FanPost

Reviewing Stampede Blue's Community Guidelines

Hey all! It's super exciting as football season ramps up and there's more and more to talk about, and I'm excited for this season, as there are big expectations for the Colts (and, after a recent email chain with the other SB Nation NFL lead writers, I was reminded once again of just how good this team can be). Thanks to all of you for following along with our training camp coverage, and I'm excited for our regular season coverage as well, so continue to read, interact, and comment!

Speaking of comments... I wish I didn't even have to write this, but it's something that needs to be said. Some of your comments recently have been bad, distasteful, rude, offensive, or something along those lines. Realize I'm not talking to 95% of you who do a great job talking football in a respectful manner, but there is a small percentage who can ruin the comments of an article for everyone. So, it's time we revisit the community guidelines, which you can find here and which you agreed to when you signed up. It reads:

"Don't be mean. Don't troll. Don't demean or debase others. We're here to talk about football and sports, not other topics like politics, sex, or religion. There are plenty of other sites dedicated to those topics, and this isn't one of them. By agreeing to these guidelines, you agree to behave in a respectful manner to others and to stay on topic. If you don't, that is grounds of banishment from the site. So please, be kind."

Understand that personal attacks are not tolerated. Disrespectful comments and rude comments are not tolerated. Offensive comments are not tolerated. And those topics listed above - well, let's just talk about the Colts, ok? You can talk about a player, whether you like or dislike him, in a respectful manner and in such a way that furthers conversation. We're not saying you have to agree with everyone else, but rather you disagree in a respectful manner instead of just turning to insults and personal attacks. That's not acceptable.

Those of you who are doing a great job at this, thank you. I truly appreciate it. And I also want to make sure you're aware that there's a button to "flag" a comment, much in the same manner you would "rec" a comment. This just makes it easier for us to see a comment if it's been flagged often, so you can help us out with this too.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I've received from others in the media is to "never read the comments." But here at Stampede Blue, the comments and the community is an essential part of what we do, and I love interacting in the comments. And that's why this is such a big deal. Matt and I want you all to be able to interact and comment, but if you can't do that in a respectful manner as we outlined above, then you'll lose your privilege to comment.

It's an exciting time for Colts fans, and I promise you we'll have a ton of great content this year. Let's make sure that we can say the same thing about the comments.

As always, thanks for reading and for your continued support, and Go Colts!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.