We Are A Wolfpack And Here To Help ***(Please Read)***

[Knickstape1214]

Discussion Thread: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1468470

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Every poster on the Knicks board should read this thread. I’m not giving a TLDR because I think all of you should take 1 minute out of your day to read this - it can help us moderate and will probably keep you guys posting on this site longer without being suspended or anything.



As moderators of the site, you guys know it can be hard to decide what is “action-worthy” and what isn’t. There is a very fine line and deciding whether or not to give someone a warning instead of a ban is an annoying decision to think over. In deciding, we look at the type of poster he/she is, their history on our board, how “bad” the rule they broke is, etc. Basically, sometimes it can suck being a mod because we know the board is a community, but we also know that communities can’t be let entirely loose (which is why we have the board rules). There are minor things like going off topic which we are incredibly lenient on because we like the board being active and we know that even if discussions are not entirely on the initial topic, chances are it’s related. However, attacking posters and moderators is something that we can’t really go lenient on - like I said, this is a community and we want to keep everyone happy here (or as many as possible).

I know I’m not alone in this, but as a mod team, we believe that the Knicks board is special. We have a huge number of posters, guys that have their niche, guys that are universally loved, people that are universally hated (but do so without being a dick), others that are incredibly optimistic, and others that are pessimistic, etc. Honestly, even though we know none of you guys in real life, it is cool having a place to go to where we can talk about anything from basketball, to sex dolls, to a poster coming back from the future.

THAT SAID, the entire RealGM site is not like this. There are different rules everywhere you go and you guys need to be wary of that - for example, on the GB and Current Affairs board, there is a more stringent set of rules to keep everything running smoothly. Go to the Off Topic board and all hell breaks loose (kudos to the mods who can moderate that part of the site, because it really can be a cluster *** IMO at times).

Before you guys go to other parts of the site, please be wary of the rules on the boards. We will always look after our own, but there is only so much we can do - we’ll speak out for unwarranted bans, unfair treatment, etc but we need your help in doing so.

What happened in the Brandon Jennings thread here was not okay, regardless of how you feel about the mod in question. What we are asking you guys to do is to PM anyone on the Knicks mod team about any issue you have anywhere on the site instead of making it public. From our POV, private messages are meant to stay private and will remain private amongst the Knicks moderators - if we feel we need to reach out to a higher up, we’ll let you know beforehand just so you guys have advance notice on it and can tell us not to, if you so choose.

Watch on YouTube

Signed,

Knicks mod team

[Capn'O]

Capn's Addendum - Stardate 7/27/2016:

Alright boys and girls. Over the past week or so, I've learned a few things about how the RealGM sausage is made and want to pass on how YOU can help our mod team advocate for its members.

I've seen it happen too many times on the General Board and other site-wide forums; the cycle that gets us banned.

Step 1:The Homer - Knicks poster (maybe two) makes an outlandish, fantasy world claim about our team <---- Understood that sometimes this step doesn't even happen and we go straight to Step 2.

Step 2: The Bait - Poster(s) from other fanbases use The Homer post to characterize our entire fanbase as delusional and stupid e.g. "Typical that delusional Knicks fans think their trash team is a contender" or "Knicks fans again showing their homerism." Things of that nature <---- Note that generalizing fanbases is the initial TOS violation and on site-wide forums such as the General Board and Player Comparison Board it's a major no-no. This happens far more towards our fanbase than others. GB mods have correctly asserted that this is in part due to our fanbase's size and the corresponding number of Step 1 remarks made, but the GB has become an echo chamber in which the stereotype has stuck to the rest of us.

Step 3: The Backlash - Knicks posters reject that characterization. Inevitably, one or two respond in kind.

Step 4: The Escalation - Back and forth between the "respond in kind posters" that gets increasingly nastier. The thread is derailed. Clear TOS violations have reports flying all over. Suspensions and bans happen. Thread over.


