Why have a website feedback forum and then close topics ?

[Gargamel]

Case in point

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

This was no small thread that people were asking why it had been closed. I ran to many pages, responses and was informative and a collection of several themes, trading, affiliate marketing, newspaper reports of "crimes against French Bulldog" and Beard transplants - which I know many PH'er were woeful underinformed about.

In giving space to a Website feedback forum, this should be a space to discuss calmly why threads were closed, and whether a similar thread could be re opened, with new content and spell out what the rules are.

First we get prohibition, then we are banned from talking about prohibition in the feedback forum. It's a nonsense in my view.

Also, Posting rules are unclear. Does this mean we can NEVER post a twitter feed on here ? Because lots of threads start with comment about a tweet. EG the Donald Trump thread, why isn't that banned it has tweets in it - whats the difference ?

Mod Jack - I think you should have let the debate run - at least in the Feedback Forum - just looks high handed. Plus I am unclear what legal risk you are running... I didn't see anything offensive, just a robust debate about whether these guys are traders or affiliate marketeers.

[Gargamel]

Surely everyone who posts on Twitter wants to be in the public eye, as that is exactly what that platform is.

I agree, sleuthing is not on, especially for LinkedIn profiles etc.

But - again, there is a whole thread which only consists of facebook posts, so your rules on privacy for public domain information appear to be a nonsense.

Especially when that thread had linked newspaper articules, as well as instagram accounts, whatsapp screen shots that had been reposted elsewhere - all over many pages, with a lot of information disclosed already. So to suddenly rock up and close it - looks very very odd.

Did they make direct contact or complain ? I am assuming yes, that thread was a good cautionary tale for anyone thinking of investing in buying trading signals via affiliate marketing companies. I think there was a better way of doing this than simply locking it.

[Gargamel]

Monkeylegend said:

If it was a recent thread maybe, but that thread has been around for ages. Are you saying in all that time the mods haven't had time to peruse it at all and note the fact that some posters were breaking the rules. Or has somebody externally made an issue of it and put pressure on HM/PH to close it.

PH have been happy to let the thread run for too long for it to suddenly decide some posters were breaking the rules.

Look we all know what happened, a perfectly decent thread that had run for many months, recently came to the attention of someone who personally knew two of the "affiliate marketeers" concerned.

After a few exchanges with them, the thread is suddenly closed.

Which is dissapointing, I don't expect Haymarket to take a moral stand on the topic. However closing down the feedback thread too was very high handed in my opinion.

I would hope that in future PH might consider opening a new thread, with the same title, reminds everyone of the posting rules and lets the debate continue.

[Gargamel]

Monkeylegend said:

I bet they are itching to close this one as well

Well it wouldn't be a massive surprise if it was.

Lets try to keep it constructive chaps.

Yes we accept that the thread contained some items which contravened posting rules, by linking Insta and Twitter and some Whatsap screen shots - but the rules on this are enforced on a patchy basis. Lots of threads have Facebook, and other PUBLIC DOMAIN info in them.

However it was a long running thread, so perhaps it could have been edited, or recreated as a new thread with warnings/moderator advice.

Finally - what really annoyed me, was that a thread was started in here to "provide feedback" and that thread was also closed - too quickly in my view.

As I said, I would prefer to be constructive, this is a chance for us to let moderators know what we think, lets not make it personal or abusive.