Are WhiteBlaze Forums less busy this year?

[Alligator]

The fact that I have watched a number of posts be deleted from this thread already might be one aspect. Who wants to post when their posts just get deleted? Completely over moderated website...

What happens is that people just come to stir the pot in threads like this. It's part of the user agreement not to go on about posts that have been deleted.

[rcli4]

I don't think it is over moderation. It is selective moderation. If you go to trailjournals and look at the gearlist from 8 - 10 years ago they carried very little that is carried now. The people that have the freedom to post whatever they want, haven't thru hiked in years. A lot of their info was gathered at hiker feeds from drunk hikers. They are allowed to say anything about anything and if you disagree you are moderated, so you end up with the same thing being said over and over.

Clyde

[Alligator]

I don't think it is over moderation. It is selective moderation. If you go to trailjournals and look at the gearlist from 8 - 10 years ago they carried very little that is carried now. The people that have the freedom to post whatever they want, haven't thru hiked in years. A lot of their info was gathered at hiker feeds from drunk hikers. They are allowed to say anything about anything and if you disagree you are moderated, so you end up with the same thing being said over and over.

Clyde

That's completely untrue. People from across the board have had their posts moderated.

[Alligator]

That's completely untrue. People from across the board have had their posts moderated.

A common theme though is that many who have have engaged in personal attacks on other members.

[rcli4]

That's completely untrue. People from across the board have had their posts moderated.

Your approach proves my point. Thank You sir.

Clyde

[Jester2000]

Which meant that people like me could tell you that you needed to carry at least 48 rolls of tp, a chain saw, 42 condoms (you know, to waterproof your pack), a 7200 CI bag, and a four season mountaineering tent for an overnight trip, and if you were condescending and telling me that I was a jerk, then your post got deleted. Which brings us to today

Well, sure. If a person can't figure out a way to disagree with someone without being condescending, a jerk, or resorting to ad hominem attacks, then they shouldn't find it all that surprising that their posts are deleted.

People incapable of self-moderation tend to have outside moderation imposed upon them. Just like in real life.

[Gray Blazer]

Don't dis da 'gator. He's actually lightened up a lot.

[Alligator]

Your approach proves my point. Thank You sir.

Clyde

Your point was that there is selective moderation and that former thruhikers who gathered information from drunk hikers were free to post and were not moderated. Unusual premise to begin with but no it's not true and your assertion is not proved.

[sasquatch2014]

What happens is that people just come to stir the pot in threads like this. It's part of the user agreement not to go on about posts that have been deleted.

It's like the Amish we are just supposed to shun them and act like they are dead to us.

[rcli4]

Sir,
I said go look at gear list. The things that pass as fact here, because of selected moderation are no longer relevent in some cases. Case in Point, go to articals and look at Mr. Tarlins entry for Erwin and 19E. Both are mostly clouded by his opinion which is factually wrong but allowed to stand because he wrote it. At the time it was written it was contested and the opposing opinions were deleted. This is an arguement I cannot win with an administrator, so to you I say, Good Day, Sir

Clyde

[taildragger]

People incapable of self-moderation tend to have outside moderation imposed upon them. Just like in real life.

Really? I'm very condescending to idiots in real life and no one has moderated me, because the other people were being idiots. Sometimes its good to put someone in their place. Doing it all the time and without merrit, yeah, then you'd get slapped, by a

[Monkeyboy]

Gee, Gator.......answer a person's question as to why numbers are down and you get moderated.........which is considered questioning your power.

Simply stating the fact that you overmoderate isn't questioning as to why said moderation is done.

If it is, then the power has truly gone to your head.

[harryfred]

This thread started out making some valid points, at least giving some things to think about. Now, like a lot of threads, it is going down hill fast. FTR I don't think this is over moderated.

[ChinMusic]

This thread started out making some valid points, at least giving some things to think about. Now, like a lot of threads, it is going down hill fast. FTR I don't think this is over moderated.

Don't ya just hate the steep downhills?

[Monkeyboy]

Which is your opinion. Which is okay to post.

But if you state the downturn in numbers is due to overmoderation, it is deleted.

Simply stating the fact that it just MAY be from overmoderation is considered a violation of Terms.

Didn't question why something was moderated.....just simply gave an opinion that down numbers just MIGHT be from overmoderation.

Sue me for having an opinion.

(waiting for this to be deleted as well.)

[Alligator]

Gee, Gator.......answer a person's question as to why numbers are down and you get moderated.........which is considered questioning your power.

Simply stating the fact that you overmoderate isn't questioning as to why said moderation is done.

If it is, then the power has truly gone to your head.

Time and time again it comes to this power thing. It's not but no matter that I say it's not some of you will always think it is. Whatever. I just try to keep the place civil. That means follow the user agreement please. Having seen threads like this before, I was fairly certain folks would use it as a platform for dredging up past moderation.

[taildragger]

Don't ya just hate the steep downhills?

Thats what poles are for, or toboggins (sp?) if'n you're lucky enough to have some snow

[Monkeyboy]

Time and time again it comes to this power thing. It's not but no matter that I say it's not some of you will always think it is. Whatever. I just try to keep the place civil. That means follow the user agreement please. Having seen threads like this before, I was fairly certain folks would use it as a platform for dredging up past moderation.

Simply stating a point is not questioning authority or attacking anyone's decisions.....it is an opinion.

Thank you for not moderating my opinion.

[The Weasel]

Yes! Or, um, I remember that just a few years ago, the complaint was that lack of moderation meant that new people were turned off by all of the unproductive squabbling, and so didn't post.

It's all so confusing . . .

What happens is that people just come to stir the pot in threads like this. It's part of the user agreement not to go on about posts that have been deleted.

A common theme though is that many who have have engaged in personal attacks on other members.

Gee, Gator.......answer a person's question as to why numbers are down and you get moderated.........which is considered questioning your power.

Simply stating the fact that you overmoderate isn't questioning as to why said moderation is done.

If it is, then the power has truly gone to your head.

As someone who may well be among the leaders in deleted posts, closed threads and generally heavy moderation, I have a few observations:

First, discussions like this end fast when the topic becomes - even in part - whether the level of moderation here is too heavy. The moderators, including Alligator, do not approve of criticism, and their power, whether wielded wisely or not as some might opine, comes from ATTroll, whose site this is, and who has the right to do approve of that level of moderation.

Second, I think quantitatively there is a lower level of posts. There is a certain inhibiting factor to moderation (First Amendment lawyers refer to this as the "chilling effect" of censorship) which keeps people from posting when they have been moderated in the past, even with innocent posts. This means that qualitative nature of many posts goes down, as well.

Lastly, when opinion and feelings need to be left out of posts, what is left is less interesting, as being factual or objective, and hence generates fewer responses. "How much gas do I need to boil a quart of water" isn't a topic that will go on for a long time.

What is left is a fairly innocuous gear-and-locations site, with some psychobabble from all of us about "how does it feel to hike" and so on. In short, it's now very similar to Trailplace before it fell apart (although even TP back then had one 'authorized' viewpoint, which meant it felt a lot like one hand clapping). That's not a bad thing; TP gave me a lot of incentive and information to hike, and did for a lot of others. Of course, TP's downfall was the creation of a raucous, rowdy, crazy, anything-goes site that became a huge success for being that way.

But that was then, and this is now. Value WhiteBlaze for what it is; it is a very useful site for people who need hiking information, especially about the AT.

TW

[Alligator]

MB opinions are not sacrosanct. Without going into specifics, there are limitations for those in the user agreement.