Post#419 » by rockymac52 » Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:29 am
I find it really odd that so many of this board's comments are being deleted (or not accepted/posted). It's really off-putting. Leaves me with a real bad taste in my mouth about the Wizards organization as a whole (and I genuinely really like Ted as an owner).
I wonder who reads and approves/deletes the comments on his blog. Ted is clearly a tech-savvy guy, and he's demonstrated an ability and willingness to interact with fans through several forms of social media in the past, so I'm inclined to think that he would moderate the comments himself. But then again, he's obviously a very busy man, and it's very reasonable, if not expected, that he'd have someone else moderating them for him.
Either way, I am upset and quite honestly, surprised and confused that this is occurring. It doesn't sound like something that Ted would support. It's almost censorship, to a certain extent. Yes, it's his blog and he doesn't have to allow anyone to post comments at all in the first place. And yes, he can theoretically choose which comments are allowed to be posted. But for someone who preaches about interacting with fans, especially online, and hearing and responding to their opinions, it just shocks me that he'd want to delete or disapprove fans' comments. That's why I'm more inclined to think he has someone else moderating them for him. The question then becomes if he still sees the deleted comments, and if he is aware that this other person is deleting many of the more negative ones.
I sincerely hope that Ted isn't the one moderating and deleting these comments, and I also sincerely hope that he is unaware that whoever is in charge of moderating them is deleting perfectly reasonable and appropriate comments just because they aren't supportive of the Wizards or one of their employees.
Just as fans have a right to their opinions, they have a right to express them online on his blog, as long as he allows others to comment as well. This isn't Soviet Russia, we're allowed to speak out against something if we believe in it. If people's comments were being deleted because they were vulgar or inappropriate or perhaps they slandered someone, I'd have no problem with it. I'd be in support of that. Those things don't belong on his website. But well-written and logical analyses by Wizards fans that happen to be on the negative side? Those have every right to be on his website.
I hope someone can reach out to Ted and alert him of the censorship that is occurring, if he doesn't already know. Or at the very least, even if the censorship continues, I hope the negative messages are still at least reaching Ted. He's a smart man. He's a tough man too. I'd like to think he'd want to hear the negative opinions from fans, as well as the positive ones, so long as they're written in a serious and somewhat professional sense.
Were any of you whose comments were deleted given any notice that they were being taken down, or disapproved for posting, and were you given any explanation as to why?