O. T. Farewell

[mah]

Read the original post in this thread. It is about moderator behaviour. The deleted posts show what prompted this thread.

The removal of the threads was for the personal interest of the moderator.

Restoration of the threads is a fair thing to request.

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

Read the original post in this thread. It is about moderator behaviour. The deleted posts show what prompted this thread.

The removal of the threads was for the personal interest of the moderator.

Restoration of the threads is a fair thing to request.

Cleaning up a thread is normal moderator behavior in my experience. This is a bit different since the moderator was one of the offenders, in my opinion. No matter whose interest he had in mind at the time, I think removal of the posts was a good call, with respect to forum housekeeping. I understand that it may upset you since you're the other party involved. I think it would be more appropriate to get an apology for his in-thread response. It's really a separate issue, the way I see it, from the marking of the thread as off-topic.

[mah]

This thread is about it being a separate issue.

[valhallax]

bfish has allways been a huge contributor on this forum, lets get his opinion. i remember those 1569's he rebuilt and sold here, those were awsome, never seen any nicer. wish i would've bought them.. i remember him helping quite a few folks on here, and even made a few trips to a few of the folks here..hold on, do i need to start a new post, 'past members'?

[Altec Best]

I pm'ed you just the other day, and you replied.

Yes I did. But you know I was talking about from August till the time this issue had started.Your reply was about this particular issue but you know that.But I do Thank You for the reply.It's appreciate that you took the time to respond.

Altec Best, just man-up and restore the deleted posts.

No Marshall, you see I soft delete them so they can't be edited by you.They will remain preserved until Todd can review them.

mah, I don't really see the point in that. It was just a discussion on being OT or not, that shouldn't have been posted in the way it was posted, in my opinon....... by either of you. I don't feel you needed to title you thread as being off topic, but you could have repsonded to the PM* you got instead of in thread. Altec Best in turn didn't repond well to that. In this situation/episode, I think you're both at fault.

You did state you got a Hostboard PM....... I've notived they all say they're from Steven went notified by email, but that would have been the PM sent by Altec Best.

+1 This is the second time now that this has happened because someone failed to use the Private message link.When someone sends you a PM have the courtesy to reply to it,especially from a Moderator !

I had a chat with Todd today.

Hopefully soon Todd will be here to straighten this out once and for all.

These Farewell threads are going to be a thing of the past as well.

[mah]

Altec Best,

Don't rely on members constantly checking for PMs when they very rarely receive them. It is not unusual for a post to note that a PM has been sent, as a heads-up to ensure the intended recipient notices it.

Like yourself, I have saved the missing posts but to record what WAS edited.

Glad to hear Todd will look at the situation.

[voice of the theater]

I was just thinking about the effect this forum actually has on vintage Altec Lansing gear. I don't want to get in the middle of this dispute and I'm not saying AB is perfect or that Mah and OG are either--they are human (presumably) and all three are valuable members. I guess what I'm getting at is that it's bad for more than just our community when members here quit over disagreements. This forum has educated me and no doubt countless others about vintage Altec gear. When I joined, I didn't even know my speakers (at the time) were called Valencias as they didn't say Valencia anywhere on them. They were sold to me as "the home version of the Voice of the Theater" and that's what I called them. I'd never heard of Model 19's or Model 14's and now I own two pair of 19's and a pair of 14's. I'm sure many of us here have purchased (and often times restored) vintage Altec Lansing gear largely because of what we learned here. This is gear that may have been parted out or sold overseas (not as bad a fate) if not bought by us, and part of our heritage/irreplaceable vintage Altecs would have been lost forever. Instead, largely due to this forum, much gear has been purchased, restored, cared for etc.

I can sum up the second way this forum has been instrumental in preserving countless Altec Lansing speakers/gear for the future in three words: Great Plains Audio. I (and countless others) had never heard of GPA before I joined this forum. This forum has so many people doing restorations and new builds using GPA recones, diaphragms, new drivers etc. that as a new member I joined and was ecstatic to learn that there was a company founded and operated by former Altec Lansing empolyees that built authentic factory spec Altec Lansing replacement parts (and did repairs) using Altec Lansing tooling and specifications etc. This economy we're in now can't be good for a relatively small company like GPA. Yes, I am an optimist and think the economy will improve, but you can't bank on that. Where would GPA be if this forum didn't exist? I'll wager a good chunk of their business came from people who had never heard of them before visiting or joining our forum here. If this website grows and flourishes, I think GPA stands a good chance to do the same. If this site dwindles with people quitting every time they have a dispute, GPA's chances are hurt considerably IMHO. So, yes--as others have pointed out--the good of the community is an important reason for members not to "bail" because of a dispute with a moderator or other member. You're not hurting the moderator by quitting, but you are hurting the community. But, more importantly, IMHO you're hurting GPA if you bail over a dispute because members keep doing that, this site will fade and GPA may fade as well--as much of their exposure and business is a direct result of this forum. If you doubt me, I could start a thread--how many people here learned about GPA through this website? I'm not going to because how many people will take the time to respond to a silly thread like that won't prove anything anyways. Not to mention people who found us on a google search when looking to recone an Altec woofer or buy an Altec driver/diaphragm etc. and found our site and learned about GPA here without ever joining up...... All I know is I have made two purchases from GPA in the three years I've been a member here (including a recone of an Altec woofer for my old P.A. speakers that I sold a couple of years ago). No doubt I will be buying more gear from them too in the future as I'm considering a build of my own with brand new GPA woofers and h.f. drivers and Mantarays. So, not to blather on, but by quitting you're not just hurting our whole community over a dispute with a single individual, but you're hurting GPA which keeps so much irreplaceable vintage Altec Lansing gear alive and well with factory spec parts--i.e. if you hurt GPA you're hurting vintage Altecs in general. So, if you guys are as passionate about this gear as the rest of us, please hang in there. I know AB--like the rest of us--isn't perfect but I also believe he's trying hard and will evolve into a great moderator if you can just hang in there. I'm sure people will be more careful to post OT in their titles and that he'll be careful how to handle those who don't (and those who break other rules) after seeing how many feathers got ruffled this time..... OK, sorry to be on a soap box--but I truly believe we are REALLY lucky to have GPA, and that their success is riding largely on this forum. They are not discussed nearly as much at LH, AK, etc. etc. and you can bet not anywhere near as many people learn about them and start doing business with them due to visiting any other website. If you care about all the irreplaceable vintage Altec Lansing gear out there and GPA thriving so they can keep it alive with real/quality parts and repairs, hang in there and watch things improve. I'll wager if you do, a year from now you'll look back and say that it's been smooth sailing the last year or so after that big dispute in March 2012 EVERYONE'S been more careful and learned valuable life experience......

[Altec Best]

Vott rest assured that there are some of us who spread the word on those forums as well.

[mah]

Are you aware of your rights and obligations as a contributer, or moderator, of posts to a forum that operates in the public domain?

This article which is written for the layman to understand may be of interest. If you scroll down the text you will find a part that discusses the editing and removal of posts but I recommend checking out the article in full.

Forums, Blogs, and Internet Libel ? Emily First Girl: ………..Camigwen …………Multiplicity

Of course, legal advice is essential if a person feels agrieved enough to address a problem through litigation.

[mah]

For a better forum: At a loss when trying to have a rational discussion? Here is a plan from a reputable company.

How to Have a Rational Discussion [infographic] - Forbes

I hope this helps.