This is in response to a thread in the FedEx Custom Critical carrier forum. The item discussed applies to all Open Forum members, so I am replying here to open the discussion to all. (Only members affiliated with FedEx Custom Critical can post in that carrier forum.)
Regarding the post in question, and its deletion, I don't know who did what and when. Therefore, this is not not a criticism or defense about how the post came to be, what it contained, and how it came to be deleted. Regardless of what did or did not happen in that specific case, the thread raises a broader issue about which I wish to comment and make a recommendation.
I feel strongly that no employee of any carrier should have the power to delete, edit or otherwise manipulate any post put up by any Open Forum member. Vesting such power in a carrier employee opens the door to the abuse of said power because the employee's own best interests are clearly aligned with his or her company.
If the Open Forum is to be truly open, members must be able to post without fear of carrier operatives stepping in to directly censor what is said.
If a carrier has concerns about something that is posted, a complaint can be made by a carrier representative to the moderators or forum administrator. The complaint can then be dealt with under the Open Forum code of conduct as other complaints presently are.
This is a different issue than moderators deleting posts under the code of conduct. Self-employed, independent-contractor moderators can be expected to act with the health and vitality of the Open Forum first in mind. This is true even of those who are affiliated with a particular carrier and maintain a favorable bias toward it. The affiliation and bias may exist, but the health and vitality of the Open Forum comes first when code of conduct violations are alleged and posts are considered for deletion or modification.
A moderator who is a a carrier employee is different. He or she is clearly captive to his or her employer and cannot be expected to consider the health and vitality of the open forum ahead of all else. It would be very much in that moderator's self interest to act on member posts with his or her employer's best interests first in mind. While such a bias is perfectly understandable and may even seem reasonable from that moderator's point of view, it is not something that promotes the ongoing health and vitality of the Open Forum.
I urge the Open Forum powers that be to consider these points and change the moderator eligibility qualifications, such that no carrier employee may serve as a moderator or be otherwise vested with the power to manipulate Open Forum posts, other than his or her own.
I am not aware of any vendors that are moderators, but the same should apply to vendors. An exception can be made in Ask the Recuriter forum, where recruiters are obviously beholden to the carriers they represent, but recruiter-moderator power to manipulate member posts should be limited to that forum only.
Regarding the post in question, and its deletion, I don't know who did what and when. Therefore, this is not not a criticism or defense about how the post came to be, what it contained, and how it came to be deleted. Regardless of what did or did not happen in that specific case, the thread raises a broader issue about which I wish to comment and make a recommendation.
I feel strongly that no employee of any carrier should have the power to delete, edit or otherwise manipulate any post put up by any Open Forum member. Vesting such power in a carrier employee opens the door to the abuse of said power because the employee's own best interests are clearly aligned with his or her company.
If the Open Forum is to be truly open, members must be able to post without fear of carrier operatives stepping in to directly censor what is said.
If a carrier has concerns about something that is posted, a complaint can be made by a carrier representative to the moderators or forum administrator. The complaint can then be dealt with under the Open Forum code of conduct as other complaints presently are.
This is a different issue than moderators deleting posts under the code of conduct. Self-employed, independent-contractor moderators can be expected to act with the health and vitality of the Open Forum first in mind. This is true even of those who are affiliated with a particular carrier and maintain a favorable bias toward it. The affiliation and bias may exist, but the health and vitality of the Open Forum comes first when code of conduct violations are alleged and posts are considered for deletion or modification.
A moderator who is a a carrier employee is different. He or she is clearly captive to his or her employer and cannot be expected to consider the health and vitality of the open forum ahead of all else. It would be very much in that moderator's self interest to act on member posts with his or her employer's best interests first in mind. While such a bias is perfectly understandable and may even seem reasonable from that moderator's point of view, it is not something that promotes the ongoing health and vitality of the Open Forum.
I urge the Open Forum powers that be to consider these points and change the moderator eligibility qualifications, such that no carrier employee may serve as a moderator or be otherwise vested with the power to manipulate Open Forum posts, other than his or her own.
I am not aware of any vendors that are moderators, but the same should apply to vendors. An exception can be made in Ask the Recuriter forum, where recruiters are obviously beholden to the carriers they represent, but recruiter-moderator power to manipulate member posts should be limited to that forum only.
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