An Apology - Building And Creating A Better Shark Pool (1 Viewer)

[JAA]

In general most forums have been in a slow decline. The format has been usurped by twitter, reddit, or discord.

This one has not declined as many as most and in general the level of trolling and arguing here is lower than average when compared to most sites.

If trolling chased people away reddit, twitter, etc would have fallen apart years ago.

Ill add in that we all "grew up together" on the internet over the past 20-25 years. There are too many regulars here to perpetuate the toxicity of typical social media. One of the reasons I believe FBGs still exists. We all don't tune in on the regular, though there are enough of us coming and going which helps keep a solid tone IMO.

While AI is super novel, it will never be human. We will come full circle back to our roots to forums like this, though it will take 5-10 years. No one will have any desire to interact with agentic AI agents to tell them about fantasy football. If anything, we will be arguing how to ban them in our leagues and ensure all owners are 'real owners'. FF folks will be looking for places to go to discuss and this forum is the place to be. No, not reddit, way too transactional and lacking in persona.

What AI is going to create a thread called "Brett Favre is not a HOFer"?

 

[JAA]

We are all basically anonymous here

Yea, about that ...

 

[JAA]

Well, @Joe Bryant , you got rid of the "Politics Forum"

That place sucked.

 

[efactor]

I want to be super clear though, the posts I quoted in my original post here were directed to me with regard to the last few pages of the Aaron Rodgers thread with how annoying I was and how I was driving people away from the forum.

I didn't take their posts as a direct attack on you personally at all, JB. And I am sorry those posts got to you that way.

HSG & mass are good dudes and I am pretty sure they are both big fans of yours and your site. All the evidence points that way and a couple posts out of tens of thousands shouldn't draw that into question.

I also think HSG's premise is entirely inaccurate. People leave MBs for lots of reasons and, I imagine many of the posters HSG is referring to probably just lost interest in fantasy football and MBs overall as they got older.

Let's be real, most of the guys HSG is talking about leaving are old enough to get On Golden Pond references for goodness sake. So they probably just decided to focus more on their grandchildren, movinng into homes with single level floor plans and took up mall walking.

I sincerely doubt any of them left because the forum is under moderated or another poster drive them away.

I’m totally moving into a home with a single level floor plan once my son is out of the house. Hopefully I’ll still be on these boards, though.

Everyone should be looking into single level homes regardless of age. They are awesome and available in any square footage

Well, at least in the western parts of the U.S

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I want to be super clear though, the posts I quoted in my original post here were directed to me with regard to the last few pages of the Aaron Rodgers thread with how annoying I was and how I was driving people away from the forum.

I didn't take their posts as a direct attack on you personally at all, JB. And I am sorry those posts got to you that way.

HSG & mass are good dudes and I am pretty sure they are both big fans of yours and your site. All the evidence points that way and a couple posts out of tens of thousands shouldn't draw that into question.

I also think HSG's premise is entirely inaccurate. People leave MBs for lots of reasons and, I imagine many of the posters HSG is referring to probably just lost interest in fantasy football and MBs overall as they got older.

Let's be real, most of the guys HSG is talking about leaving are old enough to get On Golden Pond references for goodness sake. So they probably just decided to focus more on their grandchildren, movinng into homes with single level floor plans and took up mall walking.

I sincerely doubt any of them left because the forum is under moderated or another poster drive them away.

I’m totally moving into a home with a single level floor plan once my son is out of the house. Hopefully I’ll still be on these boards, though.

Everyone should be looking into single level homes regardless of age. They are awesome and available in any square footage

Well, at least in the western parts of the U.S

It's glorious. I live in Virginia and have a full unfinished basement and had all kinds of fancy ideas on how to man-cave the downstairs. Nope I'm old and half-broken - I'm staying on one floor, thank you.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Joe - you are a good guy and this thread is a reinforcement of that. Nobody is perfect, and that’s ok.

These forums are generally really pleasant, and informative nowadays. The days of the PSF toxicity are largely gone.

I do struggle with some of the behaviors exhibited at times, but I generally chalk it up to:
1) written communication is imperfect and open to too much interpretation. It’s hard to convey intent in written form.
2) most folks in here are competitive and like to win the debate. That isn’t right or wrong — it just is what it is. I don’t mind that dynamic.
3) anchoring and confirmation bias - most people simply aren’t capable of challenging and changing their views. That’s a broad statement that applies in all of life, not just in these forums.

