I've had some complaints, of late, from multiple channels—SBN, VEB regulars, VEB irregulars—about the increased volume of swearing and hostility in the comments section. That means it's time to trot out the community guidelines for their yearly trip to the front page, namely this section:
On the subject of cussing: this blog is written for adults, not children. adults get to cuss -- but most of us know where to draw the line. that is, most of us know how to cuss without being vulgar and offending everybody around us. if you’re unsure where that line is, then just err on the safe side and don’t cuss at all on this blog. also: do not not make your cussing personal. don’t cuss at anybody, be they a member of the community or a member of the cardinals. you can write "taguchi just took the shittiest route to a ball i have ever seen," but not "taguchi's the biggest piece of shit i have ever seen." and if you're swearing up a blue streak in the comments thread, and any member of the community asks you to tone down the language --- then tone it the f**k down, immediately.
Both tenets of this guideline—that swearing is something that should be directed at events, and not people, and that it is both allowed on the site and should remain on this side of The Line—still apply. We've been asked by members of the community to tone down the language, so tone it the f**k down we ought. The comments needn't be appropriate, in the long term, for eight year-olds, but that doesn't mean there's no boundary for civility, just that it's past the point where particularly naughty words are spelled out with hockey sticks for L's.
I missed some of what happened yesterday, and have been filled in after the fact, so I apologize if I get the particulars wrong, but as a general rule, and given the site's demographics and hourly breakdown an uncannily appropriate one, keep the proceedings work-safe. Pictures with subject lines may be collapsible, but they still load automatically, and in my admittedly limited experience "I was just about to collapse this picture of Mrs. Lima by clicking on the words 'look at these things'" is not a workable defense at the public library.
Thanks for reading; carry on.