Where did Sir Bob go to then ?

[Miki]

Admin (and no doubt a mod or two),

You have posted something that we cannot respond to, what's the point of that ?

I now have to open a new thread to ask you a question, which I think is no doubt concerned with what you posted, so not a lot of point in you posting something that couldn't be replied to. Never mind, just a small point.

Why has the Sir Bob thread disappeared ?

I have said it before, I for one do not find it all funny that along with some others, large amounts of our time and text have now been simply chopped. This is not the first time this has happened and I for one am certainly hacked off by this indiscriminate axing of many serious posts. A lot of these posts were sensible and considered and to my mind should have been left for others to read. This was an emotional subject, now scrapped and dealt with absolutely mindlessly. To let a few posts dictate it's longevity spells out a somewhat liberal call to trolls, that a few of their posts can now put paid to any subject they believe will bring members to the defence (or attack)of the subject.

What encouragement does that gives to anyone to post ! If you were to cut out quickly a lot of the asides that are simply posted to get people backs up and of course which are no help at all to the thread, the majority of this would not be neccessary. You have once again thrown the baby out with the bath water etc etc, this spells a distinct lack of thought and to me, this now puts this site firmly behind other forums.

[Dick Smith]

And is anything to be done abaout the Trolls and admitted multiple personalities?

[Deimos]

I also composed a reply (on my PC) before I found I could not reply to Forum Admin's post.

It is a disappointment as it was both a serious and important subject being discussed and I think those participating (in the discussion/debate) were (mostly) ignoring the "personal exchanges". I appreciate that tidying such a thread might be a fair amount of work (don’t know about that aspect) but it does seem a shame that the “Oh yes you did, Oh no you didn’t, …” bunch effectively succeed.

That said, this site is not as bad as some when it comes to such “personal exchanges”.

Ian

[Tourangelle]

I can't believe the Sir Bob thread has gone whereas the stupid pointless 'Padraig' ones are still out there. There were some reasonable points being made on the Sir Bob one which could have been left on. The Padraig ones are, I feel, just insulting to all those who replied in good faith, and in fact to everyone who contributes to the forum. A bit of consistency, please!

[Russethouse]

As in the past 24 hours mods have been called both not PC enough and too PC can you imagine the complications of trying to decide which post should go and which stay, and edit others ? Then the ensuing furore........

Tourangelle - message in your inbox.

[Miki]

Didn't want to say it but will do so Gay, that's purely and simply a "cop out".

Do I take it that ALL mods and Admin were in full agreement to delete the whole thread ?

[Dick Smith]

Actually, Gay, it's simple. You have a rule - say no multiple personalities - and then when it is broken you take action. Like banning. Or alternately you let people get away with it for so long that it distorts the whole forum...

[opas]

 I HAVE NEVER SAID ANYWHERE ON THIS FORUM OR IN PRIVATE MESSAGES`/EMAILS THAT i AM/WAS RUBBERDUCK/OUTCAST OR ANYONE ELSE i AM OPAS (MRS OPAS)  

                          Dick Smith, If you could re-read my posting (which you cannot as the thread was removed) I actually said that  it was not Mr O, Rubberduck or Outcast that insulted you by pm/email, This is all becoming a little mundane but I will explain it in my own simple way.

I am the orriginal Opas , Mr O then began posting on that username and signing off as Mr O, myself using Mrs O.....this should have saved any confusion, as do john and Di(inceni).

We then bacame a little more techno aware and realised that we could have another email address from the same PC....so Mr O as was(not our real name for anyone wanting to take a pop at it....) then no more , apart from when I make reference to him in one of my postings, He has not posted under OPAS username for well over 12 months.....He not OPAS has had various guises.....non of which have sent you or any other member of this forum abusive Emails/pms.

I (Mrs O ) have never sent any isulting emails/pms either.

Please can You all get your facts straight

forum Admi will gladly confirm this

 

Mrs O

 

[Coco]

I don't know about "put up or shut up" BOTH of you need to GROW UP OR SHUT UP!!!!  (Sorry Mrs O, not you, you jumped in while I was writing my post!)

Albi, I don't know much about you, but your posts always seem to be having a dig at someone, I don't think I've ever seen a constructive, useful or witty comment from you.  And Dick, you keep saying how you're used to dealing with bullies but as a teacher I hope you deal with them in a better way than this incessant hurling of abuse in public.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you two want to carry on this childish slanging match, can you do it by PM   I think (hope) I speak for the majority when I say "the rest of us just AREN'T INTERESTED!!!"

I presume it was due to your exchanges that the Sir Bob thread was pulled, which has greatly annoyed me too, as although there was a lot of disagreement (or different viewpoints) on whether it is a good idea to contribute to the "African causes" most of it was done in a reasonable, amicable and intelligent way - until you two started hurling abuse at each other.  Now it has gone and as Miki says a lot of people spent a good deal of time contributing to the debate.  I wholeheartedly agree with Miki that this pulling of complete threads because of a few very immature contributers puts the whole forum in danger of letting the lunatics run the asylum!

And Moderators/Forum Admin, if an entire thread has to be pulled because of a few stupid contributions can we at least have a notice to that effect so that we know why.  Possibly a bit of "naming and shaming" of those that caused the thread to be pulled may be a good idea too.

 

[Cat]

What's a troll?

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In the context of the Internet, a troll refers to a person who makes inflammatory or hostile comments, which by effect or design cause disruptions in discourse, or a post made by such a person. Trolling can be described as a breaching experiment, which, because of the use of an alternate persona, allows for normal social boundaries and rules of etiquette to be tested or otherwise broken, without serious consequences...

