Over the past few days, there has been a lot of discussion about the site and we have gathered some great feedback.  One of the things I have been wanting to do for some time is update our community rules, guidelines, and best practices.  Because of all the feedback over the recent past, it appears that this is the best time to do so. 

This is going to be a long post in all likelihood but I strongly urge all who plan on posting and commenting to read through this.

The following is a bit melting pot of different things.  I've taken stuff from our existing guidelines, I've taken stuff from other SBN blogs, and I've taken stuff from the feedback you all provided in zeeehjee's very eloquent fanpost.  The output is this:

The Rules

Those in charge will decide punishment on broken rules as they happen.  Different situations call for different results but temporary or permanent bannings are likely consequences.

Racism, sexism, bigotry, etc:  Very self-explanatory.  None of this has a place on this site.  This will always results in permanent banning.

Personal Attacks:  There are a lot of strong opinions on this site.  I'm not one to curtail debate on any topic but, under no circumstances, are discussions to take a personal level.  I don't really care how carefully your craft it, any sort of comment that revolves around the "you're wrong and you're stupid" theme will be deleted and the poster will be subject to banning.

Respecting the amateur status:  This is a very important one for me.  Keep in mind that the team we are discussing is largely made up of human beings that I assume are younger than 80% of the reading audience.  While they are scholarship athletes, they are not paid and should not be discussed as though they are professionals.  We have very little tolerance for personal attacks on players, continued negative comments, and sheer ignorance towards these kids.  This will be handled on a case by case basis but isn't something we take lightly  Also, no one here cares/wants to know what you saw at a party on Friday night.  Zero discussion on how good of friends you are with player X or what you saw player Y doing on Sinto block.

Trolling:  If you are a fan of an opposing team, we have no issue with you joining the community.  If you want to come in and bash Gonzaga, go right ahead but be prepared to back yourself up.  Mindless and incessant trolling for responses will result in banning. 

Excessive cursing:  Note the excessive.  Everyone needs to drop an F bomb from time to time.  I have no issue with that.  But we believe in creativity here and if you can't type a sentence without cussing, you'll soon find this isn't the place for you.  Also, cussing in a game thread after a terrible foul or huge three is one thing.  Throwing down a tirade of F-bombs on a Tuesday afternoon in response to a FanPost about recruiting is another.  Keep it in moderation.

Best Practices

Whereas the rules have little gray area, the following will be handled as they come along and will likely be handled in a three strikes fashion.  Most of these derive from what was said above but should provide further light on the regs around here.

Be prepared to back your shit up:  Going along with trolling, I think it is very important to make a distinction that this isn't a place for hit-and-run commentary.  If you are going to make a statement that someone calls you on, you better bring something to the table.  By the way, bringing "Obviously you don't watch the game" to the table will result in the chair being pull from beneath you.  Telling the community "I played 10 years of basketball" or "I've been a fan for 40 years" does not count as evidence to why you think Robert Sacre should play less.  

This is a land full of opinions:  If someone doesn't agree with yours it doesn't make them stupid or ignorant, really, it doesn't.  One of the great things about sports is that there so very few unquestionable and unequivocal truths.  Embrace it.

Learn to push the keyboard away:  This is such an easy one to adhere to.  If you are repeating your thoughts over and over again, give it up.  A majority of the time, humans agree to disagree.  

Spelling/Grammar:  Even though I likely misspelled something in here, I take pride in my Gonzaga degree and you should too.  Proofread your comments before posting!

Platform guidelines

LEARN THE PLATFORM:  This can't be emphasized enough.  At the bottom of every one of your comments, there is an "up" option and a reply option.  The reply button is very important to keep conversation going and keep things on point.  

FanPosts/FanShots:  Aren't the same.  The FanPosts are your place to blog.  They are for originial thoughts and ideas.  FanShots are for linking other sites.  Simple.

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If you have ANY questions about anything, e-mail us at slipperstillfits@gmail.com

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As cheesy as it sounds, everything I said above (aside from the platform things) falls under the category of treating people with respect.

Thanks for playing along and Go Zags.