Moderators (requests and notices)

Where were the cock pix? If it was just in the memes thread, you have to wonder what anybody narrowly focused on bicycles was doing there to be offended.

Sure.

But as I explained to edscoble, one of the things that is my responsibility is ensuring the site remains available for those looking to view info about bikes.

Which generally means doing what I can to ensure that the site does not become blacklisted by company firewalls, and that people can access even if the workplace has some primitive firewall security.

That explains why the site has always been available over https:// and it explains why I get so uppity about totally off-topic stuff that really brings the site down in tone.

A lot of workplaces subscribe to services that basically classify and determine the reputation of sites. They block porn sites, they block torrent sites, and will ambivalently classify a site like this as Recreation > Sports > Cycling.

All fine and dandy, but they don't give a hoot whether something is on-topic or off-topic... all they care about is "Is this a site that has porn? Is this a site that links to porn?"... and we're a cycling site, why should we ever check that box?

If we ever get onto one of those blacklists, it's not going to be because of the on-topic material, it will be because of things like the memes thread and gifs thread, or even the football thread with the anti-Semitic comments. It will be because of something stupid that few should care about.

And we won't get off of that blacklist easily. It will be hard to explain that we shouldn't be classified along with 4chan and blocked from a workplace without gutting enormous parts of the site, deleting massive swathes of content.

And the easy solution? How about we just don't post porn, race-hate, sexist stuff, anti-Semitic content, etc... I mean, we're a cycling site, do we need that stuff?

By and large, most people on here don't even want that stuff. So why tolerate it? Why risk the access to the site for so many people because of a few people who post unsavoury content that the majority don't even want.

It's not like it's a free speech issue. No-one's rights have been impacted. It's not like people can't say what they want on 4chan or the hundreds and thousands of other sites that revel in such content. But again... we're a cycling site, maybe this isn't the place to be making one's sexist views known? Maybe this isn't the place for porn images?

Maybe, just maybe... this is a site with cycling at it's core.