Replies

Okay, got the chance to read the Mod response. To be honest, I took it as saying pretty much what I’ve been saying all along.

I don’t see anywhere in that explanation that it’s FR standard that a self-poster must post his *entire* article, as opposed to an excerpt and a link. There were other concerns about posting snippets and non-original content, but nothing that leads to the conclusion that a blogger who posts a link and an excerpt to *appropriate material* is *officially* “rude” or, again, violating FR posting standards.

The piece also indicated that “blog overlords” — though they may have some special personal interest in pursuing these matters -— are not doing (or, one could say, should not be doing) any more than any other member who happens upon a problem post. Try to work it out; if that doesn’t work, alert the mods.

Again, I have repeatedly said posters can be as big of a “trial by fire” as they desire. That’ situation normal! But that’s a far cry, however, from what started this discussion: making official-sounding demands about special posting guidelines for self-posters.

Just as I saw in the JimRob excerpts posted earlier, here I see the same “know it when we see it, case-by-case basis” perspective. That’s exactly what I’ve been advocating as well.

And all that was in reaction to the apparent bright-line rules the BO’s were developing: no self-posting, no excerpts and links, etc. I didn’t see that as what was intended, and I feel that more strongly after reading the Mod’s piece.

Bottom line on what I take away from the Mod’s piece:

* There are no bright-line rules, such as requirements to post the entire article, etc.

* The process and standard for determining what posts are appropriate is really the same across the board, as are the functions of the members and the mods.

* There is no special rule for self-posters; their work can be posted in the same way as if it were posted by someone not the author, and their work has to meet the same posting standards as everything else. If it doesn’t, it gets treated the same as any other inappropriate post.

So.

Thanks again for the link and for the civil discussion.

Howdy.

One last thought.

It seems to me that the easiest way to sum up what the mod said was the completely usual idea that “posting privileges are for freepers,” IOW, for members of the community.

How you sort out who is a freepers — among newbies, lurkers, long-time lurkers, the occasional poster of threads, the occasional poster of comments — that really comes down to (1) the legitimate “we know a freeper when we see one” approach, and (2) how the poster conducts himself in a particular situation.

Beyond that, it’s only more business as usual with the requirement to not abuse posting privileges and refrain from spam.

Looks to me that if someone comes here, engages as a freeper (however that “looks,” there are no hard and fast rules for when someone is recognized as a member of the community), and follows normal posting guidelines, there shouldn’t be further demands made as to posting the entire article, etc.

Okay . . . cheers!