I am a sensitive soul but

[srb7677]

and some American dude.

Don?

Yes, and I remember Sue's forum name now too - Opinionated, or Ops for short.

[papasmurf]

However, we do need to protect people from bullying as it can have serious consequences.

That is the heart of the matter.  I am more or less trapped at home for several months yet.
There are serious issues that need discussing. But effectively that is getting more and more impossible for me to do due to the barrage of personal attacks, ridicule abuse and latterly stalking I get. The pack mentality involved is disgraceful.
If people think I am going to continue to put up with that without complaining about it they are very much mistaken.

[Forum admin]

and some American dude.

Don?

[DeppityDawg]

Regardless of the fact that you don't care I am going to say this anyway. I do kind of like you because I respect you and respect your integrity, in spite of our obvious political differences.

I find some of your opinions when combined with an apparent self-righteous certainty that everyone else who disagrees with you is an idiot - which is how you can come across sometimes - a bit provocatively annoying and you can bring out the worst in me when I respond.  But it's nothing personal.

Were we to meet down the local pub over a few pints, we'd probably get along great.

I could say the same about you, but in the end, if we all thought we were wrong it would make for a pretty pointless debate. Truth is that tolerance is a two way street

As an illustration, I'll ignore the comment below yours, but this won't stop the continued trolling. I can bet within a few days, I'll be able to provide an example of this same poster quoting me over and over again, despite being told over and over again to put me on ignore. It wears you down in the end SRB

[Forum admin]

We had one of those.

I never had problems with it but some people clearly did and it was taken off line.

In the three forums I helped set up and run (two political, one trade based) we had such sections. I was moderator on the trade forum that had one.

The problem for me as a moderator on those sites was spillage of animosity allowed in there to places it wasnt.

I have no strong feelings either way. But then I can salve my injured feelings with the knowledge in real life I can deliver death from a distance that few forensic pathologists save those who taught me the method would ever realise was not an unfortunate allergy or infection, and leave no forensic evidence.

ToP was a nasty place on Steve Taylor's forum and I was pleased to see it gone. People were not able to keep it in that section, as you say, so made the rest of the forum nasty,too.
On the one hand, we want a forum where we can discuss politics and anything else, but we don't want to do away with all humour or thread drift. However, we do need to protect people from bullying as it can have serious consequences.
If we had a "members only" ToP where only people who request can see that area, then it would encourage name calling behind other's backs, even more unpleasant and cowardly.
The rules have been rewritten, yes, but are pretty much the same as they always have been. Keep to them and we'll have a great time.
Moderators like to give some leeway, so that we don't become too rigid, but when that is abused, we have to take action.

Being Admin / Moderator is not that easy, both lack of moderation and heavy moderation can kill a forum. No one wants that.

[papasmurf]

I don't agree with excessive moderation, and that extends to people calling me whatever they like too. Some may not like that, but if the alternative is a sterile environment where we get endless disruption from certain individuals, then I know which I'd support.

Stop abusing certain individuals then. It isn't rocket science.

[srb7677]

I don't care whether you like me

Regardless of the fact that you don't care I am going to say this anyway. I do kind of like you because I respect you and respect your integrity, in spite of our obvious political differences.

I find some of your opinions when combined with an apparent self-righteous certainty that everyone else who disagrees with you is an idiot - which is how you can come across sometimes - a bit provocatively annoying and you can bring out the worst in me when I respond.  But it's nothing personal.

Were we to meet down the local pub over a few pints, we'd probably get along great.

[DeppityDawg]

I meant no disrespect to you. Am aware you became a mod for a while, but am pretty sure you were not one at the time of my rancour with Goodfellow. There were only three mods at that time - Sue, BYT and some American dude.

I returned later under a different username - might have been JohnSmith, I cannot remember for sure - and flounced off after becoming disheartened and annoyed by what I saw as excessive moderation. I asked to be banned actually and was in consequence at my own request. This is the time I remember you being a mod. Goodfellow was already gone by then which is why I returned in the first place.

I remember you and I having some discussions in a heart to heart kind of way and better understanding each other in consequence. I respect you for that.

But with all due respect I think you might be confusing the period when I left when you were a mod, with the much earlier period when I left because of Goodfellow. You were not a mod then. Two of the three who were were protecting him, one of them even joining in with his bullying of me, which for me was the last straw.

