A RECOMMENDATION FOR ALAN HENRY

[Liza's Headband]

(and Rob, and all others): 

 

Try a little transparency. When you lock a thread, delete a post, or ban a user, explain why; give examples, point to specific items in your terms of use.  Do not send Alan Henry out to copy/paste some corporate boilerplate schlock. 

 

This is a privately-owned website. You owe us nothing.  It's just a simple suggestion to boost your audience engagement and, in turn, advertising revenue.  If you continue on this path, you will regret it... or at least your pocketbook will. 

[ArtMan]

Liza, I agree with everything you stated, except one comment.  "You owe us nothing"  In reality, they owe us EVERYTHING.  Without the posters on here,  this site would be nothing.  We provide the success of this site and more importantly we provide the revenue.  Without us, there would be no discussions, no reviews and even more important, no drama.  Which is really the catalyst for when this site really makes money and brings in the ad revenue.  If every poster decided to abandon this website, BroadwayWorld would cease to exist.

[dramamama611]

Hear, hear.

 

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Liza's Headband said: "Try a little transparency."

Yup. This is literally all we want. It's not that hard. But we will continue to get discretionary deletions, lockings, and bannings with a follow-up boilerplate copy-paste job.

[Alan Henry]

Hi All

We appreciate our users and your feedback.

With that said, I cannot publicly post comments that have been removed or mention what they contain or allude to because obviously, those would be something we had to remove to begin with.

I try and alert users whenever one of their comments are removed. If you have a specific question, you can always shoot me a note.

If an entire thread is locked or deleted (like yesterday) it's because we've determined the discussion can no longer continue on BWW.

I think we can all agree this isn't the forum to publicly discuss the mental health of a minor or their parents' obligations.

Thanks.

[dramamama611]

Then why not erase the thread CONTENTS, but leave the title up and put in ONE message from you that states why it was taken down -- Just like what you did in the post above, and then lock it.    So when someone LOOKS for a thread, they can find it and see exactly WHY it was removed.   Instead of 20 people emailing you. 

[Alan Henry]

We don't currently have the functionality to remove just the posts in a thread and leave up the title in the way you describe.

[Kad]

...you don't have the functionality to delete or edit individual posts and then respond to a thread?

[Alan Henry]

We don't have the functionality to wipe a thread but leave the title. If I remove an entire thread it's because we've determined the bulk of the posts can't remain up. Again, I understand your point of view but I think we're very transparent in our reasoning for removing threads - if you have specific questions happy to answer those if you send me a DM or an email.

[Kad]

The moderation here has been a source of complaint for years. And it seems like the pledges to do better are always empty. I've certainly never once received a message explaining why a post of mine was deleted.  

Apparently, the only sort of discussion that BWW should be a forum for these days is asking what shows someone should see and where they should sit.

I know I certainly have been posting a lot less, as have a lot of other once-regulars, people with real knowledge and experience in theatre. Any character the place had is basically gone.  

[devonian.t]

Though I don't think I've had a post deleted, Kad is right- the complaints about the moderation on here have repeated the same problems for years now.

It is a shame to see that the character of the board seems to be deteriorating.

[South Fl Marc]

What was being brought up in the most recent thread that was locked was the  line between being a fan and being a stalker. That seems to be exactly the kind of thing that should be discussed here.

[John Adams]

South Fl Marc said: "What was being brought up in the most recent thread that was locked was the line between being a fan and being a stalker. That seems to be exactly the kind of thing that should be discussed here."

...Except when the subject of the discussion is a minor, and when too many posters feel they have a "right" to publicly post their opinions regarding governing, or commenting on said minor's behavior.

I can understand Alan's actions in this case.

However, I agree with dramamama611's observation, "Just like what you did in the post above". In almost the same time it took to respond to this thread, a new "Thread Deleted: [title of deleted thread]" thread could have been created containing the information users are seeking.

Every new thread as described above would be an opportunity to quickly outline, or reinforce the expectations regarding TOS and rules regarding User posts. (...and IMO, that's just as badly needed as transparency.)

[devonian.t]

Great idea John Adams.

From what I saw of the original thread, the stalker in question was never identified by name, only by username.  As a result, her real-life identity was protected and being a minor was neither here nor there.

 

[ghostlight2]

"From what I saw of the original thread, the stalker in question was never identified by name, only by username.  As a result, her real-life identity was protected and being a minor was neither here nor there."

There were links that identified the minor clearly in that thread. 

I agree that BWW ought to be very specific each time they delete a post or a thread as to why they did it, so that posters understand the rules. Deleting without information doesn't stop repeat posts with the same behavior. This situation is a clear case of that, as TWO threads had to be deleted.

That said, deleting the thread{s) in question were no brainers. They were personal attacks on a minor whose identity was easily discovered, and had no business being discussed here.

 

 

[adamgreer]

Lack of transparency and selective moderation have been issues on this board for years. The Patti Murin episode was especially troubling, as we got to see the BWW administrators appear out of the blue for about a week to suddenly start "moderating" posts, as the leadership of this site cowered to the demands of a whiny woman who didn't like that her performances weren't well-received here. Sadly, the incident chased away a lot of the posters that had real knowledge of the theater, as well as colorful personalities, and the board has become a real shell of its former self.

[devonian.t]

Indeed!

[Elegance101]

I'm newer here (was a lurker for a few years before I actually made my account) and I've never once been told why a post of mine was deleted. It hasn't happened much, and I could guess why, but I never got any sort of notification.

