In an effort to clean things up around here, after the jump I'm going to lay out the first formal commenting policy for Depressed Fan.
Over the past three-plus years, there have been over 36,000 comments on this blog, and the vast majority of them have been a joy to read. Every post I write is my opinion, without fail. I do not work for a mainstream media company, I am not a journalist by any stretch of the imagination. I'm a fan who watches every game, spends a lot of time researching statistics and trends, and had the technical skills and determination to build myself a forum to talk about the Philadelphia 76ers.
I am not beholden to anyone, whatever I publish on this blog represents my interpretation of what I've seen/read/researched. I am not infallible, nor have I ever claimed to be. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've had a back-and-forth with just about every regular commenter over a certain aspect of the team that we've disagreed upon. It's the differences that make the conversation stimulating. It's the stimulating conversation that keeps me writing.
My goal is to keep this blog as open as possible, and for the community of Sixers fans who frequent the site to grow along with it. That being said, I will not stand by and watch the quality of comments degrade to that of Philly.com. I have no interest in sifting through 10 "Iggy sucks, Iverson rulz," comments to get to the next thoughtful post. I have no interest in checking out the discussion on a post I spent a lot of time writing to see comments that essentially say, "This blog sucks," or "You suck, Brian." If the only opinion you're going to state is that this blog is horrible, there's a simple solution. Don't read it. If you disagree with something I say, take a second, think about what I've said, and then tell me why you think I'm wrong. If you can back it up with stats or observations, that would be great. Those are the type of comments that spark lively debate. If you disagree with everything I say, maybe you should ask yourself why you continue to read.
So here's the policy.
- Think before you hit submit.
- If you disagree with something that's been said, either by myself or someone else, make sure you say why you disagree and how you feel about the matter. Avoid, "You're an idiot," replies. It's fine to attack opinions, stay away from attacking people.
- If the whole purpose of your comment is to tell me I suck, rest assured that I know I suck and you don't need to remind me. No need for the comment to be made at all.
That's it. I'll abide by these guidelines at all times going forward and I'm going to have to insist everyone else does as well.
You Suck.
I can live with this one since you linked your name to Philly.com :)
I know I suck
Does your wife know?
I will not stand by and watch the quality of comments degrade to that of Philly.com. I have no interest in sifting through 10 "Iggy sucks, Iverson rulz," comments to get to the next thoughtful post
lol that's hysterical, and exactly the reason that I don't read the comments portion of philly.com. Brian isn't there a way that you can just ban the trolls from commenting?
Yes, as a last resort.
I think you rule :)
I think this post sucked. You couldn't even spell "rules" correctly.
"If the whole purpose of your comment is to tell me I suck, rest assured that I know I suck and you don't need to remind me. No need for the comment to be made at all."
I'm not sure why some people have chosen to do such actions, but my guess would be that they still haven't emotionally recovered from an initial disagreement some time ago. However, if there is a point that is trying to be conveyed within these responses, they are typically delivered in a verbose, trite manner, and thus not enjoyable to read.
As for the philly.com-esque comments, I hate to see what's going to happen once the sixers become a contending team.
Brian,
Thank you. I have stopped reading several blogs exactly for the reasons you list above.
I have no problem with people disagreeing with me but want reasons. And I do not read the blogs on Philly.com for the exact reason you noted.
And, just one point that we can all agree to:
Fire Jordan!
Brian, I think you are well-respected and appreciated by the majority who read your blog. It's hard work and a thankless task, because negative (personal) comments are more easily remembered than positive ones.
For what it's worth, I think the signal-to-noise ratio (to use an EE term) is still much higher here than on philly.com, and I'm glad you're taking steps to keep it that way.
come on statman i come on this blog to AVOID school not get more of it!!! haha just messin with you.
As for the post I don't see too much of an issue on this blog... it can be MUCH worse. but i'm glad you're taking steps to keep it from degenerating into other blogs/message boards.
You rule (or at least put together a very passionate yet coherent blog). Keep up the good work.
I always assume people that don't agree with me suck. But I don't let them know that I really think they are idiots- otherwise they probably would stop talking to me...
But seriously, having posters who are looking to argue instead of discuss is a problem at every discussion board and blog. I think its appropriate to have an aggressive stance to stamp out this behavior. Its one of the advantages of a blog over a more free for all discussion board.
Brian, great Blog! Keep it up! I'll try to stay within the bounds.
The signal-to-noise ratio is much better here than at a place like RealGM (although I think Derek and the other mods do a good job of keeping a much larger universe of posters - with a much wider standard deviation of basketball intellect - in line), and that is why I like coming here. The one thing that RealGM has, however, is the "ignore" feature...if somebody is a tool, you can simply ignore their posts. While I don't think it is as necessary here, it would help keep the clutter in line.
Every forum/blog has its condescending know-it-alls, and this blog is no different. Your efforts to get those yabos in-line is MUCH appreciated.
For me, finding this blog was just like the first time I moved from the nosebleed seats to the lower level. The comments are much more informed, and people are there for the game, not the hot dogs.
Thanks Brian.