[editor's note, by Russ] With the launch of the new platform and the new season is almost upon us, it is time to review the rules once again. The following was originally written last April, and there were a few changes to them as the season went by. These rules still stand, but will be modified to meet all current rules.
First Rule:
Above everything that's to follow in this post remember it's the administrators' final decision as to what is and is not appropriate for the site. In this case, the administrators are primarily Russ and myself. Same as in baseball, you can't argue balls or strikes with the umpires or you could get yourself ejected. Please remember that Purple Row is a benevolent and open dictatorship that values the input and opinions of its citizenry, but it's not a democracy.
Second Rule:
As dictators, we value certain qualities in comments more than others and will grant favoritism to users who abide by the following guidelines. I don't mean to single anybody out with this, as I'm aware these guidelines haven't been posted anywhere prominently until now and if you're new, there's no way you could have known:
- Do be a Rockies fan. This is the easiest way to get on our good side. Let the silver in our uniforms be a constant reminder to you of the lining to the dark clouds of misery in our recent past. In other words, be careful to not indulge in incessant negativity. If you think a player, coach or front office person isn't doing their job, it's fine to say as much within context and using a socially acceptable frame of speech. If you bring up the person out of context -say in a game recap when they weren't involved in the game in any way- it's crossing the line. Be constructive and offer what you feel are reasonable solutions along with the problems you wish to bring up. Our goal is to see the Rockies win, not to hear more about them losing.
- Game threads are for chattering about the Rockies games as they are being played. Unrelated side conversations will inevitably start from time to time, but be careful to quickly pull them out to AIM or e-mail to not clog the threads for other users who are there for game commentary only. With the size and growth of the community we'll probably start having more general get-to-know-you open threads as I believe building these personal connections is important for building the community at large, but I want to keep them separated from the on field action.
- Religion/sex/politics are slightly more acceptable topics of discussion at Purple Row than most SBN sites. Why? Because our team or prominent figures therein have been knocked around by the media on all three accounts in recent years. I'm convinced that part of the furor over the religious story with the Rockies last year is a result of people actively avoiding the secular lives of those around them rather than just being aware of and accepting them. Personally, I'm not a Christian, but offer those that are my respect for their convictions and am happy that they grant me the same for mine. Let's keep it this way by being respectful of our differences and remembering that baseball and the Rockies are the ties that bind us all together.
- In that vein, posts of intolerance and personal attacks are unacceptable. Highlighting differences or using inflammatory rhetoric against somebody's nationality, race, gender, sexuality or religion could be cause for getting booted off the site. For a couple of examples: Aaron Miles is a bum because he can't take a walk, not because he's a short white guy. Byung Hyun Kim gets on our ire for his inconsistency in pitching, not his common English as a second language difficulty. For other users, be considerate even in total disagreement. There are various levels of baseball knowledge on the site, and if your level of understanding is greater than mine or another user's, it doesn't mean that we're idiots. Explain what you know and move on without name calling or denigration. On the other hand, be slow in taking offense when somebody disagrees with you. If you think another user (or even one of us) has gone too far, e-mail Russ or myself and let us know and we'll do our best to sort it out.
- Profanity is acceptable at a PG, possibly PG-13 level in game threads or in other breaking news items (transactions, mostly) where knee jerk reactions are to be expected. In other posts, be more measured and careful with your responses. Take time to think them through and preview them before posting. A well thought out counterpoint that's in disagreement with our own opinion will win us over more than a casually dropped f-bomb every time. Even in game threads though, vary your posts. Don't hammer away with the same thing over and over again, chances are we understood you the first time.
- Unsolicited spam is a big time no-no, resulting in a swift and permanent ban without warning.
Third Rule:
Use the diaries, but don't abuse them. The following is ripped from the mother site here at SBN, Athletics Nation:
The only Community Guidelines for posting a diary are:
* A diary must be a minimum of 300 characters or it is considered to be unsubstantial and is deleted as a violation of the Community Guidelines.
* A diary must in some way belong on AN--in other words, it must relate to the A's, or to baseball, or to AN, or to an existing thread or diary, etc.
* A user may not post more than 2 diaries in a given day.
Tips on writing good diaries:
Some of the qualities that the most popular diaries often have in common are:
* They expand upon the main idea with supporting examples, or statistical data, or a link to a relevant article, or a "thinking question" for others to consider, etc.--something beyond just the main idea itself.
* They explore a topic, idea, or question that has not been explored recently, or at all, on AN.
Keep in mind that if your diary contains only one point or idea that is not developed, expanded on, or supported with arguments or data, it is really not a diary--it is a comment that should be posted in an existing thread or diary.
Except for the most flagrant of violations or spam, breaking these guidelines won't get you kicked out of the site for the first offense. Either Russ or myself will e-mail you a warning if you've posted something we think is out of line. That will be it unless you prove particularly cantankerous about it. Then we will be a little more aggressive in our reproach, up to banning you from the site.
Purple Row was built on insightful, positive, forward-thinking commentary when it comes to the Rockies. If you're new to the site, we look forward to you adding your voice and your input in cheering on the Rockies and their coming dynasty. Go Rockies!