Increase in threads getting locked/deleted?

[maxiesmom]

I've noticed that even if they are not locking threads they are deleting a lot of the posts. Half of a thread will vanish with no explanation.

 

[FireMarshallBill]

I wouldn't believe everything you read on the internet. And if I'm thinking about the same thing you're talking about, I believe all that happened many years ago.

The ones you are thinking of from a few years ago appears to have been a massive 'clean up' that by most accounts was warranted.

The ones I've been reading have occurred over the last two or three months. They seem credible because they are rich with details easily confirmed by reading their corresponding posts on these forums.

I've been personally surprised (and a bit disappointed) as to who some of them are because I used to read their contributions with a high level of interest and found their views well thought out and respectful of others even if they didn't agree with popular opinion.

I visit and read the boards for the intelligent and meaningful discussions one could look forward to finding here. If threads are purposefully reduced to only those consisting of pixie dust and praise, I'll lose interest rather quickly.

 

[FireMarshallBill]

I've noticed that even if they are not locking threads they are deleting a lot of the posts. Half of a thread will vanish with no explanation.

I've noticed that too and at first thought I was having some sort of reading comprehension issue! It was only when I realized that the posts others were referring to or that had changed the route of discussion had been deleted did the thread itself start to make any sense.

This is not the only Internet forum I'm interested in. I'm sure that is true for others as well. So when one of them begins to deviate from common convention in regards to what is acceptable and what is not, it is highly visible to us.

I think the very existence of this thread and the questions it asks are signs of that.

 

[Peachkins]

I don't read or post on the Dis nearly as much as I used to, but even I've noticed a number of threads getting locked or deleted. I've also seen threads with comments from the moderators telling everyone to play nice when the posts made really don't seem to warrant them. Personally I don't think a thread should ever be deleted unless there is some super questionable content on it. If you want to close it to new comments, fine, but don't just erase it like it never existed.

I too posted on the trip report thread that someone else mentioned further back, and I'm quite upset that the entire thread was deleted given some of the possibly valid concerns that were brought forth.

 

[NewRVLady]

Peachkins- at the very least there should be a Caution , IMO, about strangers meeting up at WDW- on the DiS Meet board

 

[JanaDee]

Chiming in at the risk of being punished for it, but I agree with you. I won't name names, but yes, I feel like a couple of moderators have been jumping in even before anything really heads south to remind us to "play nice", which I find condescending. I won't quote those posts but I'm sure some veterans know what I'm talking about. It feels like Kindergarten. I agree with avoiding personal attacks, but if you're only allowed to make comments that agree with or commend a poster, that's not much of a "discussion".

I too have been kind of teetering on the fence of whether or not to stay or go as of late, and if that's the new environment here, I'll probably just go.

I've had something similar happen on a board I was a member of for many years. A new administrator came in and was very heavy-handed. Six months later, the board was dead because everyone left. I check back on that board occasionally and the same admin is still there and that particular forum (similar to the CB, but everything was allowed to be discussed) is lucky if it gets a few new posts a week.

 

[Luv2Run]

I've had something similar happen on a board I was a member of for many years. A new administrator came in and was very heavy-handed. Six months later, the board was dead because everyone left. I check back on that board occasionally and the same admin is still there and that particular forum (similar to the CB, but everything was allowed to be discussed) is lucky if it gets a few new posts a week.

This happened on another board that I was a member of, as well. The mods started favoring the complainers, shut down the board to new members, and every conversation dwindled down to just a few posters "playing nice". BORING! I'm not saying we need controversy to feel entertained, but we should feel free to speak our minds. If this type of micromanaging continues, the same thing will happen here. It's inevitable.

If a thread is in violation of the terms of use, fine, shut it down. But I really don't see how it is ethical to shut a thread down simply because the OP doesn't get the answers they want and goes crying to the mods. Mods should only step in when there is a direct violation, not because someone's feelers are hurt. Mods shouldn't have to feel pressured to be Captain Save-A-Newb.

 

[robinb]

I've had something similar happen on a board I was a member of for many years. A new administrator came in and was very heavy-handed. Six months later, the board was dead because everyone left. I check back on that board occasionally and the same admin is still there and that particular forum (similar to the CB, but everything was allowed to be discussed) is lucky if it gets a few new posts a week.

