posted on January 4, 2000 08:56:00 AM new
Grannyfox:
Thanks for the heads up. I popped over and read the goings-on.
For those interested, the issue is what rules should AW put in place to allow discussion of auctions on various sites.
This is a particularly sticky issue when the auction being scruitinized is somehow being held up for rebuke. Instances such as suspected shill bidding or fraudulent offers or even terms and conditions are often discussed. Often these threads begin with titles like, "Can you believe this!"
The current discussion centers on whether the person being ridiculed should be invited before the dissection begins.
For the weak of heart, what goes on here, are a series of trials in abstentia. In some cases it like the Paris Mob without Madam Defarge sitting quitely knitting. Heads are lopped off, though.
I use the example of the Paris mob for a reason. It is obvious to me that an open forum cannot be a fair place to discuss such matters reasonably and equitably or with any degree of fairness. That these posts quickly degenerate into a written yell of he said, she said is a natural progression.
All that said, the public -- defined in this case as those reading this forum -- benefit from these examples. They raise the auction street-smarts of those who take the time to read despite their similarity to the Jerry Springer show.
While I have no status here other than as a poster, I would ask that if anyone finds or sees a dubious auction offer on auctions.com that they post me personally regarding their concerns. Unlike some other sites where actions move with all the dispatch of molasses, auctions.com staff should be able to resolve the situation expeditiously within the confines of our site.
Our procedures would be to follow proper procedure and contact both parties privately, gain our information, use our site's more extensive and open reporting (say in the case of shill bidding) and allow our investigations folks to come to an impartial judgment based on the facts.
Further, it would be my goal to then post a report of the situation here in terms that are not libelous or inflammatory to any individual.
Personally, I don't particularly like this suggestion but until there is a better venue -- a venue designed to provide a proper and reasonable airing of community concerns -- it is IMO the only way to avoid the mob mentality.
As an industry, I think we need to look for "programming" more along the lines of "The Peoples Court" rather than "Jerry Springer."
Pat
PS: The situation here is actually worse than Jerry Springer because at least Springer plays the role of a weak moderator and they are organized enough to go to commercial breaks.
