For a more serious post, I have some pretty strong opinions on this topic....I think my love for theRX is well known. It's hard to imagine being a member of any of the other communities. Hopefully I won't say anything out of line but this is my personal perspective, not a statement from a mod or theRX...
The marketplace for sports gambling forums has changed drastically in two ways, IMO. First and the most obvious is the decline of the offshore industry. It has a major influence of success of these sites. But personally, I think the future is bright for sports betting in the US. As the legalities lighten, as sports betting becomes more accepted, that has a direct correlation for theRX's success.
The 2nd change has more to do with the online landscape as a whole. It's so much easier, not to mention WAY cheaper, to have a website or a forum than it was in years past. Because of this, there is more competition than ever. I honestly don't know all the sports gambling forums anymore, I'm constantly coming by ones I never heard of. To be successful in environments like this, you have to differentiate yourself. Covers has the tracking software and handicapping tools, SBR has SportsBookReview, even if it is skewed ratings, they have dominated that market IMO. I'd like theRX to develop a niche, their own niche based off strength of the forum.
What theRX has is a large, well established community. Almost every sports forum would die for the membership we have. I contribute this to being the first greatest sports betting forum, but also being a well run forum. Our sub-sports forums remain active, fun place for people to post there picks. Of course there are always bad apples, but they are everywhere. Our sheer number of posters and the style of which this forum is moderated is what makes this place great.
The Mods here are GREAT! BAS and Hache, our head Mods, are dedicated and spend a ton of time making this a great atomshere. This isn’t easy to do as it is a delicate balance of moderation and freedom to post whatever. These guys have helped this forum find that balance. Murphy is a techincal savy guy that always seems to go above and beyond to help. Akillies is a great guy that never lets anything become personal, and is a great asset. JOH has been the unsung hero of the forum the last couple years, IMO, his ability to create ways to submit picks have changed Forum Contest, and I rarely ever see him make a mistake. CPAW, I honestly don't know how he does it. He spends hours a day in the service play forum, which honestly is the best in all of forumville. (Think theRX could really create a niche based on it's strong service place forum, as it's our biggest advantage over our competitors). There's not a single mod I would describe as selfish or power hunger. They all only want to make theRX best place they possibly can. Alright the ass kissing is over, but I really do believe this is why theRX is in a good position
However, I would like to see theRX focus and grow in one area particularly. And in its development technologically. I hope that's where a majority of the money is spent in the future. Making a mobile site, creating a niche based around one of our strengths, creating a point system that rewards our members, and most importantly creating interactive environments. I'm very excited about Hache's push for a year long handicapping contest!
Personally, my favorite things about being apart of communities like theRX is the contest (Huge Shout out to BAS, JOH for the LVH-like contest), poker nights, just general interactivity between posters. It's how relationships are made, it's give us a reason to be competitive and try to be the best. I think technology that makes this easier to do for more of the forum establishes loyalty to this site.
We are headed in the right direction. Sports gambling continues to grow, therx is in position to take advantage of that growth and I do expect that this site will do well, and hopefully see improvements in some of the area’s I’ve mentioned.