Greg

What makes you qualified to make that accusation?

You are not allowed to post material in this forum if you've posted that material in another forum on the Internet. No. I've clearly stated in this thread and in the rules that it isn't allowed here. If you are going to participate in this forum, then please post something original. If you want to repost materials you've previously written then do it somewhere else. Again, the reason we do not allow cross-posting in this forum is because we cannot reliably confirm whether the re-poster is actually the original author. Plagiarism and copyright infringement is a serious problem and we'd like to avoid any potential problems that could occur if we allow such submissions. Also, this forum is a community and I think it is rude of someone to simply use this community as a method of transmitting their previously recorded ramblings. If you've got something interesting to say, then strike up a debate with others and actively join the community. Greg

Read the rules and guidelines of this forum, As to the question of copyright infringment - I have no idea whether it was actually you who was the original author. Which is precisely why we do not allow cross-posting in this forum. If you're post is not original, then don't bother posting. Greg Admin

Just to clear a few things up, As Project Manager for Maple Leaf Web (and all of our other web properties) I am given full discretion and authority over any activities that take place in these forums. Maple Leaf Web is funded entirely by private contributions from three charitable foundations and has never accepted funding from any level of government. The Univerisity of Lethbridge only provides Maple Leaf Web with administrative support, network access and office space. True - I answer to a board of directors who assess the quality of the website as a whole. No hidden agenda here or outright dictatorial control - its just me trying to make sure the forum as a whole survives the outbursts of certain individuals.

Consider this issue dead. Due to a number of incidents between my last post and today, MS has now been banned. Greg Admin

To answer everyone's question, MS has not been banned. His posts have been placed into a moderation queue and every morning - when I get around to it - I either approve or delete his postings. The reason for this action is simple - MS, after repeated warnings to curtail both the profanities and the trolling, choose to ignore the basic rules and guidelines of this forum. MS was unwilling to censor himself, so now I'm saddled with the responsibility. MS brought this upon himself - I gave him far more leeway that I should have and all he has done between his earlier suspension and now was increase his disrespectful and disruptive behaviour. If he is able to curtail the poor behaviour, I'll release him from the moderation queue, otherwise he will be banned permanently. Greg Admin

I suspended Common Sense because he chose to ignore my repeated warnings on posting ignorant slurs. The ban, as I said in the thread and typical for this type of behaviour, is for one month. If s/he decides to continue to ignore my warnings after the suspension, s/he will be banned for life. Its public knowledge if you followed the thread, otherwise, no. It's neither a bureaucracy or a democracy. Disciplinary actions like this one are made in an attempt to minimize the destructive behaviour some posters bring to this forum. As I mention in the forums rules, I try to use this power judiciously and fairly, but my decisions are final. Greg

As Krusty said, I can view a posters IP address, which allow me to compare and resolve (gives me the ISP and often the location) multiple posters IP's. I can also ban IP addresses from using the site, but this can cause problems, as not everyone has a static IP address. In some cases if you are using a dialup account, a different IP address is assigned to you each time you dial in. We also require each new posting account to have a unique (and functioning) email address. Which again, isn't foolproof, as someone can simply go and signup for multiple different free email addresses (hotmail, yahoo, etc). But in the end, these steps along with my monitoring make it rather difficult for banned individuals from returning. It will happen from time to time, but I'll do my best to minimize the damage. Cheers, Greg Admin

What did I just say about using words like Fiberal? See you in a month Common Sense. Greg Admin

As I've said in the past, it is unacceptable to use these types of words in this forum.

He's surely old enough to realize that you are indeed being a snob. Cut this patronizing talk out. Greg

Is this supposed to be intelligent debate?

Strike two Maplesyrup. Keep this up and you'll be banned from these forums. Greg Admin

While the ignore function is not a "bad" idea, it is unfortunately not something that can be implemented very easier. Because the software the runs this board isn't a custom solution, we are unable to simply add this feature. But to be honest, I do not think trolls have had much of a negative effect in these forums. Sure there's a been a few of them, but I've managed to ban them before they did much damage. Remember, the secret to marginalizing trolls is to simple not feed them. If you don't respond to their antics, they'll slink away to find a more responsive audience.

