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THANKS EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING
Next week's meeting: Thursday, March 19th, 2pm ET
Hi everyone,
Welcome to this week's meeting. We're looking forward to talking with everyone.
There is one minor housekeeping item I'd like to take care of, and that's setting a regular day and time for the roundtable. We've been mixing up the dates and times to try to reach as many folks as possible, but I think it's time to set a more predictable schedule.
Let's do that after the meeting though. Once we're done today, leave your preferred day and time in the comments and I'll look back during the week.
We don't have a set agenda, other than that so if you have questions, complaints, story ideas or suggestions, you can post them in the comment section below.
We'll post our answers there too.
New comments go to the bottom, so keep scrolling down to follow the conversation.
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Hello David and others
@Karma Hello! Good to see you.
David, Thanks for taking my question. I would like to know how you are implementing the new rules as I noticed a couple posts that I must have missed something on, that ended up getting pulled, yet there are many posts that contain really offensive dialogue that continue on here. How are you determining what stays and what goes?
Greeting to my fellow iReporters and to the Roundtable.
Wow-I actually made it here, and even on time....
morning all
Hello Katie
Hello David and everyone else
Hey everyone...great question AnnNonomous!
Hello
morning all
Hi,
Sorry for delay in responding. I was getting out the word on Twitter.
Hello all..Thanks Ladyshoodjnl for the heads up post!
Good morning from the Napa Valley
Just my opinion but if this is going to be weekly, caan it be in the early evening or the weekend. It's kind of hard to participate when you work or on lunch.
weekends aren't real good for me, perhaps early evening?
@spontaneous We're trying to find a time that accommodates everyone. Please leave your preferred time for iReport roundtables in the comments at the end of this discussion.
You think we're alone, Karma?
I'm wondering what CNN's response will be to the current massive push to silence
yes, silenceany opposition to the current administration and president.It's a thing dangerous to liberty to begin to handpick who can talk and who can't. We're either all free to speak or none of us is truly free.
Good to see you this time Bellydancer.
hello from brooklyn, ny.
Davidw,
Are we ready?
hello
so what's on the agenda?
Ok, I just wanted to leave my comment now just in case I had to leave. Thanks
Hey everyone, here we go!
I would like to ask what happened to a great post that ended up on the Newsiest then was pulled off and is gone? The post had a lot of dialogue and opened up things that needed to be out in the open. It got somewhat heated here and there, but I did not see anything on there to give reason to remove the entire post. I was not there much as I had to be out. I did however get a few comments in. Then when I returned later it was gone? This post was done by a very well known and respected ireporter and it is very disappointing to see that the wrong people are getting their posts removed when others keep on spewing the same old same old...Not sure what is going on..
@castvee8 good to see you again. :)
@Talheure We hope that everyone feels free to voice their opinions. Right now we're asking iReporters to grade Obama's first 50 days in office, and not all of the responses have been positive. Check them out and feel free to post your own video: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=25235
Mediaspindoc-NAPA valley-Is that where all the auto parts come from? (just kidding,of course it is..)
Good morning, David and team, and all else here.
@gilldreams got a link or a description? stuff drops out of newsiest automatically after a certain amount of time.
Talherue?? I am a fly on the wall today, I have seen the conversations on the post's improve and basically be more on topic. Still some tend to get offensive but that appears to be improving. I really do not know other than one reporter that got the axe when I was talking to him who has been silenced, nor the reasons for that silencing
@AnnNonomous -- That is a good question and one I get asked a lot. The short answer is that we do the best we can. The longer answer is that we really try to prevent people from using their iReport posts to attack other members of the community.
The level of abusiveness had gotten out of hand lately and we've had to take some tough steps to deal with that.
Thanks Ladys
@Talheure..Silence Obama opposition??? I am sorry, I must disagree. I think CNN has done a great job of keeping the site open to all voices. It's the nasty trolls that create the problems not CNN. IMO
weekends do not work for me at all Spontaneous..as a matter of fact this time of day is great..anyone else??
Hey, wheres davidjw, ryn, slicknick, votingfemale and the rest of the gang?
@everyone Feel free to jump in and share any comments or questions you have about iReport.com. There's no set agenda, just conversation.
What is being done about double posting? I see it a lot same comments different titles and some repost old post several times. Just a question
@MediaSpinDoc holler! great piece on Napa!
Davidw,
I would like to purchase a VET.
Katie, I am glad to hear that is the official stance of CNN, and I hope it continues. Thanks for the invitation to weigh in--I do, though not in video format! :)
I'm concerned about the push, however. "Excoriation" is a good word for what happens any time anyone questions/derides the citizen currently occupying the office of the president. It sounds awfully Farenheit 451 or "Harrison Bergeron," and I'm concerned that it will continue until CNN folds. Please assure me that this will not happen!
I agree, Bellydancer.
@Spontaneous Douple posting is discouraged. Normally the moderators or team iReport will pull the repeated post. We try our best.
Thanks... always nice to get positive feedback
I understand that gilldreams but people do have jobs. iReports is important to me and I want to participate. In the early evening/evening works for me but I know no time will be good for everyone.
I must say things did get a little out of hand last weekend with the attacks on one reporter, but that appears to be solved?
forgive me for being a bit niave here but there are rumors running around of some of the iReporters having the ability to ban people from here. iDistort being one of them with several other alias'. I know you can't keep people from having other identities but what are these people here to do?
@gilldreams - It is disappointing to see anyone get their post removed. There's been a lot of really inappropriate behavior on the site from a small group of people that is making the iReport.com experience less enjoyable for the rest of the community.
@spontaneous We're trying to find a time that accommodates everyone. Please leave your preferred time for iReport roundtables in the comments at the end of this discussion
I don't see any agenda here on that topic at all..it says at the top of the page there is no agenda??? where is this information please??
agree with bellydancer, CNN is doing well to allow all sides. It's too soon to tell how things will play out. I hear a lot of grumbling about people being taken off. How many warnings are being issued before you boot someone?
Is the mystuff page format going to get a make-over? Is that even technically possible?
Re Ladyshoodjnl's post - anyone know where she got the iReport bag from? - want one!
Ooh, and on Errol's show, there's an iReport t-shirt hanging on a pillar - want one (giggle!)
Alun Hill
Karma, I agree that the caliber of disagreements have improved lately. I'm not supportive of "trolls" who jump in, call names, and drop out. I'm terribly supportive of thoughtful opposition. I used to teach that the way to know your own position was to fully explore your opponents'.
I would like to know what pictures are "viewer advised". I see a lot of risky photos that get flagged but others don't.
@PapaK iReporters do not have the ability to ban other users.
@castvee8 what would you like to see on the "my stuff" page? we want to know how it can be improved.
Again, who do I purchase a Vet for my station.
AlunHIll--If i can type fast enough...it's a "reward" for getting your story on CNN! I hope you get a great treat soon!
I don't do weekends. So I must have missed the gang fight. Darn.
somehow the wrong attached comment was included with mine..strange..oups..
@LadysHoodJnl What do you mean? Not sure I'm following you ;)
Thank you David- I was wondering as I saw a pretty vile ireport this am with profanity re: Rhianna and I did hit the violation button, but noticed it stayed up anyway. I thought that kind of stuff was being monitored as well. And I do appreciate that it is hard to clean up, but I thought the violation button does call attention- and there was another comment by another ireporter who stated that they hit the violation button also, that stated pretty much my thoughts on that particular post.
There are several opinions for and against the President. Everyone is welcome to have all sorts of opinions about public official and those in the media. However, it's not acceptable to launch personal attacks on iReporters. We are all private citizens!
@castvee8 -- I'm sure we'll be tweaking the site periodically, but I don't expect any major changes in the near future.
is it possible to get a running statistical tally of our submissions--like total hits, total comments, cnn appearances, or some other indication of the data someone, i'm sure, has access to on the tech side of things....?
Gill and Ann..I am not sure but I think you may be referring to my "You trying to pick a fight?" post. Thank you for asking CNN about it. But let me say..I could have presented my thoughts on the post a little differently. The post was prompted by a minor exchange by a pm from someone I happen to like even though we never agree on all things political. Rather than make his pm the focus of my report I should have put more into talking about photo shop pictures because that was the real issue. I think everyone is thinking it was the cute picture of a cat with mice/gerbils on it's head that tanked it.
Talherue, I agree the drive by attacks are disruptive and serve no purpose other than to incite anger, but they usually go away if you do not engage and their post stands out as such
@Spontaneous the discretion notes aren't an exact science - we do the best we can and we ask the community to help in this effort. If you see something you think needs an advisory, please flag the item.
Good afternoon all...need to catch up on the thread brb
I came to discuss my concerns as well - now why can't this supestar get a vet? What do I have to be; naked news, to get a vet
@ zdan re: repeated post. I uploaded twice after the first took too long today. After 17 comments the first one finally processed. Then the one with all the comments got pulled. Can't you pull the one that posts last? thank you.
nsaidi: the post was removed only after less than 12 hours had over 30 pages on it..not likely it was a time laps thing as there are lots of posts still on there that are days old
good morning....sorry I am late.....my question, has there been any talk about an iReporter conference where we all meet up and meet each other, learn how to be better citizen journalists, and network with each other?
David, could you expand on what exactly who were removed/banned did/wrote this last week so we can get a precise idea and incorporate those ideas for ourselves?
Karma, I agree they usually drop out, and I'm not too concerned about them.
I think I'm more concerned about what I see as a trend--if you don't agree, just shut up.
THAT's dangerous to a democracy.
@gilldreams what was the content of that post? I can try to research what happened.
nsaidi-Its bulky and un-manageable after you get pages and pages of material and want to sort through it to look for comments,spam etc. I think it would be great just as a text screen with descriptions etc.Then maybe you can click on the text to see details etc. It would also be nice to have a personal blogspace!
I gonna be patient while I'm being overlooked by the iReport Team and Davidw.
Lady I am asking out of ignorance what is a "vet"?
@rosehips I totally agree with you. We try to keep the posts that already had a dialogue going on, but sometimes the mods get to it first. If you notice this on an iReport, please contact one of us so we can fix it.
thanks katie.
I really don't have much of a problem here maybe because I'm the problem, I don't know.