Most of the folks here are really quality people. The others? I probably just don’t know them well enough to have a view. I’ve met a bunch of folks here IRL and have been wowed by each of them. This is a special place. Glad we have access to it, thanks to Joe.

This thread helped me reflect on my behaviors and whether or not I’m adding to or detracting from the forum. Appreciate the spirit of this thread Joe - keep on keeping on.

PS - I still miss my old Michael J Fox username and doubt that anyone really confused me with the real Michael J Fox

 

[brewer]

The NFL draft is tomorrow night and this is what we are talking about?

 

[efactor]

The NFL draft is tomorrow night and this is what we are talking about?

Well, there are a ton of other threads about the draft

 

[JohnnyU]

The NFL draft is tomorrow night and this is what we are talking about?

Well, there are a ton of other threads about the draft

The draft is the adult Christmas for people like us

 

[efactor]

The NFL draft is tomorrow night and this is what we are talking about?

Well, there are a ton of other threads about the draft

The draft is the adult Christmas for people like us

Best day of the year

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I think there is absolutley some dynamic there in play as site owner and a disconnect as I see folks here as peers on the same level. But it's a good reminder that I need to be cognizant and empathetic there. Thanks.

The actual disconnect was that you saw yourself as at a higher level and spoke condescendingly to people who, in context, were your peers, yet who you treated as beneath you by talking down to them.

That’s what massraider pointed out, and I replied to in the responses that you quoted in the OP without context.

If you don’t see that, then I’m unclear about what you’re actually apologizing for.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I live in Virginia and have a full unfinished basement

Hi, CA here. What’s this “basement” thing you’re referring to?

 

[Joe Bryant]

The NFL draft is tomorrow night and this is what we are talking about?

Well, there are a ton of other threads about the draft

The draft is the adult Christmas for people like us

Agreed. It's a fun few days and glad to have it here.

 

[Joe Bryant]

The NFL draft is tomorrow night and this is what we are talking about?

With you.

 

[smbkrypt24]

I think there is absolutley some dynamic there in play as site owner and a disconnect as I see folks here as peers on the same level. But it's a good reminder that I need to be cognizant and empathetic there. Thanks.

The actual disconnect was that you saw yourself as at a higher level and spoke condescendingly to people who, in context, were your peers, yet who you treated as beneath you by talking down to them.

That’s what massraider pointed out, and I replied to in the responses that you quoted in the OP without context.

If you don’t see that, then I’m unclear about what you’re actually apologizing for.

That is your perception to it.
My perception is that you threw out a playful hallucination joke to the other person and they responded with other things off topic that you viewed as trolling.

Joe asked for examples of trolling and you included arguments that didn't support your view of Rodgers.

Joe commented as such.

Joe then didn't want to continue the same argument that has been had over and over and apologized for it. He then started a topic to again to help generate discussions on improving the site.


There have been many posts that have highlighted some key things for people to consider. Pinkstapler's post stands out as a good example on how we all need to take personal accountability for our own actions and not point the blame at others asking them to make all the changes.

 

[pinkstapler]

In general most forums have been in a slow decline. The format has been usurped by twitter, reddit, or discord.

This one has not declined as many as most and in general the level of trolling and arguing here is lower than average when compared to most sites.

If trolling chased people away reddit, twitter, etc would have fallen apart years ago.

Ill add in that we all "grew up together" on the internet over the past 20-25 years. There are too many regulars here to perpetuate the toxicity of typical social media. One of the reasons I believe FBGs still exists. We all don't tune in on the regular, though there are enough of us coming and going which helps keep a solid tone IMO.

While AI is super novel, it will never be human. We will come full circle back to our roots to forums like this, though it will take 5-10 years. No one will have any desire to interact with agentic AI agents to tell them about fantasy football. If anything, we will be arguing how to ban them in our leagues and ensure all owners are 'real owners'. FF folks will be looking for places to go to discuss and this forum is the place to be. No, not reddit, way too transactional and lacking in persona.

What AI is going to create a thread called "Brett Favre is not a HOFer"?

Ugh... new fear unlocked. Glad I've been stepping down as commish from more leagues over the years hah.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Joe - you are a good guy and this thread is a reinforcement of that. Nobody is perfect, and that’s ok.

These forums are generally really pleasant, and informative nowadays. The days of the PSF toxicity are largely gone.

