Afghan Ops

[Mike Reyno]

Due to security concerns, I have removed the thread on Afghan helicopter ops. Please refrain from making any posts that names helicopter companies or locations that they are based in Afghanistan. This is an open forum, which means it is accessible to all. Please respect the security concerns of those flying in Afghanistan.

 

Thank You.

 

Mike

[helicopterjim]

Thank you Mike!

[sharkbait]

Afghan Ops? What Afghan Ops?

I don't know anything about them but if there were any such operations and I'm sure there aren't I would want everyone, including my non-existent friends, flying there to be safe.

So if they, if they existed, requested that we not talk about their non-existent ops for security reasons it would be a good thing to respect the request.

Good on you Mike.

[splitpin]

Due to security concerns, I have removed the thread on Afghan helicopter ops. Please refrain from making any posts that names helicopter companies or locations that they are based in Afghanistan. This is an open forum, which means it is accessible to all. Please respect the security concerns of those flying in Afghanistan.

 

Thank You.

 

Mike

"Due to security concerns" What a crock!! Mike, if you think that the 'Taliban' checks on this site for locations and companys working in Afghanistan you are being self delusional! Instead of deleting my complete thread why didn't you just delete portions that you deemed a risk. I never once openly mentioned any companys by name. However, some did and at that point you should have deleted thier post, not the whole thread!! 7000 views and 60 or so positive comments indicate to me the popularity of the thread.

This is clearly a case of a large Canadian company calling the shots as to what can be posted on this site. Clearly again, my thread must have had an impact on thier recruitment efforts and your decision is obviously revenue driven. I am extremely disapointed in the direction this site has taken in the last few months.

I have enjoyed my time with Verticalmags forum over the last several years and feel I have contributed in a positive manner. However, this seems to rapidly drawing to a close and it appears that I may reluctantly be forced to take the path of so many other members that have moved on on the past.

[MMike]

[Mike Reyno]

Splitpin,

 

You are incorrect in your assumption that a certain helicopter company was upset and contacted me over the postings. I have, however, had several emails in recent weeks over this thread, and some directly from the people flying helicopters in Afghanistan (civil and military), including one that is a close friend. This has nothing to do over protecting a company, it has to do with protecting the safety of those that are flying and fixing helicopters in this region. And yes, the chances are pretty slim that the insurgents are watching this thread, but this is a public forum and I'm not taking the risk of exposing any company or personnel. In this day and age nothing surprises me anymore.

 

On another note, I find it interesting that you have voiced concerns about how the forum has gone down hill. I couldn't agree with you more! This is a debate that I have had many times with colleagues in the industry.

 

We have tried to take steps to ensure quality discussions on this forum, but it has almost been to no avail. We have tried different things, but there is nothing but a backlash, which has included personal insults. There are certain things that we can control (like the thread in question). But, we cannot control the level of discussion unless everyone is willing to participate and play nice.

 

We have lost MANY helicopter professionals that were regular posters over the past few years because of the lack of respect and professionalism that is often reflected on this forum. But, we are making strong attempts to bring them back. If that means losing some of the people that take up our time through moderation, so be it.

 

Over the past few months, I have been emailed and sent PMs by a number of posters in regards to the forums. Some have voiced concerns over the forums and lack of professionalism, while others have made suggestions on how to try and clean it up. I have had other well-respected people in the industry willing to lend a hand and guest moderate and provide blogs. So, what we are doing first is to clean the forums up - it's a long process. And I know that not all people will agree - no one likes change. The professionals will come back to join the others that are on here, but it won't be overnight. Only once we have improved the level of professionalism on the forums can we open the doors to guest moderators and bloggers.

 

So, we can all complain on how the forums have gone downhill and do nothing about it, or those that are serious about this forum can help work towards improving the level and quality of discussion for the betterment of the industry.

