my posts have been removed, nothing defamatory or gross was in them. i just questioned the administrators motives. c u at zhongwen.com for a real community forum-v ps i wonder how long this one will be up
I thought something was missing. I noticed a slew of posts taking pot shots at the administrators for allegedly attempting to make money off of public posts. Whether or not this is true is impossible to know right now, but it does prove that the Oriented site is more than the administrators can control. Or, shall I say, more “open” than they are willing to tolerate, thus the ejection of the critical posts.
Mr Reinhold,
I am unaware of any posts that took pot shots at us that were removed. Please be a bit more specific (i.e. forum or topic). We have a NO REMOVAL policy on these boards – we have asked all of the moderators to NEVER REMOVE ANYTHING any longer. Instead, all offensive and inappropriate postings are moved to the Archived Threads forum. It is precisely for allegations such as these that we have this policy. I will check in with others at ORIENTED to make sure this hasn’t happened.
That said, I take extreme and personal exception to your comments and their implications. Your definition (actually, “re-definition”) of the word “open” is (as usual?) somewhat misleading. We both seem to speak English, but your version is prone to misunderstanding.
v, when we started the Archived Threads forum, we moved a couple of discussions which either flagrantly violated our terms, or were (indeed) beyond our resources to moderate. If your non- “defamatory or gross” posts were part of those threads, then do not worry – they are safely stored.
I will make sure to ask each of our moderators if they have removed your postings since the Archived Threads forum was created (about 10 days ago). If they have, I will remind them of the proper way to handle such posts, ask them to be more careful in the future, and you will have my sincere regrets. In the meantime, see you at zhongwen.com
excuse me gus,
i have to say that my posting in the living in taiwan - best rave… was removed. I can’t say that this follows the NO REMOVAL policy. what gives?
i don’t know. i think something smells rotten in denmark…
I left a comment on zhongwen.com about how you have to hit your “back” so many times because of all the ads - It was “moderated” within 5 minutes
rian, any of the people here who have often posted at zhongwen.com know that the moderator is largely absent. If you posted the ‘commerce commission’ comment- you can go and see that it is there. zhongwen.com is the most open forum for people interested in discussing anything related to China/Taiwan, etc. I would have no problems with oriented if they said they would never publish my posts in a book and if they would stop removing/archiving threads.-v
“publish my posts in a book.”
Lord, that has to be one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time!
Can you just imagine a prospective publisher … “you want us to do WHAT?? Put up the money to publish WHAT? Are you out of your tiny MINDS? HA HA HA HA.”
Get real, v. I’m guessing the only reason the administrators haven’t responded is because they can’t believe the ludicrousness (?) of the very idea.
Mr. Sandman, it is ludicrous, wanting to publish posts off this website. So sandbones, answer me this, why do the administrators say that all posts are their property? Why didn’t the admistrators answer this question when someone brought it up in a Rand R forum in June? Gus just relpied that he would answer this question of why posts are the property of oriented ‘in time’ was the phrase I think he used. Why hasn’t Gus answered this question Sandbo? What would a book on oriented contain to make it interesting? ‘Posts’ by any chance? Maybe not mine, but somebody’s. Who would write such a book? Have you ever checked out the purpose section of HeyChristine.com? Sandy, would you mind your posts published somewhere? Maybe you don’t care. Does anyone care about this?
Is zhongwen.com only Jian Ti Zi (Simplified Chinese Characters)? I do not want to learn these things. I live in Taiwan. I want to learn Traditional or Complex Chinese Characters, you know the kind that every one in Hong Kong and Taiwan use. The ones that have been existence for thousands of years, not the Chairmen Mao characters.
Maybe I am missing something but why are blatently posting advertisements for a commercial Chinese website focused on the PRC in a forum entitled Living in Taiwan? By the way, I think there is an advertisement section now as well.
Finally, I am sure that Oriented wold give you a very very cheap advertising rate if you ask. Why don’t you advertise. You look like you make more money than they do. They could use the support.
v, you’re right – I don’t care. If anyone thinks they can make a buck off my deathless prose, they’re welcome to try. It would give me a kick.
If you’re really so worried about it, there’s a very simple solution.
Don’t post.
Hey, d’you think Christine’ll credit individual posters in her Pulitzer acceptance speech? … “and a special Taipei thankyou to Sandman for his always astute, intelligent and deeply thought-provoking contributions to our site – posts that clinched this award for me …”
Wow…
Another touchy fellow, and this time an administrator.
Gus writes:
"Mr Reinhold,
I am unaware of any posts that took pot shots at us that were removed. Please be a bit more specific (i.e. forum or topic). We have a NO REMOVAL policy on these boards – we have asked all of the moderators to NEVER REMOVE ANYTHING any longer. Instead, all offensive and inappropriate postings are moved to the Archived Threads forum. It is precisely for allegations such as these that we have this policy. I will check in with others at ORIENTED to make sure this hasn’t happened.
