Chip
07-29-2002, 11:27 AM
Well, I just made a difficult decision and removed a thread that in my opinion (and in the opinion of another person whom I highly respect) went over the line in terms of derogatory comments about someone associated (indirectly) with Nickel Creek.
Since I don't know the person who was the target of the comments, I'm not in a position to judge the accuracy of the statements made. They may well be truthful, I don't know... but they were based on secondhand information, and, as such, fall in the realm of gossip... which we try to avoid here.
Additionally, I received email indicating that several others who know the person firsthand strongly disagreed with the comments made, and since that email contained firsthand knowledge rather than secondhand info, I opted to go with my gut and remove the offending thread.
It's always a difficult task moderating a forum like this... we don't want to restrict anyone's right to state their opinion, and spirited discussion of opposing views is fine, but we also don't want gossip or axe-grinding to tarnish someone's reputation... and we now have a *lot* of people reading the forums, including a fairly large number of younger teens, so we're trying to be sensitive to the nature of the discussions here so that the forum remains appropriate for everyone. I try to think of evaluating posts in terms of the Golden Rule.
I don't hold any bad feelings or concern toward the original poster; I think may be just a case of a new poster not really having a good handle on the informal (and mostly undocumented) guidelines that most of our contributors follow.
Please email me privately (chip at nickelcreek dot info) if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
Thanks!!
Chip
Since I don't know the person who was the target of the comments, I'm not in a position to judge the accuracy of the statements made. They may well be truthful, I don't know... but they were based on secondhand information, and, as such, fall in the realm of gossip... which we try to avoid here.
Additionally, I received email indicating that several others who know the person firsthand strongly disagreed with the comments made, and since that email contained firsthand knowledge rather than secondhand info, I opted to go with my gut and remove the offending thread.
It's always a difficult task moderating a forum like this... we don't want to restrict anyone's right to state their opinion, and spirited discussion of opposing views is fine, but we also don't want gossip or axe-grinding to tarnish someone's reputation... and we now have a *lot* of people reading the forums, including a fairly large number of younger teens, so we're trying to be sensitive to the nature of the discussions here so that the forum remains appropriate for everyone. I try to think of evaluating posts in terms of the Golden Rule.
I don't hold any bad feelings or concern toward the original poster; I think may be just a case of a new poster not really having a good handle on the informal (and mostly undocumented) guidelines that most of our contributors follow.
Please email me privately (chip at nickelcreek dot info) if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
Thanks!!
Chip