It’s a long-held maxim of internet message boards, IRC channels, and blogs.

I didn’t see the post, but it sounds to me like a archetypal “troll” post, and while I can’t speak for the Mods here, I can say that the biggest detriment to these is not the one-time argument it causes… it’s the incentive for other would-be trolls to come crap in our virtual living room.

After all… Brutus could have joined the LSU blog or cow college blog down the road and his post would’ve been met with open arms. He posted it here to get a reaction and, from the sounds of things, we gave him just what he was looking for.

I don’t support the deletion of reasoned disagreement, but I’m a big fan of not tolerating trolls.

I think all troll post should be deleted. If their intent is to stir the pot, then their “opinion” is invalid. Especially when they post outlandish crap, then don’t even come back to defend their original statement. If i wanted to read crap like that id join some second rate forum but we are better than that here. Im all about letting people express their opinion but only as it promotes a good discussion. If it’s point is to piss people off, delete it and move on.

I like when people talk trash about Bama. I don’t want to be in fantasy world where I think everyone loves us. I don’t want to be boxed up from the outside. Come on. IMO let them post what they want as long as its mostly PG-13. I think its stupid that you can have your opinion deleted or even worse be banned from a site for saying 2 words. (yeah im banned from conquest chronicles for saying “Go Beavers”. HAHA)

I have been visiting this site reguarly for several years. Yes, even during the off season when only a few people would ever post things (what happened to my buddy Chalkdust). Most of the names I see on here now are relatively new, unless they changed usernames during the switch to the new format. I find this site entertaining and informative and a great distraction from grading papers. Some posts are out of hand, but his is typical. We used to have a guy named VolTerry come on here all the time and once Todd or Nico got onto me about being quite rude to him and I totally respected that and have since never been in attack mode on the web. If they want to take something down, well they invest a lot of time in this and it is their right.

I read the post and laughed at it. I felt it was either someone stirring everyone up or troll who was jealous. It was humorous to me, but I would not have let my child read it. It wasn’t something appropriate for her age. Unfortunately, I cannot let her read many of the things on here until I proof them first (she is VERY interested in the fanshot pics and videos).

I feel like the members, however, handled it very well, for whatever that is worth. I read it last night when there were several comments, and I liked the way everyone responded for the most part. Giving Bear’s employment record was classic! Apparently, trolls are going to come on the boards, and it just seemed like this was an effective way to deal with it. Not giving them the anger they desired, but rational and well-thought out comments. Also, if I HAD felt offended, I would simply not click on that fanpost anymore. They rotate off pretty quickly on RBR, so I wouldn’t even have to look at the heading for more than a few days.

Like I say, just my opinion. I think you guys do a great job. I didn’t plan on reading the POST again, anyway. Maybe the comments?

….because it was nothing but the kind of poorly thought out vitriol you always get from trolls and had no place staying in the fanposts with the well thought out things you guys come up with. I read the comments, and y’all handled it perfectly, so kudos to you all for not “feeding the troll”, so to speak. But, like I said, it was nothing but a post to try and stir us up (and not even a good one), so I deleted it.

…and we both agreed that it’s really difficult for us (including OTS) to police this site 24-7. We all work demanding jobs and have personal lives and the site has gotten big enough where it’s hard to monitor all that is going on. If none of us log on for several hours there could literally be dozens, if not hundreds of new comments (and a ton of new fanposts/fanshots) depending on the time of day or what’s going on with the team newswise. I personally think some things have gotten out of hand as well and we’re working on a way to try to fix that. It’s never really been anything we’ve talked about, but I’ve seen that other large SBN sites have “mods” in addition to the site authors and maybe we need to go that route as well. I’d like to hear y’all’s thoughts on that before we make any moves though.

i has been my experience that the best way to deal with trolls as a member of a site is to 1) ignore them and 2) contribute worthy material.

i frequent RBR because i appreciate the level of discourse here and it enriches my enjoyment of being a fan of the Crimson Tide. i have no interest in taking part in a completely anarchistic type of site where every discussion disintergrates into a tsunami of ad hominem epithets highlighted by the ever eloquent “you suck!” every so often for subtle emphasis.

there certainly is a balance between trolling and heated disagreement – particularly in the perview of the upcoming rivalry game. check out the i hate auburn thread over at dawg sports for one example on how to handle it. but, bottom line, it’s a tough call each and every time and the guys who run this site handle pretty well overall.

