Class Politics TLF Terms of Service

Chris123

New Member
Well, Mr. Moose, there aren't a lot of choices on that one. ;) I did it. There's a standing Bradley directive to make unique titles to the threads, in order to make it easy to find them with the Search feature.

A mile of scratches is an exaggeration, of course, but if you've got a possible 5000 linear feet of scratches, you are not far off.

Having left the forum a while back over misbehavior by the moderators, I thought I'd come back -- and within a day I see that, no longer content to simply delete postings you don't like, it now seems you're actually silently changing other people's content without asking them or telling them.

Yes, I run online forums. Yes, I know it's a royal pain. Yes, I'm sympathetic. But honestly, I'd suggest that the entire experience here -- for you and for all the participants, would be a lot better if you took a step back and started taking yourselves a little less seriously.
 
Re: Sanding a mile of scratches

Having left the forum a while back over misbehavior by the moderators, I thought I'd come back -- and within a day I see that, no longer content to simply delete postings you don't like, it now seems you're actually silently changing other people's content without asking them or telling them.

Yes, I run online forums. Yes, I know it's a royal pain. Yes, I'm sympathetic. But honestly, I'd suggest that the entire experience here -- for you and for all the participants, would be a lot better if you took a step back and started taking yourselves a little less seriously.

However true that may be, just ignore it all. As a forum operator you know the rules:

you get banned, you tolerate it, or you don't post. Simple as that.
 
Re: Sanding a mile of scratches

There's a standing Bradley directive to make unique titles to the threads, in order to make it easy to find them with the Search feature.

I thought the search feature actually searched the content of the threads. A quick check verifies that it does. So why do titles of posts need to be changed? Maybe a better idea would be add some sort of keywords to threads so they come up better in searches.

Like this for example:

[sanding, refurbish, sandpaper, repair, hull, gelcoat, scratches, moderator, meddling]
 
Re: Sanding a mile of scratches

However true that may be, just ignore it all. As a forum operator you know the rules:

you get banned, you tolerate it, or you don't post. Simple as that.

I believer there's a fourth option, which is to try to prevail upon the moderators to act more reasonably. And, being of course the epitome of reasonable behavior in all respects, who better than me to do it?:p

For one thing, Bradley and Janet are obviously both reasonable people who want to make this work, as evidenced by the simple fact that they're taking the time and effort to do it.

For another, as long as they continue to describe themselves as "the official forum provider to the NA Laser Class" or words to that effect, it's not quite strictly true that "it's their show and they can do whatever they want" -- there is the class to answer to.

There's a fine line between ruining a forum by letting disruptive jerks have free reign and ruining it by heavy-handed moderation.
 
Re: Sanding a mile of scratches

I believer there's a fourth option, which is to try to prevail upon the moderators to act more reasonably. And, being of course the epitome of reasonable behavior in all respects, who better than me to do it?:p

For one thing, Bradley and Janet are obviously both reasonable people who want to make this work, as evidenced by the simple fact that they're taking the time and effort to do it.

For another, as long as they continue to describe themselves as "the official forum provider to the NA Laser Class" or words to that effect, it's not quite strictly true that "it's their show and they can do whatever they want" -- there is the class to answer to.

There's a fine line between ruining a forum by letting disruptive jerks have free reign and ruining it by heavy-handed moderation.


Soon these posts will be edited out or the thread locked.

It is their show, regardless of claims. There is no evidence of reason.
 
Here they are, cut and pasted from the FAQ:

Welcome to The Laser Sailboat Forum, please read over the following rules/guidelines:

1. The Laser Forum (henceforth, TLF) will not edit a post for any reason other than spam, illegal content or privacy concerns. For this reason, messages on this forum do not represent the official views of TLF or the Sailing Forums Network.

2. TLF will not disclose your information to anyone for any reason. We may send you an e-mail occasionally with special forum announcements. You can disable these e-mails at any time in the User Control Panel.

3. TLF is dedicated to allowing free speech. However, Spamming or transmitting content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy or confidentiality or copyrights, hateful, or racially, ethnically objectionable is not permitted and can result in the suspension or deletion of your membership in TLF. The severity of the measures will be determined on a case by case basis. Any specific rules of enforcement will be made public before they are applied.