Do you know that website Bidding For Travel? It used to be a really hopping site with all kinds of great information about winning Priceline bids. Those winning bids were the moderator's bread and butter, it is what brought people to her website and gave her advertisers clicks. Then, Sheryl got extremely heavy handed and started to ban people left and right for the slightest of reasons. The website is now a shell of what it used to be.

 

[Sparkly]

Totally agree. A million years ago, it way more boisterous than it is now, yet it seems like all of a sudden lately, if you have a contrary opinion, you get points and your hands slapped. Very hypersensitive!

It doesn't help that some posters feel very thin skinned. If you can't handle opinions that do not match your own, get off a discussion board.

 

[Allison]

Do you know that website Bidding For Travel? It used to be a really hopping site with all kinds of great information about winning Priceline bids. Those winning bids were the moderator's bread and butter, it is what brought people to her website and gave her advertisers clicks. Then, Sheryl got extremely heavy handed and started to ban people left and right for the slightest of reasons. The website is now a shell of what it used to be.

I have heard about her and have never even been on the site.

 

[JanaDee]

Do you know that website Bidding For Travel? It used to be a really hopping site with all kinds of great information about winning Priceline bids. Those winning bids were the moderator's bread and butter, it is what brought people to her website and gave her advertisers clicks. Then, Sheryl got extremely heavy handed and started to ban people left and right for the slightest of reasons. The website is now a shell of what it used to be.

I have never visited that site, but Sheryl is famous all over the internet for her behavior.

 

[mousehockey37]

It doesn't help that some posters feel very thin skinned. If you can't handle opinions that do not match your own, get off a discussion board.

This.

There are different kinds of people here. There are ones that will 100% agree with you, there are ones that will 100% disagree with you and everything in between. Most of us (if not all) have had discussions where we hash it out with a poster in one thread in disagreement, then head over to another thread and are 100% on the same page. It happens. People are entitled to opinions as long as it's held in a meaningful manner.

Yes, there will be people who get under your skin and it may seem offensive (which it may or may not be), but chances are: if you say something and get an "offensive" remark, which is then backed up by other posters, it's probably not that offensive. Granted, there are those that are here to cause trouble, but alas, there is the IGNORE functionality. Use it. It saves the mods time and you won't be "offended" at anything from that particular poster in the future.

Again, however, if you find that "everyone is out to get you here" regardless of what you post, it may be time to look at how you phrase things or the content of what you are posting.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Do you know that website Bidding For Travel? It used to be a really hopping site with all kinds of great information about winning Priceline bids. Those winning bids were the moderator's bread and butter, it is what brought people to her website and gave her advertisers clicks. Then, Sheryl got extremely heavy handed and started to ban people left and right for the slightest of reasons. The website is now a shell of what it used to be.

I did not know this...but it explains why the forum was so dead when I checked it before bidding on a priceline rental car. Thanks for the background info.

 

[wysterial]

The thing I hate is you can't see your points, or when they expire. I have gotten to the point on these boards that now when I Pm someone and we want to stay in touch, we exchange e-mail addresses, for fear that someone will get punished.

I have seen posts on the Tech forum where Disers ask about their points , but the moderators ignore the questions.

A fellow Diser received points for a post on a FP+ thread. When they asked the moderator to provide the post, got banned from the boards for 10 days. Now you know why I rely on e-mail. It's the only way I knew this had happened.

I don't understand why asking a simple question results in unwarranted backlash from certain moderators. If we don't know which post was viewed as offensive enough to earn points and be removed, how are we going to avoid a repetition of the same mistakes?

 

[Peachkins]

The thing I hate is you can't see your points, or when they expire. I have gotten to the point on these boards that now when I Pm someone and we want to stay in touch, we exchange e-mail addresses, for fear that someone will get punished.

I have seen posts on the Tech forum where Disers ask about their points , but the moderators ignore the questions.

A fellow Diser received points for a post on a FP+ thread. When they asked the moderator to provide the post, got banned from the boards for 10 days. Now you know why I rely on e-mail. It's the only way I knew this had happened.

