Welcome to the Seattle boards! We hope that you take the time to share your ideas by posting in the threads. Just like any place designed for idea sharing, we have designed general guidelines that are intentioned to keep the level of discourse on topic and amicable. Please read the guidelines below: Being Cool (aka board etiquette) Spoilers :: What they are, and how to avoid posting them Trolling, Flaming and Spam Official Threads :: aka No Banter Threads BigSoccer FAQ Seattle Soccer Related Websites History of the Sounders Nickname
Being Cool (aka board etiquette) This board is like a college dorm. There are different threads and different kinds of discussions. In some threads it’s just about anything goes so long nobody has to call the RA. In other threads, the more studious are debating the fine points of Shakespeare (4-4-2) and Vonnegut (3-5-2) concerning their criticism of society (how Philadelphia should line up next weekend). Then some threads are like the cafeteria with posters winding news and views together mingling the cerebral with the flippant. Most posters find the kind of atmosphere that works for them, and they just stick to those. Other folks wander from room to room sampling the variety. No matter what most residents are cool, and quick to figure out what kind of room they are in and act suitably to get along with whomever they meet. The RA’s (moderators) are there to make sure everything and everyone is cool. Sometimes that means chucking the bad apples who just showed up to create trouble. Sometimes, it means escorting the trashcan thrower away from the study group before they get fed up and leave to consider the mysteries of the universe elsewhere. Sometimes, it means escorting the study group guy away from the everything goes crowd before he gets himself beat up. But, for the most part the RA’s just wander around content in the knowledge that dorm life is going well, and remarking how everyone is so cool, and how even with their different tastes and attitudes everyone is getting along and having a good time. In short, the Philadelphia board is a growing and diverse board. There are many freshman posters on here who are just learning the ropes and there will be plenty more when a new team is announced. There are all kinds of students of the game here and all sorts of discussions. Please respect those differences, and be cool enough to allow everyone the kinds of discussions they’re looking for. Lastly, please remember that despite all our different perspectives and opinions, we all really do support the same team.
Spoilers :: What they are, and how to avoid posting them. We cover this issue in depth here because there’s a lot of confusion about this topic, and there’s not actually much information about it in the BigSoccer Forum Guidelines. Believe it or not, some soccer fans have jobs, lives and families and are not always able to watch the games live. Many will be watching matches on tape or on taped delay. It is therefore imperative that we all take care not to post any spoilers for any match. A spoiler is something that reveals the result of a match without fair warning to readers of the boards. You might say that anyone who is watching a game on tape should not go online and risk having the match spoiled. This, however, is not a good argument. Someone might want to go online before watching a game because: • There's another game on TV that they're going to watch before watching the one on tape/tape delay that they want to know about. • The match is on tape delay in their area and they want to see the pre-match news about injuries and lineups without being alerted to the final score. • They want to know why the tape delayed match is suddenly not on ESPN as they thought it would be. • They want to know the results of other matches but not be alerted to the result of the match they want to watch. These are just a few of the very many good reasons that someone would go on the boards before watching a match on tape. In addition, keep in mind that thread titles on the Seattle board appear on BigSoccer Live on the main page. That means that someone can have a match spoiled without even going onto the boards. So spoilers are a very serious concern for us here on these boards and we will try to insure that there are as few spoilers as possible. Here are some rules to follow to make sure that you do not post any spoilers. 1) Never post a result in a title. Ex. "Seattle 4 : 0 San Jose" 2) Never imply a result in a thread title. "Goats go down in flames!" or "Levesque was brilliant!" Even though Levesque is brilliant. 3) Always use neutral icons in titles for threads that reveal results. Here a couple examples of what not to do. Seattle v. Chivas [R] or Seattle v. Chivas [R] Such icons are very suggestive about the results of a match so please avoid using them. Neutral alternatives include the arrow or the generic icon. Use either of these when posting potentially spoiling threads. 4) Along with using a neutral title and icon you must always put an [R] in the title. The [R] is fair warning that the contents of the thread include match results. A thread titled something like "Seattle and Scoring" is clearly neutral but it is also very ambiguous. It is not obvious whether or not results are revealed within the thread. Consequently, the thread is a potentially spoiling thread even though its title is neutral. If you leave the [R] out then someone who does not want to know the result might unwittingly click on the thread and have a match spoiled. By placing an [R] in the title you give all the readers of the board fair warning about the contents of the thread. The [R] refers to the specific match at hand and any matches that relate to it. That means that for Seattle's MLS and Open Cup threads other MLS and Open Cup games are fair game. All other threads will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Also, please note that when you post a thread there is a line - in red - right below the subject box that reads: NO match RESULTS in subjects. Please use [R], or you will receive a yellow card! We will be taking spoilers very seriously during the season and anyone who posts a spoiler will receive an automatic yellow card that prevents them from posting new threads. In short, all we are asking for is a little common sense and courtesy to your fellow Bigsoccer posters. Lastly, if you really, absolutely don't want to risk a match being spoiled then you should avoid the boards. We aren't perfect and there will be spoilers here. If it is imperative that you not see a spoiler then try to avoid the boards until you've watched the match. We'll eliminate spoilers as soon as we see them but, as with life in general, there are no guarantees.
Trolling, Flaming and Spam Trolling: This term has its roots in fishing. When a fisherman trolls he trails bait through the water waiting for a fish to bite. Inevitably some foolish fish takes the bait. Trolling on the internet is similar. There is no rule about what is and what is not trolling. But it often consists of posting absurdities, annoyances, contradictions to common knowledge, insults, potshots, belligerent assertions and the like. Trolling isn’t always intentional, and has nothing to do with what team you support. Flaming: To flame is to post personally insulting or defamatory messages. If you want to talk trash then please head over to the MLS: Fan Rivalries board. However, even on that board flames are not permitted. Spam: To spam is to post irrelevant or inappropriate messages. One of the most common varieties of spam is advertising. Threads and posts that flame, troll or spam (as determined by the judgment of the moderators) will be deleted, moved or closed. And please do report any instances of these things that you see to a moderator. On this note, when posting links to articles on other websites you must always post directly to the article – not just to the main page of the website. Links to articles are clearly informational. Links to main pages too often look like spam. Lastly, please refrain from inflaming the flamers and don’t feed the trolls. Just alert a mod to the problem and they’ll take care of things as soon as they can.
Official Threads :: aka No Banter Threads Anyone starting a thread has the option of giving it an Official designation. Threads designated Official will be reserved for serious discussion and substantive analysis. They will, accordingly, be moderated at standards that exceed the normal TOS. This will give thread starters more say about the level of moderation applied to their threads, and it will help to delineate a clear place for those who prefer serious discussion and analysis (like the study group mentioned in Being Cool). Threads can be designated Official retroactively, but only if the thread starter asks for the switch. If you want to designate your thread "Official" then please make that clear in the thread title. • Official :: Who should be our first Designated Player?
The Traveling to Seattle FAQ Thread can be found here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=949746