Clearly the editors of this forum are only used to the genteel nature of PA politics, were criticism of elected officials are discouraged. They cannot seem to handle back and forth of people with different views. Too bad they have chosen to limit discussion in this manner.

I am a little confused on this registration process too.

I may want to sign up for the email express edition of the paper, but that makes me a registered user for this bulletin board too.

If all I want is to get daily news, why do I have to sign up for the express when all I want is what we are getting now from the online version.

Is there a difference between the online version and the express?

Is there going to be a two tier system?

Is the present online updating of local news going to stop?

Why should registered users only be allowed for national political issues, when local issues can be as much hot topic issues for us Palo Altans. Is this the start of taking away all such hot topic issues and leaving the forum to nothing more than classified ads?

Please can you clarify what you are doing?

Thank you.

I think the registered user thing is their alternative to the slice-and-dicing of posts they've done when the local issues are heated.

I suppose, also, local issues are local--so there's less of an infiltration problem.

I have noticed that most posting get closed down after

"Elect McCain????, a resident of another community"

posts an inarticulate rant, is there a way to muzzle it, block his posts

Elect McCain???? is not contributing anything to the debate give it a soap box by the recycling center or some thing, I am sure most reasonable posters feel the same way.

Dialog--thanks--you will notice that the threads are not closed down--they are just limited to registered users. I guess you consider anything that questions the pro-Palin/McCain, anti-Obama comments as being "inarticulate rants". I guess that is your way of trying to stifle open dialog on the issues--it would be nice if only your view and those that agree were your view were allowed to post--things would be so much simpler then.
As far as I can tell, as long as the posts are civil, the editors will let them stand and that is the way it should be. Sorry, Dialog

By the way, Dialog, here is a thread that I made no postings on, yet it was "closed down" (your terminology).

Web Link

Care to rethink your observation (btw, I post using a single identity)

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I've no problem with Elect McCain???'s posts. That poster doesn't, for example, switch from name to name late at night posting links to the same pro-Palin picture. That poster didn't under several names go off on some sort anti-old lady rant. Nor did it post under a name as part of the Ohlone Community when no such person is in the Ohlone community.

If Elect McCain???'s posts are statistically more likely to end up in the restricted threads, it's partly because it's getting responses from the sockpuppet crew.

You, dialog, offer a perfect example of an inappropriate posting--it's a personal attack on Elect McCain??? Elect's socioeconomic bracket has nothing to do with anything. Nor is there any sign his or her mental health is impaired. And unlike some others, Elect doesn't pretend to live where he or she doesn't. And the Weekly's readership extends outside of Palo Alto--so your objection is not appropriate.

It's also irrelevant to the topic.

OhlonePar

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I find your apparent attempts to track the identity and address of posters you may disagree with disturbing.

I have access to my kids directory of parents identity and address too, and my understanding is that this is not to be used for other than school/ social purposes.

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I have a legitimate concern about drive by posts from people who are not part of the the Palo Alto community, particularly when they derail dialog.

Dialog,

I didn't have to do much--when somebody says the exact same thing late at night within 15 minutes, it's easy to see a sockpuppet at work.

Same with linking to the same Web site over and over.

I have an Ohlone directory--so, sorry, no top secrets there--they're standard issue--so I figured why not see if we actually had a Palin fan on campus in that bastion of community organizers.

Now, if I were printing people's addresses and phone numbers, but no, just pointing out the nonexistence of the poster in question.
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"dialog, is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Yes, I have had problems before with stalkers after I had posted on other blogs, it was a nightmare, and is the reason that I am reluctant to register with paloaltoonline.

I find your statement "I have an Ohlone directory--so, sorry, no top secrets there--they're standard issue--so I figured why not see if we actually had a Palin fan on campus in that bastion of community organizers."
very disturbing, as I am sure do most of the Ohlone community of which I have been a member through my kids. Your behavior is in direct contradiction of the the Ohlone values.

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Sooo, the interesting thing about the ExurbanLeague link is that it's for an ad. The blog itself is pretty minor--so not an obvious high-profile thing about which everybody's talking.

So, I think we've got a troll here trying to drive traffic to its blog and, of course, trying to disrupt political discussions.

It's not an accident that it didn't know that Ohlone's directory was something widely distributed--an odd thing for someone claiming to be a former Ohlone parent.

Also, under its Sharon guise it claimed that it and its family frequented Mike's and the Palo Alto Cafe when they had a chance. I suspect those two places show up on Mapquest. What I found interesting about the way Sharon wrote about them is that "she" didn't seem to realize that they were two very different kinds of places.

Another sign that it's from out of the area is its obsession with old hippie women. I suspect it's never been to Palo Alto and actually doesn't know what we're like--I mean we're really hearing about a bunch of cliches about the Bay Area--kind of like Sarah Palin's "San Francisco" dig.

It's still here, of course, because there's a lot more activity in this Forum than there is on most blogs. And, at this point, it's looking for some sort of vindication or control. Again, a confusion about what this site is.

What you won't see is it commenting knowledgeably about anything local.