A question regarding the political forum.

My guess is that Kurt is hesitant for casual surfers to correlate the petty and childish squabbling that takes place in the political forum with our area and Sowal in general...and I can't say that I blame him.

Hi Andy. Private means that part of the forum is reserved for registered members, just as the lounge is reserved for registered members. Absolutely anyone and everyone is welcome to participate or view content if they are interested. There are many active participants and observers (lurkers) so I would say it is far from "private".

The other forums - outside of Lounge and Political - are more general topics, providing area information, events, dining info, shopping info, etc. These can be viewed by anyone coming to the site for general information.

If visitors decide to stay and participate more fully, then they gain access and then they choose to participate as posters or observers, or both. Participation in the lounge and political forums is for those who choose to be more involved in the online community. So, I guess you could say its a choice people make. Its taking an extra step.

How could it be censorship when all it requires is becoming a member, which is a trivial matter? Doug hit it on the head.

How could it be censorship when all it requires is becoming a member, which is a trivial matter? Doug hit it on the head.

Maybe because I didn't understand it as it is until Teresa explained it more fully. Why is it some of you must turn everything posted into a confrontation? I asked a civil question and received a civil answer which is definitely more than I got from you.

Teresa, upon re-reading your explaination, it occurred to me that to even lurk or view the political forum you must be a member. This was not previously the case, was it? You cannot access the forum, as you can All About SoWal, if you do not register as a member. It is no secret, as I've said many times, that I post on many occasions experiences, thought and facts that are for those who are not members. It may encourage some to become members but I think the fact remains that posting for the likes of Poppy, Bob, LS, AC and some others is spitting in the wind as far as changing any opinion or philosophy is concerned. That is fine. Their posts are not going to change mine, as a rule, either and I certainly recognize their right to their opinions. If my assumption is correct, I still feel the political forum should be open for all to view, whether a member or not. If it isn't, I would imagine the number of lurker only members to be relatively small but I am only going by the number of those posting lately which seems to be on the wane. This applies only to the political forum, of course.

My guess is that Kurt is hesitant for casual surfers to correlate the petty and childish squabbling that takes place in the political forum with our area and Sowal in general...and I can't say that I blame him.

I see no difference between what happens here and what would take place amongst a group of friends sitting around discussing a wide range of topics. Everyone has an opinion and it is only natural not to agree on every subject. Discussions will sometimes heat up but in the end it always seems to work out. What you view as petty and childish I view as human emotion desiring to stress a point of view in a forceful manner. We are all guilty of it and most of us let it slide and take no offense, it's all part of the fun.

Maybe because I didn't understand it as it is until Teresa explained it more fully. Why is it some of you must turn everything posted into a confrontation? I asked a civil question and received a civil answer which is definitely more than I got from you.

Andy when you falsely accuse people of being uncivil and confrontational you better be prepared to defend yourself. Meet me out back in 5 minutes and we'll settle this. Make it ten minutes, I need time to practice falling down.

I think Andy's question is a good one and helps clarify how the discussion forum works for members v. nonmembers. this is a good topic - you may have an opinion or a suggestion, but really it is not a controversial matter. its only an administrative tool - to give members a place to be involved in the online community to chat and play and inform and debate and share their resources.

Do you guys ever go to the Home page for articles and videos, etc? Did you know that's a good place to also be involved by making comments on SoWal.com content? The home page is for everyone, along with the rest of the area info content, and most of the forum.

I guess the lounge and political forums are special places for play, for sharing opinions and becoming more informed, and yes, for bickering. The lounge used to be a lot more playful and even inappropriate at times, in a good kind of way. I'm glad to see so many participating in more meaningful ways. But, play is good for the online folks who like to participate daily! Where is Ms DD? All of the political posters need to be sent to the lounge for a lot more play and funn!

I see no difference between what happens here and what would take place amongst a group of friends sitting around discussing a wide range of topics. Everyone has an opinion and it is only natural not to agree on every subject. Discussions will sometimes heat up but in the end it always seems to work out. What you view as petty and childish I view as human emotion desiring to stress a point of view in a forceful manner. We are all guilty of it and most of us let it slide and take no offense, it's all part of the fun.

