1) We are all Diamondbacks fans here. We may disagree over the best way for the team to proceed, but we are all on the same side. There is absolutely no need to become confrontational, aggressive or defensive. What unites us, is what matters, not what divides us.
2) Keep the discussion impersonal. Debate the topic, not the writer. This includes (but is certainly not limited to) all allegations that someone is a Kevin Towers sock puppet, organizational shill, not a real fan, in need of psychological help, etc. This applies to labeling team employees idiots, explicitly or implicitly, i.e. by ascribing dumb, fictitious actions to them. This is not AZ Central. We're better than that, folks, and "joking" is no excuse either.
3) Stay on topic. There is absolutely no reason for entirely unrelated threads to devolve into yet another discussion of the Trevor Bauer trade, for example.
4) No flogging of dead horses. If all you are bringing to a conversation is the same things you have said previously...they probably don't need saying again. This is especially tiresome when we have both sides of an argument rehashing territory which been gone over so often, it now resembles an exit road at Woodstock.
These rules are not in place to restrict debate. They are there to ensure civilized debate, which offers a welcoming place for new readers, and does not irritate the hell out of old ones. Almost all members will be entirely unaffected by this: but too often, we have seen the comments devolve into little more than an ongoing series of snide personal attacks, and repetitious yelling of the same, tired old points. Steps have to be taken.
Think of the above as polite suggestions if it helps. Though they're actually not. You may already have noticed a significantly higher level of active moderation, and this will continue to ensure they are followed. Warnings will not be given - this is, effectively, everyone's warning. Any further action will start with suspension for 48 hours.
Yes, this will probably piss some people off - in fact, it already has - especially as we'll be leaning on the side of zero-tolerance, e.g. if your post is 95% legit, with a line of personal attack at the end, it's still toast. But it's not a step we have taken lightly, and this post follows much discussion among all the mods and admins regarding the recent de-evolution of debate. We have all agreed the current situation is simply not tenable, and that action is necessary to prevent a few members from spoiling the atmosphere for everyone.
Any questions, please ask away.
Signed:
Jim McLennan, snakecharmer, soco, kishi, Clefo, Zavada's Moustache, BattleMoses, John Baragona, wailord