This thread in the Pit poses a question about misleading thread titles. I was hoping for clarification from a mod on what SD rules are for deliberately misleading titles. If there is a rule against them, is the Pit an exception to that rule?
Did I place the original question in the wrong forum?
I am with you on this.
The title of that thread is deliberately misleading and is indeed put there for readers to believe that such a thing really happened.
I didn’t open the thread before I saw your comments on it. Reading its title I already had it classified under “yet an other slander attack on the Kerry campaign”.
People in the USA = who are involved in the US elections might however read it and actually believe what it says without making the effort to even open the thread.
That is only helping the anti Kerry campain and has in my opinion nothing to do with the goals of this message board.
The same can be said about other thread titles and especially on that particular forum (and one particular that as follow up led to a strange and for me very disturbing incident comes immediately in my mind).
Salaam. A
Did you email the Pit Mods?
Did you us the report function on the specific posts that bothered you?
Haj
I have resonded in the Pit thread, I’ll comment here as well.
First, when you see a misleading thread title, please please please hit the “REPORT THIS POST” button (the little exclamantion point in the upper right corner of the thread). Moderators are not able to read every thread, and are not around 24/7, so complaining within the thread doesn’t accomplish much. REPORT THIS POST will get attention much faster.
Second, I agree, that misleading or deliberately distortive thread titles should not be permitted. The argument that people will read the thread and ream out the person for a lying title, that argument doesn’t hold up IMHO. People skim the forum and see the titles without reading the posts. So, I think it’s the same as a newspaper headline: there’s an obligation to be reasonably accurate (in the sense of reflective of reality and of what’s in the thread.) Even in the Pit.
Thanks for the response. I didn’t report the original thread because it was in the Pit and I wasn’t certain if it was acceptable to flame in that manner there. Now I know!
For future ref: the Mods would far, far rather have you report something that might be an infraction, rather than not report something. So, if you’re not sure whether something is OK or not, report it anyway.
There’s no penalty or fine or demerits for reporting a post and having the Mods take no action.
There IS penalty for not reporting a questionable post – that is, there’s a delay (perhaps a long delay) before the Mods see it and act on it. That’s a disservice to the other members.
OK?
Not about the exact OP, but to back up what Dex just said.
As a mod, I disagree with at least 1/4 of all “report this post” emails I get.
But I certainly appreciate the effort of the emailer. And attach no ill-will towards them for reporting something that I choose to allow.
I would say that well over 3/4 of the bad posts out there are caught first by members, and brought to the attention of a mod or admin by hitting that button.