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A note to the TexAgs community regarding posting and moderation

July 3, 2020
247,673

TexAgs,

I cannot recall a more tense time in our history together. With a global pandemic, no college sports, racial tensions on campus and differing political views tearing us apart, clarity and civility seem elusive.

In a moment like this, we've had to lean on one of our guiding principles: We believe progress is made through MORE discussion, not LESS, and we believe that to be true even if the topics are uncomfortable and we occasionally disagree with one another. TexAgs has always been a place for Aggies to connect with each other, express our opinions and have a shared experience centered around topics we are passionate about. Lately, some of those topics are being discussed with a heightened level of passion, so it's more important than ever that we find a way to be civil, respectful and productive.

Posting Policies

We want to remind everyone that there are rules to posting here, and those rules can be found in our user agreement/posting policy. Like many other online forums have recently, we recognized room for our own improvement, so we updated the rules and encourage each of you to read them at your earliest convenience. As it relates to what we are all going through together right now, I want to be really clear about the following:

TexAgs staff, our moderators and the overwhelming majority of posters on this site will not stand for comments that are racist, sexist or in any way dehumanizing. We have and will continue to remove any posts we see that are hateful or that contain content intended to demean any group. This does not mean we can't discuss hot-button issues on TexAgs, but we ask that you be thoughtful and charitable when you do. If you are unable to express your point in a humanizing way, your post will be removed and you will not be welcome to post on TexAgs any longer.

This policy will be strictly enforced by our moderators, who will work diligently to catch everything they can, but remember, with 2.5 million posts here every year it is not possible for us to bat a thousand on the removal of ALL objectionable posts. We will be doing our best to protect your right to free speech and to express yourself, but we will need your help.

Help Us Protect Free Speech

If you come across anything you believe offends one of our policies, PLEASE flag the post for moderator review. We do not approve posts before they go up and we are unable to read them all immediately after they do. We depend heavily on the posting community to bring problem posts to our attention. If in doubt, flag and we will review.

Thank you for your help and for making TexAgs a community where EVERYONE has the right to be heard and respected. We are deeply greatful for your continued support.

Gig’Em!

Brandon Jones ‘95
President & CEO

Discussion from...

A note to the TexAgs community regarding posting and moderation

212,068 Views | 208 Replies | Last: 11 days ago by aggiebq03+
BoerneGator
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11:17a, 7/3/20
AG
Brandon, you know I support you, and this wonderful forum that is TexAgs. I do not envy your job of herding cats, but please address the real problem of "flagging" abuse. Some posters apparently flag any and all posts they dislike or disapprove of, never mind they do not violate your published rules/policy. Is it possible to hold us all accountable for flagging posts that your moderators do not remove, in order to discourage such abuse and keep it to a minimum? I'm certain such an effort would pay dividends, and be greatly appreciated by your customers.
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ProgN
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11:21a, 7/3/20
1) Will TexAgs reach out to some longtime posters that were permabanned during this chaos and permit them to get their account back since you've updated terms?

2) Can we still post pics of hot women in swimwear?


ETA: TexAgs should have a down vote feature for horrible posts that turn the post burnt orange after 10 down votes.
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Jbob04
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11:25a, 7/3/20
74OA
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In reply to BoerneGator • 11:33a, 7/3/20
AG
Where do flags show against a post? Obviously people are flagging, but I've never seen one, so how do we know there is "abuse"?
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BoerneGator
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In reply to 74OA • 11:42a, 7/3/20
AG
74OA said:
Where do flags show against a post? Obviously people are flagging, but I've never seen one, so how do we know there is "abuse"?
You're asking the wrong person. I'm an old, and technology challenged, but others may.

Peer pressure accountability is THE best and most reliable. The down-vote idea above is excellent.
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Bobcat06
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11:59a, 7/3/20
AG
In the last week, I've had 2 different posts deleted. The post were on different topics but both were critical of A&M faculty.

#1 Discussing Dr Alvard's ethics violations. https://texags.com/forums/16/topics/3121693/replies/56858842
#2 Discussing Kristi Oshiro's research that Texags is racist. https://texags.com/forums/16/topics/3122307

When asked for clarification on which on the 17 enumerated reasons in the Posting Protocol for deleting posts, I got the following response:

Quote:
The site is able to remove content for any reason it feels are in the best interest of the site.
This is a fluid situation and discussion will likely be allowed in the days ahead, but we are not allowing that topic to be discussed at this time.

Gig 'em!
Moderator


Can you please update your Posting Policy to explain that you will moderate any posts critical of A&M faculty?
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aggiebq03+
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12:01p, 7/3/20
Quote:
We reserve the right to edit or delete any message for any or no reason whatsoever.

