How do we feel about swearing on the site?

[Brock Beauchamp]

I see there aren't word censor filters for swear words. On all our other sites, we have word censors in place.

 

BUT... as I've said we take a bottom-up model. How do we feel about swear words? What about awful nicknames?

 

Frankly, I care far less about cuss words than I do nicknames for players and personnel. Or even other teams.

 

What are your thoughts on these things? While I'm okay with "f***", for some reason I'm less okay with "Spankees" or whatever. And IMO, bad nicknames for players are really off-limits. I think we're all better if we don't make personal attacks on people.

 

But hey, it's your forum. If you have opinions, please share them.

[moonslav59]

I'm okay with swear words and calling the Yankees Spankees, and I am generally against almost all censorship, but I'm okay with some limits being set, as long as they are known.

 

We have had our share of personal attacks and bouts of going down the "politics road," and for the most part have done okay policing ourselves, but setting clear guidelines is fine with me.

 

Welcome to this site and the very best fans in MLB, despite out sometimes blunt and obsessive natures.

[Maxbialystock]

I see there aren't word censor filters for swear words. On all our other sites, we have word censors in place.

 

BUT... as I've said we take a bottom-up model. How do we feel about swear words? What about awful nicknames?

 

Frankly, I care far less about cuss words than I do nicknames for players and personnel. Or even other teams.

 

What are your thoughts on these things? While I'm okay with "f***", for some reason I'm less okay with "Spankees" or whatever. And IMO, bad nicknames for players are really off-limits. I think we're all better if we don't make personal attacks on people.

 

But hey, it's your forum. If you have opinions, please share them.

 

I use freaking a lot. But I don't mind foul language now and then. My suggestion is to wait another week or two to make your own assessment because you are far more expert in other MLB blog sites than any of us. I think we would follow your lead.

[notin]

My normal speech involves dropping more F-bombs than a Pianosa air squadron. I’m ok with the swearing. But I can curb my language if the forum prefers it…

[Maxbialystock]

My normal speech involves dropping more F-bombs than a Pianosa air squadron. I’m ok with the swearing. But I can curb my language if the forum prefers it…

 

Honestly, I recall zero f-bombs from you. All I can remember are your insights. Of course, I've been saying f-bombs out loud for over 60 years, as has my wife.

[Jasonbay44]

I’ve never been one to care about swear words as long as we aren’t using offensive racial slurs or anything of that nature. The only time I’ve ever really had an issue is if it’s a personal attack on someone.

 

Typically the only topic of conversation that I’ve really had to delete/warn people not to do is personal attacks and almost anything political. Politics and a baseball forum just don’t really mix well.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I use freaking a lot. But I don't mind foul language now and then. My suggestion is to wait another week or two to make your own assessment because you are far more expert in other MLB blog sites than any of us. I think we would follow your lead.

 

I'm pretty comfortable with how you all are doing things, I mostly raise these questions to get a feel for why the community does these things.

 

My goal is to get a read on this community's vibe and then work with it. So I'm going to ask a lot of stupid questions trying to get that vibe.

[Jasonbay44]

I'm pretty comfortable with how you all are doing things, I mostly raise these questions to get a feel for why the community does these things.

 

My goal is to get a read on this community's vibe and then work with it. So I'm going to ask a lot of stupid questions trying to get that vibe.

I don’t think it’s a stupid question at all.

 

I think a majority of the cussing is done in game threads, which makes sense as it is people reacting in the moment to plays as they watch them, which is why I never saw a problem with it. I feel like this forum is way more tame than what I’ve heard at bars, the games themselves and especially Twitter/X lol.

[notin]

I'm pretty comfortable with how you all are doing things, I mostly raise these questions to get a feel for why the community does these things.

 

My goal is to get a read on this community's vibe and then work with it. So I'm going to ask a lot of stupid questions trying to get that vibe.

 

There are no stupid questions. Just questions that get asked to stupid people like me…

[mvp 78]

I’ve never been one to care about swear words as long as we aren’t using offensive racial slurs or anything of that nature. The only time I’ve ever really had an issue is if it’s a personal attack on someone.

 

Typically the only topic of conversation that I’ve really had to delete/warn people not to do is personal attacks and almost anything political. Politics and a baseball forum just don’t really mix well.

 

The history has typically been that profane language has been accepted as long as it wasn't harmful or directed at another person (f slur towards another poster for example).

 

Jbay, you may remember previously banned posters that went over the top with bad nicknames towards players and other posters (pollyannas), especially during the miserable 2012 season. That year was pretty horrible on here. Just a mix of negativity and some posters treating others poorly. Whatever we can do to not let it get back to there, I'm good with.

 

Politics should for sure not be allowed. That's a redline.

