siddhartha
Administrator
Hey Guys,
Recently Bill and I have had some tough decisions to make concerning the board here, and I wanted to explain a few things:
First off, moderating a message board is NOT an easy task, not by any means. We try to be as democratic as possible, but in the end, we make the decisions that we feel are best for the forum. It's not easy-you cannot ever please some people, and most of the time, we end up making compromises, not all of which we are comfortable with.
Deleting/banning members is not something we like to do, and we end up discussing these drastic moves ad infinitum before we actually pull the trigger. However, there are some things we cannot compromise on, such as illegal activity, racism, etc. In those cases, we try to act quickly, to protect our membership, as well as the forum. For example, recently there were comments made on the forum that could be interpreted to be legally actionable, which, though it may/may not affect Bill and myself (as the owner, I obviously am responsible to some degree) most definitely are not the kind of thing we want on the forum. If push comes to shove, we will provide any information that we have to proven legal authorities as needed.
This kind of post does not need to be made for 99% of the people on here. I consider you friends, and guests in my living room. That said, I ask that you exhibit the same respect and common sense that you'd have visiting a friend in their house-you may not agree with all the topics discussed, but you'd treat your hosts and the other guests with decency, civility, and respect. At least, we'd hope so (or you'd not be invited back).
You are all entitled to your opinions, your religious/political views, and your lifestyles. You have the right to like certain repro makes, and to feel that others are absolutely ridiculous. You also have the responsibility to carry yourself with class and honor, and treat other people just as you'd treat them in person. It's far too easy to hide behind the veil of the internet, and think that protects you from any retribution, and gives you free reign to treat people any way you want, or spout hatred. It does not.
Bill puts more than his fair share into this forum, and it would NOT exist without him. I trust him to make these tough decisions when I am occupied (which is a fair amount of time these days), and what he says goes. Do not disrespect him.
In the end, if this forum ceases to be fun for us (which was the whole point of it anyway, when we started out years ago) we reserve the right to shut it down and walk away. I hope it does not come to that, and YOU have the ability to keep that from happening.
There are other forums out there for political, religious, lifestyle, etc. discussion, and I encourage you to visit those if you feel the need to cause disruption. We'd like to keep this forum on-topic, and civil. We provide areas for off-topic conversation, but in those areas, too, you need to treat people with the utmost respect and civility.
Best,
Chris
Recently Bill and I have had some tough decisions to make concerning the board here, and I wanted to explain a few things:
First off, moderating a message board is NOT an easy task, not by any means. We try to be as democratic as possible, but in the end, we make the decisions that we feel are best for the forum. It's not easy-you cannot ever please some people, and most of the time, we end up making compromises, not all of which we are comfortable with.
Deleting/banning members is not something we like to do, and we end up discussing these drastic moves ad infinitum before we actually pull the trigger. However, there are some things we cannot compromise on, such as illegal activity, racism, etc. In those cases, we try to act quickly, to protect our membership, as well as the forum. For example, recently there were comments made on the forum that could be interpreted to be legally actionable, which, though it may/may not affect Bill and myself (as the owner, I obviously am responsible to some degree) most definitely are not the kind of thing we want on the forum. If push comes to shove, we will provide any information that we have to proven legal authorities as needed.
This kind of post does not need to be made for 99% of the people on here. I consider you friends, and guests in my living room. That said, I ask that you exhibit the same respect and common sense that you'd have visiting a friend in their house-you may not agree with all the topics discussed, but you'd treat your hosts and the other guests with decency, civility, and respect. At least, we'd hope so (or you'd not be invited back).
You are all entitled to your opinions, your religious/political views, and your lifestyles. You have the right to like certain repro makes, and to feel that others are absolutely ridiculous. You also have the responsibility to carry yourself with class and honor, and treat other people just as you'd treat them in person. It's far too easy to hide behind the veil of the internet, and think that protects you from any retribution, and gives you free reign to treat people any way you want, or spout hatred. It does not.
Bill puts more than his fair share into this forum, and it would NOT exist without him. I trust him to make these tough decisions when I am occupied (which is a fair amount of time these days), and what he says goes. Do not disrespect him.
In the end, if this forum ceases to be fun for us (which was the whole point of it anyway, when we started out years ago) we reserve the right to shut it down and walk away. I hope it does not come to that, and YOU have the ability to keep that from happening.
There are other forums out there for political, religious, lifestyle, etc. discussion, and I encourage you to visit those if you feel the need to cause disruption. We'd like to keep this forum on-topic, and civil. We provide areas for off-topic conversation, but in those areas, too, you need to treat people with the utmost respect and civility.
Best,
Chris