The only thing I have to say about all of this is that I thank CNN for doing this as it must be a lot of trouble but this is the people talking which I think is worth it's weight in gold.
The other thing is that I've been online since 98 so I know a little about the wild west thing. People need to have very thick skin because it can get to you if you let it.
I'm not into ganging up on anyone but there are times when someone just comes out and asks for it. But it should be their responsibility. Doesn't CNN post something at the beginning of each session that iReports can get a little nuts?
@castvee8 interesting ideas. great suggestions. what about the profile pages? what do you think about those?
Yes, a precise idea of what we can and cannot do would be great. The guidelines and TOS are a little ambiguous and subjective.
Lady, are you thinking of "vetting," as appears in the blue banner at the top of the pages?
Atleast somebody heard me.
@KamaHD
A vet is something you havent' had either.
@PapaK -- One thing that I think has fueled those rumors is that we take a very hard stance against people who impersonate other members of the community by copying their avatar and creating a username that looks like another member's -- davidvv instead of davidw, for example.
This happened to VotingFemale and auntiebjw over the past few days.
We take this very seriously. In both cases, we eliminated the bogus accounts and had the offenders' IP addresses blocked.
We're committed to making sure that these offenders are never allowed to return.
I think this gives the impression that people are banned simply because they challenged certain members of the community.
Hey KyleHD,
Yes! We all think a conference is a smashing idea. I think we might need to start smaller though, perhaps through regional meetups. Kudos to Salsteels - who is organizing a Denver-area iReport meetup.
http://www.meetup.com/ColoradoCitizenJournalists/
We'd also like to host one in Atlanta soon
@Spon
I have seen a few double posts..I have even posted a few videos twice. The Free hugs campaign videos as well as the recent animation. Were you asking about those?
nicole
-as for a tweaking of "my stuff", what if we had the ability to create our own layout, formatting, etc, of our stories so that we could feature the work that we are proudest of, not just the stuff that's posted most lately....kind of like a real desktop publishing webpagenot unlike what's done on a "My yahoo" page......Talheure: It ticks me off as well the one sided goal focused post, I don't think they care for anyone's opinion, not much you can do to fix that other than move on. In time and once the heat of the switch of parties calms down, that should also go away, but hey my middle name is Polly Anna!
@Talheure,
Davidw and the iReport Team know exactly what I'm talking about, but is overlooking what I'm presenting to the table, by skippin over me and going to the next iReporters question.
good afternoon...will catch up and then jump right in
Bellydancer » Thanks Ladys
@Talheure..Silence Obama opposition??? I am sorry, I must disagree. I think CNN has done a great job of keeping the site open to all voices. It's the nasty trolls that create the problems not CNN. IMO
Yes I agree with part of this comment by BD, the people who go on the posts making their nastiest comments are the cause of the posts getting pulled rather than the person making the comments getting removed from the post.
Yes Bellydancer your post is one..the other was done by auntiebjw called Hope and Change which had a plastic cat as a pencil sharpener on the pic..nobody seemed to care about it and the conversation was not about the picture. I don't know why anyone would think that picture represented them..it is nothing like anything I have ever seen before..it was pretty funny actually at first I thought is was a chocolate cat but then it looked like plastic mold of a cat..I don't know but it wasn't anything offensive unlike some other pictures that get posted...
I'm not so keen on a personal meet up or divulging personal info to just anyone. Obvious reasons.
thank you zdan, and hello everyone!
Thanks Tyson!!!! That would be exciting to meet everyone!!!
@wjoreilly are you thinking it might help to have some control over the sorting and to maybe feature a story you're most proud of? that's an interesting idea. I assume by this you are referring to the profile pages, which are seen by the public. "My stuff" is seen only by you.
@everyone any other ideas for profile pages?
@AnnNonomous -- When you report a violation, it doesn't automatically remove the post, but it does alert us to the offending post.
I read through the list of flagged reports every morning when I come in to work.
I don't always remove offensive posts, but I will go through and either warn the user, or ban them if neccessary.
I would really like it if we could at least know a little about the posters of the comments. When I click on view so and so's profile and I click and there is absolutely no info, it is disappointing, especially when it is someone who just comes on to make a nasty or unrelated comment. It would be nice to at least have a city and state.
Lady, thanks; sorry for meddling. I was just trying to figure it out!
Now I want to know, too! :)
@LadysHoodJnl I responded to your question earlier in the conversation! We appreciate your contributions to the conversation.
We're constantly monitoring the site for the best material to approve for CNN. You may want to check out our Assignment Desk to see the top assignments we're looking for each day.
Responses to these submissions have a better chance to get on CNN, since they align with what we're looking for each day.
For everyone else, LadysHodd is referring to the "On CNN" status by asking for a vet.
Ok Lady now I am reallllly curious please tell me what a VET is????
Canadian in Da House ! Just wanted to stop by and pay my respect to the iReport Team and me Fellas at iReport. Cheers !
Jimmy
BD- Yes, yours was one, and I must have missed that point as I did think things were resolved, and the conversation moved in a good direction, there are others, too, that I have seen and then they disappear, so maybe I miss what causes them to get pulled but there are some that really surprize me, that are on, and if you look at the dialogue and meanings, it makes you wonder, why are they still on- and that's why I am trying to make sure, I don't accidently do something that I may not be aware is not permitted, BTW, just loved that pic! I had wanted to show it to Mr Nonomus, as we have cats, and I still laugh when I think of it!
not exactly---im talking about having the profile page be a "front page" of your featured work with the ireporter's ability to lay it out and set it up however he or she wants...kind of like twitter does, but a whole lot better
Katie, thanks. Mystery solved! (Whew.)
@PunjabiPower feel the power... much respect back to ya LOL...
Here's the link to the Assignment Desk again in case anyone is curious of our top assignments: http://www.ireport.com/community/assignment
Welcome PunjabiPower!
Happy to arrnage meet up in London if anyone wants, diaries permitting ..
Perhaps we could all film it and each upload our version!
Alun Hill
nsadi-I change my profile page periodically-Just so there is something different to read. I think it is OK as is-as far as format.
The bolgspace idea stems from daily opinion that seems to infiltrate the news everyday....I think opinions in such a blog could be useful as poll info on topics that each person has that is important to them. It might be a good guage to what people want to follow on the news....or what they are just sick and tired of hearing about. Of course, there could be another source of discontent among users.
here's another thought--how about having the most recent posts show up on the top of this, not the bottom!!!
A "VET" is having a story vetted and then stamped "ON CNN!"
@TheWarden -- I'm being very general here, but what we're trying to stop is the abusive personal attacks. I don't care if people agree, or even like each other.
Debates are going to get heated, and that's fine. What's not fine is when people routinely try to win their argument by tearing down the person they're arguing with.
I read the last CNN round table discussion and have to applaud the CNN staff...thank you. I would like to make one request of my fellow ireporters. I have no issues with discussing President Obama's agenda's and policies and even debating their content but please refer to him as President Obama...when you say Obomite..and other colorful names or use his name Obama then I get my dander up and want to call you names....all I am asking you to do is be respectful of the office...you don't have to like him and I am not trying to eliminate your freedom of speech...I am asking nicely.
@ wjoreilly - that's a really great suggestion. There are plans to update many aspects of the site- including profiles - so your feedback is greatly appreciated.
@AlunHill -- Can't wait to see those videos.
I do have a suggestion for the future. A couple times I've asked other reports to "preview" and article and act as my "editor" before presenting it to the general audience. I accomplish so by temporarily replacing my oldest report.
It would be a nice-to-have if the system could somehow facilitate that. Great job, iReport staff - appreciate your hard work.
@wjoreilly - Oh OK. so... your profile page is like your home page and you see content from all over the site laid out the way you want to? just want to make sure I understand.
Thanks for all your answers.
I have to admit I don't really keep track of what's going on with who and who's name is what. I don't pay attention to people's profile as I leave that alone and my profile is pretty vague.
I know I have probably rubbed a few people the wrong way and will not apologize for that, however if you'd ever like to have a drink and discuss it with me face to face I still won't get into a fist fight. I'll be as civil as Rush, Ann or Hatefully but never physical. Unless, your a cute female but that's for another forum.
Again thanks to CNN for doing a great job. And thanks to all the iReporters out there who fuel my need to post my cheap two cents.
Got it Katie, I thought the reason I did not get on CNN was my material was not worthy, or in a video format. It makes me want to put out a better product in hopes of getting on CNN, and I will be the first to admit, most of my stuff was not worthy LOL.
wjoreilly...I second that motion! I'm getting seasick! :)
Love you hats Nicole and Tyson's cool specks :)
Spontaneous » I understand that gilldreams but people do have jobs. iReports is important to me and I want to participate. In the early evening/evening works for me but I know no time will be good for everyone.
I am not disputing that people have jobs Spontaneous..there are a lot that work shift work not Mon to Fri 9-5 jobs..weekends are precsious time for some..and people have kids they need to prepare dinner for..so it was only my input..
Davidw,
I know your not a typist.. but, you should have gottent my question by now.
italco, i hear your aversion to what you perceive as people's disrespect.
italco - well said. Yes, we Liberals do get called all sorts of offensive names and so does our president. Can someone please explain to me how thats not offensive?
davidW...I know the Ireports are supposed to be unfiltered and unedited...however, what can be done to prevent folks from spewing venom, as was pointed out by Auntie in lette's post...there is a fine line between free speech, voicing an opinion and inciting violence or riotus behavior....
@AlunHill That sounds great! We'd love to hear what some of our international folks think. Uploading a video about it would be a good way to let us know what came out of the conversation.
@KarmaHD We can't wait to see those iReports!
I wish this closed door discussion we open to the public so they can see how bias it is in here for LadysHoodJnl.
OK Dave, thanks, and best of luck with the roundtable effort. Hope I helped in getting it started.
all the best.
David, I have quick question that may have already been answered. (I've been on the road this AM). Earlier this week a iReporter whom I have a lot of respect for, had one of her posts pulled. I had something to do with what was perceived to be a personal attack on me. I did not view it that way, I viewed it as two reasonable adults who had a difference of opinion "talking" about it civilly and in an adult manner. When I went back to add a post, I saw that it had been pulled. When i emailed this reporter, she said it had been pulled because it was a personal attack on me (a fellow iReporter). Since I didn't take it that way, and since I never received a notice about it, I was wondering if in the future when CNN feels they need to pull something like this, could the supposed "aggrieved" party be notified? Like I said, I was fine with it.
