Author Topic: General Editorial information for users  (Read 3859 times)

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Editor

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General Editorial information for users
« on: July 04, 2005, 01:33:48 AM »
In an effort to maintain a focused and on topic forum certain editorial actions are taken from time to time.


In general we like to keep the Main page that new users see fairly focused on Renewable Energy with a prejudice towards wind, home builder and DIY [Do It Yourself] type stuff. This will generally NOT include things like fuel cells, hydrogen cars, pie in the sky new solar technology or other non DIY type things. The other sections including Diaries are the place for these items. We try to pick the cream of the crop for the Main fieldlines page so a lot of stuff goes to display in "section only".


This forum exists to enable people to build and use [primarily wind driven] devices to create power for themselves as well as the peripheral equipment and devices required to use that power like inverters, controllers, batteries and wiring. Stories by folks actually building devices get a high priority as Main Page material, also.



    The type of Story post that will likely never be displayed include:

  • Posts luring folks to commercial sites and especially obvious scams.

  • Stories asking semi related electronics questions where you add some statement mentioning RE to make it look like it is on topic.

  • Complaints about missing posts which should go to your Diary.

  • Poorly written, disjointed stories that are difficult to understand.

  • Asking simple questions answered recently, regularly or that a simple board search would answer. We do occasionally revisit common questions to get new ideas however.

  • Unsafe or dangerous advice.

  • A Story post that is just a link to another website.
  • SPAM or anything that looks or feels like SPAM.
  • Anything the editors decide is off topic with the exception of the Diary section which is for non topical things.


We probably should filter comments that stray off the main story topic but so far do not. Personal attacks and blatantly dangerous / bad advice will be cut although they have been rare so far.


I know many of you will say "I don't see posts like that in here" The reason is the editors filter it out before it gets through to many users. Frankly, not every post merits inclusion in the forum at all and we try to keep it on topic and of good quality. This is not usenet, folks and we try very hard to keep it from going that route where the signal to noise ratio is so bad you cannot easily tell the good from the bad information.


Just some insight into how editing is determined.DanB and DanF seem to get some email wondering why things happen the way they do so hopefully this will help clear it up some.


The Editorial Staff @ Fieldlines.com

« Last Edit: July 04, 2005, 01:33:48 AM by (unknown) »

terry5732

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Re: General Editorial information for users
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2005, 12:39:09 AM »
IMHO you've been doing a damn good job of editing here and that is what makes this board MUCH better than many others.


Kudos!

« Last Edit: July 04, 2005, 12:39:09 AM by terry5732 »

ghurd

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Re: General Editorial information for users
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2005, 12:47:58 AM »
I will second that.

I was never big on boards, but when the same site came up over and over, time after time, it was time for a closer look.

Very glad I looked closer.

G-
« Last Edit: July 04, 2005, 12:47:58 AM by ghurd »
www.ghurd.info<<<-----Information on my Controller

drdongle

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Re: General Editorial information for users
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2005, 07:31:18 AM »
I will say that I believe ADMIN has maintained a high level quality and focus. keep up the good work.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2005, 07:31:18 AM by drdongle »

bob golding

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Re: General Editorial information for users
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2005, 02:16:32 PM »
yep definatly one of the best boards i have  been on for smooth running and lack of bitching well done folks.


bob golding

« Last Edit: July 04, 2005, 02:16:32 PM by bob golding »
if i cant fix it i can fix it so it cant be fixed.

georgeodjungle

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Re: General Editorial information for users
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2005, 03:28:14 PM »
GUILTY:

i don't complain.

poorly wirtten is do to dislecta that compuonds the problem.

but you do know i'm trying to say most of the time, any ways.

i love this site.

you do a great job.

it must take hours off of your lives to baby sit us.