I apologize for not responding quicker to this thread. I have however, read over everyone's opinions, which I think have been extremely positive and useful, and will be responding in more detail in the coming days. The workload involved with MLW and Policy.ca, along with the looming deadlines of my Masters thesis, have been increasingly heavy of late, so please understand that I appreciate everyone's opinions and I would like to provide a detailed and well thought-out response. You all deserve as much, Cheers, Greg Admin

Cya, BigDookie6 You are now banned from these forums. Greg Admin

Cut the thought police crap out. I'm not censoring anyones ability to post in these forums. I am however, trying to enforce the rules and guidelines of this forum. If for some reason you do not agree with my moderating style or you feel you cannot abide by the rules and guidelines, then you're free to leave. There are plenty of other forums who would be more than happy to accept your off-topic discussions and your wild, baseless accusations. Useful or not, they contravene the rules and guidelines of the forum and are not acceptable.

If I allow this off-topic thread, then where do I draw the line in the future? What if someone wants to discuss the digestive habits of their cat? Would that be acceptable? No it wouldn't be acceptable and that is why we have the firm rule that only political topics will be discussed in this forum. These forums don't operate (and are not considered successful) based on the amount of people who use them. The success of these forums is measured by the quality of the discussions. If at any point these discussions cease to be intelligent, thoughtful and respectful, I will shut the forum down. If you want to discuss issues related to Microsoft, cats, etc, there are plenty of other forums available on the internet. If however, you want to discuss politics in a highly focused and accessible forum then you've come to the right place. Greg Admin

No we don't. We need forum participants who read and follow the rules and guidelines of this forum and to give some serious thought about where and how they are posting threads. If everyone takes responsiblity for their own actions in this forum, everything will run smoothly. I've already explained in detail about having volunteer moderators is a bad idea and I am not going to bend on this issue. If some of you cannot handle the responsiblity of posting threads in the proper category then you will be asked to leave this forum. The same goes for those of you who do not treat other forum participants with respect and dignity. Your idea is being considered.

Lately some veteran posters in this forum have been starting threads and responding to posts without considering the importance of following the rules and guidelines of this forum. I'm not going to go into detail about who committed and what the infractions where, but I want everyone to clearly understand that this forum is not your personal website. Mapleleafweb operates these forums in the hopes that they will promote intelligent, honest and responsible discussion. We do NOT operate these forums so that a few of you can discuss off-topic babble. For this point forward, I will be deleting, without warning, all off-topic posts/threads. Greg Admin

This thread is a complete waste of my time and Maple Leaf Web's valuable and expensive bandwidth. MS, perhaps you'd better spend some more time reviewing the rules and guidelines of this forum. They clearly state that, Is that too hard to understand? Greg Admin

Another brilliant off-topic thread by MS. Perhaps you still haven't read the rules and guidelines for this forum? What does this thread have to do with Politics? Nothing - therefore it will be deleted. If you want to discuss computers and other off-topic things, please do it elsewhere. This forum is for discussing politics only. Greg Admin

maplesyrup and August1991, lets cool the off-topic chat and insults in this thread.

Come on guys, this isn't rocket science. The statement, has nothing to do with the topic at hand (political speech in the church) and is more disruptive than useful. If you read the rules and guidelines of this forum, you'll see it clearly states, I find it puzzling that you're having such a hard time dealing with this straightforward concept, but perhaps before "going foward" you should read over the rules and guidelines again and take what it says to heart.

If this is a joke, or some way to make a point out of maplesyrup's suspension, then you're playing with fire. This type of post is an obvious troll and I will not allow it to disrupt the flow of discussion in this thread. Keep the discussion respectful and intelligent ... Greg Admin