FanPost

Community Guidelines Refresher



Hey all! A new season is fast approaching. Between that, the failed Nnamdi-stakes, and an upcoming fantasy football league year, we have had a BUTT-LOAD of new faces and names signing up and posting on the site. Well this is mainly for those newer people, some users of both this and other SBN blogs could use a bit of a memory jog too.

Several other NFL blogs post reiterations of their policies once or twice a year, especially around the start of the season. Additionally, large numbers of visitors and regulars have subjected themselves to disciplinary review lately. For all of those reasons and more, I'm re-posting John's guidelines with a few breakdowns where needed. If you think this is directed at you specifically for some reason, I promise you it isn't. This is a general friendly reminder of the laws of the inter-lands here at GGN.

No derogatory comments regarding race, religion, creed, or sexual orientation allowed.

· Avoid discussing politics on the site.

WE MEAN THIS! Don't even bring it up!

· No personal attacks on other members allowed.

This should go without saying, but it's probably what I have to review accounts for more than any other single thing on GGN.

· Absolutely no threats against members or their families.

Self-explanatory. You WILL be removed immediately and permanently if you do this at all.

· Profanities are not forbidden, but they should be kept to a minimum. There are a lot of children who read the site. There’s a difference between typing out an expletive in the heat of the moment in a game thread when Mark Sanchez throws an interception and dropping an f-bomb every other word in a comment in the middle of June. Excessive use of profanity can result in disciplinary action.

We're not nuns, just TRY to use your best judgment. FYI I would warn you several times before I took any action for this.

· Disagreements should be done in respectful fashion. Attack an argument, not the person.

· No blanket stereotyping of Jets fans, players, or coaches in a negative way.

· Rules are subject to change at the administrators’ discretion at any time.

· There are no loopholes. You know what you should and shouldn’t be doing on the site. You can face disciplinary action if you do something inappropriate that isn’t specifically listed here. This isn’t a court of law. We reserve the right to disciple people and remove comments and posts as we see fit.

People REALLY like to act like they're special, or point out any mitigating factors in their disruption. Getting indignant will not negate what you did, or cause admins to leave you alone.

FAQ’s

I got banned for something. I saw somebody else doing something similar, and they aren’t banned. What’s up with that?

We aim to treat all people fairly here. That’s different from treating everybody the exact same way. A lot goes into disciplinary decisions.

The instigator will usually get a harsher penalty than somebody who was provoked.

If somebody has been a valuable contributor on the site for a long time and acted in the heat of the moment, they are more likely to get a warning than somebody new to the site who uses their first comment to break community guidelines. It’s pretty obvious in most cases who comes to the site to discuss football, and who shows up to make trouble. The former will likely get more rope than the latter.

Moderating a site like this is an art, not a science. We’re trying to make sure we have the highest possible level of discussion.

NOTE: OTHER PEOPLE BEHAVING BADLY IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE DEFENSE FOR ANYTHING! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU POST, BOTTOM LINE!

I’m a fan of another team. Am I allowed to comment on the site?

Absolutely. Some of our best members root for teams other than the Jets. They add great perspective to the site. Just remember that you’re a guest on this site. Act the way you’d like a fan visiting on your team’s blog to act. If you disagree with our take on an individual match up in the game because we’ve slighted your guy, feel free to discuss it in respectful fashion. Tell us why we’re wrong, and why your guy deserves more credit than we’re giving him.

If you show up, and your first post is telling Jets fans their team sucks a part of the male anatomy and we all have the IQ of a rock, you will be treated as a troll and likely banned. First impressions are key. Most trolls root for other teams. If you act like one right off the bat, we can’t help but assume that’s what you are.

NOTE: UNDUE MALTREATMENT OF VISITORS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED! I'm dead serious, I will suspend you if you regularly try to bully visitors off the site.

I’m a Jets fan. I saw some other fans on the site. I attacked them to defend our turf. Now you ban me?

