Firstly, I haven't been around the forums for awhile because I started my own IT business, but I occassionally "check in" to get the vibe.

Something in the news this morning caught my eye and I would welcome opinion, commentary and yes, abuse....I kind of count on it in fact!

Yahoo!7: Who are they you ask if you are not Asian-Australian and aged under 30! - well hello, they attract 7 million users per month! Given our population and the profile of Yahoo!7's users, I would say that this includes a number of out-of-country users as well.

Back at home, Yahoo!7 has a high profile partner that we have heard about, our own Seven Network (hence the !7), and this piece of news is worth paying attention to.

Yahoo!7 have introduced strong filters on their forum to block words and close down commentary on stories THEY believe might attract abusive posts. Well what kind of stories would qualify, you wonder? One recent example is shutting down commentary on the Pakistani cricketing scandal due to nasty posts.

Conversly, they plan to promote feel good stories, such as stories about former asylum stories who have made good.

It's all very PC...delivered straight to your PC. Welcome to the filtered world.

People can't be trusted to be civil when thousands of different opinions are floating around. Such is the nature of the beast.

If certain words are used to attack. Certain words will be blocked.
If people are attacking on difference of opinion, discourage controversial and opinion based discussions.

Makes sense to me. If children don't behave, remove their privileges

thanks...for reminding/me..how...the other forums
shut-down..anything..they disagree/with

if i..need to/be censored..i know/where to go

7..million..hits..
what/you-want..a wow?

i love/quality..real-opinion..not pap...propaganda
[nor..sports]..

having people..logging-on...50 times a day..
really lifts..the numbers..
but then who wants..to read..what nervouse-nellies..fear anyhow

i cant/think..why grayham..would post..an advertorial..for yahoo
but it is/his..right...he is a most-fair..moderator..allowing..all to be heard..which is why i stay...here

i guess..an occasional/advetorial..is fine

[have you returned..the favour..
and let yahoo..readers..know about..olo?]
and the benefits..of allowing..every-one..a voice

see many..simply..want..their thought...out-there
i see..no benefit..in posting..your honest/opinions
then having..some YAH0O-moderator..with a bias/fear..delete..it

[it sort-of..removes..incentive..to post..]

worse..alienates..the very people..who need/want..to be heard..
but cant..in this yahoo/bu-sin-ess..as usual..commercial..world..of the allmighy/dollar-chasers..

selling their/product..not a service

any-how..enough...of my whining

im glad..you found..something..you love
thanks..for your report...appoligies..for my retort

media..is the biggest-reason..for things being..the way it is
and i have tried to post with the best..bbc/abc/sbs..and so-many/more

but they are moderated..by people..doing their..'job'
hushing-down discent..or serving..the masters..adgenda
or dumbing-down..the serfs..

but..im over/that,..'sir-vice'
again..thanks for the info

please under-stand..if many dont go..for the spiel
usually if i cant/add..something..i prefer..not to post

but so few have/posted...
i just thought..i would help-you..out

so anyhow cheers
no need for reply
my first thoughts were..nothing to/see..here

but i wouldnt..say that to you..
only trying-to..help-out..poor..yahoo

by/the-way

how..many..posts..
these 7 million..post per-day?

wow..that many
that just reveales..they really dont go there to post

so why do /hey bother..going at all?
to see..if no post..is complaining..about them

hurtfull..to them..
or their bosses/industry

ie to monitor..the moderator?

be-cause they lack..faith
in free-speech..

who knows/where..that could..lead...eh?

how dare..the serfs/presume..above their station
delecte..it..his master/their sponcer..wouldnt like...that...lol

cant have people..thinking..
more about..that..

where is that..delete-button

Hello, KatieO

First of all let me wish you well with your IT business. It's a jungle out there, but running your own race and being in control of your own destiny is extremely satisfying. I wouldn't go back to the treadmill for a king's ransom.

Not that they'd have me back anyway...

So where is this news item?

>>Something in the news this morning caught my eye<<

Couldn't find a story along the lines you describe, please provide a link.

You will find - if your business extends to the web, and you open it to the public for comment (e.g. via a blog) - that it is absolutely essential to moderate it fiercely. If you don't, it quickly goes off the rails.

Is it censorship, when you delete stuff you don't want associated with your site?

Yahoo!7 does not present itself in the abstract, it has standards and guidelines that form an important component of its online presence. I think it has every right to give non-conforming material the flick.

So long as it makes it clear, that the output has been bowdlerised. The market can then make an informed choice, whether to take its "screened" output, or whether to switch to a site that operates under different rules.

It would be dumb of them to do this without telling anyone. For a start, they will get found out extremely quickly. Also, if they think what they are doing is a "good thing", they should be advertising their product's positive aspects extremely heavily. Anything else is a cop-out.

There's no such thing as total freedom of expression. There never has been, and there never will be, and for very good reasons.

If a company censors because of an opinion they don't agree with, then that's bad, and if a company censors because someone is abusive then that's good. Knowing the difference between the two is essential. Many folks have extreme difficulty knowing the difference, and assume if things are censored it MUST be because the censors dislike freedom of speech. This then leads to all kinds of conspiracy theories, half truths and opinion based conjecture.

Just as in real face to face life, if someone online or with the written word anywhere decides to behave aggressively, rudely or abusively then that person deserves to be pulled into line. It's got NOTHING to do with freedom of speech, but EVERYTHING to do with courteous behaviour. Many people in these days of "me" "me" "me" and "I have a right", don't understand the difference between freedom of speech and discourteous behaviour.

Sorry jokey think you should remount its the tail end mate.
How could comment about a cricket team selling its country out be seen as anything other than grubby.
PC is against truth and how can something so wrong be called correct?

