My understanding of "the rules" (see 12 and 13 specifically) is that the answer to your question of when it is appropriate for
a moderator in a forum to edit your posts?
Is "anytime they see fit." It's a "like it or lump it" rule.
I don't mean that disrespectfully to the moderators or this site. The moderators' job isn't an easy one, and they are not paid for it. If there were grievance procedures, it would only make their jobs that much harder (and stressfull to boot, if they knew that any and every decision could be challenged).
It's no fun to be editied, but this is a privately owned site, so full "freedom of speech" doesn't apply. Just as you can ask anyone to leave your property for any reason (including their opinions), the moderators can ask any of us to leave for any reason. Once we write a post, it becomes essentially "property" of the site, so that the moderators can edit as they see fit.
When I first joined, I also thought the moderators' were heavy-handed and "touchy". I thought "we're all adult enough to handle disagreeing opinions - even if they're worded strongly (I'm pretty hard to offend, so I kind of expect everyone else to be).
Over the years, I've become a lot more sympathetic to the moderators, as I've seen for myself what can happen when a negative thread escapes the moderators quick attention (they can't be everywhere at once). Negative threads are like forest fires and some relatively "innocent" statements are often the tinder. It may not have been your comment as much as the fact that similar comments have sparked intensely negative threads in the past. In essence the moderator may have been removing the "tinder" before it becomes a fire.
Maybe you don't see it as possibly enflaming, but maybe the moderator has had similar threads get nasty. It may seem that the moderator was over-reacting, but according to the rules, they get to use their own judgement (and they can't use anyone else's).
I don't always agree with the mods (I don't think they always agree with each other - that wouldn't be human), but they're referees with final say, so it's pointless to argue (and it can get you banned from the site).
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Last edited by kaplods : 10-10-2010 at 02:59 PM.
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