With these sorts of incidents, it's very difficult to moderate all the way through if the initial infraction doesn't get reported on a high traffic board. Mods ain't got time for that. Which, in turn, makes the highest points of backlash/escalation the only place where warnings/suspensions occur. Without a report, the baiting infraction that started it all may never be addressed, in part because it is often hard to find.

As a group, I urge us to be more strategic when we get to Step 2: The Bait. Take a moment to breathe and stop yourself from entering the backlash ---> escalation cycle and hit report immediately if/when you see those kinds of characterizations. Additionally, in doing so, you not only address the initial infraction but can create a "paper" trail for mods to bring to light how often these mass characterizations of our fanbase happen. And when we (mods) are on the GB we can facilitate this as well.


In summary, let's nip these incidents at Step 2 of the cycle. This will keep you safer on those boards and will be a huge help for our mod team to advocate for our posters.

Also note that the report function can be abused, which in itself is a TOS violation. A poster simply arguing that the Knicks won't be good in a relevant thread is different from a taunt to individual users or a characterization of our fanbase, even if it's a really dumb argument Use discretion, and if you have a Q, don't hesitate to PM one our board's mod team. It's a wild world out there folks. Stay safe. Xoxo.

[tsherkin]

Per magz, I'm going to repost this here as a guide to help posters orient themselves when they want to go post on the GB.

I'm going to make a comment here, but I promise I come in peace.

I want to compliment KT on what a fantastic idea is this thread. Frequently, the GB has posters from various forums who aren't necessarily aware of the differences between a team board and the Gen board, and it causes friction. Not just for Knicks fans, but for really any fanbase. The result is that posters who are accustomed to the sort of moderation you get from a community-fostering team board that has more tolerance and latitude in its moderation come to the GB, which is explicitly moderated more tightly, and they run into trouble. There's a policy thread, but it's easy to forget to read such things before posting, especially in situations where someone might be saying negative things about [team X].

So this thread? This is a marvelous idea, and a credit to the New York moderator base. KT is, of course, also a member of the GB moderator team and this sort of initiative makes him not just present but a valued member of our squad. I repeat that this is a really savvy move on KT's behalf, because he's hit on ALL of the highlights.

The GB is moderated differently than most boards. It's a large board, the busiest board, where all fanbases and poster ages come together and as a result, we have less tolerance for nonsense. There isn't the same freedom as you have here to make certain kinds of comments which are more welcome and appropriate in this kind of community (I mean "team boards," not specifically the New York board). So a thread like this which can help orient the broader fanbase as to how they can avoid trouble moving over to the Gen Board is a wonderful and incredibly useful initiative. This is the sort of thread which I wouldn't object to seeing on all team boards, because it's universally applicable to posters RealGM-wide. KT and your New York mods bust hump: this is a busy, super-active forum with a lot of posters and that's never easy to manage. Seeing this thread is wonderful because it's not just great for you guys here, it's wonderful for us over on the GB.

So again complimenting KT on his initiative (and other mods who have contributed since), I will repeat a couple of tips on how to avoid getting into trouble on the GB:

1) Use the report function

Other posters get stupid sometimes. They troll, they say negative things, they insult, they degrade. It's directly written into GB policy that we don't care who trolled first, that everyone's gonna get it if they break the TOS. So be the bigger man: fire off a report, and let us be the bad guy so you guys don't get into trouble. We don't care WHO said it, doesn't matter which team's fanbase is at fault, so if you log a report? We'll look at it and if it breaks policy, we'll take care of it. RealGM-wide, the report function is underutilized and contributes to posters feeling that their fanbase is being persecuted. We can help with that, if you only help us by highlighting those posts where people are being jerks to your team/fanbase beyond the bounds of the TOS.

2) Remember that the board isn't as open as a team board

Team boards are basically sort of internet families. They tolerate more because the spirit of the interaction is a closer bond. That's not true on the GB, so keep that in mind and keep in neutral, mostly fact-based and focused on content instead of the poster. As soon as you start addressing poster traits instead of the arguments they've laid out? As soon as you get personal? You're in danger of running into trouble. Team boards are more like friends, more willing to permit some back and forth in the interest of fun; that's less true on the GB because of the mix of participants.