Ooh - my "gun law in UK" iReport just made CNN - excellent!
Always appreciated!
Alun
@Ann..LOL yes..the conversation was doing okay. Or it was up until I went to bed for the night. I don't know if something happened after I left..I will use the cat picture again if I can make it work with a topic. It is a cute picture.
I was the 4th to check in and has not been addressed yet?
@LadiesHoodJournal -- I really wasn't skipping over your question. I thought Katie answered it perfectly.
We appreciate your contributions to the site and have approved your stories in the past. I'm sure we will again in the future.
@italco, I am distressed that this is suddenly an issue. It was NOT an issue six months ago when people were trashing another sitting president. Let's not pretend that we've suddenly all had a change of heart and now the rules must change to a kinder, gentler society when what's really happened is a change in parties. If it was fair for the goose, it is fair for the gander.
(and by the by, I don't call names. I just defend freedom of speech from subtle attacks.)
I am trying Kati, I am trying, time is an issue, but hopefully soon, thanks for the encouragement.
Oh btw, I don't respond to hate mail. It doesn't nothing for me. So to anyone out there who has sent me hate mail and I never answered don't expect an answer.
I have send a few email to some of the ireporters here only because of their personal interest in some things. One veteran was looking for a job and another lady was interested in a graphics school for her daughter.
I had to respond to them because of my own personal interest.
As for hate mail I don't send it and I don't respond to it.
just to clarify
i'm suggesting having the ability to position yours or anyone's stories on your "home page"honestly, i was selfishly thinking only of my own pieces--perhaps you could see it as having 6 or 8 of your story icons showing at the same time on your page....a viewer could click on any of them to see your work; the work wouldn't be laid out linearly, the way it is now, but in rows and columns!Actually another technical suggestion, and as a website developer I know this would be pretty easy to implement. A link above the comment section that only refreshes the comments, would save your servers a ton of resources. The XML service that feeds the comments operates very quickly with low overhead, but having hundreds of users refreshing the whole document, including the Flash, has got to be taxing your system, needlessly.
Warm Regards, "Indy"
@mab911c @Bellydancer -- I'll be honest and admit that I may have overreacted on that one. I interpreted that as an attack on another user and I really thought it was going to be a repeat of Monday's slugfest -- which was one of the worst we've had around here in a long time.
@castvee8 I think you make an interesting point with that blogspace. A lot of times people want to share opinions and news topics of interest. what is the best way to do that?
@everyone what do you think is the best way to share opinions on iReport.com? what do you like to look at? any thoughts on new ways to share and produce stories? Kind of a broad question I know.
Hello all. I can't say I'm late, as I clicked on the roundtable link and ended up here...Can I just say I stumbled in, eavesdropped and decided to drop on in? grin
David, what about the ability of iReporters to "link" separate submissions? For instance, I'm currently researching what happened to the 1990's tobacco settlement money disbursement as part of a series regarding my father being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer for smoking. Even though these submissions are in a series and would probably work better as linked submissions, I don't see a way in the site's setup to do so.
This meeting time (11 am CST) is great, although some may prefer to do it in the evening, when the day's events aren't clamoring for attention.
Thank you DavidW for clearing that up for me- and I know you work very hard to keep this an enjoyable place to exchange ideas and create fun postings! I have a lot fun on here and really appreciate you and the whole staff working very hard to keep this going in a good direction. Thanks again, Ann
I just blogged this roundtable to the open board.. Davidw, y'all. mad this shit up if you think you can slight one reporter over another I WILL TELL THE WORLD WHAT YOUR DOING IN HERE.
I ask everyone here, has not the tone of the anger become better? Even by a small degree, that to me is a start. If a poster is so passionate about a subject that the point of view is the opposite of you're individual belief that should be a warning not to engage, they are not interested in your point of view and to offer it usually turns into a knock down drag out where the initial point is lost and comments are directed at the poster! I see improvement, and do my best to stay in the middle with an open mind!
i think we need a "suggestion box" for ireporters to make suggestions of story ideas to you all-- and perhaps you might acknowledge them as having been the originator of the idea....
Iran submitted a list of Israeli war criminals to Interpol for prosecution for crimes committed during the recent Gaza assault. This list was originally developed by the United Nations and had 134 Israel war criminals on it, but Iran narrowed it down to 15 of worst war criminals. Interpol is checking out the info now. Why aren't we seeing this in our US media. Almost every other country in the world has mentioned it but why not us?
@wjoreilly great suggestion! FYI generally we do currently have a "more from this user" feature on most stories, although it can be a bit quirky sometimes with older stories.
Talheure - Like I said...I was asking nicely.
@ctlss -- We are looking at ways to beef up the profiles to give people a better idea of who they are talking to.
I don't have a timetable, but it's something we're working on.
Hey Mab!
As one iReporter put it, it gets his dander up when people do not give appropriate respect to President Obama. I feel the same way when similar respect is with held for Gov Palin. It also gets my dander up, if you will, to be called a "Repugnican", a ILC - Iranian Loveing Conservative, etc. Name calling and disrespect happens on both sides I'm afraid.
I'm not sure if anyone saw from a few blogs ago, I posted a comment that I think CNN should start a reality show, for citizen journalists or iReporters, and have them compete for something like a year contract with CNN, reporting all over the world or something like that. Any takers?
Belly and Mab, I have to admit, that title got my attention in the same way it got David's attention... a different title would have made it seem more tongue-in-cheek :)
Thanks, David.
This is Y'ALL GOOD OL' BOY CLUB IN HERE. Davidw, and to the rest of your crew, your bias as to who's answer you reply to and who's stories go to vet.. Stop all the favortism,since your getting rich off me too -include LadysHoodJnl to Vet.
I wish we could block people from writing on our posts.
Just want to add my two cents about vetting iReports to this discussion.
CNN producers across platforms are always on the lookout for great stories.
More and more, those stories are coming from you!
Our assignment desk is a small sampling of the types of stories CNN is telling - and want you to be a part of.
But we know that the news that matters most to you is often the news that's happening near you - in your communities. There's always an open invitation to share the photos, videos and stories happening near you - and important to you.
Our team looks for those stories and we try hard to incorporate your stories into CNN newsgathering.
We may not catch every great story- so we've built in some tools to let the community help push great content to the top so we can.
Our hope is that together - we can change ideas on what news is, and the ways it can be incorporated in CNN's own storytelling.
You may not agree - but we feel strongly that you are all part of this revolution. You're a part of news history.
Ditto, Ann. I appreciate the openness to new ideas for formatting and webstuff and topics and courtesy...
I also appreciate the staff's dedication and even-handedness.
we need to be very careful about having everyone who participates feel very good about how they are received
i mean bending over backwardsit would be one thing if this were a job--it's not-so people's unsolicited contributions are extremely respect worthy.i'm concerned about ladyshoodjnl feeling slighted, or perhaps not fully understood.
Team iReport
A question was asked by numbersdude! Do you draw a line between free speech and border line terrorism? The fear mongering is not only destructive but incites certain behaviors in our society!
@arosesetfree -- welcome, glad you stumbled upon us. Even after we set a permanent date, we'll probably have the occasional evening/late night/early morning sessions to make sure that we hear from as many different people as possible.
@wjoreilly That's a great idea, and one we've tried in the past. iReporter lamichaela suggested that we create an assignment for Etch A Sketch's 100th birthday, and we did. We also gave her a shout out in the assignment: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=114828
Do you have any assignment ideas?
nsaidi » @gilldreams what was the content of that post? I can try to research what happened.
The best person to ask about the post would be auntiebjw herself..I'm sorry I might get some of the info wrong and I do not want to do that on here...it was her post not mine..but I will say it was a good one...
talked somewhat about some of the people removed from ireport and people very thankful for that. talked about behavior towards supporters of President Obama and the negative name calling etc by certain people on ireports.
There was alot more to it...
I would like to say it is one thing to disagree with the Obama administration, President Obama himself, it is quite another to protray him in ways that do not dignify a leader of a country the United States of America. People who discredit him in disrepsectful ways need to be stopped..it is not freedom of speech it is abusing the system and using this site as a venue for hate.. just my opinion...we lost a fantastic ireporter about a month ago...due to harassment stalking and the like..very unfortunate that the person took the bait then got the boot yes after several warnings..but yet the people causing problems are still on here..continuing with the hate attacks on people...why?
Why not make our names different colors so I can find my responses quicker? It's so hard to find the answer to my question.
Thanks for the honest comment David. I appreciate it. I thought BD & I were handling it well.
Hey BD and everyone else.
Tyson,
Is that why you keep that naked boy in the news? Yeah right,, try again.
italco I'm on your side however if that is the case then we should have the same respect for the past presidents. However since that is impossible for me I have to allow the verbal abuse to Obama. However that doesn't mean I have to resort to name calling. I never do that. Ever. Ever!
Let me clarify that. I NEVER resort to name calling any one specifically. I will make generalization to an entire group but NEVER will I call someone a name or use foul language or refer to someone's character as part of anatomy.
IReport team, I don't believe the staff can satisfy all the egos involved with this source, IReport is free to the public, and is lightly censored, gives all sides a voice, and really treats everyone fairly. What it is not, a vehicle to promote hate, further anyones career, or pander to any individuals needs. Cut some slack on the staff...
I have one suggestion that I would love to see...can you put spell check in the comments section. That would really help me a lot...I find it insulting when I get corrected on spelling since everyone has issues with it...even those doing the correcting.
Ah, LadysHood - I've seen four responses to your comment. How many more would you like?
Good morning everyone,
Sorry I'm late.
I'm trying to get caught up on the comments.
I wish more of my brothers and sisters were in here, because you'd make more sense when there's more around than just your peers Davidw and the iReport Team.
@ Tyson We need an "Offbeat Story" category for miscellaneous oddities on the Assignment Desk. It would need an editor with a well-defined sense of humor, though!
