Hi Everyone,

You haven't seen much of me lately. I've just always been constantly swamped with so much work and neverending projects that I can never find any time to put towards PFO.

While the main function of the site has always been for discussion, there are many side areas of the site that, while archiac and from the prehistoric era, were always potential useful features to the site. The site reviews section, for example, just "broke" one day a few months ago and I haven't been able to get it fixed. The probabilities page is rather useless, I haven't conducted an interview in ages, etc.

So, I'm contemplating an overhaul on PFO. It might just be a couple things I have planned, but if enough people support it, I might overhaul half the site.

Therefore, I'd like to hear your opinions and suggestions on how we can improve and update the site. I must warn you now - please keep all comments completely related to discussion of new features and improvements. I don't want this turning into an off-topic gossip thread.

Unfortunately, my funds are really low right now, so I may not be able to do as much of an overhaul as I'd like to, but I want to get a dialogue going in any case.

Here are the two main things I have planned which are on the top of my list:

1. Designate News Posters

I was thinking of designating 2-3 PFO posters with the task of posting news on the site. My plan was to change the index (default/main) page of PFO to display news, and then have the forum linkable off the main page.

This is a difficult change to decide upon, but nobody would read the news posts otherwise, and providing unique news and articles is the best way to drive new traffic which will hopefully transition over to new forum members as well.

The news posts would consist of anything poker-related, and would need to be written by members who have some sort of decent writing ability. Highest bad beat jackpot being hit, gossip about a pro poker player needing surgery, somebody winning the PokerStars Sunday million back-to-back, or new legislation laws would all be good examples of news posts to the site.

I'd want the site to have around one new news post per day - although anything from 4-10 per week would still be useful.

Members would be able to comment and reply to news posts as usual, inviting discussion.

2. Regular PFO Tournaments

My other idea was to designate a tournament director (or two) and hold regular tournaments for PFO members. The key word being "regular". I'd want to have schedules set up, have perhaps two tournaments run parallel to each other on two different sites, have write-ups and screenshot reports of the touranment, and keep a running total of the tournament leaderboard points.

I'd also like the PFO Tournament Director(s) to hold various freerolls on different sites, and just generally organize tournaments for the site.

----------------------

What do you guys think? I really want to drive PFO back towards poker, and try to steer a bit away from the general gossip.

Would any of you be willing to volunteer for such positions as news poster or tournament director?

Again, my funds are really low these days, but I have my hands on a programming team that I've recently used for another project of mine and they did a pretty good job, so I might use them for a PFO revamp.

Any other suggestions and recommendations are very welcome.

Thanks!

who are you kidding?

I like the idea of having a 'news homepage' as the front page of the site rather than just going straight to the forums. I would be happy to volunteer doing news articles, would be happy to do 3 or 4 per week as I am on 2+2/Pokernews/PFO every day anyway and could even do features on the Australian live scene if anyone was interested.
Many moons ago I used to write a bit of news for 3fl.net and I also used to write fitness articles for a (now dead) Australian fitness site about 3 or 4 years ago just after I graduated from my sport science degree.
I will attach a brief article I wrote for the OCAU SF&H Forum FAQ at www.overclockers.com.au which i wrote in October 2003 so you know I'm not a retard and can actually write (lol)

Originally Posted by piv

who are you kidding?

Excuse me?

"I hope this helps some of you beginner's and also more experienced guys/girls out there.
This info is taken from various text books and notes from uni, so it should be 99.99% correct, however feel free to add some more information to this thread to aid in it's value.

Nick.

P.S If anyone wants some info on anything else then I'm sure it can be arranged

ZINC
In athletic circles, zinc has developed a reputation as one of the primary healing nutrients and one of the prime contributors to male fertility. Zinc has many important metabolic roles in the body, and is part of various metalloenzymes that play roles in growth, testosterone production, DNA synthesis, cell replication, fertility, reproduction and prostate gland function. For the athlete, maintaining proper zinc intake is vital, especially for growth and repair of muscle tissue to meet the recovery demands of training. There are few studies examining the actual effects of zinc supplementation on performance, but one study did show increased muscle endurance with zinc-supplemented athletes.
Too much zinc however, can impair performance. The role zinc plays in testosterone production and healing may lead you to believe that more is better, however it is not.
The intake guidelines for men and women who are healthy and actively training is 15mg - 60mg from diet and supplements. The RDI is 15mg. The estimated safe range is up to 80mg per day.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant and has multiple functions as a coenzyme. It is involved in the formation and maintenance of collagen, which is an important constituent of connective tissues and intracellular substances.
Vitamin C promotes healthy capilaries, gums and teeth. It aids in Iron absorbtion and blocks the production of nitrosamines which are carcinogenic. It also helps heal wounds and may provide against bacterial infection.
Studies have indicated that Vitamin C plays a role in muscular strength, reducing lactate blood levels and sparing glycogen.
The performance intake guidline is between 800mg - 3000mg from food and supplementation. The safe range for Vitamin C is between 60mg and 5000mg per day.

Glutamine
Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid found in proteins. It is formed from glutamic acid by the addition of ammonia and vitamin B6. It is a neurotransmitter in the brain and can also be converted back to glutamic acid, where it is essential to brain function. Glutamine is also vital to the immune system. Recent studies have shown that cell replication in the immune system requires Glutamine.
Supplemental use of L-Glutamine by athletes is shown to have strong anti-catabolic effects that neutralizes the cortisol that accompanies strenuous excercise. Cortisol is highly catabolic. It's anti-catabolic action allows anabolism (muscle building) to take place more efficiently. L-Glutamine also has an active role in the recovery and healing process. Supplemental doses of Glutamine typically range between 1g and 10g, with it's most typical dosage between 2 and 5.

