Vanishing Topics?

[Cyril Haearn]

Another topic has been vanished. I have an alert for it. Clicking the alert tells me I am not authorised to read that forum. I guess it is in the mods' private stash.

Which one please?

[mjr]

Another topic has been vanished. I have an alert for it. Clicking the alert tells me I am not authorised to read that forum. I guess it is in the mods' private stash.

Which one please?

Are we allowed to say? The one about using a car (not) to secure a bike garage.

[Mick F]

So where's my powers? I've got no moderator superpowers.

Did you notice my capitisations and non-capitalisation of moderator and Moderator?

You do have moderator superpowers. PM the Moderators if you have a gripe, or use your moderator superpowers to click on the Alert button and leave a fulsome message. It WILL be actioned on.

Some sections of threads get removed where people have become grumpy and argumentative. The "garage" bit was one of them.

[Cyril Haearn]

Mod: Minustry of Defence?

[mjr]

You do have moderator superpowers. PM the Moderators if you have a gripe, or use your moderator superpowers to click on the Alert button and leave a fulsome message. It WILL be actioned on.

That's not always true. Sometimes junk gets left and the reporter hears nothing unless they appeal and then sometimes, it's justified as something like leaving it visible to make the poster known as a bad sort, in rather more words.

Another common dodge of some naughty posters is one mod rules on something (most often to stop or split out trolling on one of the common fake "safety" topics like hats, coats, headphones or lights), later posters ignore the ruling but reports of those go unactioned and so another potentially-useful topic gets buried under cycles of wild claims and debunk attempts.

I've suggested a public mod log in the past, both to avoid repeating this sort of discussion and also to offer a quick reference for mods to see what each other has done or not. I don't know whether there is a simple phpbb way to do that.

[Mick F]

Dunno.
You'd have to ask Graham the Mod, or Admin about that.

I only help out and don't get involved in Moderating other than the odd edit and removing spam of course. Maybe three or four spam posts per day.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Mick is right of course we all have powers to report anything we find offensive as well as might be offensive to other individuals here.

If I got this correct I have had one post in 10,000 deleted, where I had insulted another.
Many more of my posts have been deleted which are part of a conversation which had gone wrong through other posters inflammatory remarks whatever,we just except that is the way of course.

It is easyTo get a bit sensitive about stuff that you write that you think shouldn't be removed.
But after a while you cool off and just move on.

Any time I have reported a post the moderators have normally sorted it out.

I think the only thing you could add which doesn't exist at the moment, It may be that all posters on that thread we sent a notification that the thread or their individual post has been deleted, with say a statement saying that you were part of a post that went bad not that you were wrong et cetera.
being notified that a post you are following the thread you are following that is maybe makes you feel a bit better rather than trying to find something there thinking oh that isn't there.

[merseymouth]

Hello all, I do not know what the offending poster posted, so can't, no WON'T speculate! But the topic in question was about the 75th Anniversary of the discovery of Auschwitz, a worthwhile date to keep in our awareness.
I posted my take on the sad state of affairs that flags up the fact that we should be doing our best to understand the wrongs in the world and to try our utmost to ensure they're never repeated.
So how the individual managed to offend in that area baffles me, but maybe it was another Holocaust Denier?
So let us all post with respect, taking care not to offend or abuse! IGICB MM

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Not much to add to that.
My thoughts are that I hope that, that particular serial offender has now been removed completely.

[Mick F]

He has been removed completely. Nothing to stop him lurking though as anyone can via surfing the 'net.

If anyone wants to post about that particular 75th anniversary, please do. Keep the political stuff down though. Too much of it in Tea Shop these days.

[Mick F]

...................... and removing spam of course. Maybe three or four spam posts per day.

Just got rid of spam post advertising magic mushrooms for sale.

[100%JR]

You're ALL moderators.
Use the Alert function if you feel something is wrong or insulting or defamatory or or objectionable or whatever.
The Mods will see your alert and take action.

There lies the problem
Too many easily "offended" or "outraged" and eager to press the report button.
Here's a thought......if you don't like something you read on these pages then click the back button and don't revisit that thread?You know a bit like changing the channel on TV

So much for freedom of speech
I've said it before and I'll say it again......the Mods on here are far too trigger happy/power mad

[661-Pete]

Absolute, unfettered, Freedom of Speech is not a 'given'. Social media are all the more palatable for being moderated, and this forum is no exception. I assert considerable "freedom of speech" when posting here, but I try to do it in a way that doesn't offend. I like to think I succeed in that. Others may disagree!

[661-Pete]

...and backing away from an offensive post is not the answer. It doesn't become less offensive if people don't read it. I've from time to time made passing mention of my being at the wrong end of some nasty stuff elsewhere... Point being, I wasn't meant to read it: I stumbled upon it by accident. But if I hadn't read it, it would still have been offensive.

Incidentally, I have no idea who the person banned may be. All the regulars seem to be still around - for which I'm relieved. I suppose it would be improper to ask.....

[PH]

So much for freedom of speech

You signed up to the terms and conditions when you registered, that was your freedom, just as it's your choice to either continue being a member under those conditions or to leave. The previous incarnation of this forum burnt to the ground in the flames of insult and abuse, it became an unpleasant place to spend any time so most people just exercised the off button and left it to die. I think there was some attempt to bring it under control, but it was too late.
I think the moderators have it about right, but they're not going to please everyone. I'm capable of robust argument, I don't think I've ever had my freedom to express an opinion restricted, I'm sure some will find my opinions offensive, but there's a difference between that and attacking someone. I think I've been moderated three or four times in almost 8,000 posts, on reflection, each time I'd have been better off not writing what I did.
The poster who's been removed was offensive for the sake of it, that's all they were, they had nothing to say, I think it was a rare failing of the moderators not to have removed them a lot sooner. I very much doubt it was their first character here and I doubt it'll be their last, I hope they're less tolerated next time.