I think people come on to Ireport just to terrorize people. They have no other purpose but to do just that. I look at websites like Paypal where you have to show proof of who you are. I think that might be a good way to go.
nsaidi-I had entertained the thought of just posting it like an ireport-With a picture of static for the photo. But I for one am really trying to keep ireports for my vision of what the site was intended-News. I have posted little "news" in the past, and think the site was created to put more eyes on the ground for current events, or onsite breaking news. Adding blogged opinion in the churning stories that are newsworthy events are just more material for people to sift through to find out whats happening, and a persons thoughts about what they might have on their mind, just clog up the system, and even get drowned out without a specific place to find them. Sorta like being in the supermarket, and seeing those pulp rags in the rack. You know right where to look if you choose to do so. Or you can just leave them in place and not pay any attention if you chose to do so.
Hey there guys, glad to be here with you today...
wjoreilly...how gentlemanly! I can't quite figure it out, myself.
@itlaco...asking nicely does NOT change the request, it only dresses it up a bit. Let's focus on what mac91 says...it's always been fair game for one side. Why now should it not be fair game for the other?
@arosesetfree We do have a an assignment called Offbeat Images. It's under our living section.
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=1304
@DAVIDW
I WAS LAST VETTED 6 MONTHS AGO, so are you vetting according to the content of the story or the passing of time?
@DavidW -- are steps being taken to improve the behavior of the "upload server" on the weekends? Seems during the week it is mostly Ok... weekends seem to be another matter.
good point gilldreams two ireporters tried to get me kick off
@DodgerManny Hi! Glad you joined the conversation.
@LadysHoodJnl I don't want to make you more upset - but I jsut looked at your reports.
It's possible that your accompanying pix are not copyright cleared - and hence can't be used on CNN - if you uploaded more pix you've taken - or use a webcam - I suspect you'd do well - you clearly have strong opinions, and I bet you're good to camera!
Hope this helps.
Alun Hill, London, UK
Davidw - before we drop off I'd like to recommend Friday afternoon as a good time for these. By that time those of us that work are winding down for the weekend and can easily spare the time.
@OCGirl -- That's a really tough question. I can see why people would want to block other people's comments, but the big fear is that people will block anyone who disagree with them.
Then, we'll have a bunch of posts with "that's great," "good job" and "I agree," instead of having interesting conversations.
We haven't ruled it out, but we're going to have to give it A LOT of thought.
zdan Merci boucoup! Okay, that's my "D'oh!" moment for the meeting. Moving right along...
ITALCO: I have a tip for you. If you use the latest version of Firefox for a browser, it has a spell checker built in. As I type this to you, it is underlining "Italco" in red. :)
@David..Thank You for saying that.
@LadysHoodJnl »
"I wish more of my brothers and sisters were in here, because you'd make more sense when there's more around than just your peers Davidw and the iReport Team."
I am sorry but What are you referring to? I again must have missed something here!
@ LadysHoodJnl
I hear ya. I'm just telling you the way it is.
Please know that the group today talking/and responding to you is iReporters biggest fans and advocates. Everyday we try to get iReport stories on the air, on cnn.com and everywhere else.
I have only been vetted once and I was pleasantly surprised. And if I never get vetted again, oh well, I suppose that what I posted did not fit the guidelines for what they were looking for.
Suzanne Malveaux is hot. Unlike those air heads @ fox she is the real deal. I'd drink her bath water.
@OCGirl adding to what @DavidW said... at crucial times we may have a lot of breaking news contributors who need to get their stories on the site quickly. We don't want to put up too many walls.
OCGirl I love your posts. They often change the direction of my day. Why would you want to prevent people from posting on your posts?
I'm out of here and regret missing Bingo for this shit. I could have stayed at my station if I wanted to be ignored.
But befoe I go....
@VotingFemale -- We are always monitoring the status of our servers to try to make things run smoother.
LadysHoodJnl » This is Y'ALL GOOD OL' BOY CLUB IN HERE. Davidw, and to the rest of your crew, your bias as to who's answer you reply to and who's stories go to vet.. Stop all the favortism,since your getting rich off me too -include LadysHoodJnl to Vet.
I know you are not addressing me Lady, but hey be a bit patient..there are delays on this site and they are doing the best they can...your vetting questions have been addressed...so take it down a knoch ok nobody is ahead of anyone else here...it is just the way it is happening...I have about 6 comment delay on my computer anyone else???
@nsaidi, I have flagged those type of post but they remain unflagged.
LadysHoodJnl - While I know this is an open blog/forum for us all, I don't think davidw and his staff deserve the type of behavior you're displaying. I've been "On CNN" twice the whole time I've been here and I see some that get on just about every time they post. No big deal. I come on to discuss, not for the fame and glory of being vetted.
Again, davidw and his do not deserve your disrespect.
@OCgirl, hey i understand what you mean by comments. But I came to a conclusion that if you're going to be successful one day, there will people just like this everyday. So might as well get used to it. I love your videos by the way. & sometimes the negative criticism, helps out. So i'll take positive or negative. ;)
@ GHOSTRYDER this is not the forum for that kind of talk
italco...yes, yes...please can we have a spellcheck somehow? I hate noticing I misspelled "the" or something AFTER I've posted. Would that be hard to do? It would sure improve both the writing and reading experiences!
davidw and team, why don't you add an environment assignment. I would be very grateful since I post several enviro posts a week, if not more. :)
DavidW- I have to leave- again-thank you and everyone for this opportunity- and daytime or early evenings -anything but weekends as that usually is set aside for family time -works best for me for future roundtables! Bye All!
I am not trying to be rude...however I asked a question with regards to content of posts that appears to have been overlooked....i dont care about getting on cnn...what I care about is that the forum is used for healthy debate....what is CNN's position regarding the line between free speech and venom being spewed by or poster or somone commenting in a post...can you please address this????
Just thought I'd make a cameo appearance. I think davidw is doing an excellent job. I have no complaints. Thanks.
LadysHoodJNL, chill, you have a voice, before you do anything in the heat of the moment step back and catch your breath... I like your stuff, I have never been Vetted, in fact a small percentage get vetted, and I don't always agree with what is 'deemed" a story or the consistency of some of the reporters being vetted, you are not alone here!
@rosehips Great suggestion! What should we ask for? Photos of nature, or something else?
OK gilldreams, it seems you have an issue with me not sure what. I only commented then because I had to leave and wasn't sure if I could come back. Lighten up on me.
Tal - if you want a piece of me bring into the ireports...not here...I will gladly debate you there. I simply made a request...end of story.
Mab - I have privately asked you not to address me any longer...I do not want you as a friend or enemy. Please do not talk to me any more.
What is the judgment call when numerous reporters click a violation, as opposed to one reporter using inference to allege they are being attacked?
@Voting Female - re uploads at weekends - agreed -I had to try 6 times at weekend from London - such a shame, as it takes so long.
Is there generall y aproblem tha tothers have noticed?
(I submit film, in various formats, if it helps - no one format seems quicker than another, but any thoughts / advice is very welcome).
Alun Hill
@wjoreily -- I could not have said it better myself. I have tried, but failed, so i'm just going to repost your comment:
we need to be very careful about having everyone who participates feel very good about how they are received
i mean bending over backwardsit would be one thing if this were a job--it's not-so people's unsolicited contributions are extremely respect worthy.i'm concerned about ladyshoodjnl feeling slighted, or perhaps not fully understood.
lady, I think your issues were addressed several times. pm me if you would like tips on getting vetted....
I would not want any kind of block comment button. If the comment is offensive to you, hit the violation button and let an impartial 3rd party decide if it is really offensive. I know there are times when I find a comment offensive, but in retrospect, I was just being too sensitive.
Davidw you are a failed Captain. Now goodbye and I will never waste my time in this area again.
Sincerely,
LadysHoodJnl Reporting.
The Only Superstair without a vet.
Hello. Just want to say that the iReport team is doing a fantastic job. I don’t think we can remind you enough!
Indy609...I need to figure that out! Thank you for sharing a suggestion with the poor spellers (and perhaps not quite technically literate!) among us! :)
@Salsteels hey there, great to see you on here.
No Bellydancer, I haven't seen any of those post.
numbersdude - How would we tell what's venom and what's free speech? Obvious hate speech, racial slurs, personal attacks against ones character, family, etc. are one thing, but many throw the "venom" word out there simply because someone is defending them selves strongly, IMO.
Hi @ Salsteels and thanks!
IR Team - Sometimes I make remarks on certain post -- dozens at a time -- then forget, and can't find my comments later, many times because I can't find the stories. Have you given any consideration for a comment tracking system for us so we know what we did/commented on so we can follow our own movements more easily?
For those of us with recall difficulties!
@Salsteels Hello! Thanks for the kind words. You're a great contributor to the site.
LadysHoodJnl » I just blogged this roundtable to the open board.. Davidw, y'all. mad this shit up if you think you can slight one reporter over another I WILL TELL THE WORLD WHAT YOUR DOING IN HERE.
LadysHoodJnl » I wish more of my brothers and sisters were in here, because you'd make more sense when there's more around than just your peers Davidw and the iReport Team.
Excuse me but you are being pretty rude LadysHoodJnl..what is your problem with patience?? quit being rude to everyone here...this isn't a cue up line in a grocery store...take it easy..
@Talheure liking the spell checker suggestion... that's an interesting one.
@everyone anything else that would make it easier for you to post stories or aid you in this effort?
katie, well more than nature....environmental issues in general. it's a big issue for me. thanks.
and how bout a limerick contest!
Mab....no offense...but I would like for CNN to answer..not you...if they choose not to..then they must be very careful about deleting a profile as here is an opportunity for them to state a clear position for all to see...
Also, IR Team - awesome product, evolving nicely, great job! Many thanks.
italco - per your request, I haven't. I never addressed you by name in my above post. You are not the only one who used ILC, just it's originator. Again, since I didn't use you name, I figured I was abiding by your request. Sorry f you are offended, but, there you go.
Re spellchecker - only problem is - will it be American English or English English?
Giggle!
Alun Hill
Rosehips: there is a request in on your next post!
@ TheWarden
Yep, we think a comment tracker would be great as well. Would you believe its one of the literally hundreds of development on our to-do list?
@katie, do you get nervous before going on camera?
@auntiebjw -- Each case is handled individually. When a story or comment is flagged, we don't know who flagged it or why.