but, i also applaud posts like this that raise the question and provide input from us participants as well. todd and nico might make the decisions on how things are done but, in the end, the site is a reflection of the community that participates in it. these kinds of threads help us make our feelings on these issues much clearer for all involved.

i will calm down….again

Between deleting someone because you don’t like what they and deleting them because they are salivating, knuckle dragging mindless idiots trying to stir the pot. I think that nico, todd and all who watch over RBR do an excellent job and though I’m just a part timer and can barely begin to contribute or have the great post that many of you such as bammer, bamavicki, bamagrad and so many others do.
Keep up the good work and know that old guys like me who don’t always post everyday, but log on and read, appreciate what you do.

I hope no one loses their passion for what they write, just write as if you mom or daughters were reading it. Again, GREAT JOB!!!

for a RBR member (as in bamavicki’s case) banning said person BUT I feel if you start putting rules to what members can say or not say isn’t that kind of like preventing free speech.
It’s like these people that complain about things that are on tv….IF you don’t like what’s on the channel, change it or the ones complaining about rock and/or rap music…IF you don’t like it don’t listen to it……People should be able to make that choice is all I’m saying!

and as far as it being safe for children I believe like crimsongirl that’s up to a parent to police that…..read it before your child reads it to see if it’s appropiate or not……I have always thought that’s up to a parent to do……but I would think most kids that are old enough to find RBR and read it would not be shocked to see an F bomb dropped in a post….I work with kids everyday and trust me they all know how to use profanity even as young as a 3yr old!!

As far as the game day threads I think we all have admitted to being very passionate in our viewing of our Beloved Tide when they are playing a game and I have participated in alot of game day threads and we all get very vocal in our happiness and in our disappointment in however the Tide seem to be playing at the moment and alot of F bombs are dropped along with some prayers…..I believe that’s just our passion at the moment coming out (I for one admit I CAN NOT watch Bama play with out letting out some form of profanity..F bombs included) and I’m sure if someone comes along AFTER the game and reads it they may be a little shocked but IN THE MOMENT those are the passionate comments of alot of RBR posters and it’s what gets us thru THAT particular play/moment in the game!!

I found RBR while googling the hiring of an Alabama coach after the Shula firing…..I have been “addicted” since that first click and I think Todd, Nico and OTS do a GREAT job!!! I enjoy reading the debate of rather Snow is hot or not and giving Todd grief for not knowing how to pick decent beefcake as much as I enjoy reading the posts about the Tide.
Just giving my 2 cents.

Neither Todd, nor Nico, nor OTS deleted my expletive-laced tirade. I did that volitionally. They do an excellent job, provide a great public forum and theirs is a great service to the Tide Nation.

…since I was at work and not really able to put together much of a response earlier, but the post that was deleted was nothing more than a troll post that boiled down to “OMG U R STOOPID SABAN WILL LEAVE AND HE ISN’T GOOD ANYWAY!!11” It was deleted because it was stupid and designed to get a rise out of us, and not because of anything you guys did in the comments. Unless several people have a legitimate complaint about a comment or fanpost, we won’t delete anything a regular reader posts. Y’all do a fantastic job of policing yourselves, and on occasions when a regular does post something that another user finds offensive, I think you all are adult enough to call them out and deal with it amongst yourselves. And by regular I mean someone that is clearly here because they are interested in what goes on on this blog and not just to stir up trouble, be it rival or Bama fan. Now as for the post I deleted, maybe I should have left it up, and kind of regret not doing so now. Had I been in a better mood last night I’m sure we all could have had some fun with it, but since I wasn’t all I saw was an obviously inflammatory post with no relative value to this site or it’s readers. I chose to boot it and ban the author and, at least on the banning part, I think it was the right decision. All that is to say that, so long as fanposts and comments are worth reading and not designed to cause trouble, have at it. Disagree with each other and with us, it’s fine. Just keep it civil and have a coherent point to make, even if it is a silly one.

Roll Bama Roll is the best sports blog on the net.

Where else can members talk about a topic with such eloquence and class?

There were a lot of different ideas thrown around, and maybe a few that will adjust some things, but above all there was a common theme in nearly every single comment:

Todd, Nico, and OTS do a stunning job at running this site.

I believe it is their high standards of work ethic that have made this site what it is today.