Future of Board thread

[newguy]

I was not able to post on the thread for whatever reason..so here's a new opinion.

It's a well-thought out intro. And I applaud you for admitting you are simply a fan and would rather keep things positive than negative.

I also think it takes a big person to admit they're pro-censorship as far as something as non life-altering as a message board.

I'm not going to get caught up in the election hype and describe your actions as un-American....but....

If you're referencing me, I can only tell you this.

1. I've never called another person a name on this board.

2. I HAVE been called names and insulted in private messages, which I'm man enough to take without crying and complaining about it.

3. I have gotten MORE positive messages than negative messages regarding the fact that we all love having a hockey team, we just want it to be better-run and for the decision-makers to be more accountable.

4. I have NEVER bashed a player. If a player wasn't good enough to play, such as Zelenbaba, whom you brought up, not me, I'd never make fun of him. Never. But I have enormous respect for these kids and know what they give up to dedicate themselves, most realizing it's the highest level of hockey they ever will play. We've been very lucky to have McNeills and Pyatts and Haskins and Jeff Webers in our community. Very.

5. I probably have hijacked a thread. Maybe because one good point can lead to another, maybe because I wanted to add new information.

6. There's a scary sense of anonymity on the internet. We all know it. Anyone can say anything and get away with it. But let me assure of this. Everything I have ever posted has a basis in fact. It has a source. Or it has many. If you ever have a question about it, message me, and without giving people up, I can explain more of what I know about it. A couple of you have done that, and I was happy to respond.

So hey - I'm not sure why all the melodrama. And I'm not sure that anyone's done anything so heinous that they would be threatened with censorship or banishment. They love that in Beijing though.

GensFan - in all seriousness, nobody doesn't appreciate the work in putting this board together, but if you're estimating the posts to be mostly negative, the team's record and ineptitude speaks for itself. This IS a disgruntled fan base. It is totally indicative of having a fun product, fun arena, and a great place to be with families --- BUT at the end of the day, I'll say it again...

WE DESERVE BETTER.....

Those are my thoughts. I could care less about karma points or anything else like it....I've never given a person one, I've never subtracted. It's kinda like punching somebody in the shoulder and running away and hiding. It doesn't make people accountable, and I'm not hiding, not complaining when I've been insulted or name-called. I'm not going to make a big fuss, quit the board in some big announcement and then suddenly return like it's pro wrestling. I'm a mature fella....can easily handle it.

Again -- my PMs are always open. Agree or disagree, I couldn't care less. But that's just me.

[thepuckman]

Censorship is a strong word isn't it? I interpret the post from SGF to say he would like a little more order on the board. He did not say you couldn't have your say. But, it should not take over every post, which it has. All thoughts are insightful, but it is absolute overkill when for every thread it turns into how can I belittle the organization this time. You've made your point for that time, and that should be it. Say it once and move on. He says in the post to start a thread for your thoughts and keep them to that thread. That's not censorship. That provides more order and allows each thread to stay on topic. I don't know his ultimate thinking, but I am sure he doesn't want to ban anyone. While I don't agree with everything put on the board, I like to see what everyone else thinks. I would like it to stay that way.

[newguy]

We agree on 99 percent of what you just wrote.

But SGF suggested he'd erase posts he didn't like. That would be censoring it...and I will try and still be myself (!) and give my opinions and try and back them with factual info and insight and I'll hopefully not be banned or censored.

Again, I'm trying to be as polite as I can...I'm not using phrases like "they suck", "he's a moron", etc, etc.

I will concur I can look at myself and try to stick more to the topic on certain threads.

But the prevailing opinion seems to be that if everyone, myself included, takes it down a notch, there's no reason for anyone to get their Jockeys in a bunch.

Hopefully the season starts soon, that's something we all can agree on.

But I'm not going to "be positive" if something smells rotten.

Take Detroit Lions fans. Still passionate. Still want so badly for their team to succeed, but they know the reasons behind the ineptitude and they have every reason to VOICE them!

No one suggests someone is less of a Lions fan because they bemoan the team's woeful record and the buffoonery that has been the Matt Millen regime. I see a lot of Lions message boards like the Mlive one, and the posts are more negative than positive. On a team's one website, I see the need to restrict certain words, opinions, content. Not here. One fella's opinion.

