What happened to Frankie (Mailme)?
I've just been browsing through the comments on one of my short stories - Family Secret - and was horrified to see that I appear to have replied to a very helpful comment from JohnK with 'Thanks for that, you crotchety old git.'

That was, in fact, a response to Frankie and was a running joke between us but his comments on my story have been deleted.
Further investigation shows that all reference to him have gone. Does anyone know what happened? Did he delete everything himself?

Anyway - I just wanted to make it clear that I was not trying to insult anyone, not even Frankie - and certainly not you JohnK.

Dee.

We know you didn't Dee. Frankie aka mailme was removed from the site.

Blimey!
What did he do? Or is that confidential?
Dee.

I believe he left a comment that many members complained about (I didn't see it).

Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I did feel that he was pushing the boundaries sometimes. I still think it's a shame in a way. We all need to be tolerant of other people's sensitivities but, at the same time, allow them free expression of their views.
The problem is that it's all too easy to offend someone without realising it. I work full-time in a company called Suma. We are the most successful workers co-operative in the food industry, a vegetarian wholefood wholesale distributor, with our own brand range and we introduced the country to recycled toilet paper and Ecover cleaning products. Oops! Sorry! advert over - I didn't mean that. It's like pushing a button. After fifteen years it just comes out automatically.
The reason I mention it is that we pride ourselves on being politically correct (in the best sense of the term) and a safe environment for people to work in. The problem is that, as we grow, we are taking in more and more workers who don't understand the unwritten 'rules' and the poor buggers are constantly bewildered when they suddenly find themselves taken to task for offending someone. We can explain it to them until we are blue in the face but they don't understand where they have gone wrong. It has, in the long-term, made me personally, more tolerant. (which some of my mates would say is something of a miracle)

You're probably wondering why I'm saying all this. I just have a gut feeling that it's relevant to my original question.
What is the criteria for deleting someone? Who decides? Has there been any earlier discussion on this that I missed? Could we maybe have a ballot when these problems arise? Could the full members vote on whether someone should be removed from the site? What do others think? Including David, our Webmaster. I'd love to know.

Cheers,
Dee.

Dee,

I think maybe there was more to it than that. I'm sure no one would be removed from WW without serious consideration and good cause.

I don't much like the idea of re-cycled loo paper...

I think the problem is that ( at least) one of the comments could have been construed as personal.

Keeping critique purely objective is, I think, harder than people realise.

I think that WW acted correctly although it probably is a loss in terms of technical skills from which some site users may have benefited.

Hilary.

I only know a little of what was said and done, but I understand that quite a few people took offence and felt they were being personally attacked rather than objectively critiqued, which is not, I feel, acceptable on a site of this nature, but, on the other hand, I am theoretically against censorship and it might, perhaps, be worth suggesting that, if a similar situation were to arise in the future, there might be some sort of secret vote taken by full time members and the consensus taken as decisive. If no consensus were to be reached, the triumvirate who gave us this superb site would have the final say. (?) I too, however, think there was more to it than that.

Best,

Mike

I trust David to do the right thing, I wouldn't want to be engaged with making decisions like that, it's not what I'm here for.

On the serious side...I know nothing of the circumstances but I do know that sometimes such decisions have to be made.

On the not so serious side... Nell, recycled loo paper is fine, but do avoid the secondhand stuff!

On the sensible side... always go for white loo paper. The colourants used for coloured paper can contain not very nice chemicals.

I do not like the idea of having a ballot. I am right against ballots and all that but others may disagree. I know... let's have a ballot on having a ballot! Otherwise let's leave it as it is.

if a similar situation were to arise in the future, there might be some sort of secret vote taken by full time members

Is a secret vote really a more democratic way to deal with this issue?

Cheers,
Lessa

I'd prefer not to be involved in that sort of decision. And Len, thanks for the advice.

On the subject of being offensive, I've just been reading a thread, in the Lounge forum, started by RobWoz2. He starts off by apparently offering us his services to design websites and ends by dishing out insults to Insane Bartender. Now, I know IB can give as good as he gets and I can't see the guy drumming up much business with this attitude, so he's shooting himself in the foot, but personally, I can do without people like this.
Dee.

I got the idea IB was rather enjoying himself.

<Added>

I believe that David removes blatant 'adverts' from the site. Early on Sunday morning I went to a website that was posted up under a new forum heading - it was promoting a book about clinical depression. I read the extract (all 39 pages) and when I returned to WW the forum post had disappeared.

Hope I didn't offend anybody; I was only responding in a spirit of devil's advocacy.

Best,

Mike