Harrington is right! - Really

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I’m a little muzzy from beer and sun, on vacation. And i want to say:

 

I’m sorry, John.

 

You’re a god damned fine writer. One of the best in our market. Probably the best, along with Tim Graham. A master of your craft.

 

Please accept my apology and understand that the content I post here is (mostly) idle pratter that serves as a form of entertainment facilitated by our fearless leader, SDS.

 

Stay! Enjoy! Contribute!

 

* Wawrow (so that it pops for a word search)

 

You are a good man.

[Winston]

I agree with this generally, and I even agree that it doesn't really need to be "fixed" per se. This place is worth working for. I just think I'll try a little harder to respond to folks who are newer, or at least, like, read their posts. Its not that big an ask.

 

Absolutely a good idea. It's good to be the kid that says, "sure, sit at my table" instead of giving them the Forrest Gump bus treatment. I think we could all do a better job of communicating agreement as frequently as we communicate disagreement. Swamp makes an astute observation. 

 

Very good summary of how life and SabreSpace works.

 

I was welcomed to the board by nfreeman and some others (sorry to the others, but I still remember nfreeman's welcome as it really stood out ... he was not a mod back then just a guy).  It did mean a lot.  I always try to do the same if I notice a new poster making their first few posts.  I hope that it helps.

 

After that my first few months were rough.  I did contribute some and most posts were well received.  SwampD brings up a good point that there are a lot of different opinions around here and people tend to respond more if they see a post that differs from their opinion as they see an opportunity to engage and most of the time it is in a good way.  If your posts are agreed with you will tend to see good post replies sometimes, but not always.

 

I ended up trolling a good poster and at the time I did not realise that was what it was.  It resulted in a warning and my taking a break that was not entirely self imposed.  That poster ended up trolling me back, though he said it was not intentional, and now I do believe him, but at the time it was rough.  I did end up apologising to korab rules in private and in public.  I do hope that he returns to posting regularly, but for some time now it has been very sporadic korab sightings.

 

Anyway, it was a process and the only advise I will give is to be who you are and let your posts reflect that.  I would think that most would say I am not a troll, so it was not good form for me to behave as one.

 

Always make your posts about the post and not the poster.  Rules to live by.

 

Good stuff. FWIW, you were one of the first (if not the first) to make me feel welcome here. 

 

I know SDS doesn't like mega-threads. But some boards have a pinned "welcome thread" for new folks to post in. Something simple, like: 

 

 

Hey guys, I'm EichSnipe. Grew up in Rochester as a Sabres fan. Really became hardcore when I was living in Buffalo for school. Now live in Columbus, OH where I am surrounded by CBJ fans. Looking forward to discussing where Dahlin will fit into the D pairings next year haha

 

 

Has SS ever had a welcome thread? Should we start paying NS for his role on the welcoming committee? Could we at least reimburse him for the cost of all the casserole ingredients?? (jk, I'm sure he writes it off ;) )

[woods-racer]

That was hilarious Marvelo!

[shrader]

I don't mind arguments or butting heads, but some of the stuff when GODD was here and the recent exchange with wawrow were escalated pretty quickly. Granted I understand both sides of the arguments, just seems to have gotten a bit uncivil at times

 

Amen to that.  So many people today have no idea how to deal with an opposing point of view and are so quick to respond with hostility.  Learning to get past that is key for any community out there.  I'm sure I've done the same plenty of times, but I'm trying to listen to people as much as possible in hopes of understanding where they're coming from*.  If they truly are on a completely different page than me and it's clear that's not going to change, I'm going to steer clear as much as possible.

 

 

*Except for NS, that guy's a clown. :P

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Amen to that.  So many people today have no idea how to deal with an opposing point of view and are so quick to respond with hostility.  Learning to get past that is key for any community out there.  I'm sure I've done the same plenty of times, but I'm trying to listen to people as much as possible in hopes of understanding where they're coming from*.  If they truly are on a completely different page than me and it's clear that's not going to change, I'm going to steer clear as much as possible.

 

 

*Except for NS, that guy's a clown. :P

 

This is a very good way to approach everything in life, including here.

 

You and I have grown in our time on this board.

 

And, I know you are, but what am I?   :P

[SwampD]

Absolutely a good idea. It's good to be the kid that says, "sure, sit at my table" instead of giving them the Forrest Gump bus treatment. I think we could all do a better job of communicating agreement as frequently as we communicate disagreement. Swamp makes an astute observation. 

 

 

JFTR, I think we all acted appropriately when JW acted like the home schooled only child, and instead of joining the circle of people having a conversation, he stood in the center of it and told us how stupid we all were because our public school educations.

Edited April 4, 2018 by SwampD

[inkman]

JFTR, I think we all acted appropriately when JW acted like the home schooled only child, and instead of joining the circle of people having a conversation, he stood in the center told us how stupid we all were because our public school educations.

This. I really wanted to have J dubs back but his lashing out at two posters who almost always post with respect and thoughtfulness was perplexing. If you want to pick a fight with PA, Pi, Marvelo or a few other of our esteemed posters, I'd understand but choosing the ones he did was weird.

[Winston]

JFTR, I think we all acted appropriately when JW acted like the home schooled only child, and instead of joining the circle of people having a conversation, he stood in the center of it and told us how stupid we all were because our public school educations.