This would be the portion everyone can refer to when complaining about why their post was deleted. They are letting you know up front there doesn't have to be a reason.
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74OA
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In reply to BoerneGator • 12:02p, 7/3/20
AG
BoerneGator said:
74OA said:
Where do flags show against a post? Obviously people are flagging, but I've never seen one, so how do we know there is "abuse"?
You're asking the wrong person. I'm an old, and technology challenged, but others may.

Peer pressure accountability is THE best and most reliable. The down-vote idea above is excellent.
Ok. Just not sure how we can possibly know for sure that there is flag abuse if they are invisible to us all?
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Zemira
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12:06p, 7/3/20
AG
I was recently banned for 24 hours for posting on a thread that called attention to the bad conduct a former employee of yours who was threatening to dox people.

I received no reason.

If you gave an explicit reason for the bans and post removals a lot of loyal customers would trust you a bit more than they do right now.

Still waiting for the transparency in moderation we have been promised for a few years.
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OldArmyBrent
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12:15p, 7/3/20
AG
TOS seem to say that if anyone complains, Texags has the right to dox/unmask. Based on the way the sentence is structured, it is clear that a complaint doesn't need to be a legal complaint. Everyone should keep that in mind. TA has given themselves the right to give all your personal information to anyone that complains you hurt their feelings.
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Anti-taxxer
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In reply to OldArmyBrent • 12:24p, 7/3/20
AG
OldArmyBrent said:
TOS seem to say that if anyone complains, Texags has the right to dox/unmask. Based on the way the sentence is structured, it is clear that a complaint doesn't need to be a legal complaint. Everyone should keep that in mind. TA has given themselves the right to give all your personal information to anyone that complains you hurt their feelings.

Which is extremely concerning.
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Zemira
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In reply to OldArmyBrent • 12:29p, 7/3/20
AG
OldArmyBrent said:
TOS seem to say that if anyone complains, Texags has the right to dox/unmask. Based on the way the sentence is structured, it is clear that a complaint doesn't need to be a legal complaint. Everyone should keep that in mind. TA has given themselves the right to give all your personal information to anyone that complains you hurt their feelings.
Can we get clarification on the wording? Perhaps a revision? If not I can think of serious ramifications if Texags is going to reveal personal data about it's users to others simply because there is a complaint. I would hope Texags would not be saying a complaint is enough to unmask/ give doxxing information to a third party without a subpoena of some sort that was issued by a court of law.
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lb3
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12:44p, 7/3/20
AG
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Nitro Power
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In reply to lb3 • 1:01p, 7/3/20
AG
lb3 said:
Quote:
We at TexAgs.com reserve the right to reveal your identity and all information we have connected to your identity should a complaint or legal action arise from anything you decide to post on TexAgs.com.
This deserves further explanation.


It's pretty clear to me. Basically says they will comply a court order or investigation in the event someone on here does something highly illegal. It's a simple CYA thing.
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WatchOle
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In reply to OldArmyBrent • 1:08p, 7/3/20
Staff
AG
That's not was meant by the language. We adjusted to refer to the third-party disclosure portion of the privacy policy, which states:

Quote:
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your Personally Identifiable Information unless we provide users with advance notice. This does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or serving our users, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release information when it's release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others' rights, property or safety.
Gig'em, Brandon '95
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PaulSimonsGhost
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In reply to Nitro Power • 1:11p, 7/3/20
AG
Just move along and go somewhere else. You obviously don't like what we do and how we run this place and, as a result, you regularly interact with us in bad faith. Bye. -Brandon
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OldArmyBrent
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In reply to WatchOle • 1:36p, 7/3/20
AG
if you don't like the policy you're welcome not to use the service. Email the support inbox and we will deactivate your account. -Brandon
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(removed:110450)
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In reply to OldArmyBrent • 1:45p, 7/3/20
AG
OldArmyBrent said:
if you don't like the policy your welcome not to use the service. Email the support inbox and we will deactivate your account. -Brandon


What is that email again? Not sure where to find it.
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WatchOle
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In reply to (removed:110450) • 1:47p, 7/3/20
Staff
AG
staff@texags.com
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NCNJ1217
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In reply to Zemira • 1:58p, 7/3/20
AG
Zemira said:
OldArmyBrent said:
TOS seem to say that if anyone complains, Texags has the right to dox/unmask. Based on the way the sentence is structured, it is clear that a complaint doesn't need to be a legal complaint. Everyone should keep that in mind. TA has given themselves the right to give all your personal information to anyone that complains you hurt their feelings.
Can we get clarification on the wording? Perhaps a revision? If not I can think of serious ramifications if Texags is going to reveal personal data about it's users to others simply because there is a complaint. I would hope Texags would not be saying a complaint is enough to unmask/ give doxxing information to a third party without a subpoena of some sort that was issued by a court of law.


