21 Aug
2001
21 Aug
'01
11:24 a.m.
On Tue, 21 Aug 2001, Jay West wrote:
This list is for discussion of classic computers and
narrowly related
issues. If you want to talk politics or cars, hit the newsgroups. If
you want to respond to an on-topic message with political commentary
or flaming, take it to private email. There is NOTHING that I want
less than to be perceived as heavy-handed or dictatorial, but in the
interest of the list subscribers at large I felt the need to bring
this up. There are plenty of majordomo configuration or filtering
solutions available to me that will address this, but I truely do not
want to go that route.
Jay, this has been a problem from way back when. I always advocated some
sort of moderation, which was usually received by screams and moaning from
the entrenched crowd of off-topic posters along with prophesies of doom
for the list, etc. I eventually gave up, and now just do like many other
people do, which is delete a lot of messages.
But I shouldn't have to be forced to do that.
Some sort of moderation IS required for off-topic posts. The off-topic
messages in the past year and a half have been so grossly off-topic as to
make moderation easy. An occasional rant or short-lived series is just
fine, but when a discussion on guns or carbeurators stretches on for
WEEKS, that's just too much. Start shit-canning those messages before
they hit the list and problem solved. People who purposely go out of
their way to start off-topic discussions (they know who they are) should
be warned once, maybe twice, and then the next time they try to insist on
their right to discuss off-topic nonsense they are restricted from posting
to the list for some amount of time (maybe 3 days). They'll eventually
learn. Serious offenders will be dipped in molten iron.
I say, if an off-topic thread hits four messages, all subsequent messages
are shit-canned, and the offending party warned. That should allow enough
flexibility for people to let off some steam and then get back on topic.
I'm in front of my computer a lot. Like most of the day. I'll be happy
to take on the first shift of a TEMPORARY moderator. It's an unpopular
job, I know, but I've never been one to shy away from controversy.
I would suggest that as a norm moderation be OFF. When an off-topic
thread starts, we turn moderation ON and kill the offending thread or
threads, send out the appropriate warnings, and then when things return to
normal we turn it back off again. This should only be required for a
short period of time, and then occasionally down the road as people forget
their lessons in MANNERS and ETIQUETTE.
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org