I just wanted to voice my support for the moderators. I think that they are doing a great job. Sarcasm and outright attacks of other’s ideas is good and entertaining. Even the occasional attack on a deserving half-wit is par for the course (e.g. Proud Canadian).
I am very happy that they are not censoring very much.
Are you?
To answer your question, no. I agree with you that you can express your opinions openly, but not in the for sale section. I don’t know of any other newspaper or online classifieds section where you can comment on an ad for sale. Do you? I’ve suggested to the moedrators that the for sale sections should be on a read only basis with no posts allowed. This is what a classifieds section is called. If they don’t change to a read only forum, then they could change the title to, Items For Sale "Beware of attacks by members trying to stop sales with insults, lies and flaming an ad. Again, if you had kept your comments to yourself in the items for sale and used them in the open forums, you wouldn’t be getting this post from me. Have a NICE day.
When you pay for an advertisment there is a certain privity between the parties - a contract of a certain nature. However, when you post on a bulletin board that is open to anybody for no charge, the site owes you or anyone else absolutely nothing, especially when there is a disclaimer explicity stating what is protected and what is not.
The issue here is that you were trying to sell a bike and someone said that your asking price was too expensive. How are you harmed? How are you any worse off than before you put the advertisment on the board?
The nature of this forum is to allow people to express their opinions publicly. You have taken advantage of this by flaming (bu en lai), posting what you claim is a fair asking price, etc.
I just don’t understand what you are whining about. You can go sell your bike on some other media or bulletin board or take a few deep breaths and lower your asking price to $60k.
Yeah, there’s a disclaimer. But the moderators never follow it. According to the disclaimer, none of these insulting and harrassing remarks should be made. But idiots like “Dummy My Poo Poo” and “Fluffy Lovely” rip in to everybody with no limitations at all. puff
I think I’ll just smoke my cigar, and blow it in the face of these lowlifes. If I want to advertise my dirty sock for $50,000 NT, I’ll do it without taking shit for it!
For the For Sale section - there is a simple test - “Is it helpful?” - “Does it give the seller and prospective buyers, or perhaps people just interested in what the market is doing, useful information?” - if not - can it!
This forum offers “classified advertisements” with feedback - It would be sad if this was lost.
It would be hard to ask for more information if no further posts were allowed.
Before I ever posted a thing on these forums, I read the disclaimer. Unfortunately, it isn’t being honored. There is nothing included that states that the limitations are merely “loose guidelines” that can be ignored at will. I understand the moderators’ desire to err on the side of free speech, but I wish the disclaimer would be re-written to reflect this. It is quite misleading, as it is.
Spending your time worrying about the moderators is like keeping your eyes on the gas and brake pedals while you drive a car. There they are. There’s nothing you can do and no way to change them (that brake a little too sensitive? a little too loose?).
So get your motor runnin’ and head on down the highway…
Oh I get it. Richard, you’re the guy who was trying to sell the ‘bargain’ majesty. So you’re miffed that I called your motorbike ugly. That’s why you decided to have a go at me. Ha ha ha.
Bri
Serious PS. It’s a good thing people can reply to the classifieds. A lot of people who come to Taiwan probably don’t know where to go to get a good deal so they might not realise that a lot fo the second-hand stuff on the classified is really overpriced. Telling them they can get cheaper elsewhere is doing them a favour.
I’m replying to Big Hem in this thread because it’s more appropriate. Big Hem suggested:
quote[quote]You should be my editor.[/quote]
Sorry, but that’s just my point. I don’t have time to edit all the posts, and anyway that’s not the job of a moderator. I try to keep anything that I think advocates violence or hate out of this forum. Simple as that. Yes, I know that this is somewhat subjective. Tant pis!![]()
If you don’t want to be deleted, then you need to exercise a little more self-restraint.
The mods are doing a great job.
I still do feel that the discussions in this forum is taken over by some aggresive ABC and CBC women. A thread like foreign men and local women had the potential to go beyond the stereotypes. Too bad it didn’t.
Just my 2 cents worth.
DBBowman asked:
quote:
I think the idea of bovine love is funny. This Scanlan guy might not be so smart, but who cares? Is it really worth
deleting? It is not like he is advocating violence or unduly libeling anyone. Why was his post deleted? Could you explain the reasoning? Please?
No problem, DB. A major part of the problem is the handle that he chose. His original posts were disparaging a member of Taipei’s rather small expatriate community. Following that, he registered under the disparaged individual’s surname, making absurd statements that in each and every case had nothing to do with the topic being discussed in the thread. I felt that he intended his self-deprecatory humour to be a reflection of that same individual’s character.