That said, I take extreme and personal exception to your comments and their implications."
Perhaps you should find out what “pot shots” mean. Besides that, “personal exception”? You, as the Wizard of OZ, who should have stayed behind the curtain, are supposed to be dispassionate. You are, or were, supposed to be a behind-the-scenes operator, who lets the posters do the talking. Instead you squeal about something that is insignificant. Who cares what I say, or Musasa or StLouTom or anyone else? Jesus, if you get bent out of shape by reading the nonsense on Oriented then you definitely need to get a real life check.
OK. I went back to where I thought I had last seen a topic and it wasn’t there. You say it wasn’t removed. OK, I trust you, but I will say that a few signposts in this regard would have been useful.
Sorry already, if I offended you. That was not my intention.
Geez, relax.
Btw,
" … all offensive and inappropriate postings are moved to the Archived Threads forum." – Gus, administrator
Uh, yeah. Who has access to this? I don’t. What is the difference between removing a thread and putting it somewhere that no one can view it?
v - I’m also very concerned about this policy of the posts becoming the property of Oriented. And you’re right, the admins have consistenly dodged the question of why this policy exists in the first place. In fact, I’ve asked the same question on at least 3 occasions over the last month, with no response.
This policy is one of the major reasons I’ve reduced my posting here. Now I mostly lurk. I’ve got a lot to say, but not under these conditions.
musas, me too. I’m mostly a lurker now. I do my substantive postings elsewhere and people who have liked talking with me in the past know to go there to find my posts. I’ll leave the rest to sandhead. Besides zhongwen.com I also post at www.delphi.com/chinatopics-v
I hate to tell you folks this, but your inexperience and your ignorance of online bulletin boards and discussion forums is shining like the red nose of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer! Blink blink!
Do a search on Google.com for the words “you automatically grant” and you will find hundreds of legal disclaimers for online bulletin boards stating the exact same clause as indicated on Oriented, almost to a tee, including INTEL, BLOOMBERG, WASHINGTON POST, NEW YORK TIMES, DICTIONARY.COM, WebMD, SINA.COM, CNBC ASIA, and even GOOGLE GROUPS. Blink blink!
It is also obvious that you folks have no grasp of online businesses and what is considered “sellable” products. I have never heard of any website with community boards attempt to publish the postings made to their site, not one!
Nor have I ever seen a business plan for online communities attempt to use “forum postings” as a source of revenues. I slapped my knee so hard when I read that! Har har har har har har har!! Though entirely possible I suppose, postings would have to be of much greater substance than what you folks have been posting here. I couldn’t resist the temptation of posting this message, you folks are really behind the times. Blink blink!
The administrators probably haven’t answered your questions because it’s kinda hard to without making you look more stupid than you already do. Hilarious! My advice- if I were you, I would go to zhongwen.com and never come back, because if I were you, I’d be too embarrassed to say any more. Hee hee hee! Thanks for the laughs! Blink blink!
Aaah, Google, you’re just saying that because your posts are so much less sellable than those of the wonderful V (wonder if her husband knows how condescendingly and patronisingly she writes about him here – she really seems like a NICE peson) or the redoubtable Musasa.
I bet you’re just jealous. See, you have to keep posting, that way you’ll get a bigger share of the royalties when Oriented – the Book makes the NY Times bestseller list.
I am slightly perplexed by the frequency here of ‘go to zhongwen.com and find out,’ or ‘better to post on zhongwen.com.’
SO GO ALREADY!
Yes, I read the title of the topic, but
Jesus; people who keep saying Oriented is lacking compared to the illustrious zhongwen.com should take their own advice.
And to “v”: Why start a topic with a note that says go somewhere?
– see: ‘cu at zhongwen.com’ thread for the details.-v – isn’t a topic about publishing postings.
And I have to agree with Sandman.
“What? The administrators could PUBLISH my golden words? I am SHOCKED, OUTRAGED and INCANDESCENT with RAGE!”
Please, you must be joking. Like anyone could give a flying one about the postings here. You all should be so lucky to see anything you write in print.
Aaack! I can’t figure out where to start writing. Serves me right for coming in so late. But I will say that Gus is touchy! He must have forgot to that chill pill on the day he wrote that gobbledy gook!
Don’t freak out on me too! Lol!
quote:
Originally posted by Hobart: Is zhongwen.com only Jian Ti Zi (Simplified Chinese Characters)? I do not want to learn these things. I live in Taiwan. I want to learn Traditional or Complex Chinese Characters, you know the kind that every one in Hong Kong and Taiwan use. The ones that have been existence for thousands of years, not the Chairmen Mao characters.
Hobart, Hobart, Hobart. Go to
zhongwen.com NOW!!!
You’re missing out big time. If you’re into traditional characters, then you have to go to this web site.