At the risk of sounding totally stupid or insulting for that matter. Why do all of the Wie topics got closed? Why does it seem that we can only talk positive about this player or else get your thread closed?? Is this like the Sumo topics where we are being asked by Nike to shut them down?

Seriously I am not trying to be a jerk, but I just don't get it. Honestly I find some of the dissenting opinions interesting. Anyway I really want to know why they are getting closed, being that this is the tour forum and she is a tour player?

1) There are no dumb questions.

2) Do a search for Wie topics and please point to me one original stream of thought beyond either love or hate. It has nothing to do with protecting "Wie" or "Nike". It has everything to do with people can't stop from making their statements personal and confrontational.

This forum is about sharing ideas in a comfortable environment. Not taking pot shots or mixing it up over a teenage girl. We let threads go as long as possible but, it always "gets locked" because it at some point there is no value to it and to let it fester is not what we will allow. This is why we don't allow political or religious topics. Wie and Tiger get a pass because they are about the sport.

Some sites have banned the Wie topic altogether because its so divisive. We haven't but put them on a short leash.

Finally, contrary to some people's opinions, we don't monitor all the threads. Probably a very low percentage and most "issues" arise because people report a "violation" by clicking the button. We rather be out playing golf than making sure everyone is playing well on a message board.

Yeah, people start getting personal.....then it's time to move on.

The unfortunate side of this is that, "Value" is a matter of perception. What some may see as having no value, others may see as possesing great value. Just because something is negative doesn't necessarily make it any less valuable. Please don't misinterprate my intentions here. This is a very personal subject for me. I am not suggesting it is OK to make personal attacks, but at the same time I am a grown adult and can CHOOSE to not lower myself to someone elses standards. In other words, just because someone slanders me personally does not mean I need to or have the right to retaliate with similar comments. It's all about taking the high road and if one sets that example then others are likely to follow because we are civilized right?

It's sad to think that I may be a minority on this viewpoint but it won't stop me from voicing my opinion.

Out of common courtesy it would be nice if this place offered a forum for those of us that do like to read the negative opinions as well as the positive ones and don't have to worry about threads being locked. It seems that would save the mods a lot of grief because they could just toss all the undesirable threads into that forum and not have to worry about them anymore. Those that don't want to see that stuff simply don't have to click on that forum. Kind of like changing the channel on the TV if you are offended by what you are currently watching.

Granted there would need to be some kind of age verification as we wouldn't want the youngins exposed to that kind of bantering.

Thanks for letting me vent!

It is a shame it has to come to this. I started a Wie thread regarding the post round interview aired live on Sky purely because the majority of users on here probably didn't or won't see the interview.
I believe that most Wie/Woods related threads deteriorate into such divisive arguments due to a small number who feel that their opinion on the matter is gospel at the expense of the purpose of the original thread.

Just a shame

People are very passionate about some topics. I have seen many good people write off message boards because the get frustrated over topics and then the whole community loses. FGI and GEA have forums that people must opt into but, it still doesn't stop valued members from bickering and then leaving because of topics unrelated to golf. We have had many internal discussions about this topic and we may revisit it again.

If people can disagree civily about it, we let it go. As I stated, certain topics are on a short leash because they make it too personal.

I too may be in the minority, but also think that threads get locked a little too quickly. I haven't been here very long, but I'm struggling to see any sort of predictable pattern to what will and will not be locked/deleted/tolerated. Often times, a thread that seems perfectly harmless to me (and I think I'm fairly middle of the road) gets locked. For example, the comments about a particular pro's appearance. While a few people's sensibilities may get offended, some of the comments are clearly made in fun and are often hilarious. It's those kinds of things that make visiting here during the work day a nice little "coffee break."

Personally, I had a post deleted last week (and so did another user who quoted my post and added laughing emoticons) when I made a comment about Phil Mickelson's man-boobs. The problem was, it wasn't just a meaningless attack on Lefty - I was using the comment to make a point in a thread about regulating what women wear on the LPGA tour. The post was deleted without comment or even a PM to me explaining why. It just seemed less like "moderating" and more like dictating.

While it's true that I don't want to see vicious personal attacks (flaming), I'm always down for some good-natured ribbing, sharing of rumors, blatant speculation, etc. Frankly, I think it leads to a stronger feeling of community. This site, or any other, is going to be boring if we limit everyone to one opinion or only to topics that everyone already agrees on. Honestly, poor spelling/typing/grammar offends me more than viewpoints that I consider idiotic. (At least I can read and understand those.)

I promise that if your negative comments are expressed maturly and in an non inflamatory way, nobody on this board will shut anything down. There are 8 thousand ways to make a point.

I'm sorry to hear you feel that way. However, as someone who has had tours through all the various golf boards (BSG, GO, GR, etc). I've got to say this is by far the best forum around in terms of hands off moderating.

The guys here do a great job and let things slide. As more and more members join and start participating, differences of opinion are bound to exist. It's the memberships responsibility and not the moderartors to make sure those differences remain civil and don't go down the road of name calling. Not to say that anything you've posted is anyway in line with that, but you've got to remember that just like in real life, good natured ribbing to one person could be percieved as malicious slander to another.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that if you think it's bad here, you ain't seen nothing yet. The guys here do a great job and IMHO should be commended for their hard work keeping the board friendly and fun.

I want to thank the guys for the positive and negative comments.

When you walk around Disneyland, how many times do you see cussing, swearing and fighting? I see alot of kids crying but, generallly not that much bickering and brawls.

I think most of the moderating team has been on golf boards since the GolfWeb days. Those were some wild wild west days. We don't want to be the "politically correct board". We do want to be a place to enjoyable, have meaningful discussion, and welcoming to new comers. Its a hard line and sometimes the trigger is a little itchy. There is usually a good reason. Most likely a mod having a bad day.

Really, the mods do a great job. I would say that most who have PM'd or have talked to the mods have had great experiences. If you have a question about a post, hit the violation button. If you have a question why something disappeared or was locked, PM a Marshall or Rules Official. We try to be as transparent as possible. We encourage participation and questions...