Living Car Free - When does a thread become inappropriate?

Hi all:

I recently participated in a thread entitled "I hate cars" or something, which quickly devolved into a flame fest, and very soon thereafter, it was closed. I don't dispute the mod's decision to close the thread, because it was actually getting pretty juvenile (mea culpa), but I do have a couple of questions, purely for future reference:

1. At what point does a thread cross the line into "inappropriate" territory?

2. Who decides whether or not a thread has become too icky to deal with?

The reason I ask is because I sense a bit of inconsistency, and I'm a bit confused. The "I hate cars" thread was definitely flame-filled and served no useful purpose, but its general tone was rather playful and mostly harmless. In other areas, such as the Advocay and Safety forum, I've seen much worse threads, very nasty, even destructive ongoing arguments, full of rude personal insults, go on for days or even weeks at a time. Does the moderator only intervene if a user makes a complaint?

I guess what I'm looking for is a list of guidelines for using this forum. I'm here to get information and to amuse myself, not to offend people...

a thread is automatically inappropriate when it discusses other threads. thread over.

man go to dinner and look at what I miss out on:D I had participated in that thread early on, but have missed it's southward trip. I moderate on a large forum and if a thread goes south we try to prune the problem posts, then lock it, then if all else fails ban members. From what I recall there was some decent information early on in it.

Aaron:)

dude, this is an internet forum, not the US Congress.

Things happen on internet forums because someone who had the power to make it happen thought it was a good idea. That's all the consistency you're probably going to get.

dude, this is an internet forum, not the US Congress.

Things happen on internet forums because someone who had the power to make it happen thought it was a good idea. That's all the consistency you're probably going to get.

So why do some threads get canned and not others? There must be some sort of protocol.

So why do some threads get canned and not others? There must be some sort of protocol.
Usually somebody (OK dammit, I confess, it was me!) complains to a moderator. The mod on duty interprets the Forum Guidelines (http://www.bikeforums.net/faq.php?faq=forum_guidelines) and decides whether to delete the thread, lock it, move it, warn the participants or just leave it alone. My only regret in this case is that I was one of the people who made the thread bad--and it was very bad--so in a way it was hypocritical for me to complain about it. I'm really just grateful that I didn't get censured by the mods, since I deserved it, along with a couple of the other miscreants.

Do you all think it's appropriate to have an "I Hate Cars" thread on this forum? It's bound to stir up some bad feelings, but OTOH a lot of us really do hate cars. What do you think?

What do you think?

I think that you take this forum WAY too seriously. Coupled with your delicate sensibilities and the difficulty that you have supporting some of the outrageous things that you post, it makes for a fantastic read!

I think that you take this forum WAY too seriously. Coupled with your delicate sensibilities and the difficulty that you have supporting some of the outrageous things that you post, it makes for a fantastic read!
Like I said, I live to amuse you.

a thread is automatically inappropriate when it discusses other threads. thread over.

And yo, funny stuff should be limited to Foo or at least warn people before you say something funny, I've got a mess to clean up now.

Usually somebody... complains to a moderator. The mod on duty interprets the Forum Guidelines (http://www.bikeforums.net/faq.php?faq=forum_guidelines) and decides whether to delete the thread, lock it, move it, warn the participants or just leave it alone. My only regret in this case is that I was one of the people who made the thread bad--and it was very bad--so in a way it was hypocritical for me to complain about it. I'm really just grateful that I didn't get censured by the mods, since I deserved it, along with a couple of the other miscreants.

Thank you, Roody. This is useful information.