I don't understand why asking a simple question results in unwarranted backlash from certain moderators. If we don't know which post was viewed as offensive enough to earn points and be removed, how are we going to avoid a repetition of the same mistakes?

You haven't gotten in trouble for something in a PM, have you? That would just be wrong.

 

[JanaDee]

You haven't gotten in trouble for something in a PM, have you? That would just be wrong.

My PM's on the board don't extend beyond 2 posts...anything more than that and we exchange email addresses.

 

[Barnabe]

My PM's on the board don't extend beyond 2 posts...anything more than that and we exchange email addresses.

Same here' I'm not worried about my PM's being censored, but I am worried about losing my ability to pm due to loss of privileges on the site. It's just a little insurance. You see, most of my friends do not like FP+ and that opinion seems to result in a lot of penalty points.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

The thing I hate is you can't see your points, or when they expire. I have gotten to the point on these boards that now when I Pm someone and we want to stay in touch, we exchange e-mail addresses, for fear that someone will get punished.

I have seen posts on the Tech forum where Disers ask about their points , but the moderators ignore the questions.

A fellow Diser received points for a post on a FP+ thread. When they asked the moderator to provide the post, got banned from the boards for 10 days. Now you know why I rely on e-mail. It's the only way I knew this had happened.

I don't understand why asking a simple question results in unwarranted backlash from certain moderators. If we don't know which post was viewed as offensive enough to earn points and be removed, how are we going to avoid a repetition of the same mistakes?

What do you mean you can't see your points? In that case, how would someone know that they received them, and what types of things they need to avoid posting in the future? I'm so confused about how all this works. Lol.

 

[SirDuff]

What do you mean you can't see your points? In that case, how would someone know that they received them, and what types of things they need to avoid posting in the future? I'm so confused about how all this works. Lol.

Not sure about the not seeing your points part, but points are outlined here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/guidelines.htm

Sorry, I cannot paste the table nicely. But this shows the "violation", the number of points you get for it, and how many days it is before it expires.

Title Points Expires
Argumentative Sarcastic Posts
10 15 Day(s)
Unapproved Advertisement 20 15 Day(s)
Minor Personal Attack 20 15 Day(s)
Political/Religious Comment 20 15 Day(s)
Inappropriate Link 30 30 Day(s)
Filter Violation 30 30 Day(s)
Restarting a closed thread 30 30 Day(s)
Major Personal Attack 40 30 Day(s)
Attack on a moderator 60 30 Day(s)
Registered to Spam 100 Never
Posting Pornography 100 Never
Posting under another user name while banned 100 Never

And what happens at different point levels (points are cumulative).

• 
  Penalties:
• 40 points - Unable to send private messages and cannot have a signature until the points expire
• 60 points - 10 day ban
• 80 points - 1 month ban
• 100 points - Permanent ban

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Not sure about the not seeing your points part, but points are outlined here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/guidelines.htm

Sorry, I cannot paste the table nicely. But this shows the "violation", the number of points you get for it, and how many days it is before it expires.

Title Points Expires
Argumentative Sarcastic Posts
10 15 Day(s)
Unapproved Advertisement 20 15 Day(s)
Minor Personal Attack 20 15 Day(s)
Political/Religious Comment 20 15 Day(s)
Inappropriate Link 30 30 Day(s)
Filter Violation 30 30 Day(s)
Restarting a closed thread 30 30 Day(s)
Major Personal Attack 40 30 Day(s)
Attack on a moderator 60 30 Day(s)
Registered to Spam 100 Never
Posting Pornography 100 Never
Posting under another user name while banned 100 Never

And what happens at different point levels (points are cumulative).

• 
  Penalties:
• 40 points - Unable to send private messages and cannot have a signature until the points expire
• 60 points - 10 day ban
• 80 points - 1 month ban
• 100 points - Permanent ban

Yeah, I've read the points guidelines before but I was confused by the PP's comment that you can't see them or know when they expire. I guess my question is about the process of them being doled out. I had assumed you'd get a PM from a Mod that was something like:

You've been given XX points for [insert violation here] that will expire on [date]. They offending post is copied below:
"Blah, blah, personal attack, blah, political statement, blah, blah, follow this link and donate to my worthy cause."