I think it can get petty and childish, and that's most likely to happen in the political forum. If you are trying to reach out to the casual lurker, you might not want him to get into the more controversial areas until he's good and ready. So he has to create an avatar, wait for approval, then he can lurk just as he's always done. For most of this this is trivial, and for a lot of us, the obnoxiousness and childishness is of little concern or consequence.

Maybe because I didn't understand it as it is until Teresa explained it more fully. Why is it some of you must turn everything posted into a confrontation? I asked a civil question and received a civil answer which is definitely more than I got from you.

It wasn't uncivil. I just asked you a question and then complimented Doug on his post. I think we all get childish and petty. He's right. Doesn't bother me at all.

Considering that the political forum is where people are most likely to behave inappropriately, it just makes sense that it is one of the places where you have to be registered.

But considering the number of people who are registered, it isn't that "private" or restrictive.

OK, one more question and I'm through as Teresa has been very thorough in answering mine. When did the forum change from open to private? I feel it was quite recently and there must be a good reason, therefore the rest of the question: Why?

It was a while ago when all the other organizational changes happened. One of many changes and tweaks, not just a political forum thing. More categories and site features were created including 4 categories in the "chat" area (lounge, politics and current events, oil spill, and tv/movies).

OK, one more question and I'm through as Teresa has been very thorough in answering mine. When did the forum change from open to private? I feel it was quite recently and there must be a good reason, therefore the rest of the question: Why?

I know that it was private around the time of the Arizona shooting and maybe before. That was well over a month ago. I'm guessing that kurt doesn't want the casual lurker to stumble on some of the more controversial material and be put off. I also believe that search engines won't reveal what's in the private forums.

I think Andy's question is a good one and helps clarify how the discussion forum works for members v. nonmembers. this is a good topic - you may have an opinion or a suggestion, but really it is not a controversial matter. its only an administrative tool - to give members a place to be involved in the online community to chat and play and inform and debate and share their resources.

Do you guys ever go to the Home page for articles and videos, etc? Did you know that's a good place to also be involved by making comments on SoWal.com content? The home page is for everyone, along with the rest of the area info content, and most of the forum.

I guess the lounge and political forums are special places for play, for sharing opinions and becoming more informed, and yes, for bickering. The lounge used to be a lot more playful and even inappropriate at times, in a good kind of way. I'm glad to see so many participating in more meaningful ways. But, play is good for the online folks who like to participate daily! Where is Ms DD? All of the political posters need to be sent to the lounge for a lot more play and funn!

lurking.
oh crap....now i've been caught in the pce! 😱

I still think that poliTRICKS belong in the lounge, but anyone who wants to read those threads can, if they simply register for free and log in. You could call the politics and lounge sections as bonus parts of the website for users.

OK, one more question and I'm through as Teresa has been very thorough in answering mine. When did the forum change from open to private? I feel it was quite recently and there must be a good reason, therefore the rest of the question: Why?

I'm not exactly sure when the change took place but I believe it was during early part of last summer when many changes were made to the site. Its a work in progress. Many more exciting developments are underway now!!!

Why? it just made sense. Moderators were involved in helping make suggestions about how to best arrange the different forums. Most agree the poltiical forum is a unique and important element, enjoyed by many for various reasons. If it needed to be "hidden" from public view, it would be removed entirely (which some have recommended). It was finally an administrative decision that the Pol Forum should be treated the same as the lounge and reserved for members only. That could change again - who knows!

I don't see any issues. This site is privately owned and operated. Kurt can do what he pleases.

Anyone can view and post in the lounge or political forum- you just need to have an e-mail address and create a free account. As long as you don't personally attack peeps or spam us, you pretty much have the freedom to express youself at your pleasure.

Really the lounge and the political section are essentially public at least when compared to the private messages that members send to each other. I think that's what kurt was talking about when he said "too nice to post in public". Even the "private" forums are there for essentially all to see. You just have to sign up and provide a user name and email address. Then kurt runs an extensive background check, credit check, and even looks at Wiki Leaks before finally granting you authorization to access the privileged areas of SoWal.