Howevermuch i would like more moderation on the list.....
It will be a pity for future social scientists who will thus be deprived of
an unexhaustible source of raw (un)social data ;)
Does all the OT-static end up in the archives too ?
Sipke de Wal
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http://xgistor.ath.cx
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----- Original Message -----
From: Sellam Ismail <foo_at_siconic.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 6:24 PM
Subject: Re: NOTICE FROM THE LIST HOST (re: recent political commentary)
> On Tue, 21 Aug 2001, Jay West wrote:
>
> > This list is for discussion of classic computers and narrowly related
> > issues. If you want to talk politics or cars, hit the newsgroups. If
> > you want to respond to an on-topic message with political commentary
> > or flaming, take it to private email. There is NOTHING that I want
> > less than to be perceived as heavy-handed or dictatorial, but in the
> > interest of the list subscribers at large I felt the need to bring
> > this up. There are plenty of majordomo configuration or filtering
> > solutions available to me that will address this, but I truely do not
> > want to go that route.
>
> Jay, this has been a problem from way back when. I always advocated some
> sort of moderation, which was usually received by screams and moaning from
> the entrenched crowd of off-topic posters along with prophesies of doom
> for the list, etc. I eventually gave up, and now just do like many other
> people do, which is delete a lot of messages.
>
> But I shouldn't have to be forced to do that.
>
> Some sort of moderation IS required for off-topic posts. The off-topic
> messages in the past year and a half have been so grossly off-topic as to
> make moderation easy. An occasional rant or short-lived series is just
> fine, but when a discussion on guns or carbeurators stretches on for
> WEEKS, that's just too much. Start shit-canning those messages before
> they hit the list and problem solved. People who purposely go out of
> their way to start off-topic discussions (they know who they are) should
> be warned once, maybe twice, and then the next time they try to insist on
> their right to discuss off-topic nonsense they are restricted from posting
> to the list for some amount of time (maybe 3 days). They'll eventually
> learn. Serious offenders will be dipped in molten iron.
>
> I say, if an off-topic thread hits four messages, all subsequent messages
> are shit-canned, and the offending party warned. That should allow enough
> flexibility for people to let off some steam and then get back on topic.
>
> I'm in front of my computer a lot. Like most of the day. I'll be happy
> to take on the first shift of a TEMPORARY moderator. It's an unpopular
> job, I know, but I've never been one to shy away from controversy.
>
> I would suggest that as a norm moderation be OFF. When an off-topic
> thread starts, we turn moderation ON and kill the offending thread or
> threads, send out the appropriate warnings, and then when things return to
> normal we turn it back off again. This should only be required for a
> short period of time, and then occasionally down the road as people forget
> their lessons in MANNERS and ETIQUETTE.
>
> Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
>
Received on Tue Aug 21 2001 - 12:49:06 BST