Notice Foaming forum problems....

Sounds like I need to address a few things going on in the forum.


Friday I sat down at my desk with my morning coffee and logged into the internets and when I visited the forum I had a PM from Chris Craig waiting for me.


“Heads Up! There are some problems in the forum. HCP posted some things and Bones and OB are upset about it. I’m talking to everyone in PM and deleted some posts.”


(Not an exact quote but close enough.)


*Sips coffee*


1st thought: Fuuuuuuccccckkkkkkkk more OB and HCP drama.


2nd thought: God damn I love CC. He’s handling things perfectly and doesn’t look like I need to be involved.

Now let me just stop here for a moment. I ask all of the staff to be more like firefighters than police. Meaning to focus on putting out “fires” like these in the forum. CC was doing exactly that. Stop the arguing in the forum.


Also let me say that OB can be a very passionate person at times. When he gets upset he can write and drop a couple of thousands words on you easier than I drop a poo after my morning coffee. His PMs are very long and can and have demanded hours of staff time to properly address. Without exaggeration just about every staff member has spent at least 40 hours of their personal time addressing OBs PMs. It’s impressive and awe inspiring. I can not thank them enough for the 100s of hours they devote to this place for free. I don’t think you guys have any idea the amount of work they put in.


Back to our story:


Immediately replied back to telling him good job. But also I told Chris,


“If OB gets in one of his moods you can always throw me under the bus. You can tell him I told you to delete the posts. Whatever you need. I don't want this coming between yours and OB's friendship.”


Because added into all of this Chris and OB are very good friends outside of this forum. I think Chris even helped OB move to his new house. That’s the ultimate demonstration of friendship in my book. I was very sincere in not wanting this to strain their friendship.

Chris replied, "It's all good dog. He's my friend but I'm not going to let him try to shame me for doing my job."

I then told Chris that I had some things to take care of and would not be around for a few hours. (Had to help my stepdaughter return a broken washing machine one day past warranty to Best Buy, lol)

When I got home Chris filled me in on what was going on. Chris talked to OB and Bones. I don’t know what exactly was said, don’t need to.


Chris did share with me some of what OB was upset about and his reply to OB about it. It’s private so I will not share but Chris did a great job.


One thing Chris wanted to do was publicly address HCP about his post that OB was upset about but felt that he couldn’t because of the previous efforts to get HCP fired from his job.


This is where Chris and I disagreed.


I’m sharing this because while everyone on staff does an amazing job these things can be difficult and we don’t always agree.


Here is the post from HCP that got OB so very upset and got deleted:

It's easy for those who get fucking irate EVERY game thread just to get mad at those who don't let it get to them. It's easy to call them "apologists" I think I saw that term being tossed a t some on here who try to stay positive. Like it's BAD thing to not get all fucking pissed EVERY night. I clicked on those two guys on here who have a youtube podcast and the hoop jocks guy was literally foaming at the mouth he was screaming so bad about Stotts. It was hilarious.


Lighten up, enjoy the game. We'll get a new coach someday and then you guys can find something else to bitch about.​

So here is where Chris and I had a difference of opinion:


Is saying that Hoopsjock was foaming at the mouth a personal insult?


This is what OB is very upset about. This is why OB wants HCP to be publicly admonished.


I do not think that this is a personal insult. Therefore I do not think that HCP needs to be admonished publicly for posting it.


I try to keep the personal insult rule very simple, often when I’m skimming through threads I look for the format of “You are a ______” You are an idiot. You are a fucker. These are very easy to spot and take care of. But I take foaming at the mouth to mean the same as being upset, mad, angry, pissed off. And is saying that someone is upset, mad, angry, or pissed off an insult?


I am going to call out HCP for his misuse of literally.


So Chris and I had a long discussion about what personal insults are and if this rises to trashing what Bones and Hoopjock do with their vidcast.


While these discussions can be very time consuming all of you should be happy that we have them and are always trying to find the fairest and best ways to keep this place running. There is no playbook for this. Often new situations arise that we are unsure how to handle or deal with or that we are not in agreement on how to handle or deal with. Sometimes we know that no matter how or what we do we are going to piss someone(s) off badly.


The following is my opinion, not one shared by all the staff and because of that I feel it’s important to share with you all.


Is saying that someone is foaming at the mouth an insult?


As I already stated above I do not believe it is.


“Okay but everyone disagrees with you so you’re wrong you dumb dog, do something!”


Something was done. The post was deleted. Just because I don’t agree it doesn’t mean I’ll undercut others on staff and undo their decisions. I know their hearts and heads are in the right place so I’m not fucking with it.


“Bones and Hoops are working hard on their vidcasts and it’s not fair to criticize them.”


I LOVE WHAT BONES AND HOOPS ARE DOING! I like them personally, I think they are doing an amazing job. I’ve watched and been so impressed with the work and dedication they’ve put into this. They continue to get more and more viewers. And at the rate they’re going I can see them going on to bigger and better things.


