Thinning the herd.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

I don't like the idea of limiting the amount of posts a person, even a newbie, can have per day at all. I know it will help with the Kidwells of the world, but sometimes people get into heated discussions on here (like the one I was involved in on monday and tuesday) and before you know it you've posted 50 times.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Hey Guys,

I'm here because this may be my goodbye thread to TheWarpath.net. As of late I've been extremely disappointed with the content on the site. A lot of new members join up and spout a lot of trash which makes this board both difficult to read and full of the same old stuff thread after thread. I want to look back on TheWarpath.net as a rare place on the internet where intelligent discussions took place. That didn't mean you had to be a football expert, I came here knowing very little about football, but I could ask a question and get serious responses. I learned from the discussions and I enjoyed them immensely.

That said, there's a reason this place got so popular. It was, and still is the best Redskins forum on the internet. The list of people to thank and say I'll remember is a bit too long, and I'm sure I'll still prowl from time to time to see if it's still around.

Maybe if it calms down around here I'll come back to reading it 15+ times a day, but as of now I just can't. You could be critical and still be a fan. You could be optimistic without being a yes man. It's just lost that feeling to me here. If you don't agree, you're 'stupid' or you 'Hate Gibbs' if you disagree with a decision, and that's not how it should be.

If you want to keep in contact with me I'm often on AIM and Ill give out my E-Mail. Just send me a PM if you want any of these things.

You'll be back Daseal, and I share in your frustration at times. I browsed this forum for a long time before I became a part of it. I decided to become involved because of people like you. You and I joined up here at the same time, and it was some of your coments and insight that inspired me to be here. Sometime the repetition, profanity, and constant bashing become an issue, but consider the source and hang in there.

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

I don't like the idea of limiting the amount of posts a person, even a newbie, can have per day at all. I know it will help with the Kidwells of the world, but sometimes people get into heated discussions on here (like the one I was involved in on monday and tuesday) and before you know it you've posted 50 times.

yeah, that's a good point. there is, obviously, no perfect solution. however, there aren't many people who have been here for only a couple of weeks who are going to get in that kind of a conversation. the "limit" could always ratchet up more quickly, so that "unlimited posting" comes after a matter of weeks, not months. still, i think it's a good idea to force people to ease into posting instead of jumping into every conversation like they've been here all along. the point being, this will help newbies get a feel for the people and the style here.

[dmek25]

yawn, i didnt know it was april

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

I don't like the idea of limiting the amount of posts a person, even a newbie, can have per day at all. I know it will help with the Kidwells of the world, but sometimes people get into heated discussions on here (like the one I was involved in on monday and tuesday) and before you know it you've posted 50 times.

I hear you. It has been awhile but, every now and again, I get into a good conversation. At the same time, I still think a generous PPD limit is a good thing for those starting out on the board. As the point is moot and as Matty seems to think a PPD will be to discouraging, I am perfectly willing to accept that assessment.

And Matty - thanks for the "knowledgeable" tag again. It was the first thing that attracted me to the board (that and the newslinks) and, as it was so obviously true, the thing that kept me coming back (which, in turn, obviated the applicability of the tag line for all other posters).

[onlydarksets]

hmm...I missed the Ego weighing in on the PPD discussion. I still think it's a great idea, but if the mods have discussed it and opted against it, I'll drop it. For now.

[hooskins]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

I hear you. It has been awhile but, every now and again, I get into a good conversation. At the same time, I still think a generous PPD limit is a good thing for those starting out on the board. As the point is moot and as Matty seems to think a PPD will be to discouraging, I am perfectly willing to accept that assessment.

And Matty - thanks for the "knowledgeable" tag again. It was the first thing that attracted me to the board (that and the newslinks) and, as it was so obviously true, the thing that kept me coming back (which, in turn, obviated the applicability of the tag line for all other posters).

I still dont like the PPD limit because along with talking football many of us pimp the parking lot(me,TMC,AMD, and others). Maybe vets should not have a limit.

But at the same time what Matty did is fine, because if we have too many regulations people will not want to post on this site. People lose interest fast, and we might potentially lose good future pathers.

[onlydarksets]

Originally Posted by hooskins

I still dont like the PPD limit because along with talking football many of us pimp the parking lot(me,TMC,AMD, and others). Maybe vets should not have a limit.

But at the same time what Matty did is fine, because if we have too many regulations people will not want to post on this site. People lose interest fast, and we might potentially lose good future pathers.

I don't think anyone was suggesting a PPD limit for everyone - just a gradual increase till you hit a certain level, then there is no limit. So much for me dropping it!

[Schneed10]

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I just want to say I 100% agree with where Daseal is coming from. There's so much clutter that I'm really kind of waiting until the offseason to get really involved with posting again (in case you haven't noticed I've been posting a lot less often lately).

The offseason will bring a time when many people retreat from Redskins discussions and the pace around here will be slower, and will lend itself to quality discussions much better.

Good job by the mods in making efforts to keep the place as clean as possible. But unfortunately only so much can be done.

Warpath still rules, I'm just on a teeny bit of hiatus, mixing in the occasional post.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by LRT

I'm a long-time lurker but rarely post. That doesn't mean that I don't read this site everyday and haven't enjoyed the opinions and open discussion.

I really sympathize with Daseal and others who've made the same comment - when I first came here there was a real feeling that even though folks might disagree, everyone tolerated the opinions of others and everyone loved the 'Skins for better or worse. Most folks also seemed to be well-informed and knowledgeable, which made their opinions both interesting and worthwhile. Recently, however, it seems as if I'm seeing a lot more foul-mouthed diatribes and random venting than reasoned opinions.

If Matty wants to institute a paid members-only section of the site to bring back the old days of good, knowledgeable discussion and friendly argument, I'd pay just to be able to lurk and read.

Your coments pretty much sum up the way many of us here feel. When I decided to come aboard the WP there weren't a lot of profanity laced coments like we see now, nor was as many threads being hijacked and supplanted with issues unrelated to the topic. I can name posters who have posted here for a long time on a variety of issues, and not a trace of foul language, or arguementive in their views. To me. it would stand to reason if one is going to join a forum of this nature, and have anything positive to relate, they should at least know how to express themselves without using various forms of derogatory language. It shows a lack of respect for all fellow members, and would be better suited for a phone message.

[itvnetop]

Originally Posted by hooskins

But at the same time what Matty did is fine, because if we have too many regulations people will not want to post on this site. People lose interest fast, and we might potentially lose good future pathers.

This is what i'd be afraid of... i choose to be an active member of only a few boards, but those i've chosen are for a reason. You don't want to discourage a newbie who is actually versed in board etiquitte and jumps right into rational discussion in his/her first few days. With a limit, I'd hate to see that person get disinterested b/c they can't discuss things.

But alas, i see the need to balance out non-intentional mishaps of super-nubes. Setting a minimum post count for starting new threads is definitely a good idea.

[mike340]

The other alternative I described above is to limit posts and the rights to start threads for newbies who are combative. (Sort of a "soft" ban.) This might not need as much agreement between the mods as a ban does since the punishment isn't as harsh. This would appear to address the problems specified above and wouldn't be harsh to someone who is considerate. Of course, one of the mods said he doesn't know if it is possible to control the number of posts/day for a user, so this all may be moot.

[djnemo65]

I think it's important not to become too nostalgiac, at the expense of missing that this is still a great site. There are some slight problems, but I wholeheartedly disagree that the site has fundamentally changed, our that it's no longer worth posting on. I think that's a tad bit hysterical.

Let's not forget, the debate about whether being negative about the Skins makes one less of a fan is as old as this site. And people always cursed, at least to my memory. And people have been beating the Brunell sucks horse since at least October 2004, and starting too many threads about it. Also, it seems like the mods have become much more aggressive lately in regulating the content of this site and the behavior of its members, and that's been for the better.

It's good to to make changes as a site grows in popularity, but this is still a great place to learn more about the Redskins, imho. To paraphrase Tom Berringer playing Bear Bryant in that ESPN movie, I ain't quitting.

[jdlea]

I can't say that the profanity hasn't always been here, but it's definitely more prevalent now. So much so that I find myself using it more freely. I think part of the reason is because of the losing season and all of the frustration we're all feeling. That, and people who really don't add anything.

However, we always have Betts vs Portis/Ramsey vs Brunell debates. I remember when it was Shade vs Ohelete and "Who should we keep Champ or LaVar"...this site has come a long way since those days, but it is getting a little crowded now. It's tough to take some of the new people and the constant retreading of topics whenever a new poster feels the need to jump right into a conversation/start threads on topics we've exhausted. Whatever the case, I think everyone needs to chill out a little bit. I think most of our problems right now stem from the team being bad rather than anything else.

[onlydarksets]

It's not about dropping an f-bomb when warranted - it's about maturity and discretion.

By "discretion", I mean nobody ever needs to use profanity in the title of a thread or in a sig. That seems to be much more prevalent.

By "maturity", I mean that profanity never needs to be used when addressing a fellow Warpather. This is the larger problem by far, as it shows a lack of respect for everyone (even if the person on the receiving end probably deserved it), as it undermines the credibility of the site. I perceive places where cursing at other members (even E-girls and Cowgirl fans) occurs as a free for all site.

If these two things became less prevalent, I think it would benefit the site as a whole.