Good morning. Since so many people refuse to start at the top of this topic and work their way through all the comments to catch up, I’ve decided to repeat some of my opening post from yesterday and add a few things gleaned from yesterday’s conversation.
as we continue the conversation today, let's please remember:
-US, US, US
-let's keep it a discussion and avoid arguing
-please review all the comments since you looked last to catch up
if I interpret correctly Admin's statements so far, here's where i think we are:
he will not add any more special sections. we need to develop a clear, concise, easily understood and easily moderated set of policies about how we'll post and behave within the sections we already have.
pets (which includes such things as mare stares), vacations, happy news (such as births, graduations, anniversaries, etc, etc, etc) will almost certainly be allowed to return to GeneralChitChat when Admin gets back. no need to campaign further for those.
the subject of jokes generated a lot of heat and has been discussed thoroughly from a variety of viewpoints.
There’s been some related discussion about how “adult” vs “family friendly” board policy should permit content to “read”. First, it’s unfair to apply this question exclusively to our jokes. If you read through every topic ever posted since Day 1 of the board, you’d find some really bawdy conversations in every section. We seem to have always been a pretty rowdy bunch around here. Many of us have accidentally and unknowingly crossed “the line”. An occasional reminder to ratchet back and behave ourselves a bit better – out of respect for the general membership - has been necessary and appropriate.
board membership is officially limited to people 18 years of age or older. However, we cannot assume that a person’s age determines what they do or don’t consider “too raunchy”. There are far too many factors in play that influence individual tastes and preferences. My own sense of humor was a LOT raunchier at 12 than it is now. (the whole love-to-get-away-with-what-i-knew-would-horrify-my-mother thing, don’tcha know. :lol: )
it's always going to boil down to a human judgement call on the part of whichever Admin or Moderator is reading it. if a post you don't like is allowed to stay ... well ... all i can say is don't read it again. you already know you don't like it. if a post gets deleted ... sorry ... get over it. Let’s please satisfy ourselves with the points presented so far and put the subject to rest.
it sounds to me as though we are headed toward a policy that limits GCC to good & happy. if you think somebody will need to grab a kleenex or a bucket while they read it, the post is best added to your PDA (diary/journal). not everyone will be happy about that. but please remember ... it does not change WHAT can be posted. it only changes WHERE it goes.
there will be exceptional cases in which the best place for bad news is, in fact, GCC. if you review the first page of GCC, you'll find an example of unhappy news that was allowed to stay because we knew that most of the members would want to know the event had occured and offer their condolences. (you will also see a happy post that, under the current system, would normally get moved to diaries or deleted. i chose to leave it there as a sign of things most likely to come back. please don't take it as a green light for everything. keep in mind that Admin has not yet come to a final decision about anything. [i see this morning that this request has already been ignored. the temptation is understandable, but giving into it is not helpful. it serves an example of one of the problems we have (people ignore policy) and will only add to the confusion.] )
in the event of unhappy news that is personal but that you believe will be of truly general interest and that needs to be easily and quickly seen by all, just send a pm to Admin or to me. we can make a decision based on the interests of the general membership and you don't risk getting your feelings hurt if your post is deleted.
Hijacking has been explained in detail. All past hijackers are hereby “officially” forgiven. We know that we will all pay better attention when adding comments to somebody else’s topic in the future.
This is a quote: "Although I am still surprised/puzzled by where it seems to be a no-no to REQUEST prayers, but okay to have prayers OFFERED. I personally have no issues/problems with either. Just don't say that only a certain sect/synod/parish of a certain "faith/belief system" is acceptable/unacceptable. "
Most often, people find this board for the first time because a link has appeared on the list of results when they do an internet search about some subject related to quilting. Search result lists are based on key words. The search engine (computer software) does not evaluate the overall content of any of the sites it selects for consideration based on those key words. It can, however, incorrectly “decide” that a site is of one type or another because of the number of times it finds those key words used within a site’s content. Also, people usually jump to conclusions about the main intent of a site within the first few clicks while cruising around.
We are especially careful to avoid any overabundance of topics that seem to promote or discourage religion in general or any one religion in particular. We simply don’t want search engines or lazy people to jump to the wrong conclusions about who we are or why this site exists.
Here’s a very important reality to keep in mind. When Member A shares distressing news, Members B thru Za17j5-98 will almost certainly respond with an offer of prayer. Therefore, asking for it is unnecessary. The difference between asking and offering may not be obvious to the human mind, but – trust me – it’s the system that has worked best to protect the feelings and interests of the group over the years.
Another quote: "How about the PDA section you still have your main diary but you are also allowed to start a I hate to say it this way but, " granny died" then after a month it can be deleted. Or I found out I have ms...maybe that one can stay since it is a life long illness and many have "been there done that" and others learn from reading it even if its a year old.
That way its not adding more sections just allowing "bad news" to get to everyone with out the hunt and peck..... "
This is an interesting suggestion. I can see pros and cons. My personal reflex reaction, based on experience, is that this logical system would be immediately abused. The diaries would get pushed into the background and we’d be right back where we started. I’m sure that when Admin gets to this suggestion as he reviews everyone’s input, he’ll give it some thought. I’m soooooooooo glad the final decision isn’t mine. :lol:
Another quote: "Not enough time to check all sections of the board
*ahem...I'm sorry but I don't see how this is admin's issue."
I risk being accused of insensitivity, I suppose, but this is a fact. It will always be impossible to make everything equally convenient to every member.
thanks again to everyone who has contributed constructive suggestions and offered their personal assistance. that's what will keep our board the best quilting board on the internet. i'm so proud i could cry.
everybody is assumed to have apologized and everybody is assumed to have forgiven everybody else.
if there's something we haven't yet talked about, today is a good day to bring it up. just remember, please, to present your thoughts in a way you'd want somebody else to present them to you. they don't call it "The Golden Rule" for nuthin'.
:wink: