Both Sides of the Debate

I've seen recently where some members have derailed threads, sometimes good threads, for no (apparently) good reason. It wouldn't be so bad if many people then didn't keep quoting each other and arguing back and forth about the original member's derailment (and the subject matter and word choice that goes along with it).

I don't see any thread worth derailing, though some threads certainly allow for a change in flow (and slight change in topic, as subjects/arguments can evolve), no matter who starts it.

I do regularly see "one side" blaming the "other side" whenever something does happen (PS: I hate that we've been labeled into sides on most all subject just because we may have a differing opinion on one), but I don't find that particularly fair or accurate to the majority of the posters on this site. It's typically (from what I've seen) half a dozen or so posters who either "cause" or "fuel" the problem.

There's no need to attack a person individually for their opinion, there's no reason to drag someone's thread down just because they are "member X", you don't have to bait someone over their previous opinion just because a player performed well in a given game, and there's no reason to call out moderators in public. This is just a handful of unnecessary things that could easily and should be avoided, and of course there are more. We're (mostly) adults here as are the moderators. Sure they usually do a great job, but they are humans with lives and can't always be here looking over our shoulder, and they shouldn't have to.

I know I've had my fair share of argumentative posts in the past (and some against the TOS), but I try and avoid those situations now where I feel I would "lose" the original intent of my post given either who I'm replying to, or the mood of the thread (and all that can change from day to day, it's not always the same people; sometimes people just have bad days/bad moods). I think some people who I've had stronger disagreements in the past may have noticed that, if not oh well.

If you have a problem with someone you can either take it to PMs or add them to "ignore." If you have a problem with someone's post you can either ignore it or you can use the "report" feature and ALERT the moderators to an actual or (potential) problem. Everyone doesn't need to go back and forth quoting each other for 4 pages or 60 posts or whatever arguing over things that should have been reported in the 1st place.

Yes, I know we are human and sometimes we lose our self control, but we don't need to continually label each other or denigrate other posters by suggesting that they are a reason the forum has gone down hill or something like that. We're all part of the problem, and subsequently we can all be part of the solution. I know I think this website is the best despite any faults it or its members may have, but I know it can be better to.

If you want to be super positive, fine. If you want to be super negative, fine. But don't criticize a person just because they are negative or positive, they are allowed to have that view. Argue the merits of the post. Most everyone here is fully capable of arguing a multitude of Dolphins subjects despite a varying degree of expertise. People should be encouraged to post (and learn) no matter their opinions on the Miami Dolphins or their knowledge of the subject. We should be so lucky that more people contribute and bring their ideas to the topics at hand rather than just lurking.

I hope we can move past this messy offseason (from the board's perspective/performance) and really show during the regular season what we're all capable of. I waited a long time to really discuss the Dolphins this year, and while I don't expect them to do much better than last year, I do expect to have a good time talking about them.

I do not want this board to become a drag- neither a heaven or a hell. I want it to be what it should be, I want it to be ours.