wideman

Is Friday Make-Up-A-Fact day?

The Right, in the U.S. and most other western countries, is that the Government can't restrict your speech. Sheryl is not the Government. If Sheryl runs a bulletin board service, it is her right to allow or disallow whatever she wants.

Same thing with your employer. Your employer has every right (and in some cases, an obligation) to prohibit you from saying or writing all sorts of things while at work.

Those who believe that public bulletin boards ought to be unregulated are invited to run and maintain their own public, unregulated bulletin boards.

tigertiger

Originally posted by Thumper:

Quote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">
Growing up in New Jersey in the early 70's, there was a gas station on Route 1 in Linden that refused to serve you if your hair was too long. If you didn't like it, too bad, it was his gas station. There were plenty of other gas stations around, but all us hippies wanted to use his - as often as possible. It may be stretching, but it seems to be analagous here.

A gas station owner refused to sell his goods or services based on physical appearance. Another may not like someone's gender, sexual orientation, religion, or race. The situation described here is called discrimination, and when not illegal, is morally indefensible. This isn't to jump on Thumper, but I don't see the situations as being at all analogous.

Being guaranteed certain rights in this country is not the same thing as being provided with the means to achieving those rights. Cheryl doesn't have to provide you a forum the same way she doesn't have to buy me a gun.

That said, it certainly seems rather arbitrary that she would end this discussion in so (as you say) draconian a manner. It certainly doesn't seem off topic or even very inflamatory. I don't understand her motive, but she does get to act in whatever way she sees fit. And it's nice that you do have this space to come and vent.

As an aside, this is one of the best mannered boards I've ever experienced. I know there were some personality clashes which I caught the tail end of when I began lurking here, but for a board so lightly moderated, I am impressed.

snake

I'm not Sheryl's biggest fan, but in this case I'll side with her, she obviously put a lot of effort in producing a board that has helped me save a lot of $$$$.

If you don't like it, beat it

pynchonesque

Haven't you, in effect, just answered your own question? You don't like Sheryl's board. So you stopped frequenting it. Great. I don't see what the issue is here.

As for me, I like reading Sheryl's board, and largely because of the concise subject headings that give price, hotel, and date, without any extraneous comments/discussion.

tfjim

Folks that have been following travel chat and message boards will recognize Sheryl as a presence that has been around for a long time and always lets her feelings be known. Long time readers will recognize Sheryl from rec.travel.air as well as Flyertalk and other boards. She's always been opinionated and contentious.

That doesn't bother me at all. It seems a bit rough at times, but frankly I admire someone with a bit of chutzpah, willing to put their money where their mouth is and act, ie start her own board.

BearX220

Her board, her rules. End of story.

In another lifetime I produced a call-in talk show. Would-be callers were screened before being allowed on the air. Many had rude, incoherent or irrelevant questions. And when I wouldn't put them on the air, I too was accused of "censorship." Also told that "the airwaves belong to the people." (Like, "the boards belong to the users.")

Wrong. It was my job to edit the show -- to make sure it was relevant, coherent, provocative but inoffensive. (And not do things that could get us sued.) My show, my rules. That's not censorship; that's editing, and people who don't like it can go elsewhere.

That's exactly where Sheryl stands today. She has her reasons.

Thumper

tigertiger,
no offense taken. it was property that was open to the public, but it was still the guy's private property and he felt entitled to do what he wanted on his own property, whether it was popular or not. that was my point.

i dont ever go there anymore (irony - i'm bald now).

that is my "entitlement"

Tango

What a tangled web we weave. . .

kyklin

To call the PL a scam means you are syaing that Priceline has defrauded you. In this case, however, the energy surcharge is a hotel imposed policy and really has nothing to do with Priceline. I can see why site owners must be concerned with issues like this and move swiftly against it. There is many precedence to this (most recent one I experienced was on the Tivo board). I agree with Sheryl too.

BIM

Kyklin:
I never caller PL a scam. What I called a scam is the fact that Hotels are using the energy situation in California as an excuse to make a few extra bucks on hotel rooms in other states, a scam. For the record.

TransWorldOne

The only sad situation is your post on this board about "censorship" on another board...

Sheryl runs a very nice forum. I like the way her EZBoard forum is managed by both her and the other administrators/moderators. It's her board, so she can do whatever the hell she wants to with it (within the scope of EZBoard's rules).

Get over it, BIM.

beaubo

Would someone mind posting (or emailing me if IDing other travel boards is a faux paux!!) Sheryl's website address.

Sounds kind of intriguing.

Thanks

Beckles

http://pub4.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding

SRQ Guy

Umm, looks like someone needs a nap!

SRQ Guy

In order for something to be a csam, trickery must be incvolved. the hotels in question and Priceline.com both indicate that energy surcharges may very well occur. It's not Priceline's fault if you don't read their rules, and Sheryl's board is not the proper venue for that sort of whining.