Guideline clarifications

[Malenfant]

Moreover, notice that despite our repeated clashes, Malenfant and I never manage to ignore each other for longer periods in forum discussions!

Well that's pretty impossible to do anyway - sometimes we're posting on threads about subjects that we're both interested in. It's not exactly fair on either of us to not contribute to that thread if the other is already there!

[LordFerret]

I think debate of an issue is healthy especially when between differing opinions, it's how we both learn and understand things as seen by the other. But the moment it becomes personal, with personal slights against one another (IE: namecalling, intentionally rude or crude insulting comments, or profanity), it's no longer debate of an issue - it's personal, an argument, and that leaves no room for others to continue the good debate, and as such has no place here.

My 2-cents.

[Andy74]

Of course there always exist different opinions about what should be allowed or not. So many people of different age, background, nationality etc are using these forums.
But if there exist certain rules - and as a matter of fact they do exist - they must be obeyed by everybody here, whether they like it or not.
As I see it, Selden does his job strictly according to these rules, and that is what he is supposed to do. I think, his job is quite a hard one and no one in this place could do it better than he!

[t00fri]

Of course there always exist different opinions about what should be allowed or not. So many people of different age, background, nationality etc are using these forums.
But if there exist certain rules - and as a matter of fact they do exist - they must be obeyed by everybody here, whether they like it or not.
As I see it, Selden does his job strictly according to these rules, and that is what he is supposed to do. I think, his job is quite a hard one and no one in this place could do it better than he!

Andy74,

I think you are "oversimplifying the real problem away"!

As I repeatedly stated, most of the active users of this forum are friendly and in a way educated people who just have a natural sense of how to behave!

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With this prerequisite, the above-discussed problematics only occurs, if some smallish violation of the formal rules arises in a thread of general interest!
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Your above statement, did not at all refer to this relevant case for some reason...Perhaps you overlooked the main point?

Anyway, in such a conflicting situation, the moderator has to weigh the formal application of the rules against using his common sense: since locking important threads always disrupts important communication flows!

A number of people (including myself) also feel uncomfortable, if a moderator who is by no means more qualified than the rest of us, is deciding such problematic issues in a way the Pope usually handles issues of faith

Bye Fridger

[Malenfant]

As I've often pointed out before from experience on a lot of forums, moderators have no obligation to be "friendly". Qualifications have nothing to do with being a moderator - whether you're a fully trained expert in a subject or a 15 year old still at school, or if you've been on a board for years or are a new user - you must follow the same rules of conduct and you should be treated in exactly the same way if you break them. If the same rules are applied to everyone in the same way, it remains fair for everyone.

I know that some people are very uncomfortable with that concept, but that's how it goes. If you want order, it needs to be enforced in the same way for everyone - otherwise you have this subjective, wishy-washy, ill-defined two-tier system where new people are expected to stick to the rules and regulars expect to be able to get away with breaking them whenever they like. And that is neither right nor fair on anyone.