It started out reasonable....

Sunday's Olympian LTE thread started as a pretty good discussion, with points being made relating to, and not relating to the letters. As the day wore on, the typical cast of characters got out of control.

There is something going on and I've started to dig in. For some strange reason, there were a multitude of moderations dropped on "Reasoned Discussion's" posts. I personally checked them all out and, other than not being directed at a letter (which many posts weren't), they were well within the guidelines of The O. At that point, I called The Olympian and was told that no one could help me with online comments - "no one is here". So I posted that I'd had enough and would contact management tomorrow.

Tammy McGee, a staffer, then checked in and identified herself, thus no violation of disclosure on my part. She, or someone, wiped out about a page of posts, inclusive of mine - why, I'm not sure, because some posts left up, were definitely intended to antagonize people. Note: Since my original post, I got a comment (moved to this thread) that indicates that Tammy had cautioned people and they "reported" her thread to extinction

So, I've sent Tammy an email, stating my desire to be part of the solution and that I know others would like to do the same, but that we need to understand who is in control and how that control is being moderated. I've also asked about meeting with management to maybe form a community moderation board. Basically, any idea to salvage what can be a very fun interaction and a community asset.

So far, Tammy has been very fair and helpful. I'll give her the first shot, then see where it needs to go.

I encourage all to express their concerns and solutions to The Olympian.