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The recent relegation of the thread re the suicide of Jensen to the Telestial, from the Terrestial Forum has drawn attention to the standards, reasons, and purposes served in segregation of posts. Pasted below, from that thread is respected commentary of Dr. Shades:

Roger Morrison wrote:
What about it Doc, is the Mormonized structure open for discussion?


Everything is open for discussion.


Quote:
Personally, I think "exposure" broadens, strengthens and immunizes one to handle life, than does cloistering, insulating and isolation...


And you're entitled to your opinion.

Certainly all of us have been exposed to the very worst stuff you find here ad nauseum out there in the real world. To use your words, we've all been strengthened. We've all been immunized. We can all handle life.

But when we're home, kicked back with our shoes off, some of us want to escape all that. When we're surfing a message board after a hard day at work, we don't want to be exposed to the same stuff we've been exposed to all day long already. This board is, at the end of the day, a form of enlightenment and entertainment for the people who visit and/or participate. Therefore, it should offer people a certain refuge from daily life. To use your words again, when people surf message boards, they do it because it brings enjoyment, so they sometimes want cloistering, insulating, and isolation. Just like how when you're on vacation, you want cloistering, insulation, and isolation from what you deal with the rest of the year at work.

See how that works?

(Ironically MSN Sympatico's home page this AM features an article, "...Nastiness On The Internet". Worth reading to gain further understanding of the topic.)

"See how that works?": Well appreciated and understood! However, i question: "We can all handle life." "ALL" is too much of a generalization IF it is to suggest "equally well". Obviously we can't, and don't, as some message boards reveal; for too many reasons to go into here.

Am i picking up that "This board..." is a form of 'escapism'? Such as doing a 'Cross-Word' might be: "enlightening and entertaining"?

I think you might have misappropriated my words, "cloistering..." et al, from my meaning of the negatives of parochialism and segregation, to yours of Happy Holidays?? Yet too, that's very subjective. Some choose challenge and adventure for vacation time... Some what irrelevant to the discussion of how best to build a responsible community of posters...

Maybe there is a better-way (there always is :-)... Thoughts??? Warm regards, Roger

I think that the current system on the board works well. Nothing is censored. Categorizing threads is different from censoring. The entire board is accessible to everyone. As far as the recent thread being moved....If Sono Hito would like the thread edited and moved, he is welcome to PM one of us, and we can help him. We have split threads in the past. The problem is, the continuity of the conversation sometimes gets lost when this happens. In those cases, it becomes easier just to move the entire thread so that the essence of conversation remains intact.

liz3564 wrote:I think that the current system on the board works well. Nothing is censored. Categorizing threads is different from censoring. The entire board is accessible to everyone. As far as the recent thread being moved....If Sono Hito would like the thread edited and moved, he is welcome to PM one of us, and we can help him. We have split threads in the past. The problem is, the continuity of the conversation sometimes gets lost when this happens. In those cases, it becomes easier just to move the entire thread so that the essence of conversation remains intact.

I like the way it works. The complaint that you can stumble across "bad" content even in the celestial forum is true for any message board. Even MADB has had the vilest porn posted, and yet no one says that's the fault of its moderation policy. But I guess this place is an easy target, isn't it?

Again, we, as posters, need to do a better job of staying within the guidelines of each forum. The guidelines are clearly posted at the top of each forum. Deliberately ignoring them will result in the thread being moved to a forum where it will be within the guidelines. We should police ourselves to preserve the integrity of this place. Shades and the mod squad shouldn't have to police us. We know better. We know what a heavy-handed mod squad feels like, and we should all do our best to make this place a place of integrity, so we can show that we are a self-moderating bunch here. We have all been welcomed here; we know we are able to say whatever we want here; we can make our points here without fearing the hammer from the mod squad. Our freedom here is precious, and we need to do a better job of guarding it. I may not like what you say, but I will defend your right to say it here for as long as my fingers will type. Just say it in the appropriate forum.

C'mon, people. It's not a matter of censorship or playing favorites. It's a matter of coloring within the lines. If you can't remember to color within the lines, or if you just have to say something that is outside the lines, that's okay. It's not a problem when someone colors outside the lines; the moderating team will just move the lines. Moving the lines means they'll be moving the thread to another forum, where the distance between the lines is wider.

liz3564 wrote:I think that the current system on the board works well. Nothing is censored. Categorizing threads is different from censoring. The entire board is accessible to everyone. As far as the recent thread being moved....If Sono Hito would like the thread edited and moved, he is welcome to PM one of us, and we can help him. We have split threads in the past. The problem is, the continuity of the conversation sometimes gets lost when this happens. In those cases, it becomes easier just to move the entire thread so that the essence of conversation remains intact.

The word "censure" was not used in the opening post because i do understand the difference. And, i appreciate that "Categorizing" does seek a workable solution or compromise... However, i simply point out that "Categorizing" posts in effect "Segregates" Posters. That, IMSCO jeopardizes 'charity' on which human relations are to be based... (Seems Jesus' ways and means?)