I do struggle with some of the behaviors exhibited at times, but I generally chalk it up to:
1) written communication is imperfect and open to too much interpretation. It’s hard to convey intent in written form.
2) most folks in here are competitive and like to win the debate. That isn’t right or wrong — it just is what it is. I don’t mind that dynamic.
3) anchoring and confirmation bias - most people simply aren’t capable of challenging and changing their views. That’s a broad statement that applies in all of life, not just in these forums.

Most of the folks here are really quality people. The others? I probably just don’t know them well enough to have a view. I’ve met a bunch of folks here IRL and have been wowed by each of them. This is a special place. Glad we have access to it, thanks to Joe.

This thread helped me reflect on my behaviors and whether or not I’m adding to or detracting from the forum. Appreciate the spirit of this thread Joe - keep on keeping on.

PS - I still miss my old Michael J Fox username and doubt that anyone really confused me with the real Michael J Fox

Thank you, GB. I was nodding my head reading your post and I think all three of your points are spot on. I see those things super clearly but you said them way better than I did.

Just today I saw something that I read a meaning into and then found I had totally missed it. Happens a ton.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Joe - you are a good guy and this thread is a reinforcement of that. Nobody is perfect, and that’s ok.

These forums are generally really pleasant, and informative nowadays. The days of the PSF toxicity are largely gone.

I do struggle with some of the behaviors exhibited at times, but I generally chalk it up to:
1) written communication is imperfect and open to too much interpretation. It’s hard to convey intent in written form.
2) most folks in here are competitive and like to win the debate. That isn’t right or wrong — it just is what it is. I don’t mind that dynamic.
3) anchoring and confirmation bias - most people simply aren’t capable of challenging and changing their views. That’s a broad statement that applies in all of life, not just in these forums.

Most of the folks here are really quality people. The others? I probably just don’t know them well enough to have a view. I’ve met a bunch of folks here IRL and have been wowed by each of them. This is a special place. Glad we have access to it, thanks to Joe.

This thread helped me reflect on my behaviors and whether or not I’m adding to or detracting from the forum. Appreciate the spirit of this thread Joe - keep on keeping on.

PS - I still miss my old Michael J Fox username and doubt that anyone really confused me with the real Michael J Fox

Thank you, GB. I was nodding my head reading your post and I think all three of your points are spot on. I see those things super clearly but you said them way better than I did.

Just today I saw something that I read a meaning into and then found I had totally missed it. Happens a ton.

I enjoy these very open discussions. It helps me hold up a mirror.

Couples therapy is a great place to see spots where I’m making assumptions instead of asking clarifying questions.

The other day I said to Mrs APK “when xyz happens, it makes me deeply sad.”

Her response was “I’m sorry that you find xyz stressful.”

And my reply was “I never said it was stressful. I said it made me deeply sad.”

That very simple interaction made me realize how often people are interpreting conversations instead of simply listening to understand. (And of course I massively botched the convo with my follow up comments, which I’ll spare the rest of the group and not share here)

 

[Joe Bryant]

Joe - you are a good guy and this thread is a reinforcement of that. Nobody is perfect, and that’s ok.

These forums are generally really pleasant, and informative nowadays. The days of the PSF toxicity are largely gone.

I do struggle with some of the behaviors exhibited at times, but I generally chalk it up to:
1) written communication is imperfect and open to too much interpretation. It’s hard to convey intent in written form.
2) most folks in here are competitive and like to win the debate. That isn’t right or wrong — it just is what it is. I don’t mind that dynamic.
3) anchoring and confirmation bias - most people simply aren’t capable of challenging and changing their views. That’s a broad statement that applies in all of life, not just in these forums.

Most of the folks here are really quality people. The others? I probably just don’t know them well enough to have a view. I’ve met a bunch of folks here IRL and have been wowed by each of them. This is a special place. Glad we have access to it, thanks to Joe.

This thread helped me reflect on my behaviors and whether or not I’m adding to or detracting from the forum. Appreciate the spirit of this thread Joe - keep on keeping on.

PS - I still miss my old Michael J Fox username and doubt that anyone really confused me with the real Michael J Fox

Thank you, GB. I was nodding my head reading your post and I think all three of your points are spot on. I see those things super clearly but you said them way better than I did.

Just today I saw something that I read a meaning into and then found I had totally missed it. Happens a ton.

I enjoy these very open discussions. It helps me hold up a mirror.

Couples therapy is a great place to see spots where I’m making assumptions instead of asking clarifying questions.

