Freedom to express?

[platapus]

Let me state right off - That I enjoy this forum as well as a couple others.......but I hate to see it when a non-flaming thread is silenced! This member was simply sharing a unhappy exp with the forum: and for some reason the thread was closed

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...threadid=12624

I believe strongly in our constitutional rights, especially FREEDOM OF SPEECH, these forums tend to lose a little something when others expressing there concerns, experiences, and interest are silenced because someone doesn’t understand, or does not agree.

http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/s...ion/amdt1.html

I do understand the need to close threads that are down right offensive, or severely off the topic, perhaps a little better judgment could be exercised before closing threads, I was interested in what others had to say about a unhappy members experience here.

dont take this the wrong way - it is just my opinion!

Peace!

[ShirleyM]

My comments and opinions...I was very grateful to see the thread closed so quickly. Jorge explains in that thread precisely why I agree...private is private, chat is chat. I do not believe the forum was the place for that commentary.

Peace --

Shirley

[Casie]

I do enjoy this forum very much. =)

However, I went from being an active poster to being just a lurker pretty fast after I got harrased on this board because of my "playful attitude". =P

I LUV the info and stunning pics found here, and I realize even in the very best-est communities everyone will not always get along. ; )

[Casey]

I also was upset by it so I think it should have been closed,I know I was learning nothing from it.

[asmith]

I agree that the thread should have been closed. The thread starter specifically said not to bother replying because he won't read it. He had an issue with one or two people (out of over 2200 members) and then wrongly assumed that nearly all of us were arrogant and then stated "but as for the people they suck at least around here." That type of comment will always put a person in a defensive mode. I don't see how any good could come out of the thread.

I was not involved in the situations that prompted the thread. I would have preferred that those who were directly involved worked out their differences in a private manner.

Andrew

[mojoreef]

Plat I may not be the right person to answer your post, but I would like to give my personal opinion. For what it is worth. I agree with your statement that a member should have the right to voice his/her opinion with out being silenced. With that being said I believe we have done exactly that. Johnathan voiced his displeasure on an event that happened in our public IRC chat. We did not hide this disgruntled post but we left it open for all to view. I believe this is far more than any other board would do. John in his post said that he would not be returning to read the post, and from the replies that had come and would be coming I believe the thread would have just turned into a he said she said. For this reason I believe the closing of the thread was the only productive thing that could be done.

We at The Reef Tank take our peaceful flamefree reputation very seriously, and will not condone berateing of our members or our staff. At this moment the whole incident and any others that may have exhibited this kind of behavior are being very carefuly investigated, and it is our number one priority to return things to the way they have always been.


I hope this will satisfy you for the moment until we have figured out a coarse of action



thanks again


mike

[Brooke]

platapus...there is not problem with voicing your complaint and opinion. I can tell you that long ago we realized the best way to keep to our mission of remaining friendly and flame-free was to stop certain discussions before they escalate into nothing else but name-calling and inflammatory remarks.

Freedom of speech is welcome, but not guaranteed here. We reserve the right to delete or edit any post as you agreed to when you joined the site. We obviously keep this activity to a minimum, but every now and then it is necessary. (mostly for cursing, etc.)

If the thread wasn't already closed I would have closed it this morning. As Mike mentioned, we could have moved the thread out of public view immediately, but I chose not to. There were no rules violated in his post, therefore it stayed.

The main reason for closing the thread is that the issues had already been presented and dealt with and nothing productive could come from continuing the conversation.

Thanks-
Brooke

[gregt]

Hey platypus!

I gotta wholeheartedly disagree with you on this one. Freedom of speech is not at issue here. The owners of a website have the right to decide what content they choose to present, and IMHO that includes deciding ahead of time whether a conversation is going to meet their criteria.

Because they own this website they can prevent me from posting just because they don't like short, white guys with bad haircuts and are overly sarcastic. If you have a website and only want mammals that lay eggs to participate, then you are free to do so. IMHO, it's not unconstitutional in the least bit, it's your right as the owner of the website. In fact, I think, it would be violating your freedom of speech to not allow you to control the content of your own website.

