I wasn't aware until today that Wayne's Words had active moderators until my thread discussing the National Park Service was locked. I found that surprising.
I'm disappointed that conversations like this are being moderated. In my view, a community forum should allow open discussion, with moderation reserved for spam, illegal content, personal attacks, or other clearly inappropriate material.
I recognize that Wayne's Words is a privately operated forum, and the owners have every right to set the rules. At the same time, I've always viewed it as an open community where people who love Lake Powell can respectfully discuss topics that affect the lake and the surrounding area. Blocking civil discussions sends a different message, especially in light of the conversation I had raised, and the obvious connections between this forums owner and connections to the NPS.
In the thread about the National Park Service, I didn't see threats, personal attacks, or defamatory comments. The discussion remained civil, even though people held different opinions. Ironically, someone commented that they were surprised a moderator hadn't stepped in, and shortly afterward the thread was locked.
I would respectfully ask that the discussion be reopened, or at least that the moderation policy be explained. It would also be helpful to hear directly from Wayne Gustaveson about whether the forum is intended to encourage broad, respectful discussion or whether certain topics are off-limits.
Open and respectful discourse has always been one of the strengths of communities like this. I hope Wayne's Words continues to be a place where people can exchange ideas, even when they disagree, and if its not, perhaps we need to take the conversation elsewhere.
I'm disappointed that conversations like this are being moderated. In my view, a community forum should allow open discussion, with moderation reserved for spam, illegal content, personal attacks, or other clearly inappropriate material.
I recognize that Wayne's Words is a privately operated forum, and the owners have every right to set the rules. At the same time, I've always viewed it as an open community where people who love Lake Powell can respectfully discuss topics that affect the lake and the surrounding area. Blocking civil discussions sends a different message, especially in light of the conversation I had raised, and the obvious connections between this forums owner and connections to the NPS.
In the thread about the National Park Service, I didn't see threats, personal attacks, or defamatory comments. The discussion remained civil, even though people held different opinions. Ironically, someone commented that they were surprised a moderator hadn't stepped in, and shortly afterward the thread was locked.
I would respectfully ask that the discussion be reopened, or at least that the moderation policy be explained. It would also be helpful to hear directly from Wayne Gustaveson about whether the forum is intended to encourage broad, respectful discussion or whether certain topics are off-limits.
Open and respectful discourse has always been one of the strengths of communities like this. I hope Wayne's Words continues to be a place where people can exchange ideas, even when they disagree, and if its not, perhaps we need to take the conversation elsewhere.
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