Forum Committment for the great community we have here

[roenick27]

First, I have no clue what section this belongs in. Second, the title probably should be changed to something more efficient and to the point.

I love the site. I think Dobber and the staff, along with the majority of the posters in here do a sensational job filling my free time with what I love: Hockey.
I'm sure this will ruffle some feathers, and while I don't mean for this to be reaction, maybe it's not a bad a thing. There have been so many posts that I have read through, contributed to that have benefited myself, the OP and I'm sure 90%+ of the posters in here.
But maybe it's just lately or happening in more of the posts I've been involved with, but I feel like posts go from the OP's (question/concern/statement whatever) and go so far off track and leads to bickering and nonsense that just doesn't need to be here. I just read a small post I was in (maybe 20 something posts) and the OP's question to maybe post #10 or so were great. Differentiating opinions were there and then WHAM! Next 10 posts or so are just bickering off topic followed by the OP coming back in to update what he did (in reference to his question). It started with 2 members but them spread to a few others (some were respectful in their post, so I don't want them to feel that they can't answer with an opinion, but again, it had nothing to do with the OP's question). After the OP came back in, there were a few good posts, then WHAM! next new bickering starts on a somewhat different topic.
Why do we need to get off topic and bicker? It ruins the thread, the OP's question, and just plain gets annoying. It's a forum. I understand that people will have different opinions, and that's a beautiful thing. But the bickering, shots/name calling etc just has no place here. It wasn't even that bad(as far as name calling etc), but it just took away from the thread and was unnecessary.
I know 90%+ of the members in here only bring positive feedback (as I hope I do and have as well), but the unnecessary bickering etc needs to stop.

I'm not calling anybody out on this, but as a forum, can we make some type of commitment to :
a) not start the bickering
b) not get sucked into the bickering

It would turn a 20+ thread (half filled with nonsense) into a 10-15 post thread filled with legitimate opinions, thoughts, stats etc

I know it is hard when someone brings something up that irritates you, and you need to defend yourself. I get it. But adding fuel to the fire in here ends up ruining it for others, and that isn't fair.

I hope people don't take this the wrong way. I hope it is looked at as a reminder to try and make a positive contribution to the post, not a negative one.

[Dobber]

Basically, we need to better understand that you aren't going to change minds here if you get confronted, beyond one counter-point.

1. You say something.
2. They say the opposite and maybe are a little rude about your opinion.
3. You counter with some added reasoning
4. They counter with theirs, likely in a way that you either believe is wrong, or you change your mind. So
a) You've changed your mind. Problem solved
b) You think they're way off. Well, you've already explained yourself. They're not going to change. Let them be wrong
5. Move onto another thread. This conversation, or your part in it, is over. Anything more just wastes your time. You will never change someone's mind after one counterpoint (or, rarely, maybe a second one). What does winning the unwinnable argument do? You don't know how great or bad a player is. Are you a scout? Even scouts don't truly know. It's opinion, and theirs is different. So that's the end of it.

The reward for getting him or her to see things your way is, what, winning the Internet? Yeh! He thinks a player is good now when he used to think he was bad!


Here is a good example:

Capture.PNG



I wasn't going to change my opinion of Bonino and it was pretty clear he wasn't changing on Bonino. And frankly, I realized I didn't care if I changed his mind - maybe in a year I will remember and can get back to him after some facts are in the books.

[ericdaoust]

If you need to win internet debates to feel better about yourself, the bar you set in life is way too low.

[2014olympicgold]

Come September/October it’s a lot better. There’s just not a lot to talk about right now.

[Pengwin7]

I'm not calling anybody out on this, but as a forum, can we make some type of commitment to :
a) not start the bickering
b) not get sucked into the bickering

No chance!
Seriously though, in the great words of Pat Kane (on behaving himself after winning the Stanley Cup) "...not a chance".



I don't mean to be rude... but it's an internet forum.
There are going to be a collection of different personalities.

You are asking people to change.
Adult men, mostly.

The forums have always been the same way.

Some people are passionate.
Some people are not.

Some people make long posts.
Some people make short posts.

Some people don't care if somebody disagrees with them.
Some people do care if somebody disagrees with them.

We are a community of flawed people and some of us are so passionate about fantasy hockey that it gets the better of us sometimes (myself included).
We all need to do our best to deal with the fact that none of us are going to change the way we are at this point in our lives.

[roenick27]

If you need to win internet debates to feel better about yourself, the bar you set in life is way too low.

I agree. I guess I should have been more clear. IMO obviously the name calling etc, is not acceptable. But a lot of threads are being brought off track (from the OP's original question etc) in a manner which leads to bickering. It becomes quite frustrating when I have to scroll through posts that are useless because people want to bicker. I know Dobber has addressed this in the direction say of the "2" posters. My thought process was it is affecting _______posters/readers etc.

I know things can't be policed all the time. I don't want to suppress anyone. I'm just asking people maybe to take responsibility to be the bigger person and not start this stuff, and not to get involved when it does start. Don't jump in. The post I referenced could've been stopped at the one bad post (it wasn't that bad, but detoured the thread and imo was meant to stir things up).

[roenick27]

It has nothing to do with disagreeing. I welcome that.
Its taking the post and detouring it completely to start an argument about something that has nothing to do with the thread.

I agree people are going to disagree. That is why we're here. But there's no reason to detour a thread (multiple times/ways in a lot of cases) with the intention of stirring things up.

No chance!
Seriously though, in the great words of Pat Kane (on behaving himself after winning the Stanley Cup) "...not a chance".

I don't mean to be rude... but it's an internet forum.
There are going to be a collection of different personalities.

You are asking people to change.
Adult men, mostly.

The forums have always been the same way.

Some people are passionate.
Some people are not.

Some people make long posts.
Some people make short posts.

Some people don't care if somebody disagrees with them.
Some people do care if somebody disagrees with them.

We are a community of flawed people and some of us are so passionate about fantasy hockey that it gets the better of us sometimes (myself included).
We all need to do our best to deal with the fact that none of us are going to change the way we are at this point in our lives.

[Rodgort]

No chance!
Seriously though, in the great words of Pat Kane (on behaving himself after winning the Stanley Cup) "...not a chance".



I don't mean to be rude... but it's an internet forum.
There are going to be a collection of different personalities.

You are asking people to change.
Adult men, mostly.

The forums have always been the same way.

Some people are passionate.
Some people are not.

Some people make long posts.
Some people make short posts.

Some people don't care if somebody disagrees with them.
Some people do care if somebody disagrees with them.

We are a community of flawed people and some of us are so passionate about fantasy hockey that it gets the better of us sometimes (myself included).
We all need to do our best to deal with the fact that none of us are going to change the way we are at this point in our lives.

I wonder who makes these long posts hahah

[2014olympicgold]

Also, follow me to the perfect world….