The case of the disappearing threads ?!?!

[Dr_Pain]

Am I the only one to have noticed that a few recent threads just disappeared, without due process?

I understand that AGO is a privately owned and operated forum with its own specific rules and regulations that are not protected by the first amendment (freedom of speech), but for sake of understanding what is acceptable to AGO (or not), there should be some form of warning or censorship with some description of why a comment was deleted or why a thread was closed.

I participated in a couple of threads yesterday that may have been interpreted as controversial (although they did not break the rule) and I came in this morning to check on updates and the threads are GONE! I contacted one of the OP and he said that it is gone (without warning or notification) and he mentioned that another one of his thread was also "abducted by aliens"

Are we dealing with a unilateral clean up effort on the part of our moderators or is this one of those "the forum monster ate the thread" thing?

A little feedback from our moderators would be appreciated, so we know where to stand and what happened to those threads.

[Dr_Pain]

No need to reply! I got my answer in a private message.

[zmcgovern45]

PM from a moderator? If so, mind sharing?

[erichaley]

There's definitely one thread from early yesterday morning that didn't deserve any "due process"...

[FUNX650]

A little feedback from our moderators would be appreciated, so we know where to stand and what happened to those threads
No need to reply! I got my answer in a private message..
I realize I needed not to reply...
But could you relate from whence the PM came?
If not...I understand. Completely.
Either way: Thanks.


Sometimes posts of mine disappear/'are-rearranged'...
But I've always received a very acceptable explanation as to: Why?


NOTE:
It probably goes without saying, But:
In my case, even beforehand, I know this is usually one the reasons: Why?

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/when_the_sh_t_hits_the_fan_3215952.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/61157)


:)

Bob

[Nick McKees37]

Am I the only one to have noticed that a few recent threads just disappeared, without due process?


When multiple posts are reported from the same thread, we temporarily move the thread until the moderators can discuss what to do with it. If the thread went too far off topic and an excessive amount of content needs to be removed before it can be made public again, we typically leave it in the Moderator's Forum, out of sight from the public but not deleted. If the thread can be cleaned up without removing a fair amount of posts, then we do so before making it public again.

A lot of forums run wild and are poorly moderated - that's not the case with AGO. We try our best to keep everyone happy.

:dblthumb2:

[tuscarora dave]

I realize I needed not to reply...
But could you relate from whence the PM came?
If not...I understand. Completely.
Either way: Thanks.


Sometimes posts of mine disappear/'are-rearranged'...
But I've always received a very acceptable explanation as to: Why?


NOTE:
It probably goes without saying, But:
In my case, even beforehand, I know this is usually one the reasons: Why?

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/when_the_sh_t_hits_the_fan_3215952.jpg (http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/61157)


:)

Bob

LOL!!

Bob, anytime I'm trying to push away from this computer and get to work...but...see that you've replied to a thread...any thread that is...I can't help but to click the little red arrow and see what you've replied with.

Most of the time I am glad I did because I have something to ponder, the rest of the time, I'm glad because your witty analogies, pictures, riddles and or sense of humor in general intrigues me. :dblthumb2:

[ihaveacamaro]

LOL!!

Bob, anytime I'm trying to push away from this computer and get to work...but...see that you've replied to a thread...any thread that is...I can't help but to click the little red arrow and see what you've replied with.

Most of the time I am glad I did because I have something to ponder, the rest of the time, I'm glad because your witty analogies, pictures, riddles and or sense of humor in general intrigues me. :dblthumb2:

:iagree:

I've said it before and I say it again and again, Bob, you are my favorite person on any forum, bar none!

[tuscarora dave]

A lot of forums run wild and are poorly moderated - that's not the case with AGO. We try our best to keep everyone happy.

:dblthumb2:

No doubt about that...That kind of stuff is what turned me off to the last home away from I had in detailing discussion forums. I pretty much came here looking for something better and found it.

Now that DetailCity has become Autopiaforums and is now sponsored and moderated through professional competency and not through emotion and fear of certain products being upstaged...it's also a great place to post.

:eek: Oh my!!! Is that resentment still lingering deep within me somewhere??!! Perhaps my thinking out loud has gone too far....?.. :nomore: Uhm???Ah??? :bolt:

[BlackHawk]

When multiple posts are reported from the same thread, we temporarily move the thread until the moderators can discuss what to do with it.


What do you mean by this? Reported for what? If someone posts their opinion on here and no one else agrees with it, is it going to get removed because everyone reports it?

[ihaveacamaro]

What do you mean by this? Reported for what? If someone posts their opinion on here and no one else agrees with it, is it going to get removed because everyone reports it?

You can see disagreements in a bunch of threads. As long as you're respectful and following AG rules, you are pretty much allowed to disagree with whatever you want.

[Dr_Pain]

When multiple posts are reported from the same thread, we temporarily move the thread until the moderators can discuss what to do with it. If the thread went too far off topic and an excessive amount of content needs to be removed before it can be made public again, we typically leave it in the Moderator's Forum, out of sight from the public but not deleted. If the thread can be cleaned up without removing a fair amount of posts, then we do so before making it public again.

