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May 7, 2008
Raising the Bar a Little
If you've tried to post a comment this morning and it hasn't shown up, chances are you used one of the naughty keywords that our publishing system is now on the lookout for. We're not averse to the occasional four-letter word used at the right time in the right way, but when they are used to insult individuals or entire groups of people, it's not so cool. We've also blocked the use of the "tinyurl" links, since one rogue member of the community has been peppering comment threads with disguised links to inappropriate photos. We'll see how this works for the next few days. If you have an idea that you can't figure out how to express without offensive language, chances are it isn't worth expressing.
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Comments
If you hang around this blog for a while, you'll find that there's a small gang of bullies who go to great lengths to silence anyone who criticizes any aspect of PLG--and this includes anyone who wants to discuss crime in PLG or even to acknowledge specific events, like this poor woman's demise. One of their favorite strategies is to accuse anyone critical of PLG of being a 'troll'. This is why someone described them in an earlier thread as 'metatrolls'.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:20 AM
Thanks for minding my language for me, Mommy.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:21 AM
I agree four letter words have no place in public discourse
Including the publisher of this web site's use of a four letter word in an interview with new york magazine about the flea market venture
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:23 AM
Bravo!
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:23 AM
Thanks very much, Mr. B. It's really tiresome to have to trudge through all the sophomoric, frat-boy !#*@$ and *&$%! language on this blog lately.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:25 AM
I guess that puts an end to The What's postings!!!
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 7, 2008 10:26 AM
This discriminates against the subculture that uses the same four letter word as a noun, verb, adverb and adjective.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:26 AM
Thanks Mr. B. We certainly don't want anyone on here to use bad words. After all, this blog is as much for children as for adults.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:27 AM
What? Is this a real estate blog or sesame street?
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:28 AM
Is "asshat" going to count as a four letter word? I guess we'll see if this posts...
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:31 AM
oh man, were there goatse.cx links on Brownstoner???
I had no idea.
Posted by: Polemicist at May 7, 2008 10:33 AM
^^^^
Childish
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:34 AM
Well done, Mr.B.
It's about time.
Posted by: Hal at May 7, 2008 10:36 AM
What happened to free speech?
Larry Flynt the free speech activist was right fighting for it!
Posted by: Ysabelle at May 7, 2008 10:37 AM
^^^^LOL
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:40 AM
This was a tough provactive decision
Posted by: Ysabelle at May 7, 2008 10:40 AM
Gee Stoner. What next? You'll come visit our homes each morning to make sure we put on clean underwear?
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:45 AM
Amen, Mr. B.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:52 AM
Semper Ubi Sub Ubi
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 7, 2008 10:53 AM
Thank you, Mr. B, for this one small step for adultkind. The juveniles have had free reign over this blog long enough.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:56 AM
Brownstoner,
Great job!!! I'm glad you can take a stand on not promoting the offensive and sometimes racist language that some hatred filled posters spout. I think a few more blogs should be as courageous. Then posters can react to real estate issues, instead of posters that just want to ignite arguments about people.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 10:56 AM
Larry Flynt's battle was with government. Mr. B isn't the government. He doesn't have to guarantee unfettered speech. Anyone is free to start their own blog. If they want to have unfiltered discussions about real estate, then they can. I would just as soon reserve judgment for a while as to whether Mr. B's efforts pan out or filter too heavily, but there is an awful lot of nastiness on this site (some of the more gratuitous nastiness in the past has been targeted at you, Ysabelle). I am glad he's trying.
Posted by: slopefarm at May 7, 2008 10:57 AM
Finally we can have a civilized discussion about strollers.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:20 AM
To slopefarm.
Freedom of speech is for everyone including you.
Posted by: Ysabelle at May 7, 2008 11:21 AM
Ysabelle, freedom of speech does not apply when you have agreed to certain terms of service as a matter of private contract in this type of corum. full stop.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:24 AM
Ysabelle, freedom of speech does not apply when you have agreed to certain terms of service as a matter of private contract in this type of forum. full stop.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:24 AM
Compliments for the efforts too. There are a
lot of readers of your blog who have been intimidated from posting comments by a small gang of prepubescent guys.
We all love your site, but it has become tiresome to sift through scores of inane comments to get through the real "juice" of a thread.
Posted by: bianca at May 7, 2008 11:26 AM
ysabelle - you still have freedom of speech - just go out onto the street and say what you want.
Do you think the NYT should post every single letter it receives?
jeeze.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:27 AM
Compliments for the efforts too. There are a
lot of readers of your blog who have been intimidated from posting comments by a small gang of prepubescent guys.
We all love your site, but it has become tiresome to sift through scores of inane comments to get through the real "juice" of a thread.
Posted by: bianca at May 7, 2008 11:27 AM
Even from this thread it is clear that Mr. B's new restrictions on speech will help keep the dialogue elevated to a much higher level of maturity.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:30 AM
Oh my gosh, I'm banned from Brownstoner! I can't post on any threads. None of my posts are appearing.