The other day I said to Mrs APK “when xyz happens, it makes me deeply sad.”

Her response was “I’m sorry that you find xyz stressful.”

And my reply was “I never said it was stressful. I said it made me deeply sad.”

That very simple interaction made me realize how often people are interpreting conversations instead of simply listening to understand. (And of course I massively botched the convo with my follow up comments, which I’ll spare the rest of the group and not share here)

Absolutley.

And it may be just me seeing more or getting older but it seems like the misintepreting happens more than it used. I'm not sure that matters - it is what it is. But your example is a great one, if you and your wife can so easily misinterpret speaking in person, how much more easily can people misinterpret here with written words?

 

[Chaka]

I think there is absolutley some dynamic there in play as site owner and a disconnect as I see folks here as peers on the same level. But it's a good reminder that I need to be cognizant and empathetic there. Thanks.

The actual disconnect was that you saw yourself as at a higher level and spoke condescendingly to people who, in context, were your peers, yet who you treated as beneath you by talking down to them.

That’s what massraider pointed out, and I replied to in the responses that you quoted in the OP without context.

If you don’t see that, then I’m unclear about what you’re actually apologizing for.

Is that honestly the take home message you got from that exchange?

This is what I meant about sincere miscommunication.

 

[Scoresman]

Havent read through the Rodgers thread, but I will say that the forums here are what separate this place from others and you should never get rid of them. Sure, many other sites have discords, but that's just not the same. Forums are different from chatrooms, and IMO, fantasy football strategy discussions are much better suited for a forum and this is a really good one.

Only other similar medium I read is the fantasyfootball reddit, but the quality of posting and analysis here is generally way better.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I think there is absolutley some dynamic there in play as site owner and a disconnect as I see folks here as peers on the same level. But it's a good reminder that I need to be cognizant and empathetic there. Thanks.

The actual disconnect was that you saw yourself as at a higher level and spoke condescendingly to people who, in context, were your peers, yet who you treated as beneath you by talking down to them.

That’s what massraider pointed out, and I replied to in the responses that you quoted in the OP without context.

If you don’t see that, then I’m unclear about what you’re actually apologizing for.

Is that honestly the take home message you got from that exchange?

This is what I meant about sincere miscommunication.

Thanks @Chaka But I'm good with dropping it there.

I sincerely mean what I wrote above in "Clearly, I have been wrong in how I contributed to the thread. I apologize and stand corrected."

And I'd rather not drag the other thread back up here. We already beat that one to death in the Rodgers thread.

Instead, I'd prefer we move forward here. Thank you.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Havent read through the Rodgers thread, but I will say that the forums here are what separate this place from others and you should never get rid of them. Sure, many other sites have discords, but that's just not the same. Forums are different from chatrooms, and IMO, fantasy football strategy discussions are much better suited for a forum and this is a really good one.

Only other similar medium I read is the fantasyfootball reddit, but the quality of posting and analysis here is generally way better.

Thank you GB. I would love to hear your thoughts on the reddit forum. We've just started doing some AMA stuff there last year and it seems good, but I honestly don't know much about it.

It seems like we do more analysis and better quality here?

Do they do anything there you think we could learn from?

 

[Chaka]

I think there is absolutley some dynamic there in play as site owner and a disconnect as I see folks here as peers on the same level. But it's a good reminder that I need to be cognizant and empathetic there. Thanks.

The actual disconnect was that you saw yourself as at a higher level and spoke condescendingly to people who, in context, were your peers, yet who you treated as beneath you by talking down to them.

That’s what massraider pointed out, and I replied to in the responses that you quoted in the OP without context.

If you don’t see that, then I’m unclear about what you’re actually apologizing for.

Is that honestly the take home message you got from that exchange?

This is what I meant about sincere miscommunication.

Thanks @Chaka But I'm good with dropping it there.

I sincerely mean what I wrote above in "Clearly, I have been wrong in how I contributed to the thread. I apologize and stand corrected."

And I'd rather not drag the other thread back up here. We already beat that one to death in the Rodgers thread.

Instead, I'd prefer we move forward here. Thank you.

You are being magnanimous.

Respect.

 

[BoltNlava]

Havent read through the Rodgers thread, but I will say that the forums here are what separate this place from others and you should never get rid of them. Sure, many other sites have discords, but that's just not the same. Forums are different from chatrooms, and IMO, fantasy football strategy discussions are much better suited for a forum and this is a really good one.

