In the event that the "banned" wish to see the SSM response: Hopefully, all this will have a soft landing for all.
Joined: 10 Jul 2002
Posts: 301
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 8:26 am Post subject: An Open Letter to Participants
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As you may be aware, a number of members of this Bulletin Board recently were banned from participating. This was unfortunate. The reasons for the bannings varied, but the common thread was that we felt that these individuals had violated our Netiquette Guidelines.
The purpose of Shooting Sportsman hosting this Board is, and I quote from our Guidelines: “to promote the polite and free exchange of ideas and information regarding wingshooting & guns, as well as to foster a community of like-minded sportsmen. Because it is a property of Shooting Sportsman, the Board should reflect the flavor and feel of the publication, and posts should be made in the spirit of good taste and sportsmanship.” The moderators of this site always have done their best to uphold these standards and use their best judgment in evaluating posts and posters.
As with most things in life, not everyone sees eye to eye, and occasionally participants have felt that the Guidelines are too stringent or the moderators unfair in their enforcement of them. Some of these individuals have chosen to outright violate the Guidelines and suffer the consequences; others have opted to push the limits time and again until the cumulative effect is to be banned. The investment in time, effort and, yes, emotions by our moderators in dealing with these individuals has cost us untold productivity and revenues.
In some cases when members have repeatedly challenged our decisions, we have encouraged them to find other Websites where they can post their views or to start their own Websites. After all, we have nothing against free speech; we simply choose not to host material that we find distasteful or that reflects badly on Shooting Sportsman, its readers and/or its advertisers. Well, some of the individuals who have been banned from our site recently did start their own. It was called “SSMBBS SUCKS,” and as you might imagine, it was not flattering to our magazine, some of our staff and some of the current participants on this Board. Now, we can take criticisms as well as the next guy, but if you had visited the site (and I use the past tense, as it seems to have disappeared), you’d have seen that the postings crossed way over the line. The insults, foul language, impersonation, bigotry, racism and cruel attempts at humor were nothing but mean-spirited, indecent and downright shameful. The site was everything that we have not wanted ours to become, and it was a perfect example of what our site, if left un-moderated, likely would degrade into. It confirmed that we have made the right decision in enforcing our Netiquette Guidelines and trying to uphold standards.
In these trying times, I understand that it is occasionally difficult to remain levelheaded and not get carried away by emotion. Logic and reason seem absent from a lot of what’s going on in the world. But on this Board we feel safe erring on the side of some basic values. We simply ask every participant to think before he/she posts and to act responsibly in what is essentially a public place.
As mentioned, our mission with this Board is to provide a forum for the respectful exchange of ideas and information. We will continue to do this and make every effort to maintain a high level of decorum and civil communication. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us achieve this goal.
Ralph Stuart
Editor in Chief
Shooting Sportsman
