Too much locking.

[Nomex Maximus]

To the moderators:

Entirely too much locking on CAPTALK. It's your website and of course you can run it however you like, but please consider that this is probably THE primary place on the internet where CAP people gather to chat. I would really like it if you just let people chat as they want, and not lock threads just because they get slightly off topic, or discuss a controversial topic. If someone posts something offensive, then delete the posting, or ban the individual, but don't lock the thread.

Thanks

[MIKE]

Please review the Membership Code of Codunct... Also, if you want to chat, find or start a chatroom somewhere else.

[Nomex Maximus]

Can't "chat" about CAP? Seems quite an odd rule.

"Members will only discuss matters on topic for the forum in which they are posting.  Members will not make blatantly off-topic posts or attempt to derail legitimate discussions. All topics must relate and be of interest to CAP members in a professional aspect."

Suggest you modify this rule or enforce it less stringently.

Just my opinion.

[pixelwonk]

professional aspect, or rather the lack of it, often being the key reason for a lock.

[Pylon]

I am really getting tired of reiterating how CAPTalk works.


The Code of Conduct is quite lax.  If members start berating each other, tossing out name-calling and personal attacks, and generally become unprofessional the topic gets locked.  It has nothing to do with controversial topics, other than certain forum members personal inability to carry on a dignified and professional conversation.  This board has seen numerous, highly controversial topics discussed without being locked.  We've also seen petty, inconsequential issues devolve into unbecoming conduct.

It's not as simple as deleting one inappropriate post or warning one user for a single inappropriate comment.  Anybody who has been here for longer than a few months has likely seen numerous threads devolve into inappropriate and unprofessional conduct by numerous people.   Locking the thread puts an immediate stop to that.   If you feel you have something of true, professional interest to add to a topic, you can always PM a moderator to allow you to post it or carefully consider opening a fresh topic on the related, professional issue.

The moderating is quite light-handed, despite your apparent impression.  Of the 1,000 topics in the lobby section alone, I'd guess that maybe 50 are locked - mostly due to people being inappropriate.    There would be a lot less locking if members of this discussion community could handle themselves in a manner befitting adults and professionals.

The rule has nothing to do with "chatting."  However, topics should be 80% or better of a professional nature.  That's the stated purpose of this community.  I have said again and again that this is not the Civil Air Patrol water cooler, nor the CAP rumor mill.   There are other chat rooms or IM services out there you could use to chat.  It's not an odd rule.  You wouldn't sit around and toss around banter, inappropriate jokes and nonsense about Star Wars at a wing staff meeting, would you?

Finally - the small administration and moderating staff for CAPTalk are helping out in their spare time.  We all have jobs, we all have regular CAP duties - but we offer and support this board in an attempt to help other CAP members connect to share resources, ideas and advice to improve CAP as a whole.  Jerry pays for the hosting of this site out of his own pocket, I personally pay for the domain, and we all pitch in in keeping the site running and appropriate. 

[LtCol Hooligan]

I know this is slightly off topic, but since we were discussing code of conduct in this thread, I thought I might add something.  I was doing some research today on why e-mails from a CAP list serve where showing up in a google search for a members name, state, and Civil Air Patrol and thought, wow I wonder what the same thing brings back for me.  So, I searched Erik Ludlow North Dakota Wing Civil Air Patrol.  Just a few things on my website and articles I wrote a while back on the first page.  But, page 2- very interesting- CAPTalk information returned.  It had my profile on one link and a link to posts I responded to on the next link.  I always sign my posts as I stand by what I write, but I found it interesting to think about.  What if one of my cadets decided to see what the Lt Col was doing in his spare time and came across my posts and saw me blasting someone?  What if I was applying for a job and the future employer did the same search?  It would look pretty bad if I was blasting someone in a forum and chances are, I would never even know they found it.  The cadet would file it away in the don't make the Lt Col mad file and the employer would shuffle my application to the circular file as a do not hire.  Just food for thought when we talk about conduct.  What we type here is found on the internet and open to all who wish to read it.

