CONVERSATION FORUM SHUTS DOWN
The editors of LorainCounty.com have had to take the drastic step of shutting down its Elyria Conversation Forum today due to a “high volume of abusive posts.”
LorainCounty.com has been the place to go to read about events and issues affecting our county for years. It has also been the place to go for people to vent about issues and events affecting our community.
The sites editors have worked hard on making their site all about issues, events and peoples ideas. Throughout the history of the site some people have abused the privilege of having such an outlet for the citizens of this community. They have abused it by directing cheap shots towards individuals – in direct violation of the sites rules – and the editors took the step today to shut down the forum. When people logged on today and tried to read comments in the Elyria Forum the found the following message:
“Due to a high volume of abusive posts, the Elyria Conversation Forum is temporarily down. The intent of the forums is to discuss issues and ideas, not people. If you wish to discuss people, please use another site.”
TMCNEWS.NET hopes that LorainCounty.com lifts the temporary ban on the Elyria Forum soon, as it is a great outlet for our neighbors to voice their concerns and ideas.
We too have had our share of issues with our comments section and continue to work to keep the offensive material off the site. We, as I’m sure the editors of LorainCounty.com, strongly believe in everyone’s Freedom of Speech. However, we hope that people will use the sites appropriately. Use the sites to share your thoughts on stories and issues that most affect our community. It can be an outstanding way to learn about issues and how your neighbors feel about our hometown.
Side note: Another community forum can be found at www.elyriablockwatch.com
LorainCounty.com has been the place to go to read about events and issues affecting our county for years. It has also been the place to go for people to vent about issues and events affecting our community.
The sites editors have worked hard on making their site all about issues, events and peoples ideas. Throughout the history of the site some people have abused the privilege of having such an outlet for the citizens of this community. They have abused it by directing cheap shots towards individuals – in direct violation of the sites rules – and the editors took the step today to shut down the forum. When people logged on today and tried to read comments in the Elyria Forum the found the following message:
“Due to a high volume of abusive posts, the Elyria Conversation Forum is temporarily down. The intent of the forums is to discuss issues and ideas, not people. If you wish to discuss people, please use another site.”
TMCNEWS.NET hopes that LorainCounty.com lifts the temporary ban on the Elyria Forum soon, as it is a great outlet for our neighbors to voice their concerns and ideas.
We too have had our share of issues with our comments section and continue to work to keep the offensive material off the site. We, as I’m sure the editors of LorainCounty.com, strongly believe in everyone’s Freedom of Speech. However, we hope that people will use the sites appropriately. Use the sites to share your thoughts on stories and issues that most affect our community. It can be an outstanding way to learn about issues and how your neighbors feel about our hometown.
Side note: Another community forum can be found at www.elyriablockwatch.com
posted by TMC NEWS at 7:02 PM
24 Comments:
www.elyriablockwatch.com hosts forums that can be used...
TMC News isn't manipulated by the administration at City Hall; and that is the difference between TMC and Loraincounty.com.
TMC News isn't afraid to put the views of others out there, and loraincounty.com along with our local newspaper don't want to give a fair shake to all; they are both controlled. They pick and choose you do not..
I am normally not for censorship but in this particular case it doesnt bother me. That site has turned into bashbillgrace.com if the regulars on there would spend all that extra time doing something positive for the city think how much more could get done. Ive seen the same people complaining for years. I say good riddens.
I believe that the mayor can't take all the talk about the recall and how upset the citizens are about pothole parkway.Since you only have 3 min to talk on council floor and are always interupted while speaking, people need a way to vent and have their concerns heard. The recall will happen and history will be made. Elyria will have a chance to rise up and shine again and it won't be because of brick. recall the mayor
Bottom line is everyone is talking about Mayor Grace.
I do admit some things were said about the Mayor that were not very kind, folks are not to happy with him in the past two days after finding out the possibility that he was the cause of the delay of the start of RT 57 repair…
As well as some other things going on with the Mayor and the Law Director.
Folks are not too happy with some City Council members as well. For those that do not know it’s my understanding the Stewart family owns and operates Lorain County site and Vic Stewart is a City Council member.
So if the people decided to have something like "Network Night" once a week at the local coffee house, would the city would be sure to plant undercover police in the crowd? Then if someone bashed the mayor or the city, they would be appropriately dealt with immediately?
Or would other measures be taken against the people or the businesses?
My are times a changing.
To 8:05 PM Post on 06/04/2008
Would the Stewart that owns loraincounty.com be the same as the Stewart's Appliance store? Just curious.
For the record, LorainCounty.com is not owned or operated, nor does it have any affiliation with the Stewart family. LorainCounty.com is owned and operated by Emerge Inc. A neutral and valuable private company based in Elyria. Those forums have gotten out of control, and I applaud the staff at LorainCounty.com for pulling the plug. The forums are designed and intended to provide a platform for constructive communication. Whatever side of the Elyria drama you're part of, acting and posting in a civil manner is the proper way to communicate.
Thanks,
Dave
That site has a good purpose, unfortunately it has turned into a disgraceful and quite frankly it has become a laughing stock.
