Soccer Forum

Villain

Jesus this thread is growning fast. IMO which means feck all I think the current system is very good all I came into this thread asking for was more mods to enforce the current rules because on the night of the champions league final none was about.

I'm not saying that there should always be a mod around obviously mod's have lives outside of Boards, well some do I hear, but I think 2 or 3 extra mods could easily sort out all the problems by banning users who troll in their opinion, and thats all it has to be an opinion. People aren't going to agree with some of the mods decision god knows I pissed off the Politics mods for long enough but after a while people learn this is not a democracy and while you may not like accepting mods decisions there is always the option to find another discussion site.

I don't want this to turn into a repeat of 04 when everyone keeps bitching and then the admins step in and lock the forum, the rules are there if you don't like them don't post and if you don't like the way they are implemented then don't post either.

Where did that Bungalow Bill go to? he was one pain in the ass!

RoundyMooney

Thanks Ecksor.

I personally think that the issue stems more from a pack mentality than a significant change in youth culture. Someone could probably make a fortune from writing a thesis on bulletin board psychology!

irish1 wrote:

Where did that Bungalow Bill go to? he was one pain in the ass!

He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun.

psi wrote:

Originally Posted by Roundeymoody

OMGETC!11!! psi is giving me teh aboos!!11!

By the way, you dropped this hook on your way out

scojones

ecksor wrote:

The word 'completely' is a bit restrictive, it's probably impossible to satisfy the majority completely. Replace with 'mostly' and it would be more informative.

Create the thread so. I would, but I don't want it closed and/or me banned from there.

As for a resolution with this issue, I don't see how it will achieve one. It will just re-enforce opinions that people have an issue with the soccer forum. Not exactly something we were unaware of.

A lot of the bans placed on the soccer forum are just. There are some bans which I have disagreed with as well - I've also had my fair share of people disagreeing with bans that I have set. I have retracted where necessary. I fail to see how talking about the current problems without offering any resolution is helping matters here. Some of us can't even agree that there is an issue on the soccer forum! Well there is, and if there wasn't then I don't think ecksor would have stepped in to moderate it, I don't think this thread would exist, and I don't think we'd have a Soccerdome thread in the forums section.

I think the main issue now is that people feel unsettled. I'll admit I'm a long time lurker of the forum, and I post on there the odd time. I am far from a regular poster, but definitely a regular lurker. I would post more if I didn't feel like "I have the headmaster of the school staring at everything I do". If things were more relaxed on the soccer forum I would definitely post there a lot more. That's what people were asking for with The Soccerdome forum request. You only have to visit that thread to see that people are unhappy with how The Soccer forum is being ran. I do understand that with the nature of the forum it may be hard to have things so relaxed - but if rival fans can get drunk beside each other in a pub, and engage in harmless banter with each other without one of them being put through a window then it should be possible for the same to happen on boards.ie.

Looking through the charter - it's a fairly resonable one. Nothing really needs to be changed in the charter, so where is the problem? It lies with "The Moderator's decision is final" - which is something that needs to remain in the charter, but the Moderator's decision is something that I feel needs to be relaxed a small bit. IMO, too many people on the soccer forum are trigger happy with the 'report a post' button. It's gotten to the stage whereby if I disagree with someone on there chances are my post will be reported. This is just my opinion but I'm pretty sure there are people on the Soccer forum who engage in an 'argument' with someone with the hope of them saying something that is borderline personal abuse and then reporting the person, thus getting them banned and then their problem has disappeared.

Ban for personal abuse, but let the banter go ahead. "Oh yeah, all that coming from a <insert team here> supporter. What would you know? " is fine banter IMO, but when it starts to get personal and when name calling comes into it then it should be considered personal abuse. I know that banter is allowed to go ahead to some degree, but I think it needs to be relaxed a bit more.

I won't be surprised if my post is disected, and people ask me for examples of where banter has happened, and someone was banned unfairly. I'm not going to. People have stated that so far we have had no suggestions on how to solve the issue(s) with The Soccer forum. IMO, there is only one way. It needs to be transformed into a more relaxed place to post. I believe the Moderator's decisions are a bit strict on there, and if they relaxed things a bit then I'm sure the posters would in turn relax things too. Back in 2004 we had that whole Arsenal vs Man United thing going on between the too teams so I can understand how, back then, things were way out of hand. Things are different now though.

KdjaCL

scojones wrote:

This is just my opinion but I'm pretty sure there are people on the Soccer forum who engage in an 'argument' with someone with the hope of them saying something that is borderline personal abuse and then reporting the person, thus getting them banned and then their problem has disappeared.

