Future Redbirds is getting a lot more comments this year and I think that is fantastic.  While we strive to be as informed as possible on prospects and provide interesting insights to the minor league system there will always be a place for comments and other person’s insights.

We’ve never had to have too many rules with regards to FR etiquette but now seems as good a time as any to have that conversation.

1) Threaded Comments: Below each comment there is a bold, red ‘reply’ link. If you want to respond specifically to someone’s comment, click the reply button and your comment will be indented below.  Threaded comments make it easier to compartmentalize conversations and follow the flow of remarks.

2) Cursing: In real life, I use curse words.  I’m not personally offended by them but I do think they are, in large part, unnecessary. As such, please keep curse words to an absolute minimum on the website.  If you use explicit language, it will be moderated and, if it continues, you’ll be asked not to comment anymore.

3) Personal Attacks: Much the same as #2. Don’t bother with them. A personal attack ultimately means that you’re unable to make a convincing rational argument and must resort to undercutting the credibility of the other person. It makes you look dumb.

4) Quotes/Links: I don’t mind when you share information from other websites or twitter. I’d ask that you be respectful of other sites subscription policies — don’t post things that aren’t available for free.  Also, quote the minimum necessary to illustrate your point and, please, always link to your source. The internet doesn’t require much citation but linking to the source should be the bare minimum if you want to quote someone.

5) Discussing Prospects:  This can be the most difficult area to find the right balance for.  I take great pride in Future Redbirds not being blindly optimistic about all the prospects in our farm system. There are several other blogs (some subscription oriented) that, in my opinion, are rank with useless, trite optimism. The truth is that not every prospect will make the majors.  There is always a place for the honest, forthright assessment of prospects here.  What I don’t want to see is derisive, over the top put downs of prospects. Like I said, this can be a delicate balance and it’s one that I’ve not always struck properly myself but please keep it in mind.  Realism and honesty are great; Obtuse negativity is not.

I appreciate everyone who stops by Future Redbirds. Historically, we’ve had very few trouble makers and that makes it easier to focus on the prospects.  If you ever have questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me or any of the other authors, which you can find on the contacts post from the main page.

-Az

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 at 11:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.