[RogueLeader]

My opinion is that they have done a very good job of moderating the site.  It's not their fault for people acting in a way that goes against their stated objectives.  Numerous times they have warned people to stay on topic- sometimes it works other times it gets the Brinks treatment.  They have also mentioned numerous times that this is not the CAP water cooler, and that it was to be a professional resource.  kudos to the Mods and Admin.
:clap: :clap: :clap:

[Nomex Maximus]

I am not critical of the moderators. I just think that things should be a bit looser here. Do you all really want a website that is run as tight as a Wing meeting all the time? If you do, then fine but I suspect a lot of other people really aren't looking for that much formality.

Please don't take this the wrong way but perhaps I should start the CAP Watercooler website if you all don't want CAP chit-chat on this site.

[dwb]

I am really getting tired of reiterating how CAPTalk works.

Well, the site is popular and new people come and go all the time, so what are ya gonna do?

Combine that with the axiom that all Internet forums eventually collapse into conversations about the forum itself, and you've got this thread.

There's nothing wrong with at least entertaining the idea that the forum culture is going to evolve over time, and you're not going to be able to control that culture by executive fiat.

[dwb]

Please don't take this the wrong way but perhaps I should start the CAP Watercooler website if you all don't want CAP chit-chat on this site.

What you're going to find is that the forum will be filled with garbage and people will drive you nuts.  Seriously.

The constant insistence on being somewhat "mission focused" (or "on topic" or whatever) is precisely why this forum is interesting.  Give people free range to discuss whatever, and you get garbage.

That said, the mods could be a little nicer...

[MIKE]

That said, the mods could be a little nicer...

Bite me. 

[Nomex Maximus]

Please don't take this the wrong way but perhaps I should start the CAP Watercooler website if you all don't want CAP chit-chat on this site.

What you're going to find is that the forum will be filled with garbage and people will drive you nuts.  Seriously.

The constant insistence on being somewhat "mission focused" (or "on topic" or whatever) is precisely why this forum is interesting.  Give people free range to discuss whatever, and you get garbage.

That said, the mods could be a little nicer...

If it's my website I will delete whatever I wish to delete and ban whomever. No biggie. I think I could keep things CAP related.

Of course, an alternative to this is to simply allow a "Chit-Chat" section to be added to the forums here. Ooops, in most forums that's the "Lobby"...

[RogueLeader]

That said, the mods could be a little nicer...

Bite me. 

Um isn't that against the code of conduct, and get the thread locked?   just wondering. . . . .

[RogueLeader]

Please don't take this the wrong way but perhaps I should start the CAP Watercooler website if you all don't want CAP chit-chat on this site.

What you're going to find is that the forum will be filled with garbage and people will drive you nuts.  Seriously.

The constant insistence on being somewhat "mission focused" (or "on topic" or whatever) is precisely why this forum is interesting.  Give people free range to discuss whatever, and you get garbage.

That said, the mods could be a little nicer...

If it's my website I will delete whatever I wish to delete and ban whomever. No biggie. I think I could keep things CAP related.

Of course, an alternative to this is to simply allow a "Chit-Chat" section to be added to the forums here. Ooops, in most forums that's the "Lobby"...

Then that makes you worse than what is going on here.  They only delete things that are very serious, not because they disagree.  You would well find out that your site might not fare so well . . .   Just saying.

[Nomex Maximus]

I am not arguing about their right to lock/delete/ban I am just suggesting that they could loosen up a bit and not lock things quite so often.

[thp]

¡viva la revolución!... just kidding

[RAZOR]

MIKE  "SUPER MODERATOR" says it all.. :angel:

[Short Field]

I just wonder why it takes them so long to lock some topics  - there are some horses that are never going to rise again.   

[MIKE]

If you see a Code of Conduct violation you can click Report to moderator at the bottom right of the post in question to bring it to the attention of the site staff for review.

[Pace]

I'm pretty sure this topic has out-lived its usefulness.  Every side of the issue has been addressed, and circular arguing is all that is left.  I'm also pretty sure the thread died after this comment given the irony (especially the emphasized portion):

If it's my website I will delete whatever I wish to delete and ban whomever. No biggie. I think I could keep things CAP related.

Of course, an alternative to this is to simply allow a "Chit-Chat" section to be added to the forums here. Ooops, in most forums that's the "Lobby"...

And if that didn't do it, this one (and the response to it) did:

That said, the mods could be a little nicer...

I see this devolving quickly so let's keep it clean to avoid a lock.  Besides, given how other CAP web forums (past and present) conduct their moderation, we could easily be much stricter.  Just a little food for thought.  YMMV and probably does.