There are MAJOR misunderstandings about what gets people temp-banned, and I don't really understand why. Frankly, I'm more frustrated by that confusion than I am the comments of those few who do buy time-outs.
Do you need to call Boeckman a name? Do you need to speak in absolutes about his future prospects? Do you need to make quips about him needing splinters in his ass, or do you otherwise need to say things that malign the kid? If not, then chances are you have no worries.
not bannable:
"I think Boeckman is a liability in big games when the pressure is on because he locks on receivers, looks flustered in the pocket, and can be clumsy and unaware on the move when he gets poor protection from the line. I'd like to see us give Pryor a chance, because I'm not convinced Boeckman can get us through the big games." (Not a great post, but not bannable. Why don't we expand upon this with specific examples from the game? Contribute to the conversation, instead of just making declarations.)
bannable:
"Chokeman should never be allowed on the field again, he shouldn't even suit up, or if he does, should never leave the bench because he sucks."
Here's a link with a basic list of fallacies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies
I highly recommend checking that out. Avoid those, absolutes, and petulance without substance -- and I don't see how you or anyone would get banned.
Qualify statements.
"I think X." This isn't enough, knowing what you think means little if I don't understand why you think it. Expand. "Y and Z lead me to believe X."
"X is forever or absolute." More shit, of the worst type. "Based on X, it's hard to imagine Y." Fine. "Right now, I can't get my head past X." Fine.
"X is an inarguable fact." You better back this one up, or I'll choke you myself just for speaking in absolutes.
You can say basically anything you want as long as you qualify it, and in the process, CREATE conversation as opposed to stifling it.
For the sake of transparency, here are some posts that resulted in temp-bans. Consider the common themes. (Note: I'll focus on Boeckman posts as an example, because it's convenient. It would be just as easy to do it with the coaching situation, o/d lines, the site itself, etc.)
There's more, some worse, some better -- but you get the idea. None of these promote discourse, they're just cases of individuals venting at the expense of fellow fans.
Here are critiques (sharp ones, in some cases) that not only didn't get banned, but were well embraced as contributions to the conversation:
No doubt I could find 'better' examples for both sides, there are harsher critiques of Boeckman, the lines, the coaches, that are alive, well, and open for discussion here right now -- because they're framed responsibly, rationally, and generally promote discussion and represent qualified/quantified opinion. Then there's a lot of crap that's been culled out because all it does is amplify the pain we're feeling, collectively. That's a service that the mods (not me, the mods and admins) offer while they're suffering the same feelings the rest of us are. It's easy to just vomit your bile all over fellow fans on a website, it's hard to clean that up.
Our system is NOT perfect. Some people will, have, and did receive warnings and bannings that shouldn't have. Where we have an opportunity and reason to correct, we do. Where people ask us to take another look, or express regret or improved understanding -- we often do that too. We have standards that are open to interpretation, and a lot of eyes taking a look at posts. Particularly during the game when everything's fresh, that's a very difficult task. So no, I won't claim perfection, I will say that I need this to be a place where I can visit without feeling worse about the game, the team, etc. That doesn't mean everything has to be bright and shiny, it just means we have to maintain some balance and reason. I expect everyone to contribute to that -- mod, poster, admin, even lurker.
No one is grading your posts. No one is telling you what to say and what not to say. What we are saying is that there's an established atmosphere that we wish to maintain. Many are reading more into this than is actually present. Bashing is unwelcome. Bile is unwelcome. Criticism is not only welcome, but it's embraced, as long as it's responsibly positioned and meaningfully explained. That goes for criticism about the players, coaches, the site, me, whatever.
We do not squelch voices. We DO defend the opportunity to be heard. No one can be heard if the majority of the posts are "we suck."
Finally, let me say this -- I started BP because I didn't agree with the way other sites handled their administration and general approach. I wanted a place that would NEVER be guilty of tearing a player down personally, where players themselves could see passionate but fair and objective fans. NOT cheerleaders, not blind zealots, just reasonable fans. BP isn't for everyone, and if it's not for you, you're fortunate to have a wealth of alternatives available to you. None of those do it either? Start your own. If you feel there's a segment of the fans not represented by the sites currently available, then step up and put one together. That's not sarcasm, my whole purpose was trying to create a home for fans that didn't really have one at the time of BP's formation -- and here we are.
