Successful message boards on websites require input from people with the skills and enthusiasm to make them interesting and fun to use.

Hosts have access to facilities on message boards that are not available to the rest of the membership. These facilities enable them to monitor, stimulate, and where necessary control, the discussions which are taking place within them.

To make the discussions on the message boards stimulating and interesting.
Topics need to have sufficient depth so that people won’t tire of them quickly, and enough breadth to encourage plenty of material for numerous conversations.

The skill required of the host is to know when and if to actively participate in conversations, or if the subject matter is drying up, to initiate new topics and close down those that have gone stale.

Some topics may never come to an end, and merely require a hand on the tiller to steer them occasionally.

To welcome and assist newcomers
Many people would like to add their views to topics on message boards, but have not used them before, and need encouragement and guidance to get involved.

When newcomers do pluck up the courage to post a response to a thread, they need to receive an acknowledgment of their arrival and their contribution to the discussion, and a welcome from the host. If a particular forum or topic has a number of ‘regulars’, they may be happy to help the host in the welcoming of the new arrivals.

Setting rules
Occasionally, the host may need to step in and remind the participants that, although the debate may be heated and is arousing some passion, trading insults and ‘getting personal’ is not necessary, nor is it acceptable.

Similarly however, if everyone’s too nice to each other, you could stifle a great discussion by excessive ‘blowing of the whistle’.

You can effectively chair the debate even if you’re not contributing to it, and your judgement can make a lot of difference.

Dealing with problems
Some contributors may step over the boundaries of decency and legality. In these circumstances you will have the tools to warn, and in more serious cases, to take action to edit, remove or even terminate their contributions.

If you think that with your enthusiasm, dedication to football, tact and other ‘people’ skills you would make a good host, please get in touch with us at hosts@truegreats.com – we want to hear from you.

"We both realised that, although there are many club and fan-based websites for football, there is nothing for those who've retired from the game. True Greats has been created to put this right."

Gooooaaaaalllllllllll !!!

Who will be this season's top goalscorer?

(Benjamin Egneb from Brighton)

Last week’s poll - “Who will win the Premiership this season?”

Here’s how you voted: