Just my personal opinion

Note to admins:
Locking this thread - Next Microsoft Server OS- was a step in the wrong direction. The thread was already 'spent' as Chef had already left and there was no apparent reason to to do so. I believe the thread was locked at the request of one pre-pubscent poster trying to simply protect his pre-pubscent buddies who should be capable of speaking for themselves.
Becoming 'lock happy' is never good for any public forum as the free exchange of techincal discussions is then blocked. Discussions and debates of this kind on public forums is not uncommon. As long as I have been on here this is the first time I have ever seen a thread blocked on 'Netsmog' proper.
When I first came on here obscenity was prevalent everwhere by - you guessed it- the mostly pre-pubscents that could get on here and use obscene words that they couldn't use at the family supper table. Most being several yr's away from legal age to obtain a drivers license.
I posted about this several times ( I wasn't the only one ) and the obscenity has all but disappeared. This was in reference as to why no one stayed here after registering.
In defense of the obscenity postings, the admins back then said that they didn't believe in blocking free speech on the internet !
WHAT ! Please say that again !
In a language that the pubscents can understand " Will the real shady admin please stand up ? please stand up ? please stand up ? "
Of course this is your forum, do with it whatever you want, but remember - you will need the members long before they will need you !

[Keefe]

Despite popular belief, The Next Microsoft Server OS post was locked because the discussion was getting off topic.  This is a technical discussion board and this is not a place to be making fun of each other.  Maybe everyone should just think a little before slandering each other in such rude ways.  Lets just all play nice and have a fun, educational time.

[MIK3]

Well i think that this a good move by the administators on their part....now this will get rid of all negatory comments for good.  You have to admit that that thread got way to out of hand...c'mon.  Having the thread spent is the main reason i think the thread was getting out of hand...sure it started and an innocent conversation but when facts came to facts and neither was wanting to back out...both went at it like a pack of dogs to a steak. Keeping the thread unlocked would of most likely resolve in further dispute amongst members! And yes jinx...i was the one that requested the lock...not to protects chef or vee_ess...but mearly because i felt that it was just getting too out of hand.  The thread is of no use now because the dispute is over..and that is that.  There have been many posts and polls that have been locked due to either this or irrelivency. I assure you that these adimns are doing the best that they can to keep these threads clean and proper to the fellow users of the site.  If this post is mearly about obscenity...there is not that much, or even any, compared to the monitored ( yes monitored ) sites that i have been too...and these sites werent drug sites or gang sites..they were tech forum sites...like i said i feel that these administrators are doing the best that they can and i feel that they are doing a good job at that.  Your last comment refered to the admins needing posters way more that the posters need admins...i feel that that is backwards because i have a perfect example of this would be spammers...i am sure that "random" ( if you remeber him )  would have destroyed this site due to his uncalled for and very rude comments...and if this site had all that obscenity that yes...i could understand where you are comming from...but since he has left...this site has been mantained very very well by administrators. This post was not posted to further upscale a conflict ( i feel that we are mature enought to handle in a fashonable manner), but rather to inform everyone on what is really going on...

I personally don't like locks.  But I'll live with the ones I see the current admin's use.  Usually there's a good reason and I don't have a major beef about it.  Some of these discussions have got out of hand and they need a little moderation.  As for cussing I know I do my fair share.  I use it work, at home, and even when I talk to myself.  I've been in the military and I've been an automechanic.  You pick it up as an acceptable way of expressing your self (get your finger caught in a driveshaft and see if you use some colorful words, or in this area get your screwdriver on the big red wire in a crt, you'll find new words, I know I did).  Just don't get censor happy, I'll say what I have to say one way or the other.  By the way I'm not a pre-pubscent and to generalize can lead to more problems I feel jinx.  I think I know what your tryin' to say.  Some kids do say stuff on here that they can't get away with elsewhere.  Some of us just use colorful language.  I'm not sayin' its right and I'm tryin to stop cussing but once you start it's hard to stop.  Especially when you bloody your knuckles.  

[wizbones]

The only comments that were truly off topic were from the individual/s that Jinx is refering too. The members in question of slandering each other were indeed discussing the technical issues with a personal overtone.

I went to post there as well after spending much time reading the entire post and it was locked.

