Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

I read yesterday that the new Hog software will allow the poster of a thread to ban anyone they choose from commenting on their work.
Do we need this on an open forum like FYC and who is going to use it?
Personally would not dream of banning anyone as I want the true opinions of my fellow members in this forum.
Is it designed so that only those who say nice things about ones work can be allowed a comment?
What is the good of that and how would it help one improve. I thought everyone who posts here is after improving their skills I appreciate other forums are used as a mutual praise areas.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Only for repeat trolls, and hopefully very rarely.
(my image)

Troll

(Download)

Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset

Exactly, it is to deal with trolls who have become a nuisance and for members who don't get on.

Hopefully, no one will be blocked because of their honest opinions, provided they were done in a polite manner.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

I do not think St3v3M's vigilance would allow first time trolls yet alone repeat trolling.
A bit of dental work and your troll would look quite cute!

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

He does smile from time to time, especially after a good meal.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Never seen a nuisance troll on this forum Heather and whether someone gets on with me or not makes no difference. Surely we are all adult enough to put personalities on one side when either giving or responding to critique? If your not their must be a forum for children somewhere on the net?

Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset

Joking aside, children are not allowed on the net. I can't remember what the age limit is (13?).

Anyhow, you know as well as I do that it can become rather unpleasant/heated at times and you can nearly hear the "cuff's fists", so to speak. Surely that is not to be tolerated.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

I very rarely find it unpleasant Heather. Human nature is that we will not agree all of the time. A heated exchange if kept brief and to the point at least proves the participants care. A recent exchange on here contained gutter language which makes the user look a little silly at best and does make for unpleasant reading. But that is very very rare. Most married couples will have the odd "exchange" and some will maintain it strengthens what they already have.
Why I even disagreed with Mrs Billy once!

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Can't see that it's something I'll use, but everybody's different and it may be helpful in some wilder quarters of UHH more than it is on FYC. I have no trouble skipping over posts I don't want to read without technology doing it for me. But with the shoe on the other foot, I don't want to waste time composing a reply to someone who has no intention of reading it, so if this feature prevents that, there may be some value. I'll be interested to see how admin implements it here, having seen versions on other forums.

Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

Don't see why anyone's worried about it. If you don't want it don't use it. If it get used on you well......

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

That was my point min It will obviously be useful in the wilder reaches of the Hog but surely not of use here?
Not sure Admin has to be involved it read as if an individual will have the control over who if any they can ban from commenting on their posts and PM'ing them

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

That was my point min It will obviously be useful in the wilder reaches of the Hog but surely not of use here?
Not sure Admin has to be involved it read as if an individual will have the control over who if any they can ban from commenting on their posts and PM'ing them

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

On the admin side, I meant I was just wondering how it's set up. Ostrich ain't gonna be involved in much of anything directly, I figure that's why he added this feature, so he can leave the policing of the wilder sections up to the tenants and the landlord can be absentee. Arm the tenants and let them have their own militia, big timesaver for Ostrich.

Section admins will continue to manage their sections according to their own guidelines which is as it should be. That's how we choose which neighborhoods to live in. But overall forum features will surely be applied to all sections, that's just how the software works.

winterrose Loc: Kyneton, Victoria, Australia

This sort of censorship only serves to inhibit people from being honest.

There was once a section that was formed with the intent, and which purported to provide, “expert” advice to members who put up their work for critique.

The section started out quite nicely but largely because of the administrators' censorship, deletion of posts, banning of members and constant rule making, it slowly degenerated into responders providing nothing more than expressions of praise, followed by a description of the posted photo with a smattering of where to crop but no comment whatsoever on technical issues.

The section went along in this rather meaningless manner until those with the time and whatever motivation coalesced into a cliquey little group who blindly defended their realm from all or any who were seen to threaten their cozy self-indulgence.

The instigator of the section even went to the lengths of bringing in a storm trooper who ruthlessly culled the “troublemakers” who would dare to point out where and when the “cozy club” members were being wholly misleading in their “expert” advice.

Thinking people deserted the section in droves, leaving the section as nothing more than a mutual admiration society.

For a while, a dribble of outsiders posted in a dim hope for guidance but as they were all but ignored, even that has now ceased and the Photo Critique Section has all but expired.

Censorship only serves to inhibit people from being honest.

Censorship will see the end of the For Your Consideration section as a meaningful vehicle for advice.

Please consider that…….

Rob.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I don't feel at all inhibited in being honest because of the new software implementation. If somebody doesn't want to read what I write, it is their right to ignore me, and they sometimes already do that. If I know they don't want to hear from me, so much the better, it will save the time of posting a response. But I won't be blocking anyone. Too curious.

I will reserve any comment about other sections than this one, but I don't think censorship will ever damage this section as long as it is run as it now is, by an approachable manager who'll listen to both sides of anything. But- FYC is NOT a critique section. It is multi-purpose. Sometimes we are only experimenting with new tools, or sharing an unfinished product, or simply mulling a question about art or photography. Sometimes we want an overall impression from viewers, while other times we want a detailed breakdown complete with suggestions or edits. It helps if we state our purpose but even when we do it is still sometimes misunderstood partly because this is not a typical photo section. It is an eclectic approach like I've never seen before, but I think it has unique value, and hope it thrives a long time.

Censorship walks a fine line in such a setting though. There is the need to see and learn from diverse opinions, but there is also a need to assure that no one individual's opinion is allowed to stifle others' opinions, otherwise we end up with a different kind of censorship - not by the power of a designated authority but instead by the power of manipulation. That type of censorship is just as destructive as the type wielded by over-zealous admins. I have left forums for both kinds of censorship, and find FYC to have a good balance for a broad scope of participation.