There are cases where fans of other teams on this site are attacked without any provocation. That’s not all right. The rules are here to protect them too.

Even if a fan of another team breaks the rules, it is no excuse to break the guidelines. It is our job to make sure things are clean, not yours. If you feel we have missed a breaking of the rules, please feel free to shoot us an e-mail, and we will look into it.

We ask you to follow the rules, not to turn into John Wayne and defend the honor of the Jets.

NOTE: PLEASE just flag or e-mail problem posters instead of feeding trolls. It's disruptive and subjects you to discipline.

I’ve been banned. Can I get reinstated?

Again, we’re here to allow anybody who can contribute insightfully to our discussion. Maybe you said something out of turn in the heat of the moment. You don’t have to get down on your hands and knees. You don’t even need to apologize or ask forgiveness. Just shoot an e-mail to an administrator explaining why you were banned and that you’ll contribute positively and knock off the nonsense if you get another shot.

NOTE: Never underestimate the power of forgiveness. Also consider that repetitive behavior is far less likely to be forgotten. Most banned people either get it automatically lifted, or could have solved the problem through a calm, collected e-mail. Just a tip.

I’m only here because member X of GGN was trolling on my team’s site. How can you discipline me?

Being angry at somebody is no excuse for breaking our guidelines. Think of how that guy is disrupting discussion on your site and annoying all the good fans there. That’s what you’re doing now.

NOTE: Feel free to flag "vengeance" posters. They're not really welcome.

How should I not seek to be reinstated?

Don’t create a new account. We have your IP address and will ban it. That shows you don’t care that you broke the rules, and you don’t have any expectation of living up to our standards.

Also avoid sending e-mails such as these regarding your ban.

E-mail #1

you banned me from gang green nation for "too much name calling" wtf is that about. im the only one in the defending my team from all those other a**hole miami fans talking nonstop s*** and i talk like a man to them and you sit back and ban me? thats bulls*** man. you take a poll of members that love having me on thier side standing by them and my team and they disagree with your banning. thanks for taking away my voice for my f***ing football team man, youre real cool. now ill let those idiotic miami fans talk all the s*** they want about you guys and our team.

E-mail #2

You suck d***!

These were censored a bit, but yes, these are two e-mails I’ve actually received from banned members. Needless to say, neither was reinstated.

I’m a GGN member who has been banned on another SB Nation site. Can you help me?

I’m sorry, but the answer is no. Every site is an independent entity. Every site has its own rules and enforcers. That’s something you’ll have to take up with that site’s administrator.

A MESSAGE FROM BRO NAMATH: I take great pains to maintain friendly relationships with other SBN blogs/writers. If you feel there are EXTENUATING circumstances, and you are a good member, feel free to contact me to discuss your problem. Misunderstandings happen, BUT IT IS THEIR SITE AND THEIR FINAL DECISION. GGN IS NOT HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR YOU ON OTHER SBN BLOGS.

I’m a Jets fan on GGN. Can you discipline me for something I do on another site?

Yes, if it’s bad enough. Trolling on other sites is discouraged. Remember that when you go to another site, you’re an ambassador for this site. Whether you like it or not, you’re a reflection of us as a community. When you cause trouble elsewhere, you make us look bad.

You probably won’t be disciplined for anything but the most serious offenses (threatening the lives of others, etc.) but we do reserve the right to do so if you do something that makes us feel like we want you to have nothing to do with our community.

NOTE: Conduct yourself as if someone is always watching, because there is a very good chance that either I am, or that it will find it's way back to us anyway. We've lost contributing members both recently and in the past because they disrupted other SBN blogs. ASSUME THAT SOMEONE ON A RIVAL BLOG IS JUST WAITING/DYING FOR YOU TO SCREW UP SO THEY CAN REPORT YOU TO US OR SBN! ASSUME THAT YOU WILL BE SANCTIONED ON GGN FOR BREAKING THEIR RULES!

You’re restricting my First Amendment Right to free speech!

The First Amendment prevents the government from restricting your free speech. We aren’t the government.

