BadJoe/JimRob Dispute Ended - Free Republic Train Wreck Derailed

Free Republic | August 26, 2002 | Jim Robinson

[Jim Robinson]

Most of you know that a battle has been raging over the last several weeks between me and BadJoe regarding some of our moderating policies. Looked pretty bad there for awhile. Joe was going to resign from Free Republic and there was even a dust up regarding the monthly donors and how the records would be turned over to a new credit card service.

I am happy to report that today that battle has officially ended and Free Republic may have avoided being fatally damaged in a disastrous train wreck. As it is, the only losses suffered were a few black eyes and a lost ear or two. Fractures and abrasions were suffered, but no major bones broken or organs punctured. Hurt feelings, bruised egos, dampened spirits, damaged bodies are now all on the mend. A satisfactory agreement has been reached between all warring parties as to how we will continue forward in our fight for Freedom.

Summary of today's agreement between BadJoe and JimRob:

1. Jim to reinstate the observer program with between 2-4 members of his choosing. Joe may suggest nominees.

2. Jim to put up a post to this effect, including his boilerplate guideline to the mods.

3. Jim will work with John on writing a subroutine or program that lists the banned comments, banned threads and names of banishees, that Joe will have access to.

4. Joe will process the Sept fundraiser cc's, and work with Jim and whomever is taking over the program to effect a smooth transition. Joe will continue to work on the fundraisers as a volunteer but will not run the program.

We will be working on a moderator policy manual (the boilerplate guidelines) and will post it as soon as completed. For now, I will say that we do not want racist material, anti-Semitism, religion bashing, tin-foil hat material, leftist propaganda (used to smear or bash conservatives), profanity, vulgarity, pornography, excessive flaming, insults or feuds, liberals, leftists, marxists, etc., are generally not welcome as are multiple screen names, disruptors, anti-FReepers or returning bannees.

Said material may be deleted as discovered or reported and posters may be warned, suspended or banned depending on severity.

But the standing moderator policy is to go as easy as possible on the posters. Many flame wars and insults and even some minor violations of other rules may sometimes be ignored. It depends entirely on the situation and the posters involved. Posters with unclean hands might as well avoid using the abuse button. We do not want to wade through hundreds of posts looking for who is at fault. We do not have time for it and do not want to act as nannies anyway. The general rule of thumb for a moderator is to always give the poster the benefit of the doubt. If there is any doubt, then we do not delete and do not ban. I'd rather bend the rules than stifle the debate. And now that we have a smokeybackroom forum, we'll suggest that people take their feuds and flame wars there and unless it gets too nasty the moderators will look the other way.

Believe it or not we do not like deleting or banning. We want to attract as many new people as we possibly can, but we also want to run a clean board. And we want to advance our conservative causes while not assisting the leftists propaganda artists in their dirty work.

I know this does not cover everything, but we'll be posting more as we can.

Also, we are in the process of contracting with one of the major nationwide credit card processing companies. Joe has been processing these for us for the last several years, but the job has gotten to be a huge task and a burden on him. Joe will assist us in making as smooth a transition as possible to the new service.

As always, I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart and we are all very appreciative of your support and understanding. I'm sorry for this recent turmoil and hope it is all behind us and we can get on with our FReeping!

God bless you all and God bless America!

Jim

[Gabz]

Hush - I like staying under the radar screen!!!!!

But you're correct about provocation, and the same holds true for sheLion, MaxMc, Madame, Great Dane and a few others.

[COB1]

"Hey!!!! Are you talkin' to me?"

I don't know!!

HEY, CHADSEY! AM I TALKING TO HER?

You're the one who wanted me to post that!!

[sweetliberty]

I am so thankful that y'all worked this out. I love FR and FReepers have become my family online and I always tried to mediate family squabbles because I hate watching people I care about fighting with each other. Sure, there are a few FReepers who are a consistent source of aggravation, but there are a few in every family. You just try to love them anyway and take their follishness as part of who they are and if they get too out of line you don't let them eat at the big table.

I'm sorry I have to be away a couple of days and will miss the lovefest this thread most likely will be, but at least I can go off to work in peace without worrying about family casualities in my absence. :-)

Jim, I saw your posts on Mercy's thread and I have to say that I have gained a whole new respect for you. I think you and Joe both showed what you were made of and I think that will cause a lot of discouraged FReepers to take heart. What you do is so important for the country and it is certainly important personally to those of us who call FR our home on the net. God bless y'all and thank you so much for sharing yourselves with us.

[ClancyJ]

Such great news. So glad this is going to work out.

Thank you both for your consideration for the good of FreeRepublic and the posters.

This is on the way to being a premier forum.

[ladyinred]

HEY, CHADSEY! AM I TALKING TO HER? You're the one who wanted me to post that!!

I think he gets himself in enough trouble all by himself! Wait until he comes in from his doghouse and reads this! :)

[bmwcyle]

AMEN

[Freedom2specul8]

Thanks Prince...That quote is perfect...I've put it on my freeper homepage.

Hi Technochick!
"I never could understand being nasty to those who disagree, since to do so closes them to your own position. "

IMHO, I think that has to do with either being a disruptor or person who just wants to argue or someone who is too emotional.

[carenot]

An orthopedic chair which has a horizontal seat that tilts slightly forward and goes like hell across a picnic area.

Thanks, an orthopedic chair seems like what I need.

But I don't leave the house.

Does it rock? I have to have a rockin' chair.

TIA.

[Mo1]

Let's hope that with the new guidelines for mods, freepers will also take the time to review forum rules and refrain from the politics of personal destruction. FR is only as good as we make it.

I'll second that

[HiTech RedNeck]

I think that an oversight committee of some kind, on the moderators, is probably a good idea. The details can surely be left to you and whoever you choose.

But who oversees the overseers? And who oversees the overseers of the overseers?

[BraveMan]

Anyone who posts anything resembling this b/s will be nuked on sight.

Rest assured, someone in here will find that statement ambiguous . . .

[carenot]

Maybe, USC, if we don't give in to the disruptors and allow them to take over the threads we can do it. Sometimes it is extremely hard to walk away from something that involves an issue that we are interested in, but maybe thats what we will have to do?

But it seems that some that are called disruptors are only saying they are worried about this admenistration.

[null and void]

But, Mo, it's ALL your fault!

;^)

[ClancyJ]

Bob J negotiated this today and laid it on me about noon. What is Bob J's title anyway - Chief Pacifier? Anyway thanks guys for working this out.

[Gracey]

Thanks Jim. They don't come much finer than you and BadJoe.

Glad you've kissed and made.

[COB1]

I heard chadsey say he had a new breakfast cereal:

[Mo1]

That's right .. just blame the Yankee Girl


FINE .. be that way

[null and void]

LOL!

*smootch*

[sweetliberty]

" Anyone who posts anything resembling this b/s will be nuked on sight."

I took a look at Liberty Post today just to see what was going on over there. I had to laugh at some of the names of banned FReepers I saw, and the level of pettiness was just plain childish and silly. I'm glad that you will still be keeping the riff raff off the board.

I had to. I just love that graphic.

[pyx]

As it is, the only losses suffered were a few black eyes and a lost ear or two.

This is disgusting ! I just found a human ear in my coffee mug ! AFTER I took a drink ! EEEeeeeewwww !