OT state of the board

[Big McLargehuge]

Just block anyone who has more “messages” than “likes received”.
Those are the posters that nobody likes.

A good rule of thumb.

...

Hey wait a minute....

This is ageist bullshit

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

This is ageist bullshit

Right?!? I have no hope of catching up what with all these posts with dragon porn and whatnot. I don't even know what's cool anymore!

 

[The Old Master]

I really think this board needs a "let's see what we said one year ago" thread. Teach everyone some humility.

hold on a second! I'm deleting as fast as I can.

 

[Andy99]

Each to their own but I feel like this place has got significantly worse in the last three four years. A lot of good posters have gone quiet, there was less repetitive takes, and I think the number of posts which have difficulty treating the team like human beings have gone up (albeit still not that many). And I think given this is the second time this topic's come up in the last fortnight, and I think I see it about once every month or so this last year, it's not just me.

And maybe complaining about complaining accomplishes little, but then so does team positivity, so why not?

agree that a lot of good posters have left or stopped posting as much…sad to see and I’ve only been on here since 2017

 

[Trade]

I, personally, have never had a bad take and everything happens as I predict it will. Those in disagreement should feel shame.

 

[Ugene Magic]

I'm gonna say there's a time to vent, a time to discuss and a time to take a break. At one point the constant whipping boys got to me. I checked out but couldn't stay away.

I believe what's toxic is the point where every thread is taken over by the same drum beat.

I really label the post-game threads as the vent thread. Good/bad game. But when that becomes every thread. You know who you are. Sleepy is very much riding the whipping boy territory. I mean, especially the guys who made integral contributions to the ultimate success this team had, and showed even in declining years how important they were.

There's blowing off steam in the moment and then there's making it a meme making it repulsive even to ourselves.

I guess people are right in here where the good people just need to post more.

It has always been a mixed bag, and today is not much worse than a decade ago.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Just... Ignore people who you feel contribute nothing constructive or are dickheads? I promise you'll be fine despite whatever you may believe about pride or whatever. You click like two things and that inconsequential annoyance is removed forever.

 

[Peat]

There are less people in general. And this team is a dying "brand" in most ways with the imminent expiration of the core and lots of recent playoff faceplants. If you look around league-wide... nobody is really talking about the Penguins. Is what it is. Combine that with... challenging... recent times and shifts in life priorities and to me it's just no surprise. There is simply more room for shit behavior without a large volume of quality takes to drown out that noise.

So yeah. That's the part I can see from OP's POV and yours, evidently. But I guess I just sorta... expected it?

I guess my main takeaway is nostalgia is a hell of a drug but above all else go live your life and maintain a healthy balance. And with that firmly in mind I'm pouring myself a pregame drink.

I've been on plenty of forums that have shrunk over the years. Very few resulted in more shit behaviour and people just saying "oh well, guess we'll just have to put up with shit behaviour" when it did happen. Maybe this was to be expected but I don't see why it should be endured.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I've been on plenty of forums that have shrunk over the years. Very few resulted in more shit behaviour and people just saying "oh well, guess we'll just have to put up with shit behaviour" when it did happen. Maybe this was to be expected but I don't see why it should be endured.

I guess I just don't know, man. I can't say you're wrong. Obviously people agree. And it seems clear lots of quality people have moved on one way or the other. It just never gets to me, I guess? I have exactly zero people on ignore. I just shrug and move on. Hell... maybe I'm even part of the problem, as far as I know.

I also regularly take like 4 or more days off and kinda go do my own thing largely outside of the internet, in general. Maybe that helps.

 

[Zirakzigil]

But I'm not trying to make jokes.

Wait..... I thought you were the joke. Ma bad!

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Wait..... I thought you were the joke. Ma bad!

Reported!

 

[Coastal Kev]

I guess I just don't know, man. I can't say you're wrong. Obviously people agree. And it seems clear lots of quality people have moved on one way or the other. It just never gets to me, I guess? I have exactly zero people on ignore. I just shrug and move on. Hell... maybe I'm even part of the problem, as far as I know.

I also regularly take like 4 or more days off and kinda go do my own thing largely outside of the internet, in general. Maybe that helps.

Sadly I'm part of the problem............. not sure why.

Here's a vid to make things brighter....

 

[Pittsburgh1776]

Essentially, this.

It is the internet, most content will be people venting about subjects they do not master. I tend to ignore that.

Many great people on the board and we moderate in a way to let people build relationships through mild humor.

I have mostly been an "absentee" dad lately, but meh.

I think everyone has some people on ignore, to each their own. I admit to using it too for the people that constantly trash the team, coach, or GM. But all I'll say is I liked it better when people like Handshake, KIRK, ColePens, @BlindWillyMcHurt, you and some others posted more. The old crowd. I mostly lurked in the early years and it was just fun reading those takes. Even if there was disagreement none of it was obvious trolling like you see some of here now. I don't think there is more trolling than there used to be, I just think the old crowd is posting less.