To put it another way, if I had a personal grudge against you, I could register myself as a member using your surname, alluding to details in your personal/professional life and then post provocative or obscene material while posing as “you”. I’m sure you understand why I can’t allow that to happen. I don’t want Open Forum to become a place where petty grievances between individuals are aired. As it is, the dim-witted posts of the idiot in question are depressing enough even without the defamatory remarks. I know some moderators would delete posters just for posting off-topic, never mind being a horse’s ass. As it is, I think we’ll stick with the current policy of letting idiots post as long as they don’t go around mucking with people’s identities, or perceptions of them.
Angst,
How can you be so sure that’s not really Scanlan?
Are you personally acquainted with him and he’s told you someone is posting under his name?
I’ve been thinkin it was him all along as the inane babble seems apropos. Just see his website.
You’re right though. This community is tooooo small and it doesn’t seem like such an anonymous forum.
I reckon since you guys are in charge of this site, it’s your prerogative to censor as you see fit. I’d probably do the same.
Hey, I’m with you. That makes a lot of sense. But what’s so bad at about saying “muthaf@&%#@!”? 'Cause it’s obscene? So is “dick”, but I ain’t seen you sensor that! Using profanities are a colorful way of expressing oneself. In fact, some profanities are ingrained in to the language of certain cultures. You ever lived in New York City? That’s just the way we talk.
quote[quote]How can you be so sure that's not really Scanlan?[/quote] I tried to contact him privately through e-mail, but my e-mails were ignored. Secondly, even if it were him, none of the threads have been talking about bestiality.Mojo, you’re right about the muthas in NY!
It was a borderline call for me and one that I don’t feel very strongly about. If you want, you can reinsert the word (with the appropriate @*$#! marks) and I’ll let it stand.
Thanks, Angst. Hey, I just call 'em as I see 'em.
Well, Scanlan’s a minor celebrity in Taiwan’s foreign community due to his own self-promotion and nerves of steel.
His website alone is an amalgam of truth and lies, as are a few of his news articles. His sidekick , Mr. F, is also well-known as a sometime ‘media jokester’. As was their pal, Peter Perves, before them.
Their continued efforts to bill Expo Extra as original and comic insight into this wee community are admirable, and in my opinion, it presents them as an open target for ridicule, potential hostility and other shenanigans.
I’m sure Scanlan appreciates this sort of coverage, and no doubt, whether he is the culprit or not of ‘bovine’ postings, he couldn’t care less if you didn’t censor. I’m guessing this longtime friend would find the whole business rather amusing and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s propping up the bar somewhere giggling about it with his cronies right now.
Oh my god, there’s a plane down in Queens as I’ve typed this…yikes! and I’m supposed to leave next Tuesday for the US!!!
Guess in the big picture pseudo-Scanlan postings are not so important.
Moderators, you guys are doing a good if thankless job.
“Scanlan”,
My only problem with you is your lack of originality. If you are going to impersonate someone, do something subtle. If you tried writing normal stuff for a while then slowly got weirder, someone might really think you were the person you were impersonating.
I would like to offer you some sincere advice. I am not the brightest apple in the orchard, but I can figure out who a lot of the posters are on this board. Anyone who wants to find out who I am, can just look at past posts and connect the dots. It is also obvious who you are. Taiwan is a small place. You don’t want to make yourself look like an ass and get a bad reputation for the rest of your time in Taipei just because you’re having a bad month. Find a different way to get rid of stress. I hate to break this to you, but the big man don’t know what you are doing, and if he did would not care or might possibly make it into a short article.
quote:
Originally posted by chainsmoker: It is also obvious who you are. Taiwan is a small place. You don't want to make yourself look like an.
C’mon Chainsmoker … reveal him! A witch hunt! That would give us all a good laugh, and make us sleep easier too …
I never use my real name for just that reason – coz it would be all too easy to lose a job / girlfriend / even get deported that way. (Cheers moderators for keeping an eye on things)
What is Scanlan’s website?.. his homepage takes me to porn.
quote:
Originally posted by "Irritated": I have ears in many places and I know that some of the moderators have been taking stick for... moderating. I for one am happy to see the harder line being taken to weed out the dross from these forums. I have nothing whatsoever against trolls and flamers... so long as they post with wit, elegance and style. I have seen not one single such post anywhere on these boards in all the time I've been here, so...Keep up the good work, Angst, Gus et al.