4. TLF is committed to being and staying financially and administratively independent of any other Laser-related commercial or class organizations. TLF will not be shut down and the resource formed by your posts will be preserved, if necessary by offering TLF to trusted volunteers interested in taking over its financial and administrative burdens.

5. Please keep the discussion on topic within its thread. For example, do not post about mast step repairs in a thread about frostbiting. TLF reserves the right to move or delete off topic comments. To Register and post on TLF you must include your real name and a valid email address. TLF reserves the right to change this document at any time.

Last Updated: August 1, 2006
 
I can't decide which bums me out more: this hamfisted approach to moderation, or the fact that Merrily chose not to concede this point and apologize yet. Where are you, Merrily? The longer it takes, the more people will turn...
 
I can't decide which bums me out more: this hamfisted approach to moderation, or the fact that Merrily chose not to concede this point and apologize yet. Where are you, Merrily? The longer it takes, the more people will turn...

I have apologized to bjmoose for changing the title to his thread without comment, and offered him naming rights to the thread, within the parameters of wanting a unique descriptive name. Since you have quoted the Terms of Service, please note that they do not address the naming of a thread, only the editing of posts within that thread. Also remember that I am not moderating this alone. I have a message out to Bradley and am waiting for his reply.
 
I have apologized to bjmoose for changing the title to his thread without comment, and offered him naming rights to the thread, within the parameters of wanting a unique descriptive name. Since you have quoted the Terms of Service, please note that they do not address the naming of a thread, only the editing of posts within that thread. Also remember that I am not moderating this alone. I have a message out to Bradley and am waiting for his reply.

Actually, it was I who quoted the ToS, not Dwight.

I just can't imagine what point you're trying to make or what objective you're trying to accomplish, by what to me seems like increasingly bizarre petty controlling behavior. Do you honestly think you're improving the experience of using this site, for anyone?
 
Re: TLF Terms of Service/Titles

Hi Everyone,

I appreciate your concern over the moderation policies on TLF. I try to find the happy balance between over zealous moderation and anarchy while keeping as many end users content as possible. As you can imagine, this is very difficult.

In this case, however, I don't believe Merrily has done anything wrong. The purpose of the title is not for the context based search system, but for the end user reviewing which threads he or she may be interested in reading. The title should depict the point of the entire post in less than a sentence. Further, changing the title doesn't effect the integrity of the post or any subsequent replies (which all maintain their original title).

I also participate in and observe many other forums across the web, generally much larger than TLF, and a consistent policy I see across these sites is requiring clear descriptive thread titles. While we will try to avoid editing borderline acceptable titles, you can avoid the situation completely by including more than one descriptive word in your subject line.

Thanks for understanding and I look forward to reading more of your comments.

For those of you in the US, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving with your friends and family and return here safely on Monday!

Best,
 
Re: TLF Terms of Service/Titles

Hi Everyone,

[...] While we will try to avoid editing borderline acceptable titles, you can avoid the situation completely by including more than one descriptive word in your subject line.


While this is good all around advice, an alternative approach on the moderators' part might just be to sweat it a little less, and thereby alienate your subscribers a little less.
 
Here's a good example of a well-named thread:

http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=7457

From the above link:

"You know what else I found out today by accident? Whatever thread title you write here automatically gets posted on the NA laser class assc. website homepage. So for example if you started a thread called...All NA laser sailors have tiny brains...imagine the sudden influx of angry NA's to this site. One way to boost visitors I guess."

Notice this is a thread about where best to sit while sailing a Laser, titled "Silly Laser Sailing Thread".
 
In case anyone is confused as to the topic of this thread, it is about my changing a thread title from "Sanding," to "Sanding a mile of scratches."
 
You bastards! You vicious, heartless bastards! Look what you've done to her! She's worked her fingers to the bone to make this place what it is, and you come in with your petty feeble quibbling and you grind her into the dirt, this fine, honourable Woman, whose boots you are not worthy to kiss. Oh... it makes me mad... mad!

