Knock, knock, knock..

"Comrade irishgit, you are hereby arrested under the provisions of RIA memorandum 2-768-A34. You have no right to counsel, and you will be held in a secure location until your risk to the security of the site has been determined."

Yes it is. With its double standards, of course, but is quite strictly moderated.

No- there are certain rules and structure and that's okay. . .I have no issues with the once-in-awhile note I get from the powers-that-be. . .I'm getting soft in my 30's. . .

Addendum #2:  I seriously didn't intend to stir up so much of the brown stuff with my initial post and didn't expect this topic to explode the way it has; perhaps too much was read into it or maybe some people saw it as an opportunity to really say what's on their minds.  But I'd like to clarify that in no way am I saying that I think the quality of the reviews have declined.  I mean, that's a very subjective thing to say, and some people can get very insulted by it as well.  Sometimes I'm in a serious mood and come here to  write posts on politics and Iraq and sometimes I feel like killing a few brain cells and write a post about Paris Hilton....I don't think there's anything wrong with it - we do the same types of things in our everyday lives.  And I also don't think that in general, things aren't moderated strictly enough....Magellan does a great job, and I have always thought that.  I was only referring to a few instances when I've seen newbies who seemed to have some really good things to say not be given a chance in hades because the attacks came so fast and furious - probably too swiftly for any type of real moderation to even have taken place.

Addendum alert!!! First, I'd like to make it known that everyone who has posted a review on this subject has my utmost respect. I've read reviews by each and every one of you and feel your reviews are well-written, thoughtful, and often fun to read as well....but I'd just like to clarify what I meant by my original post.... The instances for which I feel a three strikes rule should be instituted on this site are actually few and far between. But when they do happen, I think the people who instigate them should be treated accordingly. Now, I'm not talking about the use of curse words, which are sometimes almost necessary - at times I even feel it's the only way I can get my point across! I'm talking about an instance where a reviewer gets angry at someone because they have posted something they disagree with and follows that person around relentlessly, getting more and more abusive for no good reason (and I'm talking about something more than just being mean-spirited) until that person decides to take off. I am not one to point fingers, but I've seen it happen here two or three times and feel something more should be done about it. But let me say say again that it doesn't happen often. And the reason I feel something should be done about it is that everyone who decides to come here with good intentions and respect toward others should have the right to be here without being taunted by anyone. I'm sorry if I seem to be rambling but what I'm talking about goes way beyond bullying, and it seems to be happening more and more on the internet in general. I just hate to see it happen here, because I like it here. When I first started coming here, I really liked it, and still do, but what turns me off most is the fact that there are some raters, and veterans at that, who are mean bullies and seem to get away with too much crap. Are we adults here, or a bunch of chilren on a playground at recess? I've seen feelings get hurt, and people attacked for their sexual orientation and political views. I had made a suggestion several weeks earlier concerning a three strikes rule, and I think it should be taken into consideration. I've never personally attacked anyone here and have no desire to, but at the same time I don't think I or anyone else should have to put up with it from someone else just because they disagree with me or are having a bad day. A lot of intelligent people with interesting things to say seem to have been run off and I don't think that's what this site is all about. But of course, this is just my opinion (:

Not moderated? What about vanishing reviews and profiles didn't you get?

In fairness to Lawrence, during the time that I've been here he's only had to proactively pull on my coat once or twice, and I definitely was out of line when he did. Regarding others, there have been times I've seen comments deleted that I didn't necessarily think should have been (rare), while comments that I personally felt were nasty and/or offensive remained (also rare). Generally speaking, I think the administration has been pretty even-handed, and as unobtrusive as possible.

I beg to differ. Racist Roy got kicked in the nuts rather quickly and everytime somebody overstepped their bounds with me in similar fashion they got nuked.

On a side note, a snide weblist awaits if people can't get it together. I crushed the widget controversy and I can crush this too.

I have made my views clear to RIA management and I still stand behind them. Allowing vulgar and in some cases obscene language (no, you have not deleted every F word post I've brought to your attention) has wiped away much of the luster from the site. What made this website the best of any I have ever participated on was the fact there were rules and they were enforced no matter who you were. For years people were able to make their posts and get their point across without being vulgar, and troublemakers were seen for who they were and after a number of warnings were purged. That is how it should be. So to RIA management I will say the following: You need us just as much as we who like to write and express ourselves, need you. You need the consistant hardcore heavyweight reviewers to keep the site afloat and growing. The one time dog food raters, Eddie Van Halen lovers and Hasselbeck haters don't feel any kinship with RIA or other reviewers the way many of the long term regular contributors do. This week alone we have lost two popular and creative reviewers. They made a difference on this site and now they are gone albeit for different reasons. Remember my friend, a bucket of water is made up of individual drops. If enough drops leak out the bucket runs dry.  ***UPDATE***  Since this review was posted Ridgewalker has joined the ranks of the recently departed, which makes three quality reviewers we have lost in one week. I also feel the need to clarify my position on something. I am not against rough language or even obscenities when it fits the point being made. I do not feel any of us however, should be subject to obscene language because some clown feels there "too much f**king menthol in these cigarettes" or a celebrity is just "so f**king hot" or if we don't subscribe to a certain reviewer's taste we should all go f*ck ourselves. Be as rough or as obscene as you like, but I would ask you to please make sure it fits the context and you're making a point, not just expressing disgust because a certain TV dinner tastes like an old shoe.

BustinDustin may be right -- we're mostly "a bunch of children on a playground at recess." Many people, including myself, have had their childish moments here. But I don't really ever get too worked up about it, and I wouldn't endorse kicking anyone off, even for flagrant personal attacks. I've found that people who can't behave generally get such a bad reputation that everyone else, no matter their opinion or political stance, tends to dismiss them. I can think of one recent case in particular. At most I would implement an "Ignore User" function which would make it possible to prevent the display of any reviewer we find annoying. But even that, on second thought, wouldn't work, because I and everyone else would want to see which reviewer was on the most-ignored list ... thus defeating the function's purpose.