So then we read each flagged comment and decide what to do.
If it's a flagrant violation, such as hate speech or threats, the user will be banned immediately.
If it's borderline, we'll look at every comment the user has made to see if there's a pattern of bad behavior.
If there's no pattern, we'll either send them a warning, or keep an eye on them.
agree with warden on tracking comments and recall problems!
@rosehips If we can find a good question or topic relating to the environment, then an assignment is definitely in order. We're always looking for inspiration, so if you've got any ideas for topics that people may like to respond to please feel free to drop me a private message. Thanks for your input!
I agree with David on the removal of comments by the ireporter themselves. It would defeat the whole purpose of being able to comment at all.
@Indy..in retrospect..my title may have been a little..challenging.
Indy - Thank you...I was not aware of firefox and have never used it before.
This is like the book finding Waldo. When I find responses to my messages I am like a kid saying YAY! LOL
Excellent suggestion on the tracking tool, Warden.
@TheWarden, I am also "recall" challenged! I end up just adding the link to my CNN favorites folder, but it takes time to manage and clear away "dead" reports after a while. Does anybody have other ideas that work until/unless CNN can provide a link for those of us who can't remember where we've been but would like to follow the conversations?
@Katie - how bout 'Global Warming: What's the Real Threat'
@DodgerManny Oh yes! It's getting a lot easier with practice, but I still get pretty nervous. Being on camera is something I never thought I'd do, but it's a pretty cool opportunity.
Italco I will second Indy's suggestion Firefox is the best browser out there and it is free, better security and spell check plus multiple pains can be open...
@Team iReport -- I agree with The Warden. I know how difficult a job it is to do what you guys do. Please know it is appreciated and respected.
The meeting was full of fluff.
@AlunHill that's an important consideration... top of the mornin' to ya.
I think LHJ wanted your undivided attention. She appears that way in her posts. She seems to be a little on the selfish side if you ask me. Just an observation from her posts.
Looks like it's starting to get a little heated in here.
I'm here to have fun with this. Thanks iReport and to all the others who are enjoying sharing news from their point of view and thanks to CNN for a great job.
I really don't know what else to say.
There are those here who are really into themselves and those who need to respect me for the total being I am and to allow me to reign over all who are beneath me...
Oh wow did I say that.
@italco - i've recently switched to firefox after many years of dedicated service to IE. I love it. Has many great features. Spellcheck is just one.
I'd like to be able to track more than the last 10 reports I've visited.
David W would you please consider bringing back auntiebjw post on Hope and Change?? it is very relevent to what is going on with ireport these days and was a very good report..only spoiled by a couple of commentors making it their venue for a personal attack on auntiebjw of which she did very well and did not break any rules..I would really question the behavior of the ones who were being very aggressive in their attacks on her and they should be removed from the post and the post returned to Newsiest..if at all possible..
it had valuable information. please?
Sorry, numbersdude. No offense intended.
@Idk That sounds like a talker. We'll add it to our brainstorm list. Thanks!
Any feedback David on the rating system. Will it remain as is?
people, putting yourself and your ideas out into the world is very courageous stuff--and it takes a thick skin or the willingness to grow one.....
there is a tone of reprisal, at times, among ireporters---it becomes very competitive in a "kill them off" kind of way, not the healthy kind of competition
this is a process, the whole thing...and if we get it right we become better communicators and we encourage even more people to communicate..
of course there's the fear that we may lose our "position" in the group if we have more people involved...
i say, let that one go, if you can, because getting more to participate is the "master" game....
Good afternoon,
Thank you for asking me to the discussion. "Butterfly1's in the house now, I am just here to view, I do not have anything to add, but I am sure your find something to edge me into the discussion.LOL
iReport Team
Questions are being overlooked here! Other are jumping in later and having questions answered!
Warden-Thats part of what I was talking about on the mystuff page-We need that badly......
As far as spelling and grammer-I am seriously working at a third grade level.......But it looks Ok till I post it...
I think a good topic could be addictions and if its hurting you this time. Sometimes addictions are not about drugs or alcohol. Sometimes they are about coffee, shopping, partying, etc..there is many addictions that we are not aware of it.
Tyson - I could only imagine the size of that list. How to evaluate it must be even more ominous.
this so called forum is a joke...CNN is being selective in who they address...VF comes in asks a question and it gets answered immediately...wonder why??? notify me when you want a true forum...this is a joke!
David and all: I think Wjoreilly has great suggestions and his ideas should be considered. I also like the idea of a "Suggestion Box".
In case this session ends suddenly I would like to ask that weekends not be a time for the roundtable..thanks... but a good time is like today High Noon..it's great...thank you David and team this session has been great so far...thank you for the time and hard work you all continue to do..
@katie - no prob. For me that would generate alot of discussion. Many on both sides of the issue.
I have to take off but want to leave the best time for me. Mountain Time 5pm or later / 9am - 11am. Thank you once again CNN and staff. I have been here a while and absolutely love it.
@LadysHoodJournal -- I would love nothing more than to have more of your brothers and sisters in our community. I'm sorry you have felt neglected. I really am.
In response to @Lette, are there any questions out there still in need of an answer?
@MarieSager Welcome to the discussion!
@ Spontaneous
We've talked a lot recently about the rating system.
And while I can't say when - I think it's fair to say it will be revised if not done away with in the near future.
We'd really like to come up with a better option.
The suggestion box could eliminate havnig weeking forums that a lot of people can not make
Observation on the interaction on this post, everyone wants to be heard, some one guidelines defined, some have suggested ideas for improvement, some are rehashing the problems that still exist on IReport. Maybe a summary at the end of the post by the IReport team as to these issues?
David W - gilldreams said - would you please consider bringing back auntiebjw post on Hope and Change??
I agree.
Lady, if you don't mind me asking. Why do you say the meeting was full of fluff?
Cool Tyson, thanks!
@MarieSager -- You can always email suggestions to me at david.williams@turner.com, or contact@ireport.com.
David - Once a report has been deleted as Bellydancer's or Auntiebjw's was, is it possible for you to reinstate it?
Never mind!
@ karma,
I remember that request. You're talking about the snowstorm?
karma said: Rosehips: there is a request in on your next post!
i use safari for my web browser and it has history so you can go back to what you have done on the web it also has spell cheack for any who are interested in it like warden
Noon is when people go to lunch (mostly). I don't think it should be weekly but just my opinion.
Lette--maybe some others could pick up the unanswered questions and repost? THey might have come in under a flurry of responses. I feel like OCGirl with the "Where's Waldo" thing, myself!
@italco..I use Firefox..and it is faster than explorer on my laptop.
Busted Rose!!!
maybe there is a technical problem I am not seeing any response from Davidw or the team any longer..are you still all here???
OK folks, once again seems we have had a chance to express of views as the community that cares. I am grateful for this and hope it continues as surely it will improve our relations, our behavior and the quality of this great forum, IR.
Thanks all, take care.
@ dodgermanning, re: addictions. Don't forget ireports!
@Davidw,
I dare not criticize you while your enjoying the comfort of the wagon train that your peers provide.. But, if this meeting were more culturally diverse with some other culture than your own, I would get a more thoughtful reply to my question.
@ numbersdude
I'm not sure we can prevent folks from spewing venom. But together we can encourage a better dialogue.
This is your site. One of our goals for 2009 is to give the community better tools to surface better content.
All suggestions welcome.
I find more and more, "quirky post stay on the "Newiest" board when there are awesome real news/CNN stories that should go up there (not mine-but video's about news, I don't do video (yet))but the quirks stay up there for days.
I'm signing off. Thanks for the great discussion iReporters!
david last answered 4 minutes ago
Management is gone-Lets party!
Hello? davidw etal? Did we lose you?
While we disagree sometimes on the details, I think I see that we agree as a body that it's good to discuss issues and bat around ideas. Thanks to CNN and the ireport mods (and ireporters themselves) for making it possible.
Well, I'm neither them nor you Lady, so it's diverse and I'm sure there are "others" here. Not sure what "your brothers and sisters" means-is that PC?
I'm heading back to work as well. Good chatting with all of you -- I look forward to the next roundtable!
FYI Davidw is still here, posting replies.
gotta run y'all. I'll be looking for your iReports!
If you'd like to follow all my posts then go into my profile and click on follow my posts or reports. Something like that. Then you can cut and paste all the hateful things you want.
This is one way to keep track of your responses to posts.
OCGirl you are too cute.
Well I've really got to do some work. DavidW and Katie thanks for everything. Don't know if I will make all the other round table discussion as I really don't have much to say here. I don't complain and I'm sure you'll do what needs to be done when it can be accomplished.
Lots of good ideas here. Just don't ban me before you let me know what it was I did wrong.
Please.
Well, guess "Management has left the building". See y'all in the funny papers!
@ldk, gilldreams -- to answer your question. No, I'm not going to bring the "Hope and Change" post back. I spent my entire day on Monday warning and even banning people because of the awful behavior on that post.
I want to stress that that is not Auntiebjw's fault, but I pulled it for a reason, and that really hasn't changed.
@DavidW -- Each case is handled individually. When a story or comment is flagged, we don't know who flagged it or why.
So then we read each flagged comment and decide what to do.
Thanks for your response, but it does not address my question. When a reporter uses another reporter's avatar and handle in their report, and that reporter contacts you expressing that it is a personal attack, you don't delete the report, neither require that it is edited. However, when a reporter contacts you and complains that a photo infers reference to her, and although the content says otherwise, you delete the report without any discussion or investigation.
What, if any, are the guidelines for making that decision?
@LadysHood - sorry but had to speak. iReports is open to everyone and so is this forum. No one checks you at the door and there is no secret decoder ring. Its not CNN's responsibility to drag folks in here. We are here because we want to be.
Goodbye nsaidi......See you on the radio.Thank you.
Gotta run guys, thanks for the great convo. Excellent feedback, look forward to chatting next week!
@Davidw - appreciate the response. Never know unless you ask.
Did anyone find this helpful? I didn't. I don't feel anything is really changing. :(
DavidW...it might be difficult, but if one week's roundtable could be at lunch and the next be an evening, you'd get both daybirds and nightowls in on the discussion. Say, first and third Wednesdays at noon, second and fourth Fridays at 8...or something.
