5 replies to this topic

[compar]

Wow! What a spirited debate -- that's the nice word for it -- we had in the 'article' section of the forum discussing ethical SEO. The thread is closed now and that is probably good because it had run it's course. But it sure was interesting to see a thread with this much heat and emotional energy.

I would say this. I think this thread shows how quickly this forum has matured. I think if this type of debate had been attempted even two weeks ago the moderators would have stopped in dead after a very few posts.

Hurrah to all involved for their long suffering and patience even if it wasn't always obvious by their replys under fire.

Two weeks ago I told a moderator that I thought s/he was probably right about something and the moderator told me in no uncertains that s/he was absolutely right and locked the topic. Today this debate was allowed to proceed virtually unfettered for 101 replies. That's great. I hope it points to the future direction and tolerance of this forum.

[Jill]

Don't get too excited there, Bob.

These things depend more upon who happens to be online that day, their general mood, and numerous other factors.

We really have no interested in closing topics down, but occasionally, it is for the best, even if there aren't that many posts.

I've seen too many threads in my lifetime that go around in circles, get personal, and are of no value other than the shock they provide. I'd personally like to avoid those types, and would rather close the threads before they get to that point.

The other thread did okay, but that was with the help of some careful editing on my part. Had I not edited some things, the thread would have seriously degenerated right from the start.

It did finally get back on to some sort of track, at least. So that was good.

[compar]

Don't get too excited there, Bob.

These things depend more upon who happens to be online that day, their general mood, and numerous other factors. 

We really have no interested in closing topics down, but occasionally, it is for the best, even if there aren't that many posts.

I still maintain you would have shut it down rather than done your judicial editing even as recently as two weeks ago. You shut a thread down on me that never got anywhere near as vitriolic as this one.

So I applaud your patience and say keep up the good work.

[deborah2002]

Well, I watched the "debate" the way a lot of folks around here did...with morbid fascination (read: train wreck).

As far as shutting it down, I was wondering when that was going to happen myself. There is a fine line between a "debate" and a "fight", and at times I wasn't sure what to label that thread.

Debates are great, they make people think and you can get some very interesting responses from them. What happened on that thread, with the exception of some very enlightening and well thought out posts (most notably from Ian and Haystack), was nothing more than some guy who wanted to use this forum to start some trouble and found the opportunity to do so. That's unfortunate, as I personally find this forum not only enlightening and extremely helpful, but a place where professionals who know how to play by the rules hang out. To degrade such a place is a travesty.

Jill, on a personal note, I gotta say you took the high ground (I don't think I'd have been able to!). Handling situations with dignity and grace, no matter how much mud slinging is going on, is a true revelation of character. Hats off to you.

Just my deep thought for the morning. Have a good one, everyone!

deb

[Jill]

Thanks, Deb!

One thing I do want to avoid on this forum is mudslinging. There will always be some who come in to stir up trouble, so it gets a bit tricky at times. After posting on other forums for so many years though, you do learn some tricks of the trade for handling things. And you learn how you'd like to run your own forum as compared to how others run forums. Hard to get the exact right balance, but all you can do is try your best!

Regarding me personally, my life is pretty much an open book online with my newsletter and my forum postings, so there's really not much people can dig up on me that I haven't already said myself!

Jill

[dragonlady7]

I think it's impossible to escape that kind of thread-- it will happen every now and then on just about any forum. And if things like that don't happen now and then because the mods are so tight, then real honest useful debates are at risk of being prevented as well. I actually missed the entire thread-- the subject just never looked appealing enough for me to actually bother clicking on it despite the rising number of posts in the thread, but it's probably just as well.

There's a certain satisfaction to taking the high ground, and a certain satisfaction to applauding the high ground.