I was pleased to see you mentioned BYT, because she was the only one who kept the old forum going through all that - then she with Cromwell when he came aboard both turned it into a much better place. She has always been straight up with everyone, and not only that, she is a diamond girl too. I have the greatest respect for them both - there were numerous occasions where posters who had polar opposite views to mine, I stuck up for their corner when I felt they were in the right - one in particular who called me all sorts on the forum, but who never knew I voted against him being banned twice. Because in my view, you would have had to have banned the other party too - thats called being impartial and practising it

No, its true I wasn't a mod when you were having your issues with RG. I had some serious abuse from that tosser too, which I won't go into on here, but some of it was extremely offensive - you have Streetwalker to thank for exposing the liar and finally getting him kicked out, because SW found him out and stood his ground

I don't agree with excessive moderation, and that extends to people calling me whatever they like too. Some may not like that, but if the alternative is a sterile environment where we get endless disruption from certain individuals, then I know which I'd support.

[papasmurf]

In my view a subsection where members can say whatever the hell they like to each other, insults galore, would serve only as a breeding ground for personal animosity. And this would inevitably poison debates throughout the forum. Such animosity is unlikely to be left behind in the anything goes subsection.

Well thus far they seem totally unable to see they are doing anything wrong.

[srb7677]

In my view a subsection where members can say whatever the hell they like to each other, insults galore, would serve only as a breeding ground for personal animosity. And this would inevitably poison debates throughout the forum. Such animosity is unlikely to be left behind in the anything goes subsection.

[Borg Refinery]

if you don't want to be insulted in the proposed TOPS, don't go into it.

The problem is that the existence of such a section becomes an immediate option for letting rip against someone who has irritated you in the main forums. Going there to have a personal rant against someone might just be too tempting sometimes. We are better off without such a place in my view.

Yeh that's what happened with the dungeon on the site I was talking about, so it got closed.

Like with you, someone in the 'team' had a go at me and decided to ban me unfairly, but it's ancient history now.

But you are right, I think. You and Toots have won this one.

[papasmurf]

The problem is that the existence of such a section becomes an immediate option for letting rip against someone who has irritated you in the main forums. Going there to have a personal rant against someone might just be too tempting sometimes. We are better off without such a place in my view.

Quite, they can slag off and abuse each other as much as they like, but not anyone outside of it.

[srb7677]

if you don't want to be insulted in the proposed TOPS, don't go into it.

The problem is that the existence of such a section becomes an immediate option for letting rip against someone who has irritated you in the main forums. Going there to have a personal rant against someone might just be too tempting sometimes. We are better off without such a place in my view.

[Sheepy]

Can I just point out that before I joined this crowd two owners ago, I looked carefully at other political forums. There have been some here during that time who have scared me a  bit but on the whole I have been made to feel quite comfortable. Unless you are a woman it is possibly quite difficult to imagine how that can be, but my point is that my dip into other Forums made me quite selective. Politics and religion the two taboo subjects in normal social situations, and I am interested in both so I expected a degree of rough and tumble.

If having a free for all nasty section will change that then I vote to stay the same.

Well we do our best to keep you entertained toots, which isn't always easy,

[srb7677]

Your memory appears to be rather selective

Yours is too - there were numerous occasions when, even though I didn't agree with you, as a Moderator I fought your corner to be allowed to express your views (and contested a ban), believing that over moderation can be as bad as censorship. I had my own battles with RG and it was his own lying that caught him out in the end (logging in on a moderators account), but I fought him every fecking day as the liar and cheat he was

I don't care whether you like me - but don't ever make accusations about "walking on water" to me. You don't know all the facts, you just think you do.

I meant no disrespect to you. Am aware you became a mod for a while, but am pretty sure you were not one at the time of my rancour with Goodfellow. There were only three mods at that time - Sue, BYT and some American dude.

I returned later under a different username - might have been JohnSmith, I cannot remember for sure - and flounced off after becoming disheartened and annoyed by what I saw as excessive moderation. I asked to be banned actually and was in consequence at my own request. This is the time I remember you being a mod. Goodfellow was already gone by then which is why I returned in the first place.

I remember you and I having some discussions in a heart to heart kind of way and better understanding each other in consequence. I respect you for that.

But with all due respect I think you might be confusing the period when I left when you were a mod, with the much earlier period when I left because of Goodfellow. You were not a mod then. Two of the three who were were protecting him, one of them even joining in with his bullying of me, which for me was the last straw.