Monday, June 15th, 2009...9:33 am
Commenter Guidelines
In recent weeks, the comment threads here at 48 Minutes of Hell have grown substantially. Our 4 or 5 most commented-on posts have come since our first round playoff exit. Tim and I are not only excited that the community here at 48MoH is growing, but that it is filled with such thoughtful readers. That is not empty flattery; I spend a fair amount of time reading online and few comment sections exist at the level that ours here at 48MoH does.
That being said, as the comment sections have grown, we’ve had issues with commenters becoming chippy with one another. This is somewhat inevitable, as we are all passionate about the same topic. But I am of the mindset that we can have a large and respectful commenting community, and the best way to ensure that is to address this now.
Some of these rules are concrete, while some are meant to set a general tone. But all of them were established to ensure that the debates we are having remain robust and respectful.
Nothing Sexist, Racist, or Pornographic: This is the only “one strike, you’re out,” policy I have. If you post something that is sexist, racist, or pornographic, you will be banned from the comments section. This has never been a problem amongst our commenters and I don’t expect it to be. I just wanted to be clear.
Do Not Use Excessive Adult Language: I do not have a problem with the use of adult language when amongst adults. But I would like 48MoH to be a safe space for young people as well. An obscenity or two will not get your comment deleted, but be mindful of the fact that young people are very active online, and although you may believe we are all adults here, that may not be the case.
Do Not Type In All Caps or Internet Shorthand: If you must comment in all caps, do not comment at all. If you do happen to, I will most likely delete the comment. Sometimes all caps comments include a worthwhile thought, in which instance I will edit the comment so that it uses capital letters only where appropriate. As far as internet shorthand goes: An LOL here or there isn’t going to get your comment deleted, but if it is written entirely in IM-speak, I will delete it.
Do Not Insult or Antagonize Either the Post’s Author or Your Fellow Commenters: You can disagree with someone without referring to them as an “idiot,” or questioning their fanhood. (”Are you even a fan?” is an obnoxious thing to say.) In fact, you can even claim someone has made a factual error without being condescending. I encourage everyone to question me and one another but if you are being needlessly aggressive I will delete your post. If your presence in the comments section is becoming a continual problem, I will send you an email and ask you to be more respectful. If, after having discussed the issue with you, you are still unable to participate in this community in a dignified manner, I will ban you from the comments section.
Make Substantial Points: I appreciate it when people stop by just to say “Go Spurs” before or after a game, but for the most part I want people to try and make comments of substance. Not every comment has to be a dissertation but let’s try to always be moving the conversation forward. In regards to both this and the previous rule: Even if you make a point of substance, the inclusion of red herrings and ad hominem attacks may get your comment deleted. For instance, if you attempt to prove your point by claiming you are a bigger fan than a fellow commenter (or by claiming he or she is not a fan), instead of citing actual information, that may get your comment deleted. There is nothing that annoys me more than when someone relies on arrogance instead of evidence. Saying, “I have been a fan for a long time” or “I’m a season ticket holder,” does not automatically make your point valid. If you are either of those, than you should be knowledgeable enough to use actual evidence.
If you want to type in all caps, be excessively obscene, or needlessly antagonize your fellow commenters, there are plenty of other websites where you are welcome to do so. Here at 48MoH, we are going to strive for something a little higher.
15 Comments
June 15th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I thought about commenting in all caps just to see what would happen but thought against it.
I greatly appreciate what both you and Tim are doing here. Keep up the good work! On a side note, I was wondering if you’ve read or heard anything pertaining to Bouroussis in the last few weeks?
June 15th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I just love this blog. Anyway, as a follow up to Jordan, I read this entry in the Pounding The Rock blog:
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2009/6/11/906837/the-inside-scoop
And it mentioned that a very tall fellow was with Tim Duncan when they had pizza at some restaurant. When asked who he was, he answered ‘I’m your starting center next season’… not exact words but I guess you all get the point. Could this be him???
June 15th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I’m wondering about Bouroussis also. All of the news died down really quick.
