PRSI reminded me of a TV show in the 1960s, where a couple was more happy fighting than when they were getting along. Is that archived anywhere for viewing or is it hidden?Yeah, put the political forum back, seriously.
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Experiment: Don't Moderate the Forums
- Thread starter robd003
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No clue, I’m guessing it is archieved in an inaccessible locked vault but as I said in another post, under the current conditions that Mac Rumors imposes for political discussion, imo it’s much better to find a more lenient place to talk politics.
Hmm your user name seems familiar, I think I have seen it from another tech forum....
Anyone who thinks we need unmoderated "free speech" on MR should go check out 4chan for ten minutes. You'll come back happy that MR is moderated.
That’s kind of an absurdist leap. There are sites with more or less moderation than MR. It’s not an on/off deal. For instance: 4chan literally has mods!
If I’m being honest, I’ve learned more information from that site that I’ve used every day than any forum or fan base. That’s not irony or positing an argument, I mean I can specifically remember when I learned of skills, terms, options and advice to solve day-to-day dealings. That’s less to do with moderation and more to do with the shear volume of information shared on such a place where no signup or profile is required. Plus they’re allowed to go as deep into or far from a topic as they like, which is where I pick up random tidbits and factoids.
Please never visit that place at work or where somebody may see you, enable private browsing and don’t post there unless you know what you’re getting into, though. Not for the squeamish.
Why would a site dedicated to G5 PowerBook prototype leaks need to be a soap box?
You defend 4chan but then go on to say:
I'd rather MR continue to be a site I can visit at work, or where someone might see me, and I don't have to be concerned about "what I'm getting into" and don't need to have my squeamishness levels tested.
I'd rather MR continue to be a site I can visit at work, or where someone might see me, and I don't have to be concerned about "what I'm getting into" and don't need to have my squeamishness levels tested.
The OP was obviously using the word "experiment" in a casual, loose sense not a strict scientific one 😉
I haven't seen anyone else ask the obvious question, so I will. Assuming you're a decent person wanting to simply engage in rational discussion, what on earth would you possibly want to communicate on this forum that you are not able to already with moderation as it is?
CLARIFICATION: Since this is MAC-Rumors, I was assuming discussion about Mac-related topics in my above question. If someone is super passionate about some off-topic subject, then they can easily find a dedicated forum for that.
CLARIFICATION: Since this is MAC-Rumors, I was assuming discussion about Mac-related topics in my above question. If someone is super passionate about some off-topic subject, then they can easily find a dedicated forum for that.
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One obvious answer is rational discussion related to politics, religion and certain social issues. Not saying this prohibition is a bad thing. I do not come to MR for that type of discussion, but there were people who certainly did in the past.
Correct. I have no filter, no limits, and no shame at all. People I know personally see the things I collect online and share. I’m not embarrassed if my device starts displaying shock images or playing disturbing or offensive audio. The internet is a toy, why be serious?
But that’s beside the point. There are levels of moderation, we don’t have to go to the extremes. MR moderation has gotten stricter over time. I’m not allowed to post things today that I posted in 2009. Again, if somebody feels the need to say something off-color without reigns, I wouldn’t pick a computer brand fan-site as a first choice.
I can think of plenty. Sometimes it’s better just to not “touch” a subject at all since it’s mere discussion or debate might be triggering to those on the outside looking in.
As a safe example, I assume: merely mentioning the globe in all its spherical curvaceousness could upset certain beliefs, despite how rational they might be. If you think they’re irrational, that’s a perfect example of how rational thinking itself may be colored. Thus, better not to bring it up or attempt to “fairly” moderate it at all.
I was thinking of on-topic material (i.e. Mac-related). But the reason why those other issues are not allowed to be discussed is because too many people have proven over and over again to be incapable of keeping their emotions out of the discussion and end up being too much time and trouble to moderate. While people can and do get heated about Mac topics too, it's not anywhere close to the level it is with politics or religion.
As I told Madhatter32, I had in mind only Mac-related topics since that's the focus of this forum. If you are passionate about your belief the earth is flat, I'm sure there's a dedicated forum or two out there for discussing that along with other, um, "interesting" beliefs 😉
If you can give an example of a Mac-related topic that would be verboten under the current rules, I'd be interested to know what that is.
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Discussions concerning the notch do inflame the passions in some, indeed many, Apple enthusiasts. Even I have trouble keeping my emotions in check on this issue but, alas, have been able to stay within the confines of the rules. So, I think we agree.
The butterfly keyboard and touch bar ... now those are an entirely different story. 😆 They were banned by Apple itself. 😆
You missed the point completely, but it doesn't matter, because this will never happen anyway. Moderation exists all over the web because everyone has plainly seen what happens when you don't have moderation. 4chan and 8chan and Gab and Parler and Truth Social all exist for you to exercise the unbridled free speech you can't find on Macrumors. Enjoy!
Mac related? Eh, not so much. Apple related? Ooooh boy. See? Not going there. Nuh-uh. Can’t even mention what’s going on with Apple now. I’m trying to go a week without a ban, at least. Don’t ask. Don’t DM about it. It has already been made clear that it is not allowed, so there. I think it falls mostly under politics, which was nuked. So that should settle that.
Not sure what you're referring to. I've seen many discussions here about Apple and the EU or other government entities, for example, and those discussions are allowed (as long as the posts don't devolve into partisan politics, etc.). I have posted several times that I think the government should butt out of micro-regulating tech companies, and never got reprimanded for that. The only time I got deleted was when I quoted a specific politician (apparently someone got triggered by the person's name, rather than focus on the content of the quote, and reported me 🙄)
That’s kind of what I mean. The mere mention of some things, even if purely factually clinical as if it were a dictionary definition, can be censored. Thus, I don’t discuss or even mention or allude to some things.
A benign picture of a flower in a field can become problematic if utilized by some.
Sure, but there were plenty of other ways for me to communicate the same point, so it's not like I was stifled because of the moderation. I would never quote someone without attributing it, so given that the person was a well-known politician, I probably should've paraphrased them instead.
Unfortunately such discussions never remain rational. I didn't even know they were restricted subjects here but I have no problem with that.
No. Next please.
In all seriousness, this would be an incredibly bad idea. The amount of insults on their own would be enough to create flame wars and some threads would delve into madness.
That reminds me of the forums when the original iPhone was released, and then, again, when the price was dropped. There was so much anger and people didn't want to behave.
Oh, I remember that, so many people got insta-banned.