Could I ask you guys for a favor?

[HuskyNan]

I hear from people that are terrified to post for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. There are a LOT of people that have told me that. They tell me that they feel intimidated into silence by some of our more aggressive posters. And that’s a shame.

Before replying to a poster with some kind of withering comment, please consider that the poster might be “just a fan”, not an analyst, not interested in studying box scores and stats, just a fan that loves the team. Maybe they don’t know the difference between a matchup zone or a box and one and they wouldn’t be able to recognize a moving screen but they nevertheless love the team and love to watch the games.

Generally speaking, these are older folks that don’t read other fan forums and aren’t used to the rough and tumble arguments that can sprout up on boards. They want to be adoring fans that see perfect passes and beautiful shots. They don’t want to be corrected, to have the error of their ways pointed out by some know-it-all that feels its their job to let people know when they’re wrong, wrong, wrong.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a homer. Go for it, guys, love the team and enjoy the terrific young women you root for.

The favor I would like is to wait a second before hitting Post Thread. Are you annoyed by a poster’s naïveté and lack of knowledge of X’s and O’s? Wait a sec and ask yourself “Would I mind someone saying this to my Dad/Granddad?”. Maybe you could turn it into a teaching moment rather than a scathing put down. Please, just think first.

 

[eebmg]

unless you are a WCBB ref. ?

 

[enigmatic]

I hear from people that are terrified to post for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. There are a LOT of people that have told me that. They tell me that they feel intimidated into silence by some of our more aggressive posters. And that’s a shame.

Before replying to a poster with some kind of withering comment, please consider that the poster might be “just a fan”, not an analyst, not interested in studying box scores and stats, just a fan that loves the team. Maybe they don’t know the difference between a matchup zone or a box and one and they wouldn’t be able to recognize a moving screen but they nevertheless love the team and love to watch the games.

Generally speaking, these are older folks that don’t read other fan forums and aren’t used to the rough and tumble arguments that can sprout up on boards. They want to be adoring fans that see perfect passes and beautiful shots. They don’t want to be corrected, to have the error of their ways pointed out by some know-it-all that feels its their job to let people know when they’re wrong, wrong, wrong.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a homer. Go for it, guys, love the team and enjoy the terrific young women you root for.

The favor I would like is to wait a second before hitting Post Thread. Are you annoyed by a poster’s naïveté and lack of knowledge of X’s and O’s? Wait a sec and ask yourself “Would I mind someone saying this to my Dad/Granddad?”. Maybe you could turn it into a teaching moment rather than a scathing put down. Please, just think first.

Thank you for this! This is why I tend to hold my tongue often from replying to many topics but honestly I'm fine being mostly a spectator to these conversations regardless of thread. I wish there was more civility on the Volleytalk forum because if you have not been there before then my goodness there are many posters there who are downright recklessly vicious which is why I NEVER post or comment there anymore.

 

[MdStang]

I hear from people that are terrified to post for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. There are a LOT of people that have told me that. They tell me that they feel intimidated into silence by some of our more aggressive posters. And that’s a shame.

Before replying to a poster with some kind of withering comment, please consider that the poster might be “just a fan”, not an analyst, not interested in studying box scores and stats, just a fan that loves the team. Maybe they don’t know the difference between a matchup zone or a box and one and they wouldn’t be able to recognize a moving screen but they nevertheless love the team and love to watch the games.

Generally speaking, these are older folks that don’t read other fan forums and aren’t used to the rough and tumble arguments that can sprout up on boards. They want to be adoring fans that see perfect passes and beautiful shots. They don’t want to be corrected, to have the error of their ways pointed out by some know-it-all that feels its their job to let people know when they’re wrong, wrong, wrong.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a homer. Go for it, guys, love the team and enjoy the terrific young women you root for.

The favor I would like is to wait a second before hitting Post Thread. Are you annoyed by a poster’s naïveté and lack of knowledge of X’s and O’s? Wait a sec and ask yourself “Would I mind someone saying this to my Dad/Granddad?”. Maybe you could turn it into a teaching moment rather than a scathing put down. Please, just think first.

Thanks for this Nan. Maybe we could add snark/sarcasm to the "think first" list. Seen a few "guess you didn't see my emoji" excuses lately.

 

[GoingPostal]

As you can see by the number of posts I've made that I fit into the casual poster category. If I ever encounter a "snarky" response to something I've said I simply hit the ignore option for that poster. I've only done that twice but It's an option that's available if you want to use it.

 

[huskeynut]

I've been posting for a while. There have been some great discussions about UConn and other teams.

Last two or three years, the newer posters are coming in with an edge to them. They have their opinions, which is fine. But they do not want an open discussion.

So, for me, I'll read the posts but not join in. Just not worth it.

 

[Zarathustra]

I agree with HuskyNan. A nice sensible reminder! "Thank You" for the overview. Zarathustra

 

[Centerstream]

I have learned more about basketball by reading the variety of threads that are posted on the WBB forum, which I am grateful for. But I am not grateful for having to read or sift through posts where posters seem to be trying to prove that someone's opinion on a game, player(s) or coach(es) is not a valid opinion. I feel that this thread by you, @HuskyNan , might be read by some of these people and they may "do you a favor" in the future.
I really, really appreciate your efforts HuskyNan.

 

[Hoops66]

I've been watching basketball (and playing, back in the peach basket era) but I still have learned a great deal from posters here who know much more than I do. But I have always gone by: "It's not what you say, but how you say it." Maybe taking the extra minute to review how we've made our points, before sending them, as you have suggested, is the best way to go. This is a really good site BTW.

 

[Ron and Vida]

For what it’s worth I only post occasionally partly because with anything I have to say Old Dude and others say it much better
To get back to this thread after a couple of rough starts when I first started
I cowardly never look at the responses
But I have enjoyed the BY and have learned a lot from it.
Also enjoy the input from posts from other teams ( umm mostly) and how the moderators have promoted that and keep it civil (again mostly ?)

 

[Kaizen]

May be we can add a dislike or sad button ...?

 

[FairView]

Reading the boneyard is one of the highlights of my day! (Do I have a crappy, mundane life, or what?!?!?!)

Despite watching every game, I rarely post an x and o opinion or analysis. It's partly because I lack confidence in my understanding of the game and partly because I'm afraid to say something that will be proven wrong or stupid by others. Considering that I put myself out there every day at work and am seen as very opinionated and confident, that's saying something. So I make silly comments and try to participate with different types of observations. I think I'm pretty innocuous, but if I did ever hurt or intimidate someone, I'd want to know. (Even if it was a Notre Dame or Tennessee fan. LOL) While there has always been spirited discourse in here, I think some of the newer posters are more brash, less respectful of others and don't consider the effects of personal digs.

Thanks for bringing this to the forefront, Nan.

It's so much better than those stupid observations you're always making – do you know anything about basketball?
Sorry, couldn't help myself .... I'm such a ?

 

[Carnac]

I hear from people that are terrified to post for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. There are a LOT of people that have told me that. They tell me that they feel intimidated into silence by some of our more aggressive posters. And that’s a shame.

Before replying to a poster with some kind of withering comment, please consider that the poster might be “just a fan”, not an analyst, not interested in studying box scores and stats, just a fan that loves the team. Maybe they don’t know the difference between a matchup zone or a box and one and they wouldn’t be able to recognize a moving screen but they nevertheless love the team and love to watch the games.

Generally speaking, these are older folks that don’t read other fan forums and aren’t used to the rough and tumble arguments that can sprout up on boards. They want to be adoring fans that see perfect passes and beautiful shots. They don’t want to be corrected, to have the error of their ways pointed out by some know-it-all that feels its their job to let people know when they’re wrong, wrong, wrong.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a homer. Go for it, guys, love the team and enjoy the terrific young women you root for.

