Expecting Rain

I know it contradicts your outline on page 4. I don't think that your outline is a good way to build a comunity of shared values. I do think it is a good way to build in an institutional distrust of moderators. I wouldn't think that's what anybody is after.

Lots of truth there. Thanks, UGP.

I agree.

I don't understand. I shouldn't have quoted Eddie's post? (An old dog trying to learn new tricks....)

I am also having a little trouble figuring this one out too. If someone posts while you're composing a response, you're to go back and edit your post but as you do that someone else posts and so on until there's no hope of commenting on "the previous post" you meant to comment on in the first place. I'm not trying to argue with you, I am honestly trying to figure out how you want us to do this.

I have read the rules and they seem quite fair. I have also read UPG entry about how they are too restrictive.... Have you considered that if you start pulling down the walls of the tunnel you will simply have it fall in our head? This is not the town square owned by all, it is a meeting place provided by a good soul for use of all of us... if we behave. You question 'is this a Bob Dylan site'.... ever been to a concert.... he's got rules... no cameras no recording equipment... and I have seen his security force in action.... they don't put up with crap.... it is their way or the hi-way. So the sooner we all get with the program, the sooner we get back to talking about fun stuff....

I urge everyone to read the most recent (June 20th) version of the Terms, and stop commenting on the first version (June 17th).

I agree 100% w/ Claudette on this point. No one except the mods should be able to do this.

I agree. Someone once said "This is the most intelligent group of people gathered in one place since the night Thomas Jefferson dined alone." Eddie's multi-postings alone on his own topics are often the most brilliant threads on ER and treasured by many. I hope he will be allowed to carry on as usual.

I also would not summarily ban "animated avatars", only those deemed in poor taste. Several of the great animated avatars mentioned earlier here could have been viewed without harm by a small child. The "cat monorail" avatar, for example, was a wonderful piece of art. If someone here is talented enough to create a tiny work of art for their avatar, it would be a pity for such talent to be stifled.

Rules are needed but they should also allow for exceptions to be made for members who possess unique gifts they are generous enough to share with the ER community. Eddie's talent is rare, and those members (I apologize for not remembering their names) who created the "Street Legal In Traffic" and "cat monorail" animated avatars contributed original art to the site for no purpose other than to delight it's members, and their avatars caused no disruptions or offense. To create rules that tie the hands of the most original and talented members will make this a much duller place, for no discernible reason. Can't some of the "content" rules be "bent" on a case by case basis?

Banish creativity and you banish life. Surely those restrictions would diminish the site when real talent is in evidence?

I can't speak for anyone else but I was quoting and did comment on "the most recent (June 20th) version of the Terms"

So there was a row or something? I don't know a thing about it. I read the Dylan stuff and keep abreast of all things Bob. That's it.

Just tell me the rules and I'll give a smart salute.

Hope you're open for business soon.

You really have to wonder what goes on in some people's minds that they get to the extreme point where they have to be banned. I've been here for a year and have had some minor disagreements and as embarressed as I am to admit it, a little name calling but my experience was it took away from my enjoyment of the site and also I said to myself would I behave this way if the person were in front of me( and I'm not referring to being physically harmed if I mouthed off) and the answer was no. I was hopefully raised better and am a little more mature than to have to resort to name calling to get my point across.

Though I only saw a tiny bit of what went down it isunbelievable that people show so little respect for the site and those who run it that they succeed in getting the whole thing down as if to say this is all about ME

Oh Mercy and Claudette,

Why should people not be able to PM? Is it hurting anyone else if me and one other person like to talk to each other through PMs every day? No.

I agree. Ban pm's. What the hell for. private communication = bad

Your quoting was fine. I was referring to what you were wuoting. As emphasised earlier:
If someone posts to a thread while you are composing a response, you will be warned and given a chance to edit your post if necessary.
Alongside this warning you will see the new posts, and be able to determine whether or not you need to make any changes to your post to make sure its meaning is not lost.

You can turn Private Messages OFF in your User Control Panel.

User Control Panel / Board Preferences / Allow Users to Send You Private Messages / Yes-No

I think most of the communication made public here should be done in Private Messages. It has little if any public value.

This post is a great example^^

Madcow - I thought I'd quoted Eddie on a different point he was making. I'll learn...

I haven't read through all the past 13 pages but I'm wondering if anyone has made what I think may be the most parsimonious suggestion.

I have had many jobs in my life and I underwent a sort of evolution as regards situation like the current one at ER. It used to be that when TPTB suddenly implemented a new set of rules and regs for no particular good reason I was one of the people who would fight tooth and nail over every little point, no matter how minor.

But later I finally came to understand that if I just agree with everything, and then proceed as if nothing whatsoever has changed it almost always works.

So..... The people who are saying that they will stop posting out of fear of breaking one of the 1001 new rules, look.... WHAT IF you just ignore all of it and post as if nothing has changed? If there really is some new pseudo-Catholic-fascist regime in place waiting to suddenly appear like the Spanish Inquisition ("No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!") then let them -- I don't see any difference between no posting and being banned from posting. In other words, I see no difference between a self-imposed or site-imposed ban. "A ban by any other name would free up as much time...."

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

When the smoke clears and the dust settles, anyone who finds him or herself banned or threatened will have been doing something that, before these new rules, would have resulted in being banned or threatened.

IF YOU IGNORE THESE CHANGES, SMILE, AND DO WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE ANYWAY, IT WILL ALL BE OK.

If all you post are odd and pointless images you found on the web because you have the mind of a 3 year old on a lead paint diet maybe you should be warned, told to stop, and given the old heave ho if you don't.

And while I'm at it, since there's a house cleaning going on, maybe somebody can fix the censor program that allows me to type "penis" "cock" "dick" "weiner" and "one-eyed love monkey" but doesn't allow me to type "x" or "x" or "x" or "x" or anything that even suggests that women have genitals too. Hardly seems fair.

So........... remember........ Nothing to see here, go on about your business.

You know what, this kinda makes sense. Uh Oh

Yes it is a bit frightening when Long Johnny makes sense Maybe he does have a valid point though and we should all just calm down and see how it works itself out once the forums are opened up again. I cannot believe I just agreed with you LJ

Also, there is no reason to expect future banning will be based on the new terms of use, considering that past bannings generally were not (one poster was banned for saying "huh?").

Posters that the mods personally dislike can expect to be banned, and abiding by the rules will not keep them from being banned.

Posters that the mods personally like, will rarely be banned, even if they break the rules.

Not that there's anything wrong with that--after all, it's a free, privately-owned forum.

Most users will in fact be able to write exactly what they did before. As Long Johnny says, people will be warned if they need to change.

In most cases all you need to do is use common sense. If you're in a room full of people, talking about different things amongst you, it doesn't usually mean you will repeat what the person you're talking to just said before you reply... does it?


Regarding writing properly (changed it to coherent or intelligble), this does not mean you need to be perfect on every account. It just means writing something like this is not the best idea: