Here is a situation I haven't come across before.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm stunned that you are so unsure of what to do that you solicited advice in an online forum. Either you write this person back saying "no" or you ignore it. There's not some grey area of protocol or etiquette here that you need assistance navigating. There's no controversy here. For your next trick, are you going to start a thread about whether you should reply to all of the Cialis emails you get?

INANE.

[Anonymous]

I just got a jar of mayonnaise and it has one of those tamper-proof seals on it. Should I open it? On the one hand, I'm hungry but on the other, I'm worried about my safety.

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to tone down my snark in fear of having my posts removed some more, So, 16:59, I think you should instead try making some homemade mayo. Do you really want to chance it just because you're hungry? I dont think you do. And I really dont think you want to make everyone on DCUM worried for the rest of the day wondering if you are okay from eating some possible tainted mayo.

Maybe google some "homemade mayo" recipes?

I wish you luck!

[jsteele]

So, the troll has graduated to sock puppet? I'd guess that the last three posts are all from the same poster. Two were both posted from First Indy bank. You would think that poster would be busy foreclosing on someone's home or seeking a government bailout. The third, if not from the same person, is from a close associate. Both are blessing us with their presences all the way from the west coast. I'm stunned that there is nothing better to do in their neck of the woods than troll DCUM. Cheap entertainment I guess.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote: So, the troll has graduated to sock puppet? I'd guess that the last three posts are all from the same poster.

Hey, they weren't! I posted the first two, and someone else posted the third. Great detective work, though!

jsteele wrote: Two were both posted from First Indy bank. You would think that poster would be busy foreclosing on someone's home or seeking a government bailout.

Hey, thanks for posting my place of employment. jsteele. So DCUM is NOT really so much about anonymous posting. Why is it only free discourse when it suits JSTEELE? I think you should rethink your ethical obligations as an admin, regardless of the fact that you do own and control this site. If it is meant for anonymous input, then, barring extraordinary circumstances, you should keep your beak out of it. And then publishing my place of employment? How do you justify doing that?

jsteele wrote: The third, if not from the same person, is from a close associate. Both are blessing us with their presences all the way from the west coast. I'm stunned that there is nothing better to do in their neck of the woods than troll DCUM. Cheap entertainment I guess.

Good guess on the 3rd post being from someone I know. The question is, so what? What does that have to with giving input on a site that, last I checked, was freely available to read and reply on from ANYWHERE? Are our opinions somehow less valid due to our lack of proximity? If you are so concerned about people commenting on this site from outside the DC area, then why not make it a membership site? Perhaps you could ask for some proof of residency during the registration process, although I suppose that could be faked by those wishing to circumvent the requirement so they could continue to post on the site from lands beyond the DC Metro area. The point is....is DCUM anonymous or NOT?

Lastly, I'd prefer to take this discussion offline. If this means signing up for an account so that private messages can be sent, I will do that. I think you have some explaining to do.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Lastly, I'd prefer to take this discussion offline. If this means signing up for an account so that private messages can be sent, I will do that. I think you have some explaining to do.

What you would prefer to do ranks right up there with the price of tea in China as far as my concerns go. Moreover, I have absolutely no explaining to do. What you did is akin to coming into my house and insulting one of my guests. You should consider yourself lucky that all I did was mention your place of employment.

[Anonymous]

Wow. 17:37, you sure have a lot of time on your hands! I barely have time to type a quick response when I feel I have something useful to add, let alone have enough time to respond to one's own snarky posts.

[Anonymous]

You're a great site admin, jsteele. You get involved when not asked/needed, you delete comments on a whim, you disclose PRIVATE information publicly, and to top that, you THREATEN when asked to justify your behavior.

I came into your house (door was open and I've been here before) and insulted one of your guests. Exactly how did I insult them, Jeff? By stating that the topic of their choice was inane and could be resolved by making a very simple decision or did I insult the nature of their character? It was the former and you know it. I don't think you have a good eye for the difference between the two.

You're unethical and unaccountable, jsteele. Your involvement was NOT needed on this topic. You're a censor and a sanitizer. This was all perfectly legitimate input, not produced by spambots (as you're so quick to use as an excuse to delete valid comments) but by a real person. I don't think that you even have any idea of what a chilling effect this would have on your users if they knew about it. OH WAIT. You can just delete ALL of this and it'll never have happened.


What'd Lord Acton say about power corrupting? You are a petty tyrant, Jeff. Your site just lost credibility.

[Anonymous]

18:02...it's nice to know how strapped for time you are. And, if you notice, I was responding to the site admin's snarky post, not my own.

[Anonymous]

By the way, you really had a chance there to step back from the situation, assess your own behavior and be contrite about what was clearly an impulse move to list my employer. I was engaging you civilly and I have a legitimate gripe. Obviously, this forum is not held to 1st Amendment standards but why, jsteele, do you stray SO FAR from them? Do you really have that big of a beef with my VERY infrequent posts that you'd post my place of employment? I mean, a GOOD admin, that is, one with sound judgement, would have found a better way of handling this.

And here I thought this site was about open discussion of ideas (even INANE ones). It's only as open as jsteele decides it is. I have another friend, LOCAL to the DC area, who would publicly voice their agreement with me on this issue in here but is AFRAID of retribution by you. Feel good?

[Anonymous]

I think the site admin must have SMS. Short Man Syndrome.

[Anonymous]

I'm the griper and I do not approve of the above message.

[Anonymous]

Griper, If you don't like it, why don't you just leave? Nobody is forcing you to stay and participate on this board.

[Anonymous]

18:58...why? Because I'm not a sheep, like you. That tired "love it or leave it" line rarely accomplishes anything. Or do you feel like dissent is the LOWEST form of patriotism?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:What'd Lord Acton say about power corrupting? You are a petty tyrant, Jeff. Your site just lost credibility.

I think your posts are inane and choose not to treat them seriously. Note, that is not an insult. Calling someone's post inane is actually a complement among bankers with too much time on their hands. Sadly, you will not convince me that you have a right to troll DCUM. Rant all you want. There are few things I enjoy more than a good rant.