The favor I would like is to wait a second before hitting Post Thread. Are you annoyed by a poster’s naïveté and lack of knowledge of X’s and O’s? Wait a sec and ask yourself “Would I mind someone saying this to my Dad/Granddad?”. Maybe you could turn it into a teaching moment rather than a scathing put down. Please, just think first.

Nan, as most of the folks that come to the Boneyard are "mature", you should not have to ask that we be civil and courteous to one another.
That should assumed and taken for granted. Compared to some of the other boards, the yard is one of the best, because it has some of the most passionate and knowledgeable fans in the country, and because it is tightly monitored. Strict adherence to board rules is the order of the day.

I've enjoyed coming to yard since Jan 2015. I get ALL of my WCBB news here. I've proud to admit I've become a Boneyard addict. I pop in and out several times a day to see if there's any breaking news like Kim Mulkey leaving Baylor for LSU, or Kamilla Cardoso transferring to South Carolina. Some people just can't help being who they are. Good luck on your request.

When I read a comment, I'm interested in "the content", not its grammatical correctness. You are very correct about folks not wanting to be corrected, especially old folks!! The worst thing you can do is embarrass someone in open forum by correcting their grammar. The correct spelling of players names not with standing.

Everyone is doing the best they can. There are folks that post here that speak English as a 2nd language. There are youngsters that visit here that are still working on their proficiency of the King's English, as well as our own players.

The Boneyard is good, but it could be much better if we ALL would understand and embrace the fact that everyone does not and will see the world (politics/religion/sports) as they do. Allow others to have and express their own opinions (which they all have a right to) whether it aligns with yours or not.

They've been thinking that way for years. You're just now finding out about it. You're not going to change their mind, nor should you try. What a boring and unattractive site this would be if we all agreed on everything. I learned a long time ago, it’s not what you say, but how you say it.

All of the regulars here know of me (I changed my handle to "Scoop" for 22 months). Some like me, some don't. This post will not change their opinion of me. God and my wife (in that order) are the only two people whose thoughts/opinions of me I care about. Everyone else can kick rocks. They're both are giving me two thumbs up. I only know 1 person (personally) here in the yard. I turned him on to the yard.

99.99% of the folks here I will never meet. I have my favorites that someday I would like to meet and buy them a beer. I'm old, and time is running out. Like other older posters, I don't look too far ahead anymore. I take it one year at a time, and keep my fingers crossed. It's very possible I won't see Azzi and her class play during her senior year (too far away), hopefully I will. Tomorrow is not promised.

I hope that your appeal to the masses is taken seriously and they conform. I would love to hear from the thousands of lurkers out there that are reluctant to post. No one comes here to argue, be put down, or told they're wrong. If you state something that is FACTULLY incorrect that's one thing. I never mind being corrected if my facts or a statement is factually incorrect, and they have been on occasion. But to be told you're wrong because of your opinion, that's something else.

I see comments and posts everyday I don't agree with. I don't even raise an eyebrow. I just move on the the next comment. I never feel compelled (it's not my place to do it) to correct that person, or set him/her straight. I know the "self appointed gate keepers" and the grammar police will do it.

To all of our lurker friends, jump in the pool and join the party. There are a lot of us here that would love to hear from you whether you're a UConn fan or not. Can't we all just get along? ~ Rodney King. I'll end this post by borrowing a suggestion used by one of our regular posters, "IN A WORLD WHERE YOU CAN BE ANYTHING, BE KIND."

Nan, thanks to you and the other mods for your service. You all (the "official" gatekeepers) make the Boneyard the place that it is. The best fan forum on the world wide web. It would be almost impossible to be a UConn WBB fan and enjoy all of the pleasures and treasures without it.

 

[hoopsfan22]

I think this is Nan's way of saying stop being jerks!!

 

[HuskyNan]

I think this is Nan's way of saying stop being jerks!!

No one is trying to be a jerk, I believe. I think there’s been an infusion of men’s board posters and younger fans of other teams that don’t really understand the culture here. On the men’s board, people can call one another names as good-natured (usually) trash talk - locker room talk. If the men’s board is a bar, the women’s board is a house party.

