A Friendly Reminder Regarding In-Game Threads

[hawing]

Dear Brewerfan.net fans,

The In Game Thread is for discussion of games in progress. To prevent the IGTs getting taken off course, we would like everyone to read the following and try to help out by adhering to these guidelines.

Thanks for your cooperation.

1. Don’t assume people will ‘get’ your subtle sarcasm or your withering wit. It’s text people are reading - not your mind. Subtlety often gets lost in the written word - so don’t use it if you aren’t positive it will come across correctly. Or literally - make it blue font.

2. Do NOT post things that don’t have a clear meaning to the reader. Not everyone is watching the game. Don’t type little one offs like:

- That was horrible.
- He’s stupid.
- Holy crap.
- Counsell sucks.

Instead, how about:

- That was a horrible effort by the Pirates to hold the runner on base.
- Josh Harrison was stupid to try and steal 3B with two outs. Dumb thing to do in that situation.
- Holy crap, I can’t believe how far Braun hit that home run.
- I didn’t like Counsell's decision to bunt. It just gives away an at bat.

Just posting random rantings without context makes no sense to half the users, and annoys many of the others. Just stop.

We understand that some of this kind of thing is a natural part of the IGT. Typing in 'Braun!' after an HR is okay. But to have half the posts just be one offs of people pissing and moaning isn't fun for anyone.

3. Do NOT repeat yourself ad nauseam. You don’t like Counsell - fine. Say so and be done with it. You think Thames looks bad - fine, say so then move on. People beating dead horses is one of the worst things that drags down a message board. Stop it.

While a game is going on, don’t waste time complaining about the manager or the lineup or whatever every chance you get. Even better, go start a thread about crap like that if it’s so important. Don’t ruin the experience for everyone else by whining and complaining about your pet peeve.

4. If someone says or does something that is truly wrong (look at the etiquette guidelines if you’re not sure), report the post to a mod. We have banished many a person due to complaints.

5. As hard as it is - don’t respond to stupid comments. Some people weirdly find value in having people react to their posts - so hold your fire. Nothing sends a troll back under the bridge faster than if everyone just ignores him. Again, we know it's easier said than done - but doing so will really help the atmosphere of the IGT.

6. Skip the condescending comments. Things like, "Do you bother to even watch the games," or "You probably think the RBI is the best statistic," or "Spoken like a stat nerd who has never actually played the game," etc, etc. You're not being funny or witty or whatever - you're just being a jerk. And even IF a person deserves a bit of slapping down, just know it's going to potentially start a long exchange of whining and counter-whining. That does nothing other than obscure the original intent of your comment. Now everyone is focused on what a jerk you are - not that the original poster is making stupid comments. Just stop it before it even begins. Disagree - but politely. If a person is being an idiot, you can reply with an even hand and common sense. Besides, nothing drives an idiot poster crazy than someone simply dismantling their idiot comments in a cold, rational way.

7. If someone is a particular problem you can add them to your block list. Just click the username and add them as a 'foe'. You won't see their posts.

Thanks for everyone's cooperation. Go Brewers!