The Question and Answer Board

[zeuspaul]

How does filtering increase your work load? It seems to me if properly implemented it would decrease your work load. If a COB marks a post OFF TOPIC you shouldn't even get involved. I don't know of any good threads that don't let their guard down..especially on the week ends. Off topic posts are a given on a good thread. However good thread etiquate sp? generally reserves OT posts for the regular posters. It is a good way for readers to get some insite into the person behind the post.

Let the threads evolve and become what they will be. It takes hundreds of startup threads before a winner is born. Let the natural selection process work. Don't restrict the number or type of thread for a particular stock or subject. One of the reasons for the success of the original SI was that anyone could start a thread on any subject...it empowers the user...everyone is on equal terms...no elite status unless it is earned.

More on censoring and Filtering.

Investors like to do their OWN DD. You might be the greatest and fairest person on the planet...but there would still be a difference of opinion as to what should and should not get deleted based on TOU. I don't even trust my mother to decide what I should and should not read.

I believe MATT under states the problem when he refers to only a handful of users that object to the power invested in the COB. Even the hint of censorship is enough to keep quality posters away. Simply put if we can't read the posts you are deleting we will have doubt.

Any attempt at censorship should err on the side of too little. As currently contemplated the COB concept errs on the side of too much.

Why did the SI boards have quality posting vs Yahoo! for example? (not exactly true as there are a lot of quality posts on Yahoo! The problem with Yahoo! is there are too many non quality posts mixed in) The posters on SI were held to higher standard because they had something to lose.

IMO it should be the same here. If someone abuses their posting priveleges (hurry up with the spell checker) restrict them.

Did some threads get out of hand?..you bet. But don't forget all of the ones that didn't.

When did SI start down hill?...When GO2NET came on the scenen and the site move away from a user oriented messaged board site.

IMO the COB concept is an over reaction to a minority of threads that get out of hand. Don't give up the opportunity of being a first class site. Let us see what you don't want us to see. Let us make up our own minds. If you take the responsibility of deciding what we can't see then you have also assumed the responsibility of what we do see. That responsibility should remain with the poster.

Giving us some tools to manage our threads is a good idea. Giving the COB or other the ability to mark posts off topic or other could make for an enjoyable reading experience. Sometimes I just don't have the time to read a zillion posts with OT and other mixed in. Given a good COB with a marking option I would most likely read the thread filtered. But don't take away the ability for us to see what is being censored...(some exceptions...abusive language and the like)

Zeuspaul