Cheers to Jinx for starting another thread. I thought long and hard about it and guess I chickened out.

It was actually the most benificial and enlighting thread I've read to date. To say that it was getting off topic, well I find that a bit far fethced. Most the post on this board by some, are almost if not always off topic or are just posted to be posting.

Don't lock em unless they are truly an offense or abuse of the board. I don't see either of those in that thread. Personally I do not care if you're 15 or 50, everyone has a right to say what they wish, we on the other can have the decission to read or not to read it.

I didn't like the fact that, that choice was taken away.

Just another opinion.

[vee_ess]

I agree with Wizbones in whole. I feel I must also say, not once was I trying to be offensive to anyone, and I find that somewhat offensive that my posts have been misinterpretted in this way. There is a song that expresses this:

"I'm just a sole whose intentions are good, O Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood"

What the core of the conversation was, Chef and myself, was very much on topic. We were in fact discussing the platform of the Next Microsoft Server OS and whether it was going to be similiar to XP or not. Other users in there were making it into a negative environment (not all other users, like SS for example). Delete those posts, if you must; I can understand, but to lock the entire thing? It was, like Wizbones said, "the most benificial and enlighting thread" if you ask me. In all the forums I've seen, let alone these, they all stay to very basic and primitive details and concepts and have never gone to that extent. This was just a step forward in to somewhat highly-technical details; it would set it apart.

[Omega]

I've been an admin/mod at a few boards, and a poster at several others. Recently I saw a post at ArsTechnica's forum about this exact topic, also noting how Anandtech was quick to delete any unwanted posts. The job of being a forum moderator is commonly under judged. Clearly things get off topic a lot, and sometimes people will spam, use obscenities, or post things either blatantly untrue, or slanderous. The question of where to draw the line, and take action is a big issue, which only leads to another question, of what action to take.

We don't want to make anyone feel unwelcome, or feel they can't express themselves, but we don't want the forum to turn into a massive flame war, or have offensive comments strewn randomly around various threads.

While ideally there'd be no place for a moderator, that’s simply not the case. Strangers, newbies, offensive people, and other miscreants are bound to visit the forums and post unacceptable content. Our loyal members, also, can get out of hand at points, and that's where the moderators come in.

Obviously they can't take a poll of the members to decide what action should be taken. The moderators simply have to take whatever action they see fit, and do so as quickly as possible to avoid further conflict. Generally the moderator will do what he/she thinks best for the community as a whole, but almost always there will be someone, or maybe many people who aren't pleased with the result.

Personally, if I lock a topic, edit someone's post, or take a similar administrative action, I'll leave a message in the thread, and/or for the perpetrator(s) for the reference of anyone who cares to take note of it, and let the people know what not to do in the future.

While it generally annoys me when threads get off topic, I usually won't lock them simply for that reason. While I feel that direct criticisms of other forum members probably aren’t the best thing to discuss in public, I probably won't stop it, unless it gets truly offensive, or complaints are received. I'm generally not going to erase topics that suggest the administration isn't doing its job well, or suggesting the site or its members are below par. And while I say that I generally won't do the above things, like I stated above, the decisions are on a case-by-case basis.

I'm not saying anyone was necessarily wrong here, but I think sometimes people are quick to jump on moderators for actions they did and/or didn't take, and/or the manner in which they took the actions.


As for a few simple requests for the future, try to stay on topic, try to avoid flaming, don't spam, try to resolve issues privately, and if you have any questions about anything, please feel free to contact an administrator or moderator directly via email or private message.

[MIK3]

[quote author=Omega link=board=general&num=1024361750&start=0#6 date=06/23/02 at 00:49:46]
We don't want to make anyone feel unwelcome, or feel they can't express themselves, but we don't want the forum to turn into a massive flame war, or have offensive comments strewn randomly around various threads.
[/quote]

Omega id like to comment on this quote if i may....i feel that u are a very wise man for saying that and that it seems that im the only one that agrees w/ the locking of the post...however that is not what im trying to get across.  I agree 100% with your post above and feel that it was very necessary...you are a very good administrator as so is keefe and if u were just a regular tech i would most definately recomend you to a Moderator.  This is the point that i have been trying to get across and above you have spoken as if i was talking in my own words and i want to congradulate you on that one, nice job!