All good things must come to an end

[netskier]

Why not create a Seahawks civil discussion forum for everyone where the first ad hominem post bans the poster for one year? Same rule for everyone.

 

[BullHawk33]

You have a great point of view Kearly. I didn't always agree, but I respected the fact you were going to throw it out there and start some very good dialogue.

There will always be threads that will discuss the games, but it will just be somehow reduced in impact without the Random Thoughts.

 

[Hawkscanner]

I respect your decision and very much understand where you're coming from. Check your PM's.

See you around the blog-o-sphere Kip.

 

[Sarlacc83]

Thanks for your work Kip. Pity the Dillweeds on this board finally won, but then again, they have become so plentiful in the past few years, as Scottemojo warned, they can no longer be avoided. Don't blame you.

 

[oldhawkfan]

Thanks for all the RT's you have written. I always looked forward to reading them. In a way it was like opening a gift that you didn't know was in there. Often times I had some of the same observations as you. More often you provided nuggets and wisdom that I hadn't thought of. I will seriously miss this after game dessert that always made me feel better after a loss and created a sense of acomplishment after a win. I still look forward to reading your posts in the future.

 

[HomerJHawk]

Short timer here. Many of the thoughts on this site, random or not, blow me away. Truly a lot of people that love the game, the team, and have the ability to put that into words, many times eloquently.

I've read several of your RT threads, and I don't know the history of what you speak, but I'll look forward to your not so random thoughts in the future.

Cheers,
Homey

 

[MysterMatt]

Big loss for .Net. Huge.

 

[Zebulon Dak]

it is tough to avoid narcissism,.......

^^this guy^^ possesses the posting style of somebody who could potentially be referred to as a "dick" were someone so inclined to do so.

 

[Psychobabbler]

Very sad to read this. I know what it's like, and I just ignore the negatories. Or try to make 'em laugh posthaste.

I almost bailed on 12th Fan View this past week, but it had nothing to do with this type of stuff (it was personal stuff I was going thru). I normally don't get flamed on at all, and even other teams' fans are usually pretty respectable. It's a shame fans from the same team can't get along.

Good luck down the road...sad it came to this.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Post it as a sticky post, with no comments.

You'll never be rid of the negativity.

The problem with that kind of thing is that simply being in this kind of position effectively puts you in an ivory tower in the eyes of many. Giving one poster that kind of special treatment and privilege only makes that ivory tower seem taller and more distant.

I think if a thread like this is going to work long term for whoever picks it up next, it probably has to be more democratic in nature, and probably put somewhere other than the main forum.

The pass rush thread you started recently is a good example of what I mean in regards to the open ended nature. There should be an expectation that people who join in are there to contribute, not to take away from these types of threads. Which IMO does not gel with the quirks of the main forum.

Just know we are talking about possible solutions given it seems you're open to them in my humble opinion. I'm not sure what can be done and promise absolutely nothing but it's not being ignored.

 

[DangerousDoug]

Total bummer. Thanks for doing them for so long. I always figured the purpose of posting was to get your thoughts out and then people can react whatever way they want. If they rant and disagree, who cares? It's unfortunate if it turned into personal attacks, but you can't have an opinion without some idiot disagreeing, especially after a loss when the sky falls around here.

If you post them somewhere else, please let us know.

 

[kf3339]

I've given it a lot of thought over the past couple years and increasingly in the past few weeks, and I've decided with conviction that my Random Thoughts™ threads have run their course here at .net.

Explaining why is not easy and will require a lot of backtracking. Apologies if this turns into a meandering post, but if nothing else it will feel good to get a lot of this off my chest.

I've been blogging now for many years. I'm not talking about message boards, but writing for sites. For four years I had the privilege of contributing at Seahawks Draft Blog. I helped out Montana's 17power blog for a year. I've had a couple other blogging escapades in the past at non-sports websites.

For some reason, it always felt more natural posting my random threads thoughts at .net, which is why I opted out on the idea of posting them at 17power after the 2011 season.

The goal of my random thoughts threads is to capture the feel of the game with a little bit of Fareed Zakaria type analysis tossed in on the side. This in turn, has led to some of the very brightest and most interesting minds on .net coming out of their shells to share their football observations. In this sense, the threads have been a huge success, especially lately.

Unfortunately, I've slowly come to realize that blog type content does not belong on a message board with very passionate fans posted hours after a tough loss or frustrating win. My intent is only to start intelligent discussion, not to be the center of attention. Unfortunately, far too many posters have used these threads as a cathartic device. Rather than walk things off, they use these threads to spew anger, directed at me personally, as if it's my fault the Seahawks upset them. Far too often this leaves me feeling like the Alan Colmes of .net, the thoughtful nice guy that anti-intellectual dickheads just love to shit on.

