What happend to the "take back ATS" replies

Where did all the replies go?!?!? did you guys move them or delete them? Is this your way of cleaning up ATS- by not allowing the voice of the little people!?!?!?
I'd like to see them, so if they have moved please let me know where they are, or if they have been deleted then you people are worse then the U.S. Government.

xmb.abovetopsecret.com...

The nature of the replies were turning into exactly the kind of idiotic posts we're tring to avoid... and most people seemed to be scrolling past the annoucement to read the replies. After all, the announcement did warn that threads would be deleted in the event such degredation occurs.

A new annoucement was created, within a locked thread.

Feel free to start another commentary thread if you wish.

What is happening here is equal to the Patriot act and homeland security. They are taking away freedom of speech, banning those who are slightly offensive(beef), but is it necessary?

I think that what is happening at ATS is good, the mods are kinda trigger happy though, banning anyone who could even be partially be insulting. I don't think that this is a bad thing, although warnings should be given to those who are offensive. The staff is just upset over the recent degredation of posts, everyone included. But isn't the Moron Awards offensive, if a non-mod were to call somenone a moron, what would happen to him? Look at FM's reaction to his award, he was offended.

It's kind of ironic that on a board that deals with conspiracies, that the staff would be formulate a conspiracy themselves. Oh well, if it makes them feel better, so be it...

XaoS

I was a bit disapointed that the thread was locked after I showed some possible scenario's where TBATS would fail, there would be NO winner, no good outcome in any of the case's presented. I can also come up with many many many more such scenario's. I didn't really expect a reply, although I hoped I would recieve some sort of acknolodgment that this plan of thier's wasn't well thought out ... Instead, I found the thread locked

I was also abit shocked to have been insulted by William, when insulting is one of the thing's he is trying to abolish here. It seem, only us poster's are subjected to there rule and they are above it. I have not insulted him in any way that I can think of. I have even aggreed with what they are doing ...

I'd just like to say, you guy's can't treat us as if we are trash to be disposed of. Looking for that split second we slip up to ban us. We are not your toy's for personal enjoyment. We are human being's, all of us come from different walk's of life and have our own opinion's and personalitie's that you need to take into consideration.

But, above all, this is our community to discuss thing's we all enjoy. You are the alotted trash men that clean up the place, not rule it. I'd like to know if this was run by Simon and he has given the OK for the newly alotted dictatorship ....

The administration and mods should take into account one thing.



Without members there would be nothing to administrate.



You run the risk of alienating members to the point ,where they are so fed up with all the rules and limitations put on there posts.


That they will simply stop posting and turn into a bunch of lurkers.

Which defeats what you are trying to achieve.


Grown (adults) do not like being talked to like they were a bunch a naughty school boys.


You should never take your members for granted.





Having said that, i can understand what you are trying to do.

The quality of the posts need to lift.

The petty arguments need to stop.

The mindless inane ramblings of some posters is pointless.

And the one word posts, like yawn : are a waste of time

And yet, it all boil's down to someone's opinion's.... Who has the right to say who's opinion is worth more than someone else's? No one does. Moderating argument's should be done, but to interject and say NO to someone's opinion, either a one word yawn or smiley post, or just general rambling's is just going beyond the boundry and telling us what those in power think about us. Subject's to be controlled. Moderation does not equal dictatorship, people . Remember that.

lucky i love this communtity so much to shut my mouth right now but bitterness is growing inside of all the threads that have been deleted that discuss the announcements. BUT I WILL SILENCE MY SELF NOW!

This whole argument can relate to what is going on in the world today. You have two sides. One side realizes that something must be done in order for the community to survive and continue to prosper, and this is the side with the power. The other side, feels that they are being discriminated against and feel that they will in turn be excluded or ignored. I also feel that the cause for all this trouble to continue, is just the fact they feel like they don't have "control" of the situation. They are trying to make themselves feel important by fueling more debate.

My personal opinion:
Let it be. These mods/admins aren't morons. They aren't hungry for power. They want the community to have some standards, which isn't a bad idea. No discussions will be successful if the debate turns into name calling etc.

I can understand wanting standard's, but the standard's they are setting are way too high. This isn't a college, it's the internet. There are no boundries, no limit's, no standard's. At what cost are they setting these standard's at? I'd guess over half the internet user's that may find there way here someday, only to be banned because they don't meet the standard's.

TBATS can be done succesfully, but the current way it's being done is a failure. It's been a failure before it was even announced.

Admin's/Mod's,

If you don't mind, I would like to propose a new 'standard' for TBATS. One less strict on the freedom of communication, and yet, still allow's people to be people when and where it is needed with plenty of mature discussion's taking place in their respective forum's. As of now, I have a rough draft in mind ... This is just a proposal, not a demand or anything of that nature, I would just like for you to take a look at it, and it can be done in private VIA U2U if needed. If there are certain portion's of my proposal that you like, I would love to see them atleast aadded to the current 'standards' you have put forth.

How can anything that generates debate be seen as being detremental to a site dedicated to generating debate no matter how vitriolic the responses?

Lupe,

If I understand your question, it's not so much the debate it generate's that is detremental, but rather it's the effect's and ill put togetherness of TBATS that *is* detremental.

If they would only stop thinking of what they want and focus more on how they could go about this in a more politicly correct way, it's obvious to see the plan *WIILL* fail. I've shown 4 example's where it would do so, only to be silenced by the mod's. Even despite my protest's for a more fair TBATS, AND my open acknodgement that this should be done (in other word's, to a point, I do agree with TBATS), I have been insulted by william, who has now deleted his post and has failed to act mature and apologize. All the very thing's he's been wanting to abolish here, he is starting to become. He's letting this crap consume him ... it's sad.

yes, I thought that was a little odd.
ah well, frankly I think it stems from everyone taking this site and their own sensibilitys a little too seriously.

Its just a web site guys.
get over it.