Now that it's come and gone...

[byped]

How many threads did the moderators make disappear? I was just thinking of all the great speculation and advanced information that was available for the weeks up until the official release - and to the speed and efficiency of the removal.

So how many threads where wiped out?

[gbrandwood]

I don't know but if you really wanted to know, you could go through each thread, one by one using the url:

http://forums.segwaychat.com/showthread.php?t=%

replacing the % with a thread ID. If you can read the thread, it's fine. If you get an access denied error, you know it was removed. You could actually start at 1 and get an overall idea for the last 4 years! Best bet is to use a thread ID posted just before the announcements were made.

Of course, this doesn't indicate specific posts, which may have been moderated or removed, only threads. For posts, you may be able to do the same thing using a url like below:

http://forums.segwaychat.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=%

But it's a much bigger number!!!

The moderators might know, but might not want to say.

[polo_pro]

Earlier today, I posted about a topic and gave some details that later I found out were "forbidden". First let me state, that I'm fine with the decision to delete my post. The details can hardly be considered "vital", and I don't think there's any reason why other segway owners need to know them. Also, as I stated in that post, I can see how legal liabilities might require the post to be deleted.

So in summary, I'm fine with what the moderators chose to do.

Except for one small matter. The moderators have not publicly stated that they deleted the post. Why is this important? Well, for one thing, tomorrow some other segway owner might run the same experiments I did and decide to post about it. So by publicly stating the policy on these types of posts, the moderators save their own time by dissuading future posts on the same topic. In fact, this is what they did regarding leaked information before the i2 announcement.

While I'd prefer moderators be completely transparent and tell us every action they take, this isn't realistic. It'd take too much time and be too much of a burden. However, I think moderators should clearly state when topics are off limits...especially if the topic is popular like getting a preview of the i2 or the details I posted about the recall bug.

I want to wrap this post up by once again stating that I have NO problem whatsoever with the moderator's decision to yank my post. My only concern is how it was done silently.

ps - OK, not totally silently...there was this afterwards. http://forums.segwaychat.com/showthread.php?t=13384

SO I guess I can't claim there was a conspiracy or complete censorship! 8^) 8^) 8^)

[byped]

I realize the moderators have a good deal of work on the boards - I was honestly looking for the elite 3 (3 - right?) to chime in on how much traffic there was out there that they had to delete.

I personally saw a good 4-5 posts with the advanced i2 infor which disappeared within hours - if not minutes.

Obviously, there is a good deal of dilgence going on!

[pam]

I'll be honest, I don't remember how many threads were moved in the i2 buildup, however some posts were made of info that was not permitted. Sometimes the post went, sometimes the thread went. I doubt that there were many, because most people got the message pretty quickly. I'd have to go back and count, and the info is not readily available.

If posters remember certain underlying things, they can probably figure out why threads are moved.
1. Don't put SC at risk for legal action (and posting new, unreleased information and/or photos can do that [although we do allow written "speculation"], or posting directions on how to recreate certain problems that can lead to injury). (I can see the lawyers now, "oh, you got the directions for how to do that on a forum? hmmmm, " and just because a case might have no merit, or no legal standing, doesn't mean that people won't attempt to take it to court - particularly if injuries are involved)
2. Don't cause dissention on the forums. You can disagree, but just state you don't agree, and move on. If we have a blow up because of it, believe me, you will be remembered as the start of the problem <G>.
3. Don't attack other list members on the forum.

Hmmm, I'm sure there might be others, like bad language, spamming, and so on. Most of our posters don't do that. I do occasionally find a spamming thread and I'll delete it if it has nothing to do with Segways, and sometimes if thre ae duplicated posts, I'll delete all but one. If you're not on moderation and get annoyed and do a series of threads that are the equivalent of spamming, you might get put on moderation until you calm down.

I've said this over and over, no one likes to be moderated. Once we get past the age of about 12 (sometimes as early as 2), we don't like to be told we were wrong, it's embarassing, and moderation, by it's very nature is an indication that we've been wrong. That's why I usually try to do it off the forums and in as personal a manner as possible, to not bring the behaviors to the attention of the rest of the list members. However, I will continue to do what I think is the best for the chat. Believe me, it's not personal.

Pam
in her moderator hat