There needs to be a line in The Thunderdome

PullMyFinger!

Sully wrote: »

Are you for real?! Suing? Bullying?

Honestly.

I dont have the time but Im sure I could Google similar incidents where forums have been forced to hand over ISP numbers for similar deformatory comments.

Sully

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

I was looking for your definition, if I wanted to wiki it I could have had a look. Feel free to give post it here.

Iv went though plenty of normal bullying. Cyber-bullying is the exact same thing but its on the internet. Bullying is targeting someone and harassing them, mocking them, attacking them physically, shouting abusive remarks about them etc.

In this case, we have a poster who (apparently) posts about having cancer a lot in her posts. In a thread about other users posting styles, Piste commented on Cathys posting style which just happened to be referring to her LTI a lot. Nothing else, no "What a retard" type comments. Simply pointed out a users posting style.

You cant sue someone for pointing that out. You cant pull the bullying card either - because its not repeated attacks, and the poster meant the comment in good fun. A joke. A bit of crack. A laugh. Not realising it might be in poor taste to a lot of people including Cathy. Im sure that once Piste reads this topic, he/she will apologise for offending anyone and insist it was just a joke.

Me, I'd class the repeated unwanted harassment of a poster under cyberbullying. This isn't the first time this poster was targeted in the dome.

Has Piste been constantly harassing Cathy? And this user is still on Boards? I take a very dim view on bullying, and if Piste is constantly at Cathy then yes - that is bullying.

Wibbs

Sully wrote: »

No its not.

Let's face it is. Yea I see where you're going with it but as an argument? It's pretty silly.

I would NOT say that Piste is bullying Cathy or her husband for god sake. That post is nowhere near bullying ANYBODY.

I agree completely. Calling it bullying is either a bit dumb or point scoring for the sake of it.

PullMyFinger! wrote:

Wrong. Its 100% cyber-bullying and maybe even a bit more serious than that. If this was the States Piste would be getting sued by Cathy any week now tbh.

Have to again agree with Sully here. You're getting all hyped up on that score. So what "if in the states". You can get banned on many of their forums for saying "fúck". On others you can nearly get banned for not saying it enough. We're not in the states anyway so a completely moot point.

Mr Magnolia wrote:

Me, I'd class the repeated unwanted harassment of a poster under cyberbullying. This isn't the first time this poster was targeted in the dome.

Can you give links? That would put a different slant on it.

Sully

6th wrote: »

So Sully you think its ok to slag off people from LTI about the fact they talk about what they are going through? ..... Off you go so.

This is different 6th. The way people are going in in this thread is like Piste set out to bully Cathy. I highly doubt it. I have no problem with Cathy, I dont know her, and I think the idea of talking about your illness helps and the LTI forum is a great place. Nobody should be targeted for doing so whether it be a joke or actual bullying. I can only assume because of the thread title, Cathy does it an AWFUL lot.

If Piste picked Cathy out of the many others in LTI, and in a posting style thread, I assume Piste got the impression that a lot of Cathys posts KEEP referring to the fact she has an LTI. Excessively. He picked this up, and posted what he thinks is a common posting style for that user. AS a joke. Assuming that people would just laugh and not actually consider it offensive - never mind bullying.

PullMyFinger! wrote: »

I dont have the time but Im sure I could Google similar incidents where forums have been forced to hand over ISP numbers for similar deformatory comments.

Please do. I highly doubt anybody has ever successfully sued someone for pointing out their posting style without making any further joke or directly offensive comment that was insulting or damages the persons name.

6th

Piste is a she.

Sully

Wibbs wrote: »

Let's face it is. Yea I see where you're going with it but as an argument? It's pretty silly.

The only reason why I used that, and I could use countless other similar arguments, is to show that people are only giving out here not because there taking the piss out of users posting styles that are not in the dome but because one person put together a post based on one users posting style which happens to repeat excessively that she has cancer. Its JUST because of that - the cancer bit. NOTHING else.

