After many long discussions and much thought we're going to institute a new policy in Job Discussion.
The Policy
Questions and discussion about specific companies will not be allowed in this forum.
These topics will be closed immediately and later on deleted without warning. If a
thread drifts into such a conversation the inappropriate postings will be removed. Open threads that continue to be discussed will also be closed.
Prohibited Questions
Can you tell me about Acme company?What are salaries at Acme?What is the culture at Acme?Which is better, Acme or Zena?
Allowed QuestionsI'm trying to decide between two jobs, I'll describe the companies and job below (but not provide the name of the company); what are your thoughts?What should my salary be given my experience?How is the job market in a particular geographic region?
Links to articles about companies will also be allowed on a case by case basis. For example, there are often interesting news stories about IBM, Google, etc which can lead to interesting discussions. However, if it devolves into discussions we've had of late, I will close it.
Motivation
The reasons for this policy are as follows:
1) It devalues the forum. Discussion of specific companies are of use to a tiny number of people and so much of the forum becomes irrelevant to most people. As one moderator put it, this is Job Discussion, not Company Discussion.
2) These discussions cause people to violate the "Be Nice" rule far too often.
3) These discussions are likely to expose JavaRanch to legal issues.
It is unfortunate that we need to take such strict measures and we reserve the right to change or alter the policy in the future.