If anyone is reading this in whatever filter is set up, I've been a regular visitor for a couple years and I do get into it with people, but you know what? Never with course language and never with URL's and always seeking a balanced viewpoint in the discussions. I HAVE criticized Brownstoner before so hmmmm, that is my only crime but it's obviously the most important one around here.
Well okay buh-bye. You just lost a ton of clicks without me coming here every morning like I used to do. But that's actually great. It makes me way more productive.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:30 AM
This is a welcome development indeed. I find the forbearance of riff raff to be quite troublesome, in fact. Perhaps we should all reexamine the lessons we learned in finishing school, shall we?
*sips tea*
In all seriousness, this is a good thing. Thanks Mr. B.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:31 AM
Hey, can we ban the phrase "bitter renter," while we're at it? I don't find this "debate" particularly informative. Doesn't change anyone's position, far as I can see, and we've heard it all before.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:32 AM
yes. this is an unmitigated good.
glad to see ysabelle on this post, bringing her annoying misconstruction of life & liberties to the main page!
Posted by: i disagree at May 7, 2008 11:41 AM
An admirable pursuit, Mr. Brownstoner.
Now, can you also block the use of the term NIMBY from now until forever?
Posted by: Brooks of Sheffieild at May 7, 2008 11:41 AM
Ysabelle,
My free speech is in no way curtailed by Mr. B today. I am free to say or write what I want and send it where I want. If I send it to Mr. B, Mr. B has no more obligation to publish what I send to his website than the New York Times has to publish every letter to the editor it receives, or a museum must hang on its wall every piece of artwork it receives. Mr. B is the publisher and editor of this website. He violates no one's rights when he decides what to publish or edit.
Posted by: slopefarm at May 7, 2008 11:41 AM
i posted a comment on the dobro thread with zero profanity. it listed stores i thought would be nice in downtown and it was not published.
any reason why?
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 11:59 AM
11:59
I posted a joke in this thread, as well containing no offensive language.
No post.
Aaaah censorship. Go America!
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 12:14 PM
Stop complaining. I can't log onto a decent porn site at work, it gets filtered. There is so much trash on this site at times that Mr. B should start charging for waste disposal. Even the critics love this site. Blogs are the soap box of the 1800's. Everyone has a voice without a face. How many of you are so honest about your thoughts with your own partners? You censor what you say to them. Get used to it. As for the f word that is a noun, verb, adjective and every other part of speech --- it's so overplayed it has really lost any meaning anyway.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 12:34 PM
i for one intend to go the battlestar galactica route and use "frak" for all my obscenity needs.
oh, frak yes.
Posted by: z at May 7, 2008 1:11 PM
A very good idea.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 1:31 PM
Hey, Brownstoner, be kind enough to allow Preview TinyURL links (which let you verify the URL before proceeding). I don't know how to post one without blocking my comment, but check out their website...
Posted by: Zach at May 7, 2008 1:35 PM
Thanks Brownstoner! Keep up the good work.
-Signed a not-bitter renter!
Posted by: Mamacita at May 7, 2008 1:41 PM
"tzou hai" in cantonese 1:56...and if i said that in English it'd definetely get deleted. Funny how this kind of talk is now precisely "on topic" in this thread!!!
I should pepper the thread with vulgar comments about how prices won't go down much, where the buyers are coming from and a currency lesson for that bozo from yesterday!!!
That said, it seems we've gotten rid of The What. Unless today is his psychoanalysis appointment.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 7, 2008 2:06 PM
Why all this vitriolic discussion about Mr. B's wife all of a sudden!!!!!!!??????
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 7, 2008 2:14 PM
I don't know, but I don't see how it could be a problem now that Mr. B has "raised the bar".
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 2:30 PM
Huh. I'm actually unhappy about this development. It seems paternalistic and dull.
And I definitely don't want The What to take off. He keeps me amused. And sometimes he has a point to make. Can I even say sh*t?
Or must I now say shoot?
This reminds me of trying to watch some really great R-rated movie with lot's of authentic "naughty" language on TNT. It never works and kills the vibe.
Meh.
Posted by: Nokilissa at May 7, 2008 2:45 PM
Nokilissa, fyi, TNT is showing The Chronicles of Riddick Friday night. Now THAT'S obscene!!
Posted by: Biff Champion at May 7, 2008 3:13 PM
Nice move, tuckfard.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 3:56 PM
Hmmmn, only problem with the censorship thing is now some of the threads make zero sense, since some of the posts were obviously removed over the course of the day.
That said, it's a big improvement. Some people still have issues with staying on topic, I notice, but perhaps their long-term employment will solve this.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 4:36 PM
Trying to get that Disney sponsorship, eh?
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 7:23 PM
Love
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 7:36 PM
Finally, a big THANK YOU to all at Brownstoner. I'm sick of reading the nonsense.
Posted by: guest at May 7, 2008 9:20 PM
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