I have no problem with Cathy, or anyone with an LTI. I have no problem with someone talking about their LTI, and asking for advise. Sometimes talking about it to much isn't a good thing - and can do more harm then good. What Piste did was, maybe poor taste, but not bullying or meant in anyway to be offensive or hurtful.

I don't agree with dragging people into the Dome and insulting them (which isn't what happened here) that are not posters there.

Tbh, that thread is more an AH thread rather then a Dome thread!

Sully

6th wrote: »

Piste is a she.

Thanks, I didn't know that.

KnifeWRENCH

The comment was kinda in bad taste but it certainly doesn't amount to bullying. Some people are really overreacting here.

Fajitas!

No, I don't think it's an attempt at bullying by any means, but I do think it was a horrible, immature comment to make about CM - People are overreacting with the bullying remarks though. It was an attempt at humour that failed at the first hurdle.

So what if a user talks about their long term illness, whether it is in or out of the LTI forum - Noone should get the piss taken out of them for it. And if talking about it helps either themselves or someone else going through the same, then all the more reason for the user to talk about it, imo.

Sully

I dont think it was a take the piss as such tbh.

aidan_walsh

Sully wrote: »

I dont think it was a take the piss as such tbh.

The entire thread is about taking the piss out of people and their posting styles, so of course it was a pisstake.

Sully

aidan_walsh wrote: »

The entire thread is about taking the piss out of people and their posting styles, so of course it was a pisstake.

Fair enough, I wouldnt of considered it to be a thread to offend.. is just a joke..

The_Conductor

Just thought I'd pop a brief line here.

Both Cathymoran and myself were aware of the post in the Thunderdome, both when it was made (we do read the thunderdome even if we don't post there), and also as a result of numerous PMs from several people suggesting either one or both of us get involved in the thread to defend ourselves. We made a conscious decision not to post on the thread- as there was nothing whatsover to be gained from mudslinging back at the individual who made the post.

Yes, the post did cross the line of what would be considered normal or acceptable behaviour. Yes, I would define it as bullying. Yes, cancer has played a massive role in Cathy's life over the past 2 years, and it is a right kick in the guts to have posts like that allowed carte blanche without any reprecussions for those who make them. Yes, Cathy does go-on about cancer more than she probably should do, she is well aware of this, but it is such a massive part of her life. Her posts are largely in the LTI forum, and not PI. Ultimately, as suggested by others in this thread- we did not subscribe to a mudslinging bitchfest with Piste, precisely because there is no point.

In my eyes the correct course of action would be to delete the post, and have a serious debate about the raison d'etre of the Thunderdome. While I understand the reason behind the forum- in cases like this where the person does not post on the forum and does not subscribe to the behaviour of those who do- should they be fair game? I don't think so.

witnessmenow

Thread has been deleted, rightly so in my opinion

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

all you bastards with your sandy vaginas are ruining boards.
srsly. Die.

Wibbs

What flavour of idiotic comment is that?

Slidey

|-*SxyDubGrrl93*-| wrote: »

all you bastards with your sandy vaginas are ruining boards.
srsly. Die.

Aye, while I have every sympathy for the people mentioned and i think the poster was out of line deleting the whole thread was a bit much..

Maybe if the post and the quotes relating to it were deleted instead?

TequilaMockingBird

Thunderdome has been closed. Good call.

witnessmenow

|-*SxyDubGrrl93*-| wrote: »

all you bastards with your sandy vaginas are ruining boards.
srsly. Die.

Answer me this:
If you, or someone close to you, had a serious disease would you want people making fun of you/them about it?


It wasn't like she was just making fun of cancer it was a making fun of a specific person with it. If the majority of users feel that being against this is "ruining boards" then to be quite frank i no longer want to be a part of it.

Vexorg

Given the nature of the thread, which was about poster style, I read the post as being an attempt to give a sense of a users posting style in a humerous fashion, there were other posting styles in that post so I do not believe its intention was to bully, hurt or cause upset to any of the posters imitated.

If the post was started elsewhere and moved, clearly it fell outside of the 2 men enter one man leave rule. The fact is that forum has evolved into a mini version of gen[m]ay a long time ago and the 2 men enter rule was lost years ago.

So we reach another milestone - Thunderdome is closed until a clear set of guidelines are in place and we find someone to mod the forum if required. The recent changes to feedback and helpdesk seem to be working very well - no reason to assume that some tweaks to Thunderdome wont result in the same benefits.

So knives away, let see if we can fix this and all move along.

arybvtcw0eolkf

witnessmenow wrote: »

Answer me this:
If you, or someone close to you, had a serious disease would you want people making fun of you/them about it?

Look who your trying to reason with ffs!.

'Lie down with dogs....'

Slidey

sueme wrote: »

Thunderdome has been closed. Good call.

For someone who doesnt post in there you have a pretty strong opinion.

PullMyFinger!

|-*SxyDubGrrl93*-| wrote: »

all you bastards with your sandy vaginas are ruining boards.
srsly. Die.

Mordeth how are you a Mod of one of the top 3 busiest forums on Boards?

Seriously?

How?

Oh and post reported.

PullMyFinger!

witnessmenow wrote: »

Thread has been deleted, rightly so in my opinion

The whole thread should not have been deleted. Definitely not. There were some real laugh out loud moments in that thread before it got nasty.

Why wasnt just the offending post removed? I smell lazy moderation.

arybvtcw0eolkf

PullMyFinger! wrote: »

Mordeth how are you a Mod of one of the top 3 busiest forums on Boards?

Seriously?

How?

Oh and post reported.

I suspect someone is having a laugh on us all.

RoundyMooney

FFS.

Yet another boards institution culled by hand-wringers.

The post was a bloody joke, a poor one maybe, but nothing if not 100% factual.

Many have campaigned in the past for a new approach to the dome, be it moderation or whatever. Despite some lip service (which amounted to one post from an admin), nothing was ever done.

Now we have a Feedback with more locks than the Grand Canal, a Cuckoos Nest that stopped being funny around 9/11, half the site littered with private fora that amount to a love in between the same nine or ten people, and a Thunderdome that has had to be closed by an admin due to (and I hate this term with all my essence) sandy vaginas.

Outside of the specialist fora (Games/Sports etc.) this place isn't worth a hill of beans any more IMVHO.

SimpleSam06

Vexorg wrote: »

I read the post as being an attempt to give a sense of a users posting style in a humerous fashion, there were other posting styles in that post so I do not believe its intention was to bully, hurt or cause upset to any of the posters imitated.

No, but there definetely was the rank stench of childish bitchiness from the post in question, which given the seriousness of the condition being discussed, has no place on boards.

arybvtcw0eolkf

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Outside of the specialist fora (Games/Sports etc.) this place isn't worth a hill of beans any more IMVHO.

We still have the craic in lolcaust.

SimpleSam06

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Now we have a Feedback with more locks than the Grand Canal, a Cuckoos Nest that stopped being funny around 9/11, half the site littered with private fora that amount to a love in between the same nine or ten people, and a Thunderdome that has had to be closed by an admin due to (and I hate this term with all my essence) sandy vaginas.

Most of the locked feedback threads are ones that have had their issues resolved one way or another, and so should rightly be cleared in order for feedback to function effectively, rather than being renamed the catpics forum. Private fora, who cares, don't see them and don't really give a tinkers damn what goes on in there. The cuckoos nest, likewise.

You know what we should do, we should disband the moderators entirely, cast the rules to the winds, and let boards run itself.

Yeah, that would be great.

Oh wait, no, the site wouldn't last a week. The rules are there for a reason and make boards a great place to be. I have no problem with them or those who enforce them, and I think boards is one of the most entertaining and best run sites on the internet, and believe me, I'm a man who knows.

There's edgy and there's crass, people. Learn the damn difference.

