October 23, 2003

Etiquette discussions are creeping into the Locker Room, and I think we can see where it leads.

posted by rcade to editorial policy at 07:09 AM - 25 comments

I'm not pointing fingers here -- I foolishly contributed to the discussion -- but I think we ought to recognize the futility of discussing member etiquette. It quickly turns personal as the behavior of specific members come under scrutiny, and that makes some people go completely apeshit. We're open to alternatives, but a better policy seems to be this: If you don't like something happening on SportsFilter, e-mail that person, e-mail the site founders, or ignore it. The biggest etiquette issue here is whether a link should have been posted on the front page. However, everyone should realize that if a link is still on the page after a few hours, it has been seen by several (if not all) of the seven people who founded this site. We would have deleted it if it wasn't appropriate. The person who posts a front-page link should know that also -- don't feel like you have to defend the suitability of your link.

posted by rcade at 07:18 AM on October 23, 2003

Anyone interested in online communities would do well to read this Particularly relevant might be this section: The Bell Curves You will never please some users. A few will stick around only to see your next mistake. They tend to be vocal. Their pessimism doesn't make them wrong, but it can be grating. Accept that they are a minority, expect them to make concrete suggestions and honest criticisms occasionally, and try not to be surprised that they don't leave. (Most people who leave do so quietly.) Some people will almost always be happy -- no matter what you do. If their feelings fade, they will withdraw emotionally. They tend not to be as vocal as the pessimists. A sub-group of these people have just discovered online communities or your specific community and still have glory in their eyes. They propose grand ideas and volunteer for great schemes. Harness this energy and exuberance into realistic channels. Most people participate on the fringes. Most people read and never write. Most writers write only occasionally. Most community members have opinions about the various discussion topics but rarely speak. Don't rely on declarations of undying platonic love. Learn to find esteem in steady growth and repeat users. Eschew the idea that loud dissent from a few corners automatically condemns an idea. Do rely on the opinions of trusted community members. Don't weigh opinions solely on participation metrics. Some of the best contributors listen and think far more than they speak or type. Take these as fallible rules of thumb, though. Just be realistic about the actual community.

posted by BigCalm at 07:40 AM on October 23, 2003

my mistake. I wasn't aware of the removal of the 'etiquette' option.

posted by garfield at 08:31 AM on October 23, 2003

No problem. I think it's natural to expect this place to function like MetaFilter.

posted by rcade at 08:50 AM on October 23, 2003

hee hee, curves. ;)

posted by lilnemo at 01:32 PM on October 23, 2003

I expect still the I gave in which be able customize the price... of another way I followed austere

posted by goliche at 06:46 PM on October 23, 2003

eh, what?

posted by jerseygirl at 08:12 PM on October 23, 2003

wow! Has that been Babelized? Perhaps he meant: Volume always the care that I gave me inside, of whom the scato he in the measurement the client of the advisable requirement rate... in another direction which I follow austere.

posted by gspm at 01:16 AM on October 24, 2003

Slapper in Wonderbra von the Stan to the hour and the shutdowns of the name of widerliches, the negotiations of Lazaridis is important until the Shagging and this one does not have e, thinks about the thing the Spezia to them Snob of the country of Beckham, fines that it estimates is. My ice-slides.

posted by taupe at 01:33 AM on October 24, 2003

Oi! Leave our Stanley out of it!

posted by Fat Buddha at 02:49 AM on October 24, 2003

I expect still the I gave in which be able customize the price... of another way I followed austere That comes from here.

posted by dng at 07:09 AM on October 24, 2003

I expect still the I gave in which be able customize the price... of another way I followed austere That comes from here. Which of course led to here...

posted by vito90 at 08:08 AM on October 24, 2003

ooh damn you. i can't get mefi at work.

posted by jerseygirl at 09:28 AM on October 24, 2003

did you try goliche_please_hope_me.metafilter.com ???

posted by danostuporstar at 09:45 AM on October 24, 2003

that's blocked too.

posted by jerseygirl at 10:32 AM on October 24, 2003

Well, 'he' seems to have only hit MeFi that one time, so perhaps we will be just as lucky.

posted by billsaysthis at 01:13 PM on October 24, 2003

Can we please skip the review of columns? I put up my NFL picks 24 hours ago!

posted by wfrazerjr at 02:23 PM on October 24, 2003

Fraze, it's all good as long as it's up by Saturday. Keep up the good work, by the way. Always entertaining stuff.

posted by Samsonov14 at 02:38 PM on October 24, 2003

It's not the same, because now no one on the East Coast will see the picks before the weekend. Everyone leaves work and boom, this town goes dead. I'm not trying to be a complete dick, I'm just wondering why it takes that long.

posted by wfrazerjr at 03:21 PM on October 24, 2003

OK. Now having read that Meta thread: "thats odd"

posted by jerseygirl at 05:25 PM on October 24, 2003

well j-girl, did you hope her or not?!

posted by lilnemo at 05:35 PM on October 24, 2003

I have no idea what I meant by that.

posted by lilnemo at 05:35 PM on October 24, 2003

and something has gone wacky with the sidebar. apparently the wfrazerjr NFL picks of the last three weeks were all posted on the 24th. why, only last week it seemed like the columns for weeks 7 and 6 were both posted on the 17th.

posted by gspm at 06:56 PM on October 24, 2003

THIS JUST IN: I'm wasted!

posted by StarFucker at 02:02 AM on October 25, 2003

Perhaps they all got reposted for some reason, as they were up in each case on the Friday previous the games. I have no clue.

posted by wfrazerjr at 03:33 PM on October 25, 2003

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