Online forums have been, and remain, an important part of football fan communities in the UK. In the early 2000s (especially) they were how supporters, young and old, got their footballing “fix” otherwise than on Saturday afternoons in the stands or on the terraces.
In more recent years, the range of platforms where fans come together have increased, and Partick Thistle of course now has thriving Facebook, Twitter/X, BlueSky, WhatsApp and Instagram. But the trusty old football forum continues to be a place of camaraderie and debate – a real digital “town square” – independent of the Club but bringing fans together.
Fan forums and Partick Thistle
We Are Thistle, the spiritual successor to the old PTFC.net, has been exactly that town square for many, and, through its posters clubbing together, has even been a Club sponsor for a number of years.
Such communities, of course, often need people to look after them behind the scenes. This mainly involves light-touch moderation (to keep things civil, legal and spam-free) undertaken by a small team of volunteers, and processing queries and requests from forum participants.
Your help is needed!
After several years looking after this side of the forum, the Club’s programme editor, Tom Hosie has decided to step back. The forum will only stay open if we can find, in the close season, a small group of volunteers to take-on those responsibilities.
For obvious reasons, TJF itself does not want to take-over the running of the forum. The added value of a football forum is in its independence from the club’s custodians, and we want to keep it that way.
However, we do want to explore whether there are individuals in the wider Thistle community who are able and willing to share some of these responsibilities.
We understand that there are no financial costs associated with this if willing admins/moderators can be found, as there is a very generous hosting arrangement in place with the owners and operators of the Scotland-wide Pie and Bovril forums.
If you’re interested in becoming part of the admin/moderation team, please complete this form. Your details will then be passed-on to explore arrangements for a hand-over of admin/moderation. Ideally we would like to receive expressions of interest in the next week or so.