Only other similar medium I read is the fantasyfootball reddit, but the quality of posting and analysis here is generally way better.

Thank you GB. I would love to hear your thoughts on the reddit forum. We've just started doing some AMA stuff there last year and it seems good, but I honestly don't know much about it.

It seems like we do more analysis and better quality here?

Do they do anything there you think we could learn from?

I'd say overall no. Too much flaming and trolling. Maybe some respond with thought out insights, but nothing better written or as concise. Save yourself some time and stick to AMA's as those are very informative and fun to read.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

My perception is that you threw out a playful hallucination joke to the other person and they responded with other things off topic that you viewed as trolling.

Probably because the mods had already deleted a dozen posts from the day before where that person was repeatedly trolling and 4-5 people were pointing it out.

That “hallucination” joke was an end of the exchange, not the beginning.

Kind of hard to have a complete perception of what happened when the exchange had been manipulated like that, so I understand why you may have seen it that way.

 

[Scoresman]

Havent read through the Rodgers thread, but I will say that the forums here are what separate this place from others and you should never get rid of them. Sure, many other sites have discords, but that's just not the same. Forums are different from chatrooms, and IMO, fantasy football strategy discussions are much better suited for a forum and this is a really good one.

Only other similar medium I read is the fantasyfootball reddit, but the quality of posting and analysis here is generally way better.

Thank you GB. I would love to hear your thoughts on the reddit forum. We've just started doing some AMA stuff there last year and it seems good, but I honestly don't know much about it.

It seems like we do more analysis and better quality here?

Do they do anything there you think we could learn from?

I read it regularly mainly to get popular opinion on players/strategies. They have a huge userbase which is good, but it also means a lot of posts are not thought out or kneejerk reactions and it can be difficult to filter that out. You dont have to do that here.

I'd say there is more individual player analysis here with all the player threads, but more analytic/big picture stuff there.

Basically, I go to reddit to get the popular consensus of FF related questions, but I generally listen more to the advice and posts from people here. The signal:noise ratio is much better here.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Joe asked for examples of trolling and you included arguments that didn't support your view of Rodgers

That’s a complete fabrication.

The things I pointed out were comments assigning thought or emotion to other members and had zero to do with “things that didn’t support my view of Rodgers”

And it wasn’t just me, it was several people who were involved in the discussion. I wasn’t even the person Joe directly asked the question to. I won’t make the mistake of trying to help him again, ever.

Here’s the list:

The 3-4 posts yesterday stating emphatically that it was “all political”
-and-
• based on his vaccination politics
-and-
• therefore everyone just hates his politics.

Both are projections that not one poster here even hinted at.

The mods appear to have erased those posts and posts of people pointing it out.

Today:
• ARod “lives rent free in everyone’s head” - an assertion about every poster who isn’t on the ARod side.
• Nicknaming him “rent-free” - to continue that assertion.
• claiming everyone considers him “public enemy #1” when literally no one said that
• claiming people “hate” him, thus assigning emotions not expressed by anyone critical of him. Because surely no one could be critical without “hating” him? Cmon.

Zero to do with “my view of Rodgers” and everything to do with someone trolling a topic.

And again: I posted that only because @Joe Bryant asked what we saw as trolling as several people were pointing it out.

no idea how you could possibly interpret a single thing on that list as “disagreement”.

I disagree with plenty of folks about plenty of things. I don’t accuse them of “hating them because of their politics” or claiming that player “lives rent free in their heads” or any of that other disruptive nonsense.

Heck, I disagreed with several people on that topic and didn’t accuse any of them of trolling because they weren’t.

Perhaps having this topic independent of context was a poor choice.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Havent read through the Rodgers thread, but I will say that the forums here are what separate this place from others and you should never get rid of them. Sure, many other sites have discords, but that's just not the same. Forums are different from chatrooms, and IMO, fantasy football strategy discussions are much better suited for a forum and this is a really good one.

Only other similar medium I read is the fantasyfootball reddit, but the quality of posting and analysis here is generally way better.

Thank you GB. I would love to hear your thoughts on the reddit forum. We've just started doing some AMA stuff there last year and it seems good, but I honestly don't know much about it.

It seems like we do more analysis and better quality here?

Do they do anything there you think we could learn from?

I read it regularly mainly to get popular opinion on players/strategies. They have a huge userbase which is good, but it also means a lot of posts are not thought out or kneejerk reactions and it can be difficult to filter that out. You dont have to do that here.