3) Some critical links:

GB Policy Thread
GB Policy Questions Thread
GB Policy Reminder Thread
Mass Dispatch 3.0

These threads cover pretty much anything you need to know: our Strike/suspension policy, what Read-Only Access/ROA is and how it works, the things we don't tolerate and our stance on given infractions... It also includes a thread where you can ask questions about the policy, and Mass Dispatch 3.0, which is a more detailed discussion of how to construct an appeal which is more likely to get accepted if you DO get put on Read-Only Access.

These things are stickied at the top of the GB (and Mass Dispatch 3.0 is linked inside of the policy thread), but I thought I'd reiterate them here as well.

Again, many compliments to KT and Capn'O for their initiative in this thread: if you use these resources and listen to their advice, you will have far, far less issue on the GB than most.

[Thugger HBC]

Just what the title says.

I don't want to call some of you childish, but there is no way what some of you are posting could be in your own eyes as rational, good discussion-based pieces of thought.

One thing that makes this board the best is it's diversity, the men and women behind the keyboard combined with intelligent thought, and knowing how to have some fun in-between.

For instance, do you honestly think "where the Melo haters at", "KP playing great, the Melo lovers wont like it though" are thought provoking posts?

Why not post how well Melo actually played, how well KP actually did play? Scared you'll look intelligent, scared you wont get quotes and and-1's? Everyone wont like rational thought that's actually based on something factual or even educated opinion, but try it and see what happens. All players take an ill-advised shot, miss a defensive assignment, isolate from the elbow, miss a rebound, why get bent because someone mentioned it? Stop bringing the greatest board down because you cant handle what you see and read.

There's moment when this board looks like a sandbox with toddlers arguing over toys they really don't want to play with anymore. They just mad because you are happy with it and they don't want to see you happy. Take that silliness elsewhere.

I was going to leave this open for discussion, but nah, I'm locking it because I'm not really interested in a debate, nor the comments.

Step your post quality up and stop making the board look bad. If it's complicated, I can help you out.......

[Synciere]

This is the main reason why I stopped posting years ago. Even from veteran posters, there's a level of childishness and pettiness that I can't get over. It's like there's a 2:1 ratio of foolish:quality posts these days.

Maybe it was always like this and I didn't realize but people can't even acknowledge facts smacking them in the face because they're afraid of losing their keyboard cred or something. Anyway, good luck trying to civilize the masses.

[NoLayupRule]

Im in great favor of this thread

and I think it would be within reason to start suspending people for being inflammatory and unreasonable and purposely divisive

there are many posters on this board who are only here to create and encourage drama and dissent

[Knickstape1214]

Hi,

This entire **** season clearly took a toll on most (if not all) of us, and there has been a seismic shift in the amount of personal attacks being flung around on the board. Whether it was because someone didn't like Melo, KP, Phil, whatever, it was obvious that it has been the worst its ever been. This **** HAS to stop.

We don't like giving out warnings or suspensions, but if things keep going the way they have been, we will do that. We're already super lenient with what we let you guys get away with because we know who you guys are as posters and we'd rather keep the conversation flowing than kill it due to something minor...but crossing that line and abusing the leniency is not ok - there will be repercussions going forward (warnings, suspensions, or bans) because this "abuse" of the leniency is unfair to ALL posters.

Whether you're insulting someone, baiting, trolling, calling someone a name or something else of that nature, we WILL start taking action. This internet "tough guy" **** has to stop also - nobody gives a ****.

Bottom line, stop attacking other posters and abusing the leniency. If you're going to attack other posters, you will have action taken against you. Again, we don't like being hardasses...but we do want to keep things cordial and will do what we must.

Thanks.

- the mod team

[Knickstape1214]

Just a reminder to be respectful of other posters. If you aren't, we will take action. Thanks.