betsy

Also, I may have used the "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude in the past, but ONLY in the context of explaining the rules and guidelines of the forums AND only directed at those who either were complaining or breaking the rules.

Just for the record. I was not referring to you about the "take-it-or-leave-it" statement....I don't even recall that you'd taken that attitude in the past.

 

My post was a reaction from what I've read on this thread.

This isn't a democracy. It's a privately-owned message board.

You have the constitutional right to express yourself, but you don't have the constitutional right to express yourself on Greg's forum. When you joined Greg's club, you agreed to accept the club's rules.
-k

I think the question here is not really about whether we have a constitutional right to express ourselves in a privately-run forum.

This is a forum. It needs posters....and traffic.
The question is, what kind of a forum does the owner want it to be? It's his forum, therefore it is his decision that will ultimately count.

The decision will be made by the owner - just like any private businesses. Sometimes a business owner will just have to sit down and think where he wants to take it. Some businesses have to re-vamp to remain relevant. Like it or not, there are competitions out there.

How about those who frequent forums? What attracts you to a forum?

I think, businesses telling their clients to take it or leave it, may not be such a good idea in the long run. Same with rudeness to clients. Once you lost the edge, it's harder to gain it back.

The business owner's decision though, will of course have an impact on his investment. Whether good or bad, time will tell. We all care about MLF - at least I do - thus we have to be honest with our opinion.

There is no denying the amount of time - energy and money - invested on this site.
That should be incentive enough to take matters seriously.

Oh I forgot....I also go to this Christian site, but that shouldn't count since it's more for support/fellowship for us Christians.

I started a thread called "How Does Chavez's Death Affect Canada" and said that we would lose his great moral leadership. I was obviously being sarcastic and not serious.

You got suspended for that?

Even if you're not being sarcastic....why would you be suspended for expressing yourself?
Are you sure that's the reason?

I agree, I never see posts here that would so much as get a warning on any other site I go to. I always wonder what happened.

The site(s) that I go to - I discovered two of them during my hiatus - puts a link to the infraction so everyone get an idea what could get you into trouble (especially the poster).
That, to me, is very practical and quite important....especially when you're involved in several heated on-going discussions at the same time.

Considering the sizes of those two places, actually they are both gentle and posters seem to be mindful of rules. I'm currently involved in two very heated arguments in two religion forums and the discussions on both are really going well. We're talking real discussions here....hardly any one-liner adhominem. I'm surprised that we managed to get into a lengthy discussion without the threads dissolving into trash. Once in a while there would be trashers who just want to insult....they're just ignored, or moderators delete. One of the forums is stricter as to personal attacks. Actually I got deleted for something I would normally post here....it's that strict in that one.

The other site protects its Religion section by separating it from Philosophy so that people of faith can freely discuss about their faith...there are Baha'ist and Muslims posting there. Christians got in a very lengthy debate with baha'ists....and surprisingly, for a very heated argument, both sides tried their best to toe the line (though there were intense moments), and maintain their cool. An interesting thread too with an angry atheist looking for answers. So for me, it's really refreshing. So far that's what I've been seeing for a month on those two sites.

Btw, I stumbled on a section in one of those sites where it listed all the "old" ranking posters banned, and they gave the reason for each and every banning. They seem to want to keep everything above board to avoid any accusation(s) or suspicion(s) of unfairness.
If I'm not mistaken, they can appeal their suspension and there's a section for it in one of those forums (so it's also open for everyone to see)...I speculate this is trying to keep everything above board. I think that is important too.

Posters must be reassured of a fair playing field.

Mind you, those two sites have lots of moderators so I can understand it might not be that easy for MLF to entertain appeals. Therefore, I suggest a very clearly written rules or guidelines, and links to infractions. Create a section where the moderator can post who got suspended for what, and for how long!
No need for appeals and speculation(s) if everything is in the open.

I come here for the people.
Because I've been here for a long time and I've known, and argued with a lot of posters over the years.
MLF is the very first forum I've joined, so there's that sentimental attachment to it, too.
All those years until a month ago, MLF was the only forum I go to. Except for a short stint at the local city website of my former residence...that site was a joke, occupied and ruled by a small bunch!
So, coming to MLF had also become a habit. I bother giving suggestions because I want to keep MLF relevant and going strong!