NOTE: GGN, SBN, AND ITS AFFILIATE YAHOO! RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REVIEW OR TERMINATE OR REMOVE ANY PERSONS ACCOUNT/COMMENTS/PUBLISHED MATERIAL AT ANY TIME.

Beyond that, there are a few SBN TERMS OF SERVICE that govern ALL SBN sites that I feel need to be reiterated (this is just as much for visitors as it is members):

3. Copyright Infringement.

SBNation respects the intellectual property rights of others. Accordingly, SBNation has a policy of removing User Submissions that violate copyright law, suspending access to the SBNation Network (or any portion thereof) to any user who uses the SBNation Network in violation of copyright law, and/or terminating in appropriate circumstances the account of any user who uses the SBNation Network in violation of copyright law.

10. No Commercial Use.

You may not resell, distribute, make any commercial use of (other than to keep and share information for your own business purposes), use on a timeshare or service bureau basis, or use to operate a Web site or otherwise generate income from the SBNation Network.

Generally speaking, if it is to be bought or sold, clear it with John BEFORE you post. Avoid posting things that other people may claim as intellectual property. SBN also would like you to know that they may amend or change their policies at any time without notice. You are subject to all of their policies and procedures first and foremost. They may change or remove your account at any time for any reason.

Limit links, quotes, sites, videos, and other material that isn't your own to fanshots, or make sure that they are part of a much larger analysis on your part. That brings us to our final guideline:

FanPosts should be used when you have something to say. It may be a reaction to a link or video. You may just have scattered thoughts you need to share. The important thing is you are giving us your own opinion on a matter. If you are responding to a link or video, please share and quote it.

FanPosts must have at least 75 characters. Please use good grammar and spelling. The best FanPosts in terms of in depth analysis and proper writing format may be promoted to the front page at the discretion of the administrators.

FanShots are not your own thought. They exist so that you can share the work of others whether it be a link, a quote, a video, or a picture, with others.

If you like a post, comment, FanPost, or FanShot, you can recommend it by clicking the Rec button on the bottom of the page once you are logged in. If enough people Rec something, it will receive a place of greater prominence on the site.

This is probably people's biggest issue with site use. Here are some things to consider when choosing:

Is it a long, well thought out write-up or analysis of Jets related material? (make it a FanPost)

Is it a paragraph post? Does it just barely meet the minimum characters? Is it about a free agent or trade bait? (make it a FanShot)

Is the majority of it MY material, or my analysis of others? (FanPost)

Is it all or mostly someone else's work? (FanShot)

Is it heavy on images or off site material? (FanShot)

The last thing I ask you to consider is that when you post an article, you are pushing someone else's hard work OFF of the front page. Is your work worthy of bumping others? Be honest with yourself before you post. If there are super threads or similar posts, DON'T POST YOUR OWN JUST FOR THE HECK OF IT. Just contribute to the existing post. If you want to break news, use a FanShot. You aren't Adam Schefter.

That's all, folks! As most of you have already found, we are very gracious with the sheer amount of chances we give people. If I'm giving you a gentle, unofficial warning, my best advice is to do some reflection before you get indignant. Because it's getting to be that time of year where passions rule the day, and we start having to reign in the rowdy kids. We WANT you to be here with us, that's why I'm posting this.

Thanks for visiting and using GGN. Here's to another great season, and your continued involvement in discussion here.

J!

E!

T!

S!

JETS! JETS! JETS!

This post has been modified several times for format, to correct my idiotic wording, and constant typos. ~BN

You can read John's guidelines in their original context here:

http://www.ganggreennation.com/2010/2/20/1319435/community-guidelines

http://www.ganggreennation.com/2010/2/20/1319438/fanposts-fanshots-and-recs

You can also read the terms of use of SB Nation here:

http://www.sbnation.com/guide/terms

This is a FanPost written by a registered member of this site. The views expressed here are those of the author alone and not those of anybody affiliated with Gang Green Nation or SB Nation.