Rivals forums provide a space for fans to talk about a variety of topics, often sports related but can be about many things related to their shared experiences as fans of their school. That said, the focus of the site and the revenue draw is based on having people connected with sports programs at schools and the recruiting system reporting on various things of interest to its subscribers. So why at this point in technological advancement, are the Rivals forums set up in a way that in order to find information from these "insiders", you have to read every post in every relevant thread? I love reading every single argument and meltdown that happens on here 
but c'mon, this is an outdated way to operate.
I appreciate Kelly (and in the past Russell and in the future Alex) creating new standalone locked threads where they can independently share information without getting clutter from everyone else (see Ex: Transfer Tracker 2024). But let's be honest, this is a janky workaround doing the best with what they have. It either kills conversation, or requires a second thread on the same topic in which a reader has to go back and forth if they want to discuss, and it's annoying to link posts between the threads.
The solution to this is simple. Allow site owners/mods (or everyone) to create special threads that can do both at once. On one panel you get the stream of information from the insiders. In another panel is a forum thread to discuss said information. This allows you to see both things at once and tools should be included to allow users to reference "insider" posts in the discussion panel. If a regular user makes a post that the owners/mods find should be part of the "reporting" panel, allow them the ability to add that post into the stream of intel.
This really shouldn't be that big of an undertaking, and would greatly improve Rivals' product and useability. It would elevate the profile of their insiders on the site which is only a benefit to their business. There may be small challenges in figuring out how to fit everything into a mobile interface, but overall a competent programmer should be able to complete this undertaking in a reasonable amount of time and cost. This seems like an easy win for Rivals, and something that should have already been done before 2024.
but c'mon, this is an outdated way to operate.I appreciate Kelly (and in the past Russell and in the future Alex) creating new standalone locked threads where they can independently share information without getting clutter from everyone else (see Ex: Transfer Tracker 2024). But let's be honest, this is a janky workaround doing the best with what they have. It either kills conversation, or requires a second thread on the same topic in which a reader has to go back and forth if they want to discuss, and it's annoying to link posts between the threads.
The solution to this is simple. Allow site owners/mods (or everyone) to create special threads that can do both at once. On one panel you get the stream of information from the insiders. In another panel is a forum thread to discuss said information. This allows you to see both things at once and tools should be included to allow users to reference "insider" posts in the discussion panel. If a regular user makes a post that the owners/mods find should be part of the "reporting" panel, allow them the ability to add that post into the stream of intel.
This really shouldn't be that big of an undertaking, and would greatly improve Rivals' product and useability. It would elevate the profile of their insiders on the site which is only a benefit to their business. There may be small challenges in figuring out how to fit everything into a mobile interface, but overall a competent programmer should be able to complete this undertaking in a reasonable amount of time and cost. This seems like an easy win for Rivals, and something that should have already been done before 2024.
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