Adapted from the Monty Python "Dirty Fork Sketch"
 
Not so.... Most of the guys here are worthy of kissing her boots....

after she walks across one of those Ohio cattle farms
 
this kinda stuff never happens on SA, you decide the title of your post and thats the end of it
 
Nice - Gentlemen - Nice!

Before anyone even tries to figure out what was changed, we're all over Merrily like flies on sh&t. Call out the ACLU, call the 1st ammendment lawyers, she is changing content! Let's not ask the obvious question, what was changed! Even the person that started the thread didn't seem to care that much!

All of you out there ripping it up, demanding apologies, telling us all how it ought to be, time to man up - or do you all really believe adding 4 words to the title is such an offense.

Unreal! Dirty Fork is an understatement.
 
Here's a good example of a well-named thread:

http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=7457

From the above link:

"You know what else I found out today by accident? Whatever thread title you write here automatically gets posted on the NA laser class assc. website homepage. So for example if you started a thread called...All NA laser sailors have tiny brains...imagine the sudden influx of angry NA's to this site. One way to boost visitors I guess."

Notice this is a thread about where best to sit while sailing a Laser, titled "Silly Laser Sailing Thread".

Cool I was looking for that! I tried searching under:

crazy

and

loopy

but I shoulda just searched under


silly.



My hero. :rolleyes:
 
Nice - Gentlemen - Nice!

Before anyone even tries to figure out what was changed, we're all over Merrily like flies on sh&t. Call out the ACLU, call the 1st ammendment lawyers, she is changing content! Let's not ask the obvious question, what was changed! Even the person that started the thread didn't seem to care that much!

All of you out there ripping it up, demanding apologies, telling us all how it ought to be, time to man up - or do you all really believe adding 4 words to the title is such an offense.

Unreal! Dirty Fork is an understatement.

Uhh... for my part, I don't believe adding 4 words to a title is a big offense at all, and I certainly haven't asked anybody for an apology.

I do, on the other hand, think that the tone that Merrily and Bradley are setting has, as of late, become ... well ... for lack of a more delicate phrase, smarmy and obnoxious. I can't for the life of me imagine why they're doing it. It certainly isn't, as far as I can see, doing anything to increase the readership or participation in this forum, nor to improve the value of the site as an information resource, nor to increase the total amount of fun being had in this world, which, if I'm not mistaken, is the ultimate purpose here.

So why am I offering my loudmouthed opinion, rather than simply voting with my feet? Because Merrily and Bradley are friends. No, I don't know them personally, but they are friends to the Laser class and to the sport of sailing. And when your friends act weird, or do things that don't appear to be in their own self interest, you don't just walk away, you point it out.
 
Here's a good example of a well-named thread:

http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=7457

From the above link:

"You know what else I found out today by accident? Whatever thread title you write here automatically gets posted on the NA laser class assc. website homepage. So for example if you started a thread called...All NA laser sailors have tiny brains...imagine the sudden influx of angry NA's to this site. One way to boost visitors I guess."

Notice this is a thread about where best to sit while sailing a Laser, titled "Silly Laser Sailing Thread".


I'd never bothered to look at that thread before now because of the title (really) bur I clicked on the link you gave having no idea about the thread - and its really quite interesting. Which I suppose to me illustrates that a decent title really is worthwhile.


Likewise, I tend not to bother with threads called things like "Help" or "Did you know", etc. I tend to only look at threads if I think they will be interesting or relevant - and you only have the title to go on.


Ian
 
Uhh... for my part, I don't believe adding 4 words to a title is a big offense at all, and I certainly haven't asked anybody for an apology.

etc., etc.

I don't think there is a forum in the world that does not have a thread like this one.


However, they normally have a better point to argue about than adding 4 words to a thread's title.


But then if we let this issue pass, next thing you know moderators will be adding 5 words to a title, then 6 words. If we let them get away with it we might start finding punctuation and capital letters creeping in unexpectedly ... And the world will probably end.


Ian
 
I really can't beleive I just read all this thread. God I love a good punch up but there just isn't one here! As my kids would say - Bothered!!!!!

Merrilly you feel free to change any thread title you like as far as I'm concerned!
 

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