KUDOS
« Last Edit: July 04, 2005, 03:28:14 PM by georgeodjungle »

mpowerdog

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yikes!
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2005, 06:16:08 PM »
upon not being unable to answer my question, i was directed to this site by elenz@windstuffnow.com because he thought someone here may be able to answer/direct me to a source/answer.

with no indication as to the reception i might expect after reading the 'how to use the board' and following the instructions by posting it to the appropriate area, controls, can you imagine my confusion after i twice post what seems to me to be a simple straight-forward question and it disappears with not even a polite explanation, and not until someone else's question about they're confusion is there an explanation offered?  my posts didn't even end up in the diary as explained.


i don't know guys, trying to educate myself has never been met with such a rude

'response' as yours and your 'filtration' may backfire some day and keep knowledge from you.    

« Last Edit: July 19, 2005, 06:16:08 PM by mpowerdog »

Editor

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Re: yikes!
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2005, 08:51:23 PM »
Sir;


I am sorry that you feel mistreated but your question was not topical and only you can submit a Diary entry by selecting that when you post. Editors cannot alter a regular section story to be a Diary entry.


No rudeness was intended. By all means go ahead and post to your Diary pretty much anything you like. We strive hard to keep this forum focused on Alternative Energy. and while folks here can likely answer your question on converting a "generator" of unknown type and drive from 3 phase to a single phase that does not make it appropriate for the board. Nor did you provide enough information to enable informed responses. I did not feel that your question was in line with our stated goals or clear enough in content so it was not displayed. Try selecting a Diary entry and it will remain. I usually do not respond to complaints because the complaint and the response are both off topic. Frankly, I would rather resign the post as an Editor than explain my actions to anyone except maybe DanB who owns the board.



Editor

« Last Edit: July 19, 2005, 08:51:23 PM by Editor »

ja2tn

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Re: yikes!
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2005, 08:03:58 AM »
I agree with this post... I was met with the same "rude" welcome by the editorial staff.  My post were certainly on topic, and more importantly were for the gathering of knowledge that would help me further my RE goals - which if not, should be, the ultimate goal of this board.  It is one thing to play editor, but how can new users learn if they think that their posts are just being eaten by the system or that someone is rudely deleting their posts.  You should at least contact the writer and let them know WHY the post is being deleted/edited so that they can learn from the situation.  Of course the "pride" that is involved that would make someone make a statement like "Frankly, I would rather resign the post as an Editor than explain my actions to anyone except maybe DanB who owns the board." would prevent this person from being able to "help" the situation at all.  And then when someone posts an opinion against these actions [even in the "Rants and Opinions" section] there are censored.  This is a very communistic approach... let's not allow anyone to disagree with the governing body.


You have tried justifying why you censored me, but you have not addressed why my "Skylights at night" post was deleted twice.  Was this OT?  Or just not what Mr. Editor  is interested in?  Or have you just taken a special liking to me and use that slant in your editing {read dictating} talents.  Also, how about the opinion posts that I have posted in the Rants and Opinions section.  That is where they belonged, they were definitely on topic, you cannot deny that the only reason you could have possibly had for deleting them were because they were in disagreement to your actions.  No wonder everyone thinks this is one big happy family and there are so few complaints.  If you would have read the newspapers in Germany several decades ago, you would see only a few praises for and ABSOLUTELY no complaints on what a wonderful job that Hitler was doing.  Does this mean there were no complaints and he was an OK guy.  You decide...

« Last Edit: August 16, 2005, 08:03:58 AM by ja2tn »

DanG

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Whose house you think you're in?
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2005, 10:59:34 AM »
The above entry would have also disappeared under my watch.


Think scribbling in library dictionaries and/or writing comments in the margins of a school encyclopedia should be encouraged? Both those resources took a great deal of effort to reach publication. Those embodied with "99% inspiration : 1% perspiration" were never really ever a part of either process. Feel free to set up your own website.


