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[CR67dream]

Sons of Sam Horn MLB Forum Posting Standards and Guidelines


Main board standards apply to all posts made in the MLB forum. It would be helpful for both long timers and lurkers to take the time to review these standards by clicking on the SoSH Rules link available on the content page. As this forum has the dynamic of being open to a larger pool of posters than the main board, many of whom are fairly new to the place, it presents a challenge that is not present in that forum. There has been a lot of understandable confusion as to the expectations here, but the clear consensus is that people want a place to talk about MLB that is on par with the main board. The first step to making that happen is to be as clear as possible about the vision for this part of the site, and making sure everyone is on the same page.

In no particular order of importance:

1) The playing field is level. A poster’s status is not important, it’s all about the content. Evaluate each other on what is posted, not on how long someone has been around or any misperceived notions of what that might indicate. It should go without saying, but in the interest of clarity, any overt attempt to cause a poster discomfort based upon membership status will not be met with kindly.

2) Lurkers have a great opportunity here to earn a membership. There is a lot of quality in the lurker pool, and this is a great place to show what you can bring to the table. The intention is for this to be a primary focus of the forum going forward. Promotions have already begun, and as they are called for, more will follow. The Adopt-a-Team sub forum is up and running, and everyone participating is doing a great job with contributions. We want to make sure that everyone is aware that these Adopt-a-Team threads are wide open for everyone to add to, and any good content that can be added is encouraged.

3) Members have a fantastic opportunity to be a big part of the decision making process regarding these promotions. Lead by example and keep the posting quality high. The goal is to add as much overall quality as possible, and members are one of the best sources we have to evaluate quality. Keep the membership suggestions coming in backwash, we don’t want to miss anyone who is looking like a good fit.

4) All reasoned perspectives and viewpoints are welcome. Advanced statistics are not a requirement for posting here, but posters should be prepared to support any argument they choose to present with reasonable evidence to back it up. Be prepared to not only post what you feel about something, but why you feel it. If an argument is made that is shown to have no basis other than “it’s just what I believe”, no one should be surprised to have it pointed out. This is not an invitation for pile-on responses to such posts. If a single poster shows such a pattern, it will be noticed and addressed.

5) In closing, the general idea for this forum going forward is to use all of its resources to help make the overall quality of SoSH even better than it already is. Keep threads clean, take any off topic personal issues to PM rather than derailing the discussion, and show a generally high level of respect for each other. Agree to disagree once in a while. Think before you hit the “add reply” button. If you’re posting for any reason other than to start or further a good discussion, toss the post in the trash. Bring every bit of expertise that you can, but also be willing to use the board as a learning tool. This forum has the potential to be off the charts in its quality, but for that to happen, we, all of us, have to make it happen.

The moderators are very open to any and all feedback, ideas, or general questions. The hope is that folks will be more comfortable in here, not less. Clarity and transparency are the goal, so please don’t hesitate to PM, E-mail soshmlbforum@gmail.com, or discuss issues in a dedicated thread. All that we ask is that you choose one of these ways to communicate, and to please not let threads get off topic in an attempt to resolve any issues that may arise.

And please, have fun!

[CR67dream]

These standards are a collaboration of the SoSH moderating team, and should be considered as such. A lot of thought and discussion went into creating them, and we thank all members and lurkers who offered their thoughts. We're going to keep this thread locked for now, but individual mods/Dopes may want to add some personal thoughts. If we find that there is a need or desire to have a feedback thread active, we'll open this one up. For now, we'd like to keep the public talk on the board focused as much on baseball as possible. Thanks guys.