 

100% on the same page. I took your comments to be a general sense. JW was very much "option b" in all of my scenarios. I don't fault anyone that was snippy back or poked fun at him.

[Neo]

I cannot order the following in terms of unlikeliness:

 

1). Harrington got it right.

2). Smell got under someone’s skin.

3). NS got a warning for trolling.

4). Dog sleeps with cat.

 

OK, number 1 was a bit unfair to Harrington. Journalism is a time urgent fist fight of a profession.

 

 

On to serious. I’ve watched journalism and media evolve over time. The pressure to be new and first 24/7, often in 140 characters or less, must be enormous. Swings and misses that would’ve been sins when I was younger are predictably commonplace today. We demand. We consume. As Hyman Roth said, “this is the business we've chosen“.

Edited April 4, 2018 by neo

[Taro T]

One thing that seems to be getting overlooked in this discussion about new posters getting ignored is that regular posters here don't have particularly high post counts. Most posters here average less than 4 posts per day, so even on game days they only post a dozen or so times. And several of those posts aren't replies to anyone in particular but merely a commemt about the game itself.

 

It seems that most days there aren't substantially more than 20 active posters, so on most days there are only 200 - 1,000 opportunities to even get a response tops. Over on TSW, it has to be at least 1 order of magnitude higher, so there is a lot more opportunity to have someone decide to comment on what somebody else has posted. (Quite often that response seemingly being "why did you start a new thread when we were already talking about what your thread is about." ;))

 

My post count is only around 3.25/day & about the most frequent poster here was Liger his 1st 2 months & even he only posted about 14 times/ day at his peak.

 

When the Sabres are finally good again, I'd expect this place will seem a lot more welcoming than it seems now as there will be a far greater base of people looking at individual posts. 500 views of a post vs 20 tend to do that. ;)

 

Final thought on perceived low post response rate to newbies is it doesn't seem that new posters partake in the OT threads much when they 1st join. With the Sabres being awful, a lot of times those are the only readable threads that don't feel like you're walking barefooted on broken glass when reading them. Maybe if the new guys (& gals) post there, they'll get more responses. (Realizing those aren't the threads new posters want to talk about. They want to (for reasons only known to them :p) discuss this monumentally disappointing hockey team. Which isn't where the response rate is as high IMHO.

 

At any rate, to all the newcomers, welcome. In theory, only 33 years longer in the desert. (We can hope.) ;)

[Stoner]

This. I really wanted to have J dubs back but his lashing out at two posters who almost always post with respect and thoughtfulness was perplexing. If you want to pick a fight with PA, Pi, Marvelo or a few other of our esteemed posters, I'd understand but choosing the ones he did was weird.

I always post with respect and thoughtfulness. So you and the horse you rode in on.

[inkman]

I always post with respect and thoughtfulness. So ###### you and the horse you rode in on.

You can my horse all you want. I knew of the

[WildCard]

You can ###### my horse all you want. I knew of the

...

[Eleven]

...

 

I think there was a "zone entrance," possibly by Risto, while he was posting.

[Stoner]

I have no idea why "thank" got censored.

[inkman]

I have no idea why "thank" got censored.

:lol:

[Wyldnwoody44]

F you all, I challenge you to all the HOCKEYS

[Thorner]

*Ignores intently*

I definitely recall that feeling when I started too and am most likely guilty of being more likely to reply to a post if I know in detail who said it versus seeing someone new.

 

 

Yup, same. But that’s to be expected, like others have outlined. It’s only natural for posters to more often respond to posters they are familiar with, where there’s greater context to aid discussion.

 

Just stick around and keep posting. I still consider myself somewhat of a newbie, at least relative to a lot of the most frequent posters here, but I just kept posting, and eventually (pretty quickly actually) the vet posters started responding to my posts in disagreement (;)) in no time!

 

To any new posters, just hang in there!

 

No, it’s not new.

This forum is a lot like a group of old Greek dudes who have known each other since they were boys and meet every morning to play backgammon and drink coffee at the sidewalk cafe.

You can play, but you have to hang out a bit and understand their ways before they break out the bazoukis, start sharing the ouzo and introduce you to their daughters.

But once you’re in, you’re in for as long as you want to be.

Even if SDS kicks you out.

And this.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Thorny

[Wyldnwoody44]

I've been on here for like 7 years and I still have many posts unresponded to.... Then again, I don't usually have good convo, just some silly one liners lol

[Gramps]

I've been on here for like 7 years and I still have many posts unresponded to.... Then again, I don't usually have good convo, just some silly one liners lol

 

Yep, the fog has lifted ... appreciate all of the comments on this and that in and of itself is welcoming. Nuff said ...

[Stoner]

Yep, the fog has lifted ... appreciate all of the comments on this and that in and of itself is welcoming. Nuff said ...

Maybe get a Sabre-centric avatar? At first glance you kind of give off a non-Sabre fan vibe.

[Gramps]

Maybe get a Sabre-centric avatar? At first glance you kind of give off a non-Sabre fan vibe.

 

Good idea - tks

[WildCard]

Maybe get a Sabre-centric avatar? At first glance you kind of give off a non-Sabre fan vibe.

I don't even know who yours is. Duff?

[Winston]

I don't even know who yours is. Duff?

I’ll give you a hint: He LOVES to point.

[WildCard]

I’ll give you a hint: He LOVES to point.

I got nothing :lol: