A few months ago, Double Down posted this ...
You know, enough with the pot shots at "Other Sports Journalist Site."
Even if you're one of those who think there are people there who can't let it be, so what? Let it go. There are a lot of good people there I wish were still here, and anyone who thinks we haven't lost something by their departure is kidding themselves.
I was one of the more militant anti-TBD (The SportsDesk is the name of the site) from the time they launched their permanent site, but he was right, and that post hit me like a splash of cold water.
I realized that choosing sides between message boards is, well, kind of sad. I missed a lot of people there, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and join that site too in the interest of re-visiting friends and to foster the notion that both sites can co-exist.
I've kept an open mind and found "the other site" to be just fine. In fact, there are aspects of it that have exceeded SJ. The existence of politics is one and some threads that were once must-reads here are must-reads there now. Hard truth though it is, there are plenty of people who defected from here who were valuable contributors and they remain valuable contributors there.
But unlike some who have gone over to TBD, I still find this place to be just fine too. Maybe its because I've never had some of the personal issues some over there have had, maybe its because I've always considered the "assholes" to be part of the charm. I enjoy sparring with them. And who's to say that I'm not one of the "assholes" on a given day? Who's to say that
any of us haven't been that asshole?
SJ is still superior in many ways too -- the Journalism board is far superior here. So is the Jobs board. So are several other threads intertwined between the various child boards. A personal observation: I think this site hurt itself by having too many child boards. Threads used to come fast and furious when there was just an Anything Goes board. It kept things more lively.
But this isn't about scoreboarding which site is better. Truth be told, they both have plenty to offer and I think they can both co-exist.
Because of that, I've become sort of a ***** when it comes to which site I choose to frequent. Basically, if a thread interests me here, I'm here. If it interests me there, I'm there. There are probably members at both sites who have a problem with that, but I couldn't give two ****s.
Bottom line is that I'm at either site to find things to read that interest me and to interact with friends I've made over my six years here. That's the primary reason I've EVER been here or there. The only provision I've made for separation is that I have a different handle there. The Bubbler handle belongs to SJ and that will never change.
Do both sites have issues? Hell yes. Both are guilty of many of the same things. Outing, for example, has gone on at
both sites, but neither site condones it. Since I've joined the other site, which would have been March, I haven't seen any instance of outing at all and I have access to the full site there. The notion that exists here that there is rampant outing over there is patently false.
Each site, in my opinion, does have distinct issues that are all their own. Here, its what most call trolling. I don't consider it trolling from most of the guilty parties so much as agenda-driven posting whether the thread has anything to do with an agenda or not. That's a problem here that many get away with.
Over there, it's the navel-gazing about this site. I will say this, it's nice to have a conduit to talk about SJ-related issues, because many perceived uncomfortable discussions about SJ (and TBD) have been spiked here, which I think is really unfortunate. I think the idea that you can't always speak freely about this site here has driven some people over there because they feel they don't have a voice. I totally sympathize with that.
On the other hand, the are several posters there who just can't help themselves but to take potshots at folks who remain here. It's totally petty and pointless. Why waste time getting angry about people you chose not to be with anymore? It's akin to complaining about an ex long past time the relationship is over.
What is the point of all of this? I really don't know, I just had to get it off my chest, but I do think if there's enough people at both sites willing to offer up the olive branch, it would do both sites a lot of good.
I encourage those here to give TSD a try before they criticize it. By the same token, the olive branch has to go both ways, and I encourage those who left to come back and give SJ another chance. I'm going to copy-and-paste this post there too.
Both sites will be richer for it, which is what we all want, right?
