BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?

Subject: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: GUEST,Ducky
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 11:31 AM

I was reading the comments of 'gern' here in the 'BS' section, and he/she mentions the possibility of an 'anything goes' forum, and whether that would be useful or not. It got me to thinking. Now that the forum is split between music and non-music, perhaps 'anything goes' could be tried. Then I realized that might just be a carrot on a stick for the ones who just play 'silly buggers' whenever they're here.

It was mentioned that there should be a heavy hand on issues of hatred and racism, and who could disagree, but there are those who think that any discussion of Palestine and/or Israel is by nature, racist to the side the poster disagrees with. Same with the use of of racist terms in old songs, but fortunately that can be dealt with in the other section.

I think most Mudcatters are pretty satisfied with the unpaid work that Joe and the clones do, and even if they're not, no viable (human) alternatives have been suggested.

So, what are your thoughts, monitored, anything goes, a bit of each?

Ducky

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: DougR
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 11:36 AM

Ducky: i'm not sure what you mean by "anything goes." If you mean that it would be permissible to be rude or disrespectful to a poster then I would say, NO! 'Splain please. :>)

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: NicoleC
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 11:54 AM

In reality, this pretty much is an "anything goes" forum, save that visitors are expected to behave in a civilized fashion by not posting personal attacks and vitrol. Heck, the visitors routinely insult and bash the owners and moderators of this site without consequence, and it is the height of bad manners to insult a person in their own house.

Nonetheless this place stays mostly civilized with a minimum of moderation, and I like it that way.

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: *daylia*
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 12:00 PM

Nicole, we're agreeing again! YES!!!

:) daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: GUEST,Ducky
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 03:27 PM

Sorry Doug R. Perhaps I should have been a bit more detailed, but I thought most people here were probably familiar with how heated the debates about censorship and 'hands on' or 'hands off' policy had become.

Now that the 'split' has been made, I just thought that some might want to give their opinions in a less 'charged' atmosphere.

Ducky

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: artbrooks
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 03:51 PM

It is already an "anything goes" forum, as far as subject matter is concerned. The efforts of Joe and the clones make it a civilized one. I suggest we try the new changes for more than 48 hours before we go off on a tangent.

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 04:01 PM

Seems fine to me the way it is. I can get uncivilized behavior by simply taking a walk.

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: MMario
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 04:04 PM

There hasn't actually been a "split" - the messages are just sorted diferently.

All are still accessible from the same URL

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: catspaw49
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 04:12 PM

Correct Mario....and as to the anything goes, that's pretty much the situation except in cases of racial/bigoted "hatespeak" which is obviously meant to be offensive and often used in an attack on an individual or specific group. This has never been tolerated here and won't be I'm sure in the future.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 04:30 PM

Occasionally I think the feelings of those who feel put upon carry too much weight. I suppose allowing a certain amount of that is part of being civilized. So let's be civilized, please. Free-for-alls have a nasty tendency to self-destruct.

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: GUEST,Vulcanus Rex
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 04:56 PM

Ducky...evil twin of another Duck who also mysteriously appeared here in the Mudcat Group Mind thread, perhaps?

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: EJ
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 05:23 PM

An "Anything Goes" forum will not work with some of the posters that I have read. Most of you folks are open minded and share in the belief that all opinions are tolerated. Then there are those of you who have your heads up your asses or in the sand and only pull them out to whine when you are the last bit offended. But, Hey! Try it...you just might like it. If not, does anyone out there know of other forums available anywhere where "anything goes"?

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: NicoleC
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 06:07 PM

Yeah... all of UseNet.

And that's such a *lovely* place to hang out!

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: Amos
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 06:08 PM

There is only so much bandwidth and so much storage space; the user interface can only support so much inspection of topics. I personally am relieved to see a bit less of the psycho, the delusory, and the completely trivial, but I support the right of any person to communicate on any topic. The only criteria I think should be used is whether there is or is not an intention to communicate. Starting a thread about the color of my toothbrush is NOT, IMHO, an effort to communicate, it is an effort to act out a desperate hunger for attention, which is quite different. Speaking with passion can always communicate, but speaking with hatred tends not to because no-one wants to take it on board.

I think Joe is doing a reasonable job of providing the minimal limits for the maximum good, and I support him in doing so. Communication channels break down when they get swamped with irrelevancy or negativity and it is most unfair to the majority to flood their forum with anti-communication traffic such as "My Moggies Toes", "Hatred is Everywhere", and "Your Government is Trying to Kill You".

A

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 06:09 PM

In this thread (click), Daylia quoted the rules of conduct from another forum:

Administrators and moderators reserve the right to lock, edit, redact or just plain delete posts or threads for reasons including, but not limited to: disruption of discourse, unrealistic claims*, libelous remarks, inflammatory speech, and racial/gender slurs and/or epithets.

I'm not sure I buy the "unrealistic claims" bit, but the other rules sound pretty reasonable. Still, I don't see any reason to specify what's what. We expect people to be civil. Common sense should guide them pretty well. If they aren't civil, we'll fix it.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: GUEST,'Ducky' Katz
Date: 06 Mar 03 - 11:59 AM

"My Moggie's Toes"?

Well excuse me Amos, but that is EXACTLY the kind of thing I just love here! More 'Moggie threads' threads I say. I was going to make a start on all those PEL discussions, but I'd rather hear the magical purr of a moggie than a bunch of fiddles anyday.

Ducky

Subject: RE: BS: Should this be an 'anything goes' forum?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Mar 03 - 12:30 PM

"Starting a thread about the color of my toothbrush..."

As for example seeking the words of the song?:

"I'm a pink toothbrush, you're a blue toothbrush.
Have we met somewhere before..."

I'm with Doug in this - it happens every now and again, and more often than you'd think. And as well as the ill mannered posts, I also think it's quite appropriate, and no interference with free speech, for Joe and Co to stomp on the posts that consist of lengthy articles lifted from elsewhere, when a link to the place they were found, with a summary or quote, is much more satisfactory and easier to read. That is regardless of whether I agree with the sense of the article involved or not.