As well, i understand the reasons for "Categorizing". Generally to protect sensitivities and to controll exchange between what might be considered disparate parties. Unfortunately usually to the 'benefit' of one at the 'expense' of another.

Interventionism that perpetuates, by containing, rather than allowing dissipation by the natural force of exhaustion and reconciliation--granted, a process requiring more stamina than often available--forestalls understanding between parties, while suspicions and prejudices continue covertly, or otherwise. As history confirms...

Thanks for the "thoughts"! Keep 'em coming! Warm regards, Roger

Roger Morrison wrote:

liz3564 wrote:I think that the current system on the board works well. Nothing is censored. Categorizing threads is different from censoring. The entire board is accessible to everyone. As far as the recent thread being moved....If Sono Hito would like the thread edited and moved, he is welcome to PM one of us, and we can help him. We have split threads in the past. The problem is, the continuity of the conversation sometimes gets lost when this happens. In those cases, it becomes easier just to move the entire thread so that the essence of conversation remains intact.

The word "censure" was not used in the opening post because I do understand the difference. And, I appreciate that "Categorizing" does seek a workable solution or compromise... However, I simply point out that "Categorizing" posts in effect "Segregates" Posters. That, IMSCO jeopardizes 'charity' on which human relations are to be based... (Seems Jesus' ways and means?)

As well, I understand the reasons for "Categorizing". Generally to protect sensitivities and to controll exchange between what might be considered disparate parties. Unfortunately usually to the 'benefit' of one at the 'expense' of another.

Interventionism that perpetuates, by containing, rather than allowing dissipation by the natural force of exhaustion and reconciliation--granted, a process requiring more stamina than often available--forestalls understanding between parties, while suspicions and prejudices continue covertly, or otherwise. As history confirms...

Thanks for the "thoughts"! Keep 'em coming! Warm regards, Roger

I guess I'm confused as to what you would like to see happen here. Are you saying that you would like the whole three tiered structure removed?

Also...No one is categorizing people. We're categorizing threads. There's a difference. It's like keeping a library of material in different files. It's a way of organizing information. Those who want to access certain information can look in different categories. There isn't any type of stigma meant to be attached.

The whole "Celestial, Terrestrial, Telestial" concept is a humorous play on words that Shades came up with...an inside joke for Mormons. If you're Mormon, or have associated with the Mormon Church for any length of time, you get the joke. Just like the ranking system where you're a "God" when you reach 1000 posts. It's simply the nature of the board, and it's all in good fun.

While we often tend to focus our critical attention on board moderation and rules, I believe that the culture of the board has much more to do with the attitudes and behaviors of the board participants. The participants, themselves, are ultimately what make a board inviting or repelling to further participation.

Regardless of the rules and moderation here, I have come to find much of the content and attitude here less than interesting or of value to me (some has even been repelling), and thus I have scaled way back on my participation, and have even seriously questioned the point of me participating here at all--much to the great joy of certain people here who have made a concerted effort over time to that end.

But, that may just be me (though, given the disparity in numbers of members and posting activity between here and the board that is the object of our collective obsession, as well as the obsession itself, I doubt that I am alone in my thinking). To each their own.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

wenglund wrote:While we often tend to focus our critical attention on board moderation and rules, I believe that the culture of the board has much more to do with the attitudes and behaviors of the board participants. The participants, themselves, are ultimately what make a board inviting or repelling to further participation.

Regardless of the rules and moderation here, I have come to find much of the content and attitude here less than interesting or of value to me (some has even been repelling), and thus I have scaled way back on my participation, and have even seriously questioned the point of me participating here at all--much to the great joy of certain people here who have made a concerted effort over time to that end.

But, that may just be me (though, given the disparity in numbers of members and posting activity between here and the board that is the object of our collective obsession, as well as the obsession itself, I doubt that I am alone in my thinking). To each their own.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

I hope you don't go anywhere, Wade. I sincerely value your participation here. I don't appreciate a lot of the repelling stuff, either, but then where else am I supposed to go? I wish we had more believing members here, as it would make for more interesting conversation. But I like the people here, regardless of their position toward the church.

Roger:

When you were still a kid living at home, when your parents made sweet love to each other, did they leave the door open or did they close it?

Whichever choice they made, was it the correct one? What made it the correct (or incorrect) choice?

wenglund wrote:While we often tend to focus our critical attention on board moderation and rules, I believe that the culture of the board has much more to do with the attitudes and behaviors of the board participants. The participants, themselves, are ultimately what make a board inviting or repelling to further participation.

Regardless of the rules and moderation here, I have come to find much of the content and attitude here less than interesting or of value to me (some has even been repelling), and thus I have scaled way back on my participation, and have even seriously questioned the point of me participating here at all--much to the great joy of certain people here who have made a concerted effort over time to that end.

But, that may just be me (though, given the disparity in numbers of members and posting activity between here and the board that is the object of our collective obsession, as well as the obsession itself, I doubt that I am alone in my thinking). To each their own.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Who are you?

:)