Xavi6

Absolute joke of a decision to close it. There are comments like that all the time, the majority of which are tongue in cheek. Anyone who takes it to heart or finds it offensive needs to cop themselves on.

It's a comment.

By a randomer.

On the internet.

:rolleyes:

witnessmenow

RoundyMooney wrote: »

FFS.

Yet another boards institution culled by hand-wringers.

The post was a bloody joke, a poor one maybe, but nothing if not 100% factual.

Many have campaigned in the past for a new approach to the dome, be it moderation or whatever. Despite some lip service (which amounted to one post from an admin), nothing was ever done.

Now we have a Feedback with more locks than the Grand Canal, a Cuckoos Nest that stopped being funny around 9/11, half the site littered with private fora that amount to a love in between the same nine or ten people, and a Thunderdome that has had to be closed by an admin due to (and I hate this term with all my essence) sandy vaginas.

Outside of the specialist fora (Games/Sports etc.) this place isn't worth a hill of beans any more IMVHO.

I put the same question to you:
If you, or someone close to you, had a serious disease would you want people joking about it?

I'm sure Piste didnt intentionally go out to hurt cathymoran with the comment, but thats what happened, her husband even confirmed it a few pages back.

If comments like that were allowed stay would the place suddenly be "worth a hill of beans"?

Correct me if i'm worng:
The intention of the thunderdome was to let people have it out, not
to be used as a get out of jail free card to say whatever the hell you want.

Vexorg

It was not closed as a result of one comment - there have been a series of incidents and comments that have led to this.

The closure is to allow those interested in the forum to come up with a set of guidelines that may simply end up being you cannot mention someone who has not agreed to take part in the forum/thread or if you post in a theard - you become fair game in that thread.

Constructive feedback welcome:)

Vexorg

Quick Update.

Spankeh has been added as mod of the forum and as a result of this and the pms I have received from the regular users, the forum is open for business again while the new guidlines get trashed out.

V.

kaimera

the pms I have received from the regular users

typical

Hagar

Suggestion:

Set up an "I wish to participate" sticky and let any poster who wants to take part in the forum let them post on this thread, if they do they are fair game.

Set up a "I wish to withdraw" sticky and let any poster who no longer wishes to participate formally withdraw from the forum after which he/she cannot be targeted for any reason.

There should be a minimum "participation time" of 7 days to stop drive by postings.

Anyone who targets a poster not list on the participation thread should be disciplined by the forum mods.

/Edit Welcome Spankeh

Sparky

Hagar wrote: »

Suggestion:

Set up an "I wish to participate" sticky and let any poster who wants to take part in the forum let them post on this thread, if they do they are fair game.

Set up a "I wish to withdraw" sticky and let any poster who no longer wishes to participate formally withdraw from the forum after which he/she cannot be targeted for any reason.

There should be a minimum "participation time" of 7 days to stop drive by postings.

Anyone who targets a poster not list on the participation thread should be disciplined by the forum mods.

/Edit Welcome Spankeh

I like that idea Hagar

Sully

Cheers Vex, good call and some very wise words in your first post in this thread. The post(s) in that thread were humours and as said earlier, probably 100% factual. There was no bullying of any user, nor was it even abusive in nature or style. People have over reacted completely with lame comments about being able to sue.

If there is ever any genuine case of bullying on Boards, I would expect that the victim does not keep it to themselves and put on a brave face. Nor should a witness just pass it by and ignore it. Always report the posts and where needed go to one of the mods for further support. Nobody should suffer any form of bullying.

Anyway, I think its safe to say this case has been resolved. An admin has spoken, and a decission has been made to apoint a mod to the Dome just to make sure things are somewhat straightened out. Lets move on and put the pitch forks away.

Sully

Hagar wrote: »

Suggestion:

Set up an "I wish to participate" sticky and let any poster who wants to take part in the forum let them post on this thread, if they do they are fair game.

Set up a "I wish to withdraw" sticky and let any poster who no longer wishes to participate formally withdraw from the forum after which he/she cannot be targeted for any reason.

There should be a minimum "participation time" of 7 days to stop drive by postings.

Anyone who targets a poster not list on the participation thread should be disciplined by the forum mods.

/Edit Welcome Spankeh

Yup, good suggestion. Makes it fairer and lets things run as they have been, but this time with a clearer policy as to who gets called upon.

RoundyMooney

Mairt wrote: »

We still have the craic in lolcaust.

And long may it continue.

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

You know what we should do, we should disband the moderators entirely, cast the rules to the winds, and let boards run itself.

Yeah, that would be great.

Um, I modded here for long enough to know the necessity of it, in the right place, with the right intentions, and to the right degree. You don't need to give me a lesson in Online Discussion Moderation 101.

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

There's edgy and there's crass, people. Learn the damn difference.

Whose business is it to decide?

If a user insists on harping on about their personal life again and again (in many cases at the expense of other users threads), people are going to notice.

It may not be very commendable or even nice to respond to such a public vulnerability, but it will happen.

dr.bollocko

Well way to fuck up the thunderdome everyone.

faceman

Hagar wrote: »

Suggestion:

Great idea Hagar.

Beruthiel

Vexorg wrote: »

Spankeh has been added as mod of the forum.

And the burning question on all our minds, what did Spankeh ever do to you to deserve this?!

Earthhorse

RoundyMooney wrote: »

If a user insists on harping on about their personal life again and again (in many cases at the expense of other users threads), people are going to notice.

It may not be very commendable or even nice to respond to such a public vulnerability, but it will happen.

On the one hand you want us to not take Thunderdome seriously because it's just words but then you want us to take into account that somone dragging a thread (or threads), which are also just words, off topic is grounds for this shit.

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Well way to fuck up the thunderdome everyone.

Yes, it's completely ****ed up now. It was closed for a few hours, a few comments were removed and a mod was installed. How will it ever survive?

DeVore

The idea of the Thunderdome originally was you had to put yourself in the game (by posting there) to be a valid target for abuse/rows/whatever. Unfortunately the ability to move threads there messed that up but the forum kinda worked anyway so I left it alone. Maybe we should review the ability to move threads there and reinstate the original rule.

I've zero problem with rough play (I love Lolocaust for example) but I appreciate that not everyone does and that people have a basic right to remain unattacked.

DeV.

The Recliner

DeVore wrote: »

The idea of the Thunderdome originally was you had to put yourself in the game (by posting there) to be a valid target for abuse/rows/whatever. Unfortunately the ability to move threads there messed that up but the forum kinda worked anyway so I left it alone. Maybe we should review the ability to move threads there and reinstate the original rule.

I've zero problem with rough play (I love Lolocaust for example) but I appreciate that not everyone does and that people have a basic right to remain unattacked.

DeV.

Why not move threads that currently get moved to The Thunderdome to The Recycle Bin and allow people to post in there but not start new threads that way they can still get carried off topic and users wont get dragged into The Thunderdome?

Bob the Builder

Mairt wrote: »

We still have the craic in lolcaust.

Until I got banned. Seriously. Coz' of my age. Damn you hagar. :pac:

Vexorg wrote: »

Spankeh has been added as mod of the forum and as a result of this and the pms I have received from the regular users, the forum is open for business again while the new guidlines get trashed out.

Good decision. Spankeh also has a laid back sense of humour and is the right pedobear for the job in my opinion.

Beruthiel wrote: »

And the burning question on all our minds, what did Spankeh ever do to you to deserve this?!

lmao. The poor fecker is ruined now...

It is time the situation was reviewed, and I think the right decision has been made to appoint a perma-mod to the forum. Then after that, it gives everyone sufficient time to remove the focus on this one post, and then people can begin focusing on what to do next.


I have to agree with RoundyMooney. The sense of community is stronger than ever, and people are rolling onto Boards everyday, but there's times that I feel that the sense of atmosphere is slowly going down the tubes. One particular Boards Beers that I remember hearing about is an example of this, where it turned into a shabby night and then one night later, there was a thread on the BGRH and Feedback with people bitching to one another.

The rules are so libelous, and whilst everyone hates the idea of having mods, cmods, smods and admins all standing over you while you post, it's a necessary step. From having asshole's post all over the place to having spam from computer bots in america flaunting dating websites. So, yeah, Mods are necessary, and are of great value to this site - apart from the odd slip-up that we see on Feedback from time to time.

Roundy is coming from an experienced point of view when he says what he says, and I respect that.

I think it's time thigs were changed slightly on the whole discussion board. When you see that The Thunderdome is now going down the tubes, there is something definetley not going right. Lolocaust is probably the only forum that anyone has any fun in anymore. For the simple reason that anyone who is requesting access is automatically admitting to been 'not-right-in-the-head'.

Feedback is amusing - it's fluckign hilarious - watching posts about power crazed nazis banning people -but sometimes, when I stop laughing, I get the impression that Boards is actually turning into a sad depressive meeting stop in the middle of a concentration camp.

Of course, my opinion is that of a registered user with <2000 posts, so I don't really count at all, but I think this forum needs a shake-up and a sense of determination and atmosphere needs to be injected back into the place. In a time when the government is trying to close pubs, and ban alcohol, I think that Boards users should start drinking virtual alcohol again.

I also agree with Hagar, but I also think that no matter how much you blanket the forum, people on the outside are going to always question ethics, and the only solution I can see here, is to render the forum a private one. And then implement a simple rule, that only people inside the mystery fora can fall victim to the foul language of it's counterparts.

SimpleSam06

RoundyMooney wrote: »

Whose business is it to decide?

Moderators. Thats why they are there. besides, if someone can't tell the difference between genuinely edgy humour and crassness, they probably aren't as funneh as they think they are.

RoundyMooney wrote: »

If a user insists on harping on about their personal life again and again (in many cases at the expense of other users threads), people are going to notice.

If it bothers you that much, put them on ignore. Making them a target is generally grounds for banning.

RoundyMooney wrote: »

It may not be very commendable or even nice to respond to such a public vulnerability, but it will happen.

And when it happens, I'd expect that user to get banned. Thats not going to happen in this case, because the poster was basically acting within the remit of the forum, but 1) that remit is being changed directly because of this post and 2) being the boob that got the thunderdome closed is probably punishment enough.

SimpleSam06

nevf wrote: »

but sometimes, when I stop laughing, I get the impression that Boards is actually turning into a sad depressive meeting stop in the middle of a concentration camp.

Did you start thinking this before or after the TD got shut down? Honestly, this is like watching kids who threw their toys out of the pram having a tantrum (not aimed at you nevf).

Bob the Builder

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Did you start thinking this before or after the TD got shut down? Honestly, this is like watching kids who threw their toys out of the pram having a tantrum (not aimed at you nevf).

I don't care who it's aimed at - Even if it was aimed at me, I've had worse insults thrown at me in Feedback. :pac:.

I've been thinking this for a while now, about the atmosphere being crap. I've also been thinking that the place needs a shake up. But today really made me think harder about it.

For a forum that reigns at insulting people, and that that is it's purpose, and now needs a moderator. It shows that things are been taking too seriously. At the same time, I don't agree with people been dragged into the thunderdome.

Slidey

nevf wrote: »

I don't care who it's aimed at - Even if it was aimed at me, I've had worse insults thrown at me in Feedback. :pac:.

I've been thinking this for a while now, about the atmosphere being crap. I've also been thinking that the place needs a shake up. But today really made me think harder about it.

For a forum that reigns at insulting people, and that that is it's purpose, and now needs a moderator. It shows that things are been taking too seriously. At the same time, I don't agree with people been dragged into the thunderdome.

*grabs nevf by the lug* come with me ya wee scroat