It donned on me just this past week. In all my years of blogging at numerous blogs, I've enjoyed traffic on par or even in excess of .net at times, but never at any of those places did I have to endure the abuse I get here in almost every RT thread. The worst experience I've had at a blog is probably better than the best experience I've had posting RT here.

The reason is so obvious that I feel stupid for not realizing it years ago. When you have your own website, it's your home. People visit because they know what they want and the author provides that for them. They stay for the amusement and they remember to be polite (or at least 99.9% of them do anyway). A few even chime in with fantastic insights. It is the kind of place where people are actually looking to read an opinion rather than to express emotion. By design, it is not the kind of place people go to vent, at least in the vast majority of cases.

Message boards, on the other hand, are designed with more of a 'vent' aspect. It is the place people go to express emotions.

While I truly love the discussion that many of the recent RT threads have created from posters like Scottemojo and Tical, the problem is that it's still my name and big ass OP that's on the front cover of the thread. Which has made me a target for angry people, the kind of target I don't want to be. The kind of target nobody wants to be.

It certainly wouldn't bother me if someone else picked up the mantle to get an intelligent discussion thread rolling after games. I'd probably participate in it. But I just don't think I can headline any more of them.

Before anyone asks, I have no interest in continuing these posts on a blog. I don't have that kind of time or energy anymore, and besides, I think it's been a good run.

I know some of you will be seriously bummed by this, and I don't blame you. It's been a fun time, it's always a bummer when changes come. I wish I could keep going, but the abuse has just added up to being too much over the years and though I'm quitting today, the truth is that I've been hanging on for a very long time.

...

One last parting shot. Lately I've seen a lot of crap being dished out for Hsu and Hawkblogger. Specifically regarding them personally. Their character.

I'm of the opinion that if 95% of .net had the following, attention, and Seahawks access those guys had, they'd be no better.

The most challenging aspect of blogging and giving one's own opinion is to avoid narcissism. Giving an opinion naturally lends itself to the use of words like "I" or "me." It just does. Believe me, I've been trying to cut those words out for years and it's damn near impossible. As the sentence just written proves.

Has it gotten to their heads some? Sure, but they are saints when compared to the John Morgan's of the world and his acolytes. You give opinions, you make informed predictions, you get access. It's going to go to your head. Trust me on this.

In general, I think we come down WAY too hard on those who sacrifice their time and energy to inform and entertain us.

And if someone else does end up doing a weekly Random Thoughts thread that really catches on, can we please all agree to not shit on the guy? And to make sure that those that do are made to know that they aren't helping. By everyone. That would certainly help the author's shelf life, if nothing else.

Thanks for reading all that. It's my hope that somehow a thread without my name attached to it can still get the most interesting minds to show up. If that could work out somehow, that would be awesome.

Sorry to see it comes to this type of decision Kearly. The easy fix is to arrange with the site owners to post your thoughts each week as a column with no ability to respond by anyone else. It will allow those of us who value your insight to read your thoughts without the negative issues from some members wishing to respond within that thread.

Hope this solution would work for you and everyone else. Otherwise it becomes a sad outcome that benefits no one.

 

[HawkHack]

I doubt anyone is reading this far but ...

Kearly, the solution is obvious. Just email me your Random Thoughts, and I'll post them under my account. Perhaps as Clever Thoughts.

I will be seen as a football genius. It's a win/win.

 

[drdiags]

Thanks for the efforts Kip with your Random thoughts. The various versions of .NET have had some talented folks, able to tie together details and thoughts of the team/sport in a way that entertained. You are one of those people.

 

[Tokadub]

I've given it a lot of thought over the past couple years and increasingly in the past few weeks, and I've decided with conviction that my Random Thoughts™ threads have run their course here at .net.

Explaining why is not easy and will require a lot of backtracking. Apologies if this turns into a meandering post, but if nothing else it will feel good to get a lot of this off my chest.

I've been blogging now for many years. I'm not talking about message boards, but writing for sites. For four years I had the privilege of contributing at Seahawks Draft Blog. I helped out Montana's 17power blog for a year. I've had a couple other blogging escapades in the past at non-sports websites.

For some reason, it always felt more natural posting my random threads thoughts at .net, which is why I opted out on the idea of posting them at 17power after the 2011 season.

The goal of my random thoughts threads is to capture the feel of the game with a little bit of Fareed Zakaria type analysis tossed in on the side. This in turn, has led to some of the very brightest and most interesting minds on .net coming out of their shells to share their football observations. In this sense, the threads have been a huge success, especially lately.

Unfortunately, I've slowly come to realize that blog type content does not belong on a message board with very passionate fans posted hours after a tough loss or frustrating win. My intent is only to start intelligent discussion, not to be the center of attention. Unfortunately, far too many posters have used these threads as a cathartic device. Rather than walk things off, they use these threads to spew anger, directed at me personally, as if it's my fault the Seahawks upset them. Far too often this leaves me feeling like the Alan Colmes of .net, the thoughtful nice guy that anti-intellectual dickheads just love to shit on.