I'd say there is more individual player analysis here with all the player threads, but more analytic/big picture stuff there.

Basically, I go to reddit to get the popular consensus of FF related questions, but I generally listen more to the advice and posts from people here. The signal:noise ratio is much better here.

Thanks. I know they have a large user group there. And I've gotten to know one of the moderators there and he seems like a great guy.

The more analytic/big picture angle here makes sense. That's always sort of been the Shark Pool DNA.

 

[Joe Bryant]

And again, if anyone wants to continue the Rodgers discussion, please do it in the Rodgers thread.

This thread is about an apology and moving forward.

"Clearly, I have been wrong in how I contributed to the thread. I apologize and stand corrected."

And mostly how we the forum can not just continue to be good, but be even better.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Havent read through the Rodgers thread, but I will say that the forums here are what separate this place from others and you should never get rid of them. Sure, many other sites have discords, but that's just not the same. Forums are different from chatrooms, and IMO, fantasy football strategy discussions are much better suited for a forum and this is a really good one.

Only other similar medium I read is the fantasyfootball reddit, but the quality of posting and analysis here is generally way better.

Thank you GB. I would love to hear your thoughts on the reddit forum. We've just started doing some AMA stuff there last year and it seems good, but I honestly don't know much about it.

It seems like we do more analysis and better quality here?

Do they do anything there you think we could learn from?

I'd say overall no. Too much flaming and trolling. Maybe some respond with thought out insights, but nothing better written or as concise. Save yourself some time and stick to AMA's as those are very informative and fun to read.

Thanks GB. The AMAs have been good there. And I agree, it does seem to be a mostly separate audience from here.

That's why I was interested to hear from folks who know both.

 

[Joe Bryant]

but I try to remember all the way back in the fax machines days when the message of being excellent was the same as it is today....

With you, @Stinkin Ref

I truly do think that's been one of the primary factors in why we've done as well here as we have. We're in this together.

 

[Football Jones]

The deleted posts were about the political angle with Rodgers. I'm sure the report button was on fire. He and a couple others took my view of the situation and projected it onto themselves and were telling me over and over that's not how they feel. Ok, but I never accused any one particular person of feeling any particular way. It was a generalization. End of story. Miscommunication? Maybe. He made a little jab at me about needing psychiatric help and I jabbed back with my nickname for A-Rod (Rent-Free). No biggie.

That said, I'm not without fault here. There are times it's probably a good idea to give up the ghost. I've been guilty of hanging on when there seems to be miscommunication (or something else). And this is also another good lesson about mixing the NFL and politics. The PF died for a reason, lol.

I'm not sure what Joe is apologizing about, but maybe this is a good reminder to try to keep things flowing smoothly in threads, MYSELF included. I don't participate in reporting and blocking, but I do understand the need for some moderation.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I see the “laugh reaction as harassment” is back in style. Thanks @pinkstapler - if we lose that feature again it will be partly your fault.

I guess I’m just calling that out because I disagree with Pinkstapler though.

 

[pinkstapler]

I see the “laugh reaction as harassment” is back in style. Thanks @pinkstapler - if we lose that feature again it will be partly your fault.

I guess I’m just calling that out because I disagree with Pinkstapler though.

Sorry you feel harassed. I thought you were joking when you said "I won’t make the mistake of trying to help him again, ever." It seems you were just being histrionic. My mistake.

Also "Perhaps having this topic independent of context was a poor choice." seems to only apply to you. But judging by most of your posts in the Rodgers thread, and your contributions here, you have major issues interpreting the world without putting yourself at the center of it.

You really need to grow up and let go of things. The majority of my post earlier in this thread was directed at all of us, but you seem to need it most. I feel sorry for you. This will be my last interaction with you in this thread. Feel free to let your compulsion to have the last word happen now. Have a great day.

 

[eighsse2]

Joe asked for examples of trolling and you included arguments that didn't support your view of Rodgers

That’s a complete fabrication.

The things I pointed out were comments assigning thought or emotion to other members and had zero to do with “things that didn’t support my view of Rodgers”

And it wasn’t just me, it was several people who were involved in the discussion. I wasn’t even the person Joe directly asked the question to. I won’t make the mistake of trying to help him again, ever.

Here’s the list:

The 3-4 posts yesterday stating emphatically that it was “all political”
-and-
• based on his vaccination politics
-and-
• therefore everyone just hates his politics.