If possible, I too would like clarification on the wording. In point 17 of the user agreement, "any authority" definitely seems overly broad. I'm not sure if zemira was referring to point 17 or somewhere else in the user agreement.

I understand Texags/Brandon saying users are free to go elsewhere if they don't like it, but without a clarification, I have to assume the worst about this language, right? At that point, I/others could make a decision with the benefit of all the relevant information.
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(removed:110450)
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In reply to WatchOle • 2:03p, 7/3/20
AG
WatchOle said:
staff@texags.com


Thanks!
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ooshwa
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In reply to NCNJ1217 • 2:57p, 7/3/20
Staff
AG
Point 17 refers to content uploaded to the site. We have added clarification to "authorities".
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boulderaggie
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4:15p, 7/3/20
AG
Would be nice to give the Mods the ability to ban a user from posting on a particular thread. Often it seems like user conflict causes the spiral that results in a perma ban. Removing posting ability at the thread level could help deescalate and result in more civil discourse.

Just a suggestion.
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lb3
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In reply to WatchOle • 4:24p, 7/3/20
AG
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SeMgCo87
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In reply to WatchOle • 8:33a, 7/4/20
AG
You are welcome to email me about this. There are good reasons why the terms are worded the way they are. -Brandon
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Nitro Power
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In reply to SeMgCo87 • 10:59a, 7/4/20
AG
SeMgCo87 said:
You are welcome to email me about this. There are good reasons why the terms are worded the way they are. -Brandon
Lawyers
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TRM
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In reply to WatchOle • 3:42p, 7/5/20
AG
What's TexAgs definition of participation? Simply posting? Starring a post? Logging on?
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hairloom
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3:55p, 7/5/20
Can we please dehumanize each other in the GB? That place is more fun when we can kick each other when someone is down
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Tanya 93
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4:01p, 7/5/20
For the record, I think guys telling me on here to make them a sandwich (because sammiches do not exist in my universe) should not get deleted or banned.

I tell them to do things for me in return.

Just saying...


It's not sexist to me. It's what I do
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MR Gadsden
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4:11p, 7/5/20
Brandon, how does one become a moderator? Is there an amount of time required to moderate? Or can you do it as hoc? Do you take applications or have job requirements posted somewhere? Is it a paid gig?

Thanks in advance.
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eric76
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In reply to Tanya 93 • 4:13p, 7/5/20
AG
Tanya 93 said:
For the record, I think guys telling me on here to make them a sandwich (because sammiches do not exist in my universe) should not get deleted or banned.

I tell them to do things for me in return.

Just saying...


It's not sexist to me. It's what I do
On the other hand, you never would bring fund raiser brownies to the Aggie Baseball games.
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Tanya 93
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In reply to eric76 • 4:14p, 7/5/20
eric76 said:
Tanya 93 said:
For the record, I think guys telling me on here to make them a sandwich (because sammiches do not exist in my universe) should not get deleted or banned.

I tell them to do things for me in return.

Just saying...


It's not sexist to me. It's what I do
On the other hand, you never would bring fund raiser brownies to the Aggie Baseball games.
I tried

They took them


I am sure Mr. Kotch shared them with staff.

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eric76
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In reply to Tanya 93 • 6:04p, 7/5/20
AG
Tanya 93 said:
eric76 said:
Tanya 93 said:
For the record, I think guys telling me on here to make them a sandwich (because sammiches do not exist in my universe) should not get deleted or banned.

I tell them to do things for me in return.

Just saying...


It's not sexist to me. It's what I do
On the other hand, you never would bring fund raiser brownies to the Aggie Baseball games.
I tried

They took them


I am sure Mr. Kotch shared them with staff.
I didn't know that. I figured you just didn't want to bother with it.
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nu awlins ag
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3:06p, 7/16/20
AG
[post removed. temporary user ban applied. -staff]

a reminder from https://texags.com/terms

Quote:
All questions and comments concerning moderation are to be directed to moderator@texags.com (please allow 48 hours for a response). It is our goal, through this resource, to provide clarity to our moderation actions per the details of this posting policy. Questions or critiques of moderation are not allowed within the forums and will result in the suspension of posting privileges.

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notex
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8:50a, 8/12/20
AG
I don't want to comment on moderation, but I understand nortex97 is now banned.
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