OK, my thoughts on the Pizza Thread. On the surface just one of those threads that happens from time to time. In general it was moderated properly, but still got out of hand. Partially because WW2's inflammatory comment and I think at one time Mike also said something similar or came to WW2 defense, but I can't be sure since Mike hard deleted all his posts.:BangHead:
I agree.
Was there bashing going on, I doubt intentionally. But many of the remarks were
insensitive to regional attitudes [I think this was the key factor for why it went bad, and it was almost all one sided] and some people were hurt or mad. And felt that the moderation was one sided. This isn't true, but I can see where those who where very sensitive to the issues might feel that way. Roger and Jon did the best they could under the circumstances. And, in fact, are to be commended on their actions. Thank you guys.
[I give them kudos, too, especially to Jon for staying cool].
So do we need any change in policy? Not in writing. Every time we add to the written policy and make something else forbidden, we lose our latitude to decide many things that should be decided based on context. We also begin to come across as one THOSE sites.
Should we keep the OT forum. At this point I think yes.
Yes, as long as members follow Tom Dunn's suggestion. NCWW has become more than just a woodworking website. It is a community in a very real sense. The ability to joke with each, with good taste and good sense, is one those things that help make the site what it is. The OT forum is part of that. I would hate to see it go away. I just think for now, we just watch it more closely. Perhaps we should make the moderation job on that forum a volunteer only with hazard pay:gar-Bi
Jon should get the raise; Roger (aka Reddy Kilowatt) might get overcharged!
Finally, as i looked through what I could still see of the thread, I found myself classifying the out of bounds posts into 3 categories,
Insensitive wording
Argumentative
Inflammatory.
You can all guess which is which.:wsmile:
Not to minimize the anti-NC food tone of the thread, but I would like to mention the 3 items that made me furious.
Go Back where you came from ,types of comments. I think this speaks for itself.
These deserve instant moderation.
Furthering the argument or piling on. - When someone is upset by a post, it doesn't give them the right to lash back in kind. They become just as guilty as the person who said the offending item. They have 2 options, either or both would be alright in book. Report the thread/posts to a moderator and/or send a PM to the person and let them know your feelings.
While more than 1/2 the posts were trying to help, many others were in this category.
"I just tell like I see it" - This is a code phrase for, the **** with civility.
I think we have the right to express differing points of view in a civil manner, but I agree this is a caustic approach.
Oh just to be clear, staff members, DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT to do any of the above and if they do they are more guilty than whoever started it. If we do those things, we lose our credibility and thus our authority.
I fully agree. We need to maintain the highest standards and be positive participants. If I ever step over that line, I want to hear it from any of you.
OK, let the discussion begin:argue:
