Bert Vierstra
Hi,
There have been too many complaints about moderation in the last months.
I have appreciated the help of Allan, Mats and Freogirl a lot, and I must especially thank Allan since he has been involved and dedicated a lot.
But, how good intentions maybe, sometimes things don't work out.
So from now on, its only me moderating.....
BaliLife
i think this is positive news bert and hopefully tintin will now hang around as your moderation always seems to be fair and just..
ct
Thorsten
Fine Bert,
it was always my opinion that this forum doesn’t need so much moderating, so I appreciate the decision.
I think Allan had the best intention, but [b]no[/b] forum needs to be as sterile as an intensive ward.
I also hope that Tintin will rethink his decision too now – come on!
Best regards
Thorsten
FreoGirl
I am not advocating open slather - but for example I thought the BBC thread was interesting and while not directly related to Bali, was of interest to people who are.
But it's a hard call where the line is and perhaps Bert's current approach is easier as it is pretty black and white.
Jimbo
Like any subject moderation is open to a two sided argument for and against. To be a moderator is a thankless task which has been proved here again.
At the end of the day it is Berts forum and he makes the rules whch we should all follow. Some dont and have been moderated and some do and did not. Complaining that the moderator was doing the job he was given hardly seems fair all though on the other hand he did say complain to Bert :-)
Anyhow as he said Bert will do the moderating now thanks to those complaints, however as the buck stops there remember you have no one to complain to about the moderator :-)
tintin
I was absolutely not aware of the many complaints about censorship Bert is mentioning: I believed I was the only one bitching, simple-minded me. Anyway, I congratulate Bert for his unselfish move, as this adds much work on his shoulders, but it shows his dedication, that he considered the Forum more important and worth it.
In retrospect, I would say that most posts are within the "rules" of the Forum, but many are not. Unless the latter are personal attacks or insults to other forumites, or, like my post on "Mohammed", which, although meant as a joke, in retrospect could be problematic to the Forum, I believe the few "off-Bali" postings should be allowed on this forum. They inject a bit of controversy, but they also stimulate exchanges among members, and allow one to "let out some steam," the latter making for a lively forum. And, as you all must have noticed, strings have lives of their own, and who knows where they would lead.
So, I'm back, for whatever it's worth. :)
JAMIE
GEEZ !
FreoGirl
I have not been a moderator on this forum for some months, although my member status did display it as such.
I resigned from moderating as I didn't feel I had the time to put into it.
I also would like to see a bit more relaxation around the non-Bali topics, in that here we have a group of individuals who have a common interest, being Bali. There are events that occur in the world that affect ex-pats, and 'planning to be' Bali expats. Sometimes it's not even expat related but just 'interesting'.
It is good to be able to have some intellectual discussion of these events or matters from time to time. As long as it's not a slanging match, and people respect the views of others, I think it would be great. However there are other forums where you can get that type of interaction, so if Bert choses not to allow it here then I also respect that decision. But that's my input on the topic.
Freogirl
Jim Thorpe
This is GREAT! no more moderation! Wow! Now I can call all Frenchman cheese eating, pedophilic, a$$hole, surrender monkeys! Or maybe that BBC fans like to have Bali dogs lick their peanut butter poisoned balls! >sarcasm off<
I think Allan did a great job EVEN when he locked my threads, I may not have AGREED but he did it fairly.
If this is a Bali forum then keep it a BALI FORUM not an australian political forum nor a left/right wing political forum. If SOME people can become mature enough to leave the "Bush poodle" statements or the "people who believe in God are all retarded" type threads off the forum then I think an unmoderated forum is great. If posters are not mature enough, nor polite enough, nor civil enough, then I take it that I, too, can post all sorts of offensive non bali related comments and links, regardless of what others on the forum think?
I can't wait!!!:-)
What do you think?
Jimbo
Markit
You have totally missed the point. This forum is not an open stage but has rules which have to be followed (Have you ever read them?). The only change is that the moderator is now Bert!!
