GreekHockeyCoach Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Greetings to all members! First, let me start by thanking our team of moderators for their great work in general on this forum and that in both languages, and also for coming up with this idea and working at putting everything together. You are the best! The purpose of this thread is simple: to inform all members on the topic of moderation and to encourage open constructive discussion on the matter. While it might not always seem that way on the surface, we respect and value the contributions of each member here. Have a question about the forum rules? Want to know why certain posts are deleted? Feel that there’s a way for us to be more effective in doing our job? Then this thread is for you. Ground rules for posting in this thread 1. Respect When it comes to feedback, moderators aren’t different from other members. We’re perfectly happy with constructive criticism, expressed in a respectful manner. We dislike sarcasm, personal attacks, swearing, mockery, and veiled insults. If you have a problem, question, or concern, please express yourself in a civilized manner. Failure to do so will mean trouble for you, so just save us all the headache and be courteous. 2. No names, please This thread is not an invitation to air personal grievances in public. If you have a problem with a particular moderator, the best thing to do is to PM him or her and resolve the issue in private. 3. Be part of the solution As much as possible, we encourage you to offer practical solutions to any issues or problems you bring to our attention. Who knows? Your solution may be better than anything we’ve got! 4. Catch up on your reading Before you post anything in this thread, we strongly advise you to read this site’s official Code of Conduct first. If you’re still confused or upset about something, come back here and post. We expect all members to be familiar with the Code of Conduct, so please don’t clutter this thread up with questions that even a brief glance at the Code of Conduct would answer. 5. Remember who owns this site We’ve said it before, but we can’t stress it enough: this message board is owned and operated by the Montreal Canadiens. It is the official message board of the most storied franchise in hockey. Consequently, we have an obligation to monitor these boards more closely than we would if we were moderating your average online forum run by a private citizen. 6. Warnings Are Private If you have been banned, you will be told the reason, you will have received warnings, and therefore appealing to the moderators for more explanation in this thread is not useful (please PM the moderator who issued the warnings to discuss personal warnings). If someone you know has been suspended, asking the moderators to reveal the reasons or justify the suspension is not useful either, since we do not discuss one member's status with other members. However, if you have broken a rule and would like this rule clarified, this thread is a great place to ask. 7. Rules Still Apply While this thread exists as a place to comment on the moderation of this forum, all forum rules still apply. If you are unsure if something you wish to post in this thread is against the rules, please PM a moderator first. Rule Clarification: Constructive Criticism vs. Bashing We all love to criticise the players, coaches, managers of our favourite team. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be posting here. After all, this message board is an outlet for fans to speak their mind about their passion: the Montreal Canadiens. A hockey message board without criticism is like an empty plate: it looks nice and clean, but really has no use unless you put food on it. If you feel a player hasn’t given his best on a particular night, you’re perfectly entitled to make your voice heard. If you dislike an element of the team’s on-ice strategy, you’re free to share your opinion with your fellow members. If you think a player should be traded, or a coach or manager fired, you have the right to say so. So why, you might ask, do we delete certain posts because their content constituted an “attack” on a member of the Habs organisation? You may have received a warning for “bashing” a player. You might be confused about the difference between constructive criticism and player bashing. Or you might have seen us delete a post you thought was perfectly reasonable, and now you’re worried about the content of your own posts. Relax — we’re not out to get you! In fact, we hope the following exercise clears the issue up and ensures that we never have to send you a warning about your behaviour. Trust us, we don’t like issuing warnings anymore than you like receiving them. Constructive Criticism: What you should strive for Constructive criticism focuses on perceived problems or deficiencies without becoming personal. It is thoughtful, engaged, and respectful. When you offer constructive criticism, the tone and wording of your posts lets everyone know, implicitly, that what concerns you is the issue at hand, not the player, coach, or manager himself. You do not use race, nationality, or language as a tool to belittle the target of your comments, nor do you engage in unnecessary personal remarks, (e.g. making fun of the person’s appearance). While frustration is sometimes an unavoidable part of criticism, especially when the team is losing or the player is in a prolonged slump, you should never let your frustration lead you to substitute insults and sarcasm for informed, level-headed criticism. An example of constructive criticism: "I do agree with you in that, being Guy's first season behind the bench, we can't really tell what he's made of yet. But we got a good look at how he handled adversity, and the rest of the league just rolled past us while we were still trying to command the locker room. He was a player long enough to know these things are inevitable, and that he would need a plan to handle them. My worry is that we may have seen his "plan" in full. And the results speak for themselves....a team that STILL, for no good reason, is the most inconsistent thing I have ever seen on skates! " In the above example, the poster has doubts about the coaching, but never degenerates into personal attacks not relating to hockey. He’s open-minded enough to acknowledge when the other person makes a valid point, and doesn’t fly off the handle or become sarcastic because someone happens to disagree with him. There’s no mud-slinging or name-calling, but he’s gotten his point across loud and clear. Another example: "Maybe if he actually EARNED his keep and played up to his talent but he has not. He only skates when he wants to, I was looking at the highlights of the last game he played in yesterday on TSN and on one play he coughed up the puck in the neutral zone and instead of coming back in the play to help out the defence he just coasted behind the play and we got scored on... pretty sad if you ask me and he's being paid top dollars for what? If I was him I would keep quiet." The preceding example is more animated. Frustration is evident, but the poster sticks to the subject matter, using specific in-game examples to support the argument. There’s no rancor, gratuitous insults, or obscene language. A Third Example: "I agree to an extent. The flu has hurt this team a lot. It's been going around