Something is still not working on IHUB!
I have been a member of IHUB for several years now and I have seen some nice improvements over that time. I do like the most recent change for the irp's, so that readers can immediately identify them when reading posts. I also liked the introduction of the deleted post challenge and the review process.
However, with the introduction of the review process came an added responsibility for Administrators to make clear and consistent decisions about what posts are TOU violation and which ones aren't. Personal attacks are relatively easy as posts like "xyz is a bonehead" are certainly uncalled for and should be deleted. But off-topic posts are a bigger challenge; here is what the handbook definition says:
Off Topic – posts not about the topic of the board including posts focusing on other Members and their reasons for posting on the board (i.e. "XYZDownDaDrain" is just a basher, ignore him", "XYZToDaMoon" is a pumper"). Posts with religious or political statements should be removed as "off topic". Posts about Moderators and/or deletions are also "off topic". Issues of this nature need to be discussed with a Site Admin.
I put in bold some key words/phrases here that apparently get ignored/confused by even the admins. It says we should not focus on other members. To me and some admins that means that we can mention other members, but we shouldn't focus on them as shown by the examples. Others take it as any mention of another member makes the post automatically off-topic. I contend that a mention of another member like "xyz claims that there are 200 million more shares, I think he/she is right/wrong because..." should not be deleted. Or even worse, I had posts deleted saying something like "posts that claim company will buy back shares are..." without even mentioning any specific posters.
Second, it says other members. To me that means I can talk about myself as long as it pertains to the company/stock discussed like "I don't own this stock" (I had that deleted quite often) as much as "I just bought 300 shares" or "my order is not getting filled" (I don't see that ever deleted).
Third, and their reasons for posting on the board key word here is and. Yes, we should not speculate on the reasons of why other posters post, especially now that the IRP issue is solved. So again interpretation is the key here: strict logic translates the sentence as:
off-topic post if focus on other poster and focus on reasons of other poster
So, upon inspection of the Handbook, I really can't find the problem. The problem seems to be in the execution of the Handbook. Arbitrary deletions and bans/restrictions based on the personal feelings of the particular Admin, seems to be cause of why we are losing the mission of the forums. I think the mission of having forums, is to foster discussion among the members about the particular topic. That discussion needs to be kept civil, but more caution is needed when keeping that discipline as to not blow out the spirit of the discussion. Remember that a discussion requires multiple people to talk to each other not just throw out "statements" and "facts" about the topic into empty cyber space. And it should also be considered that we have not only people from different backgrounds but also different cultures posting here as well as each person has his/her personal style of expression.
Remember, it is easy to delete a post or ban a member, but in order to maintain active memberships, I suggest to expand the freedom of contents to what the HAndbook actually says. Maybe the definition needs to be clarified more to reduce the gray area. However emotion and personal interaction should and will always be part of a discussion. Please, please stop deleting funny posts (like a flipped chart) or posts that critique the ideas of other posters....or you might lose another active member.
I for myself (and here I am talking about myself again) have my own style of posting/arguing with others. I doubt that IHUB will ever be able to change me or my background. Some probably view my style as "flaming or flame baiting or whatever it's called" but that is just how I communicate, together with my dry humor that not everyone here appreciates. So please, give the stubborn amongst us more leeway and we all be happier IHUB members. I think that with this small adjustment IHUB will be able to stay at the top of all investors forums.
Sincerely, Crashman
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