ESPN's Van Pelt in a message board flame war

I like SVP, but I never would have imagined him being in a flame war on a Terps board ...

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2007/09/on_message_boards_scott_van_pe.html#more

 

No good can ever come of a journalist posting under his real name on a fan board.

Even if he think he's doing it for the right reasons, it invariably blows up in the journalist's face.

READ them? Scavenge some bits of info here and there, sure. But climb down into the cesspool, nosirree sir. :

 

SVP has done this before, as noted in the Bog post. I'm not a member of the Blue-White Illustrated board, but saw the Logan-El exchanges... and Van Pelt gained a lot of respect from the PSU faithful by posting under his own name to explain his point of view.

On the other hand, if he's going to post as a fan on a fan site, yeah, he might want to think up a different screen name.

 

On a slightly different note, not too long ago there was a post on the fan board of a college I covered ripping me for an error in one of my stories. Thing is, the desk inserted that error. It was really bad and made me look stupid -- but the desk did it. I never wanted so badly to register with the site, go on-line and defend myself.

But I didn't.

Because the same thing kept ringing through the back of my mind: No good can come of this.

I just let it pass. Looking back, I'm glad I did.

 

I don't know if it is wise to post on a board under your own name which reflects on your company - when the views you are expressing are your own. Admire the honesty, but there is such a thing as too honest for your own good.

 

In smaller communities where the fans have a repor with the journalists covering the teams, I think fan board interaction is appropriate. But it depends on the topic. Don't jump in the middle of two hay seeds getting in on over who's the best JV soccer player in the area.

 

Just pointing this out to be a jerk, but it's "rapport." ;D

 

and "hayseeds."

 

I think we can all chip in and help out Mr. Van Pelt, but pointing out some key phrases he can toss back at those who would dast speak against him.

For example:
Douchenozzle
Asshat

please add at will.

 

Fuckstick is good too.

 

I've always been partial to Buttplug for some unknown reason.

 

Ms. Slappy learned fucktard from this site... and she says it's not educational