What's wrong with us???

CDfm

trout wrote: »

What do you mean by this? Threads becoming inactive and dropping off the front page?

i pm'd MM about it a while back but i will find one for ya

Dr Galen

Cdfm, I'm not sure what your getting at here tbh.

Are you anoyed because the Mods aren't allowing off topicyness, aren't allowing ranting and aren't allowing soapboxing? Or is it because you feel that relevant and on-topic viewpoints are being stifled?

If it's the latter, linking to some definite examples would be great. So far all I can see is the thread that OldGoat has already written about, which was locked while we await some legal clarification on how to proceed. It appears that this approach is something you agree with.....so if you could clarify your issues that would be cool

CDfm

This is one of the threads.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=61930415#post61930415

What I am saying is that its a Mans forum on man issues and some of these will be topical and by there nature will annoy doctrinaire feminists. My views are not extreme and there are other guys who will post if they think they can.

I do like that it has a gender balance but originally there were a lot of serious issues to, such as male suicide, along with the witty banter.

If threads are locked cos the issues are controvercial they usually dont start again even when unlocked.

Ommeletes and eggs methinks.

Dr Galen

and can i ask what was wrong with that thread?

its open from what I can see, it appears people just stopped posting?

From a purely Moderator point of view, I can see a few examples of that thread threatening to meander from the topic. It was left alone, hardly an example of the mods being over jealous i think. I also see no "feminist" interruptions either. I'm open to correction on this, but I don't this example thread is showing anything or providing proper feedback.

trout

CDfm wrote: »

This is one of the threads.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=61930415#post61930415

I don't see a problem ... the thread dropped off the front page, because people stopped posting in it. Nothing to do with the hack ... what am I missing here

CDfm

there are a lot of threads that just disappeared from the listings on the main pages -\so not just the front page but totally from the visible listings

i mean you can only find them if you know exactly what you are looking for and google it.

so they are there just not visable on the listings

trout

CDfm wrote: »

there are a lot of threads that just disappeared from the listings on the main pages -\so not just the front page but totally from the visible listings

i mean you can only find them if you know exactly what you are looking for and google it.

so they are there just not visable on the listings

Just checking the obvious question first.

Have you changed the default view settings? I think the default is list threads for two weeks ... but you can change that to whatever you like.

It's in the Filter Threads box at the top of the page, above the stickies ... what does yours say now?

Nevyn

CDfm wrote: »

Thanks koth

This is the one.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055823501

There are not many places where guys discuss guy stuff as guys - what I am saying is that sometimes the forum is too safe and rather than discuss issues on guys terms -some women come in and post in a manner to derail or close a thread.

Now I know there was a crossover from BGRH but this is not BGRH.

So you don't think I should post in this forum any more?
Too bad, request denied, if the mods don't want me to then that is a matter for them to discuss with me.

Bullshít and soapboxing is Bullshít and soapboxing no matter the gender of the person who call you on it and challenges it.

The locking of thread to then try sort out the moderation of them pisses me off personally and while it may be the 'style' of some mods, I think it only shows lack of thread steering and willingness to ban if needs be.

Will

Issues with modding should be sent to us using a self addressed envelope, thanks.

trout

Thaedydal wrote: »

So you don't think I should post in this forum any more?

No-one is saying that. The only people not welcome here are spammers, shills and trolls.

Thaedydal wrote: »

The locking of thread to then try sort out the moderation of them pisses me off personally and while it may be the 'style' of some mods, I think it only shows lack of thread steering and willingness to ban if needs be.

I'm not sure what this thread is about now.

Is it about disappearing threads following the hack, overzealous modding, chickensh1t modding, soapboxing, ranting, or just plain old-fashioned feedback?

I've looked over the recent threads, especially ones which were locked. In each case, I think the lock was for a good reason.

Nevyn

I have seen a few threads get locked and it stated that they are being done so for mods to catch up on them and to over look them and to decide what to do and then they stay locked, which I find strange.

trout

OK ... this thread was locked two days ago, still under review.

This one was locked, in line with the charter.

This one was locked, as it is a matter sub judice.

Another one locked for medical advice

Stout gives this guy stomach ache

Another medical advice thread

This thread had ran it's course

Troll thread

Raunchy movie thread

Another medical advice thread

Duplicate thread

I stopped looking for locked threads at this point ... having gone back to the middle of January.

tbh

Herbal Deity wrote: »

In fairness, CDfm, a lot of what you say isn't simply "guys being guys", but going off on tangents, making wild accusations against feminists, and occasionally borderline crazy conspiracy theories. There's also a very predictable pattern of you twisting and derailing threads so that they involve father's rights or female on male domestic violence, even if the thread title only has so much as a tenuous link with these subjects.

Think before you type. I agree that there shouldn't be feminists lurking on every thread waiting to pounce the second anything not strictly PC is said, but I don't think that's really the case. There's a reason you're always one of the main ones involved in the squabbles with women on here...

it's true, cdfm. I don't mod in here any more, so this is just general opinion, but I've started to filter out your posts, because the majority of them seem to be an exercise in you trying to bend a discussion to include discussion of some sort of agenda you seem to have. I'm not trying to be a pr1ck saying that, it's genuinely meant as constructive feedback.

CDfm

i have calmed down a bit in my fave hobby horse

lots of the womens organisations in ireland even in their own literature describe themselves as political organisations for the advancement of women -as a political objective.that is a question of fact not just opinion.

when i see posters put forward the same language and arguments in the forum its like a red rag.

we dont have any other political organisations supporters posting so why shouldnt they be challenged when they do

i did apologise to those i thought i may have offended on my comments on DRCC and its my opinion that as an organisation its not for heterosexual guys or even lesbian women or anything that is not heterosexual female victim.

