describes what I like to do with all matters related to Our Beloved Ducks, and it reflects and resonates with the unique type of individual that enjoys the banter in our discussions. This site and the forum are places where we like to share our thoughts and “ponder” the many ramifications and variables connected to a particular Duck-event or news item. This is not a fit for everyone, but the community on these two sites loves to present their views and debate the way ladies and gentlemen used to in a more civilized era.
A second element that makes us different? We have rules that are followed and enforced, hence the decorum and uniquely civilized discussion on FishDuck and now the forum. How do people follow all 29 rules? It is simple, as all our rules can be summarized to this: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) keep it clean for the grandchildren reading, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics. Easy-Peasy!
It will always be easy to find the latest Oregon Sports News and Directions for the site!
Learning technology should not be so maddening, but for this tech-impaired Greybeard … it is. Mr. FishDuck has created directions (red arrow above) that are clear and simple on the OBD forum, and they will always be easy to find in a Pinned Topic at the top of the forum. As I was learning the features available for when you post–I was embarrassed to realize that there were many things you could do (and I’ve noted people doing on other sites) that even after 23 years on forums I had not known how to implement. Tech people assume “you will figure it out,” but I didn’t, and thus I will not do that to so many Duck fans that I care about.
You are Going to Bring us Oregon Sports News?
Yes, and this is new as our focus has been (and will continue to be) opinion articles that provide the foundation of our epic discussions. In the image above–you see the top Pinned Topic is the Daily Article Links (DAL) and Oregon Sports News (green arrow above). Most of the Oregon article aggregators out there no longer exist or pull from just a few sources. We will be looking throughout the day at over 30 different sites that are either Oregon-centric or refer to the Ducks often and are free.
When you read some hot news or an article that gets you pondering, you can discuss it in the safest environment on the web as No Trolls are Allowed in the Our Beloved Ducks Forum! You could spend hours each day joyfully reading Oregon sports articles and fascinating posts written superbly by fellow Duck fans across the nation. No need to have to waste time sifting through tons of sites, as the OBD forum will deliver them all right to you! We anticipate having this feature fully functional in the first week of February.
It is all for this unique community of Oregon fans!
Our Mission: A Commitment to the Community…
Everything Mr. FishDuck has conceptualized and implemented is for enhancing and serving the wonderful Oregon Sports Community that has participated at FishDuck and now at the OBD Forum. All the rules, paragraph spacing to help with older eyes, and the new DAL are designed for a discerning fan that retreats to the GREEN REFUGE that is FishDuck and the OBD Forum.
I have received hate emails condemning me as weak and wimpy because I insist upon civility, and I acknowledge that the majority of people will not fit in with our rules and community. We are not trying to please everybody, and we are fine with not being everyone’s-cup-of-tea. It takes strength and intellect to present your view without personal attacks on others, and birds-of-that-feather are the only ones I wish to spend time with. I want to read all views and have learned so much from this community, and now it will be expanded with the Our Beloved Ducks Forum! (Am I presenting that link often enough?)
My moderation policy has evolved to where first I will edit out the offending part of a post, with the post being deleted on the second offense. After that the member of the forum risks being blacklisted/banned. I am not reluctant to do that, as 99.50% of all posts are great, and I have little patience with the half of 1% that take up a disproportionate amount of my time. Recently we have had people leave the site on their own because I edited or deleted their offending post; because they posted often each day, they expected to be given an exception.
I will not give exceptions to the few…
If I granted an exception to the fellow that slipped in a political dig, or another who used a dirty word (not bad, but not clean for young grandkids) or insisted that another’s sarcastic put-down was mere “humor,” then the culture of the site would be completely different. I’ve lost friends over exceptions not given, and I am not changing now. My dogged policing of these values represents my commitment to the 99.50% of the community that wants that protection, or at minimum just doesn’t want to read that nonsense. (Just as I feel!)
The aforementioned examples were by frequent posters whose Posting Names you would recognize immediately, but I will not deviate from what has worked so well for three years. We will lose good people who love the rules … until they have to follow them. We have a reporting feature in the forum that will allow you to notify us when you see inappropriate content that has not been dealt with yet! We appreciate everyone helping to protect the sanctity of our GREEN REFUGE! (And I deal with offenders privately by email to avoid embarrassment to all parties, and to prevent the exchange from being a kill-joy to a great thread occurring)
There are 168 Hours in a Week…
Mr. FishDuck has to work, and with all the time and money he has put into a free site and forum for all–he is also asking if you can spare three hours a week out of 168 to make this happen for everyone? Consider doing your part by committing to the community and signing up in the new OBD Forum.
It is a new chapter for all of us, and it is an exciting one that will give us all hours of great fun in fellowship with the best Oregon fans anywhere, because….
“Oh, how we love to ponder about Our Beloved Ducks!”
Charles Fischer (Mr. FishDuck)
Eugene, Oregon
Top Photo by Tod Fierner Do join us at the Our Beloved Ducks Forum!
Phil Anderson, the FishDuck.com Volunteer editor for this article, is a trial lawyer in Bend Oregon.
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Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks, a season ticket holder at Autzen Stadium for 38 years and has written reports on football boards for over 26 years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports, and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He is single, has a daughter Christine, and resides in Eugene Oregon where he was a Financial Advisor for 36 years.
He now focuses full-time on Charitable Planned Giving Workshops for churches and non-profit organizations in addition to managing his two Oregon Football Websites, of FishDuck.com and the Our Beloved Ducks forum. He is a busy man!
He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…