The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #69253 Message #1199266
Posted By: The Shambles
03-Jun-04 - 10:53 AM
Thread Name: Deleted post
Subject: RE: Deleted post
Subject: RE: Deleted post
From: Joe Offer - PM
Date: 28 Apr 04 - 02:18 AM
Yeah, I almost deleted the Boudelang thing, too - but I let it go. We are a folk music forum. We do allow other discussions, but we expect that non-music posts should be the poster's own words and ideas - that's explained in our FAQ. Your posts were copy-pasted from other Internet sites. Oh, I suppose you could tie them to music, but it's a long, long stretch. If they are available elsewhere, how does their presence here enhance a folk music discussion forum?
Thank you.
-Joe Offer-
I fear that YOU are just trying to fight again a battle that WE thought had been fought long ago?
Yes this IS a music forum but it has now and for some time, been divided into two different areas, one for music related (and a few other subjects) and one for non music or BS. As a result of this split, most if not all of the need for judgement calls, (as to what is on topic etc) have now gone. The the choice to read them or not, is one for all the varied tastes of those reading the forum. If some are offended, they can say so, but many others may not be.
If the post in question (or others) are considered not to be music related (and this did have a song in it), surely it can just take its place alongside all the other odd and varied BS thread subjects?
Over many years now, Max has issued an invitation for the public to contribute to a part of his website, that he has set aside for this. The main responsibility of those, he has entrusted here with the ability to edit the contributions of others, is to enable all of these contributions to continue.
The less fuss and self-importance that is placed on public show whilst enabling the contributions of others to continue, the more likely it is that the forum will continue to evolve along with all of those contributions, in the fine, if rather unplanned way that it has up to now. Rather than being shaped by the selective implementation of so-called 'rules' and editing actions based on the personal tastes of certain individuals.
The concept of unknown volunteers judging the worth and deleting the contributions of the public has no place on our forum. Max has extended the invitation to the public for them to contribute, and posting as an unknown 'guest' to subsequently justify their right to judge and delete these contributions, and for their identity to remain secret and for this to be defended, is just not proportionate to the task that these individuals are entrusted with, by us and Max.
There may well be a need for a few (preferably those willing to be known and judged) to enable our contributions to continue. There is no need at all, for these individuals to feel they have any right to judge and control these contributions. A call for a little more humility from those who are encouraged to volunteer to judge us, may not be out of place.