[Hugh2]

I'm sure I have one of the biggest potty mouths on here, but if the rule was no swearing I'd happily abide.

[Jasonbay44]

The history has typically been that profane language has been accepted as long as it wasn't harmful or directed at another person (f slur towards another poster for example).

 

Jbay, you may remember previously banned posters that went over the top with bad nicknames towards players and other posters (pollyannas), especially during the miserable 2012 season. That year was pretty horrible on here. Just a mix of negativity and some posters treating others poorly. Whatever we can do to not let it get back to there, I'm good with.

 

Politics should for sure not be allowed. That's a redline.

 

 

I honestly don’t remember much of the 2012 season as the team was dreadful to watch and this site was unreadable for a period of time. Every time I checked the site it was nonstop fighting, Yankees trolls everywhere and for some reason I even remember seeing threads where people pretended to be Jason Variteks dad and there was so much trolling. The “Anything Goes” sub forum was an absurd part of this site.

 

Edit: This was also well before I was a mod and I didn’t have the time or interest to read all the random fighting and drama on the site at the time. Like we’ll occasionally get a troll thread from a random old users burner accusing random users of being pedophiles and s*** of that nature and I have no idea what the references even mean.

Edited August 21, 2024 by Jasonbay44

[moonslav59]

I honestly don’t remember much of the 2012 season as the team was dreadful to watch and this site was unreadable for a period of time. Every time I checked the site it was nonstop fighting, Yankees trolls everywhere and for some reason I even remember seeing threads where people pretended to be Jason Variteks dad and there was so much trolling. The “Anything Goes” sub forum was an absurd part of this site.

 

Edit: This was also well before I was a mod and I didn’t have the time or interest to read all the random fighting and drama on the site at the time. Like we’ll occasionally get a troll thread from a random old users burner accusing random users of being pedophiles and s*** of that nature and I have no idea what the references even mean.

 

Someone once posted my personal address and was soon booted off the site.

 

We've had a lot of gray area incidences that are hard to judge as "going too far," and I've said a few things I regret saying, too.

[mvp 78]

I honestly don’t remember much of the 2012 season as the team was dreadful to watch and this site was unreadable for a period of time. Every time I checked the site it was nonstop fighting, Yankees trolls everywhere and for some reason I even remember seeing threads where people pretended to be Jason Variteks dad and there was so much trolling. The “Anything Goes” sub forum was an absurd part of this site.

 

Edit: This was also well before I was a mod and I didn’t have the time or interest to read all the random fighting and drama on the site at the time. Like we’ll occasionally get a troll thread from a random old users burner accusing random users of being pedophiles and s*** of that nature and I have no idea what the references even mean.

 

There were a few years there where it was really toxic. One banned poster would create a new account, post normal for a few days, then get wasted and spam inboxes with porn and gore. The fights were nonstop and about the dumbest stuff ever. People made everything personal. Way worse than the current drama we tend to get on here.

 

The pedo accusations were leveled at one former poster and that guy ghosted the site. I'm not going to get into it.

 

The site was great and horrible all at once. There were a few times I took extended breaks from the site because of how bad it got.

[notin]

If the past includes name-calling, slurs, fights, unsubstantiated pedophilia accusations, doxing, etc. then swearing is not much of a problem.

 

Let me be the first to put the “pro” in “profanity”…

[mvp 78]

If the past includes name-calling, slurs, fights, unsubstantiated pedophilia accusations, doxing, etc. then swearing is not much of a problem.

 

Let me be the first to put the “pro” in “profanity”…

 

Well, let's just keep making the site better rather than just "don't be as bad as you were in 2012 when the mods probably wanted to celebrate July 4th by blowing up the server and finding a better hobby."

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

There were a few years there where it was really toxic. One banned poster would create a new account, post normal for a few days, then get wasted and spam inboxes with porn and gore. The fights were nonstop and about the dumbest stuff ever. People made everything personal. Way worse than the current drama we tend to get on here.

 

The pedo accusations were leveled at one former poster and that guy ghosted the site. I'm not going to get into it.

 

The site was great and horrible all at once. There were a few times I took extended breaks from the site because of how bad it got.

 

Glad I wasn't here yet. What a bunch of pack mule hindquarters. I would've told them to play Twister with each other until they were all excrementally inextricable.

[Jasonbay44]

There were a few years there where it was really toxic. One banned poster would create a new account, post normal for a few days, then get wasted and spam inboxes with porn and gore. The fights were nonstop and about the dumbest stuff ever. People made everything personal. Way worse than the current drama we tend to get on here.

 

The pedo accusations were leveled at one former poster and that guy ghosted the site. I'm not going to get into it.

 

The site was great and horrible all at once. There were a few times I took extended breaks from the site because of how bad it got.

