Beware of the editor! | Flat Chat Forum

This website has an obvious, if complex, connection with the Flat Chat column in the Sydney Morning Herald's Domain section. Stuff that appears in the column turns up here and, occasionally, stuff that appears here, turns up in the column. We always avoid identifying individual owners, tenants or buildings but if, even then, you don't want your story to appear in the newspaper, say so loud and clear in your posting.
Also, I often give postings a gentle edit - correcting spellings etc etc - but there are times when I will cut postings that are either abusive, legally dangerous or are just a rant. Who decides the difference between an impassioned argument and an "off-their-trolley" spray? That would be me, with the benefit of more than 30 years as a journalist/editor.
My main concern is to allow as broad a range of views as possible and sometimes having one person taking up pages and pages venting their spleen is counter productive. Be passionate, by all means, be angry if need be, but be aware that nobody cares as much about your situation as you do. Better to be brief and to the point than long-winded and loquacious. And on that note ...