Fieldlines is a 'year-book' of renewable energy meant to be used as 1) reference library and 2) customer support for Otherpower.com, meaning the needs of the many (current and future readers) simply outweigh the needs of the few (you). Any resemblence to a social club is coincidental, business and professional relationships we so admire are hard earned, as all are held to the same or higher standards than those which you are so sorely chaffed by.


So, with 100's of hours worth of rewarding reading before you, you discover you're too hyperactive to adapt and adjust, compelling you to more and more erratic postings that don't pass muster, then you spout accusations of "Communistic" & comparisons to "Hitler" because this forum reminds you too much of the last place you worked?


Please grow up, you owe us all, not just the editor, an apology.

« Last Edit: August 16, 2005, 10:59:34 AM by DanG »

ja2tn

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Re: Whose house you think you're in?
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2005, 11:43:09 PM »
While I appreciate your opinion, you have NO knowledge of what is going on because it has been happening behind the scenes.  


Also, don't jump to conclusions there 1) you have NO idea how many hours I have spent reading the archives of this website, how many more I have been lurking on and for how long, nor how many varied publications I have read/subscribed to over the last decade or so concerning the subjects of renewable energy, PV/wind/hydro electricity etc... 2) you have absolutely no idea of how many hundreds of dollars that I have spent with Otherpower.com over the last twelve months so don't assume you know the weight of my "needs" and 3) there is absolutely no way you can even give a remotely intelligent guess as to whether a person is hyperactive or not by reading a post on the computer.  Don't assume you know somebody just because you jumped into the middle of a conservation that you do not have the facts on.


Also for the record, you do not know anything about the last place I worked which by the way was a cogeneration steam/electricity plant.  I generated LARGE quantities of electricity using generators that are larger than the average house for a living!  So do not treat me like I am some dumb hippy teenager that just decided to log onto this website to ask a bunch of goofy questions to fill this weeks "flavor of the month" for something to learn about.  Although if that were the case, the reception received here would definitely not have perpetuated a long term interest.  It sure would not have furthered the R.E. cause and in tern would have hurt us all.  As to my current profession, I am a general contractor.  A builder that adds R.E. in some form to every project I do, be it a 2500 sq. ft. home or a 35,0000 sq. ft. strip-mall.  I am trying to get more people interested in R.E. and make it a normal thing in peoples day-to-day lives.  So do not patronize me with your soap box speeches.  I am not here for a social call as you so eloquently inferred, I am here to 1) gain knowledge and 2) develop business relationships and if I make a friend or two in the process, GREAT!  I definitely believe common courtesy to be appropriate in either.


Now, since you obviously want in on what is going on, what happened is I asked some questions that I had that 1) that I could receive an answer 2) to perpetuate dialogue and 3) to give back and not just take from the board by lurking.  These questions kept disappearing, so I would repost.  Again they disappeared.  All the while no one has said a thing to me as to why.  So I read the "rules" to see if I am posting something not allowed, no problem there but my posts are still disappearing.  Now you tell me at this point how deleting my post is helping anything?  That's right it's not.  If the person deleting my post would have simply e-mailed me privately, or replaced the post with a note explaining what was going on instead of me thinking there must be some sort of glitch then I could have gone from there but no instead we get comments like "Frankly, I would rather resign the post as an Editor than explain my actions to anyone except maybe DanB who owns the board."  Personally, I think that is a little excessive.  And as for an apology, what would I need to apologize for?  If this is a business forum, I walked into the store with a question and look at the response, that make a body want to further a business relationship here.  You're dead right, an apology IS in order, but somehow I bet I never get one.


Good day...

« Last Edit: August 16, 2005, 11:43:09 PM by ja2tn »

gator

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Re: Whose house you think you're in?
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2006, 08:13:05 PM »
I consider it an honor to read a post, submit a post and a real honor to get a response to a post.  It is sad that you feel you are owed something.  This board is a gift for those interested and if something doesn't suit you, get off and let it go.  I hope your not one of those who drives slow in the left lane.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2006, 08:13:05 PM by gator »