Jim Clark - Gestapo censorship. Has this happened to you?

[sundog]

Please allow me to vent a bit. Recently I replied to a post in the ‘for sale’ section in an effort to clear up a misunderstanding between Jim and the seller, only to have Jim delete my response. It turns out that I was duped – Jim had deleted a previous post and I didn’t get the whole picture. He must not realize that subscribers to the thread get an email of the deleted postings! He was involved in verifying whether a boat was the sellers’ property to sell. There were at least four other posts (not mine) that were also deleted because they did not suit him – not because they broke any forum rules that I could tell, but perhaps the use of ‘emoticons’ may have been a bit embarrassing to the moderator. I do try to follow the rules, but have been getting increasingly put off by this moderators seemingly willy nilly censorship tactics. Since when have the duties of the moderator included verifying whether a seller was the rightful owner of an item?, or judge how quickly a person responds to a post? Or delete a post because his name was mentioned? I realize the position of moderator must be tedious what with the recent resignation of Diegoboy (you are already missed, Danny) but it seems Jim has taken things to another level, and it is my opinion that there needs to be some restraint before it gets out of hand. I usually have good reason and have given quite a bit of thought, before posting/sharing ideas with others, and am not (nor will ever be) accustomed to these ‘Gestapo’tactics. Is this the new OSE? Dave

[Rumdog]

In before the lock :)

[MAMBA2200]

[Doug Smock]

Jim is doing his job. A thankless job that is a huge PITA by the way.
This forum would take care of itself if it wasn't for the "for sale" forum. If I had it my way it would be GONE and threads like this add fuel to the fire.

Discussions don't belong on the "for sale" forum. It keeps that thread on top which gives the other sellers heartburn, and clogs up the thread.
Chit chat posts will be deleted if we see them, or if the posts are reported. Take it to the bank.

There are plenty of places to buy and sell. If you don't like the free service offered by OSE, try ebay. It's my understanding they never have issues.

Have a nice day,
Doug

PS. This thread will be opened back up if the Administrator chooses to do so.

[domwilson]

Doug is correct. I think Jim is doing a fantastic Job at this. You guys only see a small part of happenings in the "For Sale" thread. People chit chatting has angered many sellers, because potential buyers get little pertinent info. or get frustrated surfing thru
a crowded thread. Other times someone will purposely say something that would put off a potential buyer. In addition, there are a number of other reasons. If Jim is trying to verify the ownership of a product, he does so to protect forum members from suspicious activity. If you have any questions as to why your post may have been deleted, simply pm the moderator who deleted it and try to resolve it that way. These posts can serve little good and often breed animosity between forum members.