for months now. The whole Sammy situation has hurt the team as he is a good player and both sides have made bad decisions this year. If the team had Huet right now they might be in the playoffs. It's a big if, but it's very possible that he would have stolen some games like he did early in the season. He seemed to be playing better when he got injured. With all that said I agree that this team could probably do just as well playing a more aggressive system that takes more risks. As Rivet said he is allowed to pinch in and take risks there. The thing is I doubt Carbs believes in such a system. I think he believes in what hes using now and thats the way he has played hockey his whole career. I doubt he is experienced in the use of an offensive system enough to employ one and I also doubt he believes a system like that would win the cup anyway. Right now he is the coach though and the players will have to listen to him and do what he says." Once again, the member debates the point without getting personal or degenerating into non related attacks. Bashing: What you should avoid Bashing takes many forms, but the key ingredient in any type of bashing is a lack of respect. The tone of the post is usually scornful, sarcastic, and contemptuous of the player or coach in question, yet the poster doesn’t bother to provide any kind of support for his position. He’s already made up his mind about the issue, and he’s just looking to pick a fight. He doesn’t mind using obscene language and derogatory terms when talking about the object of his ridicule, and if you happen to disagree with him, he has no problem using the same language to attack you. A basher loves making unsubstantiated generalizations about large numbers of people, based on nothing but his own personal likes and dislikes, and then using his self-made evidence as the basis for unwarranted personal attacks. Once he’s decided he dislikes a player or coach, he uses every available opportunity to poke fun at their expense, regardless of whether he’s off-topic. Some examples of Bashing: While we can't post any true examples, as these break forum rules, here are some general ideas of what constitutes bashing: comparing players to non-hockey players, animals or inanimate objects referring to any players as "pathetic", "terrible", etc. (calling a single game or skill by a player "terrible" is fine, but not the player in general) any other insult that becomes too personal against the player. In short, bashing is often a brash commentary that attacks the character of an individual, rather than a comment that critiques the play or performance of that individual. Rule Clarification: Attacking Other Members Just like attacking members of the team is against the rules, so is attacking other members of the forum. A forum is always going to have lots of debates, that's what makes it interesting (we certainly don't want everyone to agree on everything). However, members must stick to the subject matter and debate it appropriately, not let the debates become personal. Some examples of personal attacks that are against the rules and may result in warnings: Give your head a shake Open your eyes Those who disagree don't know hockey (or what they're talking about) Get a life Are you drunk (or on drugs)? All of these types of comments can only draw a negative response and are against forum rules. Furthermore, if someone insults you, let a moderator know and we'll be happy to delete the message. What you should not do is quote or even respond to the message. This leads to a lot more work for the moderators, and may start what is known as a "flame war" (members constantly personally attacking each other). Even if someone insults you first, you may receive a warning as well for retaliating. Avoid back-seat moderating, or acting as a moderator. This only adds to the problem instead of helping fix it. Using the "Report Post" button () or the Private Message system solves the problem much more efficiently as opposed to attempting to take matters into your own hands. Because this site is part of the public "face" our team presents to the world, we do have to be careful with the kinds of expressions people sometimes use to express criticism. Things that could be offensive to a portion of our membership cannot be allowed. So for example, it is inappropriate to describe something or someone as "retarded" when there is quite a good chance that some of our forum members have family with special needs or challenges. Remember that many of our forum members are NOT just like you. Try to respect everyone, and to stay away from language that insults or ridicules identifiable groups. Explanation: Warnings Warnings are just that ... warnings. Receiving a warning is not the end of the world, it's only a way to inform members that they've crossed the line. Repeating the offense becomes more serious. Many good members have received warnings, some have even gone on to become moderators after showing an improvement in their posting. However, a warning is a sign that you have broken the forum rules and need to be more careful in the future. If you read the rules and are more careful in the future, that warning isn't going to hurt you at all. Essentially, warnings are encouragement to change your personal behaviour for the betterment of the forum; for yourself, and for others. Members also need to be aware that contributing members who have been permanently banned have already received ample warnings and likely a temporary suspension. We realize that once in awhile everyone makes mistakes, and so the moderators are cautious with giving bannings, although sometimes it becomes necessary. By respect for our membership, warnings are being issued by Private Messaging and only the moderators and the member in question know about it. We are expecting that members will use the same method to discuss warnings, as going on the open forum afterwards being critical about it could be perceived as showing off or under-mining the efforts of the moderator(s). To summarize: A warning is YOUR chance to step up and improve the forum by setting an example and making hockey discussions pleasant and civilized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreekHockeyCoach Posted July 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 The above post is a copy and paste from last year's thread that our very own Weepingminotaur wrote with the help of former moderator and now retired jersey Graeme. Since is it a perfect post in every way, we're using it again this year. Mad props to Weeps and Graeme for having written such a detailed explanation. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kubby31 Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 If I may...like to just say it has been a pleasure being a member here....really enjoy posting & reading all the many posts daily. It's like a tight net family here,so to speak. ..get to know many of the regular posters & encourage new members to jump aboard the forum......it is really a cool place to hang out. LETS GO HABS! PS...keep up the great work mods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreekHockeyCoach Posted July 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 If I may...like to just say it has been a pleasure being a member here....really enjoy posting & reading all the many posts daily. It's like a tight net family here,so to speak. ..get to know many of the regular posters & encourage new members to jump aboard the forum......it is really a cool place to hang out. LETS GO HABS! PS...keep up the great work mods. Thanks FH. It helps when there are members here like yourself that are dedicated to making this forum a better place. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 And then there's us trouble makers. You forgot to mention that Leaf bashing is highly encouraged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreekHockeyCoach Posted July 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 And then there's us trouble makers. You forgot to mention that Leaf bashing is highly encouraged. Trouble makers contribute in their own way, they keeps us mods on our toes As for Leaf bashing, I'll have to check the rules. Oh wait there are no rules on Leaf bashing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Trouble makers contribute in their own way, they keeps us mods on our toes As for Leaf bashing, I'll have to check the rules. Oh wait there are no rules on Leaf bashing Did i tell you that your my favourite mod today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreekHockeyCoach Posted July 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Did i tell you that your my favourite mod today. You'll go far on this site my son Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColRouleBleu Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 hmmpfff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rondalsf Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Did i tell you that your my favourite mod today. Hey hands off grrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 hmmpfff I consider you more of a fellow Leaf basher then a mod CRB. Now there's some high praise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest habs1952 Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 And then there's us trouble makers. You forgot to mention that Leaf bashing is highly encouraged. People in Grimsby don't have anything better to do. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rondalsf Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 People in Grimsby don't have anything better to do. :lol: Penalty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 People in Grimsby don't have anything better to do. :lol: Lots of Leaf fans around here to keep me entertained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest habs1952 Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Lots of Leaf fans around here to keep me entertained. I don't consider harassing Leaf fans trouble making. I consider it legal and your sworn duty as a Habs fan. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest habs1952 Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Penalty! Sorry. People in Regina don't have anything better to do either. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreekHockeyCoach Posted July 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Too funny guys. Good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rondalsf Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 Sorry. People in Regina don't have anything better to do either. :lol: lol...Thank goodness for the interweb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roy_133 Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 I think we need bigger avatars, 150 x 150 FTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manatee-X Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 Has anyone else been having a recurring problem with the little 'go to first unread' indicators in the Habs Players threads? It's been about four or five days now that posts I have read have been maked as unread, meaning I have to scroll theough a few days' worth of comments in order to try and remember where I left off. You can imagine how much fun this is in the Price thread . What's most odd about it is that it only happens in the Habs Player threads, and not anywhere else on the site. Is this a known issue? Has anyone else had this problem? It occurs on both my work and home PCs, so I'm inclined to think that it's a problem with the site and not with my settings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreekHockeyCoach Posted July 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Has anyone else been having a recurring problem with the little 'go to first unread' indicators in the Habs Players threads? It's been about four or five days now that posts I have read have been maked as unread, meaning I have to scroll theough a few days' worth of comments in order to try and remember where I left off. You can imagine how much fun this is in the Price thread . What's most odd about it is that it only happens in the Habs Player threads, and not anywhere else on the site. Is this a known issue? Has anyone else had this problem? It occurs on both my work and home PCs, so I'm inclined to think that it's a problem with the site and not with my settings. I noticed that as well. I checked up on it on the admin panel and couldn't find anything that could be affecting it. However, it seems to be working fine for me the last couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmerpuck Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 Has anyone else been having a recurring problem with the little 'go to first unread' indicators in the Habs Players threads? It's been about four or five days now that posts I have read have been maked as unread, meaning I have to scroll theough a few days' worth of comments in order to try and remember where I left off. You can imagine how much fun this is in the Price thread . What's most odd about it is that it only happens in the Habs Player threads, and not anywhere else on the site. Is this a known issue? Has anyone else had this problem? It occurs on both my work and home PCs, so I'm inclined to think that it's a problem with the site and not with my settings. I haven't had a problem at all mainly because I'm computer challenged and don't know that such a little feature exists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kubby31 Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 I haven't had a problem at all mainly because I'm computer challenged and don't know that such a little feature exists. Well then,you better off than some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Bah Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 I haven't had a problem at all mainly because I'm computer challenged and don't know that such a little feature exists. As I am fairly challenged using computers I wouldn't notice either and even now I still don't comprehend. As long as I can read posts and make them I'm pretty much content. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manatee-X Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 I haven't had a problem at all mainly because I'm computer challenged and don't know that such a little feature exists. It's pretty useful, actually. When you're looking at the list of threads there's a little orange square just to the left of each thread name if you haven't already read all the posts in that thread. If you click on that square it takes you directly to the first post you haven't read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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