Post editing, removal and tos?

[meannate]

Sadly, I think it's already happening to Webmaster World. First you tell a member that he is entitled to his opinion, and then you censor it! Truly a conflict. Are you are too busy protecting your business relationships to provide a free-thinking information board?

I value Webmaster World dearly, and visit many times per day (I don't really leave, in a sense) But I am depressed to see such blatent censorship. The words he choose to use were not profound in their nature.

[WebGuerrilla]

meannate,

Being entitled to one's own opinion doesn't entitle you to violate the rules of the game that are clearly spelled out in the TOS that all members agree to when registering.

WG

[rcjordan]

IMO, that post went over the line on at least two or more of the following points copied from the terms of service

• This forum system is not a venue for personal or private vendetta's. Keep your personal business as just that - personal. This forum is not a venue for personal disputes.
  
• Please keep your language clean and decent. This include personal inflammatory language as well as obscenities.
  
• Please stay within the topic area of the forum you are posting a message in, and within any topic that another poster may have started.
  
• Since this is interactive, and everyone who participates in Webmaster World.com is "in it together", please treat others the way you wish to be treated. One way to guard against misunderstandings is to read over your response before you post it. Flaming: flaming or personal attacks are not allowed or tolerated. Should anyone use agressively inappropriate language, start a personal attack, or engage in hate speech, they will be barred from all further discussions.

[pyst]

I suspect my deleted post is the cause of this thread and I don't know why. Everything I said was true and yet I made no direct personal attack on anyone. DMOZ editors on a whole deserve criticism. If I had aimed a direct attack because of not being listed or something similar I might have understood but the DMOZ directory is a mess and they don't seem to be rushing to fix it up. I even asked to have a listing removed because it was no longer valid for the directory, with the option to update it with my new URL for it if they felt inclined to do that. If they felt my new URL was not acceptable I would accept that but to leave the old one in seems to show a laziness or disinterest by editors who couldn't care less when a simple check would reveal that the link no longer has a right to be in the directory. I wonder if they purposely leave these old domains in the directory to utilise them for themselves when they re-new them and use them to direct traffic to wherever they want and act innocent and pretend that nothing is wrong. As for Alta-Vista - well, there's not much good to say about that SE. Any search will readily demonstrate that.

Your decision to censor me is astounding. Maybe you will kill this post as well. If so , what would YOU like me to say if I am not allowed to say what I want to say?

[rcjordan]

Well, besides the fact the post was off-topic from the git-go, a DMOZ rant in a thread that was entirely about Google, I'll let the next two responses (one from another moderator and one from a senior member) answer most of the reasoning

Why would this thread surface 2 months later?

You are entitled to your opinion about Google, DMOZ, Alta Vista or any other topic, but I don't think it is necessary to start name calling. There are many DMOZ editors who are valued members of WebmasterWorld and who contribute a great deal to these fora. A little decorum and respect wouldn't be out of line.

All said, it was probably calling the DMOZ editors "pigs" that cinched it for me. We're not that keen on moderating name-calling sessions here.

>what would YOU like me to say if I am not allowed to say what I want to say?

No one has ever represented that this is a forum for "free speech" advocates. That's what the terms of service [webmasterworld.com] and the forum charters (Directories Forum seems relevant here [webmasterworld.com]) lay out pretty plainly.

[Liane]

Well done RC. Regardless of how annoyed people become, rudeness just isn't necessary and the lack of poor treatment of others is one of the main reasons I keep coming back to WMW. I thank you, Brett and all the mods who work so hard to keep these fora informational and friendly.

"Opinions" and "free thinking" need not include name calling or other abuses.

Warm regards,
Liane

[pyst]

Heck, why don't you let yourself go. I almost feel offended at being called a ranter.

To think this all started because some silly website dreamed up some silly meaningless awards -I must be still trying to get over the constant irritation of the media hyped equally meaningless Oscar awards.

Maybe there are decent Dmoz editors and I will apologise to those who are genuine and make an effort but unfortunately I seem to use directories that these wonderful people don't edit. I guess a bad apple or two just makes the rest look rotten.

I'm also sorry if I responded to a 2 month old post as it seems to be a problem for some. I didn't realise there was an expiry date on anything here.

with all my love and affection
pyst

[Marcia]

Since I did the original edit in question, it's only appropriate that my input be added to this discussion.

>I must be still trying to get over the constant irritation of the media hyped equally meaningless Oscar awards.

pyst, there's certainly ample opportunity on the www for irritation and and strong opinions. There are dozens of blogs going up every day for exactly that purpose, so that people can express themselves about matters such as "meaningless Oscar awards," only adhering to their own rules and those of their web hosts.

Participation and posting privileges at a membership site, however, are contingent on agreeing and adhering to Terms of Service that are established for everyone's benefit. Posting is not a right, it's a privilege. There's a time and a place for everything; it just requires maturity and discernment to distinguish the difference and adapt accordingly.

>Are you are too busy protecting your business relationships to provide a free-thinking information board?

nate, that's been addressed by the previous quotes from our TOS, but let's add another, which is foundational to them all:

Always be respectful of other users, the system, and the moderators. We put the system online in good faith, please use it in good faith.

Free thinking and discussion are most certainly encouraged, but where there is a conflict between free expression and being respecful, respect must and will prevail. That's the underlying concept behind decisions that are made, including whether to edit or not.

The purpose of WmW is more clearly defined by this quote from our main page:

News and discussion for the independent web professional.

That just about says it all. We have members who are indeed seasoned professionals with years of experience as well as newcomers with little experience who have a dream, and we welcome and nurture them along so that if they stay with us, some day they can be professionals. That can only happen by maintaining an environment that's comfortable and productive for all, most particularly an atmosphere of respect that's foundational to good personal as well as business relationships.