Both are projections that not one poster here even hinted at.

The mods appear to have erased those posts and posts of people pointing it out.

Today:
• ARod “lives rent free in everyone’s head” - an assertion about every poster who isn’t on the ARod side.
• Nicknaming him “rent-free” - to continue that assertion.
• claiming everyone considers him “public enemy #1” when literally no one said that
• claiming people “hate” him, thus assigning emotions not expressed by anyone critical of him. Because surely no one could be critical without “hating” him? Cmon.

Zero to do with “my view of Rodgers” and everything to do with someone trolling a topic.

And again: I posted that only because @Joe Bryant asked what we saw as trolling as several people were pointing it out.

no idea how you could possibly interpret a single thing on that list as “disagreement”.

I disagree with plenty of folks about plenty of things. I don’t accuse them of “hating them because of their politics” or claiming that player “lives rent free in their heads” or any of that other disruptive nonsense.

Heck, I disagreed with several people on that topic and didn’t accuse any of them of trolling because they weren’t.

Perhaps having this topic independent of context was a poor choice.

I made two of those assertions in the Rodgers thread. I made a "rent-free in everyone's head" comment, and pointed out that I don't recall people being critical of him during the pre-covid days. I don't think those are disingenuous things to say. If that's trolling then I don't know what trolling means.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I made two of those assertions in the Rodgers thread. I made a "rent-free in everyone's head" comment, and pointed out that I don't recall people being critical of him during the pre-covid days. I don't think those are disingenuous things to say. If that's trolling then I don't know what trolling means.

The difference is that you didn’t post them over and over again (along with 4-5 since deleted posts saying it’s all political / about vaccination) like the other dude dude.

Which, to your point, is why I didn’t say you were trolling.

Trolling is beating those horses to death, and adding next-level absurdities to the list.

Glad we’re in agreement.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I see the “laugh reaction as harassment” is back in style. Thanks @pinkstapler - if we lose that feature again it will be partly your fault.

I guess I’m just calling that out because I disagree with Pinkstapler though.

Sorry you feel harassed. I thought you were joking when you said "I won’t make the mistake of trying to help him again, ever." It seems you were just being histrionic. My mistake.

Sure you did.

Not one inkling of humor in my entire post. Just own what you did, coward.

Also "Perhaps having this topic independent of context was a poor choice." seems to only apply to you. But judging by most of your posts in the Rodgers thread, and your contributions here, you have major issues interpreting the world without putting yourself at the center of it.

You really need to grow up and let go of things. The majority of my post earlier in this thread was directed at all of us, but you seem to need it most. I feel sorry for you. This will be my last interaction with you in this thread. Feel free to let your compulsion to have the last word happen now. Have a great day.

Silly me - when people reply to me condescendingly I think it’s about me.

That’s just me centering the world around myself I guess.


Except for the part where it was another person who pointed it out.

 

[eighsse2]

I made two of those assertions in the Rodgers thread. I made a "rent-free in everyone's head" comment, and pointed out that I don't recall people being critical of him during the pre-covid days. I don't think those are disingenuous things to say. If that's trolling then I don't know what trolling means.

The difference is that you didn’t post them over and over again (along with 4-5 since deleted posts saying it’s all political / about vaccination) like the other dude dude.

Which, to your point, is why I didn’t say you were trolling.

Trolling is beating those horses to death, and adding next-level absurdities to the list.

Glad we’re in agreement.

That's fair. I didn't read much of whatever went on in there. So I really have no idea. But yeah it makes sense that the way something is said, and the amount that it is said, can take it to levels of trolling.

 

[TheDirtyWord]

In general most forums have been in a slow decline. The format has been usurped by twitter, reddit, or discord.

This one has not declined as many as most and in general the level of trolling and arguing here is lower than average when compared to most sites.

If trolling chased people away reddit, twitter, etc would have fallen apart years ago.

Ill add in that we all "grew up together" on the internet over the past 20-25 years. There are too many regulars here to perpetuate the toxicity of typical social media. One of the reasons I believe FBGs still exists. We all don't tune in on the regular, though there are enough of us coming and going which helps keep a solid tone IMO.

While AI is super novel, it will never be human. We will come full circle back to our roots to forums like this, though it will take 5-10 years. No one will have any desire to interact with agentic AI agents to tell them about fantasy football. If anything, we will be arguing how to ban them in our leagues and ensure all owners are 'real owners'. FF folks will be looking for places to go to discuss and this forum is the place to be. No, not reddit, way too transactional and lacking in persona.

