Intimidating behavior and deleted threads

Question

Hi
I'm fairly new to these discussion boards and have been using it as a means of getting support or direction on either my iPhone3GS or Logic Pro. I've also been using it as a means of personal market research before purchasing an iPhone4 and iPad.
The issues (or none) around the iPhone4 persuaded me for example to cancel my order and stick with the 3GS until it had all settled down, however I'm sticking with the iPad.
What I have found as I've been surfing through the topics is the amount of intimidating or patronising responses that come back from some users (generally those who've got multiple 1000's of posts.....but not all of course)
I've been finding it increasingly more difficult to engage in any discussion because of this intimidating behaviour. It seems there are more than a few that feel they "own" the board or that they have the right to behave like moderators.
This seems to be leading to a number of threads being deleted and I've noticed this on at least 3 threads I've been part of, very anoying because the content has been valid. e.g. an hour ago a thread on Bluetooth functionality on the iPhone has just been removed. We had 2 users send very patronising responses to initial poster when all he was expressing was a wish list (like I did for the lack of Skip tracks functionality)
So I tried to pose a question to see if there was a techncial reason this wasn't implemented and bang the thread was deleted. Not off topic, not offensive, nothing on apple policy... so why?
Sending feedback using the feedback link to Apple is fine, however because it's only one way (i.e. you never get a response) I feel it is only fair for users to ba able to ask the questios to the general community without fear of being slammed by other uses.
personally I think it's healthy to see other users wishes and wants, there are times when others may even have a workaround, but to be dismisive and just say "this is a user to user board, Apple dont read this" every time seems to me to be plain wrong. Others may wish to engage in that discussion, and to me, if you dont then dont comment as if you "own" the board, just move on.
Just my 2 cs

Answer 1

Andy,
+"It just seems a shame to me that users can't have an open discussion around their hopes and wishes for a product, it seems a rule too far."+
Apple Discussions is almost certainly the best site you will find for help with Apple problems and I think that 'rule too far' gives it a narrow focus which is probably one of the reasons that it is so good. There are other places where people can chew the fat.
+"If people don't want to engage in that then they can move on"+
There is some truth in that but allowing such posts would produce clutter and make browsing forums more difficult (and reduce the narrow focus I referred to). You can also bet that threads would begin to carry some 'comment' mixed in with the technical questions and answers that rightly belong here thereby having their value reduced.
+"if I started a thread saying "What do you think about the iPad?" for example, I run the risk of it being removed or being slammed by people because it's not a technical question, and I find it deeply patronising"+
I don't know what your specific experience has been but I would comment that there are often posts here talking about being slammed (and often mentioning high number posters as being particularly bad in that respect) which on examining the posts in question reveal only a polite reference to Terms of Use. There is, of course, no excuse for pointing that out in a rude or aggressive manner.
As deggie suggests discussions in some forums are a little more - shall we say - robust than in others, but experience in the forums I have frequented in my time here suggests that Apple Discussions provide a remarkably gentle and polite environment. To me that is especially true of the high number posters, most of whom are remarkably helpful and tolerant in my experience. One or two can be a little blunt on occasions but certainly in some cases that is because they are not posting in their native language. Of course what you might detect on occasions from some old-timers is a degree of exasperation due to their seeing Discussions (in which they have invested a lot of time and effort in giving help to others) being weakened and perhaps even threatened by vents, rants, mudslinging and whatever.
I realise that your example question "What do you think about the iPad?" was purely hypothetical but it might nicely serve as an example of a thoroughly bad question which is unlikely to get useful answers. Much better would be something along the lines of "Could I do X, Y and Z with the iPad?", a specific question which would seem to be within ToU and which would get specific answers.
Michael