Censorship in the PPC world: Freedom of Speech crushed D1 Style....

[dickiedove]

Developer One have devloped a new tactic from the norm of just avoiding their issues. If you post anything critical in their forums they simply delete it.

Unfortuneately once such post has slipped through their fingers. A European teaching them that they really ought to sleep with one eye open writes:

Hurry hurry, read this post before it gets deleted.

Yesterday (European time) I posted two highly critical posts, both of them expressing my anger over D1:s lack of ability to provide information on an AF for WM5 as well as their low communication skills on this forum. No foul languague, no obscenity, just me expressing my feelings.

Today, both of these posts are deleted.

In Cold War Russia I'd have expected it. In modern world, no.

Defending your position on the market by smothering your costumers opinions is a dangerous game. Once it gets known, it will cause bad publicity way worse than the original opinion would ever have caused in itself.

As an experiment, I encourage everyone who reads this email to PM me just saying you've read it. I'd love to know there are witnesses to this post having been here, once it gets removed.


Apart from that, dear D1, this is me logging off. I'm out of here. I have never before in my life had my opinions censored and do not intend to make further business with people believing in such behavior.

There are other PIM:s out there, from vendors who believe in freedom of speech, and who know what "forum" actual means.

Deeply, deeply disappointed,

/SG.

What do you think?

[hamishmacdonald]

I think you immediately lose a logical debate when you compare your opponent to Adolf Hitler.

[Jon Westfall]

Yes, I understand your points here but I think you'll be a lot more effective in conveying them by avoiding naming political figures you seem to dislike. These types of references can also lead to some really off-topic & ugly debates.

Jon.

[dickiedove]

You are quite right. Apologies if any offence was caused.

I was merely lampooning the rather draconian methods in which D1 choose to deal with criticism.

The message speaks for itself. And the question raised is an interesting one. Should a business be allowed to regulate its own forum and censor adverse comments by its own paying customers?

And will the thread still be there in the morning, US time: Just for the record here is the link http://forums.developerone.com/showthread.php?t=1276 . I wonder how long it will work for!!!!

[burtcom]

Yes, a business should certainly be able to regulate what's posted in its forum.

If one were to go into a business establishment and start yelling about shoddy practices, that person would likely be quickly escorted outside.

Inside is private property. Outside is where free speech is allowed. Inside, the business's right to control it's establishment outweighs your right to free speech -- after all, you are not being deprived of any liberty because you can simply step outside and say what you want.

Likewise, you can express your frustration in places like this forum.

As you point out, however, any business who simply squashes reports runs the risk of losing customers. I think, as a matter of good business practice, they should listen and respond constuctively to such complaints.

[PetiteFlower]

FYI, there is quite a large difference between censoring on a website and exterminating 12 million people. Hyperbole to that extent will just make people tune you out, and since you have valid points, that's a bad thing.

Of course anyone is ALLOWED to censor anything they want on their own private web site. How it will make them look to their customers is another matter. The pocketbook is much mightier then the pen OR the sword, after all.

[Patrick Y.]

You are quite right. Apologies if any offence was caused.

I was merely lampooning the rather draconian methods in which D1 choose to deal with criticism.

The message speaks for itself. And the question raised is an interesting one. Should a business be allowed to regulate its own forum and censor adverse comments by its own paying customers?

And will the thread still be there in the morning, US time: Just for the record here is the link http://forums.developerone.com/showthread.php?t=1276 . I wonder how long it will work for!!!!

Thread seems to be deleted already. Just curious, what kind of complains did they delete?

[Fishie]

If its anything like his post here I can understand why they might have deleted it.
Not gonna comment on it any frther though since I lack backgroundknoledge on this(does D1 deliver a faulty product or are we dealing with user ineptitude and stuff like that)

Say didnt this thread originally come with a POLL?
What happened to that, censorship?
:devilboy: