What is the FT policy regarding posters that bombard a forum with hundreds of crossposts from news websites? It's not a question of on-topic or not, it's just that other threads are difficult to find because the bombardment of new ones is so rapid.

Looks all calm and cool on there to me today?

The Flyertalk TOS seems to say that there is no specific cap on number of threads:

Should we limit our number of posts due to broadband problems?

Broadband problems are related to the technology structure of the search feature, which is constantly being reviewed. In the first three years of FlyerTalk, it has been relocated to three different ISPs and four different server configurations, which means that we are constantly reviewing capacity and broadband for the best performance. That will continue.

The bottom line is that we don't want to limit your exchanges with other members or the value of the information, so please continue to post as often as you wish.

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~ Glen ~

Come visit HERE the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

any forum in particular?

"In the News" should be renamed the "Doc News Network".

Anybody with three brain cells to rub together checks the news sites interesting to them. Doc either posts uninteresting sites or ones they have already checked. This is a form of trolling. But he gets away with it through huge post counts. Driving interesting posters away seems less important than attracting the ignoramuses who cannot find their own news sources, but THIS DOES drive up hits. Duh.

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Wow! Super post! Caught me with the goods again, you did! There is clearly no foolin' you!

You figured me out so very easily! Surely you must be a genius? Or is it so very obvious to all?

Frankly, IMHO, this post reveals quite a bit about you, sadly!

Would you perhaps be kind enough to do me a little favor please, and review the FT TOS!

I know my opinion(s) doesn't/don't matter, as I'm not a "real" "contributor", and I'm just plain "rude," much unlike you for sure, but I am increasingly finding your post(s), while admittedly somewhat amusing, to also be a bit embarrassing to FT! And rather shameful as well, to be frank!


As our colleague has so often noted:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/000079.html


Have a great day all! Thanks!

-Mark

I'd be interested to know exactly what part of the TOS was violated by LEX? And if it could be explained without a plethora of smilies and sarcastic one liners, all the better.

Anyone with three brain cells to rub together can also overlook his so-called uninteresting posts and move on without coming here and making rude statements about another member.


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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Ben Franklin

[This message has been edited by tazi (edited 06-25-2003).]

If it doesn't violate it, it certainly comes close and as many times as doc has had to put up with this kind of BS, I can understand a bit of sarcasm in his tone.



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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Ben Franklin

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What are the general guidelines regarding posting etiquette?

These guidelines will surely benefit you as well as other members. Remember,you are what you post.

Good Posting Habits:

Put things in Perspective -- If a post is made that appears to cross the line, remember that it's transient - in a week the words will have disappeared into the past and will be forgotten, unless you are the one that keeps it alive.

Don't take things personally -- We generally don't know each other and aren't communicating face to face. As a result, misunderstandings and confusion can easily occur. If someone appears to attack your ideas or opinion, don't take it the wrong way. Agree to disagree and move on.

Be Tolerant -- Respect the beliefs and opinions of others.

Use humor or poke fun at yourself to help defuse situations -- Avoiding the use of bitterness or ridicule will make you feel better while putting fellow posters firmly on your side. Humor is a powerful weapon so use it with caution and kindness.

Keep it friendly -- Any posts that come across as a put-down may be deleted. This is meant to be a fun, constructive learning experience for all involved.


What language, specifically, is prohibited?


While we could say that it's anything that would have caused your mother to wash your mouth out with soap, there is a very fine line between intent and the words themselves. There is no public list of prohibited words; if you believe a word is questionable, don't use it. If you find a questionable message in any of the forums, please contact us and we will determine whether the message meets our objective of offering a friendly and flame-free community for frequent flyers. Messages that we deem inappropriate will be deleted. Obviously, using alternate spellings of filtered words or even profanity in other languages, to try and bypass any profanity-filters, is not acceptable either.

Is there a formal discipline policy for members who don't follow the rules?


Yes there is. Any member whose behavior causes disruption in the forums, either because of the tone and language of their posts or their attitude toward other members, may lose their posting privileges for one week. Members who become disruptive a second time are issued a one-month timeout. A third strike results in a permanent withdrawal of the offending member's posting privileges.


There may be occasions when a member's posting privileges are permanently withdrawn before committing three strikes. Such decisions would be handled on a case-by-case basis, and will not be made lightly. It is hoped that any member receiving the first warning never has to be reminded again to stay on topic and not to engage in disruptive behavior.


http://www.flyertalk.com/faqstext.shtml#faq_03_06


Celebrate and Respect Our Diversity

One of the most compelling aspects of the FlyerTalk community is that we come from all walks of life and all parts of the world. We are as diverse in our makeup as we are alike in our passion for frequent flyer programs. Because we all bring a unique perspective to the forum, our collective experience is broadened, and we gain insights that otherwise might have alluded us.

Our diversity, however, also demands that we make a concerted effort to be respectful of other members of the community. Due to the inherent constraints of the Internet, humor, sarcasm and verses of slang can be easily misinterpreted - especially when crossing cultural boundaries.

When posting a message, pay extra care to how it might be interpreted. And when you come across a post that offends you, please re-read it with an eye towards giving the poster the benefit of the doubt.


