A Plea For Coolness

[+Flyfishermanbob]

Some progress seems to have been made - note how long this thread has been "allowed" to continue. 

 

And thanks be praised to the Gods on the US of A

[+rutson]

Yep, it's a start, but it's very US-centric. Can links to similar lists be put onto cache pages?

[+klaus23]

Some progress seems to have been made - note how long this thread has been "allowed" to continue.

Nah, they've all gone to bed

[+CuplaKiwis]

hey, it's made two pages tho!!

[+Stuey]

This message is now on the GC.com main page.

GC.com has a main page??? I've not looked at that one for about 18 months!

[+spioradsaor]

Edited to remove unnecessarily inflammatory language

Edited January 7, 2005 by Lactodorum

[+Hemlock]

Yep, it's a start, but it's very US-centric. Can links to similar lists be put onto cache pages?

Sure, if you get permission from Groundspeak. But after Rothstafari's recent post I doubt you'll get it.

[MCL]

Oh dear, it's happened again.

 

I'm afraid this sort of thing has happened to me several times before on these GC-controlled forums. As I said almost 2 years ago in a now long-forgotten thread, I have been a forum moderator (in another field altogether) in my past and I have never once closed a thread or suspended an account of a poster. This does not mean that things were not said which were as bad as what gets said on here from time to time, its just that I have honestly noticed an alarming tendency for the censor's toolkit to be wielded a little too easily.

 

Now before we jump to conclusions I have to point out that last time I was prevented from posting a perfectly balanced and calm message, the person who closed the topic was one of our former UK reviewers, and I was as disgusted then as I am now. So I have no anti-US or pro-UK bias in this whatever.

 

Please stop this process of closing down discussions. You just don't understand do you, the long term ramifications of what you are doing? A good chunk of the UK geocaching community are alive and well and discussing freely plenty of topics with out any form of censorship. They just aren't doing it on here any more, and that means it is actually a sad loss to GC.COM in that you are driving away the very people who you hope to get money from in membership. We've gone. Departed. You have lost the expertise and support of many good and valuable customers. The forums are bereft of their wisdom. Your coffers are bereft of premium subscriptions.

 

What I'm saying here is useless I know, since absolutely nothing is going to be done about shifting this policy of censorship. TPTB will continue to believe they should shut the views of anyone they happen not to agree with. But if only they could see it is not good business sense to do so.

 

If this thread gets closed, the evidence will speak for itself and yet another shot will have been fired into a foot.

[ashoofack]

Wow this really has stirred up a hornets nest. I have to say that I am disgusted by the way this has been dealt with by TPTB from the US. Whilst they may be letting this one run (maybe they are all still sleeping) it appears that all related discussions are no longer permitted. This is nothing more than censorship with a good deal of head in the sand syndrome thrown in.

Edited January 7, 2005 by ashoofak

[+Cave Troll and Eeyore]

 

Please stop this process of closing down discussions. You just don't understand do you, the long term ramifications of what you are doing? A good chunk of the UK geocaching community are alive and well and discussing freely plenty of topics with out any form of censorship. They just aren't doing it on here any more, and that means it is actually a sad loss to GC.COM in that you are driving away the very people who you hope to get money from in membership. We've gone. Departed. You have lost the expertise and support of many good and valuable customers. The forums are bereft of their wisdom. Your coffers are bereft of premium subscriptions.

 

What I'm saying here is useless I know, since absolutely nothing is going to be done about shifting this policy of censorship. TPTB will continue to believe they should shut the views of anyone they happen not to agree with. But if only they could see it is not good business sense to do so.

 

If this thread gets closed, the evidence will speak for itself and yet another shot will have been fired into a foot.

You hit the nail right on the head.

I just wish I had such a good way with words.

[+AandS]

Before anyone decides to close this thread, they must realise that this discussion is way beyond caches for charity. Why could the moderators just let the discussions run and run until eventually everything cooled down eventually?

This discussion has now moved onto starting threads that challange existing guidlines and rules, and moderators closing these threads. Why do they feel so threatened?

There has been a lot of yank bashing on a lot of the forums because of this, and I guess most people have donated already, so maybe what will come out of this is some proper guidlines for moderators which are publically known (are there any?).

[+mongoose39uk]

I have refrained from posting for several hours.

 

I am pleased that this thread is still open!

 

Bashing others for their place of birth, so long as it's in jest, why not! The Wars of The Roses are fought here often and in good spirit. Ok, some people may take offence but life should be challenging and sometimes our opinions may need challenging. I think this is fine so long as they are not personal attacks.

 

On the subject of closing threads: at times threads have been closed when there have been personal insults or threats made, that to me is ok.

 

However to me what is not acceptable is the closing of threads which just want to discuss, even if those threads become heated. Further that our own moderators where sidestepped.

 

If things do go too far, in general a politlely worded email or pm from a moderator can quickly resolve I am sure.

 

I am not a great writer and no great speller. In my postings I do hope that I have managed to express my opinions without causing offence to either a nationality or an individual.

 

I do feel very strongly about the need for free discussion and the need to be censorship free. I was angry at first and then saddend that such action was taken.

 

On the subject of charity caches. I am sure some of our more imaginative cachers have plans for a way around this already

[Ben Pid]

In my opinion it all depends on what your view of a forum is.....you either believe it to be a right of full disscussion and freedom of speech or you see it as a moderated "chat room" type of discussion board....Unfortunatly, Most moderators see it the latter way. You give someone an inch and they take a mile- Feelings of power can get the better of so many peoplewhen it comes to administration. Lock Down seems to give some people a kick....

 

Its very wrong in my opinion, stopping the freedom of speech of other people just because you have the want and power to do so. It does nothing for the movement of this website and nothing for the community of UK Geocaching it just creates an aura of power and dictatorship from "Someone Above". I hate being pushed around and bossed, I get enough of it at work....I don't need it when I come online to chat about a hobby I have.

 

I agree moderation is a requirement of every forum and we have a couple of top mods on here in Lacto and Eckie, who follow the ethics of myself in particular- They moderate fairly and they in turn get treated with respect.

 

My view on what happened yesterday is that closing threads willy nilly is wrong,HOWEVER.....its been done, it sucked- I don't think it'll happen again so let's move on now.

 

Peace

Edited January 7, 2005 by Ben Pid

[+Simply Paul]

<clap><clap><clap><clap><clap><clap><clap><clap><clap><clap>

Well said Pid.

[+wildlifewriter]

In my opinion it all depends on what your view of a forum is... (snip)

No it doesn't.

 

The nature and conditions of this forum are defined here: (Forum Guidelines) - a set of conditions which you accepted when signing up for a user account, and which are linked to at the top of every page.

 

These make it quite clear that the discussions are moderated, and why. If you don't like it, you don't have to use it.

[+mongoose39uk]

Edited

 

for the following reason

 

My appologies I did say I would shut up

Edited January 7, 2005 by mongoose39uk