Have you guys read some of the threads in IMHO? Yes, as a whole people are pretty intelligent here, but there are still plenty of drama-filled and drama-seeking posters. Those aren’t always exclusive.
No palms were greased in the making of this film.
She implied it in post #5, but I agree that these things would be better if stated explicitly.
We don’t know the whole backstory on this particular issue, but in general, more transparency would be helpful in many cases.
Wow, I sure used a lot of weasel words in the above post.
I, for one, welcome the opportunity to abuse, in a manner appropriate to the forum, a person soliciting, in the shopping for whores sense, unfortunates willing to show the world how miserable their lives are for $3500 or whatever the going rate is. However, whore that I am, I would prefer that the board sees a few bucks slipped its way for maintenance and to make the whole mess a bit less embarrassing.
So, they shoulda just told him how to buy an ad?
Yes. That’s what I would have done.
Yeah, why not?
Non-members get bombarded with ads already. Why does this particular company get a free one?
Is it OK to dogpile on MeanOldLady?
Maybe I’m not defining dogpile same as you, though.
Dogpile?:dubious:
ETA: Whoops. Skirting polite.
Y’know, I don’t much mind the thread, but I find this genre of argument to be really weak. The comments generated in that thread are almost entirely derisive of the project and of the thread itself. The mere fact that your decision generated discussion does not prove the merits of your decision; to claim otherwise is to justify any decision you make as long as it’s sufficiently outrageous to get someone worked up over it (which around here means it can be infinitesimally outrageous). You might have made the right decision, sure, but the fact that it annoys people doesn’t justify it.
Wow, i missed this gem until LHoD pointed it out in his most recent post.
By the standard of “it’s generating comment,” this thread should still be open. It generated over 140 posts in two days.
Would some sort of disclaimer be possible? “The SDMB staff and moderators are not endorsing this project but are allowing its presentation to you. Participate at your own risk.” or something along those lines.
My wife and I have done a fair share or things with TDC and others and have known people who have been in the “reality” side. Sometimes those experiences are pretty good but when they are bad they can be really horrible.
It’s in the registration agreement:
Also a bit of a stretch but this could apply as well:
Users are expected to use their good judgment when looking at content and that also applies to any offers that may be made to you in a posting.
Sure - but the Board Admins/Moderators giving permission for a specific kind of posting implies a certain amount of validation has happened.
Otherwise, what good is it?
The truth is that the number of comments generated may be *evidence *of interest. But the content of the comments is *proof *that there is actually no interest at all. Nobody but a non-English-speaking statistician could say this:
with any earnest.
The fact that permission was granted to post has never been considered as anything but permission to post.
It’s the same instruction we give everyone who asks to post something out of the ordinary that potentially calls out the community. We tell the OP to say right up front that permission was asked and given. Otherwise such requests are removed from the board by moderators. The notice is a reminder that indicates it’s not spam and that the OP is okay to make that posting.
And that’s as far as it goes, as a reading of the registration agreement will tell you. This has been in force for many years and is nothing new and has never been interpreted as anything else.
“Dogpile” as a verb means to pile on top of. Everybody come running over and jump on top of the pile, just like puppies do to gather together and share warmth.
Nobody dogpiled on MeanOldLady.
I like MOL and thought it might be an excuse to cuddle. 
Where I come from, Dogpile is something the owner cleans up.
I’ve heard that meaning pop up. It isn’t the one I grew up with.
Think of it like a football game, when there’s a fumble and the football goes rolling and there’s a mad scramble to dive on top of the ball. There’s three or four people right on top, then another dozen people come dive on top of the pile, because if there’s anything that helps sort out who got the ball, it’s more bodies landing on top. “Dogpile!”