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.
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.
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
We just need a downvote button.BoerneGator said:
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.
The old junior high crowd pressure approach? Punish the politically incorrect?slimjimsims said:We just need a downvote button.BoerneGator said:
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.
justcallmeharry said:
There are only 20 active threads related to Covid on the first page.
15 this morning, but it's early.Retired FBI Agent said:justcallmeharry said:
There are only 20 active threads related to Covid on the first page.
25 minimum and most all quickly devolve into the same talking points.
Quote:
We have had to clean up a lot of derails on this thread and we are not going to do it again without issuing bans to posters for at least 72 hours that makes posts that derail from the tactical aspects of this thread. There is the warning. -Staff]
Agthatbuilds said:
Staff, a response to the moderation policy of the Russia tactical thread would be awesome.
Why is so much getting deleted. Nothing is out of hand there and the off topic post are pretty few.
Why?
*** That thread was created as a tactical/strategic update and we are working to keep it clear of clutter so that it serves its intended purpose. There are many surplus posts where people simply respond to long Twitter screenshots with nothing substantive. Or opine on many other tangential topics. There is another standing Russia/Ukraine thread that is more open form with less moderation. And you are always welcome to start other threads to dive deep into specific UKR/RU topics. We hope that posters appreciate the effort to keep this specific thread true to its OP. Thanks -- Staff ***
rate by red faces?ham98 said:
Approaching two years since the start of this thread. I'd be interested in seeing a poll by TexAgs to grade the moderation.
Agthatbuilds said:Quote:
We have had to clean up a lot of derails on this thread and we are not going to do it again without issuing bans to posters for at least 72 hours that makes posts that derail from the tactical aspects of this thread. There is the warning. -Staff]
Can we get a list of what staff considers appropriately tactical for the uke war thread? What matrix is the moderator using to determine tactical vs not tactical?
13 Twitter topics today. F16 is all in...justcallmeharry said:15 this morning, but it's early.Retired FBI Agent said:justcallmeharry said:
There are only 20 active threads related to Covid on the first page.
25 minimum and most all quickly devolve into the same talking points.
Brandon Jones said:
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.
icrymyselftosleep said:Brandon Jones said:
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.
When does this come in to effect?
Anyone can literally look at this thread or review page one of F16 and see with their own eyes that that is not the case.Quote:
Third, and this is to your larger point maybe and not about this thread, I don't disagree that some interactions here a disrespectful. I think those are the exception however and not the rule.
Quote:
9. Invasion of Privacy
Please refrain from searching for and publishing private information about other posters on the forums (doxxing). Additionally, do not make an attempt to harass a poster off-line: do not visit their place of business, write their employer, or search out their relatives/neighbors. TexAgs has a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who posts private or defamatory information on this forum without the consent of the parties involved. This includes, but is not limited to, posters on this forum, athletes/staff/officials of Texas A&M University, business owners etc.
Ryan the Temp said:
I took a six-year break due to the doxxing incident referenced above.
