Who decides....

[Desert_Seg]

...when a thread has run its course?

...when what somebody is saying need not be said?

...when a thread should be locked?

While I swore I wasn't going to post for at least two weeks (and I was four days into it too!) I just can't sit by while another blatant example of censorship goes by.

The post about George Bush's Resume was recently closed by a moderator. No reason why, just a smiley face. Censorship is nothing to smile about.

I didn't object when the post, which was so full of errors that is was almost laughable, was posted. I tried to engage in meaningful dialogue.

Nor did I object when some of the Neo-Libs started dredging up the drivel (IMO) that is oft passed as fact. In fact, I read with interest as at least one new "argument" was posted, prompting me to do some research.

But I strongly object to censorship, and the unfortunate use of it on that post. There was nothing offensive in the post, nor were there any personal attacks. I felt it was a good piece of dialogue that was at least entertaining.

Chat rooms are supposed to be about chatting, and "Off Topic" chat room is supposed to be about things not related to the core of the forum. Letting us chat is a good way to get dialogue going...and we might actually learn somthing. Unfortunately, it appears that off-topic chatting isn't really allowed.

Censorship is a bad thing...and we've seen way too much of it in the last six months.

FWIW....

Steven

[polo_pro]

I agree with Steven. This is the off topic board...things should be allowed to go on for quite a while. The only exception of this is if one participant in the conversation violates the rules of the forum (by making personal attacks or other offensive behavior that has been documented in the forum's terms). And if that occurs, again, I say the moderator's actions should be made public including who they reprimand.

This thread should probably be on the Site Announcements and Feedback board.

ps - And yes, I've been privately reprimanded in the past...though astute individuals in the Segway Chat community figured out what happened so it ended up in public anyways. I didn't mind at all.

[pam]

I don't know who closed it, it wasn't me. If it was getting "hot", one of the other mods might have closed it.

The mods make the choice about what to leave open, what to close, what to move, etc. As long as the tone of the thread stays calm, then usually, nothing happens - unless one of the other rules is tripped. When it gets hot, then it will be closed. What may seem hot to one person might not seem hot to another.

You may dislike what you term censorship, but moderation is a fact of life on this forum, and it will continue to be. You can bounce up and down about it, or you can acknowledge that it's going to happen and just live with it. Or, you can choose to be somewhere else. Your choice, but it's beating your head against a wall to complain.

That said, this forum seems to have a limit on thread length. I don't know if this was involved here. When we moved over the posts from our original forum, we had a humongous thread for newbies to introduce themselves. The move truncated a couple of years worth of edits to the main post, where we kept everyone's name together. It made me sad.

Pam

[dale@thecoys.net]

As I have previously stated, I'm totally supportive of moderators.

Having said that -- I also think it is common courtesy for a moderator
who closes a thread, to explicitly state that he/she closed it.

It would also be helpful for the guidance of the conduct of FUTURE
contributors, if the moderator stated "why". But I certainly do
not believe that saying "why" is required.

And certainly, where there is a team of moderators, they all should
know "who", regardless of what the rest of us know.

[Sal]

I have sent a private message to Steven to address his concern.

Sometimes a thread restart can be a good thing.

-Sal

[citivolus]

...when a thread has run its course?

...when what somebody is saying need not be said?

...when a thread should be locked?
I think of it as 'virtual' property and as such, it epitomizes the concept of real property. I think a bartender has the right to shut a person off, the bouncer to throw someone out, the manager to close the shop early and in general refuse service to anyone they like for practically any reason they like.

I don't pay the bills around here but someone does and they get to set the rules and hire the management. Management does its best to interpret and enforce those rules and if that means breaking up a conversation or restricting access to certain areas of the site for certain personnel, that's fine by me.

Overall, forums like this are probably the best example of property rights in action. Even if those rights are 'virtual.' Virtual being a marketing term meaning "not," of course.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

It's not my party, I'm only a guest.

Personally, as long as no one is threatening anyone physically or legally what's the harm in a little drama? Maybe that's why I'm not a moderator. Lol.

IMO, typed messages can often get misinterpreted and blown out of proportion.

However, I understand that some people can get uncomfortable with what appears to be "overly heated" conflict to them.

The issues we've been "discussing" are issues of life and death, peace and war, incompetent leadership (or worse) and for some of us, the apparent beginning of the end of American democracy.

These are turbulent times. Our country is divided. At least we're discussing issues that matter. This could lead to understanding, or people finding out for themselves what they believe and who they believe.

Who's getting hurt here besides Bush or Clinton, etc.? Lol.

But at the end of the day (I hate that expression) we are only guests here and until I'm asked to leave, I'll probably keep pushing the envelope and over time, adapt to the comfort level of the moderators.

Respectfully (as someone who has been on moderation more than once),

Josh

[Timezkware Tim]

Just my 2 cents, Steven: :)

It's a moderator's job to censor posts/threads. Unmoderated boards are a free-for-all with repeated threads, hyjacked threads, innappropriate posts, flame wars, and chaos. We may not like every decision a mod makes, but it's their perogative.

This isn't a public community bulletin board, it's a private forum. If push came to shove, we can always post on another Segway forum, if we don't like Frank's.

Tim

[Gihgehls]

or you can acknowledge that it's going to happen and just live with it.

I think we just want the mods to acknowledge when it happens and what it takes for it to happen. Everyone already knows that moderation is going to happen, but nobody ever seems to see it coming. I wonder why that is... :confused:

[macgeek]

I STARTED that thread, I think that it has made its point, and we should move on. I object to locking the thread with no reason, I understand that sometimes a cop has to say "move along, nothing to see here"

Jonathan

[GyroGo]

I understand that sometimes a cop has to say "move along, nothing to see here"

Jonathan
Jon,
You've been at too many crime scenes. A little suspicious, I might add....

:)