[thepuckman]

I guess I didn't interpret what he wrote as saying he would erase posts he didn't like. I read to be more if someone posts a negative thought, and then continues to post the same ideas over and over, those get erased and he/she potentially gets banned. It wouldn't be the first time I would be wrong. But that's cool.

[bpfox]

Sept 6, 2008 14:17:01 GMT -5 thepuckman said:

I guess I didn't interpret what he wrote as saying he would erase posts he didn't like. I read to be more if someone posts a negative thought, and then continues to post the same ideas over and over, those get erased and he/she potentially gets banned. It wouldn't be the first time I would be wrong. But that's cool.

Not to worry "thepuckman", you are not wrong. Here's the part dealing with posts being deleted and folks getting banned;

"I am just saying that the repetative negative posts will be gone. If people continue to post such messages, I will ban them. Consider yourselves warned. "

Also, you don't have to worry about knowing when you are wrong. I will be more than happy to point that out to you.

[spiritfan8]

Looks to me like it could be interpreted either way. All in the viewpoint.

[acwright84]

I believe the key word is "repetitive".

[bpfox]

Sept 6, 2008 17:10:55 GMT -5 acwright84 said:

I believe the key word is "repetitive".

Exactly! There is a huge difference between "the repetative negative posts will be gone" (something he did say)and "I will ban the posts I don't like"(something he did not say). I mean we are talking basic reading comprehension here folks. It ain't that hard to grasp.

[SaginawGensFan]

I just posted my thoughts again in the other thread, so you can read it there.

And I have no problem with some of your 1st post here, newguy, UNTIL you start what I consider a personal jab like eluding to the thought of me being un-American! I take HUGE offense to that, and you are WAY out of line and off base with that. You do not even freaking KNOW me! I am about as patriotic & AMERICAN as a person can be. So to hint to anything otherwise is insulting & yes, I DO take offense to that! And the Beijing jab - are you not only calling me un-American but also a Communist? Again, I take that as a personal jab & I take tremendous offense to that. THAT is the kind of stuff that does not belong here! But to show how American I am, I will let you express your opinion of me, no matter how off base you are & how bad it makes you look. If you can't handle being told that your constant repetative negative posts about the same couple of things over & over & over & you have to make a personal jab at me because of it, so be it. I let you get away with it once. But it's you that looks bad here, not me.

[newguy]

I should have really known better than to think I could make two tongue-in-cheek references to China and not have you get offended.

Everyone is different. Those who let stuff roll off their backs would see the humor. Those who are super-sensitive would not. I'll do a better job next time in recognizing who is who, I promise.

You said in your initial post which you somehow banned me from commenting in already that you expected people to take shots at you and attack you and all that stuff. You suggested you were ready for it and could take it.

I make an off-hand reference to Beijing that is as tongue-in-cheek as it gets. And you get completely and totally offended. Again, I'm learning who can take a joke and who can't. If you can't, it's ok. It just helps me know who I can kid with and who can't.

I don't mind one bit if you suggest I look bad because of it, or that you are trying to influence others to suggest I did or said something much worse than I did. It certainly is for others to decide if I was kidding or TRYING to offend you. You've made up your mind. It's fine. I take no offence to you assailing me personally. My skin's thick enough. No problem. Thanks for responding.

[MidlandSpiritFan]

Like it or not, people are paying attention to what we say on this board.

1 Staff Member, 19 Members, 155 Guests
ShanghaiSpiritFan, newguy, mievl, aj0512, kivpit, spiritfan8, thepuckman, SaginawGensFan, biggdaddy, bpfox, donjohnson, autobarron, eaglei12, acwright84, spiritgirl04, ohlfan06, hockeylife, ricardo, borderfan8, teamspirit08

[bpfox]

"newguy", here's a little helpful hint. Keep in mind it's coming from someone who's "humor" has been mis-interpreted hundreds of times in the past. Add Smilies to your comments when you are making a joke. You see, we can't see the smile on your face. We can hear the inflections in your voice. All we can do is read the words. It's the biggest problem with this kind of communication. If we were having a conversation face to face, you would have no problem knowing when I was serious, when I was joking or when I was angry. With just the written word, it's more difficult. This is especially true in this day and age when everyone wants to shorten up what the write. You will notice that most of my posts tend to be long. Some will tell you it's because I am long winded, and for the most part, they would be right. But there is another reason for it. It's because I want to be very clear about what I post so that everyone who reads it will understand where I am coming from. I try to spell my words correctly. I try to use proper punctuation. I try to use good grammar. I know I fall short sometimes with these goals, that just makes me human.

