Yesterday, someone wrote something which I thought was hilarious. I commented four letters, first an R then an O then a F then an L. This means Rolling On the Floor Laughing. I got an e-mail that my posting had been sent to the moderator’s queue, which doesn’t mean the moderator queue, but deleted. I get the impression that if two people mark a posting as abuse it is automatic with no moderation at all.
Can someone explain why that posting would have offended two people? Any ideas?
I had one other one some time ago, which also had nothing abusive in it, but my views on oil changes clearly not please some people, so I assumed they were using the abuse button for a censor button. But in this case,I have no idea how those four letters could have been considered as abuse.
“If you don’t understand it then make it go away”. I think that’s what happened to you. Next time just spell it out. Almost everyone knows what LOL means but almost no one knows what ROFL means.
Yeah, some 2 folks must have gotten ‘ROFL’ confused with “LM–O”…let’s see how long this one lasts…
The prudish censorship is one of many things that annoys me to no end on this and other message boards (Usenet takes the cake). Yet I keep posting. Stupid me.
You know that makes sense. Thanks for explaining. Two sleep walkers have no idea what something means, and instead of asking or Googling to find out, better just to get a posting deleted with no regard for the feelings of others.
I tend to feel somewhat like circuitsmith below. But, I don’t mind slightly prudish censoring (which is what I feel is involved in some cases.) I have moderated boards, and if they cross the line they do tend to go wild very fast.
But, totally ignorant censoring is far worse.
By the way, I have seen that R_O_F_L (Rolling On The Floor Laughing) for the 12 years I have used the web. It has not seemed to be rare or unusual at all. It may be some venues don’t use it, and that may be where you participate. I participate in a wide range of boards of totally different types, from social issues, to travel boards, to politics; and computer boards.
I have been on many boards on many topics in the last 12 years, and boards go through cycles. In my experience, when a board turns sour, it is almost always moderator problems. Here, allowing any two people to delete a posting with absolutely no moderator review is pretty sick, though financial issues may be relevant. In my other deleted posting, I did think it was outright censorship by people whose view of oil changes was different than mine. I examined the posting carefully, which they do mail to you, and I could find nothing abusive, and I assure you on my own board, I have a hair trigger for abuse. (Rules plainly state that, too, so no one should be surprised.) We can all state our own opinions without flames and let the readers pick what they like.
Even if someone didn’t know what ROFL meant, it wouldn’t make sense to censor your post. One of my posts was deleted because I used the word friggin’, as much as I could determine. Is anyone really offended by this term?!
While I am not offended, I am old enough to know its roots, so it may have been older people who flagged it. Back perhaps in the late 50’s, where I lived, it was used as a substitute for THE bad word. So, I can see an older person who knew its roots might have flagged it.
Another word that was bad in the late 60’s was d_o_r_k. Then, it was a vulgar anatomy word. Today it means a dummy, at least where I have lived in recent years.
I tended to feel like you said, that not knowing what something means is not a reason to flag it. Thanks for understanding.
If I could remember where that posting was, I’d go back and post it again with an explanation.
I too have had totally inert posts removed for some reason that I was entire unable to figure out. Fortunately, the posts are FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
I don’t mind if it is used but I have never seen anyone rolling on the floor laughing so in my view, it just isn’t done. Someone may have considered the expression as shallow and inappropriate except for cell phone texting teenagers. Possibly LOL should be considered adequate which is done.
I did not see your posts but if you used ROFL as a way of expressing derision, that may have been taken badly.
No, the comment, which after this much time and distraction I can’t find, was hilarious.
This is a case where we clearly do not agree. Shallow and inappropriate except for cell phone texting teenagers? Not so. I have been active on the web for 12 years, and I assure you many adults have used it, even retirees on forums about living in Mexico, and on political boards, by journalists and writers and others. It is just part of Web language and has been for at least 10 years or more.
As I said above, I think this is a case of people who have a limited exposure to the Web overall, and simply are unaware of the usual range of web language.
LOL means laughing out loud, simple laughter. ROFL means something so funny a person is laughing hilariously, and that does happen for those with a sense of humor. ROFL is like LOL but LOL!!!
And, back in the late 80’s, something at work was so funny that I did indeed roll around on the floor laughing. I was kneeling changing fuses on a control box just above ground level when it happened, and I laughed until my stomach hurt. The other techs were also laughing hilariously, but standing up they did not choose to fall to the ground. I was already there.
I think this was perhaps another case of people simply being unaware of common web usage, and thoughtlessly hitting abuse because they didn’t hear of it before. Or, because they feel qualified as judges of everything everyone else says and does – I have a brother like that.
But, the answers here have helped me understand the sometimes childish conduct of a VERY FEW people on this board. Thanks.
I think it’s time to take an extended break here. I do have other things to do, I have come here for so many years it has become a habit and I have, like most regulars, learned a lot about cars as well as helped others once in a while. I assume I’ll be back, but it’s time for a rest.
Your post was not removed.
See CTC thread, Shift to neutral, maybe not
http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2138024.page
Your post was not removed.
True, but why remove the post I just made on this thread pointing to a profanity laced thread that I flagged months ago. I see you removed the profanity, but why remove my post also?
Let’s see how long this post lives…
Maybe I need to take a rest too.
You seem to be forgetting that CAR TALK, INC is a business entity. It’s motivations aren’t altruistic; though it profits from the altruistic efforts of the forum participants. So, if you look at actions as being taken in the interest of creating the greatest likelihood of profit, and the least likelihood of loss, you’ll realize why those actions were taken. If you say something that could be interpreted as not promoting CAR TALK, INC, you’ll be censored.
Wha Who?, if you have never seen anyone roll on the floor because something was THAT funny, or you have never rolled on the floor yourself, in my opinion, you are missing out of the best part of life. I can remember as kid, rolling on the floor when a really funny joke was played. I can remember doing it as an adult too, when a friend and I had a friendly rivalry to see who could pull the funniest prank. One of the pranks that had me roll on the floor (LITERALLY), was a joke played on me (the old “snowball on the fly” bar joke). Maybe you just need funnier friends.