QRZ Policy Update - Ban on Trolling

Dear AA7BQ,

I am eternally grateful for your hard work and dedication to the amateur radio community for this website. I have been away from the hobby since 9/11 and now that I have retired and returned to witness far too many examples of trolling both on-line and on-air.

In regard to the “Free Speech” remarks, the 1st Amendment to our Constitution as well as the other nine amendments was set forth to limit the government’s power against the people and not to protect people from limitations on speech by private institutions or other individuals. There is NO “Free Speech” issue with QRZ prohibiting trolling.

Thank you for ensuring we have such a great public forum for the hobby we all so love.

KC7DSO

 

THANK YOU !

While I tend to read here these days more so than type, I completely agree with Fred.

Good job and thanks for your efforts

 

I do appreciate the work you do Fred. I hope it works out well, but I'm skeptical as to it's actual practice. Go take a look at the bird kill tower thread on this page. You've got people bringing up abortion on a thread about tower lighting and it's still there. I can't think of anything being more off topic then that. The no politics rules is selectively enforced if at all. So I won't hold my breath on how this will work out.

 

Goodbye to freedom of speech

If this isn't censorship I'll give an hour to get an audience and kiss your booty in public. One person determines the content of all messages and if it does not meet HIS OR HER critieria then boom!, your history. If that bothers you then remember the old saying I was taught as a kid:"Sticks and stones may break my bones but, words will never hurt me." Of course now I'll be banned.

 

I think much remains to be seen. I haven't seen a lot of trolling up here, but there are many who poke fun at obviously poorly thought out posts, and many CB types who come up here loking for advice. Anybody remember the Pushkart thread, which was obvious humor? Or the 8 element onmidirectional antenna with the really fast rotator?

While it's Fred's Mic and he can do with it what he pleases, I hope he enforces the new policy very judiciously. Over in the comp forum (one of the more civilized on this board) there are eternal jibes about Windows vs Mac / Linux - all offered in good natured fun and generally taken that way. My fear is that a troll is in the eye of the beholder. There's a very fine line between sarcasm, hummor, and trolling - where that line is drawn will determine my ultimate conclusion on the new policy. NCT's and NCE's are certainly fair game, especially when an NCE wants to know how to build a dipole! Or a CBer wants to know how to DX Test his rig or wants a KW amp modded for 11 Meters.

 

Your point is in fact mentioned in the Wikipedia article that Fred cited in defining "troll":

"Application of the term troll is highly subjective. Some readers may characterize a post as trolling, while others may regard the same post as a legitimate contribution to the discussion, even if controversial. The term is often used as an ad hominem strategy to discredit an opposing position by attacking its proponent."


So now, the moderators not only have to enforce objectively defined rules violations, but also have to try to read the minds of posters and assess their motives. And have to wade through all the complaints about trolling that really are not.

So any time someone reacts "emotionally" to one of your posts, Lee, even if you're just making an aggressive, cogent, argument on some point, and it's not your intent to evoke emotion, it could be considered "trolling" by some moderators, but perhaps not by others.

Finally, quite frankly, it seems hypocritical to me to say they're going to ban "trolling" while at the same time facilitating that disgraceful Political Junkie forum that couldn't exist without trolling, as well as the Rag Chew forum that is almost as bad.

Having said all that, I imagine it upset someone and now I'll be banned as a troll for expressing an honest opinion. If I express my honest opinion about something and someone reacts "emotionally" to it, that's their problem, not mine. If that happens, so be it.

 

Yes! About time!

I suspect, further, that many of those complaining the most (publicly or privately) include many of the more egregious offenders.

Interesting to note, and I've seen this happen on other sites, that those who are often amongst the biggest offenders are amongst the first (and loudest) to squawk about their rights being trampled on. Funny how that never seems to bother those squawking when it's them doing the trampling.

For those who think of this as "censorship" or as a violation of the First Amendment (and it's not, as has already been pointed out)... bottom line, it's Fred's site and Fred's rules. Don't like it? There are plenty of other sites, or start your own, and good luck to you...

73

 

Thanks, Fred. This looks like it would be a very valuable policy change. The lessening of the QRN will be a blessing.

 

Removed May 07, 2009

 

Keep up the good work Fred, hats of to you! Glad to see this being done and thanks for a great site.

 

Good example. In my opinion this clearly is a troll because it's inflammatory language and obviously intended to evoke an emotional response.

W3WN should be banned.

 

Don't worry mate, im sure me and you will have our accounts removed soon enough..

and this rule will only last until the ad revenue starts to drop.

remember the "closing of the politics forum" notice it didnt stay closed long

 

This boggles the mind!

Dang! It is absolutely amazing how Fred can institute a rule to make QRZ a nicer place and yet so many people get their shorts in a twist and overreact, and misinterpret, and holler and shout about "rights" and "freedom" and make dire predictions about the end of QRZ.COM. Relax, already! If you're not a knucklehead, you have NO problem.

 

Bravo!

You have earned my respect.

At last some common sense comes to the surface.

 

What if you are a shovelhead?
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