Roland, couldnt that very tall fellow be Ian? I figured he’d be an upgrade over any other starting center on the Spurs roster right now.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:23 am
We’re working on the Bouroussis story, but there are some regulatory issues regarding international free agency we want to clarify before commenting further. For now, just know that the Spurs cannot sign an international free agent before July 1st.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:25 am
I would just like to say that I really appreciate the level of interest and intellegence shown in the comments section of almost every post here on 48MoH. I cannot think of even 1 other website where the comments section is anything other than a bunch of anger and immaturity. Thanks again to all the commenters and to 48MoH for caring to keep the comments section so amazingly great to read.
… and isn’t it amazing how having All Caps can affect a typed message? I think it’s a very intriguing phenomenon in our internet world…
June 15th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I frequented the live game chats on mysa.com this past season and there was one dude that wrote all his comments in all caps. It pretty much pissed off everyone in the chats. I just thought it was kind of funny that this post mentioned the all caps thing. It annoys the crap out of me too.
June 15th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Well, that ends my parade of “f” bombs. I guess letting people know that their mental capabilities are inadequate and that their person status, let alone fan status, should be questioned. I guess I’ll just have to keep it “PG”. Here’s one final plug before I officially follow the rules. LOL
June 15th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Ha ha ha. I can’t stand the internet-speak (LOL, FYI, BTW, OMG). I keep telling people, “Hey, speak English! I never say LOL in real life!”
By the way, great to meet you at Blogs With Balls! I think I met you. I was too intoxicated.
June 15th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Since this is a kind of guidelines post I have a theoretical question for you. Mainly it is to do with how you both view the site, content, and your own roles online.
I have always wondered, being that this is a very partisan blog. If you guys found out for instance that the spurs were doing something that could be construed as “tampering” under league rules, with regard to for example a free agent. The story would probably cause the league to react and take action.
Would you break the story? Or would you sit on it?
Maybe thats a topic worthy of discussion across the network of blogs we all frequent, it’s a question i’ve been intrigued by for a long time.
I’d be very interested to hear your perspectives.
June 15th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Sorry about the butchered grammar above.
June 15th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
This is such a great blog. The insightful, respectful, literate, reasonable (yet still fun) tone is befitting a team like the Spurs.
side note to Rey-Rey: a friend of mine got me saying “BRB” when I leave a room. It’s actually pretty funny. But yeah, in general it’s kind of disturbing what internet-speak is doing to language. I think it’s ++ungood.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
This has become the #1 Spurs-related website I visit on the daily basis. And, no, there’s nothing on my nose thank you very much. *smile*
In all seriousness, I love the great takes from the site authors and the commenters. And I hope you guys throw down the hammer on anyone who brings the level of nonsense and vulgarity (going beyond cussin’) I have to suffer through on some other Spurs blogs/forums.
June 15th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Bushka,
That’s an excellent question. I’d like to give it the lengthy response it deserves at a later date but for the time being:
In general, I don’t feel as compelled to be a watchdog as I would if I was a member of the political or financial press.
But the Spurs do occupy a unique position in the public/private divide: They are a private corporation that has, at points, received public funding in order to carry on its operations (the most notable instance of this is stadium construction). I think, given that position, we do have a responsibility to hold them to a certain standard.
As far as your specific example is concerned (if the Spurs were “tampering” with a free agent), I unashamedly admit I want the Spurs to succeed. But I do not think the franchise benefits by doing anything illegal. At the time it may seem that, by publicizing their questionable activities, you are hurting the franchise. But in the long run I think the Spurs would be better served if fans and journalists held them to a high ethical standard.
That being said, I am not interested in gossip or “gotcha” journalism. I would only publish a story that would harm the franchise’s reputation if I had very reputable sources and confirmed facts.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Fantastic.
Very happy to hear that from you . I think one of the reasons that this site flourishes is both the quality of the writing, and the quality of the subject matter.
Would be very interested in hearing the topic discussed on a broader scale.
Cheers for the reply
June 16th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Well said, Graydon. The last thing we need on here is people making comments without substance.
Keep up the good work.
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