www.billnelson.com

It has recently become necessary to use my Administrator position to cool things down a bit on this forum.

Until now, members have been given a blank page to write pretty much what they desire. This has generally worked very well in promoting intelligent and well considered discussion.

However, from now on, the content of your posts will be removed if it is considered to be offensive, whether intentional or not. There will be no warning, your post will just disappear.

So please do not get annoyed if you have started throwing insults around at other members and find that your post has been deleted.

We all like a joke and most of the intelligent humour on this board is appreciated. But please take a minute before pressing the 'submit' button, to consider any implications that may arise from your comments.

I will also be 'tidying up' the discussion board. As you will be aware, there are three rooms for differing subject matters. I understand that people accidently post to the wrong room, so if I feel that the topic would be best suited in a different room, I shall move it there. So if it seems that your topic has disappeared, please just check the other rooms.

I am going to have a chat with two or three of the Bar Staff to see if they can assist with the moderation as I cannot spend 24 hours a day in the Dreamsville Inn (unfortunately).

I hope you will appreciate the reasoning behind this decision and I hope that I don't have occasion to enforce the rules.

Jon.

On the subject of tidying up...one polite request re: posting syntax:

Although providing URL links can be helpful, the inclusion of long links causes topics to become difficult to read. Could forum users restrict these to short links only. Alternatively, point to the relevant website main page and suggest a search or navigation route. Thanks.

This is a valid point John and I tend to agree.
I think URL links are a great way to discover new sites and topics on the Web, but if we can keep them short and as John says, if they are too long, perhaps provide a navigation route...

Alternatively, the URL button can be used when writing your post, this will provide a highlighted link to the desired URL, but can be named whatever you like.

Jon.

Or you can use http://tinyurl.com/ to shorten you URL's.

Peter

Thanks for the link Peter - just goes to show how handy these links are!

Jon.

That's 2 new tricks I've learnt today....Thanks!

All I would add is that people need to adjust their sensitivity meters a little and allow for the fact that inadvertant comments may be made from time to time without any specific intent to upset anyone.

Jumping all over someone because thay have a sense of humour is just as bad.
I can only speak for myself and say that I have never set out to upset anyone and if Ido it would not be deliberate.

A modicum of common sense would go well.

You speak for me too, in those regards . But I am missing something about url's. Is the problem with presenting a long one that people are supposed to type out (in?) . If so, then a simple right-click,copy/paste of the url is an easy way to give a functioning link . If that's not the problem , and this is about the length of a link, even if it's a functioning, clickable one, then I really am missing something , and think that's a silly thing to get worked up about , by any stretch . Makes a thread hard to read ?.... come on !.

Techichi,

A problem occurs when contributors paste in long URLs, which obviously cannot line wrap. This completely throws out the formatting and results in readers having to use the direction keys to continually pan left and right at end of each line (not just the URL). In cases of long postings or threads, this is IMO more hassle than its worth. I have previously given up on some potentially interesting threads for this very reason.

I simply considered this thread to be an appropriate place to make a "polite request"...nothing more than that.

The remedies, as suggested above by Jon and Peter are helpful, especially if heeded.

I do not and have never approved of censorship.

Sticks and stones may break my bones.......

Who is the guilty party the offender or the offended?



Sid Lewis