Is a forum a democracy?

No.

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Okay, all kidding aside, I think that I should probably elaborate on my answer a little bit or this won’t be much of an article. Truth is, a lot of people who come to forums think that they are protected by some kind of freedom of speech thing and therefore, can say whatever they like. Well, I got a news flash for you buddy. A forum is probably the closest thing to a dictatorship that you will ever find online. And the reason for it is very simple…the owner has the final say.

What many people don’t understand is this. The forum itself is still a web site owned by the individual who runs it. He has complete control over what he does with it, of course restricted to the TOS of his web host. For example, if they have a problem with racist sites and the forum is a racist forum, they CAN and probably WILL shut him down. But as long as he abides by his web host’s TOS, he’s cool to do anything he wants. And part of doing anything he wants is restricting what the forum members say.

So, if he doesn’t like something that you posted, guess what? It is perfectly within his rights to zap it into oblivion. He doesn’t owe you an explanation, a reason or anything. Don’t like it? Go visit another forum. His forum…his rules. Are some of the rules of some forums a little strict? Yeah, they are. I’ve been to some forums that will ban you even if they suspect that you’re there to promote anything at all. Other forums will allow other members to defame you publicly. One such forum will remain nameless. I stay far away from that place.

Here is the bottom line, and take it for what it’s worth to you. A forum is like visiting somebody’s home. While you are a visitor in that home, you will play by their rules. That means no smoking means no smoking. If you want to smoke, go outside to your car. A forum is no different.

Once we realize that forums are not a democracy and that we aren’t protected by any freedom of speech laws, we’ll all be much better off.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

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