Hello fellow posters,

While the Editorial Team have been busily working on our Charter, Constitution and the Processes for dealing with issues that arise, those discussions have not been completed.

In the interim and indeed, since the birth of the site, the code of practice to which all posters signed up to on registration has been the backbone of policy here. We are working on further criteria that meet the spirit of Machine Nation.

Meanwhile, however, a poster has raised a point of contention on the Gone Again thread.

It is our intention to fully investigate the issues raised, and the poster concerned has a number of anxieties which we take very seriously. To that end, we've implemented the policies we have been working on.

In order to deal with the issues raised by the poster, we have placed that thread in a holding pen which means that it has been locked and placed out of public view. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to users of that thread.

If you read over the threads here on what our potential moderation policy should be, you'll see that we feel it's important here that we don't have public discussion of grievances. So, while the Editorial Team deals seriously with the complaints raised, we would ask that you not indulge in speculation on the boards. Threads or posts which attempt to do so will be locked and hidden.

If you have comments to make about moderation in general, please take them to the mod threads.

Please send a pm to the Editorial Team if you have any queries or comments. It is possible to send a group message to the Editorial Team and we will all get it. The Team consists of Auditor #9, cactus flower, Evoting Machine, ibis, and Kate P.

We will get back to you when the issues have been resolved, hopefully to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Just to keep you up to speed.

Issues have not yet been resolved but it is hoped that we can put the Gone Again thread back into circulation this evening or tonight.

Can we remind posters please to self-mod and if you see something of concern to let us know immediately.

The five of us have spent a huge amount of time in the last two days dealing with issues that we'd rather not have seen arisen in the first place and that is not to apportion blame to the posters here or to the poster concerned specifically.

However we would remind posters (again, I know!) about playing the ball and not the man, not using abusive terminology or about posting anything that you don't think you can stand over in front of a grumpy judge.

Sorry if that sounds very Miss Speaking Here! but we all know that that's the way it has to be.

Thanks.