was this thread breaking the rules

D500B

HI - i started this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055665692&highlight=d500b but then it was closed off. I presume the user called "Terry" did it since he put in the last post and seems to be a moderater.
Are any rules being broken?
I pm'ed the person who closed asking why but never received an answer. I was just going to restart the thread but wanted to check what the rules are.

javaboy

Yeah Terry closed it. He might pop in here to clarify why. The chances are it was because you named a specific head shop. We don't really allow that on After Hours even though the shops and products themselves may be legal. we also don't allow people to recommend any particular drugs which you were asking them to do.

Moving to Help Desk.....

Terry

It was lame and you were recomending people use specific drugs.
We're not doctors here.
If you want to tell your friends to take whatever drug, then go ahead. Just don't do it here (even though telling your friends to take any drug is idiotic. There's not really anything we can do about it).

D500B

Terry wrote: »

It was lame

I'm not sure what that means. If its not a subject matter thats cool to you thats not my fault - I guess I'm lame but I presume I am still allowed use boards.

Terry wrote: »

and you were recomending people use specific drugs.
We're not doctors here.

I never recommended people take anything.I was asking for opinions on Legal products i had never used. If anything I was looking for advice on what to avoid. I'm not sure why doctors come into this - i wasn't seeking medical advice or discussing prescription drugs.

Terry wrote: »

If you want to tell your friends to take whatever drug, then go ahead. Just don't do it here (even though telling your friends to take any drug is idiotic. There's not really anything we can do about it).

Once again I wasn't telling anyone to take anything. most of the advice given was what not to take. This is hardly a bad thing????

I get the impression the Mod Terry has some strong personal feelings but surely being more objective and polite would be useful. what was the need for the aggressive classist post and the end of the original thread:

Terry wrote: »

OP, go play some poker in your dubes.
Your orange girlfriend needs her fake tan topped up.

If something isn't allowed to be discussed why not just say so? There is no need to insult people.

To clarify is it boards policy that people cannot ask about products that can be legally purchased without a prescription? Does this extend to any substance which may be purchased in a shop known to have mood altering effects - eg caffeine tablets or pep pills? Or is it just products that are sold as "legal highs". If I was to start a thread that didn't mention and specific store would that be OK?

BuffyBot

It's not a topic we particularily want, or encourage on this site.

D500B

BuffyBot wrote: »

It's not a topic we particularily want, or encourage on this site.

That's fine however its not actually in the list of forbidden things which I checked before posting so it seems a little unfair to prevent legal head shops products being discussed. perhaps the rules should be updated then.

I still don't see why the moderator couldn't simply say that instead of being insulting which seems to beak several actual rules:

Contribute in a constructive way.

Nobody is interested in your laser sharp ability to cut someone down. Nobody is interested in the funny thing you cat did, unless it’s a thread on funny things cats do (basically, we mean cut down on the LOLCats). The odd humourous comment thrown into a thread is fine but consistently contributing nothing but noise/negativity is not helpful. One word answers aren’t useful. Please use the "rate thread" feature to vote on a thread instead of jumping in and posting 'this subject is silly and pointless'. If you like what a poster had to say, use the thanks system.

Comment on the post not the poster.

Responding to someone's point with personal attacks, regardless of how "witty" you think they are, is not big or clever. It just comes across, at best, as being an ass and at worst a bully with a small doodah (we mean “mind” of course).

It’s much better to stay on the topic of their post, not on the person who posted it. People will respect you for that, take your opinion more seriously and you put the ball back in their court to answer your points.

Abuse is tantamount to saying "you have beaten me with your argument; I can only resort to name calling".

If someone abuses you, don’t respond in kind. Report the post and a moderator will swing by to review it. Abusing them back simply drops you to their level and will probably get you both infracted and/or banned.

Respect/manners go a long way.

Around these parts, people recognise good contribution. This isn’t YouTube or 4chan (*). Being respectful, mannerly and even occasionally acknowledging that someone has made you consider something in a different light, is going to win friends and influence people a lot more than being yet another rude "anonymous" internet keyboard warrior. No one wants to be around that guy.

If the moderator had simply said - unfortunately we don't allow this topic to be discussed then there would be no confusion and no need for this thread.

BuffyBot

There are many topics we don't actively prohibit, simply because to do so would be to cut off many legitimate (if tangental) debates/discussions.

This wasn't one of those.

I don't see much wrong in Terry's reply. It's tongue in cheek, sure and yes it's quite possible to read it incorrectly. Then again, you have to bear in mind the forum you posted in - After Hours: the home of tongue in cheeck and rough and tumble on boards.ie