Poor Service: Point - Counterpoint

This post is not intended to be inflammatory in any way, I'm just missing the HotBytes of old.

I really don't see that, Jeremy, but I'm sad to lose your participation. I have NEVER forbidden posts of criticism or praise, but to discourage constructive criticism would be, in my opinion, to emasculate the forum.

I would respectfully suggest, though, that if you feel strongly about fostering a certain tone, the way to do it is to participate and lead by example, not to back off and diminish the proportion of positiveness.

That's the thing, I really feel it's gotten less and less constructive, and I don't think I'm the only person who's noticed.

As for locking the thread, I'd appreciate the chance to let people respond to my observation, if you like you could start a new topic with my post in it...or just hold off on locking.

[Robin Garr]

just hold off on locking.

I'll do that.

[Robin Garr]

I'd appreciate the chance to let people respond to my observation

Adding to that: Advice, yours and others, is always appreciated. I'm in a quandary. Civility is a requirement here, as far as I'm concerned, and the real names policy helps with that somewhat. But as the forum grows from a village into a town, we get a broader variety of participants, and some people have their personal Appropriateness Meter set at a different level than others. Some people who had real problems with civility are no longer with us, but I consider a ban - whether formal via the software or informal via shunning - a failure on my part.

Suggestions? We can't all be alike, and some people's tone is by nature harsher, more cynical or even more snide than others. I don't much care to ban on the basis of personality, and I do believe in running the forum in as democratic a manner as possible - except in the rare cases when circumstances force me to put on my dictator's hat.

But I do think that when good people like you, Jeremy, vote with your feet, that's a real problem for the forum.

Help me out here: Given that forbidding negative restaurant reviews - censoring speech - is simply not going to happen (as long as they are reasonably civilly expressed), how can we keep this forum the kind and gentle place you wish it would be?

I didnt want to post up here but....Im sure the owners of Maido dont like seeing this thread on the top of the list. Sense this one seems to be over,I suggest starting a new thread that does not have the restaurant name in the title.

[Robin Garr]

I suggest starting a new thread that does not have the restaurant name in the title.

That seems fair. Done!

(I can only change the OP, though. I'm not going to manually change every succeeding post. )

I suggest starting a new thread that does not have the restaurant name in the title.

That seems fair. Done!

(I can only change the OP, though. I'm not going to manually change every succeeding post. )

Great solution (thanks John and Robin).

Jeremy, i just took a look at the front page and there are all sorts of threads. When someone does post a thread about a negative experience, they do get a lot of traffic. But, i feel that is just human nature. Is it a trend, i dont think so. Actually, i have seen quite a lot of threads where someone is giving a place praise on the food, service, or overall experience. Do those threads get as much traffic? Not really, you might get a few people concurring, but in no way do they get over 2000 views and 100 replies. Again, i just have to say it is human nature to look in the direction of the accident/person getting pulled over instead of the other car waiting patiently with you at the stop light.

as for you lurking.....i cannot put it any better than Robin did....but then again in my opinion Robin has a beautiful way with words.....

I would respectfully suggest, though, that if you feel strongly about fostering a certain tone, the way to do it is to participate and lead by example, not to back off and diminish the proportion of positiveness.