Censorship Sucks (aka, Chow.com can kiss my user-content-generating a**)
The other day, in response to a Chow.com post requesting suggestions for good eats near the Cambridge/Belmont line, I received the following message from the moderators at Chow.com:
bq. *Subject: Chowhound – Note from Moderator*
Hi lbjay, you’ve been sent the following by a Chowhound moderator:
We are not currently accepting postings about Craigie Street Bistrot. Please refrain from posting further about this place while we investigate a problem with some postings about this restaurant.
*Your post:*
_I bet you’re within walking distance of Craigie Street Bistro, just over the Cambridge line. Follow Mt.Auburn until it crosses Rt 2/3/16 (whatever the heck that is at that point) and becomes Brattle Street. It’s maybe another 1/4 mile past there? http://www.craigiestreetbistrot.com/_
Huh, ok.
Undaunted, I returned to the discussion thread and posted a second time, this time suggesting that the person check out a “bistro” nearby on a street that “rhymes with _Graigie_”. This post was apparently yanked as well, although I didn’t receive a second notification from the moderators.
The mystery to me is, are the chow.com moderators really so dumb that they can’t distiguish between a legitimate post and comment spam? I’m assuming they have some kind of automatic flagging system that catches comments that contain references to “Craigie Street Bistro”. But once these messages are caught it shouldn’t take an Einstein to assess whether they are spam or not spam. Idiots.
PS, Craigie Street Bistro rocks.
Posted: June 29th, 2007 under Hate It.
Comments: 5
Comments
Comment from Tammy
Time: July 17, 2007, 4:56 pm
I have to agree with you. I don’t post there anymore for that reason. I believe in free speech.
Comment from Ningy Noodle
Time: September 7, 2007, 4:35 am
At least you got notification the first time your post was deleted. I’ve never even gotten the courtesy of a notification. How can users learn the rules if deletions are never explained?
Comment from Curmudgeon
Time: January 22, 2008, 4:08 am
It sort of astounds me what is censored on Chowhound. Recently I’ve had postings about concern over using food ingredients from China and displeasure about the long lines at my local TJs and their discontinuation of stoned wheat thins censored. Once you’ve been censored once I think you go on a hot list and they carefully discriminate against everyone of your postings. The SF hounds have a picnic each year and this year the Chowhound Community Manager Jacquilynne Schleisier flew down from Toronto to attend. I had a chance to talk to her and what a piece of work! While food is obviously her main main interest (see the photo at http://www.ample-knitters.com/jacquilynne.html ) She also talked about going on cruises with her parents. On her blog she talks about her thoughts about her main interest http://www.jacquilynne.com/mt/mt-static/diet/reasons_why/ I hope this gives some consolation to those of you who have been censored. Now on the other hand she evidentially is taste testing all the food that is mentioned.
Comment from lbjay
Time: January 29, 2008, 5:57 pm
I’m astounded that you would continue to try posting there.
I’m no longer astounded that completely legitimate posts get censored when you have a “community manager” with an attitude like this
Comment from Bob
Time: October 12, 2009, 8:38 pm
Please be very careful and think twice before you post photos on Chowhound. If they like your images they claim they have ownership over your copy right and will not allow the removal of your images. Think twice before you submit ANY content to Chowhound.
There are claims that they have even published a book and altered the posts of members as content.
Chowhound stands for every thing a true hound should hate. Big corporate America running over the little guy with heavy handed moderation and what in my opinion amounts to little more than theft.
I have emails from CH refusing to remove my images after I requested them to be taken down several times.
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