Oh that guy? Yeah, I don’t remember who specifically was doing that, but I do remember there was times I’d be up at night and think to check the site because I can’t sleep and it would be covered in porn, gore and whatever else some random troll was posting at 2 am. There was a period I stopped reading the site for awhile because of that also. Every thread was personal attacks, I even saw slurs being thrown around and etc. 09-2012 TalkSox had some insane things posted and ridiculous fights.

 

I don’t miss that era. It was more unhinged than current Twitter

[vegasbob]

Ban all politics and religious based comments, and insulting personally directed attacks on individuals or areas of our country. Other than those, I would be very cautious about censoring comments/language directed at facts or opinions about players, teams, fan bases, etc. Fans look for these sites to participate in typical ballpark debates about who, what, when, why. Let it roll.

 

This site has been reasonably self regulating with a few exceptions , so I wouldn't wear myself out trying to limit the participants with lots of rules, that you then have to enforce.

[Maxbialystock]

Ban all politics and religious based comments, and insulting personally directed attacks on individuals or areas of our country. Other than those, I would be very cautious about censoring comments/language directed at facts or opinions about players, teams, fan bases, etc. Fans look for these sites to participate in typical ballpark debates about who, what, when, why. Let it roll.

 

This site has been reasonably self regulating with a few exceptions , so I wouldn't wear myself out trying to limit the participants with lots of rules, that you then have to enforce.

 

Sensible.

[Maxbialystock]

I don’t think it’s a stupid question at all.

 

I think a majority of the cussing is done in game threads, which makes sense as it is people reacting in the moment to plays as they watch them, which is why I never saw a problem with it. I feel like this forum is way more tame than what I’ve heard at bars, the games themselves and especially Twitter/X lol.

 

Also well said.

[vegasbob]

One other thought is that the core group of active commenters ( 15-20 guys) in both game threads and forums seem to have some mutual respect and tolerate disagreeing opinions or hot takes from others. There are exceptions but they are infrequent and quickly dismissed as useful to the discussion.

 

We did lose, unknown reasons, our one consistent female commentator a season or two ago, and it would be good for you to widen the range of this site by having Ladies day Specials, as in the old days at Fenway.

[notin]

One other thought is that the core group of active commenters ( 15-20 guys) in both game threads and forums seem to have some mutual respect and tolerate disagreeing opinions or hot takes from others. There are exceptions but they are infrequent and quickly dismissed as useful to the discussion.

 

We did lose, unknown reasons, our one consistent female commentator a season or two ago, and it would be good for you to widen the range of this site by having Ladies day Specials, as in the old days at Fenway.

 

 

Absolutely. We should let women post here free of charge…

[mvp 78]

Absolutely. We should let women post here free of charge…

 

There's only been 3 consistent female posters in my time on here. We'd have to pay them to come back.

[bkzwhitestrican]

Swearing yes, slurs no. 

How about making fun of player appearances? There are many references to Judge looking like a horse, or Naylor looking like Fat Mahomes, etc. I'm cool with it but not sure where it would fall now.

[Bellhorn04]

44 minutes ago, bkzwhitestrican said:

Swearing yes, slurs no. 

How about making fun of player appearances? There are many references to Judge looking like a horse, or Naylor looking like Fat Mahomes, etc. I'm cool with it but not sure where it would fall now.

My guess would be that making fun of appearances gets a pass unless another poster or posters register a legit objection to it.  It's never really been an issue here. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 hour ago, bkzwhitestrican said:

Swearing yes, slurs no. 

How about making fun of player appearances? There are many references to Judge looking like a horse, or Naylor looking like Fat Mahomes, etc. I'm cool with it but not sure where it would fall now.

I suppose in that case it really boils down to frequency and intent. While I'm not a fan of speaking ill of peoples' physical appearance, way back in the day our forum called Sidney Ponson "Pitcherpotamus" and that nickname was just too effing funny to get upset about.

[dgalehouse]

I try to stay away from swearing on here, but I am not especially offended by it unless it blasphemous. 

[moonslav59]

Pablo Sandoval got a lot of grief for being overweight, but I don't see how someone saying he was is all that bad. I guess saying to his face, of he reads the post might not be very good, but I think this is covered by free speech rights. I've been calling "Pablito' (little Pablo in Spanish,) for a long time.

 

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Pablo Sandoval got a lot of grief for being overweight, but I don't see how someone saying he was is all that bad. I guess saying to his face, of he reads the post might not be very good, but I think this is covered by free speech rights. I've been calling "Pablito' (little Pablo in Spanish,) for a long time.

Mostly we refrain from continued bashing of player or personnel because it tends to spiral. Grudges are built and it spills over into the rest of the board. If some form of decorum is maintained, it prevents a lot of squabbling before it begins.