Quote Originally Posted by Tim Meisburger View Post
I just have to say, this is the most enjoyable, reasoned debate I've seen in a long time. I went to sleep with it and woke up and its still going. My favorite was the guy who saw the "Moderators" as a secret, cabalistic clique; puppetmasters secretly controlling everything! That was great!

But, according to the moderators, you both won! If you read their posts you will see that no change in the way they moderate is contemplated. They will continue to police the for sale section in exactly the fashion they have in the past, they have merely published their metric, so than in a dispute they can point to the reason they delete or modify a post. The first step in civilization was the codification and publication of law; before that, and in some places today, the public had no idea what the law or rule for the day was.

For those who object to unjustified critical comments, they can be reassured that the moderators will still remove those when they find them, just as they have in the past.

Tim,

I assume you're referring to me. To clarify, I never suggested the Moderators are secret, since we all know who they are, or cabalistic, since their doctrine is also well known, and I certainly never suggested they are puppet masters controlling everything, secretly or otherwise. I simply suggested they are more accurately described as a Core Group than as Moderators, which implies a different set of priorities than exhibited. You need only read Sal's contribution to this thread for a very clear example of what I mean.

I agree publication of policy is good practice, and especially so when it's open to comment and review, which is what's happening here. No need to put words into my mouth or otherwise muddy the waters.