Matt,
1. Do you believe iHub and SI are open, freedom of speech places, governed by the First Amendment? Or do you see them as private communities dictated by whatever the owners put in the Terms of Use?
SI and IHUB are private business firms. They offer a fee-for-services based business model. Use of the service is voluntary, based upon the users' whims. A contract (in legal terms) is voluntarily entered into by the user of the service when s/he signs up and pays for the services. The contract terms vary by user, with some accounts purchasing a monthly plan and other having purchased a lifetime membership. The terms of the contract are expressly defined in the Terms of Use. The Terms of Use may change in the future, changes solely determined by management. Freedom of speech is NOT a right inherent to or incumbent upon the message board operators.
2. Do you have a problem with Moderated (delete and ban features) boards for off topic discussions, like politics?
Only my opinion, but I very much dislike moderated forums. However, I can live with moderated forums if the powers that be have determined that moderating forums is in the best interests of the management and the thread participants.
3. How about for boards related directly to stocks, like INTC only?
Same answer as above, but my opinion is much stronger when the moderated thread is a stock thread as opposed to a religious or political thread.
4. How about for boards related to the stock market, but no specific stock? Like Zeev or LG boards?
I don't follow the "gurus", but my opinion is the same. I see moderated threads as not in the best interests of all participants, especially lurkers.
5. How do you define censorship?
Justice Potter Stewart, of the United States Supreme Court, once said <paraphrasing> "I can't define pornography, but I know it when I see it!"... I would respond in much the same way regarding censorship. It's not an action that is singularly definable, but more like a series of events which ultimately leads to a predetermined result, which is exactly what the censor had in mind when s/he first practices censorship. In the case of stock threads, the censor has predetermined what "matter" will or won't be included on the thread, and anything else is "anti-matter", therefore irrelevant and ultimately censored.
KJC
PS - Matt, one of the reasons why I am only an infrequent visitor to IHUB is the IHUB policy of permitting only one thread per stock. If I were to be moderated off of a particular stock thread (rightly or wrongly), I have no recourse open to me to offer an opposing viewpoint. Therefore, theoretically anyway, the whole thing becomes a race to be the first to start a thread on a new stock, so that (as moderator) the thread starter can determine the tone (long or short) of the thread before anyone else can participate. For this reason alone, (if asked) I would recommend against buying a membership from IHUB if the purchaser intended to discuss a stock (or stocks) on existing boards. S/he could be moderated off from discussing with others the very stocks that are most important to her/him. |