...As a pejorative, the term "troll" may also be a slander of opponents in heated debates, a tactic often used by trolls and non-trolls. Many times a person will post a sincere message that they are emotionally sensitive about and trolls know that the biggest way to upset them is to falsely claim that they are a troll. On other occasions a person may not instantly understand or fit into the social norms of a forum where most people are the same - and so acting just slightly out of social norms, often unintentionally, for legitimate reasons gets the poster falsely called a troll. Sometimes when a person just wants to be funny, they are accused of trolling, when that is not their intent. Quite often, trolls have found traditional trolling tactics so overused and commonplace that they have to disguise their trolling to make it effective; and this disguising is largely done recently by falsely accusing anyone they can of being trolls.

 

Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger

[Tresco]

by that reckoning Cathy, We Are All Trolls Now.

One big happy family

[Miki]

I want to be the one who waits under the rickety bridge please. Thanks.

"I'm a troll, troll-dee-roll. I'm a troll, troll-dee-roll. I'm a troll, troll-dee roll ... And I'll eat you for dinner.")

With kinds thanks to The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Well if you can't beat them etc............................

[Coco]

I had a troll once, it had long green hair and it didn't wear any clothes.  My mum brought him home from Brighton for me.  I loved my troll, I wish people wouldn't be so rude about them

[Teamedup]

LOL Coco, I had a troll too, my friend's boyfriend bought it for me.... we found it in my 'string' box at the back of the garage last year, the poor thing was smelly and a little mouldy, so out he went.

 

[Christine Animal]

Crikes, they're at it again?  I say you chaps, watch out or old Quelch will be back! (or was it Squelch, I can't remember).

Let me know if there is need for a guard dog.

Christine Animal (well that's how I come out, perhaps better than troll).

[Tresco]

'...the poor thing was smelly and a little mouldy, so out he went.'

It's a funny thing isn't it? Some see them as funny fellows with their own little personalities, strange hair do's and all, and even quite desirable.

Others see them as  rather objectionable mass manufactured little creatures.

'He has not posted under OPAS username for well over 12 months.....He not OPAS has had various guises....Get Your facts straight. (Mrs O)

He was posting as Mr O under the name Opas throught June, July, and at least to  mid August 2004.

[Ex Forum Admin]

Several posts have been removed from this thread.....no personal insults on the forum please. The issues brought up are being addressed.

 

[Iceni]

As BG is an "alien", I believe there are restictions on where/when/how he/we may use his K. Would someone pls enlighten me ?

John

not

[Coco]

That's a much better way of dealing with unwanted postings.  I know that it makes my first posting a little odd, but at least it keeps the valid or humourous ones without having to wade through all the abuse!

[Joh]

Sorry all.

I origanally posted the  "Geldof"  thread as a ( tongue in cheek) way of raising awareness to the continuing problems that still encounter the peoples of african countries.  Albeit with a hint of sarcasm. I did not expect it to be degenerated into a private slanging match. I missed the postings that followed my last reply, which I hope was constructive, and subsequently missed the postings following, which caused the thread to be deleted. 

 

Terry

PS.... We have no knowledge of any Trolls under our bridge

[Tresco]

I origanally posted the  "Geldof"  thread as a ( tongue in cheek) way of raising awareness to the continuing problems that still encounter the peoples of african countries. (JOH, Terry).

And thank you for doing so, it was an interesting debate.

If anything I said or linked to made people feel bullied, that was not my intention at all.

I have a lot of doubts about the use of 'Western' concerts, for instance, in the context of raising money but Terry, as a consciousness raising exercise the topic you started and the rsponses to it made me re-think it all, in comarison to say, Band Aid. The responses of others encouraging me to keep on thinking and asking questions. All good stuff, unhappily now deleted.

[Russethouse]

There are some interesting topics raised here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4079958.stm

[Tresco]

Thanks for that Gay, I had a quick look and the view expressed there certainly seem to confirm some others I have seen.

Still, as I said before the deletions, I do think BG has matured politically a great deal since Band Aid, and there was a very passionate and sophistcated speech he gave which was quoted in one of the links I posted. I'll try and get it again if anyone wants it.

I'm useless about the economics, really I hold my hands up so any further good clear links of any view might help me get my head round this mess. Before the deletions I referred to JohnMarshall, who said most of us are pretty much entrenched in our views. I said yes, I am too, but I am still interested in this issue because I simply don't know enough about it, and I think it is very, very important

[Russethouse]

Did you see that Bono went and spoke to some European leaders I think on Wednesday? Reports seemed to indicate it went well, like BG I am sure he has passionately held views.

I seem to remember that Gordon Brown has been questioned on writing off third world debt and has had this aim (or some very beneficial scheme)in his sights, planned well ahead of G8.

Personally I love the idea of the concert and raising money to be channeled in a way useful to people who need help, but how wise is the channel crossing idea or the march in Edinburgh ?

BTW Did you know the first 1.6 million raised goes to the Princes Trust as they have given up 'Party in the Park' and also an amount goes to 'Help a London Child' who's fund raising has also been affected.

[Miki]

Have I missed something here ?

We had a thread once about all this and this one is carrying on as if the other was never even here! I asked where Sir Bob had gone, didnt get, what I and some others thought, was a satifactory answer and now this one has become the substitute thread.

Something quite wrong about all this. Is this the future for the forum now, if one thread goes off topic due to trolls/flamers or whatever, simply delete the whole thread and start another one ?

Well I for one, after this post, don't really fancy answering anything that would take me more than one line to do so. Any more than that may well prove to be an absolute waste of time. We might as well all save our posts on MS Word and simply bring them back when any thread deleted restarts, that would be kind of weird wouldn't it ?

I asked whose decision it was to destroy the last thread and no answer was forthcoming, why was that please ? You cannot seriously expect people in the future to take time and thought to give their considered opinions, if it only takes one click for it to disappear without rhyme or reason. Or can you ?