Money Where My Mouth Is

[DrEvil]

Sent to webmaster and Ed Z by email today:

"After a self-imposed two week cooling off period, I see you are still practicing random, subjective censorship at the whim of moderators, and maintaining a condescending attitude toward your users in the message board area. Witness Lynn Bodoni's latest "I'm pulling anything I don't like" stand.

Please delete my registration record and information from your database. I don't wish to support your organization any longer and don't want to contribute to your "2365 registered users" figure any longer. For verification purposes, my username is DrEvil, my name is __________, and my email address for registration was ___@____.___ [sorry folks, get too much spam already, but name & email were really there in the e-mail]. Please contact me if you need any additional verifying information to accomplish this.

I see you have a new advertiser too. I'll be contacting them to let them know their presence on TSDMB ensures I will never patronize them. That's my way of "voting," Mr. Zotti!

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I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather... not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.

[Contestant #3]

WoW!

You've got to appreciate this guy for sticking to his principals.

I just got a threatening e-mail from an aforementioned administrator. This person warns me not to post anything that might stir up "ill feelings" about the SDMB.


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Contestant #3

[Ed Zotti]

Subjective censorship? Of course it's subjective, we don't have machines doing this. Random? Not really. We deleted some commercial posts, a few containing obscene insults, and one thread at the request of a user who felt harassed. That's about it. (The missing "anal sex" thread is a mystery; we're trying to figure out what became of that.) There are two unmoderated Straight Dope-related newsgroups on Usenet. If the occasional deletion of a post we do here bothers you, you might be happier over there. Lynn does a fine job, in my opinion.

[JillGat]

On the board I moderate, "Cecil's Columns" I have twice had to edit or delete verbatim articles that were copied onto the board by posters. I regretting having to do it, because the articles were interesting and relevant to the topic being discussed, but it violates copyright laws to repost such things. Whenever I've deleted a post, I have made a note about it on the board and sent a note to the poster.
Jill

[moriah]

I think administration is doing a fine job. I prefer moderated boards and newsgroups over the lunacy and chaos of unmoderated ones. And even if I were to disagree with a 'subjective' decision the administrators made with regard to the editing and patrolling of this board, I'd rather have that still, than an unmoderated board.

Or, to put it a bit more pointedly: I don't mind the moderating because I generally know how to play nice and get along and know the importance of guidelines (even if they're implemented by imperfect and subjective human beings). Those who want to indulge their anal-expulsive and anarchical personalities can do so elsewhere and good riddance to you.

Peace.

[Contestant #3]

Moriah,

Funny then that you had one of your recent posts deleted...apparently you don't always "play nice"

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Contestant #3

[moriah]

It was deleted because it really belonged in the Pit rather than on the forum in which it appeared. I see the wisdom of the deletion after the fact.

Notice, I'm not whining about it, trying to stir up trouble and turn everyone against the administrator who took the appropriate action.

And I stand by what I said. I may disagree with what an administrator may do, but it's well worth the price of having a moderated board. So, in that regard, I am playing nice. I take correction like a mature human being rather than a whining brat or a "take my marbles and go home" crybaby.

[Czarcasm]

*sigh* If only other people would have the courage of Dr. Evil's convictions.