New policies

When NewsFix started out we were largely like-minded and there were few arguments. It seems with the new members that arguments will now be had from time to time.

That's cool! I suspect the reason most of us first got online was to exchange ideas with people who thought differently from us. It can be stimulating, enlightening and rewarding.

It can also lead to flame wars, which nobody wants unless they're in the middle of one and not really thinking clearly ...

So -- here's the deal. Statements of opinion or fact are fine. Casual cursing is fine -- we're all grown-ups.

The use of slurs (like racial slurs, or slurs against gay people) is not cool. I think that's fairly easy to understand. Statements condemning an entire demographic of people (i.e., "All blue bi-sexual people living in Argentina should be shot") count as slurs.

Slurs 1-3 -- you get an edit and a warning. Slur 4 gets you the ol' ban hammer.

Along with me, veya_victaeous and Lurker are the current moderators and wielders of the ban hammer. Since we're all pretty left-leaning, I'm open to the idea of adding a more right-leaning moderator, say, after the New Year when we've determined who's going to stick around and who's not interested.

I welcome any and all input.

Ben_Reilly wrote:When NewsFix started out we were largely like-minded and there were few arguments. It seems with the new members that arguments will now be had from time to time.

That's cool! I suspect the reason most of us first got online was to exchange ideas with people who thought differently from us. It can be stimulating, enlightening and rewarding.

It can also lead to flame wars, which nobody wants unless they're in the middle of one and not really thinking clearly ...

So -- here's the deal. Statements of opinion or fact are fine. Casual cursing is fine -- we're all grown-ups.

The use of slurs (like racial slurs, or slurs against gay people) is not cool. I think that's fairly easy to understand. Statements condemning an entire demographic of people (i.e., "All blue bi-sexual people living in Argentina should be shot") count as slurs.

Slurs 1-3 -- you get an edit and a warning. Slur 4 gets you the ol' ban hammer.

Along with me, veya_victaeous and Lurker are the current moderators and wielders of the ban hammer. Since we're all pretty left-leaning, I'm open to the idea of adding a more right-leaning moderator, say, after the New Year when we've determined who's going to stick around and who's not interested.

I welcome any and all input.

I can't see any problem with that so long as it isn't kaka as he has bad form moderating elsewhere.

Sounds very good Ben.

Will the reasons for sanctions be explained? I've seen another forum where posts or threads would just be deleted with no explanation.

I've even posted something, gone back 10 minutes later and thought it didn't publish correctly so posted it again.

I would hope that if a RW moderator is appointed, that they will explain their decisions for any bans that they may wish to exercise in the mod lounge first  

Yeah, we'll talk it out before any bans are made. The edits to anything deemed to be a violation should also include an explanation, preferably by PM.

Ben_Reilly wrote:Yeah, we'll talk it out before any bans are made. The edits to anything deemed to be a violation should also include an explanation, preferably by PM.

Absolutely - even if that comes after - of course some things have to be taken down immediately, if you deem fit.

BigAndy9 wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:Yeah, we'll talk it out before any bans are made. The edits to anything deemed to be a violation should also include an explanation, preferably by PM.

Absolutely - even if that comes after - of course some things have to be taken down immediately, if you deem fit.

....What sort of things should be taken down immediately on a forum, in your opinion?

.....Lefty things?   

No Phil - extremely abusive/illegal content.

BigAndy9 wrote:No Phil - extremely abusive/illegal content.

I agree!

Incitement to murder/glorify terrorism against black people, Muslims, gay people, left wing people is extremely bad, i'm not saying that you ever posted anything like that but you might not have challenged the said posters on other forums.

BigAndy9 wrote:....What sort of things should be taken down immediately on a forum, in your opinion?

I think it's best to be as liberal as possible with rules like this. It's almost like the old definition of pornography, you know it when you see it, right?

I would probably say the sort of things that should come down immediately are use of offensive slurs toward any sort of group people might identify with, like a minority group (hate speech basically) along with the sort of stuff that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled isn't protected speech, like speech that endangers people.

Maybe an example would be best. If I were to write something like:

"All those fucking blue-skinned (racial slur) (gay slur) people in Argentina deserve to die; I'm putting out the call -- go kill them!"

... it might be edited to:

"All those fucking blue-skinned ********* ******** people in Argentina ***********; ************"

... with something like this: "Watch it, this is a warning."

Ben_Reilly wrote:Yeah, we'll talk it out before any bans are made. The edits to anything deemed to be a violation should also include an explanation, preferably by PM.

Yes I was a moderator elsewhere and  did it fairly , you have to leave your personal feelings out of it , you might not like a poster but if their grievance is found to be genuine that is your only and right choice. now I  think I should inform you what can happen when you have to pm the reporter of a complaint. what happened on the site I was on the site admin would inform the moderators when they were off on holiday ect. this would be leaked out by some one and on those occasions deliberate attacks on the forum would commence then certain posts would starts screaming why is this happening , then they would report just to find out which moderator replied to them , then they would abuse that Mod. there is therefore no problem with having named Mod . it is the facility to allow them to PM the reporter as ADMIN or just MOD. I had one instance where admin had ordered that two poster who had caused so much disruption and had been warned several times if they persisted BOTH would be banned for 24 hours , one evening I enter the admin section to find admin/ site owner arguing about the pairs latest disruption with one of the mods over the fact she had banned one and not the other as he was a personal friend, this mod refused point blank to ban her friend and unbanned the other one In defiance of admin , at this point I stepped in and banned them BOTH as per admins instructions. this might explain why you have this poster on here who is venomously opposed to me

I would not dream of asking a Cop who was a friend to get me off on something , but some people do.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

BigAndy9 wrote:....What sort of things should be taken down immediately on a forum, in your opinion?

I think it's best to be as liberal as possible with rules like this. It's almost like the old definition of pornography, you know it when you see it, right?

I would probably say the sort of things that should come down immediately are use of offensive slurs toward any sort of group people might identify with, like a minority group (hate speech basically) along with the sort of stuff that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled isn't protected speech, like speech that endangers people.

Maybe an example would be best. If I were to write something like:

"All those fucking blue-skinned (racial slur) (gay slur) people in Argentina deserve to die; I'm putting out the call -- go kill them!"

... it might be edited to:

"All those fucking blue-skinned ********* ******** people in Argentina ***********; ************"

... with something like this: "Watch it, this is a warning."

Even that is a threat and not to veiled at that.

I agree. But if you've got that kind of hatred in your head, I say, shout it from the rooftops, put it out there in the marketplace of ideas and see how it sells. I'd far rather know how people really feel and let them express it, within certain parameters of sanity.

Ben_Reilly wrote:I agree. But if you've got that kind of hatred in your head, I say, shout it from the rooftops, put it out there in the marketplace of ideas and see how it sells. I'd far rather know how people really feel and let them express it, within certain parameters of sanity.

my philosophy has always been Love is the opposite of Hate and an equal emotion , don't waste it.

ALLAKAKA wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:Yeah, we'll talk it out before any bans are made. The edits to anything deemed to be a violation should also include an explanation, preferably by PM.

Yes I was a moderator elsewhere and  did it fairly , you have to leave your personal feelings out of it , you might not like a poster but if their grievance is found to be genuine that is your only and right choice. now I  think I should inform you what can happen when you have to pm the reporter of a complaint. what happened on the site I was on the site admin would inform the moderators when they were off on holiday ect. this would be leaked out by some one and on those occasions deliberate attacks on the forum would commence then certain posts would starts screaming why is this happening , then they would report just to find out which moderator replied to them , then they would abuse that Mod. there is therefore no problem with having named Mod . it is the facility to allow them to PM the reporter as ADMIN or just MOD. I had one instance where admin had ordered that two poster who had caused so much disruption and had been warned several times if they persisted BOTH would be banned for 24 hours , one evening I enter the admin section to find admin/ site owner arguing about the pairs latest disruption with one of the mods over the fact she had banned one and not the other as he was a personal friend, this mod refused point blank to ban her friend and unbanned the other one In defiance of admin , at this point I stepped in and banned them BOTH as per admins instructions. this might explain why you have this poster on here who is venomously opposed to me

I would not dream of asking a Cop who was a friend to get me off on something , but some people do.

    

You got caught out manipulating the points system to advantage your fellow RW Nazis!....Your PM's were exposed on open forum by another moderator, where you were encouraging other RW forum members to undermine the LW leaning one's....All of your PM's to this couple of far right Christians were exposed!....You were instructing them to - the points of left wing leaning posters!

You were exposed as being a cheat!

....Even after all of these years later....It is still mentioned on the other forum that you frequent the most, you are a complete laughing stock over there, even the admin over on Flap thinks that you are too extreme for his site!   

ALLAKAKA wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:I agree. But if you've got that kind of hatred in your head, I say, shout it from the rooftops, put it out there in the marketplace of ideas and see how it sells. I'd far rather know how people really feel and let them express it, within certain parameters of sanity.

my philosophy has always been Love is the opposite of Hate and an equal emotion , don't waste it.

I'm sure that Ben knows the Flap forum address!.....It would only take a couple of minutes to have a look at your latest postings to realise that you aren't the real Kaka at all!

Also you are still posting racist and homophobic bilge....You and Big Andy both!....But for some reason or other you are trying to be a little more careful here but you are failing miserably to pull the wool over peoples eyes because you have a motive for that!

Catman wrote:

ALLAKAKA wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:Yeah, we'll talk it out before any bans are made. The edits to anything deemed to be a violation should also include an explanation, preferably by PM.

Yes I was a moderator elsewhere and  did it fairly , you have to leave your personal feelings out of it , you might not like a poster but if their grievance is found to be genuine that is your only and right choice. now I  think I should inform you what can happen when you have to pm the reporter of a complaint. what happened on the site I was on the site admin would inform the moderators when they were off on holiday ect. this would be leaked out by some one and on those occasions deliberate attacks on the forum would commence then certain posts would starts screaming why is this happening , then they would report just to find out which moderator replied to them , then they would abuse that Mod. there is therefore no problem with having named Mod . it is the facility to allow them to PM the reporter as ADMIN or just MOD. I had one instance where admin had ordered that two poster who had caused so much disruption and had been warned several times if they persisted BOTH would be banned for 24 hours , one evening I enter the admin section to find admin/ site owner arguing about the pairs latest disruption with one of the mods over the fact she had banned one and not the other as he was a personal friend, this mod refused point blank to ban her friend and unbanned the other one In defiance of admin , at this point I stepped in and banned them BOTH as per admins instructions. this might explain why you have this poster on here who is venomously opposed to me

I would not dream of asking a Cop who was a friend to get me off on something , but some people do.

    

You got caught out manipulating the points system to advantage your fellow RW Nazis!....Your PM's were exposed on open forum by another moderator, where you were encouraging other RW forum members to undermine the LW leaning one's....All of your PM's to this couple of far right Christians were exposed!....You were instructing them to - the points of left wing leaning posters!

You were exposed as being a cheat!

....Even after all of these years later....It is still mentioned on the other forum that you frequent the most, you are a complete laughing stock over there, even the admin over on Flap thinks that you are too extreme for his site!   

Now Ben_Reilly this is slander. I've copied this for legal purposes.

The above Poster and another one on here ,plus two others on another site are co-conspirators in these false accusations.

Let's all cool our jets, please. I'm locking this forum now.