Re: [DML] I quit.

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>]

I am pleased with the response that my "I quit" post generated. Most of the
replies were predictably off-list. One guy called me an a**hole (well,
that's the way he spelled it), but everyone else was in agreement and
support. I had 13 off-list replies so far. The way the DML is run has been
a festering problem for many of us. Saying that "I quit" was conditional
such that if the censors didn't let that post through then obviously I would
be wasting my time trying to reason with them.

Originally when James Espey started this list (calling himself "Iron Fist
Espey"), he censored posts according to the following criteria: It had to
be about the man, the car or the marque. If it didn't fit, then it wasn't
allowed. Because the DML was the first such discussion forum and was held
to relatively high standards by James, it is now the biggest such forum.
What most of us expect is an open forum for people with an interest in
DeLoreans to discuss things related to their cars. But what we have now is
instead an oppressive regime.

I was aghast when I had a post rejected asking for leads on where I could
get copies of John DeLorean's "Five D's with D". This is a column that JZD
contributed to his college newspaper. The reason for the rejection?
According to the censor, the DML was experiencing unusually heavy traffic
and asked me to resubmit my post at a time when post volume was lower.
(Does anyone see any logic to this idea?) Even though I thought that my
post was entirely on-topic according to the standards of James Espey,
apparently the censors thought that it was of little interest and rejected
it. Posts advertising get-rich-quick schemes & online Viagra should
probably not be allowed but not at the expense of censoring on-topic
discussion. If we wish to start threads discussing what it takes to turn a
DeLorean into a stretch-limo or how to design a Fiero/DeLorean kit car or
whatever, that is what the forum is for. Such posts like this shouldn't be
censored. I'm sure that if Rick Gendereau asked the DML for advice on
fitting an engine in the front of his car, this would have been quickly
stomped out. Would it not?

The censors take pride in controlling the "signal-to-noise ratio" of the
DML. They say that they typically delete 30% of submissions. To the
passive eye, it appears that what is left is a high quality product. But to
the rest of us we know that it is an oppressive regime. We as adults are
capable of deciding what is worth reading and what is not. Many of us read
everything on the DML while others pick & choose according to if the subject
line sounds interesting. I don't see a problem if the message volume
increased by 30% or more due to a lack of censorship. They may think that
they are maintaining the "high quality" of the DML, but in reality they have
estranged many useful contributors who have given up in frustration.

I ask that the censors hold a meeting to decide if they can change their
rules a bit.
1) Nothing is rejected or deleted from the DML or its website without a
letter of explanation to the originator. Exceptions would obviously be
nuisance posts for online Viagra and nuddy pictures (unless of course they
included DeLoreans in their advertisements. :-)
2) No topic that is relevant to these cars would be rejected. This includes
hair-brained modification ideas and posts that, "I was abducted by a UFO
that looked just like a DeLorean." or "I would have got laid but the center
console got in the way."
3) The "moderators" would participate in discussions only as regular list
members and not edit, add to or modify any other list member's posts. Any
comments must be contributed like everyone else as a separate post. For
example, I had someone tell me that a moderator re-wrote a section of his
post and consequently changed the meaning in an unfavorable way.
4) Arguments and "flame wars" would only be ignored by those not wishing to
read them. What people say is their free right and liability. For example,
if anyone wants to call anyone else an asshole, then that is up to them and
up to the rest of us if we want to read any of it. But it is not reason to
delete the post.
5) The "moderators" would encourage list members to keep on-topic
discussions through the list rather than forcing discussions off-list like
they currently do. If people don't want to read it, then they can skip it.
I have had many fruitful discussions off-list that I'm sure other DML
members would have loved to participate in if it wasn't for the censors
getting in the way. Someone passively reading such a discussion may be able
to contribute an idea that would lead to an improvement to our cars. If
they don't want to read it then that is their choice and no one else's.

If the censors of the DML can agree to the 5 suggestions above, then great.
Otherwise the rest of us are starting a new group that operates by these
rules.

Walt Tampa, FL