What about having a “Future Assignment” category, letting iReporters have some time to gather information and implement “tell your story like pro” techniques?
Re: bad comments.
By definition all iReporters are saying what they see and think (there is little, inevitably, coverage of breaking news as such (although that which there is is astonishing in its' speed and professionalism), so there are bound to be people who disagree - I accept that people will not have the same opinion as me.
Therefore I do get some quite fierce comments on my iReports and my reaction (with one exception, once) is always to engage in dialogue (British spelling!) with the commenter - soemtimes teasing, sometimes explaining.
The more I can spread the fact that there are different views, different angles, the better for world understanding (though why so many comments end up explaining how the US "saved our ass", I'm not sure!)
Giggle!
Alun Hill, London, UK
@castvee8 lol... thanks for coming! I'm sad about the text going off the robot posts. :(
Thanks guys!
Thanks to the iReport Team, David. Look forward to change in rating system, more monitoring on double posting, and people have multiple accts (still going on).
David
First, I'd like to say that I appreciate and respect your position here, and to say thank you for eliminating the ID Theft Impostors.
Second, What is the stance regarding another Ireporter 'copying and pasting" bits and pieces of another Ireporters comments from comments made on another report and posting those comments on another report in order to discredit the REAL meaning of what the original ireporter stated?
I ask because I've been informed that a certain ireporter does NOT come to my ireports, but I have found that this same reporter seems to be obsessed with what I say and quotes comments I have made to others, yet distorts the entire meaning of what was said.
davidw - What about Bellydancers then? Any possibility?
@Salsteels ooh another great idea!
IR team thank you for this forum, I must try to earn a living. Suggestion to all, don't shoot the messanger, this forum allows us a voice, that voice might be jilted or stilted to one side or the other, but we can still benefit from the ability for it to be heard. It appears by casual observation that only the extreme individuals get censored, both sides of this have lost friends and a point of view. If everyone would consider their words and the intent of those words and the tone of those words before letting it rip, all will be well. Thank you IReport team...
I found it very helpful - Thanks CNN! Dialouge is the start of change.
isaidi I have a question: there was a post yesterday, the picture had viewer disgretion on it...it was a photo of Jack Cafferty!! like what is going on?? then looked at the post and it was offensive..I flagged it and sent in to David Williams then today I see it again..not removed at all...this person is bob2763 and is into name calling swearing etc...against the rules right?? well how come it is still there?? unless during this meeting it has since been removed.... if it has great and thankyou very much..
@OCGirl » Did anyone find this helpful? I didn't. I don't feel anything is really changing. :(
I agree. About the only thing that is changing is that rules are being summarily applied resulting in the appearance of double-standards.
@auntiebjw -- In the past, we tried to let members of the community settle their personal differences themselves, whenever possible, because we thought that was the best way to do things.
That didn't work as well as we would like, and we had a lot of people ask us to play a more active role in settling these kinds of issues.
If the iReport that used your avatar was posted today, it would be pulled. At the time, the offender was warned that if it happened again, she would be banned.
David, I will check back to see if you were able to answer my question about Bellydancer's report. (Loved the pic, by the way). I too have to go out and earn some money to help pay for all the pork and earmarks! (Come on, people, you know someone had to say it!)
Thanks for all you and your staff do, david. Greatly appreciated.
Thanks ireport team and ireporters, you all rock. It is interesting to read the comments and see which are answered and how. Lisa, I think you may have gotten in a little late to have your question answered, as I think they already signed off.
DAvid- durintg the last roundtable- there were suggestions which your staff seemed to be intersted in trying - that would remove ego-driven ratings etc. what happended? all of a sudden the only difference was more moderating- not a bad thing, necessarily, but not the new ideas we had suggested. Can you try some - like tabls for tpoics, etc.
What's going on Ladyhoodjnl
@gilldreams -- that post got a discretion flag because it had some fairly strong language in it. Unfortunately, the banner only covers the photo. We don't have one to cover text.
It's not a perfect system, but wanted to give some warning.
sorry- I was in the field when this roundtable was happening.
I hope this does not turn into a suggestion box thing..as that would defeat the whole purpose of dialogue and open communication between ireporters and staff team....keep this going for a while and see what gets solved...thanks Davidw...
NERanger - Tyson answered about the ratings:
tyson » @ Spontaneous
We've talked a lot recently about the rating system.
And while I can't say when - I think it's fair to say it will be revised if not done away with in the near future.
We'd really like to come up with a better option.
Davidw, Katie, et al - thanks and happy Wednesday. See al of you fellow iReporters later....
@davidw.
It's not too late to delete the report you WOULD have deleted if it was posted today. If anyone searches using my handle, that report appears, and it is a personal attack on me and intended to give readers the impression that I wrote it. Putting someone else's avatar and handle on an ireport is not anything that people can resolve themselves. That requires the action of CNN to remove the report. Period.
Maybe I didn't cry enough, use words to impress you enough, to get your action. On the other hand, another reporter cried enough or used words you liked to have you delete my report after 900 comments, because she THOUGHT the photo made reference to her.
Show me you are not using a double-standard and delete the report where another person did not infer -- but used by actual avatar and handle in their report.
@NERanger -- We haven't forgotten about those suggestions. It just takes longer to implement them. We have to decide on the best way to do it, make sure that fixing one problem won't cause three others and then there's some development work that has to be done.
Auntiebjw and LisainTx - If I may just throw out something. I respect you both for different reasons. I go to each of your post and i follow you both. You both have a lot to say, but it is obvious to at least this iReporter that you are not each others greatest fans, as it were. I would make one simple suggestion that worked very well for me when I was having very serious issues with GVSCMR - I stopped going to posts all together. If he directed something to me on a general post or other iReport, I ignored him. I deleted his very colorful emails to me without being read. After about two weeks, he gave up on me and I felt much better. Perhaps this is a suggestion you two fellow iReporters might try. Again, just my suggestion to two people I greatly respect.
thanks Spont - ws trying to get through all hte posts. Good news! Cahnge or get rid of star ratings! no superstars - especially when they then put comments on posts saying they are more reperesentative of CNN precisely becasue they are a CNN superstar. that did happne nad I thnk it was disengenous- can we have spellcheck, now - sorry.
WOW!!!!!
I kind of feel we are under a dictatorship on IReport. Yes, we have freedom to say what we think or say but when it comes to really protecting ourselves from those who harass us.. we have no rights. I don't see what is wrong with blocking screen names who only come on Ireport to harass people.
I am on my lunch hour and need to leave to get something to eat. I'm not going hungry to see if I get answers that apply to my specific questions rather than the cut and paste general answers that have been given since the previous Roundtable. Have fun. Bye.
thanks David- i understand it takes time.
mmm thanks David...maybe the text needs to be checked..the photo of Jack Cafferty is in no way offensive but the content of the post was..and is...and is breaking a lot of rules...
map91c, please stop. I've not commented on any of that other reporter's posts since about late January.
I have gotten use to the ireporter that don't like one thing or another sometimes, including me, I finally had to grow up and face the music, speak in a lanauge the individual would understand. I have had to be on the other side and give encouragement to people thought they should quite by these individual's who posted comment's they didn't like. But, I should have to do that, that is management's problem's. I found the management really don't protect anyone. You have to do it yourself, but at a risk of being kick off. But, you have to do something. I can honestly say thank you to that individual's who confronted me head on, I learn from my experience, maybe I was ignoring the person's differences of opinion.
Hello all,new here just filled out my profile .I will spend a little time checking it out and then get involved.I am in Europe so the best times fore me to join in are early afternoons/mornings U.S. times.Looking forward .
@Lette -- I'm sorry for the delay in answering. I see a big difference between fear mongering and making a terrorist threat.
A lot of people have very strong opinions and many in the iReport community express their fears in the most extreme possible terms.
I'd rather they didn't, but that's their right, no matter their political affiliation.
If someone is making terrorist threat, we will refer them to law enforcement.
Auntiebjw - It was a suggestion, not a demand in anyway. Please re-read what I said.
Thanks Italco for telling me about this meeting. Hello everyone. I just read every post. This is so cool. I didn't know it existed...I am blond...lol never thought to click "blog"
I am with Italco on the disrespectful name calling of the President. I don't think the argument of "They did it too." holds water. That is a bit juvenile. Just because there was some name calling back in the election time doesn't mean that to continue that behavior is justified.
It looks ugly when you see these posts calling our President names. I imagine that many new comers who are lurking get offended and just leave.
I am brand new to iReport and this is my 1st conv, and just wanted to say thanks to the iReport staff for the chance to listen in and for all their hard work.
Later!
OCGirl..I used to get attacked quite a bit. Some really nasty things..I ignored them for the most part or insulted them right back. There is only so much CNN can do. Now the things Auntiebjw has described..avatar duplication and posting misleading stuff..that is the kind of thing I think CNN needs to be involved in. We are putting ourselves out there anytime we post..especially..as you and I do..as our real selves..we are going to take some negative hits. Don't let people you don't even know make you feel bad.
David- what id a reporter is acting as though htey are a voice of CNN and telling soeone else they are wrong becasue they are watching CNN's back. do you allow ireporters to assume they represent your intentions? Should we flag those remarks?
mab91c, this is not the place to debate between iReporters -- and I have to go eat. I have not commented on that other person's reports since about late January, so your suggestion is inappropriate as to me.
Good question NERanger. Very good question..I have seen that play out a bazillion times. LOL
David - compliments on your diplomacy.
I think that a block tool might help the infighting. I don't mean a permanent block. But if you are debating in a subject and here comes a troll. (We have all seen this happen in reports) They post something offensive and the next thing you know everyone is upset and the name calling happens.
Wouldn't it work better if you could click on a tab that said "ignore this person" and you no longer see them. The person who is put on ignore gets a message that they are being ignored and that lets them know they are not going to get a reaction by Trolling. They go somewhere else.
Works for me...I have seen this feature in other forums and it works well.
Thanks everybody for a great discussion.
We had a more than 350 comments, so I'm sure we missed some people's questions.
If we didn't answer your question, feel free to email.
Talk to you next week.
Kallenart - Is it just as disrespectful when you see Gov Palin, Sen McCain, President Bush, Michael Steele, etc. be demonized, disrespected, photoshopped to look like a whore? How about your fellow iReporters being called "Repugnicans", traitors, cowards, racists? Or is it only President Obama who commands such respect? I am asking a serious question and not a rhetorical one. Many find it funny doing it to one side, but hate it when done to their side. A bit disingenuous isn't it?
Thank you @ MediaSpinDoc
Again, david and all of your staff. Thanks.
@NERanger -- If you see anything that you think violates our community guidelines, please flag it and we'll check it out.
Thanks
Wow...OK Auntie. Thanks. Sure seemed like a debate amongst many with a few questions for David scattered about. Sorry you felt I imposed on you. My apologies.
mab...not saying that the name calling of republicans is correct either.
The PRESIDENT is a different story. It wasn't great to see him name called in the election but it was different then, he was a candidate...you don't call your President names.
I would never dream of calling a sitting president a disrespectful name.
Besides...Two wrongs don't make a right...etc...because someone did it doesn't make it ok now.
It is ugly and CNN should put a stop to it...all of it.
Kallenart, and italco et al...mab91c is being quite the diplomat when he says "disingenuous."
Either we have free speech, or we don't.
I don't mind being a one-note nelly for that one cause. When we start proscribing how one can say things to suit a certain mindset, the next logical step is to prohibit disagreement at all.
There is no difference between now and then. That was a sitting president and his supporters being maligned. Please tell me what has changed, other than the cast of characters. It's the same play with different actors. If it was okay to throw tomatoes then, it's okay to throw them now.
Yes if an iReporter is claiming to represent CNN, please bring it to our attention. The names on this site who represent "Team iReport" are lila, tyson, davidw, nsaidi, katie, hhanks, rachel8 and zdan.
hello david, thanks for this round table, i would like to tell you, why not check people screen them before they are accepted on cnn, id´s licences, passports, etc
so we can have people who are really commited to this CNN IREPORTS forum
enough of the bullies, i had enough, please, some just open an account to comment, and that is not fair they should place ireports too, not just going back and ford to bug people this is what i suggest and what i would like to see ON CNN I REPORTS,
thank you DAVID, thanks so much
larena
I agree, Kallenart. I always call our president by Sir, by Mr President, or by President Obama, unless I am directing my comment against the Obama Administration, for example. I find it funny that before the campaign and during the campaign, a great many people cast very disrespectful comments to our sitting president, President Bush, and all I saw was laughter and back slapping "good one" from the vast majority on the left and maybe, just maybe, one or two would say something about it. All I'm saying is what goes around comes around and people can not expect what they did not give.
I am proposing...STOP throwing the Tomatoes.
It wasn't ok then...it isn't ok now.
It isn't Freedom of Speech to name call or disrespect.
You are confused Talheure on what is Freedom of Speech.
Besides this is CNN and they have their rules...it isn't a Democracy.
Stop now, now that it's YOUR candidate.
I would have had more respect for you had you done it then, when it was not.
Talheure - My point exactly. Personally, due to my background and my upbringing, I would never disrespect a President. I will disagree with them, their policies, etc. but not disrespect them. I also would NEVER make any disparaging comments against them while on foreign soil. To bad we all don't feel the same way regardless of the man in the office.
Whatever I'm new here and I began just like everybody here one story at a time.I enjoy alot of what I read and some not so much.Honestly when I'm reading a post and leave a comment as I was invited to do it really has noting to do with who wrote it but more to do with how it inspired me to think.
Mab...of course there were disrespectful people on all sides and it was a ZOO...but it should stop. Who did what to who last fall is moot...don't you think?
It was an ugly time...name calling was even done in campaigning. But it is over and the country is suppose to come together.
CNN doesn't need to look like a ZOO.
It's amazing to me how many want to honor the office now, but didn't just 53 days ago. The truth hurts at times. Human nature what it is, it won't happen now either.
Tal...are you lumping people? So if you voted for Obama you called Bush names? That is not true. Not voting for someone...and I did vote for Bush...isn't calling them a name.
You can't justify bad behavior by saying..."He did it too?" and pointing a finger?
That is behavior that Teens do to justify their bad behavior.
It doesn't play in the adult world.
CNN can certainly set the rules. That sort of rule change won't bother me personally, since I don't call names. I say "Obama" just as I said "Bush."
I am free, however, to express my dislike or distrust of policies, even attaching historically appropriate -isms to them, out loud. THAT is what I see being repressed, not merely "Obamite" or "Brush" references.
We should be careful that we do not let that sort of collective repression creep into our society at large.
David - Weds are usually pretty good for me. Possibly CNN could send out a blanket "reminder" ala how I remember dates in my BB or on Outlook? Don't know if that's a possibility, but...thought I put it out there.
Kallenart - I do not have to change, as I don't disrespect my President. Makes it easier that way. I find it funny how just 53 days ago, people were having a field day with President Bush, even on Inauguration Day, but all of a sudden, we HAVE to respect, we HAVE to honor, we CAN'T disagree...won't happen. Never will.
I would like to have a section on Ireport for those who want to better themselves. I would love to hear stories of those who have risen above addictions or other tragedies in their lives. It would be great support during these hard times because I bet a lot of people might be tempted to succumb to their past addictions.
kallenart...do I sense a new PC term coming on? "Lumping people?"! Cor.
Of course not all are included, on either side.
It should be reasonable to have a discussion without name-calling or mud-slinging. However, what I have been collecting
and will post soona mind-numbing collection of repressive sentiment, such as "no one should be allowed to speak ill of the President!" and other dangerous rhetoric.I strongly feel that it's our duty as citizens to protect our freedom of speech against both public policy and private attack by ill-informed and "disingenuous" citizens who would silence all voices but their own. Unless those sentiments are challenged, they are accepted as natural and right-thinking.
THAT is what I'm fighting for, not the right to call names. I will contiue to do.
OCGirl - Well said! I'd like that one too. I have a great story about perseverance in a time of tragedy involving my granddaughter. Great suggestion.
Well of course you don't want your freedom to disagree with the Presidents policy taken away. That isn't what I think anybody is saying...I was agreeing with Italco that it is downright creepy to see these reports calling Obama Names. Very often in the title of the report..."Obamanation" that is name calling and it should end.
Disagreeing with a policy is not Name calling.
You know I think that there may be a communication problem on what is Name Calling and what is not...perhaps CNN should have it in bold letters on each page to help people.
Many do believe that if you disagree with them that you are in violation or are name calling.
...and I will also continue to try and figure out that Firefox suggestion so I don't misspell continue!
Talheure - I look forward to that post. Thanks. Love the idea of pulling out repressive statements. I served proudly for over 21+ years in uniform to protect that very freedom of speech, yet while in uniform, not having it. Interesting concept when you think about it, right?
I just use the spellcheck feature on my google taskbar. It does fine for me.
I think we might agree more than we disagree, then, Kallenart.
I doesn't hurt anyone to use regular names, as in Bush, Rush, Obama. Or Obama supporters, or Rush followers, or what-have-you.
But I kid you not, the hairs on my neck stand up when I read these "silence them ALL" comments. That's what made me start cutting-pasting them into a word document for later use, complete with link to the original post and the commenter's handle. I'm thinking I might just put them out there for comment and reply to the question: Should we silence all opposition?
Thoughts?
I like OCGirl 's suggestion
mab91c...okay, thanks. That's something else I' will have to poke around and find and learn to use! :)
just for the record, I like OCGirl's suggestion, too. Sort of an open-call for Soup for the Soul kind of thing to encourage people who need it right about now.
So, Obamnation is wrong. OK, how about: (just a very quick search of past iReports):
Bushwhacked
Bush Conformer
BushUrinal
A Goodby Bush Contest
Bushspoke
Bush the Shoe Dodger
All of these, and hundreds more, in the past six months. Yet looking at them, I don't seem one, not one, liberal complaining about them, just laughing at he President and Republicans.
Again, Kallenart, sorry, but it will not change now that President Obama is in office.
I for one can't wait for that post, Talheure
Oh I agree you can use regular names...like Obama...you don't have to use President each time.
I have not seent the Silence them all. I would not agree with that at all...that would be wrong.
I think that Trolling is wrong. Those that go into a report to just start a fight...you see those a lot.
Usually it isn't a post of substance...just a name calling one.
Or something so LOL...outlandish that it starts an uproar.
LOL...those..."OBamanation eats babies for lunch"...type posts.
And you also have the other side of the Trolls..."Palin is a whore." Those are just Troll people. They really are not here to debate anybody. They just want to upset folks and sit back and laugh.
Makes them feel powerful. We shouldn't on any side fall for there game...but people do.
That is why I think an ignore button would be useful.
Well, that's it. See y'all in the funny papers.
mab91c...it will not change. Nor should it.
It's part of the back-and-forth of ideas.
It's part of the idea that a CITIZEN is in the office of the president, not a king or deity. A common, ordinary citizen, latest in a long line of same.
Let's not get too precious about the current leader nor about the office itself.
That way madness lies.
Ask Venezuelans.
So Mab...are you saying that since a Troll came in here Six months ago and called President Bush a name then it is ok for you to now keep up the tradition of Name calling?
I don't get it?
Kallenart...I'm not saying that (not sure about mab; think he left).
That's stupid, and the surest way to shut them down is to refuse to rise to the bait. They poke a couple of times, then go off to greener pastures.
It's the other stuff that is upsetting me!
I think most people
the same ones who rush to give their own posts five starswould just use the "ignore" button to make sure only glowing agreement made it into the comments section.Just yesterday, I posted three questions about a post (about my state's homeless children). I was immediately attacked for just asking questions.
Three minutes of research proved that two of my questions hit on problems: the ireport was not in fact true, hurricanes did have a role in the figures. I researched until I found the answer to the third question, and proved myself wrong.
If I had been "ignored," this ireport would have gone unchallenged, swallowed whole.
I'm sorry I missed this Round Table Discussion. I was at the doctors getting sutures removed from my hands and fingers. One reason I haven't posted in the last week or so. I will make it my business to be present at the next meeting on 19 Mar 09, at 2:00 pm.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-228052 I have been clicking on report violations on viper999 and nothing is being done. :( I don't care if someone disagrees with me but to call me an idiot and a moron is NOT RIGHT.
hello david is me larena again, now we have this people that are bothering not just me and no ireports,
names
armysoldja
phinney
can you please check on them, they are placing very nasty comments on my ireports thank you david, best wishes,larena
please check on viper999 too. Maybe this is the same person who is bothering larena
Ladies and Gentleman,
This tickle your ear series was brought to you by: Davidw & The iReport Team.
I'm wondering now, if there is a TOU that includes ireporters ABUSING and HECKLING the Ireporter team Moderators?
David,
I read where someone else posted a question similar to mine and you responded, so no reply needed to my question.
Thank you Ireport Team for all your hard efforts to maintain a nice online environment that we all can enjoy.
Some of us work and can't make it during the daytime. Can we do this in the evening or on a weekend?
JOHN MUSA Y LOS ANORMALES
DE LA MAÑANA
2500 Maitland Center Pkwy Suite 401
Maitland, Fl 32751
407-916-8215
Rumba100.com
Date: March 11, 2009
Contact: John Musa, Host 407-590-5012
Jenny Castillo, Co-Host 407-766-9698
WORKING FOR THE COMMUNITY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE CRISIS
Orlando, FL- Since day one, “John Musa y Los Anormales de la Mañana” have been working with and for the Latin Community by informing, entertaining and serving as a guide before and during hardships. Since the launch of the new Spanish Radio Station (Rumba 100.3 fm) in February 24th of 2005 they have successfully provided their listeners with job opportunities as well as allowing employers to post their job openings on a weekly segment.
The Morning Show has been able to identify the necessity of their listeners. Not only by helping them find jobs, but also by creating a social network on-air where people can barter, swap, sell, buy, rent and promote non-profit events as well as organizations.
Understanding the necessities of not only the Latino community, but now a national crisis, their main goal is to get Latinos and Non-Latinos involved in their social network through the internet and on-air. By sending an email to losanormales@rumba100.com you have the opportunity to get involved and be part of the change.
The schedule of their weekly segments is as follows:
Mondays- The Job Fair at 8:40am (Employees can find jobs and employers can post openings)
Tuesdays- The Swap and Barter at 7:40am (Listeners may exchange products for services or vice-versa with no money involved)
Wednesdays- The on-air Flea Market at 8:40am (Buy and sell anything from a pair of sneakers to a house)
Fridays- Social Network Fridays starting at 7:40am (Bringing people connected through clubs, groups, organizations or finding new friends)
Booooo This is pathetic!!! The catty female CNN reporters need to stick to the facts! I don't watch CNN to get reporters opinions, nor do I care what they are. I want the facts. Is the drudge reports the olny place to get just the facts??? If you need an example, just listen to them discuss octo-mom. Is this the best CNN as a top rated news program can do? I knew girls like this in high school. Pathetic!!!
LisslnTx
I wonder if there's a penalaty for iReporters on the jock?
The 3 easiest ways to boost the economy (in my mind):
1.A stimulus plan that goes directly to up to date tax payers.
2. A seperate stimulus plan that goes directly to up to date tax payers who are parents or legal guardians who are owed back child support. Negligent parent would now the federal government and would probably intiate a new Dead Beat Parent Task Force to recover owed monies in each state. Wouldn't that boost the economy and lessen the unemployment rate?
3. Build, Build, Build.
Or
"If you build it they will come!"
We have once proud communities turning into ghost towns. We have homeless individuals who up to recently were homeowners, construction workers, teachers, supervisors and managers or just down right hard working. People can't afford to take care of themselves let alone their children or pets for that matter. If something isn't done soon we'll end up no different than the countries we seek to aid. We already have areas in our country that look a whole lot like the "Feed The Children" commercials. Maybe we need to start sending "Feed/Employ the U.S." commercials to the Replublicans in Congress. We can blame President Obama for being too political in his attempts to fix our fallen economy, but we can't blame him for the 8 years of stupidity and corruption we allowed former Presindent Bush openly to put us through.
If President Obama is looking to restructure our way of living by shying away from using fossil fuel and switching to cleaner ways of utility use than he needs to start now. Small towns like Braddick, Pa, where almost half the townspeople have already relocated because of the economy and employment situation would be perfect for such scenarios. It would bring people back to the town and supply employment and career and business opportunities to people who are desperatley seeking signs of hope. Most of the unemployment crisis that we are going through is due to over population. We have a number of midwestern states that have acres of vacant land. Why not build a couple energy efficient cities on some of the land? I'm not say let's destroy the beauty or culture of states like Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakota's but if President Obama would regulate buildng 2 or 3 small cities in some or less populated states we could easily uncongest some of our over populated cities and states.
Think about it. It would take thousands of designers and construction workers to build these cities. At the same time President Obama could start bidding wars on some of the land to certian corporations who all of a sudden would have the money to invest and want to bring their business to the cities. New cities would mean new schools, hospitals, law enforcement angencies, restaurants, stores etc.........
Which would mean what? A world of new employment opportunities. Do I need to go any further as to what this would mean to our overall state of being?
My plan to give our economy the immediate boost it needs right now would be as follows:
1. Starting by April 1st, the government should eliminate capital gains taxes for any stock market investment made between April 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. My feeling is that this would jump start the market and get the investors, who do have money, the incentive to do so right away.
2. I would also encourage our government to do the same for real estate investments. This would encourage real estate investors the same advantages (no capital gains taxes on property purchased between April 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009) as those who invest in the stock market. This would jump start our sluggish housing market.
3. Allow retirees to withdraw up to $50,000.00 from their retirement accounts tax free if they invest that into either of the above investments.
I feel that part or all of the above proposals would do more to give our economy an immediate boost than any I have heard from our government.
I have written to Barack with these proposals but have had no response.
Perhaps you guys could get a response for me. Thank you very much. Jan Eichelberger from Atlanta, GA
FYI....This roundtable talk ended 20 hours ago.
In September 2009, my (now 18-year-old) son is scheduled to begin his freshman year in college at Millersville University. He was advised by their Bursar's office to begin to develop his own line of credit.
My son went to Sovereign Bank where he has had an account (jointly with his father) over the past 2 years.
The bank would not give my son a credit card because they said he had no credit history. The banker advised my son to try getting a credit card from SEARS’s department store, pay on it for 6 months, and then re-apply at the bank.
After submitting an application for credit with SEARS, today my son received a letter in the mail stating he was denied credit because he has a history of delinquent payments.
My son never had payments. So we knew this was false information. After further investigation, we found that SEARS looked at his father's credit report and used information in his father's report to justify denying my son credit.
The bottom line is that even though banks are bailed out, the youth of today are still being denied credit. What right does anyone have to view my husband's credit report and use it to deny my son credit?
The credit agencies are ruining the plans for economic recovery. The banks use them as an excuse to deny credit, even if unjustified.
Information is quickly added to everyone's credit reports - whether false or not - and then the consumer is left to try and fix their credit.
To add insult to injury, consumers must pay to even see their reports more than once a year. The laws have so many loop-holes that consumers are forced to pay to have their credit reports fixed. How absurd is this system and when will the government realize that this system is broken???
Why should a consumer have to pay for a report that inevitably ruins lives financially?
Why is it so difficult to have items removed from a credit report? And it takes 30-60 days to have items removed? How absurd, in this day of computer technology, that it would take that long for a change to happen.
And why should everyone have access to a Social Security number? It is a government issued number that should be used only for tax purposes and not given out freely to every bank, store, etc.
Why should consumers have to pay to protect their identity? If the government forces us to have a government number, then the government should protect that number - not allow it to be had by everyone.
What a racket this has become. How many will continue to profit from consumers who need protection? How many consumers pay hard-earned money to get protection for a government number that they are forced to maintain???
Why is SEARS allowed to view my husband's credit report in order to deny my son credit???
PLEASE CHANGE THE CREDIT REPORTING LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
It is possible to set up some of these Roundtable discussions at night after work hours? Some of us don't have internet access at work or are not allowed to use it for non-work purposes (and they monitor us!)
When will the next page be put up so we can ask questions as some people will not be able to attend the meeting....??? thanks
When will the next page be put up so we can ask questions as some people will not be able to attend the meeting....??? thanks
I am a disabled RN. I was bought out by my insurance company Jan 2008. I put the money directly into a tax deferred annuity. My accountant says I have to pay tax on the whole amount. Could you give me some reality checks on this. Thanks, Glenis, Houston.
Two major events happened in this country that moved the country forward and continue to be a vital part in the landscape of America.
1 The move from horse drawn carriages to Automobiles
2 The invention of a functional refrigerator.
Both events had fierce opposition but progress could not be stopped. The blacksmith industry took a backseat to the automotive Industry and the Iceman had to sell refrigerators.
Once again we are at a presipice. As we move forward from the old way of doing business in this country to new ways of doing things. We must change everthing from energy, technology medicine, and Politics. So Mr. President DO NOT BE AFRAID DONOT FEAAR ANY MAN EMBRACE CHANGE.
I know that im here early Davidw but i would like to know your oppinion on something that i am thinking about writing Free secondary Education many other countries have them including CUBA!! Figure that why dont we? And votingfemale i never really agreed with her views but loved what she wrote why was she deleted?
I called HLN & talked to Louie in Atlanta yesterday. He told me I needed to log online & tell my story. I don't know why because either people won't give a damn and the rest of us are just barely hanging on to what little we have left. I probably don't have room here to write my story but long story as short as I can make it. My only son was murdered 3 years ago...between losing him and then the economy has just went to hell....we are barely getting by. I take in Chihuahuas & other very small dogs. I give them a loving home when nobody else cares about them. Sometimes I don't eat so I can afford to feed them and take care of them. Best diet in the world, folks. I've lost 200 pounds and kept it off for 2+ years. Would anyone help us by sending some dog food my way or fix our electrical problem?(We only have power to part of our home now.) Need a washing machine. Can't go to doctor anymore or afford the meds I desperately need. (No medical insurance anymore.) So...I just live one day at a time and make sure that these precious little souls are loved, fed & cared for. They did'nt ask to be born. Good luck getting through all this everybody. I wish you all love and comfort. The rich just get richer while the rest of us do good to make it through everyday. There's the lifestyles of the rich & famous and then there is REALITY!
If you wanna email me: little.dog.lover@gmail.com