Be Better, Part 2: Reviewing the Purple Row posting rules

After another rough few months for the Rockies that has again translated into our comment threads, Purple Row has identified the need to remind its valued community members (and we do value you very highly, thanks for reading!) of certain posting guidelines that, let's be honest, have not been followed by a large chunk of posters. Now seems as good a time as any to remind everyone what the ground rules are here.

Look, I get it: the team for which we root hasn't exactly been pleasant to watch over the past few years. Some level of pessimism and negativity is warranted. But, like we've always said, be creative in your doom-and-gloom; don't just come into comment threads, declare the organization stupid, and rehash the same worn out cliches  (i.e. Party Deck "jokes"). It's not only unproductive, but it is also uninteresting.

Taken directly from this site's newly updated Rules and Regulations:

• Don't be a complete and total curmudgeon. This team hasn't done a lot in its existence to instill faith in the fanbase, but for those of you who enjoy getting into it with optimistic staff members and commenters: stop. Make your point, use supporting facts, and move on. I don't want to see arguments every single day on the site about why Person A is wrong because he/she doesn't think the Rockies' brass is the biggest group of idiots in baseball. I will start banning people if those arguments become rampant again.

Just as incessant negativity has been a problem, so has the treatment of those posters. That isn't acceptable. Everyone needs to treat others with respect here. Otherwise, what good are we even doing? See the golden rule below.

I've tried to heavily enforce that last bold point, and while things have improved a bit as of late, you can still bet that this rule will be strictly enforced by moderators (and we have more of those now, by the way) for the foreseeable future. We pride ourselves on being a place where intelligent, civil discourse can take place between Rockies fans who don't always agree, and this is a step to ensure that Purple Row continues to be that place. I'm  proud of our community's diverse interests and opinions, and at no time should any poster be attacked as a result of them. If that happens, we will be skipping warnings (let it be known that this post is a widespread warning) and going straight to bans.

Remember the Golden Rule of Purple Row: Practice civil discourse.

I (again) encourage you to read the Rules and Regulations for a reminder on how things should operate within our community.

Here are some particularly relevant excerpts, taken from the golden rule of practicing civil discourse:

• This means no trolling, no personal attacks, no discussing religion, politics, or other hot button topics. They may seem like different things, but those latter topics tend to cause the former two. They're best left to other sites.
• No swearing in the baseball threads (Rockpiles, GameThreads, Scaling the Rocks, Pebble Reports, etc.). Don't try to mask your cuss words, either. This means no more "F the Giants." Sorry, but you're all smart enough to figure out a different word to use. This rule doesn't apply to the Party Deck (off-topic) threads, where just about anything goes (except for you still can't violate Rule No. 1). Enter those at your own risk.
• No racist, sexist or homophobic comments. Ever.
• Just to make this clear, the level of discourse practiced on this site is a source of pride for us. There will be zero tolerance for asinine comments. We are not talking about writing, "Cory Sullivan was the greatest Rockie ever!" As stupid as that may be to write, it's your opinion. There's a problem when you start making ad hominem attacks against a baseball player, a club executive, a beat reporter or a member of our community (yes, this means other posters). You'll likely be banned without warning.
• Furthermore, if you feel like you're getting snarked at in replies, be the bigger person and just type "z". You'll move right past that comment and it's all over. If the "other" person is a repeated jerk, we'll handle it accordingly.
• Additionally, if you feel there's something above and beyond typical disagreement, please notify a moderator ASAP. We appreciate some self-moderation of our community, but sometimes you gotta call in the big guns.

To reiterate: this community is one of which I've always been proud. We have very intelligent commenters who possess a wide array of interests, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that our conversations are (almost) always interesting. But, those conversations need to be of a more positive nature, and when a dissenting opinion is brought to the table, that opinion needs to be respected. And, the bullying ... the bullying needs to stop immediately. Most of us are full-grown adults for crying out loud.

If you have any questions or need clarification about these policies, don't hesitate to email me. You may also address any concerns (that aren't calling out other people and/or past action taken against you) that you have in the comments of this post. I will do my best to respond to them accordingly.

And -- yep -- I'm saying it again: be better. It will make for a more enjoyable experience for all of us.