> Ok, given the clear posting of the relevant rules, I will be more > specific about my experience of Geraldin Rojas & Ezequiel Paludi's > workshops at the Aus International Tango Fest.
[rest of post deleted] Well, there was certainly more than sufficient disclosure in this post for the Tango-L rules. Since there has been so much discussion about it (and now a blog that uses the same rules), let me copy the entire text of that rule here, rather than just paraphrase as I did before. Note that this allowance for negative reviews is identified in the rules as an "exception": the exception being to a more general rule against rants, complaints, flames, etc. (especially if that's all that the post contains), which rarely if ever add anything positive to a discussion. A sincere, unbiased and objective critical review that does not have some ulterior motive indeed can provide a useful service. --------------------------------- NEGATIVE REVIEWS PERMITTED (WITH STRICT REQUIREMENTS) Negative reviews of a particular teacher or event are permitted as a potential service to the Tango community, even if individuals are named. However, to prevent abuse of this exception as a way for people to campaign negatively against people they don't like, or their competitors, these reviews must meet ALL the following criteria: The purpose of this clarification to the rules is NOT to encourage negativism or criticism (there is enough of that already on Tango-L), but to clarify the requirements for those legitimately wishing to provide a negative review as a public service. + The full name and Tango community (city or metropolitan region) of the poster must be identified. The intent of this requirement is to avoid anonymous postings or postings under unverifiable pseudonyms. There should be enough identification information that people from that community can verify the identity of the poster. (While there may be a legitimate argument for anonymous negative reviews, its potential for abuse is too great and so it is not permitted.) + The person or event being reviewed must be a public figure or event in Tango, i.e., one that advertises or is advertised or otherwise promoted, even if on a limited scale. + The poster should not be a competitor of the person about whom he or she wishes to post the negative review, or affiliated with a competitor or acting on behalf of a competitor (i.e., there should be no conflict of interest or ulterior motive). + The poster should have had direct and personal experience of the teacher or event in question (i.e., not just based on hearsay). + Specific details must be included to back up the negative opinion. The focus needs to be on objective items (even if it has a subjective component), and not on entirely subjective opinions. E.g., "The organizer is a jerk." Not acceptable (even if it is true). "I felt cheated because half the teachers advertised for the festival were not present and no refunds or other compensation was offered." Acceptable. + The above rules apply even if the teacher is not identified by name if it's clear that the negative comments apply to an identifiable person or group. The following (similar to a real example posted on Tango-L by a teacher with an obvious conflict of interest) would not be permitted: "There's another couple in our community that have taught for years, but they've yet to produced a single successful student by themselves." ----------------------------------------- Tango-L and Tango-A administrator [email protected] _______________________________________________ Tango-L mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/tango-l