 

If ANYONE has any suggestions or comments (good and bad) over the forums or the deletion of the thread, please feel free to PM or email me directly mike@verticalmag.com

 

Mike

[splitpin]

Mike:

I'm sorry, but the fact still remains that I went out of my way to be careful not to mention companys. Nor did I mention names or places, nor did I mention any operational matters. My only purpose of the thread was to give my Aviation Brothers an alternative viewpoint of what was being told to them by potential employers and I clearly stated that time and time again. I fail to see how anything in my thread could be a threat to the safety or security of anyone in Afghanistan. The thread was comprised of a collection of links gathered together in one readily accessible spot. There was nothing "super secret" about the links. All the links are readily available to anyone with a computer. One of the best links was provided by a forum member who is himself "in country" at the moment. As I stated there may have been other posters who mentioned names or places. At that point you should have deleted them if there was a percieved security risk, NOT the whole thread. I think that your actions inadvertintly contributed to the declining integrity of this site. I never once took the moral high ground by critisizing or judging peoples involvement in Afghanistan. As a matter of fact I have four very good friends actively involved in operations in Afghanistan, (Bless them all) three on the ground and one in the air. They themselves provided a few of the links I posted, all have agreed (as have many others) that the thread was good thing, contrary to the E-Mails you said you recieved. There is only one segment of our industry that could possibly be adversly affected by the thread and that is of recruiters.

This is not the first time one of my threads/posts have been arbitrairily deleted. So having said that I will be taking a break from Verticalmag for a while until I see which direction you choose to take it.

Best Regards

John Nixon

[Blackmac]

Mike/Splitpin:

 

I do not, and never will, believe in censorship on an open forum that is public,unless the people making such comments are using their own names. The problem with any forum that people with anonymity, gives the screwballs a chance to form there opinions, that would not otherwise be accepted if people knew who they were.

 

I firmly believe that people making comments on other peoples postings should have the wright to be able to contact the person by other means than this venue.

 

Example Follows: From day one of AvCanada I have posted who I am and standby statements that I have made and stated who I am, as follows.

 

Don McDougall

Tel: 613 258 0252

 

PS: I must honestly say that Vertical's association (Membership) with H-A-C and influence from advertisers can give a semblance of conflict. There is absolutely nothing "secret" about anything that Splitpin has posted. If such was the case, you would have been notified by the appropriate authorities. Do not try to make this more important than it is. People who don't sign off with there name and telephone number, the posting should be erased or cancel the forums all together.

[Auto Relight]

John, Don,

 

Exactly. I had a response to this prepared, but honestly you've hit all the main points of it between your two posts.

 

This is a serious issue.

 

 

AR

[MMike]

You guys seem to expect an awful lot from an internet forum. it's the internet. It's a free-for-all mish mash of total crap and good stuff all mixed together. To expect it to be anything more than that, in my mind is unrealistic.

 

people are obviously free to pick up their ball and go home if they get butt-hurt because someone was mean to them. Or, they could sack up and ignore the stuff they don't like and absorb the stuff they do like. Have you ever wasted a few minutes reading the comments that people post on a CNN.com story? It's positively brutal. I've not been on this site all that long. But I've never actually witnessed anything here that was all that bad, in internet terms.

 

I've said before that I've been a member of many other forums over the past 10 years.....and I've seen some great flame wars. I've even been part of some.

 

On this forum, I've had people wish me dead (this did happen), because I said I didn't like the olympics. I was pretty surprised to see that. But I sucked it up. Because IT'S THE INTERNET.

 

I have posted some crap here...full well knowing it was crap....but still sort of funny. I've also asked what I was hoping were legitimate questions...I can't recall if I go decent answers or not.

 

Anyway.....all this to say.....moderators can only delete bad stuff. They can't create good stuff. So it's up to the user to get what he can out of the forum.

 

As for anonymity.....there are too many nut jobs out there. I will do my damnedest to remain anonymous. Because if I give my honest opinion about something..and someone doesn't like it, I don't need them showing up at my work place or my front door. I actually like the frankness and honesty that the anonymity the internet affords us. While you may not like what you're hearing, it could be far more honest than out in the real world. So maybe you DO look fat in the jeans.....though no-one was willing to tell you to your face.

 

As far as I'm concerned, suck it up princess. Life's too short......