You may find it worthwhile to read the
Newbie Guide.
Please forgive me for not knowing how to use the multi quote option within a single post - I realize my answering this way will make it hard for others to respond in kind. And, Yes, the first thing I did was read the Newbie Guide. I don't believe my question is answered there.
As others have said, this is a very large community, and to keep it functioning and
useful and
welcoming, we need members to adhere to
RYFW -- Respect[ing] Your Fellow Writer.
Sure. But "useful" and "welcoming" and "respectful" are subjectively measured. Locking a thread because members are disagreeing might be considered disrespectful to some.
When things cross out of a respectful dialogue,
Again, this is very arbitrary. I was participating in the above thread and didn't feel I was being disrespectful nor receiving disrespect. The discussion was perhaps heated, but to lock it?
sometimes a mod will lock a discussion to keep it getting more
out of control
I can't imagine who was out of control
... Also, sometimes acrimonious conversations spill over into complaints, PMs,
Sure. That's why I believe a membership would want to see situations resolve in open forums. No behind the scene alliances to be concerned about.
and/or other threads, which isn't always apparent to the participants in the original threads, and sometimes makes it harder for mods to
untangle the larger issue at hand.
I don't understand what this means/implies. If you suggest members are grinding axes that have roots elsewhere, it seems to me a warning and or points for them are in order. I don't see how that affects the discussion the rest of the posters are having.
There are not a lot of us, and we have jobs, families, and other responsibilities that sometimes preclude instant attention.
I don't know why you mention this. I mean, sure, of course, and thank you for your service. But what has that to do with closing a thread?
There are, however, none of us who are not committed to the
integrity of conversation to the
highest extent
Sounds good. What's that mean, exactly? Majority rules? Tenured members? Mods?
we are able without
sacrificing the community as a whole for it.
Sacrificing the community? I'm sorry, but it sounds like I'm in church.
Not everyone agrees with the judgment calls we make, and we're not infallible, but we very often have a much better
big-picture view of what's happening,
Taking care of the small picture often serves the big picture quote nicely. I expect not censoring threads would be good for the big picture too.
and we are always open to
respectful questions
That is good to hear. And reasonable.
about
why we did (or did not) take certain actions
I respectfully ask, Why was the above listed thread closed?
when trouble flares up, and there is always the option to take a complaint about mod actions to Mac, who is the owner of the board.
Sure. Thanks for that info. But at this point I'm just curious.
I will also note that mods very rarely delete posts that aren't open trolling or spam, because we DO believe very strongly in people -- especially writers --
owning their words.
Now you're talking!
I did not see any deleted posts when I first read through the thread you reference earlier this afternoon,
Yes, I had no specific posts in mind. Just that I had read somewhere else that is was done. Seemed reasonable to inquire about that at the same time.
but if posts have been deleted, they will say by whom, and if it was deleted by a mod, a reason will be given.
Okay, I didn't know that. Thank you.
Does that answer your question?