Markit
This will improve the forum's attraction and content immensely IMHO.
I could never understand the criteria for what was cut and what wasn't and these choices, of necessity, completely reflected the opinions of the censor, as is always the case. Remember when Playboy couldn't show hair? Well, now we get to see hair on this forum - finally.
We are all grownups and can handle a lot of aggravation, particularly in written form if necessary. I wouldn't be surprised to see the content increase in standard what with the contributors not having to consider too closely what will or will not be allowed.
So clear the decks and let fly - whether you are standing on a box on speakers corner or hammering a keyboard and cursing the monitor it's all good healthy stuff and whoever can't take it should maybe play sims instead lol.
Markit
Jimbo, this forum is for wide ranging discussions on the subject of Bali - not to "follow the rules". It was this wide ranging which was sadly being lost.
Go back some years and follow almost any subject thread and then compare that content with themes in the last couple of months. I, personally found the earlier themes much more interesting and not so strictly controlled as was lately the case. This made them informative - that's why I am here and I would guess the same for many others - to be informed.
In your case perhaps purposes of general contact and chit chat is higher up your list of requirements, being stuck up there in Butvukistan. All thing pass...
As to being an open stage well, Jimbo, it don't come much more open than the internet...
Bert's moderation seems to have the effect of stimulating through its brevity, whereas some of the other "Moderators" (one in particular) tried to cross every t and dot every i - not conducive to free expression, I found.
BaliLife
i think rules are necessary to maintain integrity of the forum and agree the forum contributions should remain within the realm of sanity.. as jimbo's previously stated, now if anybody has a problem with the moderation, too bad, suck it up coz it's bert's call and bert's call alone..
ct
FreoGirl
[quote]Go back some years and follow almost any subject thread and then compare that content with themes in the last couple of months. I, personally found the earlier themes much more interesting and not so strictly controlled as was lately the case. This made them informative - that's why I am here and I would guess the same for many others - to be informed.
[/quote]
Markit, part of what made earlier threads more interesting was that there were more people contributing.
At the moment the contributing membership is made up of quite a few people 'looking for information'. The forum is a bit boring with the same questions asked and answered. My hope is that people like yourself who do eventually get all the information you need will continue to contribute once you move to Bali - making this more of an expat forum rather than a place to get information for those who want to be expats.
In the meantime, given that you are planning on moving to a small expat community, it bodes well to be respectful to other contributors and not engage in arguement for arguement sake. Bert will close that down as quickly as he did others in the past.
Markit
FreoGirl - thanks for the explanation on the sparsity of content lately, in looking back I've also noticed that there are sometimes months, if not years, between the origins and the final posts in many threads. In retrospect this is something that isn't always immediately obvious (course, it is if you look, but you understand...)
As to "arguing for arguments sake" well, I'm way too old for that sh*t, but just erasable enough not to be as patient as I should be with idiots and children.
Finally, respect is earned and I seriously doubt that your real name is "FreoGirl" or that you walk around in a gold leisure suit with a golden crown. I don't look like my avatar either - so surprise! It's going to be pretty hard to identify me for those thousands that have sworn blood feud revenge for my innumerable sins against nature and man. 8)
Jimbo
Freedom of speech does not exist even in those countries that espouse it in law. There is always a codicl to say when you go to far. If you believe otherwise it is a dreamworld you live in.
FreoGirl
and once again Markit you've missed the point entirely.
Markit
Allan - reality check time! The reason this forum isn't so interesting anymore is because it was being moderated by know-it-all, humorless little bureaucrats.
[b]Thankfully they (you) got fired! [/b] :D
This will be my last contribution to this thread.
zonobono
:oops:
tintin
DOWN WITH THE BUREAUCRATS :!:
Vive Godwin :!:
Vive Proudhon :!:
Vive Bakunin :!:
