Princesses

Every time I try to post my personal ads, the moderator keeps scrubbing my line "No princesses, please" from the board.

Does he have some kind of weird vendetta against royalty, or am I actually breaking some obscure rule in this forum somewhere?

Look, if he’s going to go ahead and yank an ad that says exactly what I wrote above, then surely I’m entitled to an explanation—just like anyone else on any other thread...

The moderator is staying silent. What's the deal? Is he drunk? High? Or just passed out at his desk?

Jacob Cooper5 said:The moderator keeps deleting my phrase "No princesses, please" from my personal classifieds.

Your little comment about princesses doesn't qualify as a classified ad.

The rules for this Classifieds thread are explicitly laid out in the opening post.
It is unfortunate that you refuse to read the introductory post, which creates unnecessary work for both you and me.

The moderator is silent. Are they drunk? High? Or just asleep?

I am sorry, but I will not engage with you on those terms.

You currently have no active listing posted.

You are welcome to create one, provided you follow the guidelines clearly stated in the opening post. Once the ad is complete, you may include your sentence about princesses at the very end.

That is all.

Grace Kim80 said:That little line you wrote about princesses isn't an ad.

The rules for the Classifieds section are laid out plain as day in the opening post.
It honestly pains me when people don't bother reading the intro—it just creates extra work for everyone involved, myself included...

Look, I'm sorry, but we aren't going to have a conversation this way.

As it stands, you don't have an active ad posted.

Feel free to make one, provided you actually follow the thread guidelines established in the opening post. Once you've finished the actual ad, you're more than welcome to tack on that sentence about princesses at the very end.

That's all.

This is a forum, after all—maybe there are folks here who just have a creative way of expressing themselves without being offensive, looking for people who vibe with that specific style.
The moderator might have their own particular way of interpreting things, which—I mean, let's be real—can make the general rules feel a bit unnecessarily complicated sometimes.
But I sent a perfectly clear message, and this isn't exactly Craigslist, right? It’s not like I need to list my livestock or provide a deep psychological breakdown of my intentions toward women.
Do I really need to mention that I collect badges and posters? That I dig the stuff young people dig?

That's about it.

You have full creative liberty, provided that when you post in the 'Classifieds' thread, you are actually posting—an advertisement.

A single declarative sentence that is purely metaphorical and bears no resemblance to an actual ad cannot be accepted as a valid listing.

The thread clearly states that trolling is prohibited and that a certain level of seriousness is required, given that this is a strictly moderated section; furthermore, it is explicitly stated that the moderators hold the final discretion on what is permitted.

Your sentence about princesses is not an advertisement, and consequently, it has been removed.
This is consistent with how we handled the listing regarding window renovations and pricing.
As with many others that failed to meet our criteria.

To reiterate:
you are free to write an ad that possesses the semantic structure of an advertisement and makes sense. You may include your princesses wherever you like—but there must be a functional ad present in the 'Classifieds' thread. Random metaphorical sentences are considered trolling or mere commenting and will be deleted.

There is no need for cynicism in your response; I have said all that needs to be said, and it is up to you whether you accept it or not. We will not be changing the rules moving forward.

Grace Kim80 said:Look, you can be as creative as your heart desires—really, go wild—as long as what you're posting in the 'Classifieds' section is... well, an actual ad.

A single sentence that’s just a statement or some metaphorical fluff? That doesn't count as a valid advertisement. Period.

The rules for this thread are pretty clear: no trolling, maintain a certain level of decorum (since we're treating this as a serious space with stricter oversight), and remember that the moderators have the final say on what stays and what goes.

That bit about princesses isn't an ad, so—consequently—it's been deleted.
Just like the ad about window renovations and pricing was scrubbed.
And plenty of others that didn't meet the requirements.

I'll say it one more time:
Feel free to write an ad that actually follows an advertising structure—you know, makes sense semantically—and carries actual meaning. Throw those princesses in wherever you want if you must, but there has to be an actual product or service being offered in the 'Classifieds.' Random metaphorical sentences are just seen as trolling or commentary, and they get nuked.

There’s really no need for the cynicism in your response; I've laid everything out clearly, and it's up to you whether you want to accept it or not. We aren't changing the rules anytime soon.

Alright then, fine... what kind of "worldview" is supposed to fit the structure of these classifieds?
Am I supposed to turn my ads into poetry?
Help me out here—tell me exactly how you want it done.

Whether you prefer poetry or prose is immaterial.

Simply review the opening post of this thread, then briefly outline your specific requirements.

Grace Kim80 said:It could be poetry, it could be prose... whatever works.

Just take a look at the opening post for this thread, then give us a quick rundown of what you're actually looking for.

Can I ask for you instead?

Grace Kim80 said:Your comment about princesses isn't an ad, so—consequently—it has been deleted.

Editing posts just to alter their content is a massive, absolute no-no on any decent online forum.

The term "princess" is often used idiomatically to describe spoiled or demanding women—you know, the whole "princess and the pea" trope. If someone writes in an ad, "I don't want any mermaids contacting me," is that sentence going to be scrubbed too just because there's a "mermaid" user on this board? I mean, what kind of deletion spree awaits someone who simply doesn't want certain people reaching out? For instance, if they said they didn't want anyone named John to contact them—honestly, that seems no more bizarre than saying "I don't want anyone named Venus to message me."

Moderating by trying to read between the lines of a user's thoughts under the guise of "don't try to lecture us, we know what you really meant to say" is incredibly slippery slope territory.

Finally, ignoring is the mother of all moderation tools. It is far wiser to just leave a sentence alone when it’s actually doing zero harm—it isn't offensive, nor should it cause anyone to lose sleep or skip a meal—and instead, just let it serve as its own kind of advertisement.