Some don’t like the culture here and think it will change for them but they are mistaken.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

She's 1000% RIGHT. And if you want to know what this will result in then go to Volnation where a dozen or so posters dominate and intimidate most threads and know everything there is to know about basketball...and dare one another to suggest otherwise. It's a boring echo chamber approaching a cult. Their admins won't even allow new posters! I waited a long time to join any discussion board around wcbb. What convinced me was the relative civility here and the INCLUSION of other than Uconn BB fans...even those with opposing loyalties. It works because...it's civil. Don't let a few mess up such an achievement. It's really quite rare. Look around other sites...you'll see if you haven't already.

 

[ucbart]

I hear from people that are terrified to post for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. There are a LOT of people that have told me that. They tell me that they feel intimidated into silence by some of our more aggressive posters. And that’s a shame.

Before replying to a poster with some kind of withering comment, please consider that the poster might be “just a fan”, not an analyst, not interested in studying box scores and stats, just a fan that loves the team. Maybe they don’t know the difference between a matchup zone or a box and one and they wouldn’t be able to recognize a moving screen but they nevertheless love the team and love to watch the games.

Generally speaking, these are older folks that don’t read other fan forums and aren’t used to the rough and tumble arguments that can sprout up on boards. They want to be adoring fans that see perfect passes and beautiful shots. They don’t want to be corrected, to have the error of their ways pointed out by some know-it-all that feels its their job to let people know when they’re wrong, wrong, wrong.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a homer. Go for it, guys, love the team and enjoy the terrific young women you root for.

The favor I would like is to wait a second before hitting Post Thread. Are you annoyed by a poster’s naïveté and lack of knowledge of X’s and O’s? Wait a sec and ask yourself “Would I mind someone saying this to my Dad/Granddad?”. Maybe you could turn it into a teaching moment rather than a scathing put down. Please, just think first.

THANK YOU!!!!!

The crowd who incessantly uses "we're doomed," in an attempt to belittle posters, makes me cringe.

 

[and one]

Nan is right about this of course. There are very few boards of any sort that haven't been ruined by aggressive posters. Boneyard is miles better and the occasional snark bombs are easily ignored. Let's not screw up a good thing.

For those who are intimidated by some posters: think of them as petulant 13 year olds. It's best to ignore the drama.

Misspelled names: Nothing seems to annoy some folks more. I almost always read and post from my phone and I'm all thumbs for speed and accuracy compared to the younger set. I also have a lousy memory and am not always sure of a spelling. When in doubt, use initials! I know, it has been expressed that initials aren't enough for some to figure out the cast of characters (Nan even posted a chest sheet last year) but it eliminates some thumb typing and the sin of misspelling a name.

 

[Big Mick]

I hear from people that are terrified to post for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. There are a LOT of people that have told me that. They tell me that they feel intimidated into silence by some of our more aggressive posters. And that’s a shame.

.
AAAGH! Jesus.

Boards work because they provide a platform where an exchange of ideas, opinions, agreements and disagreements can take place.

If someone posts a bunch of nonsense, I think it is okay to address that.

What a boring place this will be if everyone just posts their opinion.

Anyway: The self-described timid can just read on and let others drive the bus.

I'll bet, there are a few on here that will jump on me for this.

Fair Play - Have at it!



.
.

 

[dogged1]

Like most on the BY I am an old guy. Most of what I see that passes for discussion on the internet is nothing short of caustic diatribe, of the nature that if you don't agree with me then you should die now.

The BY (especially the Women's Basketball forum) is a beacon of civility and respect in comparison to most blogs. And, which has been pointed out many times before, that is due to the efforts of Temery, HuskyNan, Biff and JS. Kudos to all of you once again.

As other posters have pointed out, it is a great place to get educated about basketball. I seldom never post about X's and O's, or general basketball knowledge. I'm just a fan with a ordinary knowledge of basketball and as Nan pointed out I am here to celebrate the Huskies. At the same time, I am in absolute awe of posters like oldude, Coco, vowelguy, Charlie, Plebe, eebmg, Defensebb, SVC and others. Even when the discussions are heated, it is usually done with more restraint than anywhere else on the internet. Or is that because the Mods got rid of the really bad ones before I can read them?

I also really enjoy the sense of humor that many of the regular posters use to such great affect, like Bama, CL82, meyers7and many, many others. Can't help but

This "place" has a real sense of community.
Thanks to all of you.

 

[Wessex]

Just yesterday, as it happens, I thanked Oldude for his posts, but in response to Nan's thoughtful (in both senses of the word) request, I'll say that they consistently remind me that civility is not boring, especially when accompanied by insight.

 

[UcMiami]

THANK YOU!!!!!

The crowd who incessantly uses "we're doomed," in an attempt to belittle posters, makes me cringe.

This is a little bit of boneyard 'inside humor' of very long standing and is usually posted as an appeasement to the Gods of Karma after an overly optimistic post, and not actually a criticism of a preceding post at all.

Nan - thanks for posting. This year specifically we seemed to have some newer more aggressive posters. It usually takes a season of posting by new posters to get the uniqueness of the civility here.

 

[ucbart]

This is a little bit of boneyard 'inside humor' of very long standing and is usually posted as an appeasement to the Gods of Karma after an overly optimistic post, and not actually a criticism of a preceding post at all.

Nan - thanks for posting. This year specifically we seemed to have some newer more aggressive posters. It usually takes a season of posting by new posters to get the uniqueness of the civility here.

I've been around this board for 23 years and it's evolved into a tactic to belittle any poster who DARES say anything that goes against 'rah-rah our girls fandom.'

For instance, this past season I got a "we're doomed" reply to one of my posts criticizing free throws and missed layups in a BE game. Well, that certainly came back to bite us against Arizona, did it not?

 

[Cornell Lt]

HuskyNan, thank you for this. I've been around awhile, even been suspended once . The board has taken on a different "feel" over the past couple of years and I'm glad your addressing it. As a fan of UConn women's basketball this site is a blessing. We all have opinions, but no one opinion is any more valid than anyone else's, regardless of how knowledgeable one may think they are.

 

[Lawrence]

I hear from people that are terrified to post for fear of being ridiculed or embarrassed. There are a LOT of people that have told me that. They tell me that they feel intimidated into silence by some of our more aggressive posters. And that’s a shame.

Before replying to a poster with some kind of withering comment, please consider that the poster might be “just a fan”, not an analyst, not interested in studying box scores and stats, just a fan that loves the team. Maybe they don’t know the difference between a matchup zone or a box and one and they wouldn’t be able to recognize a moving screen but they nevertheless love the team and love to watch the games.

Generally speaking, these are older folks that don’t read other fan forums and aren’t used to the rough and tumble arguments that can sprout up on boards. They want to be adoring fans that see perfect passes and beautiful shots. They don’t want to be corrected, to have the error of their ways pointed out by some know-it-all that feels its their job to let people know when they’re wrong, wrong, wrong.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a homer. Go for it, guys, love the team and enjoy the terrific young women you root for.

The favor I would like is to wait a second before hitting Post Thread. Are you annoyed by a poster’s naïveté and lack of knowledge of X’s and O’s? Wait a sec and ask yourself “Would I mind someone saying this to my Dad/Granddad?”. Maybe you could turn it into a teaching moment rather than a scathing put down. Please, just think first.

I am one of the silent ones. I have been a fan since 1995 (Rebecca Lobo sparked my interest). I have made some comments (non offensive) and several times I received negative feedback, not nasty, but not nice either. When I see some of the comments posted, I am amazed that some of these folks seem to think they know everything about the Huskies, and for sure they don't. I would like to see more comments that are productive for further discussions. I really don't like folks posting negative things about other coaches and players. This is quite disrespectful to the women's game in general. Let me point out I am 70 years old and this is the last sport (along with college men's basketball) that I choose to follow. Pro sports have become too politicized and disrespectful. Just my opinion. The women's game has come a long way, with much more success to come.