Censorship and derailment

[akirk]

Rolyan, your philosophy is very close to mine, as you will see if you look back over many threads that have wandered randomly! However I have to find a balance...
- if a thread wanders and folks don't mind, then fine
- if I get complaints then it is a different issue

I think that possibly there is a focus on one part if the issue here, forgetting the rest of what happened... I have said all along I had no objection to the content, just not in that thread, so if lots had said they were happy and others complained, I would have said (as I did!) put it in a different thread and those who didn't like it could simply not open that thread - all happy... However Dave decided to leave rather than doing that - his choice...

There is a difference between a thread unanimously drifting off topic, and someone posting in this case political messages and others objecting, while the forum is good at self moderation, we do still have moderators and will edit /delete / close when necessary, as rarely as possible, but it will occasionally happen... The concept is simple - nothing illegal, nothing overtly commercial, nothing deliberately designed to upset... ie common sense

So this wasn't just that it was off topic, it was simply inappropriate in that thread and better elsewhere... Once that had happened the topic was left open, it was locked later as it had reached its natural end - it wasn't going to improve...

Alasdair

[hir]

... it was locked later as it had reached its natural end - it wasn't going to improve...

Alasdair

My humble observations are:

1) Threads reach their natural end when members collectively lose interest and stop posting. Not when an individual arrives at that conclusion.

2) No thread is ever going to improve. They only ever get worse.

[jont-]

... it was locked later as it had reached its natural end - it wasn't going to improve...

Alasdair

My humble observations are:

1) Threads reach their natural end when members collectively lose interest and stop posting. Not when an individual arrives at that conclusion.

2) No thread is ever going to improve. They only ever get worse.

/maybe it's time to lock this one ....

[Horse]

If my post could be read as a threat then I apologise for that (but admit, too, to being confused about how it could! ).

I did put a wink at the end. Perhaps you missed it.

AaAAMOI, I work for an organisation which receives funding from the EU, but I haven't felt any need to post campaign messages

That's because you riding the EU gravy train has nothing to do with the state of the roads. The EU funding of the roads in the poorer countries of the EU at the expense of the richer countries has every thing to do with it.

I don't think - although I could well be wrong so please tell me if the case - that you know where I work. If you did, then you might have a different belief about roads funding and benefits forroad users, here and elsewhere

[akirk]

... it was locked later as it had reached its natural end - it wasn't going to improve...

Alasdair

My humble observations are:

1) Threads reach their natural end when members collectively lose interest and stop posting. Not when an individual arrives at that conclusion.

2) No thread is ever going to improve. They only ever get worse.

possibly true - but while most members can simply use the forum to post as they wish etc. I do have to try and balance the views of all who are members - some more vocal than others, some who complain / advocate certain positions in public, others who do so via pm. So I tend to see a slightly different picture perhaps to that seen by others...

any forum has to have a philosophical set of boundaries - whether very restrictive, or total anarchy, or hopefully somewhere in-between!
this is a new forum, we are still working out its shape, but as posted above there will be moderation, so we are not totally at the anarchy end of the scale!

there will be times when a thread is locked / content is edited - it won't be often, but it will happen - and on those occasions the one thing you can guarantee is that not everyone will be happy - someone will always want the last word!

Alasdair

[Rolyan]

Without trying to read Alisdair's mind, I think another possible reason for closing the thread was that it was on the cusp of turning nasty about your posts on cyclists and other user's interpretations of it. No fault on any part, but there's nothing like a good bitch fight to wreck any thread.

That was over by then, particularly as I had taken the time and trouble to explain that it wasn't as some had interpreted it. Hence why no one was able to give the example of where I had said what was suggested.

Not a reason for closing it though.

[Rolyan]

Rolyan, your philosophy is very close to mine, as you will see if you look back over many threads that have wandered randomly! However I have to find a balance...
- if a thread wanders and folks don't mind, then fine
- if I get complaints then it is a different issue

I think that possibly there is a focus on one part if the issue here, forgetting the rest of what happened... I have said all along I had no objection to the content, just not in that thread, so if lots had said they were happy and others complained, I would have said (as I did!) put it in a different thread and those who didn't like it could simply not open that thread - all happy... However Dave decided to leave rather than doing that - his choice...

There is a difference between a thread unanimously drifting off topic, and someone posting in this case political messages and others objecting, while the forum is good at self moderation, we do still have moderators and will edit /delete / close when necessary, as rarely as possible, but it will occasionally happen... The concept is simple - nothing illegal, nothing overtly commercial, nothing deliberately designed to upset... ie common sense

So this wasn't just that it was off topic, it was simply inappropriate in that thread and better elsewhere... Once that had happened the topic was left open, it was locked later as it had reached its natural end - it wasn't going to improve...

Alasdair

There were 2 issues here.

Firstly, should you have removed Dave's post. I couldn't comment as I never saw it.

Secondly, and entirely separate, should you lock a thread simply because you think it's gone off topic or reached its natural conclusion. I think we might have to agree to disagree.

Whatever, have a nice day, I'm off for a nice long drive!

[Gareth]

There were 2 issues here.

Firstly, should you have removed Dave's post.

Dave's post wasn't removed but the last paragraph in it was.

[akirk]

There were 2 issues here.

Firstly, should you have removed Dave's post. I couldn't comment as I never saw it.

Secondly, and entirely separate, should you lock a thread simply because you think it's gone off topic or reached its natural conclusion. I think we might have to agree to disagree.

Whatever, have a nice day, I'm off for a nice long drive!

Should I - we could have a deep philosophical discussion about that

However I did - and on the basis that I own the forum, I pay the hosting costs on my server, and I put in the time to run it all etc. - AND I am the one who gets the flack when folks aren't happy - then yes, I am also in the unenvious place of having to sometimes decide how to moderate - I will sometimes get it wrong, and hopefully mainly get it right...

To be honest, I am being very patient here and am getting a little fed up of the criticism - it was a very minor issue, I had no problem with the one line of text David added as a P.S. - just not in that place, it was posted in a way which whether he meant it to or not came across badly - and others took it badly... I have and had no issue with the content elsewhere - had I the time I would have moved it to its own thread / post, but I was busy with work and had other commitments...

folks don't have to like it - but yes, there will be some moderation on here - it is not a free for all, and those who object are of course welcome to set up their own forum I set this up to help out when ADUK was sold to a commercial purchaser, not because I have any desire to run an AD forum per se - however I value the wisdom and experience shared on here and it is great community to be in, but ultimately as I own the forum and have to deal with the crap when people complain, sorry, bad luck but there will be moderation!

So, last I am going to comment on here, I have explained enough times why I did it, and it was a reasonable decision, it happened, it isn't being undone, so feel free to discuss as much as you like, but I won't waste any more time on this - if it gets silly then yes I will lock this as well - otherwise, lets get back to talking about driving which is far more interesting - hope you have a lovely long drive!

Alasdair

[Silk]

I don't think - although I could well be wrong so please tell me if the case - that you know where I work. If you did, then you might have a different belief about roads funding and benefits forroad users, here and elsewhere

Irrelevant. Regardless of what the organisation you work for does, if you rely on EU funding in order to keep you in employment, you have a vested interest and your opinion on whether or not we should leave the EU is biased.

Perhaps a new thread is in order as this thread has drifted enough.