Actions That Will Compel FlyerTalk Intervention

Inappropriate Posts
Off topic Posts
Off topic posts take two general forms:

Posts within a discussion thread that detract from the topic being discussed.
Topic-starting posts that are placed in an inappropriate forum. When determining in which forum to place a topic-starting post, pay close attention to the forum description.
We reserve the right to relocate or remove off-topic posts.

Personal attacks

We invite and encourage a healthy exchange of opinions. If you disagree with an opinion or idea expressed by another member, by all means, challenge the opinion or idea - not the person. Personal attacks on individuals, insults and "flaming" will not be tolerated and will be removed. You may challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully.

Do not retaliate or respond in any way to a personal attack that you perceive to be directed at yourself or another FlyerTalk member. All to often, when an initial attack is levied, others join the fray and instead of becoming part of the solution, they become part of the problem. If you feel that you have been the recipient of a personal attack, contact a TalkAssist volunteer immediately.

Also, please keep in mind that shouting online (typing in all capital letters LIKE THIS) is considered by some to be rude and difficult to read.

Offensive Language/Material

Any posts containing communications that are knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, obscene, profane, threatening, harassing, offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or bashing -- especially those aimed at sexual orientation, gender, race, color, religious views, national origin, or disability - will not be tolerated and will be removed. Individuals who do not abide by these rules are subject to having their FlyerTalk account permanently deleted.

Posts that contain explicit, obscene or vulgar images, or links to such images, will be removed without notice and accounts subject to deletion! Remember, posting to FlyerTalk is a privilege, not a right.

http://www.flyertalk.com/helpfr.shtml

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Hope this helps!

-Mark

Perhaps I was unclear in my post. I did not ask for a copy of the TOS as I can read it myself in its original place.

What I'd like is for Doc to explain in his own words what it is that Lex said that was a violation of the TOS.

What is so hard about viewing OMNI with some of the prolific posters threads? I really don't understand the problem.

If one does not wish to view these threads, don't open them.

If one feels that topics are being pushed off the 1st page too quickly. How hard is it to click on the following pages to read?

If one does not have the time to read/respond to topics in Flyertalk, they probably should not be here in the first place.

Missy, as you probably know, the portion noted above was actually exerpted from the entire TOS, yet I will try to help once again.

In any event, as always, for a real "ruling" I'd urge you, or anyone, to email Randy & Co at [email protected] !

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"Trolling" ???

"Ignoramuses" ???

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Calling other FT'ers ignoramuses or trolls is, IMHO, a TOS violation, clear and simple, no?

Has Randy not made his position on this type of post quite clear, in the past, many times?

One may also review the archives and find, among others threads, this:

http://www.flyertalk.com/pasttalk/ft...ML/002271.html

Again, this is, by no means, a new issue here!

From the TOS, we are all urged to:

"...Be Tolerant -- Respect the beliefs and opinions of others.

..."avoid the use of bitterness or ridicule..."

"...Keep it friendly -- Any posts that come across as a put-down may be deleted..."

"...When posting a message, pay extra care to how it might be interpreted..."

"...Personal attacks on individuals, insults and "flaming" will not be tolerated and will be removed. You may challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully."

"...Any posts containing communications that are knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, obscene, profane, threatening, harassing, offensive, vulgar, abusive, hateful or bashing..."

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In summary, I personally think the post is manifestly disrespecftful, even insulting, as well as kinda' harassing and inaccurate!

Does this help?

-Mark

Standby for a clear violation of the TOS.

doc - you are an irritating sadcase.

Is this really what we've come to - declaring our intention to violate the TOS, which really means declaring our intention to be unhospitable and break down our community?

And then go ahead and attack another member of that community?

I'm sure that whoever takes this approach feels that it's warranted because their target "deserves it."

But I also wonder whether our community deserves it? And whether a poster stops and thinks, before attacking another member, whether their words will make our community a less pleasant place -- to the regular members who participate every date and to the 20,000 other lurkers who visit each day?

Andy Rooney used to say, "the funny thing about incompetent people is we always think they're someone else."

So goes for trolls. We always think someone else is the troll. But no matter. The slogan "don't feed the trolls" works equally well -- if I think you're the troll and don't respond to you, and you think I'm the troll and don't respond to me -- problem solved.

If you have a problem with a poster's actions in a particular forum, email the moderator. The moderator can take the issue up with Randy if it's warranted.

If you don't get the resolution you want from the moderator, go to Randy directly.

But let's stop blasting each other in posts on these forums. Keep the acrimony (if it's really necessary) to backchannel.

And let's turn back to what Flyertalk does best: miles and points. We didn't get close to 2 million posts by having more noise than signal. But we aren't immune, either.

Let's stop, all of us, responding to attacks.

My personal views only,
Gary

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Again, thanks for expressing your opinion!

Just as with backsides, seems everybody has one!

And it would now appear, sadly, that you have answered the question posed elsewhere regarding whether or you subscribe to the FT TOS, and are willing to follow them, as you had stated during the registration process!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum15/HTML/004350.html

Out of respect for the participants herein, as well the sponsors of the FT boards, I'll spare everyone my opinion of you, however!

Have a great day all!

-Mark