Do you need to call Boeckman a name? Do you need to speak in absolutes about his future prospects? Do you need to make quips about him needing splinters in his ass, or do you otherwise need to say things that malign the kid? If not, then chances are you have no worries.
not bannable:
"I think Boeckman is a liability in big games when the pressure is on because he locks on receivers, looks flustered in the pocket, and can be clumsy and unaware on the move when he gets poor protection from the line. I'd like to see us give Pryor a chance, because I'm not convinced Boeckman can get us through the big games." (Not a great post, but not bannable. Why don't we expand upon this with specific examples from the game? Contribute to the conversation, instead of just making declarations.)
bannable:
"Chokeman should never be allowed on the field again, he shouldn't even suit up, or if he does, should never leave the bench because he sucks."
Here's a link with a basic list of fallacies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies
I highly recommend checking that out. Avoid those, absolutes, and petulance without substance -- and I don't see how you or anyone would get banned.
Qualify statements.
"I think X." This isn't enough, knowing what you think means little if I don't understand why you think it. Expand. "Y and Z lead me to believe X."
"X is forever or absolute." More shit, of the worst type. "Based on X, it's hard to imagine Y." Fine. "Right now, I can't get my head past X." Fine.
"X is an inarguable fact." You better back this one up, or I'll choke you myself just for speaking in absolutes.
You can say basically anything you want as long as you qualify it, and in the process, CREATE conversation as opposed to stifling it.
For the sake of transparency, here are some posts that resulted in temp-bans. Consider the common themes. (Note: I'll focus on Boeckman posts as an example, because it's convenient. It would be just as easy to do it with the coaching situation, o/d lines, the site itself, etc.)
There's more, some worse, some better -- but you get the idea. None of these promote discourse, they're just cases of individuals venting at the expense of fellow fans.
Here are critiques (sharp ones, in some cases) that not only didn't get banned, but were well embraced as contributions to the conversation:
No doubt I could find 'better' examples for both sides, there are harsher critiques of Boeckman, the lines, the coaches, that are alive, well, and open for discussion here right now -- because they're framed responsibly, rationally, and generally promote discussion and represent qualified/quantified opinion. Then there's a lot of crap that's been culled out because all it does is amplify the pain we're feeling, collectively. That's a service that the mods (not me, the mods and admins) offer while they're suffering the same feelings the rest of us are. It's easy to just vomit your bile all over fellow fans on a website, it's hard to clean that up.
Our system is NOT perfect. Some people will, have, and did receive warnings and bannings that shouldn't have. Where we have an opportunity and reason to correct, we do. Where people ask us to take another look, or express regret or improved understanding -- we often do that too. We have standards that are open to interpretation, and a lot of eyes taking a look at posts. Particularly during the game when everything's fresh, that's a very difficult task. So no, I won't claim perfection, I will say that I need this to be a place where I can visit without feeling worse about the game, the team, etc. That doesn't mean everything has to be bright and shiny, it just means we have to maintain some balance and reason. I expect everyone to contribute to that -- mod, poster, admin, even lurker.
No one is grading your posts. No one is telling you what to say and what not to say. What we are saying is that there's an established atmosphere that we wish to maintain. Many are reading more into this than is actually present. Bashing is unwelcome. Bile is unwelcome. Criticism is not only welcome, but it's embraced, as long as it's responsibly positioned and meaningfully explained. That goes for criticism about the players, coaches, the site, me, whatever.
We do not squelch voices. We DO defend the opportunity to be heard. No one can be heard if the majority of the posts are "we suck."
Finally, let me say this -- I started BP because I didn't agree with the way other sites handled their administration and general approach. I wanted a place that would NEVER be guilty of tearing a player down personally, where players themselves could see passionate but fair and objective fans. NOT cheerleaders, not blind zealots, just reasonable fans. BP isn't for everyone, and if it's not for you, you're fortunate to have a wealth of alternatives available to you. None of those do it either? Start your own. If you feel there's a segment of the fans not represented by the sites currently available, then step up and put one together. That's not sarcasm, my whole purpose was trying to create a home for fans that didn't really have one at the time of BP's formation -- and here we are.
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