It donned on me just this past week. In all my years of blogging at numerous blogs, I've enjoyed traffic on par or even in excess of .net at times, but never at any of those places did I have to endure the abuse I get here in almost every RT thread. The worst experience I've had at a blog is probably better than the best experience I've had posting RT here.

The reason is so obvious that I feel stupid for not realizing it years ago. When you have your own website, it's your home. People visit because they know what they want and the author provides that for them. They stay for the amusement and they remember to be polite (or at least 99.9% of them do anyway). A few even chime in with fantastic insights. It is the kind of place where people are actually looking to read an opinion rather than to express emotion. By design, it is not the kind of place people go to vent, at least in the vast majority of cases.

Message boards, on the other hand, are designed with more of a 'vent' aspect. It is the place people go to express emotions.

While I truly love the discussion that many of the recent RT threads have created from posters like Scottemojo and Tical, the problem is that it's still my name and big ass OP that's on the front cover of the thread. Which has made me a target for angry people, the kind of target I don't want to be. The kind of target nobody wants to be.

It certainly wouldn't bother me if someone else picked up the mantle to get an intelligent discussion thread rolling after games. I'd probably participate in it. But I just don't think I can headline any more of them.

Before anyone asks, I have no interest in continuing these posts on a blog. I don't have that kind of time or energy anymore, and besides, I think it's been a good run.

I know some of you will be seriously bummed by this, and I don't blame you. It's been a fun time, it's always a bummer when changes come. I wish I could keep going, but the abuse has just added up to being too much over the years and though I'm quitting today, the truth is that I've been hanging on for a very long time.

...

One last parting shot. Lately I've seen a lot of crap being dished out for Hsu and Hawkblogger. Specifically regarding them personally. Their character.

I'm of the opinion that if 95% of .net had the following, attention, and Seahawks access those guys had, they'd be no better.

The most challenging aspect of blogging and giving one's own opinion is to avoid narcissism. Giving an opinion naturally lends itself to the use of words like "I" or "me." It just does. Believe me, I've been trying to cut those words out for years and it's damn near impossible. As the sentence just written proves.

Has it gotten to their heads some? Sure, but they are saints when compared to the John Morgan's of the world and his acolytes. You give opinions, you make informed predictions, you get access. It's going to go to your head. Trust me on this.

In general, I think we come down WAY too hard on those who sacrifice their time and energy to inform and entertain us.

And if someone else does end up doing a weekly Random Thoughts thread that really catches on, can we please all agree to not shit on the guy? And to make sure that those that do are made to know that they aren't helping. By everyone. That would certainly help the author's shelf life, if nothing else.

Thanks for reading all that. It's my hope that somehow a thread without my name attached to it can still get the most interesting minds to show up. If that could work out somehow, that would be awesome.

I know how you feel, often times I feel like I wasted my time trying to write up some good stuff only to end up being mocked and laughed at by what seems like the majority.

One thing to keep in mind is that negative people make a much bigger statement when it comes to internet discussions. For example 99% of people might enjoy your posts but 1% of them turns into several very loud negative people.

I think you do a great job even though I don't agree with everything you say. I think you should keep doing it and just forget the haters. Sometimes I get caught up with it and start getting into arguments with people who respond to my posts. But if even 1 person says they enjoyed your posts it's all worth it in my opinion, and I'm sure a lot of people enjoy yours (the vast majority) so hope you don't let the minority negative posters get you down.

 

[Laloosh]

Will miss reading them, Kearly. Hope you'll still be posting.

 

[CANHawk]

You'll be back...

 

[Zebulon Dak]

I think we need to establish a stronger set of rules for when a no-named try-hard decides to shack on a thread or post by a well known, long term, positively contributing, knowledgeable member of this community. So when Scotte or Absolut or Kearly or English or pehawk or somebody does a thoughtful, thorough write-up somebody named ShackShack or Shackshack will hopefully think twice about spewing their worthless shackvomitshack all over it and ruining it for everybody else. And if they don't they get the heavy end of the ban hammer and they can go shack themselves elsewhere.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

Big loss for .Net. Huge.

Bigger than losing Percy Harvin.

(Another joke for the Ben Roethlisbergers of .NET...)

 

[UK_Seahawk]

I believe that the community has to protect him in near real time. Why should he have to protect himself for doing US a favor?

Or, and I say this with genuine respect, he could just realise the dynamics of a message board and not let the idiots grind you down. When everything is hunky dory on the pitch message boards are mostly people agreeing with each other but when there is struggle there is consternation and ribald discourse off it. People are hurt and this doesnt come out in the best way sometimes.

RT will be missed and I hope Kearly reconsiders.