Conversation Monitoring
I understand the desire to keep the 'Conversation' board a civil place, which does require rules and 'guidelines'. However, I believe that far too often AOL's monitoring process limits and even excludes legitimate language and conversation.

This is not a complaint about 1st Amendment violations, or censorship... It is simply a complaint that honest, civil, and forthright comments and opinions are being rejected for reasons that are not obvious, reasonable, or understandable.

I don’t normally post quick, superficial, 1- or 2-line comments! I prefer to present well considered and researched, factual, informative, and thought-provoking posts; and I spend quite a bit of time and effort putting them together! While my posts necessarily contain comments and opinions about other individuals and their opinions, I make a concerted effort to 'own' my own comments, and avoid any unnecessary judgment or condemnation... aside from pointing out facts.

Unfortunately, far too many of those posts are rejected by AOL Moderators... for the most ridiculous reasons! For example: In a recent post about current events, I used the word "Negro"... not in a racist, or degrading way, but rather in a supportive, historical context... and my comment was rejected specifically for use of that label!

I find that experience extremely annoying and frustrating for a number of reasons: 1) That I've wasted all that time composing what I felt was a positive and thought- provoking contribution to the discussion (a rare experience these days!). 2) That multiple rejections, due to my efforts to make my comments "acceptable," lead to the potential of being blocked from making further comments. And 3) That the criteria for rejection seems to be so arbitrary, random, and restrictive.

I mean, if someone can actually tell a female poster to "go *** standing up!"... I should be able to use the word "Negro" contextually!

[I just edited this "idea" because my original comment above was "edited" by AOL monitors... I think that perfectly exemplifies my point!]

Therefore, I ask, and hope, that AOL is able and willing to make adjustments to the moderating process that leads to a fairer application of the community guidelines… for the benefit of the community conversation.

Thanks for listening!