I posted at http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=141979&parent=624588 regarding the disappearance of posts and did not get any response.
I think it important, if there is going to be censorship, that we clearly understand what is being censored and the reason ant post is deleted. This serves two purposes: it acts as a check on the censors and also serves as exemplars for appropriate practice.
With respect to the post in question, as the text appeared to be comply with the code of conduct, I would like to know whether I missed some issue with the text, or whether it was media posted with the text that was found in violation of the code, and if so what that media consisted of.
Most likely the moderator has seen that deleted post as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamebait
Helen and Chris have been writing http://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct#Respect_other_forum_users to Docs but it may not always be clear what different people see as flaming or normal responses (opinions). And different moderators may have different opinions...
http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/ has introduced 90 different types of Flame Warriors - I never thought there could be so many ways to "flame" but you can identify most of those types from all big forums sometimes - 
As Helen responded in the initial thread, so do I.
The point of contention, which will not be resolved to everyone's satisfaction any more than forum rating, is the inevitable pull of censorship to narrow expression. In my country we actually put up with listening to the likes of Mr. Tancredo and Ms. Palin because of this very precept. Defending the rights of a host of blathering sociopaths is a heavy burden suffering the ignorant misinformed to speak might be said by some to represent our saving grace....
The point of contention, which will not be resolved to everyone's satisfaction any more than forum rating, is the inevitable pull of censorship to narrow expression. In my country we actually put up with listening to the likes of Mr. Tancredo and Ms. Palin because of this very precept. Defending the rights of a host of blathering sociopaths is a heavy burden suffering the ignorant misinformed to speak might be said by some to represent our saving grace....
Marc,
don't take those deleted posts too seriously or personally...
Read once more http://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct and compare those "rules" with the written and unwritten rules of Netiquette - you can read the WWW version of book Netiquette by Virginia Shea, published by Albion Books in http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html . This online edition contains all the text and graphics from the bound book — you just need to use the Next Page / Previous Page links to navigate each and every page...
Basicly Netiquette tells us just to be "nice" on public forums. A more interesting point is that in most countries you have no "freedom of speech" in private web sites (unless you own that site), nor is the cry of "censorship" in private sites at all valid. Moodle.org is like any other private web site - owned and operated by an individual company Moodle Pty Ltd even if we all use the public forums of moodle.org and Helen and other people who work for moodle.com really do have a right to delete anything they want from these forums - if they want...
Let's take an example:
If person Z posts some porn to moodle.org forums it will be deleted. If person Z posts a link to a porn site the link (and most likely the post too) will be deleted. If person Z posts a link to a page that has links to a porn site it may not be deleted because moderators do not always know about such links - or pages outside moodle.org can be edited and we are clearly on the "grey area"...
Using the same logic:
If person X attacks against person Y that post can be deleted. If person X adds a link to an attack page against person Y (on some other site) the link can be deleted...or if person X embeds a video that tells us to visit his blog to see some extended versions of his views, moodle antipathy and personal attacks against head developer of moodle moderators have a right to delete such posts or embedded videos.
It does not restrict the freedom of speech of person X in his own site / blog ...or does not change the censorship policy that this blogger - person X has in his own blog (for example to tell partial truths and block comments that he does not like)
Read next for example http://www.wow.com/2009/12/14/why-you-dont-have-freedom-of-speech-in-wow/ and 19 pages of comments/opinions...
There are many legitimate reasons for a moderators to remove comments, which are usually (on most big sites) outlined in the Forum Rules ( in moodle.org http://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct ) :
abuse, insults or personal attacks, foul language, trolling, inappropriate or illegal material, "For Sale" or "Wanted to Buy", business advertising ( see http://docs.moodle.org/en/Policy_on_Advertising ), crossposting, spamming, "religious" debates, defamatory comments, requests for referral credits, group buy threads, complaints about moderation...
In my opinion you simply forgot one important "netiquette rule" which is also written to http://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle.org_forums_Code_of_Conduct:
Please respect the decisions of forum moderators and course facilitators.
<FLAME ON> http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/090/Graph/cartoon1.jpg </FLAME OFF>
Just my $00.02...
I didn't see the original post so I can't comment on how bad or otherwise it was. Anyway, two points..
I know that Helen doesn't delete posts without having a very sound reason for doing so and I am quite happy to accept her good judgement.
I don't see the parallel with blathering politicians. These forums (even the lounge) are not a wildly open area for self promotion, personal abuse, intolerance and similar good things. This is about Moodle and nothing else. Disent, complaint, difficult questions and the like are welcome - well they are to me anyway - but some of the sniping, abuse and generally crossing the line isn't.
It isn't that hard to be nice.... even I manage it most of the time. And before anybody reminds me, I was once accused in these forums of having an "offensive tone". The post is stuck to the wall over my desk as a gentle reminder
I didn't see the original post so I can't comment on how bad or otherwise it was. Anyway, two points..
I know that Helen doesn't delete posts without having a very sound reason for doing so and I am quite happy to accept her good judgement.
I don't see the parallel with blathering politicians. These forums (even the lounge) are not a wildly open area for self promotion, personal abuse, intolerance and similar good things. This is about Moodle and nothing else. Disent, complaint, difficult questions and the like are welcome - well they are to me anyway - but some of the sniping, abuse and generally crossing the line isn't.
It isn't that hard to be nice.... even I manage it most of the time. And before anybody reminds me, I was once accused in these forums of having an "offensive tone". The post is stuck to the wall over my desk as a gentle reminder