I actually read this in the SMH but it is online too at the ubiquitous (don’t want to name for fear of being accused of promoting – “news” service).

Note that this link has more detailed information than what appeared in the original news item:
http://bit.ly/censorship1

Folks – people are just so, well, opinionated aren’t they? That’s why I’m asking for an opinion at the one place I trust will give me one warts and all! But the Online Forum is a pure-play opinion forum, and I respect the moderator’s role in keeping the language clean. This is quite different from:

(1) Selling an “opinion” service under the guise of “news” aka deceptive and misleading
(2) Actively BLOCKING the story, not the foul word aka censorship
(3) Being highly selective in subject choice (eg. Thailand’s media) aka propaganda

Nicoto – are you suggesting that they are performing some kind of community service by cleaning up the “kid’s” language?

OUG – 7 million users, not hits. Otherwise, thanks for the support..

Pericles – To address your question: “Is it censorship, when you delete stuff you don't want associated with your site?”, I think, No, that is good governance when you are avoiding a law suit from the most highly litigious members of society...

And regarding “they should be advertising their product's positive aspects extremely heavily. Anything else is a cop-out.” I couldn’t agree more, yet according to my *name deleted* favourite online search provider, the *name deleted* news-service-that-shan’t-be-named, comes up as:

“Latest news for Australians. Breaking stories from Australia and the rest of the world. Video highlights, local news, technology, sports, finance, ...” which would be the metatag on the site, so that is how they promote themselves.

Jockey – I once did a post in this very forum on online courtesy and common decency, which attracted some lovely verbiage, I will trawl through the history to see if I can find it if you are interested (it is only relevant in response to your comment, not to this post).

*Nicnoto - are you suggesting that they are performing some kind of community service by cleaning up the “kid’s” language*

No. I am expressing my content with the fact that if users can't meet disagreeing opinions without being abusive online, then restriction on 'clean' sites only serves them right.

It is just unfortunate for the civilised users that their privileges are cut short too. Although if somebody has something to say, it will only be a matter of time before it is heard.

quote..<<..OUG/7 million..users,..not hits.>>
great/for..them..i guess..i should/admit-to..being 10 of them

so who are we..talking/about
just yahhoo7

7 million..possable posters..
how could/you read..all their..posts

clearly..there are/a..few..that do/as..i did
ie..forgot which id..they used
thus created..a new-one

yahoo/answers...there i have gone/went..through..5 ids
then there/is ..the yahoo/storage-type site..i have/had..8 of them
then there/was the news/commenting site-service..3 there

7 million-users..is the gross..[spin]
what counts..is site..turnover...

the advertisers..pay a few cents..per/100 visits
[that sort/of thing]

but then..there is the/user

sites are/nothing without....us
as we..despirtily search..for..the info...
the main-media..cant include..in its 15/stories..of/or..for.. the/day

rather info..available..
for least-effort
..least/ammoubnt..of time-wasting

even us..time..rich..hate wasting/that-much..time
and learn/to click..with caution

its all..about trust...and i lack/faith..in yahoo

who deleted years-of..my work..
because i revealed the truth,...in one post...about john howard/electoral...spin...

then..his payback...all id's../info..posts..opinions/research...gone

all my intelectual capital..stolen..deleted..
with one poor-commentary/choice..2 years..of work..gone

anyhow..without yahoo's inequity...i would still/be there
wasting my breath...the topics..roll-over so fast...in 5 minutes
there is too/much corrective spin..to even try-to correct

im over the 24/7..method..of posting
nearly/over posting..all-together

when people..like/peter/beatup..has 400 bloggers..[ok had]...
well you/cant beat..that sort-of..spin-machinary

even if..the truth..does stay...its impossable to find..under all/that..spin

i sort of blame..the teqies..and windows/vista...and govt/parinoia

[5 computers have..died/via virus..implanted..in the back-door/window..of too/many..of my/expensive computers]

my latest/lap-top..was murded..
simply for/donating..50 bucks to wiki-leaks
and attempting..to get/posts..up on neguses..sbs/chat-room

where i found i was able-to..write/post..
but nothing/showed up..in the chat-box

needless to say..i havnt bothered calling-in/there..ever again
same at abc/bbc..removed..deleted..almost as soon-as..i posted

freespeach..is such a joke..
computers...even more so

anyhow
thanks for..letting*/me vent
i will only..need to vent more..if/or when..this post..gets deleted

[thats what/the..clever-guys..dont get
deletion..only makes..some..more determined]

which means/we need to find..a new site/..new people

ok i know..teqies..can follow..our every key-stroke
i know the server/knows who/..where i am

i know bill-gates..has back-doors..into every window

that he gives..freely to..any/every diktaitor..
claiming..to govern..[lord-it/over..peons]..
silly enough to trust..wind/ohhhs

or the www..or yahoo
[yes..i know..usa/israel..intel..own/run..google]

tell me some-thing/i didnt know
on second thought..not to worry
im over-it...and..'it'..would-only..be/deleted

[thanks..for the/memory]..ies

UOG, it would be easier to read your posts if you construct sentences and paragraphs normally. When I start to read your stuff I give up after the first few lines, and simply end up not reading what you write. I bet lots of others probably don't bother with your posts for the same reason. So I'd suggest maybe you construct the written word normally, and you'll probably get more readers that way.

Yahoo!7 blocking was stronger in their news forums which they have subsequently closed.

Amazed to find the word "alphabet" offensive there !

Was trying to figure out what word they were trying to censor, gave up.

Found less blocking in their investment forums.

That users unable to obtain feedback on why their posts were deemed offensive was real disgrace !

.