“But if you like it so much why let HCP trash them?”


Because I think that being the critical voice of the Blazers is the niche they are trying to fill. Since our partnership with the Blazers started the organization has brought some of the more Blazer related social media presences together over the years. Pinwheel Empire, Blazer Gang, and others are very pro Blazers and don’t really provide a critical opinion about the team. Hoops and Bones are filling a huge void and doing it successfully. To some that comes off as being angry. I have seen some of the criticism they take on twitter. Whether intentional or not I look at them as being a bit like the Steven A Smith voice in the Blazer universe. Does everyone like SAS? No. Is SAS very good and successful at what he does? Oh yes. From a business standpoint what Bones and Hoops are doing immediately stands out and in social media that is a good thing.


But also Dan Marang got his start in this forum and is still a member here. Because of that should we not be allowed to complain or criticize what he does on Blazer Outsiders?


The head of Blazer broadcasting has been very good to this forum over the years. Does that mean we should be allowed to criticize the Blazer broadcasts?


Ben Golliver has posted in this forum does that mean we can’t be critical about what he writes?

• By Ben Golliver

This is difficult and not a black and white thing to figure out how to deal with.


Personally, and I told Chris this, if I were Bones and Hoops I would have laughed at what HCP said and used it. I would be throwing it out there on social media something like, “Check out BlazersUprise, the vidcast so truthful that it was labeled Foaming Mad by Blazer Broadcasting!”


(Hey Bones and Hoops, if you use this I demand a jack and coke as payment)


They can be critical of the Blazers and that criticism has been noticed by more than one in the organization. That is not a bad thing.


For right now, personal insults against Bones and Hoops not allowed, complaints about what they’re doing outside of this forum? I guess we’re going to have to discuss this more as a community and staff and take things on a case by case basis because I don’t want Bones and Hoops to ever feel they are not welcome or wanted here.


…


Now Mr Orion Bailey….


OB has 4 great dislikes in the world, HCP, me, dogs, and broccoli. (okay, the last two are made up.)


OB HATES HCP!


And OB thinks I’m the suckiest sucking sucker to ever run a forum.


Some of his complaints about me are fair and accurate. Some I do not agree with but I do listen to them and try to understand where he’s coming from.


But OB has directly or indirectly has been involved in two incidents that have resulted in HCP getting in trouble with his employer.


OB vehemently denies any involvement in letters being written to the Blazers about HCP.


But also OB has always been concerned that he will be blamed for the letters being sent to the Blazers.


OB has continually stated privately and publicly that I do not “call out” HCP in public and that I treat HCP differently than I treat others.


OB is not wrong on something but HCP has been "called out" and I also think this criticism of me is not fair or accurate.

There are often not black and white ways to deal with things in the forum. They require new or different ways to handle some of the problems that come up.


One thing that OB is not telling you is that he is the recipient of my trying to solve problems in a new and unique way that I have never done for anyone else. I tried something new that I have never done before and that I pretty much guarantee that no forum does.


After the 2nd letter to HCP’s employer became forum knowledge that led to some very heated conversations between OB and myself privately. I’m not going to rehash all of this. Bottomline I needed the shit between HCP and OB to stop and stop now. OB took this to mean that I’m treating HCP differently and that suddenly I didn’t like OB. So for the first time ever I had Chris Craig arrange a conference call between him, OB, and myself. I did this to personally communicate to OB I like him, this is not personal, but that this crap between him HCP could cause harm to our relationship with the Blazers and HAS TO STOP NOW!


There are either one of two things going on here:


Either OB is writing to the Blazers to get HCP in trouble.


0r


Someone is using these never ending hostilities between OB and HCP to get HCP in trouble to make it look like OB is behind it.


The only solution to this is get OB and HCP to leave each other the fuck alone!


I thought it was a very productive conversation with OB and he agreed to leave HCP alone. I also talked to HCP and told him to leave OB alone.


OB has not honored this agreement.


OB wanted HCP to stop with the new member hazing and as far as I can tell he has.


OB has not stopped privately contacting HCP or complaining about him publicly even when it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with him.


This foaming mouth incident has absolutely nothing to do with OB and yet here is OB publicly calling out HCP, complaining about him, complaining about me.


Why are you doing this OB?


Why are you involving yourself with shit that doesn’t have to do with you?


And more importantly why in the hell are you putting yourself in a position according to you to be the fall guy for a new nasty gram to the Blazers about HCP? You’ve put out some very strong suggestions and/or justifications for someone to throw HCP under the bus to the Blazers over this both publicly and privately the last couple of days and dude, that is fucked up.


OB you have to see that I’m trying here. That I have worked very hard many times to communicate with you. I have listened to you and validated some of your complaints.


I agree that the hazing of new members by HCP has to stop and it has.


I need you to stop with this HCP obsession.


It’s harmful to HCP.

It’s been harmful to you.

And it’s harmful to this community.


Please.

 

Because we needed the visual...

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

Nope, not me.