Will this be removed...?

Question

This post is going to be feedback (to Apple devs & moderators) on a specific topic that has to do with the use of the discussion forums - strictly, according to the TOS, it may get yanked but that's part of the feedback, to point out a possible drawback in the TOS...
A few days ago I posted some feedback of my experiences with the new Safari beta, in the appropriate Safari beta forum. The posts contained my take on some of the alterations made to Safari from previous build, and was removed (after three or four really useful replies in one of them, I might add) because my opinion on said features was deemed "...Discussions of Apple policies or procedures or speculation on Apple decisions", which, according to the TOS, are not welcome.
Now, I have been a beta tester for a number of years, and I know the value of this kind of feedback during the beta phase, so my advice to Apple would be to consider setting up any beta forums with an exception from that rule, or at least with a wider view of it - or valuable feedback on how to improve the app in question may be lost (I am not saying my feedback was valuable, but it might have been .
I do understand that Apple has a pretty large user base and that the TOS section in question is a way of keeping these forums from turning in to rampant speculation boards and/or flame war turfs, but that's what moderators are for (I do that on a large board, too).
The whole point of putting out a beta is to get feedback on it, preferably from experienced core users, and it really is not wise to disregard their experience - although of course they should not be used as an excuse to be conservative, either, but a discussion may ensue about certain issues and features which can help deepening the thoughtfulness about new or removed features, in the developer and user group both.
If the folks @ Apple don't feel like trawling through and replying to this kind of feedback, the beta discussion could have a sort-of disclaimer saying something like "we welcome your experience feedback as well as technical but don't have the capacity to go into a discussion about every issue blablabla...".
As you can see, this post may also be considered "...Discussions of Apple policies or procedures or speculation on Apple decisions" - I hope it is received as constructive criticism, which is indeed how it is intended, and that it reaches mods and devs, even if it is removed...
Jj
happy Mac camper
MacBook Pro 2.0Ghz/2.0 Gb RAM   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

Answer 1

I am sure that, as Kryten suggests, the official beta team have their own channels (so does the one I am a part of) - what I am referring to is the public beta section. Of course, it's still true that one may think of that step as a short interlude and a chance to catch any minor tech issues that have gone un-noticed during "real" beta testing. In that case, I digress
I also know that Apple as a company does not believe in focus groups and user involvement - something I commend them for often, as I find these methods of design, or at least the way they're often used, insufficient alibis for not making ones own mind up.
Tom, I think the bugshooter is for technical issues, rather than opinions about user experience. I may be wrong.
Discussing how stuff can be better is not a bad thing though, I think - but for the sake of those who feel like you (and, I guess, for those who feel like me too it would probably be smart to somehow keep these things under different headlines (if one were to have'em, I mean).
I am happy to hear that deletion is not something I generally need to think too much about - as you can see, I have not posted a lot here yet (though I read a great deal) and getting two not-all-that-similar threads pulled in as many days kinda had me worried...
Thank you all for reacting to my musings.
Jj