The State of Commenting

by pastapadre
Posted August 28th, 2010 at 9:12 am

Lately I’ve gotten a few requests to moderate the comment section differently due to arguments that have enveloped discussion threads. So I wanted to get some thoughts on what everyone would like to see done and take those into consideration.

This dilemma seems to be primarily restricted to the NBA Elite and NBA 2K articles which isn’t a surprise. It remains ironic that people clamor for competition yet the one sport that actually has it ends up with everyone taking a side and going at the throats of those supporting the other. The issue isn’t in disagreements or comments towards the games, but in that they get personal and swallow up any decent discussion that might take place. And this isn’t limited to a single poster. While there are certainly a few that get the brunt of the spotlight there are even more that are baiting it to happen.

I’ve always believed the comments should be left wide open (the forum is for more focused discussion) but on rare occasion have had to step in when things crossed the line. To my recollection there have only been two users banned in the 3+ year site history. However in this case it might now require further moderation. Whether that be editing out certain parts of comments or deleting those in question all together. For the time being I’m looking at doing that selectively.

Just to be clear though this won’t represent a change in philosophy. You’ll always have the opportunity to voice your feelings on the games. This goes more to comments that attack a user’s opinion or throw things off the rails. So let me know how what you think could be done to help the comment section!

Tags:

Anonymous

I love a little heated debate from time to time. Personal attacks is what crosses the line and could be edited if it goes to far, but there’s nothing wrong with someone saying “EA sucks”.
Dre2778

Finally we have a forum with rules to moderate a lot of the confusion and flaming as well as Trolling.
cabrillo24

Pasta,

I’ve been here since the beginning and have seen the site go through changes, but one thing remains is that you’ve allowed us to openly express ourselves with regards to a particular topic. However, I believe it’s time to make a change in that, immature and ignorant behavior should no longer be tolerated. I believe personal attacks are not warranted, and often serves as a distraction to the topic at hand. Ban the users who continuously attack or cause havoc on here.
cabrillo24

Agreed. Personal attacks are the issue at hand. I hate coming on here now and reading over half the threads about homosexual activities or personal attacks on one another. We can agree to disagree, but there should be respect among the members.
Saucemoney01

That means daley is getting the can.

Anonymous

Like you’re any better with your quips about people’s sex life.

whitemamba

Yeah, I believe the daley should be banned. While yes, he starts by voicing his opinion he goes off the rails and starts degrading every other users. If he goes, all this pissy non-sensible arguing is gone.
Rda03c

Curse words always seem a little over-the-top and that applies to myself – I called sdot an effing idiot not too long ago because of his grammatical genius.
joel0078

This isnt about one specific person.
Saucemoney01

haha, good one.
FC_24

Ban daley and all your problems are solved.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Shawn-Martin/1009860037 Shawn Martin

Listen here..I want Daley banned just as much as the next guy, but who is to say he wont create another username and wreak havoc all over again..Maybe theres a way to ban his ip address

cabrillo24

I believe the ban is IP based.

Rafaelgaines44

Hey pasta man who were those 2 users banned for what
philly

What Cabrillo24 said hit the nail on the head. Everyone wants to point the finger at Daley, and tho well deserved, he’s not the only one. No one has to have the same opinion, but there’s no need to attack a person just because you’re able to be anonymous. Everywhere you look, whether it be youtube or an article on something big/controversial/etc., people use that tactic; attacking, bashing, even degrading other people. That’s not what arguments/debates/discussions are about… it’s really childish. I had a LONG reply to Daley on a pasta article a while back, and between now and then I’ve held nothing against him. He’s entitled to his opinion as well as me, but again, no need to call people fags and other mess. You even do this on youtube man! (Yes, I found Daley on youtube) For a 35 year old man it’s upsetting to see. And I’ll say this, If I’ve said anything offensive or hurtful to anybody, I apologize. That’s not what I’m on here to do. Heck if it weren’t for Pasta finding me on twitter, I wouldn’t even know about this site. So do what needs to be done, but I’m all in favor of decreasing the attacks and increasing the real discussion.
juan de leon

i say ban daley and 90% of the problem is solved. this is a 35 year old man who get angry when someone says “ea sucks” or”live/elite sucks” and goes on a personal attack against others who like 2k. we know he likes live/elite, and he should leave it at that, others like 2k, and thats cool too. and thats all it is.
Anonymous

I think some people on here need some thicker skin. Out in the world, thats just how things are. I think its ok to call someone a fucking idiot, if you believe they are acting like one. There are no moderators against what people say in the world, why should there be on here. There have been numerous times I have wanted to bash daley for some of the nonsense he utters, but I usually don’t. He is entitled to his bogus opinion like everyone elses and, sometimes, he says some truthful stuff. It may be stuffed between some personal attacks, but it is true. If you get genuinely upset over something someone says to you over the internet, then YOU have the problem. I know I get baited into some pretty bad arguments on here. I get suckered into one from time to time. Especially over madden ratings, if I say you’re gay for a player, I dont really think you’re gay, I’m just fucking with you to emphasize your over-biased opinions. I always back up my point, I never just say ” ur gay”. Now, I have read some things that were terrible, one guy saying he hopes another guys kids die in a car fire…… that’s sickening. I did once say those greedy “online pass” decision makers should die of dick cancer, but only cause I thought it sounded funny. I don’t think there is such a thing as dick cancer.
The General

Block Daley’s IP and you’re golden…..
please ban daley

Umm YES IT IS. Ban daley and I guarantee 90+% of these problems will instantly go away

Anonymous

Completely agreed. If daleys gone almost all of this stops immediately, its common sense.

