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Author Message
25 new of 299 responses total.
keesan
response 100 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 03:48 UTC 2005

Would it help, Richard, if users were not allowed to send more than maybe 25
mails per hour?  Or more than 1MB per hour?
other
response 101 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 06:41 UTC 2005

I think a /. type rating system requires a critical mass of users we no
longer have.
cyklone
response 102 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 14:10 UTC 2005

Re #98: Read a little closer, junior. While I suspect you're hiding behind
the hypocritical notion that grex is private and therefore you can
continue to "support" anti-censorship by the government while doing
privately the very thing you criticize, in fact the EEF is involved in the
anonymity issue as well. Go to http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Anonymity/ This
link is found on the EEF's *censorship* Blue Ribbon page. That page also
links to http://www.eff.org/Privacy/Anonymity/cyberslapp.php

Historical revisionist bap may also want to visit those pages so he can lose
his massive ignorance about the role of anonymous speech in the history of
America. I won't hold my breath, though.

LOSE THE RIBBON!
spooked
response 103 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 14:15 UTC 2005

Moreover, the twits could create multiple accounts voting off everyone but 
themself/ves.  
tod
response 104 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 16:50 UTC 2005

re #93 & 94
 I think the best solutions are technical solutions that allow people to
 filter out the annoying vandals.
I totally agree.  The best way to deal with the boobs is to shut them out of
your viewing at your discretion.  FW's shouldn't waste time censoring nor
should they feel 'entitled' to censor entire items unless criminal content
is the cause.
remmers
response 105 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 17:48 UTC 2005

Must confess that I don't follow the logic of #102 at all.  The item
deletions of last year, unfortunate though I believe they were, had
nothing to do with the issue of anonymity.

Suppose I have a blog and exert editorial control over comments that
readers enter - e.g. moderate them, or remove off-topic comments, or
remove ad hominem attacks, or don't allow anonymous comments, or
whatever.  Does that mean that I don't support free speech and am
morally enjoined from displaying the EFF blue ribbon?  I don't think so,
and I doubt that the EFF thinks so either.

I'll remind folks that in the aftermath of last year's item deletions, a
policy *was* passed by the members that addresses the issue of when
items may be deleted.  It's arguably not a perfect policy, but in my
opinion if the policy had been in place in January of 2004, the item
deletions that took place then would have been in violation.  So it's
not as if the Grex membership didn't see a problem with the deletions
and refused to take steps to prevent a recurrence.  You can read the
policy here:  http://www.grex.org/grexdoc/archives/votes/vote17

That said, I don't think that fairwitnesses should be given expanded
duties or powers for content control over what they have now.  I think
that'd be an instance of the "cure" being worse than the disease.  I'd
like to see a technical solution that helps users control their
environment here to the degree that they want to, is not too
labor-intensive, and mostly runs itself.  I think that's a harder
problem than it might appear at first glance.  I'm mulling it over but
don't really have any ideas to present at the moment.
richard
response 106 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 18:24 UTC 2005

re #105 remmers said:

"I'd like to see a technical solution that helps users control their
environment here to the degree that they want to, is not too
labor-intensive, and mostly runs itself."

But see the problem isn't with the current regular users, we can deal 
with this stuff or tolerate it.  The problem is with new users, people 
who come to grex for the first time, look at agora full of bs posts and 
they don't participate.  They leave.  Even if everybody has a twit 
filter, the twittified posts are still out there and new users still 
see the twittified posts.  The idea is that the conference needs to be 
cleaned up so that new users, not regular users but NEW users, don't 
come here and see those posts.

My feeling is that the only way to do that is to remove the posts.  If 
a newuser comes here and sees fifteen dozen censored posts that he 
can't read, he is going to wonder what is going on.  Grex needs to be 
concerned with what sort of environment is presented to outsiders, how 
clean do grex's main conferences look to outsiders.  It is an important 
consideration and not something a system wide twit filter is going to 
solve entirely.

