Online Officiating Discussion Forums: A Few Thoughts

I'm a big fan of the discussion forums available online for umpires and referees. They're a great way for officials to gain knowledge and insights from each other in a way that could not have been accomplished prior to the Internet age.

For the industry as a whole, I think they have played at least a small part in developing the culture of the officiating industry as a professional activity at all levels.

FORUMS

ABUA (Amateur Baseball Umpire Association)
Categorized nicely by topic and level for umpires and has a category specifically for umpire equipment (my favorite). I post occasionally here with the latest being on lightweight masks. I'm impressed by the level of knowledge many of the umpires who post here have. I have learned a great deal myself from simply reading posts over the last 3 or 4 years.

Officiating.com
Categorized by sport, it historically has been the more congenial of the bunch. Because of the multiple sports, it's the largest in volume of information and is a one-stop-shop for those who do more than 1 sport.

The Umpire Life (new and closed)
Developed by Minor League Umpire and MLB fill-in umpire Rob Drake. The site was widely applauded as it uniquely showed what life was like for an umpire at that level through a blog and discussion forum where questions from non-MLB umpires could be answered by Rob.

However, due to concerns from Major League Baseball, the site has been shut down (why it was shut down is an interesting topic worthy of fleshing out in another post).

Umpire-Empire
Developed by an umpire with the intention of an umpire only site with well-written articles, equipment reviews, suppliers reviews and a discussion board organized by topic.

GOOD MODERATORS ARE KEY TO GOOD DISCUSSION BOARDS

What I've noticed is that Rob's forum and the one at Umpire-Empire have been flawlessly moderated.

A good moderator is one who posts in a positive manner, encourages discussion - often times starting posts, and tactfully arbitrates when there are disagreements without taking sides. In other words, the moderator sets the tone and serves as the model for how others should follow.

What are your experiences with the above sites or boards? Know any others out there I've missed?