"We don't currently have the functionality to remove just the posts in a thread and leave up the title in the way you describe."

You can't...edit this website? A website is a bunch of computer code. Can't this "functionality" be created?

These boards can't run wild with no one monitoring them, I know. But you can't decide you want to delete something without a clear response on why. Without rules, you can delete whatever you want; if I say I didn't like a performance, you could delete it because you're her friend. I have never seen an ounce of transparency between you and the users of this platform. I've been posting for only a few months and I could even tell you that.

[JSquared2]

adamgreer said: "Lack of transparency and selective moderation have been issues on this board for years. The Patti Murin episode was especially troubling, as we got to see the BWW administrators appear out of the blue for about a week to suddenly start "moderating" posts, as the leadership of this site cowered to the demands of a whiny woman who didn't like that her performances weren't well-received here. Sadly, the incident chased away a lot of the posters that had real knowledge of the theater, as well as colorful personalities, and the board has become a real shell of its former self."

 

I've got a simple solution for you adamgreer (and all the rest of the crybabies who are bitching and moaning in this thread).  Just leave and start your own board!  Buh bye --- and don't let the door hit you in the *ss on your way out). 

[Alan Henry]

Hi All

We appreciate the feedback. We've talked as a team and we'll be sure to DM you when something is deleted and let you know.

We do have a specific list of things that are not permitted. Sometimes things that we just can't anticipate occur and we use our best judgment. You'll note the thread we deleted yesterday clearly fell within the purview of our rules, not to mention, was about a minor.

A full list of rules can be found here:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/guide.cfm

· Please post with courtesy (and common sense) - no use of profanity, obscenities, or name calling. 
· No personal attacks - we all have different opinions - disagree with the view, not with the person. This includes other posters, performers and artists. Everyone is welcome to not like a show, performer, performance, etc. but insulting individual people, their mental state or intellect, physical appearance, or anything of the sort is not constructive to the type of accepting community that BWW and the theatre community prides itself on.
· Those joining the site for the sole purpose of spamming, baiting or trolling will be removed, as will indecent and over-exposed Avatar images.
· Visitors may post reviews, comments, and other content; submit suggestions, ideas, comments, questions, or other information, so long as the content is not illegal, obscene, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, or infringing of intellectual property rights. BroadwayWorld reserves the right to remove any posts that we deem inappropriate as per these guidelines and at our discretion.
· Profanity is strictly banned from the board. Its use will result in post removal. Repeat offenders will be banned.
· Racial, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity-based insults are strictly prohibited. Use of any of these will result in immediate suspension.
· Critiques and opinions based solely on ageism, physical appearance, and other individual physical characteristics are not permitted.
· Critical discussion is appreciated and encouraged on BWW’s message boards. However, posts created solely to criticize an individual, especially for things outside of his or her theatrical work are not acceptable. Here at BroadwayWorld we love the theatre and the people who make it. While we know not everyone will appreciate every artist, we need to be respectful and courteous. As fans, we expect performers to do the same on the street and at the stage door.

[Valentina3]

This is really not that different from reddit's doxxxing etiquette. I agree that transparency is an issue we have been talking about a lot on BWW, but I think perception of the problem is higher than the actual problem itself. I don't want to blame Alan/other moderators alone for "smart colorful people" leaving. If they left - they left to go somewhere else, probably. I don't know any other place on the internet which is as anonymous and has the level of engagement - so I don't think people left BWW because they didn't like BWW's moderation specifically. They might not be interested in this mode of online engagement anymore.

*if there are other forums, I'd love to be there as well. SHOW ME :)

[ghostlight2]

*if there are other forums, I'd love to be there as well. SHOW ME :)"

Datalounge. Not for kids, or the faint of heart, but they have a totally anonymous and no holds barred theatre thread.

[devonian.t]

"Just leave and start your own board!"

For those of us who have been part of this community for a very long time, why should we be chased away?  It's not like we're asking for anything outlandish.

If you think it's wrong for members to ask for simple answers to simple questions, (which thankfully we are being given- thank you, Alan), maybe you should go and start a board where nobody can challenge you?

It's a dumb assertion, isn't it?

[devonian.t]

"Just leave and start your own board!"

For those of us who have been part of this community for a very long time, why should we be chased away?  It's not like we're asking for anything outlandish.

If you think it's wrong for members to ask for simple answers to simple questions, (which thankfully we are being given- thank you, Alan), maybe you should go and start a board where nobody can challenge you?

It's a dumb assertion, isn't it?

[CapnHook]

I am perhaps one of a few that still is active on BWW that came over from Broadway.com's now removed message boards. There, they had heavy moderation issues and chose to shut down the boards because they didn't want to control it. (And, admittingly, many times it did get out of control.) Rob posted a link to BWW's boards there, and that is how myself and many others discovered this website. Many of us gravitated here. Ever since then (May of 2003), BWW has been my home to be nerdy and bitchy with my fellow nerds and bitches.

I thought that Broadway.com would crumble and disappear without the traffic from the forums. For a while, it seemed like it was. But that is a powerful domain name. They turned it around with broker sales, group sales, and eventually generating creative content that has sustained them to be the brand they are today.

BWW COULD very well shut down the boards. And they could survive without us geeking out and bitching here. I don't think their terms of use are far-fetched. I do agree, however, that there could be better tools to keep the discussions we want to have better edited and moderated.