I simply think the time has passed where these confs can be essentially 
unmoderated.  It is a nice ideal but we don't live in a perfect world 
and people won't come here and participate in the confs if those confs 
look cluttered and uncontrolled.
richard
response 107 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 18:34 UTC 2005

re #105 http://www.grex.org/grexdoc/archives/votes/vote17

I'd like to see this policy amended to include that any posts 
containing homophobic or racist slang for no good purpose will be 
removed, and any posts reprinting party logs for no good purpose will 
be removed as a rule 
tod
response 108 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 18:34 UTC 2005

re #106
 But see the problem isn't with the current regular users, we can deal
 with this stuff or tolerate it.  The problem is with new users, people
 who come to grex for the first time, look at agora full of bs posts and
 they don't participate.  They leave.  Even if everybody has a twit
 filter, the twittified posts are still out there and new users still
 see the twittified posts.  The idea is that the conference needs to be
 cleaned up so that new users, not regular users but NEW users, don't
 come here and see those posts.
That is censorship.  Go live in China if you don't like free speech.
tod
response 109 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 18:36 UTC 2005

re #107
 I'd like to see this policy amended to include that any posts
 containing homophobic or racist slang for no good purpose will be
 removed, and any posts reprinting party logs for no good purpose will
 be removed as a rule
I'd like to see you get married, enjoy some Richard Pryor videos, and go serve
2 stretches as a cook in the Army but we can't have everything.
richard
response 110 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 19:07 UTC 2005

tod, we don't live in a perfect world and grex can't be perfect.  I 
think grex's conferences, at least agora, are in a deplorable state at 
the moment.  would you rather see users driven away and grex's agora 
become an oasis of meaningless drivel as opposed to having the least 
little bit of censorship?  I think you are applying too broad a 
standard for censorship.  It is one thing to censor one's opinions, it 
is quite another to censor meanspirited foul mouthed crap.  Grex should 
be taking care of its confs, not running them on autopilot and watching 
them die
albaugh
response 111 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 19:13 UTC 2005

> FW's shouldn't feel 'entitled' to censor entire items
> unless criminal content is the cause.

I don't agree that this is the only reason for which FW's could / should 
retire or delete items.
tod
response 112 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 19:33 UTC 2005

re #110
 would you rather see users driven away and grex's agora
 become an oasis of meaningless drivel as opposed to having the least
 little bit of censorship?
"little bit of censorship"?  How do you regulate such a thing when you begin
restricting and infringing on the freedom to read and speak everyone's
expressions?  Your desire for a false sense of security in gaining new users
ignores the current user and membership's desire for unmitigated discussions.
I would not feel comfortable giving the right of censorship to the staff. 
Grex has already proven that it does not care to restore discussions and
instead prefers to diguise its censorship as favoritism for "friends."
richard
response 113 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 20:27 UTC 2005

staff already HAS the right of censorship.  It has censored items in 
the past.  It will no doubt censor items in the future.  I had an item 
censored in agora over a year ago, not by a fw but by staff 
(specifically marcus watts), because I had copied over a portion of an 
mnet item into a grex item during a discussion of who owns copyright on 
posts.  Grex is not publicly owned, it is a PRIVATE corporation, owned 
by its membership.  So posting on grex is not like speaking on a 
sidewalk, it is like posting to a privately owned bulletin board.  Grex 
posting is a PRIVILEDGE, it is not a right.  

Certain users have repeatedly abused that priviledge.  I am saying that 
the board/staff of grex have the right to not condone that.  If they 
want to insist on more moderation of the confs, or add a few more 
restrictions on posts that won't be tolerated, that is their right and 
prerogative.  You have the right to join Grex and vote against the 
board members who do this if you want.  

My feeling is that the users of Grex are so beholded to the idea of 
having no rules and no censorship that they bully the board/staff into 
not taking care of Grex, or more specifically, its conferences, at 
all.  

I think that nothing is wrong with Grex requiring a few basic standards 
of behaviour in exchange for the priviledge of posting here.  Such as 

1. don't re-post party transcripts in a conference without the 
permissions of the other people involved in that chat.  people should 
be able to chat on Party to the small group of people on Party at that 
time, without being concerned that anything they say might be cut and 
pasted, their words taken entirely out of context, and posted into 
Agora or some other conference.  Why should Grex tolerate this?  

2. grex need not tolerate somebody posting an item on grex just to call 
another person a vulgar term for homosexual, or a vulgar term for the 
female anatomy or such.  Requiring a little taste and decorum does not 
equal censorship.  Censorship would be disallowing a topic altogether.  

