My last post about Do we need moderators achieved its purpose, despite being sent to suggestions which was SIBERIA once upon a time. Can I modify my question to
WOULD FT & ITS USERS WILL BE BETTER SERVED BY MODERATORS WHO ARE MODERATE IN THEIR VIEWS,LANGUAGE AND ACTIONS and do not threat established FTers with expulsion.

To answer your question...no you can't modify your question.

Now go back to sleep.


Dorian

I would amend the new question to:

"If moderators were limited to moderating offensive posts only -- and not moving threads which otherwise are functioning fine on whatever board they find themselves -- how would people define "offensive", and what would be acceptable and unacceptable?

For example, not to pick on Dorian per se, but only because his post is right �here�, it would be easy to construe his previous post as a personal attack and offensive, at least by drbala...my sense is that it was a sarcastic, tongue and cheek response to the banter which has preceded it, but I don't know Dorian and email/posts can easily be misunderstood, because you don�t hear the tone.

Seeing that content which some people find offensive, others will find acceptable, how do we reach common ground here?

For example, maybe an acceptable moderator response to Dorian could be: �Dorian, please be aware that your post could be interpreted as a personal attack�. My guess is a typical response would then be: �Oh, I was just kidding�didn�t mean to offend anyone��end of flame.

Please give examples.

nologic - I think Dorian knew exactly what his post would look like. The reason he did it only he can explain. Dorian is VERY well versed on the role of moderators - some insight from him here:

http://www.moremiles.org/cgi-bin/ult...&f=43&t=000025

Thanks for the link, but I don't get all the inside banter?

What is moremiles.com...I get a German language thing...and how does it relate to FT?

None of this addresses my question?

It seems a few people...maybe 20 or so...maybe fewer...had some bad experiences...in which they combine abusive posts with off topic posts into one big bad thing?

All of us now feel the brunt?

Oh...I see...moremiles.com is German...moremiles.org is this spinoff site that Dorian was involved with.

Well, it seems the entirety of the credo there is about restricting offensive posts and not off topic posts (see below), but the whole thing seems much adoo about nothing, seeing that there isn't that much activity over there...sort of a Siberia of its own...but here's what they have to say in thier TOS (nothing about off topic posts), which I guess is an indication of what a few people here were upset about, which has little to do about the substance of the original debates here, except emotion:

PURPOSE OF MOREMILES:

1. MOREMILES encourages a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect. Any action by a participant that infringes on another participant's right to use and enjoy MOREMILES' bulletin boards is prohibited.

YOU MUST BEHAVE WELL:

2. YOU agree not to harass other participants or knowingly post or otherwise display or distribute any false, abusive, threatening, racially offensive, sexually explicit or illegal material on the service.

3. By participating in MOREMILES' bulletin boards, chat, or other offerings of MOREMILES, you may not post or otherwise display or distribute any information that is libelous or defamatory or that discloses private or personal matters concerning any person, is invasive of personal or publicity rights, including hateful speech, contains messages or links to data, images or programs that are obscene or pornographic or otherwise infringes on a person's right to use and enjoy MOREMILES' bulletin boards.

4. By participating in MOREMILES' bulletin boards, chat, or other offerings of MOREMILES, you may not post or otherwise display or distribute any messages, data, images or programs that would violate the property rights of others, including unauthorized copyrighted text, images or programs, trade secrets or other confidential proprietary information, and trademarks or service marks used in an infringing fashion.

5. Participants in MOREMILES discussions may not use the bulletin board, chat room, or other capabilities of MOREMILES to conduct any activity or solicit the performance of any illegal activity or other online activity that infringes the rights of others.

6. MOREMILES strongly discourages violations of airline and hotel program rules. Posts that encourage activity that is not in accordance with program rules may be edited or removed.

nologic - I am not sure there was anything German about it, other than the rules.

MM was set up as a Utopian settlement by a large group of well known FlyerTalkers, many of whom are listed with their own permission in their own site link below. Before they even went public much bickering and arguing about Moderators/Moderation (see link above) took place, with Premex, Catman and NJ David all apparently resigning in that thread.

As a grand social experiment it failed pretty spectacularly, and many of its own founders appear to no longer post there.


www.moremiles.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=43&t=000006

Why are we talking about that other bulletin board here? nologic and flyboy1, I advise you to go to www.moremiles.org, sign up for yourselves, and ask your questions about MM there.

BTW and FWIW, flyboy1, on MoreMiles, your "German rules" comment would in my experience be deleted if you had posted it there.

FewMiles..

------------------
FlyerTalkers' Resources on the Web: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/
Unofficial Guide to AAdvantage: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/AA/
Unofficial oneworld Info Desk: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/oneworld/

I was never part of Moremiles.org. I was asked to come on as a beta tester and then later resigned specifically due to the sign-up requirements (onerous, IMO).

Dorian

How easy for things to be misinterpreted...

The "German" reference came about because when I went to moremiles.com, it is actually a German site, while the miles site these guys are referring to is moremiles.org.

As for its relevance, now that I am aware of it, it seems to demonstrate the draconian repercussions of aggressive moderation?

Agree totally nologic.

I was innocently referring to the Germanic style efficiency and preciseness of the rules and Moderator deal on the apparently now "Verboten to mention" site. I notice FewMiles for some reason went and erased totally his 100s of posts over there, so do not understand his zeal in now attempting to recruit us. .

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MODERATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CAN YOU PLEASE TAKE THE FEW SECONDS TO POST A NOTE AT BASE OF THREADS YOU ARE TOSSING ABOUT F.T. LIKE SO MUCH CONFETTI. ABOUT SIX VANISHED WITHOUT TRACE OR ID TO PORTS UNKNOWN AN HOUR AGO FROM 'THE BUZZ'.

THANK YOU! SEE:


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum72/HTML/000398.html

Mild rant continues!)

THIS below is the nice polite, organised way to move a thread, to WHICHEVER moderator messed with no comment to the one mentioned above! Lock it, and add a note. Nice.


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/005072.html

Yes, but taken another way, the comment could be construed as saying Germans are too stuck up on the rules. Let me be clear in saying that I completely understand the humour in your comment and chuckled at it too. I might not misconstrue your comment, but there is a chance that some one else might and hence my comment that such comments are more liable to be "moderated out" on MoreMiles where there is a strict moderation of comment.

Hee hee. Since when was I trying to recruit you?

All I am saying is that your question might be better addressed to the founders and members of MoreMiles.

Cheers,
FewMiles..

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FlyerTalkers' Resources on the Web: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/
Unofficial Guide to AAdvantage: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/AA/
Unofficial oneworld Info Desk: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/oneworld/

I dont find it offensive at all. I find the "tongue in cheek" comment childish, immature, uncalled for and puerile