What AI is going to create a thread called "Brett Favre is not a HOFer"?

It's funny...my own ability to distinguish between AI/human continually gets better although it's far from perfected. But still...trending up. And I'm a 50-something.

Wild thing is...my daughter is 23. When I came and found this board, I was not much older than she is now. Back then though, boards like this were all the rage. While I'm still here ...we've all acknowledged this format is on the downhill of the bell curve. But I do think it's interesting that the thing that keeps me here is engaging in debate on something I love FF/NFL with people who are aligned the same way.

Will AI as it learns/gets better, be able to replicate that? We'll see, but honestly, that's the secret sauce. More than many who have frequented this place over the years/decades have found other means by which to do this or simply have moved on from having FF/NFL mean as much to them. Hell, I used to be best friends with a guy where our lives revolved Falcons season tickets and FF and the experience that produced. I haven't spoken to him in quite some time as he got less interested, dropped the tix (as did I) and pursued other interests.

And that might be something for @Joe Bryant to think about in relation to his other question about AI. Maybe AI agents can be used to build more engaged discussions on this board. Back in the glory days, the bottom of page 1 would have a thread that was 2 hours old even in the off-season. Now, it's close to 24 hours and alot of that is simply a link to an article. My guess is that emptier 'rooms' produce less kinetic energy. It's the Lambda Lambda Lambda party before the Moos arrived. I think we just need some AI Moos.

 

[greenmountaingoat]

Up here in Vermont, the grass is just getting green enough to think about mowing soon. I can't wait to go touch it.

I had a lovely walk with my dog this morning. The sun was pouring through the branches of the trees as they start to leaf out. The Brewster river spoke to me as the warm light flickered off the moving water.

I appreciate every one of you for your humor, wisdom and willingness to share.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to make it better. The Shark Pool will be that forum. Better than it was before. Better... stronger... faster.

ok I'll see myself out.

 

[Joe Bryant]

And that might be something for @Joe Bryant to think about in relation to his other question about AI. Maybe AI agents can be used to build more engaged discussions on this board. Back in the glory days, the bottom of page 1 would have a thread that was 2 hours old even in the off-season. Now, it's close to 24 hours and alot of that is simply a link to an article. My guess is that emptier 'rooms' produce less kinetic energy. It's the Lambda Lambda Lambda party before the Moos arrived. I think we just need some AI Moos.

Thanks. How AI might be interejected is something we'll always be watching for. I do tend to think though one reason forums will thrive is their inherent "Anti-AI-ness". I THINK people want to talk with real people. Although I know AI is becoming more and more a "friend" to people. Fascinating times.

For traffic, the board is still super busy. I look less at total number of threads and more at activity and discussion on threads. The volume of discussion is still super strong.

 

[Football Jones]

Didn't somebody say something about a dead horse?

 

[BoltNlava]

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology. We have the capability to make it better. The Shark Pool will be that forum. Better than it was before. Better... stronger... faster.

ok I'll see myself out.

Micheal..I'm just a car with AI built in. You'll have to navigate this on your own.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Random article popped up on my horizon today.

And forums aren't about "fighting" but some of this does relate to how people discuss passionately.

Which of These 7 Conflict Styles Defines How You Fight in Relationships?

Are you more of a competitor, aggressor, or avoidant? Find out here.

www.self.com

 

[Snoopy]

Didn't somebody say something about a dead horse?

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Maybe AI agents can be used to build more engaged discussions on this board

Please dear god no. That would be the death of this place entirely.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Random article popped up on my horizon today.

And forums aren't about "fighting" but some of this does relate to how people discuss passionately.

Which of These 7 Conflict Styles Defines How You Fight in Relationships?

Are you more of a competitor, aggressor, or avoidant? Find out here.

www.self.com

Fascinating. Reminds me of a “dealing with difficult people” seminar I attended back in my PM days.

Which one do you see yourself as, Joe?

 

[BoltNlava]

Maybe AI agents can be used to build more engaged discussions on this board

Please dear god no. That would be the death of this place entirely.

I am Response Robot. I am currently evaluating your response. I will be with you momentarily...Response Bot has been alerted to an emergency in the Titans thread. Need to attend that thread to check on welfare of Human called "BRI". You are now #2 in Response Bot's que. Please stand by.