I'd be against a systemwide twit filter because even some users who are 
twits can learn to post reasonable posts.  People can grow up.  It 
happens.  Look at Ryan, he's a good quality member and poster now, 
because he has gotten older, but he was a little kid once years back 
who used to have heat with staff.  People change.  I'd rather have 
moderators enforcing a few common sense rules, than have filter upon 
filter upon filter.  It doesn't look good to have all these filtered 
posts, and I think some of the people pushing this are techies who are 
searching for a technical solution for what ISN'T a technical problem.  
The more filters you put up the more you encourage people to try and 
find ways around them.  I'm saying deal with the issue rather than 
continually trying to block the issue and pretend it doesn't exist.   
tod
response 114 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 21:37 UTC 2005

re #113
 You have the right to join Grex and vote against the
 board members who do this if you want.
I am/have been a member, ran for Board, and do vote on these issues.  I'm here
discussing it right now, too.  I do not agree that staff has carte blanche
censorship rights.
richard
response 115 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 21:58 UTC 2005

It isn't a matter of staff having "rights", its a matter of staff 
having no restrictions.  I am not aware of the board having many set 
rules for staff.  valerie mates was staff and she removed all of her 
past posts, and deleted entire items that she had created, because 
nobody told her she couldn't do it.  If staff does not have explicit 
restrictions against doing something, they have implied carte blanche 
rights to do it.  It is up to the board to reign in staff if it is 
deemed necessary.  But it is not a matter of "rights", everybody has 
privileges here, nobody has any "rights" here.  This is a private 
system supplied by its members for open public use.  
cyklone
response 116 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 23:08 UTC 2005

Re #105: If you don't understand the logic, go to the EFF site and maybe it
will be clearer. The EFF equates censorship with restrictions on free speech.
It also mentions that the ability to remain anonymous is also a worthwhile
goal that not only furthers free speech but also has a deep historical
tradition in the birth of the US. Your example of a blog is a private matter
that would not be tolerated if done by the government. As a private citizen
you are free to do so. I am merely pointing out the hypocrisy in claiming to
support preventing government censorship while doing so privately. That is
not a legal argument, it is a moral one. Comprende?

Lose the ribbon; ya'll are hypocrites.
richard
response 117 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 23:14 UTC 2005

#116 cyklone, grex is under no obligation to meet any "moral" 
standard.  Grex can be hypocritical if it pleases to do so.  Nobody has 
any rights here.  If you want the priviledge of posting here, you 
should be willing to accept any rules grex imposes
scholar
response 118 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 1 23:52 UTC 2005

How does "accept any rules grex imposes" mesh with your previous contention
that people who don't like the rules ought to stand up to them?
tod
response 119 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 2 01:12 UTC 2005

re #117
From the 501c3 application: 

"Grex provides a wide range of services to the community that further the
mission of Cyberspace Communications: "  
line 2 states
"2. A simple registration process enables users coming in from either the
dial-in lines or the Internet to create Grex accounts for themselves. This
process is designed to be as barrier-free as possible, encouraging the widest
possible range of users to access our system. Users are not required to pay
any fees, nor are they required to give any information about themselves.
Accounts are created immediately and there is no delay in gaining access...."
"...Our open registration policy also supports our educational mission."
line 4 further states
"..Our broader educational mission is served by providing and maintaining
these discussion forums where the content is entirely generated by the users.
The wide range of users attracted by our open access policy ensures a wide
range of knowledge and opinion. On-line forums are very effective in drawing
people with diverse backgrounds into shared discussions..."

I don't see the word CENSORSHIP in there.  I see "wide range of knowledge and
opinion."

Are you saying Grex should ditch it's 501c3 status?
coopconference
response 120 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 2 01:25 UTC 2005

I think filters are a very bad idea, as they can confuse and leave uninformed
a user who has already questionable intelligence.  Consider user ryan, a
person who matches the above criterion.  Read very carefully what user naftee
wrote, and what he wrote immediately afterwards (he has a filter that prevents
him reading what user naftee writes):

---- naftee joining (Apr  1 20:06)
naftee:    whoops
naftee:    i think i filled up /var :(
naftee:
---- naftee leaving (Apr  1 20:07)
munkey:   nice
ryan:
ryan:     hmm
ryan:     var is full
---- tod leaving (Apr  1 20:13)
cyklone
response 121 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 2 02:16 UTC 2005

Re #117: Yes, Richard, I already know grex fails in the moral standards
department. Your honesty is refreshing inasmuch is you implicitly recognize
in your statement that the Blue Ribbon is not fit to be displayed on Grex.
If others would be as enlightened as you, and recognize grex for what it is,
a personal playground for the favored few, the removal of the Blue Ribbon
would not even be subject to debate.

Lose the Ribbon!
naftee
response 122 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 2 03:53 UTC 2005

who shot the sherrif
f
cross
response 123 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 2 03:53 UTC 2005

I agree.  Let's ditch the blue ribbon.  Call a spade a spade.
scholar
response 124 of 299: Mark Unseen   Apr 2 04:56 UTC 2005

But first we have to call the deputy.
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