Echoes

Any change is welcome; as long as it is to promote serious dialog and enhances the level of interactions. This site needs to define whether it stands for a civil or rational dialog or it is going to be used as always to promote hatred as is being done now.
It is not the number of interactions but the quality of interaction that make a site readable and enjoyable. As long as the new editors develop a policy and stick to it, the change will be appreciated.
The new editorial staff must define how they intend to follow the guidelines and what constitute meaningless and repetitively abusive posts.
Editors must categorically announce that any post that is derogatory to any religion, race, and caste and degrades people based on the color of their skin will not be allowed on the site. Period.
The rules for offensive language should be adopted and enforced strictly.
Thanks.
Welcome Farzana and look forward to work with you in enhancing the quality of this site.

welcome farzana versey...and congratulations...now the little matter of my gagging orders...are you going to lift it or it remains...
cheers...
khamkhwa

As usual, I started my day with Chowk. This has become a habit ever since I chanced upon this website while reading Veeresh Malik`s travelogues on Outlook website.

The first thing I noticed was the new look - which I must say is appealing. The `earthquake relief` dashboard has been replaced with `A Special Chowk announcement`. Metaphorically, the tremors of these changes will be felt on Chowk for some time.

I like the formal approach of appointing a chief editor. It is high time we do away with the non-sense of allowing badly formatted, incoherent and mediocre stuff on Front Page. It causes heartburn to read things which have not even been scanned using a spell-checker.

I strongly feel Chowk should adopt a no-nonsense approach to maintaining high interact standards. Mutli-nicism, fudging of identities, meaningless copy-paste, profane language and other such maladies that have troubled us in the past, should be smoked out. Difference of opinion is the key to intelligent discussion - but name-calling, threatening and bellicosity is not acceptable. At every step of our lives, our voices were muzzled and views unheard. One hopes that pattern would end on internet.

I`m aghast at the appointment of Farzana Varsey as the Chief Editor. Now, not only do we have to suffer her incoherent ramblings, hitherto passed as `articles`, we also have to put up with the fact that she is the high-priestess of Chowk. All the content will pass under her prejudiced eyes and the course of discussions will be tempered by her crypto-Fascist worldview. Does it mean Chowk has veered towards a decidedly anti-India posture? Does it mean voices highlighting her indifference to facts and reason will be suppressed? Only time will tell.

Last but not the least, my best wishes in your endeavour. May you succeed in bringing order to the cacophony, that is Chowk :-)

The Kofta Cola by Nadeem Farooq Paracha should not be in the Chowk Music review section. Unless of course the music reviews are no longer dedicated toward actually reviewing music.

All change takes time to take shape and consolidate itself. We appreciate your comments, which is the reason you have been given this space. However, we have noticed other boards being flooded with responses meant for the editor. This won`t work.

If you want great stuff, then take part in the process of improving the site beginning with yourself. If you want to be heard to bring in improvement, then this is the place to be in.

Thank you.

a) The new look feels great. Considering the timing, is it apt to nickname it ``chowk-06``?

b) Good luck Farzana, you have a tough job ahead of you. But I guess it will be fun, too.

c) And finally, the ``I want`` . . . I want some method by which interacts can be brought back to course if they wander too far away. The interacts on Saima`s articles are a case in point. Something like ``freezing`` interacts for 2-3 days, or the author presenting a ``ver. 2.0`` of an article which answers the relevant interacts and chucks out the nasties.

d) And I am going to start writing travelogues again, if permitted.

i wonder how many indians will now leave chowk for good -- congratulations FV but i think it`s a bad choice -- but then again, i suppose it speaks for what chowk is or has become

Multi-nic-ism should be dealt with.

#8 yaah! where shall we start mantolives.....


No seriously, congrats farzana. You are a cool lady and know how to handle the prittle-prattle, pitter-patter of various kinds.

My only request is PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE (is that enough of grovelling etc ) can WE HAVE SMILIES/EMOTICONS on FP as well please. IT MAKES LIFE EASY and MORE INTERSTING

Otherwise really - evolution of chowk is great - seen it from the start to now, and Hope it gets better - and you are it!