Just my .02

[Doug1]

Hey all, I just wanted to interject a bit here. Its not about free speech, I think we have made a reasonable accomadation for that, added forums for of topic , etc. I think the whole thing boils down to peoples feathers getting ruffled in a chat room, and its different in there than it is in here. I am sorry that the parties involved couldnt resolve there differences and sorrier that the person who left felt the need to do so in such a flamboyant fashiomn, rather than seeking admin advice, but thats the way it goes sometimes. Given the growth of the board lately its hard to please everyone all the time.
Please be asured that any of the moderators and or admins take any communications of discontent very seriously. Historically we have been a friendly board, to the point of being boring at times, But all in all I have to say that in the years I have been a part of this board, its been my pleasure to be with the greatest bunch of people, a lot of home are closer than family to me

[asmith]

Originally posted by Doug1
Historically we have been a friendly board, to the point of being boring at times, But all in all I have to say that in the years I have been a part of this board, its been my pleasure to be with the greatest bunch of people, a lot of home are closer than family to me

Sorry Doug, but I have to disagree with one part of the above quote. A friendly board is never boring to me. Everything else is correct though. Each morning, the first thing I do is log on here and look for the good morning thread. Seeing a bunch of people whom I consider good friends wishing each other a great day is always a great way to start the day. While it is sometimes entertaining to read through a heated thread on another board, it gets old. I much prefer to come here and see the positive support that most of the members provide (whether it is reef related or not). It is a shame that someone had a bad experience here, but I think it is an exception and definately not the norm. I am honored to be a member of this great online family.

Andrew

[Alice]

I certainly believe in free speech, and in freedom of expression, however this is a privately owned board and we do have a code of conduct and a mission statement that we believe in whole-heartedly.

I guess I came off as the heavy a little bit by closing the thread but as previously stated, I don't think anything good would have came from leaving it open.

I want to thank all our members for making this the best place to be on the net

Alice

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by Casie
However, I went from being an active poster to being just a lurker pretty fast after I got harrased on this board because of my "playful attitude". =P

I would think that such an attitude would be part of the charm and enjoyment of being on TRT... I wondered why we hadn't seen you posting lately, I personally would commend your attitude, too much negativism on the net as it is...

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by mojoreef
...We at The Reef Tank take our peaceful flamefree reputation very seriously, and will not condone berateing of our members or our staff. At this moment the whole incident and any others that may have exhibited this kind of behavior are being very carefuly investigated, and it is our number one priority to return things to the way they have always been.

Originally posted by Brooke
platapus...there is not problem with voicing your complaint and opinion. I can tell you that long ago we realized the best way to keep to our mission of remaining friendly and flame-free was to stop certain discussions before they escalate into nothing else but name-calling and inflammatory remarks.

This pretty much sums up what we have set and established at The Reef Tank over time and through trial and error: A flame-free and friendly environment which on the internet as it exists today, requires careful tending and occasional editing, much the same as our tanks do as well. There are plenty of sites that claim to be completely free of editorial overview and push for total freedom of speech, but in fact, they practice total editorial control to the extent of eliminating the availability of threads that pose themselves as "Anti-(fill in name of site) Threads." I have to admit that I do not keep up with the internal workings of the site here as much as I could. For me, it is mostly interjecting some of the science and an occasional congratulatory pat-on-the-back when it is warranted, and guiding the opinions back to the center when misinformation comes to the surface. I have just read through the actual threads and the original conversations, and yes, for the mission of our site, and the intended platform we support; it was not warranted, but that is the crux of the entire subject, that it was a private conversation between two individuals off the site. As such, it should not construe impressions or opinions on the information or advice offered here. I have had many offers to be a permanent part of the administration of other sites, (and some of us DO have professional degrees in Marine Biology ), but nonetheless, the concept of this site and the people that make it as it is are the reasons that I continue to contribute to this site primarily, and that I continue to call it "home." People that come here should have the opportunity to ask questions and contribute without fear of ridicule or reprisal, and this site provides just such an atmosphere.

This is not a diatribe (well, maybe a little), but rather a reaffirmation of what we all hold true and dear in our passion for the hobby. Thanks Brooke, for offering the platform as it stands today.