 

[Zirakzigil]

I get the general frustration from some posters, Ive talked to a few about it as well. The internet attracts all sorts of people. As much as we hate it, this team is on the down hill from what they were 5 years ago. That brings less fans overall and more frustrations as the losses pile up. As a mod its hard to draw the line between allowing people to vent their frustrations and have open conversations and clamp down on the negativity. I try and leave our posters as much leash as possible, to promote conversation. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. Everyone needs to feel comfortable in posting here, it builds a better community when that environment exists. I encourage everyone to keep posting, invite their friends here and to actively participate. If certain poster(s) get on your nerves, block them. Report posts and let us mods weed them out. You guys are lucky that way, you can block posters. I on the other hand have to read their garbage day in and day out.

Me regularly after reading posts on here:

 

[Coastal Kev]

I get the general frustration from some posters, Ive talked to a few about it as well. The internet attracts all sorts of people. As much as we hate it, this team is on the down hill from what they were 5 years ago. That brings less fans overall and more frustrations as the losses pile up. As a mod its hard to draw the line between allowing people to vent their frustrations and have open conversations and clamp down on the negativity. I try and leave our posters as much leash as possible, to promote conversation. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. Everyone needs to feel comfortable in posting here, it builds a better community when that environment exists. I encourage everyone to keep posting, invite their friends here and to actively participate. If certain poster(s) get on your nerves, block them. Report posts and let us mods weed them out. You guys are lucky that way, you can block posters. I on the other hand have to read their garbage day in and day out.

Me regularly after reading posts on here:

Amazing post, you really summed up a large % of people on the internet. "my side of things........simply brilliant! Opposing view, complete garbage"

thank you

I'll give you one big thumbs up for not allowing your hubris to effect your moderating. You have been very fair in that respect.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Amazing post, you really summed up a large % of people on the internet. "my side of things........simply brilliant! Opposing view, complete garbage"

thank you

I'll give you one big thumbs up for not allowing your hubris to effect your moderating. You have been very fair in that respect.

Thank you, its not easy some days. Being on the other side of the fence has really opened my eyes to how difficult modding can be. Mad props to the guys and girls who have been doing it for a long period.

 

[TNT87]

I have everyone on ignore so it just looks like I'm talking to myself on the threads. Then I got annoyed with myself and muted me as well.

 

[Coastal Kev]

Thank you, its not easy some days. Being on the other side of the fence has really opened my eyes to how difficult modding can be. Mad props to the guys and girls who have been doing it for a long period.

 

[TheSniper26]

I've also been here forever. *reaches for most recent form of substance abuse*

I think some of the problems listed here have generally kind of always been around. As others have pointed out, it sort of just comes with the internet territory. You have to kind of just make peace with it(and take breaks).

I will say though, there's a difference between negativity and outright vitriol. If you have a negative take and articulate it in a conversational way, I have no problem with that. Nobody should want an echo chamber of any kind, positive or negative. But there's definitely a vocal minority on here that just pop in whenever the team loses and says things like "omg f***ing pathetic losers" and there's nothing constructive or conversational there. It's just trolling. Lousy, unimaginative trolling at that. So yeah, I definitely get the annoyance when those people seem to take over every post game discussion.

 

[Coastal Kev]

I've also been here forever. *reaches for most recent form of substance abuse*

I think some of the problems listed here have generally kind of always been around. As others have pointed out, it sort of just comes with the internet territory. You have to kind of just make peace with it(and take breaks).

I will say though, there's a difference between negativity and outright vitriol. If you have a negative take and articulate it in a conversational way, I have no problem with that. Nobody should want an echo chamber of any kind, positive or negative. But there's definitely a vocal minority on here that just pop in whenever the team loses and says things like "omg f***ing pathetic losers" and there's nothing constructive or conversational there. It's just trolling. Lousy, unimaginative trolling at that. So yeah, I definitely get the annoyance when those people seem to take over every post game discussion.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

To play devil's advocate, I think folks tend to see things through rose colored glasses when it comes to "the boards used to be better" comments. Losses or the team struggling will *always* generate frustrated posts. I 100% don't believe that "back in the day" when the Pens were playing shitty or the team was struggling overall that every poster was calmly posting about the positives about the team and never commented on the shitty aspects.

Also, anyone who thinks the Pens' sub-forum is bad should probably browse the other teams' sub-forums after games, especially losses.

 

[Zirakzigil]

To play devil's advocate, I think folks tend to see things through rose colored glasses when it comes to "the boards used to be better" comments. Losses or the team struggling will *always* generate frustrated posts. I 100% don't believe that "back in the day" when the Pens were playing shitty or the team was struggling overall that every poster was calmly posting about the positives about the team and never commented on the shitty aspects.

Also, anyone who thinks the Pens' sub-forum is bad should probably browse the other teams' sub-forums after games, especially losses.

Being from Calgary, I do enjoy the lols that come from reading the Oilers loss PGTs, especially while Im at work.

 

[Night Shift]

You would have thought Dan Bylsma had been the coach for 16 straight years...

Oh wait

 

[bambamcam4ever]

I definitely post and go on HFPens less than I used to, and much of it is unfortunately due to some of the posters here. Probably the biggest issue is posters' various pet issues polluting every thread. Not going to name names but there's a poster who pins everything going wrong on the "tired" GM. Or the guy who seems to be related to the team's starting goalie and thinks Sullivan (and seemingly everyone) is out to get said goalie and ruin his career.

I don't want to tell the mods what to do but if some of this was curtailed for being off-topic/trolling it might help the discourse on here.

 

[Shrimper]

I post less than I used to. Partly due to real life getting in the way but there has also been a marked shift here.