One other thing that you tend to do besides the repetitive and very negative stuff about team management is you do go after posters on a personal level. I don't even think you know you are doing it. You will go back and take something they said in a previous post. Take it out of context and then use it against them in a later post. You just did it in your reply to SaginawGensFan. It's not necessary. It doesn't add anything of value to the conversation. And it's exactly the kind of thing that has brought us to the situation we are discussing here.

One more suggestion. Use the "preview" button. Before you post, read it first as it will be seen by others. Read it slowly and ask yourself "is this really what I want to say". If you are happy with it, then push the "post reply" button.

If you are looking for a good debate, great, there are plenty of folks on here who love a good debate. Makes for some pretty entertaining reading. But, if all you are going to do is spew the same old garbage over and over and over again, you are not likely to find many dance partners. Remember, it's only a game. Unless of course, you are Richard Garber or Craig Goslin or anybody else who actually works for the team. To them it's a business. We are fans, and to us it will always only be a game. Peace.

[newguy]

Well, censorship's a hot issue in America these days.

(refusing to put a face winking indicating I am joking because it SHOULD be obvious)

[spiritfan8]

Sept 7, 2008 6:00:07 GMT -5 MidlandSpiritFan said:

Like it or not, people are paying attention to what we say on this board.

1 Staff Member, 19 Members, 155 Guests
ShanghaiSpiritFan, newguy, mievl, aj0512, kivpit, spiritfan8, thepuckman, SaginawGensFan, biggdaddy, bpfox, donjohnson, autobarron, eaglei12, acwright84, spiritgirl04, ohlfan06, hockeylife, ricardo, borderfan8, teamspirit08

I'm glad you brought this up, SSF. In the last 36 hrs, the "Player Signings" thread has gotten nearly 400 hits. It appears that our topics are stirring a lot of interest (even given that some of the hits are from posters and regulars). I'd love to see some of those guests start posting, but they are reading, and that is a good start.

[SaginawGensFan]

Sept 7, 2008 3:00:24 GMT -5 newguy said:

I should have really known better than to think I could make two tongue-in-cheek references to China and not have you get offended.

Everyone is different. Those who let stuff roll off their backs would see the humor. Those who are super-sensitive would not. I'll do a better job next time in recognizing who is who, I promise.

You said in your initial post which you somehow banned me from commenting in already that you expected people to take shots at you and attack you and all that stuff. You suggested you were ready for it and could take it.

I make an off-hand reference to Beijing that is as tongue-in-cheek as it gets. And you get completely and totally offended. Again, I'm learning who can take a joke and who can't. If you can't, it's ok. It just helps me know who I can kid with and who can't.

I don't mind one bit if you suggest I look bad because of it, or that you are trying to influence others to suggest I did or said something much worse than I did. It certainly is for others to decide if I was kidding or TRYING to offend you. You've made up your mind. It's fine. I take no offence to you assailing me personally. My skin's thick enough. No problem. Thanks for responding.

Again, you really need to know your facts. I didn't ban you from ANYTHING! You can not ban a person from one thread only, as far as I am aware.

As for the China comment, you can say all you want that it was tongue in cheek, but every post so far from you has been blasting me (since I posted that thread). I don't like the suggestion that I am un-American or a Communist. If I was I would have shut you up a long time ago. It's getting to that point anyway - not because I am un-American or Communist (which I am neither), but because even after my thread on just this subject, you continue to take childish little pot-shots at me. Being the AMERICAN that I am, I have the freedom & right to ban you from this board just because I think you are... well, I will just say I can do it for any reason I see fit. That's the beauty of it being my site! I can do whatever I want. If you don't like it, not my problem. I am just fed up with having to defend myself to you & I am sick of reading your posts, to be honest.

I also feel the need to mention that I know you SAY you have never posted on here before (Bill, MidlandPucks, or whatever other name was used), but I strongly doubt that is the case anymore. Too many similarities. SAME messages/posts, same writing style, same attacks on me personally, same attitude & everything. I think several people have mentioned it before & I always defended you. Not anymore. It looks more & more to me like you are one in the same. I have had plenty of people disagree with me on here before, but only one other person (under many different names) besides you ever make personal jabs like this. Only one.