Unfortunately, this response is a direct violation of the guidelines themselves
I can understand the reason for the guidelines. The forum membership and use has grown along with the club, and I suspect (I don't read every thread), that something occurred which caused this policy to be generated.Forums should not be used to criticise club decisions – these are made by volunteers in the best interests of the club, often sandwiched between day jobs, and family responsibilities at night. Sometimes decisions are made on the go, and yes, members on the executive committee are very human and will make the occasional mistake in judgement – if you feel that a mistake has been made, or a viewpoint has been left out, you are strongly encouraged to approach that person directly (via Private Message, or using a the official club contacts, or in person after a ride) to constructively discuss your thoughts.
But suddenly, with this policy, this forum seems to be exercising censorship. We aren't allowed to criticise decisions made by the club executive in a public and open manner.
Now, don't get me wrong, most of the guidelines are fine, but some of them can be misused and some of them have gone overboard.
The ones that I think have gone too far are
Suddenly, if I have a bad experience with a shop, I can't mention it on the forum at the risk of defaming the business. If a rider does something stupid in the bunch, I can't call them out for it. As for what's offensive, we all have different tolerance when it comes to offensive material. I would like to think that I have a high tolerance, as I follow "you don't have the right to not be offended".Defame any business or individual
Post material which could offend any member
James