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In Reply to: I understand your points, but... posted by Alan on March 30, 2002 at 18:24:44:
Well, as indicated in another post, part of my objection is that *ALL* of the posts are part of the historical record, and to delete *any* of them buys into this modern delusion we seem to share that if we pretend something didn't happen, then it must not have happened. Perhaps deleting some odd comments here and there on some little board (no offense!!) is no big deal, but it is symptomatic of a much larger modern social problem.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the maturity or self-restraint to be able to carry on a discussion of the pros and cons of the X-Type without resorting to name-calling and other drivel.
Well, unfortunately, sometimes name-calling *is* part of the discussion. I don't like. You don't like it. That doesn't change the fact. I have seen several times where people on the board have called BMW drivers names. It reflects badly on some of the Jag owners. Do you delete it? I'd say no, as it is part of the discussion. How about when a BMW owner pops over here and says "All youse guys are do-do heads." Delete that? What is the difference? Where does the line get drawn? Keep in mind, one man's offence is another's insight.
As they say, "god is in the details" and sometimes it is the "fringe" that is more telling than the conventional. I'll admit that "do-do head" really isn't that informative of a comment, but it is part of the overall story.
Take a look at "MR. LLORT" again--in a mirror. LLORT reversed is TROLL. There is simply no reason to let posts survive on the board which were made with the sole purpose of trashing the board rather than perhaps offering an alternative viewpoint.
Damn! How did I miss that!? LLORT!
Well, one could take the opposite tack: There is no reason to NOT let posts survive.
And I, for one, don't necessarily think that Trolls are a bad thing. 90% of them dont' merit much attention, and should be ignored, but a well formed troll can be be insightful at times if one is willing to look beneath the surface. One only need be reminded of Socrates' Gadfly to illustrate this point.
And let me make one other point here. Outside of this discussion, There is no indication that I have found that this board is moderated and comments will be deleted. There are no disclaimers that comments will be deleted on the basis of content. I find not stating this but still performing the act to be slightly, uh..., well, I am tempted to say dishonest, but that is too strong of a word. I don't perceive any intent to be dishonest. Perhaps misleading is better. Or at least, not forthright.
There are several FAQ's I have found, and the closest statement is this:
Why didn't my post show up?
Your post most likely did not show up, because your browser did not reload the page, it simply pulled it out of cache. Please reload your browser and it should then appear.
This would lead one to believe that comments are not being edited for content.
(Please correct me here if there is a statement to the effect that contents are a basis for deletion, and I just have not found it yet.)
Remember also that all posts are forever preserved in the archives
Now, I have found a few comments on the main page that seem to be duplicates (same person, sequenced numerically and temporally) and have tried to go back to the archive to see what might have been missing, and I haven't been able to pull up the comments. Maybe I am malforming the URL??
If this is indeed the case, that *all* comments are preserved, and only deleted from the front page, then I hearby withdraw all objections I have. (My broader statement about the modern disease of revisionism still stands!)
should anyone care to go read them and repost them here to start discussion anew.
Any thoughts on adding a search function? (Or is there one and I am just an idiot and not found it anywhere?) I have tried to go back and find previous comments (Like people with some of the same problems I had.) and it is a pain to go back through months of comments.
As you said, the best solution is for regular board members to ignore obvious trolls. Unfortunately, some lack the self-restraint to do so, which means that invariably troll postings will lead to flame wars.
You heard him people: DON'T FEED THE TROLLS! IT JUST ENCOURAGES THEM!!!
Oh, and BTW: I'm not really complaining about the job you do, Alan. I think most everyone appreciates it. I just felt that, as the topic was breached, that it should be pursued for a little while.
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