TrollBridge and "that company"

[Vin Ahrr Vin]

MOD VOICE:

I got an e-mail from "that guy" today. Very threatening. He is unhappy with some of the discussion of "that company" on the TrollBridge and has threatned legal action if it is not removed.

I would rather avoid confrontation in this matter and am going to make those threads vanish as I find them. (The "What the Hell" thread is gone now. Others to follow.)

In the future, I would appreciate if we could avoid discussing "that company" on the TrollBridge.

[cartomancer]

As the author of the mentioned thread i'd like to publically announce my support of Vin in his actions.

Whilst achieving justice is important to me, it can not be achieved at the cost of innocence and, the bridge is in this instance an innocent bystander. Be assured however that justice will be served and we have not given up pursuing the matter outside of the bridge.

We are not beaten. We have not surrendered.

[feldrik]

Now there is irony.
Would litigation include revealing to a court our concerns about various business practices and such? Would this lead to an investigation into such practices to prove the veracity of such claims?
Is this post going to be seen as a problem? If so I am sorry, feel free to delete it but I just can't pass up irony.

[cartomancer]

Now there's a thought that had crossed my mind. At any rate, even if the post needs to face the pyre, this Exalt wont.

*Exalts*

[ProfGremlin]

I'm sorry you've received such a message, Vin. That couldn't have been a happy experience. One of the things that people tend to forget is that while we have the Freedom of Speech tied into it is the responsibility for what we say. I understand why you've chosen to acquiesce and you have my support. Nothing constructive can come from engaging yourself and the 'Bridge in such a legal morass. If there's anything I can do to assist going forward, please let me now.

[gaptooth]

I'm very disappointed to hear this.

I don't think I ever participated any OP discussions here, mainly because I had nothing to contribute, but I can't believe that you're asking people not to discuss the topic at all on this forum.

I would certainly prefer to talk about more pleasant things, and I don't see any constructive value in the name-calling that I sometimes see when the topic comes up. However, I think that a blanket ban on the topic is even more destructive. It seems like a further insult to those who have legitimate grievances. Furthermore, it enforces an insider/outsider division whose absence I always appreciated on this forum. The first T&T product I owned was Mike Hill's M6E ruleset, which I continue to enjoy a great deal in spite of its tarnished pedigree. The discussions about "that company" on this forum were crucial for me as a T&T newbie to find legitimate channels for creator-sanctioned T&T material and understand the importance of supporting those channels.

Another issue I'm sensitive about is erasing history, which I think is very dangerous. While I find it unpleasant to make this a taboo topic, establishing clear standards of what kinds of content are acceptable is important to maintain an online community. But deleting threads is bad news in several ways. When you delete a thread, links that point to the thread break, making it impossible (or at least imposing) to piece together what a controversy or conversation was about. I would advise deleting threads only in the most egregious cases-- usually you should be able to close the thread and include a note saying why. That's the way they do it at the Forge, and I find it very instructive: it helps lurkers and new members pick up the community morés and moderation culture, and it also serves as a more pervasive warning system as to what kinds of content cross the line.

But it is your name on the website 'Vin, and I will respect your judgement. Although I tend to think of Trollbridge as a community that I find immensely valuable, I realize that you are the auteur who is shouldering the risk associated with keeping this place alive.

[mahrundl]

While I deplore the necessity, I understand and support Vin's actions. I would hate to see the bridge locked or closed because of this issue. Vin, I'm sorry that you had to deal with such an e-mail.

[gaptooth]

Vin, I'm sorry that you had to deal with such an e-mail.

I agree with this. Without watering down what I wrote above, I don't know what the message said and can't say how I would have responded in your shoes. I also didn't read the deleted threads very carefully, and I don't know if they contained something egregious and worthy of purging.

[Aramis of Erak]

I'd say let the SOB sue... Then call the ACLU.

[grrraall]

OK, Vin. I must say a share the disappointment of Gaptooth because freedom of speech is important to me, but I understand your position perfectly.

More importantly, what "that guy" is asking is in fact what he deserves, i.e. no attention at all.

[Vin Ahrr Vin]

Just to let you know, I edited the board censor. If you re-read any old posts and find reference to "that company" and "that guy" it's not because I or any of the other mods went back to edit anything. I just let the board censor do it for us.

Aug 19, 2011 23:51:18 GMT -5 gaptooth said:

I don't think I ever participated any OP discussions here, mainly because I had nothing to contribute, but I can't believe that you're asking people not to discuss the topic at all on this forum.

At the moment, I strongly encorage to keep it a taboo topic. It saddens me to have to do this because I appreciate the positve things "that company" has done for the T&T industry, but the best thing at the moment is simply not to discuss them at all for better or for worse.

[skathros]

Solution...support FBI, Rick, and 5.5! Let the thieving hobbit and his dubious products rot! Rick served the T&T community well all these years and I, for one, would rather support anything coming out of FBI than to waste my breath (typing?) on that criminal. He wants to shut up the whole 'bridge? Fine! I hope the silence results in him languishing into obscurity. In the end, he'll be nothing more than a dark footnote in T&T history. A pesky, childish annoyance...nothing more.

Vin, I respect what you've done for both T&T and the OD&D community, and I'm indebted to you for producing WB. Thus, I'll follow your request (here at the 'bridge). I don't agree with it, but then again, it's irrelevant weather or not I agree...the 'bridge is your "home" and I'll play by your rules.

[sligo]

Grrrrr.

[devadasi]

i suggest that until Vin gives further instructions we should stop discussing it, starting with this folder. i would be really upset if something happened to this forum.

[gaptooth]

ust to let you know, I edited the board censor.

Although my new baby schedule makes it hard for me to post as frequently as I used to, I value this forum a lot.

However, this step does not sit well with me at all. Setting standards, I agree with, even if I find the standards unpleasant. Deleting objectionable content is sometimes necessary-- it's a fact of life on the Internets. But programatically editing all previous discussions to replace our words with meaningless babel is something I find very distasteful. Like I said before, I'd much rather see warnings and moderation messages that are informative. If a change of social climate leads can lead to such pervasive destruction of the information we are sharing here, I'm not sure I can participate.

I'm not storming off-- I'd like to think that we can reason together rather than let fear govern our interchange. But I do think that the issues raised by this thread are worthy of careful consideration and discussion.