BAN DALEY7199

the name says it all

BAN DALEY7199
thaBiz

yall who want deley banned are forgetting something … both deley and pasta love EA sports so there’s no way pasta would ban him for that reason alone.
Lonnie

for someone like me it is a little upsetting to read some of the comments on here,i am at this moment undecided about which game i should buy this year between elite11 and nba 2k11,i come here to read what people are saying about each and i have learned a lot from peoples comments and for that i am thankful but often it’s just comes down to EA sucks or 2K sucks..that doesn’t really help me..i once said i was going to play both demos..than decide and someone accursed me of being on crack,if i buy a car and can’t chose between two..i like to take each for a test drive..so why am i on crack? ..it would really help if people just stuck to each games pros and cons without personal attacks and by the way pasta…thank you for your site.,as a gamer who for the most part only plays sports games..your site is the first site i go to when i log on everyday…so thank you for your work,it is must apprecaited
BAN DALEY7199

you’re probably right about that

But daley has not commented on this article or the newest one. Either that is a new personal record for him or he has been banned!
true story

You should probably just play the demos and decide for yourself but keep in mind that EA are masters of deception i.e. they spend more money on marketing and trying to make the game look good so you’ll buy it rather than just making a good game. No, I’m not being biased, they’ve been doing this forever.

I used to play Live and switched to 2k in 2009. The best decision I have ever made. If you get 2k you will not be disappointed. Trust me.
Hey Pasta

Pasta….I love your site and the attitude you have towards the comments section. I have kept up with your site for over 3 years now. But we both know that there is really only one or two people who need to be “moderated” on here. And we all know they are. I honestly think they are an embarrassment of the site and to you. They most definitely do not represent the majority of the people on here..yet they make up the majority of the comments. It is perfectly fine that they offer their opinions..what is not necessary are the side comments they include in their opinions. Not only are they disrespectful..but they do nothing but stir the pot anyway. Of course they will complete if you moderate their posts or send them private messages..but they know full well what they are doing. But I trust you will make the right decision for what is best for the site as you usually do.
Lonnie

thanks..comments like that are helpful..i have live10 and have enjoyed it but thinking about making the switch this year,i did play the 2k demo from last year,liked it a lot but is it normal to score so often in the paint? that’s the part that has me concerned..have to play this years demo i guess.
projectkage

Thank you very much Pasta. I now want to be a member of this site.
projectkage

AGREED!!!
Hawkeye4077

Was this thread really necessary? Moderator? Really? For as long as there is an open forum, you’re going to get the douche bags that want to start an online tiff by making contrarian comments just to provoke debate. Why can’t those just be ignored? It is silly to get into a back and forth with anyone online where the cover of anonymity makes people feel empowered. What ever, I’d rather deal with the few ridiculous comments than any form of censorship.
true story

A “few ridiculous comments” is the understatement of the century when it comes to daley. He replies to every single person that likes 2k or doesn’t like EA and personally attacks them and belittles them with his idiotic rants. The “facts” that he posts are usually complete lies and just made up in his head. He posts so much that some of the time he has as many comments in an article as everyone else combined. I’d honestly rather deal with a spambot on here than have to see daley’s retarded comments.
Anonymous

Daley does go over the top at times but he’s no better/worse than the 2K fanboys on here.
true story

Yea it is a bit too easy to score in the post. That’s probably the biggest problem with the game besides the online problems that everyone talks about (I don’t play online so it doesn’t affect me) But with 5 difficulty settings and sliders it’s not something that’s going to bother you because honestly the rest of the game is great. Franchise mode is by far one of the best for sports games (franchise mode is a deal breaker for me) and as far as overall realism this game blows Live out of the water. I also can’t wait for all the new Jordan stuff this year.
Saucemoney01

I wasn’t even talking to you, jbl72. Bug off.

Pasta, you might want to ban jbl72 as well.
Clickclackcaos

FIRST
Anonymous

lmao it realli is a resounding yes on banning daley from this site…i have to say its been a long time coming too. I would never wish somebody to be banned from a site, but when you go around spewing “your a moron”, “your a complete imbecile”, your this, your that for merely stating an opinon well all rules go out the window with that.

Honestly pasta if you dont ban him (obviously i mean ip based) you shouldnt be surpirsed if theres a uproar for a couple days – weeks, maybe even longer than that. Daly’s a pretty intelligent guy to an extent but that “intellect” always backfires on him whether he doesnt have the right info to back up his argument or he jus goes on a tirade insulting ppl with his “intellect”….
Anonymous

lmao it realli is a resounding yes on banning daley from this site…i have to say its been a long time coming too. I would never wish somebody to be banned from a site, but when you go around spewing “your a moron”, “your a complete imbecile”, your this, your that for merely stating an opinon well all rules go out the window with that.

Honestly pasta if you dont ban him (obviously i mean ip based) you shouldnt be surpirsed if theres a uproar for a couple days – weeks, maybe even longer than that. Daly’s a pretty intelligent guy to an extent but that “intellect” always backfires on him whether he doesnt have the right info to back up his argument or he jus goes on a tirade insulting ppl with his “intellect”….
raphael

please dont ban daley. i love goin in on his ea lovin ass
Tom Dubois

who was banned before? im assuming they were banned for language or personal attacks or something

Hey Pasta

And then I give it to em like Tom ….”I likes ya…and I want ya” hahah Classic.

Truthdotcom

i wouldn’t care if you didn’t allow comments for NBA 2k or Elite topics….these kids can’t carry on without bashing people for playing what they wanna play
philly

Soap Drop!!!
Lonnie

yes,you hit the nail on the head for me..that is my biggest concern,i am playing last years demo right now and it just takes the “fun factor” out of the game for me being able to post up or go in the paint to score..i seem to not have to take a jumper very often,i was wondering in the full game if this could be fixed with sliders somehow..since i don’t have the full game i just didn’t know but i agree with you about the rest..the graphics,player models,presentaion look awesome…it’s just that inside game and “fun factor” that’s holding me back right now..(plus the option to play the fiba tourament) but from what i understand in 2k you can play as d-league teams? that would rock!
Tom Dubois

lmao i knew that was coming
projectkage

You guys should thank me for finding daley’s youtube page for you.
Anonymous

How every you want to do it boss. It’s your blog and since you are primarily talking at me, No worries. The personal attacks don’t really bother me. I will continue to voice my opinions on the games, companies etc regardless of the name calling or what have you.

What ever you decide is fine by me.
Anonymous

Exhibit A of why you are no better Daley
Anonymous

For the record the personal attacks are mainly reserved for me. LOL
I love how my pointed barbs directed at a company (2k) can create a firestorm of hatred from total strangers. You would think I insulted a family member or something.

To be quite honest the only thing that really bothers me is all the fake screen name posting. If you want to attack me personally that’s fine just have the balls to ante up under your actual screen name so we all can know who you are. All this fake ass screen name bullshit has got to go.
Anonymous

Trolling isn’t the issue DRE. This isn’t a 2k or EA or any other corporate blog. That is the beauty of this blog. Its the personal attacks that make this place rediculous. Nobody wants a carebear blog where everybody group hugs. If you want that don’t come here. Go to OS or 2k or EA forums for that.

Most of you people don’t even understand what trolling means. You all think if someone comments negatively to something you like then they are trolling. Its called having a difference of opinion not trolling. Trolling would be those idiots who intentionally attack a poster with whom they disagree with.
Anonymous

Wrong answer my friend. I am the one who gets attacked. and this little post you made right here is an example of attacking a poster. There was absolutely no need to call out my name though you did. THIS WOULD BE TROLLING AND THIS SHOULD BE BANNED.

TALK ABOUT THE TOPIC AND NOT ME SAUCEYMONEY OR PERHAPS IT WILL BE YOU WHO IS ON THE BAN LIST.

chippy d

he’s on topic he’s just making a segway. AND WE ALL KNOW ITS YOU ANYWAY durrrr

Anonymous

SELF DEFENSE. I DON’T ATTACK ANYONE THAT DOESN’T COME AT ME FIRST. JUST READ THE POSTS AND YOU WILL SEE.
Anonymous

See, another example of Trolling. This is the bullshit people who aren’t in line with the majority have to face. How bout we ban people who make fake accounts.
Anonymous

CLE you are the biggest offender of personal attacks and trolling. Lets just look back at all you posts this week and see how many times you attacked me FIRST. I’m thinking you are #1 on the list if anyone is going to be banned.

Anonymous

Like I said if your gone from the site it stops. I attack you because you hate on EVERYONE and EVERYTHING people say. If you didnt fuckin notice your the only person I attack on here. dumbass.

Anonymous

I deserve to be banned? Exactly what for Philly. I do recall numerous personal attacks initiated by you on me. All of my posts have always been topic related either about NBA2k or 2k in general. So how is that exactly a bannable offense. Just read my posts and then read every single personal attack that follows.

The problem doesn’t rest with me. The problem rest with all of your maturity. Every single one of you who is calling for me to be banned has personally attacked me on this blog numerous times. So lets get the information straight.