L-Carnitine/Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Carnitine is made by the body and its primary role is transportation of fatty acids into the mitochondria. Athletic benefits include increased endurance, improved oxygen uptake, reduced lactate levels during excercise and improved anaerobic strength output. There are benefits for intensively training athletes, however the benefits are negligible for low-intensity activity. Carnitine may be useful in increasing the rate of fat loss, but it hasn't been 'absolutely' proven.
L-Carnitine supplementation of 1 - 3g per day will yield performance enhancing results, taken several weeks before competition, or carnitine loading of 2 to 5g per day, one week before events. Both endurance and strength athletes can benefit from supplementing L-Carnitine.

Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine has been used nutritionally to increase the amount of creatine and high energy creatine phosphate in muscle tissue. Creatine is present in food and is manufactured in the body. It occurs in animal products such as meat and fish. One pound of raw steak has roughly 2g of creatine. It should be noted however, that cooking will convert creatine into an inactive form, which is quickly excreted from the kidneys. in the body, creatine is made from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. Normal daily requirements for non-athletic individuals is 2g per day.

Now I won't go into how ATP and CP within cells works, however if enough people need an explanation then I'll give one, just can't be bothered at the moment because it isn't really that important.

Not all studies have shown that creatine supplementation increases lean body mass, however there are several which have. Scientists speculate that the increase in lean mass can be attributed to increased water retention rather than contractile protein.... least in studies over 1 to 6 weeks.
Another factor which may be responsible for an increase in lean mass, is that the amino acids used to create creatine are now available for other functions. This means glycine, arginine and methionine are available in surplus amounts for other anabolic functions.
For long term building of creatine levels, use 8mg per pound of lean body mass (about 1 to 2g per day). For short term loading, taking 10 to 24g per day for seven days will increase the body's creatine levels.

Alanine
Alanine is found in high concentrations in most muscle tissue and is grouped with nonessential amino acids because it can be manufactured by the body. Alanine is involved in an important biochemical process during excercise called the "glucose-alanine cycle". In the muscle when glycogen stores are broken down into glucose and then a 3-Carbon molecule named pyruvate. Some of this is used directly for energy by the muscles. However, it is mostly converted to alanine which is transported through the bloodstream into the liver, where it is made back into glucose. It is believed that alanine can be used in the same way as other BCAAs... to help diminish muscle tissue breakdown during excercise to conserve the liver's glycogen.

Androstenedione
'Andro' has gained attention worldwide and is widely used by strength training athletes. Andro is a male hormone, androgen. It is naturally produced by the body and its function is to promote the 'masculine' characteristics such as muscle build, voice depth, sex drive and body hair. Andro can be converted into testosterone and estrone which is an estrogen.
To much andro in the body, thus causing an over production of testosterone can accelerate male pattern baldness, cause abnormal prostate growth and also increase body hair. This can also cause gynecomastia which is the formation of breast tissue in males. Otherwise known as bitch tits
The use of any pro-hormones should be done under medical supervision with regular blood tests and examinations to monitor hormone levels and other effects. Other compounds related to andro which may be found in supplements include 19-Norandostenediol, 19-Norandrostenedione and 4-androstenediol.
It should also be noted that most professional sporting organisations prohibit the use of pro-hormones which means if you get caught using them you can get your proverbial arse kicked.

EDIT 1: Cleaned the thread up into one post, will edit again later to add more info

EDIT 2: Added more supplements"

And this is the rest of the article I did

"Whey Protein/General Protein Information
Whey protein is considered the 'ultimate' of all protein sources. It comes from milk during the process of converting milk into cheese. During this process, whey protein is separated out.
Whey protein provides the building blocks to produce amino acids which are part of all muscle tissue. Both hormonal and cellular responses are enhanced with the supplementation of whey protein. There has also been research which has proven the benefits of whey protein in building the immune system and serving as an antioxidant.
Extremely high doses are not recommended because it overloads the liver, however small amounts spread throughout the day will be of massive benefit to bodybuilders, dieters and pretty much all other athletes... as well as the average joe.

Recent Studies:

Consuming Protein Can Deter The Effects Of Overtraining


Protein Taken With Carbs Is Better Than Taking Protein Alone For Muscle Building


There are literally dozens of different whey protein supplements on the market, the problem is finding the right one that works for you. Try to steer clear of supplements containing a lot of sugar, you can check this by looking at the label on the side of the tub. Most people on these boards will recommend Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Protein, however try a few different brands for yourself and see which ones you get the best results from. Ask your local health shop attendant what they would recommend for your own goals and they will only be too happy to help you out. I personally like using the Redbak products as they are reasonably cheap and work well for my body, however I have tried lots of brands including Optimum Nutrition, Aussie Bodies, Musashi, Max's, Weider and the list goes on and on...

Good luck with your supplement shopping and I hope this guide was of some use to you. Any queries can be posted in a new thread on this message board or emailed to nickgaskin@wn.com.au

regards,

Nick."

i can setup tournaments on Pokerstars.

I'm looking for more feedback gentlemen... please speak up if you haven't already!

I have no idea how it would be implimented, other than manually, but a PFO Leaderboard could spark a bit of competition. Most cash won in tounies and ring game. PFO members only.

For tourneis, if members added their poker user names to their profile, you may be able to scarpe Official Poker Rankings and then sort them accordingly.

You know I could post news/articles/reviews. My time is as limited as yours is, so I would need some sort of compensation. Hit me up on AIM and we can discuss.

Also, people tend to enjoy blogs, maybe incorporate a blogger or 2 into the mix.