The decision not to discuss the Joel Smith case on Demonland stems from several key considerations outlined below:

1. Respect for Privacy: The decision emphasizes the sensitive and private nature of Joel Smith's situation. Out of respect for him and the club, it's inappropriate to speculate about him on a personal level or cast aspersions regarding his circumstances. This highlights a broader ethical concern about respecting individuals' privacy, especially when it involves potentially sensitive or confidential matters. In addition we do not want Demonland to be used as a platform for rumourmongering or to spread misinformation.

2. Ignoring Established Rules: Initially we established some rules to discussing the Joel Smith case and despite a clear set of boundaries some users disregarded these guidelines and engaged in discussions that strayed beyond the permitted topics.

3. Discussion of Serious Topics: We do not take these serious issues effecting the club and this decision to curb discussion of these topics lightly. We of course believe that these serious matters affecting the club that we all love and are all so passionate about are worthy of discussion and debate. I wish we could provide a platform where these matters can be discussed in a civil and respectful manner.

4. Potential Legal Ramifications: Discussions on sensitive topics such as these unfortunately invariably devolve into areas that may be defamatory, libelous, spread unsubstantiated rumours & can effect the mental health of those involved. Even discussion and debate of known facts or media reports can lead to finger pointing, blame and personal attacks. The repercussion is that these discussions can open this website, it’s owners and it’s users to legal action and may result in this website being forced to shutdown. Whether users believe that a website can be held liable for comments posted on them is immaterial to me. I simply do not want to test that out and the threat of litigation stemming from some sensitive topics has had a severe impact on my own mental health and is a very big factor in this decision.

5. Moderation Challenges: Moderators on Demonland are volunteers and cannot monitor discussions around the clock. The inability to consistently and in a timely manner enforce rules and address violations effectively can contribute to an environment where inappropriate discussions proliferate unchecked. This underscores the practical challenges of managing online communities, especially when dealing with sensitive topics.

6. Closure and Reporting: As a result of the above Demonland has decided to close threads and discussions related to the Joel Smith case. Additionally, users are encouraged to report any comments about the case found in other threads so that moderators can take appropriate action. We reserve the right to delete posts that offend against our above policy & indeed, to ban posters who are repeat offenders or who breach our code of conduct. This approach aims to mitigate the spread of unauthorized discussions and maintain the integrity of the platform.

WE HAVE BUILT A FANTASTIC ONLINE COMMUNITY AT DEMONLAND OVER THE PAST 24 YEARS & WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE CLUB WE LOVE & ARE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT.

We will continue to provide updates on the situation in this thread but please do not engage in discussion about it anywhere else on this website. We understand the desire to discuss such issues but there are other platforms on the internet that can provide that service.

Thank you for your continued support & understanding. Go Dees.

Please read the post above for our statement on any discussion on this site about the Joel Smith case.

 

 

A reminder that Demonland has decided that there is not to be any discussion on the Joel Smith situation. 

Please read the first post in this thread. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The decision not to discuss the Joel Smith case on Demonland stems from several key considerations outlined below:

1. Respect for Privacy: The decision emphasizes the sensitive and private nature of Joel Smith's situation. Out of respect for him and the club, it's inappropriate to speculate about him on a personal level or cast aspersions regarding his circumstances. This highlights a broader ethical concern about respecting individuals' privacy, especially when it involves potentially sensitive or confidential matters. In addition we do not want Demonland to be used as a platform for rumourmongering or to spread misinformation.

2. Ignoring Established Rules: Initially we established some rules to discussing the Joel Smith case and despite a clear set of boundaries some users disregarded these guidelines and engaged in discussions that strayed beyond the permitted topics.

3. Discussion of Serious Topics: We do not take these serious issues effecting the club and this decision to curb discussion of these topics lightly. We of course believe that these serious matters affecting the club that we all love and are all so passionate about are worthy of discussion and debate. I wish we could provide a platform where these matters can be discussed in a civil and respectful manner.

4. Potential Legal Ramifications: Discussions on sensitive topics such as these unfortunately invariably devolve into areas that may be defamatory, libelous, spread unsubstantiated rumours & can effect the mental health of those involved. Even discussion and debate of known facts or media reports can lead to finger pointing, blame and personal attacks. The repercussion is that these discussions can open this website, it’s owners and it’s users to legal action and may result in this website being forced to shutdown. Whether users believe that a website can be held liable for comments posted on them is immaterial to me. I simply do not want to test that out and the threat of litigation stemming from some sensitive topics has had a severe impact on my own mental health and is a very big factor in this decision.

5. Moderation Challenges: Moderators on Demonland are volunteers and cannot monitor discussions around the clock. The inability to consistently and in a timely manner enforce rules and address violations effectively can contribute to an environment where inappropriate discussions proliferate unchecked. This underscores the practical challenges of managing online communities, especially when dealing with sensitive topics.

6. Closure and Reporting: As a result of the above Demonland has decided to close threads and discussions related to the Joel Smith case. Additionally, users are encouraged to report any comments about the case found in other threads so that moderators can take appropriate action. We reserve the right to delete posts that offend against our above policy & indeed, to ban posters who are repeat offenders or who breach our code of conduct. This approach aims to mitigate the spread of unauthorized discussions and maintain the integrity of the platform.

WE HAVE BUILT A FANTASTIC ONLINE COMMUNITY AT DEMONLAND OVER THE PAST 24 YEARS & WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE CLUB WE LOVE & ARE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT.

We will continue to provide updates on the situation in this thread but please do not engage in discussion about it anywhere else on this website. We understand the desire to discuss such issues but there are other platforms on the internet that can provide that service.

Thank you for your continued support & understanding. Go Dees.