In some randomly selected ad on the very last page, it says "I don't like rude, arrogant, or cocky guys with long hair and beards. Therefore, those types shouldn't even bother reaching out." That specific part is clearly an ad, but the phrase "don't let princesses contact me" is not. Are we absolutely certain that the female user with the long hair and beard actually isn't referring to someone specific—someone with long hair and a beard from a PDF file? (And let's set aside the "rude, arrogant, and cocky" bit; I have no idea why she would think I'd even want to reach out to her 😬 in the first place).

Moderation should not be used as censorship or as a way to protect the fragile egos of forum users.

Nicholas King said:Having moderators jump in and actually change what someone wrote is a massive big no-no on any decent forum.

Honestly, I think it’s just good etiquette to actually get a feel for the conversation before you chime in.
Don't just parachute into a thread without reading the room.

The ad was basically just one sentence long, so when they deleted that single line, they effectively wiped out the entire post.

Honestly, an ad framed as a single bold statement like that would grab my attention way faster than some long list of dimensions, weights, and specs. It’s just more intriguing, I guess. It makes me actually want to reach out.

"The customer is always right." 🙂

Sam Green73 said:It would be wise to actually familiarize yourself with the topic before chiming in.
Don't just parachute in without a clue.

I didn't just parachute in, I swear.

What exactly is the issue with an ad that says, "No princesses, please"? Is it really that hard to grasp the idea that the very act of writing the ad conveys information? It’s like how there are certain guidelines regarding listing livestock on a farm—you wouldn't want to mess up and claim it’s just a suggestion, right?

Regarding being "familiar with the topic": I don't have the time to go hunting for examples (edit: okay, maybe I'm lying a little bit here), but there was once an ad posted that consisted of nothing but a single smiley face (🍿)—are you suggesting that one is also devoid of substance? Or perhaps this one? On the contrary, it's far more meaningful and intriguing than the endless pile of "funny, charming, supposedly good-looking guy" ads out there. Honestly, if I were to post an ad, mine would consist of just one single word (no, I won't say which one; no, it isn't "liquid"; no, it has nothing to do with books 😬).

An ad saying "no princesses" tells you a great deal about who the author *doesn't* want—which, by extension, tells you exactly who they *do* want.

Edit: looking at the ad in terms of rules, semantics, and everything else (just so we're clear, my ad is perfectly fine):

24 years old, Savannah, part of the Georgia Tech inventory, tall, once hunted a rat in a very dangerous part of town so I consider myself a man.

Looking for a woman for some innocent frolicking through meadows, running alongside herds of wild deer,
long, awkward silences over coffee, and heavy procrastination.

Members of the Hades club and Newt Gingrich, please stop responding to this ad (we tried, guys, it just didn't work)

PM me

It’s truly fascinating how the moderators exercise their authority. They swoop in to edit a (controversial) ad using some rather mindless and inappropriate justification—simply because, apparently, she decided my post didn't fit her vision of the topic.

I'll quote: "Let me repeat:
You are free to write an ad that actually follows an advertising structure (semantic nature) and makes sense. Throw in princesses wherever you want—but it must function as an ad within the 'Classifieds' thread. Random metaphorical sentences are considered trolling or commenting, and they will be deleted."

How is a text about a princess actually in conflict with those rules? It seems the only reason it was edited and sanctioned was because it didn't align with the moderator's personal standard compared to everyone else's posts.

Dictating style and format to forum members is, to put it mildly, crossing a line.

This forum is definitely heading straight into a ditch (I’ll put "hell" in parentheses since it’s likely deemed too vulgar for polite conversation).

Drop the ego and the vanity. Let people write however they want in that thread. Just sanction the stuff that is actually disgusting, offensive, or clearly inappropriate.

Standing up for Grace Kim80 👍 She was absolutely within her rights to pull that ad, based purely on the facts:

1) The thread explicitly says to check the first post before posting.
2) That very first post clearly states there’s zero tolerance for trolling.

At the end of the day, a moderator is the one qualified to judge what counts as trolling.
Look, moderators can be whatever you want them to be, but they're definitely a smaller headache than people who think they're above the rules and just ignore everything written right in front of them. 🙂

Also, saying "I don't like bearded guys" or "I don't like people without energy" is a clear preference—it's fine if it suits you or not. But claiming "I don't like princesses" is nothing but a provocation. The moderator decided that provocations aren't allowed in the Classifieds section, which is exactly why there’s such a detailed intro post at the top of the thread. 👍

Let's get serious for a second and stop messing with the moderators when there isn't even a good reason to do so. 🤷

brightcyclist2 said:...
Why on earth is the text about the princess being contested against what was quoted, other than inside that moderator's head, just so she could edit it and issue a sanction compared to the sea of identical posts in this thread? ...

Oh, so now we've reached the point where a post gets sanctioned. 🙄

It’s incredible how easily you jump into a debate and start drawing conclusions without a single shred of fact.

The sequence of events:

The author's post:

I'm asking the princesses to stay out of this.

The post was identified as bait, violating the rules, and removed without any sanctions.

The author follows up with another post:

Moderator, what's your problem with "Princesses, don't talk to me"?

Post deleted, also without sanctions (😢).

Question for the author: did you actually bother to read the thread rules posted in the first message?

What is the issue with a moderator providing an explanation for a deletion, particularly when that reasoning is being questioned—especially since the entire logic behind such removals rests almost entirely on the moderator's own judgment? In other words, they alone can discern what constitutes trolling, while 90% of the forum users see absolutely nothing wrong with the behavior... 🤷