You have a group of people who have PERSONAL vendettas and they use that site to further their vendettas.
I appreciate a site such as TMC who gives an unbiased view to all.
I personally hope the staff keeps that site closed.
Thank God they gave it a rest. I just hope those idiots on there don't come here to give their opinions on things they know very little about. I wonder if they are going through withdrawls. Haas
without a local newspaper to give us the fair and unbias reporting TMC news has opened a line of communications that informs all of us of area and local events. You and your award winning photographers also give us a view second to none. standing "o" TMC. keep up the great reporting.
OK!!! Lest have a debate on the definition of Abuse or Freedom of Speech. I posted on Lorain County, I have a copy of every posting I made, and I dare anyone to tell me including the Lorain County site to excuse me of abuse. I excursed my right to freedom speech and only that be it unfair to the Mayor or his Administration.
Mayor Grace and other elected officials in the City and County when they ran for office and won that said office opened them selves to public criticism whether it is constructive or harsh. Now this same site TMCnews excised its right to freedom of speech when it hosted Sundays with Jason who spoke about folks and their lets just call it the misfortunes of life during the week.
I myself was turned off by Jason but it’s a fact he and this site had every right to post those said misfortunes he didn’t slander anyone he just made fun of their laps of judgment. No one made any slandering words against the Mayor or any other City Government official or threaten their lives or made any comment against their families.
If you don’t like what I have said here it’s too bad you have the right to not read it, further more I will speak my mind on here or any other comment site as long as I don’t slander anyone or threaten them in any way.
I applaud TMCnews by excursing their right to Freedom of speech by letting folks post their ranting, venting comments.
http://www.elyriablockwatch.com/
Feel free to come over to the block watch site. Much better format than LC.com, more info and easier to use.
Here's a second to the thanks to TMC for allowing people to post their comments to the stories they cover. Maybe we take an occasional poke at the people in humorous circumstances, express our regrets/condolences to those in bad situations/accidents, but it seems most posters are much more above board (and less venomous) that those at loraincounty.com. Sure, the city has some problems and things need to be corrected, but how about proposing the solution(s) rather than just flogging the elected officials? I sure wish I had all the answers so the problems could be solved, but unfortunately I don't. If someone out there has the answers, please let the rest of us know. Don't just bash a situation without having a solution or improvement.
Recall Grace it will be a much better PLACE.
Use to be a proud Elyrian!
I applaud TMCNEWS.NET. There is no way the local newspapers can compete with this fine, unbiased, and factual organization. This is the way reporting was meant to be.
Wow, I feel like arming myself with a pen in one hand and a camera in my other hand and apply for a job at TMCNEWS.
Highly unlikely that any posters are losing sleep over the LC.Com forum being shut down. I would think that the owners of the website would be a little concerned that their most heavily used forum was down. A lot of potential customers for their advertisers may be going elsewhere.
The only disGRACEful laughingstocks on the Elyria forum were the "wannabee" 3rd ward council member and his multiple screen names and the city employees defending their boss.
Can't wait for 7/7/08 and the next council meeting. What else can possibly go wrong for this mayor and his administration?
Since there are such strong feelings about the conversation forum being closed down, perhaps the next logical step would be to boycott the Elyria Chronicle also. Why not send a message to the editor that readers want unbiased coverage of City Hall and the state of the city? Boycott the paper as long as the forum is closed down, and I wonder if the forum would be up and running again next week? Or what about flagging the posts talking "about people" in all the forums on LC.com? Would they shut those forums down too? Some interesting possibilities.
So much for your freedom of speech, might as well live in a third world country!
They re-opened the forum and nobody's posting. I love it, serves them right.
I love all the banter on this site and LC.com about "It's my right." "It's free speech!" and "It's a public forum."
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
This site, just like lc.com are privately owned and operated. There are rules and regulations regarding the use of these sites. If you log on, type up a rant, make personal threats, and slander the heck outta your neighbor, the sites can, and will, pull the plug. It's not your right. It's not free speech. It's not a public forum. It's a place provided for constructive and "educated" discussion on events.
If it's privately owned, how is it that the owners were forced to pull the plug for a few days? "Someone" obviously used some persuasion to take the heat off for a while. Now, they have a dead forum that had been their most frequented one. Hope "someone" is happy.
Dave
I would like to bring up a point you may find very interesting, and that is this site TMCnews doesn’t receive any money from the private sector or advertising money form a City or County. So they can remove comments or choose not to post them. You are right this is a private site as you have stated.
Now about the other site you spoke of, and by the letters I assume you’re talking about Lorain County .com, am I correct?
Now even though Lorain County .com is privately operated like you have stated it does get advertisement money from a County funded and Maybe State funded service and that is the Lorain County Metro Parks pay for advertisement on Lorain County .com
Now I can’t sit here and tell you that gives us the constructional right, though I think it does to Freedom of Speech on the Lorain County .com site. I can tell what I do know some folks might get very upset at the fact that a site who receives their hard earned tax money won’t let them speak their minds on certain issues could cause a fuss if you know what I mean.
So I think you’re thinking is in part…
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
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