Therein lies the problem, people have been banned for doing whislt others have got better at it. A while ago i started to ban both offenders the trap and the bait it stopped for a while but last few months it has started again.

So the problem isnt the mods its the users ;p


kdjac

The Muppet

KdjaCL wrote:

Therein lies the problem, people have been banned for doing whislt others have got better at it. A while ago i started to ban both offenders the trap and the bait it stopped for a while but last few months it has started again.

So the problem isnt the mods its the users ;p


kdjac

I agree to a point but the users are just using the system that is in place.

therecklessone

The Muppet wrote:

I agree to a point but the users are just using the system that is in place.

Abusing the system in place Tom.

I gave up reporting posts a good while ago, after I was accused of back seat modding one too many times. Every now and then I'll remind someone of where they are posting if I feel they're likely to get a ban, hopefully that's taken as its intended.

One thing thats lost in the criticism or feedback to date is the responsibility posters have to help maintain the board and ensure it remains healthy and vibrant. I'd suggest people start by developing a thicker skin, if there are as many complaints and reported posts as suggested then I dare say a large number of boards posters would sh*t themselves if they actually went to a match..."oh no, those nasty opposition fans are questioning my parentage!"

I also think claims of moderator bias are exaggerated. As I alluded to earlier, in 2004 it was all because the mod was an Arsenal fan, now its because they're Liverpool...see the pattern emerging? Me too...

That's not to say the moderation is without fault. Closing threads for going off topic is too much, leave the discussion to run its course. If the same arguments continue to arise in separate threads then the issue is not with off-topic posts, its with posters choosing to reignite arguments. Deal with those posters, and leave the threads to evolve naturally.

I also think there is too great an emphasis on perceived trolling...Lemlin's recent ban sticks out like a sore thumb, I've already highlighted posts by two mods of the forum that were at least as provocative as my old buddy's posts on the Spurs-Blackburn. IMO (FWIW) there are few obvious trolls on the forum, so any judgement tends to be subjective in nature and is likely to cause posters to challenge corrective action.

I've suggested changes in the past to the mods of Soccer, now that psi has asked for concrete suggestions I'll lay a few out here...

One of the problems with the current forum is the spill over into the general boards community. Arguments are continued off-forum, pointless complaints emerge on feedback, abusive PMs are sent etc etc. To that end:

1. Close the Soccer Forum :eek: Leave one post in the forum, entitled something like "Soccer Forum has moved - read this thread for details" that lays out the new format, and what is expected of users.
2. Move soccer to the hosted section of boards, clarifying for users that this signifies a separation of the chain of command between boards and the soccer forum. Clarify for users that what happens on the new hosted forum stays there, complaints are not to make their way to feedback or via PM to an admin. Make that a permanently bannable offence if required.
3. Establish a sub-forum of the hosted forum to deal with appeals on bans. Give users the option of accepting a mods decision to ban them, or appeal the ban on the sub-forum.
4. For each appeal appoint five judges...the mod who banned the user, another poster picked by the mods, plus three random soccer forum posters (picked from a list of volunteers). The banned user gets a chance to put their case in a thread, then each of the five judges post their opinion...a discussion can take place if required, then each judge casts their vote. Until then the original ban is suspended, if upheld it is doubled.
5. Each user gets one appeal a year.

May not be the greatest idea ever, probably one of the worst. But its a suggestion.

p.s. on the subject of users feedback, couldn't a sticky be posted on the Soccer Forum saying "your feedback on the Soccer charter is required - see Feedback" with a link to this thread?

super_furry

Well it seems I've been banned. Not exactly sure why as I wasn't notified, but there you go.

ecksor

Now you know.

super_furry

ecksor wrote:

Now you know.

No I don't. I've not been notified as to why and obviously can't access the forum, so if possible, could you tell me why?

ecksor

You know that you've been banned.

I believe the term you used was "smug tosser", which I banned you for.

super_furry

Heh, it was for THAT? Well I'm sure Tim Lovejoy will sleep soundly tonight knowing his reputation is so soundly protected. It's a good job you stepped in though, the flame war that the anti and pro-Lovejoy lobbies would have started could have literally melted the internet.

And people wonder what's gone wrong with the soccer forum?

ecksor

Your point is noted.

Actually, no, it isn't. You were obviously aware of this thread and should probably have paid attention to my posts on it.

tallaght01

ecksor wrote:

You know that you've been banned.

I believe the term you used was "smug tosser", which I banned you for.

thank god u sorted him out for that. A job well done.

ecksor

Thanks for that. Does anyone actually get what's going on here or are you just going to throw snide comments at myself and the regular soccer mods? The rules aren't going to change as a result of those. Feel free to keep pouring water on this duck's back if it makes you feel clever.