In my humble opinion some of the moderators here have been overzealous in exercising their moderation duties, and in particular in regards to thread locking. These are threads that, from my perspective at least, and in threads I've been personally involved in, barely register as lukewarm on the flame-o-meter.
It's one thing if there are insults, flames, or otherwise unproductive comments being dispensed with abandon, but I personally make great effort to make my arguments succinctly, and without resorting to ad hominems or any other type of personal attack. I also don't feel I have ever been personally attacked here, and have felt the discussion to be generally productive and respectful. And yet, a handful of discussions I have been directly involved in have been the subject of moderation, often without any warning given from a moderator prior.
Now, I don't want to tell you how to run the place, but it seems to me that if you're really on board with a philosophy of open and honest discussion, of vibrant debate and the airing of a range of perspectives, you may want to rethink some of the moderation policies currently in effect.Perhaps dispense warnings judiciously at first, and reserve thread locks for the most egregious offenses. As it is, it's hard to express opinions that are even a little bit controversial without feeling like a mod might step in and censor you. Is that really the kind of community we want to be?
It's one thing if there are insults, flames, or otherwise unproductive comments being dispensed with abandon, but I personally make great effort to make my arguments succinctly, and without resorting to ad hominems or any other type of personal attack. I also don't feel I have ever been personally attacked here, and have felt the discussion to be generally productive and respectful. And yet, a handful of discussions I have been directly involved in have been the subject of moderation, often without any warning given from a moderator prior.
Now, I don't want to tell you how to run the place, but it seems to me that if you're really on board with a philosophy of open and honest discussion, of vibrant debate and the airing of a range of perspectives, you may want to rethink some of the moderation policies currently in effect.Perhaps dispense warnings judiciously at first, and reserve thread locks for the most egregious offenses. As it is, it's hard to express opinions that are even a little bit controversial without feeling like a mod might step in and censor you. Is that really the kind of community we want to be?
