Well, I just finished reading every post in this thread and I'm going to post my two cents. I'm not, however, going to read every post in last night's game thread that helped spark this whole debate.
First off, from reading only the last few pages of the aforementioned game thread, it seems the negative reputation I left for reds44 may have been the catalyst for the game thread going downhill. If that is indeed the case, I apologize because that definitely wasn't the medium I should have conveyed my disdain for his repeated use of the nickname "Seabass" for Alex Gonzalez.
Ever since the reputation system was established, I've stressed that those with the ability to leave reputation should only do so for the quality (either way) of a user's post. I was in a hurry last night and rather than take the time to send him a private message, I made a mistake and chose the quick and easy way to convey my message. However, as someone who can see every reputation remark that has been left since day one, trust me when I say that there are plenty of people who don't use it for the way it was intended, and I was one of those people last night.
By the way, for those who have understandably questioned why I, and others, have a problem with "Seabass", I can only speak for myself, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the nickname being remotely offensive. Instead, it has everything to do with the user excessively using the nickname to the point that I get the impression he's trying it permanently ingrain it in others' minds so that they start using it, as well. I don't think it'd rub me the wrong way if it was a commonly accepted and used nickname, but we're talking about something that was allegedly given to him by a single ex-teammate. I've never once heard him referred to using this nickname anywhere else. Anyway, I know from reading other posts that I'm far from the only one that feels this way, but reds44's personal nickname for Alex Gonzalez isn't what I want this post to be about.
The two main topics discussed in this huge thread are a). the current state of the game threads and b). the reputation system. I do agree that some tweaks to the latter are probably needed, but I'll save my thoughts on that for a later post because I don't feel that these topics are directly related.
As far as the game threads, I'll be honest - I don't regularly read the game threads because I find them difficult to follow because of the all "noise" with so many different people posting about what they've just witnessed. I also want to make it clear that it's not fair or realistic to expect the site's administrators and moderators to read and analyze often upwards of a thousand separate posts in a game thread during a single night.
If one person volunteers early in a game thread to do play by play, I think that's a great idea. Moving forward, I'll propose the following: much of the noise that currently occupies the game threads can be moved to
chat. No one's asking that your posts model Shakespeare, particularly in something as relatively spontaneous as the game threads, but if your post is nothing more than ranting, or a different way of saying 'This player sucks', it should be taken to the chat room. This also applies to starting new threads as to whether or not a certain player is worth a darn because of something that happened in a game. All discussions about that specific game should remain in the game thread.
However, at worst, equally concerning to me is people attacking one another, complaining about the rules of the board, and discussing reputation and warnings in a game thread (or any thread, except in rare instances, such as this one).
This type of behavior will absolutely not be tolerated any longer and, as paint said very earlier in this thread, if that means we have to close the game threads altogether, we'll reluctantly do it. Moving forward, everyone will maintain their access to post in game threads, but we, as administrators and moderators, absolutely will not hesitate to revoke access to post in games threads and/or the site as a whole. As has been mentioned throughout this thread, it is not your divine right to post here - you can choose to abide by the rules of the site and enjoy your time here or you will be shown the proverbial door.
I hope that everyone understands this new policy is in the best interest of the site. As the site continues to grow, it gets increasingly difficult to monitor every single post, particularly in the massive game threads. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.