A lot of forums run wild and are poorly moderated - that's not the case with AGO. We try our best to keep everyone happy.

:dblthumb2:

I could offer a few arguments in either direction on the subject at hand, but it is a mute point considering my original statement of fact, which is that a private forum does not offer constitutional protection of free speech, or the protection of due process. As Nick pointed out (not limited to), it is to the discretion of the moderator to

1) Evaluate if the subject content
2) Evaluate the nature of the exchanges, as it pertains to the forum rules and regulation
3) Evaluate the conversation tone and inflammatory nature of the discussion
4) Evaluate that no-one is being attacked or subject to defamatory statements
etc, etc.....

From what I was told, a forum is not a court of opinion in which truth prevails over falsehood, or in which your opinion is protected. If your opinion rubs someone the wrong way it may be reported and will be subject to review. This in no way negate your ability to have and formulate an opinion, however the forum moderators reserve the right to remove your comments or threads if they are going to upset the positive balance of the community.

I am not saying that some threads should not be deleted. We have been privied to many doozies, and I have been glad to see some of those comments (and foul language) disappear. I think the process would be better served by having the threads left on the discussion panel with censorship and closed to additional comments.... with an explanation from the moderator as to the reasoning. They don't need to validate the due process since they are the master of the key stroke (on the forum), but a brief explanation would serve the rest of the community in understanding the boundaries of discussion expected and implied.

[Nick McKees37]

What do you mean by this? Reported for what? If someone posts their opinion on here and no one else agrees with it, is it going to get removed because everyone reports it?

If a forum rule is broken (ie: insults, bashing other members, foul language, etc).

Forum Rules (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/introduce-yourself/24039-forum-rules.html)



I am not saying that some threads should not be deleted. We have been privied to many doozies, and I have been glad to see some of those comments (and foul language) disappear. I think the process would be better served by having the threads left on the discussion panel with censorship and closed to additional comments.... with an explanation from the moderator as to the reasoning. They don't need to validate the due process since they are the master of the key stroke (on the forum), but a brief explanation would serve the rest of the community in understanding the boundaries of discussion expected and implied.

Refer to this post:


When multiple posts are reported from the same thread, we temporarily move the thread until the moderators can discuss what to do with it. If the thread went too far off topic and an excessive amount of content needs to be removed before it can be made public again, we typically leave it in the Moderator's Forum, out of sight from the public but not deleted. If the thread can be cleaned up without removing a fair amount of posts, then we do so before making it public again.

At some point within the next few days the threads that have been moved to the Moderator's discussion will be looked over, edited for content and made available to the public again.

[jgg85234]

1) Evaluate if the subject content
2) Evaluate the nature of the exchanges, as it pertains to the forum rules and regulation
3) Evaluate the conversation tone and inflammatory nature of the discussion
4) Evaluate that no-one is being attacked or subject to defamatory statements
etc, etc.....



I have had the honor (and misfortune on occasion) to be a moderator on many forums, going all the way back to Compuserve in the 1980s.

Every time you approve someone new, you have to watch what they do at the beginning.

Sometimes, the first post from a newcomer is SPAM.

I saw this thread. #3 and #4 were both definitely being violated, by the poster's very first post.

Attack on AGO, and the members of the forum.

Since those kind of people will always continue in the same line, the best approach is just to remove them and their posts.

Best solution for us is "don't feed the troll", and let the moderators do their job.

Jim

[Mike Phillips]

Just to note... I'm not a "moderator" on this forum and I've always been upfront about this and also have publicly stated I'm a horrible at moderating in the first place, so it's a job I don't want.

A good moderator is like a good policeman, they enforce the rules and maintain a civil online environment. It helps if the person playing the part of a policeman is of good character to start with, that is fair and not prejudiced, someone that will investigate the issue and then make a decision based upon the facts balanced against the forum rules.





Every time you approve someone new, you have to watch what they do at the beginning.




Exactly.

When a new person joins a forum, if they are not a spammer then they are joining the forum for one of three reasons and in their first 2-3 posts they will reveal their true intension,


Reasons to join a forum

1. To ask questions and get help.

2. To answer questions and help others.

3. To cause problems.



I have a pretty keen sense for troublemakers and for my part and what I do when I see a problem on the forum is I simply report the problem member and their problem post and let the real moderators take over. Even wrote an article about it here because some people don't know how to "report" a post.

In my experience, anytime you see trouble brewing the best thing to do is simply report the post and don't get entangled in it in the first place.

One thing I've learned over the years on forums is that even if you do win the fight, you still lose just because you were in it. Or as someone else once said,




I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. George Bernard Shaw



And for everyone reading this now or into the future that perhaps is new to how a vBulletin discussion forum works and might not know how to "Report" a post, click the link below and I've written what to do and included a screen shot showing you what to click on.


What to do when you see a problem on the forum (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/off-topic/24085-what-do-when-you-see-problem-forum.html)



And "yes" the above article can be found on my article list under the heading,


Tips, Techniques and How-to Articles for Interacting on Discussion Forums




:)