Quote:
Originally posted by cgiles:
As a JUNIOR Member, i've already figured out that my opinion means little or nothing but I'll offer these observations anyway. On most boards such as this, we say that it is about the music. In truth, boards of long duration where a strong cyber-community has developed, invariably become about the people. As in all such communities, strong personalities will emerge. These are usually people who have little or no power in their personal lives OR....just arrogant SOB's that can't tolerate any opinion that deviates from their own. Most newbies venture onto boards such as these looking for "personalized" information on some product they either own or are considering owning. They soon find out the true "personality" of the board and learn that for the first year or so it's better to just read and not post (I'm a slow learner). To Roel, I would say that although I agree with your sentiments, you have to understand that in order to have the freedom to express your opinion, you have to afford the same freedom to the "other guy", no matter how distasteful his opinion may be to you. The real balancing act though, falls to the site administrator, who must decide when to pull the plug. TOO much censorship and you've got a very stagnant (and boring) board. Not enough and you'll see the rapid emergence of the "board bully". Personally, I feel that deleting a thread should be an act of last resort (personal attacks, abusive language, etc.). It's impossible to regulate ourselves into a perfect world, especially through agressive censorship. There is no denying the strong conservative leanings of this board, probably consistent with the overall age group, and the general lack of tolerance for anything other than "'ol fashioned values". That's okay, one can always just scan for tech info and move on....but, in my opinion, the viability of a board lies in the diversity of it's members.

chas


Well said!
_________________________
TTG