Threadiquette 2019

The time has come for a refresher on site decorum. It’s been almost a year to the day since we’ve done one of these reminders and it feels like it’s needed again. We always have new people joining our conversations, and regulars getting comfortable and extending beyond boundaries, so a remind is sometimes needed. I’ll be borrowing heavily from previous posts authored by the esteemed section214.

This is to remind everyone of some basic rules for contributing and participating here at Sactown Royalty, and we try to give some helpful hints on how to avoid the mistakes that could lead to the revoking of your StR membership.

For the most part, we try to grant each member some space. For example, we are much more lax than Blazers Edge, whom we at StR consider a five-star site. However, we are always cognizant that we do not want the conversation on this site to devolve into what you see at some (not all) other national or local blog sites.

The fine line for us is to allow the intelligence and the passion and the humor and the free-form thought that has helped shape StR. The results are usually very stimulating. But in doing that, lines are occasionally crossed and threads can dissolve into name calling matches, and we sure would like to see us clean that up a little.

We have often said that the strength of StR is that the threads often provide greater reading than the original posts. As “gifted” as the “staff” is here at Sactown Royalty, it is the members that actively participate in the threads that help make this site truly great. The threads are at times poetic, inspirational and epic. The power of the thread drives StR, and the thread must be respected and protected. The nice thing is, it really comes down to just cleaning up a couple of things -

So without further ado, a few behaviors that need to be reigned in.

Name Calling

You want to call someone out or insult someone? Take it to another site. Disagree with someone’s opinion all the live-long day, but don’t insult the individual. I used to umpire, and I used to tell the players that they could say that I made a horsesh*t call, but they better not say that I was horsesh*t. Same thing applies here. In other words, it is OK hate the play, but don’t hate the player. This includes attacks on nameless or faceless individuals. Leave the “in spite of what others would tell you” bull-plop at the door, as it is a flame war just waiting to happen. If you have a point to make, make it, but do so without discrediting others. Let the conversation take its natural course. This does not mean that you cannot respond directly to a thread post. To be clear, you may disagree with someone, vehemently so if you are impassioned. But leave the personal rancor out of it. You are disagreeing with the viewpoint, not the individual.

In addition, we will not tolerate language that insults or offends members or a specific gender, race, sexual orientation or religion. We try not to be too heavy-handed, but will be quick to remove comments that cross these lines.

Politics

Flatly, the members of this site have proven that we are unable to have a civilized discussion that revolves around politics. Additionally, we have discovered that any political statements, be they obvious or veiled, usually leads to a flame war. The good news? This is not a political website. Hence, let’s not discuss politics, and let’s refrain from making political statements, up to and including politically charged avatars. And this is really becoming a zero tolerance item. A couple of years ago I posted a FanShot of Bin Laden watching Jimmer Fredette on TV. I assure you that there was no political or religious motive to this - I was just attempting to show the global reach of “Jimermania.” But a couple of members viewed this as offensive. In the end, the cheap laughs were not worth the headaches and hurt feelings.

This is particularly troublesome in current times. We’re living through a volatile political atmosphere, and it’s only natural that sometimes this spills over. Any time we try to provide leeway on this it quickly devolves. While you may feel you’re just making an innocent joke, history tells us it will trigger a conversation that is likely to go off the rails. Just leave the politics out.

Trolling

Trolls aren’t just newbies looking to come in and hit and run. They can be folks that have been around that just wait to rile everyone up. This would be the person that posts nothing when Jimmer Fredette has a nice playing stretch, but is first to post as soon as Fredette turns the ball over (this would also apply to the person that posts every time that Fredette makes a mistake but never acknowledges when he does something well). Again, you’re entitled to your opinion. But if that is going to be the only opinion that you share, you’re going to be labeled a troll. Oh, and accusing others of “group think” when you can’t get anyone to agree with you is weak. Take that to another site.

Trolling is commenting with the intention to create a fight. Plain and simple.

There are no “Hello Kitty” backpacks at StR

Seriously, the veterans here need to lighten up a little on the newer posters. Give them an opportunity to come in and establish their voice. Like Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum, they are going to make mistakes. But they are also going to make this site better. Give them a break, and give them a chance. New members, on the other hand, need to remember that if they come in with no respect for fellow StR members, they are going to receive same...and then some...in return. This site is a marathon, not a sprint. Ease your way in and establish your voice. You’re joining a running conversation that has been going on for several years now. Relax, have fun and enjoy the give and take.

Substance and structure count

You do not need to be an English major to participate here, but a lack of coherent sentences, spelling, punctuation, or paragraphs are a quick way to have your point ignored. Similarly, making an argument with substance will be treated better than simply announcing you think a player sucks.

Language

We’ve had conversations before about the level of profanity here, and while we would like to see less of it, it’s not really a place where we are drawing a line at this time. All that we ask is that you consider saving the really good words for when you really need them. For example, swearing because the Kings turn the ball over once = not so appropriate. Swearing because the Kings turned the ball over for the 7th time in the first 5 minutes = more appropriate. Swearing because you don’t know who Jason Thompson is on draft day is wholly appropriate (and hilarious!).

Site Moderation

Leave the site moderation to the site moderators. Do not take StR law into your own hands. Use the flag feature if a comment is offensive to you, and drop me an email if something is really bothering you. Flag someone that you think might be a troll, but do not call them a troll. Leave it to the site moderators. If someone is spamming, flag it and leave it for the site moderators. As the site becomes busier and busier, flagging offensive or comments becomes critical, so thanks in advance for your assistance. That said, as site moderators we do our best but we are not perfect. If you have something to offer as it pertains to site moderation, email us - let’s not waste thread space on site moderation conversation. Oh, and a note on deleted comments. Whenever the site deletes a comment, any responses to that comment are automatically deleted as well. If your comment was removed for violation of site guidelines, you will receive a warning (or ban depending on the severity of the violation) “off line.” If you have any questions about a deleted comment, drop us an email.

If you have a comment removed, do not take it as a personal affront. Comments are removed when we feel they violate site guidelines. A warning is sent so you know what the violation is. If you don’t get a warning, how else would you know why it was removed? If a comment is removed, it also wipes out the comments underneath it. If you don’t see your comment in a thread anymore but didn’t receive a warning, you were probably collateral damage.

We do not allow discussion of moderation in the comments. If you disagree with a comment being removed, email us. My email is available in the masthead. I’ll answer questions about why a comment was removed. If a comment was removed in error, we have the magical technology to put it back if we decide to. But ultimately the mods decides what stays and what goes. If you don’t like it, we’ll give you a full refund on your site membership fee.

Timeout Tapper and the Ban Hammer

If you have multiple violations or seem to be really heated, you may get put on timeout and reinstated in a day or so. If you have a particularly egregious violation or a history of repeated violations, you may be banned.

In Conclusion

Behave, be civil, or you’ll face consequences. 99% of all problems with the comments could be solved by taking a step back and remembering to respect alternate opinions. We’re all Kings fans, but we often disagree on the best path forward. Let’s focus more on the first part of that sentence, and get less angry about the second part.