@ thaed I suggested that we not argue the point on DRCC.It was an argument I did not want to get into.

But to see comments in the thread deriding my friendship with a lesbian or indeed suggesting that men should have their own equivalent political style lobby groups is wrong.

I am all for equality and naturally don't like organisations that discriminate or have a gender bias or use deceptive marketing techniques or gender biased studies to get their political points across.Their supporters can go jump wherever they want and it doesn't bother me..

Thats one aspect - the other thing is I often find that tGC is very PC -if I said to my son who is 19 that I was going to lunch with my lesbian friends - he would ask if they are hot. Thats the way lots of guys talk and women too.

Anyway a lot of it is academic as I have lost interest in tGC of late anyway.

tbh

CDfm wrote: »

Thats one aspect - the other thing is I often find that tGC is very PC -if I said to my son who is 19 that I was going to lunch with my lesbian friends - he would ask if they are hot. Thats the way lots of guys talk and women too.

it's not about being PC, it's about being appropriate. If you heard a discussion on radio about lesbian issues, and someone asked "is the lesbian hot" - you'd wtf, right?
in this case, tGC is like "morning ireland" and the situation with your son is "the adrian kennedy phone show". Both have their place, both are equally valid, but you don't tune in to one expecting to hear content from the other.
There's a time and a place for everything, but in this case, tGC isn't it.

CDfm

that wasnt my point and i would not expect comments like that in tGC but ..........

trout

CDfm ... you' ve gotten some feedback here, that you may not have been expecting. Take it on the chin. You've acknowledged it yourself, with the hobby horse comment. Strongly held views, are just that, views.

If you are losing interest in this forum, that's up to you. You have to consider that many other people are losing interest in threads going down the same old rabbit holes, and this has an impact on the forum at large.

So ... this is how I see things

1. Disappearing threads after the hack - non issue. I am not aware of any threads that have "disappeared". The examples posted were inactive threads that people had just stopped posting in.
2. I'll consult with the other mods on amending the charter to cover soapboxing. The consensus view has been formed - it's not acceptable.
3. Locking threads - I'll take this up with Thaedydal. My view is any threads locked in the past while have been locked for good reason. If there are specific examples, we can discuss.
4. Tone of the forum ... "too PC" - I think this is worth a feedback thread on it's own. Let people make their feelings known. A dedicated thread would be more appropriate than lumping it in with other points. My own view is that this forum evolved a tone based on the majority input and expectation. That may or may not be seen as PC, highbrow or lowbrow depending on your viewpoint ... but it has evolved based on the regulars. Like I said ... it's probably worth a thread on it's own.
   

Does that cover everything raised in this thread?

Glenster

trout wrote: »

If you disagree, and can argue cogently that helping someone in Sligo find a stripper is within the remit of this forum ... I'm all ears.

Are strippers illegal?

Is telling someone where they can find a legal service illegal?

Is the remit of the forum to follow their own 'clean-teen' agenda illuminati-stylee?

think about it.

OldGoat

Stripping is not illegal (though it is governed by some rather strict laws). I have nothing against strippers, some of my best friends etc., etc., thus telling someone where to hire a stripper would not be an illegal service but it's not what the GC does.
Have you seen any other jobs wanted ads places? Any Plaster for hire requests? A motor mechanic wanted comment? No, because it's not the forum for that.

"Is the remit of the forum to follow their own 'clean-teen' agenda illuminati-stylee?" Could you re-phrase this for me as I'm not sure what you are saying.

trout

Glenster wrote: »

Is the remit of the forum to follow their own 'clean-teen' agenda illuminati-stylee?

think about it.

I have thought about it ... What do you mean?

CDfm

trout wrote: »

I have thought about it ... What do you mean?

probably that it errs on the side of caution and is "safe"

its does stuff for "good kids"

Glenster

trout wrote: »

I have thought about it ... What do you mean?

'Clean teen' is an abstenance movement in america (according to some sitcoms I've seen).

The Illuminatii are a secret organistation that try to run the world and control people (according to a Tom Hanks movie that I saw)

and 'Stylee' is a totally fly way of saying style, or 'by the method of', (according to USA High, Saved by the Bell and that one about the band)

Gramps!

Catch you on the flip side dudemeisters, to the extreme!

trout

Glenster wrote: »

'Clean teen' is an abstenance movement in america (according to some sitcoms I've seen).

The Illuminatii are a secret organistation that try to run the world and control people (according to a Tom Hanks movie that I saw)

and 'Stylee' is a totally fly way of saying style, or 'by the method of', (according to USA High, Saved by the Bell and that one about the band)

Gramps!

Catch you on the flip side dudemeisters, to the extreme!

Ah, I see. Yes, yes indeed. You are quite correct. That's sooooo our remit ... like totally.

I didn't realise at first you were using Valspeak, but now that you have explained it to me in sitcom terms, I am enlightened.

That's how you roll. Word.

Otis Driftwood

The user name should have been a giveaway.Anyone whose name ends in "ster" has got to be pretty fly yo.
:pac:

Glenster

nedtheshed wrote: »

The user name should have been a giveaway.Anyone whose name ends in "ster" has got to be pretty fly yo.
:pac:

That's why Connacht is sooo lame.

Cicero

trout wrote: »

1. Tone of the forum ... "too PC" - I think this is worth a feedback thread on it's own. Let people make their feelings known. A dedicated thread would be more appropriate than lumping it in with other points. My own view is that this forum evolved a tone based on the majority input and expectation. That may or may not be seen as PC, highbrow or lowbrow depending on your viewpoint ... but it has evolved based on the regulars. Like I said ... it's probably worth a thread on it's own.
   

..think TGC needs to differenciate itself from somewhere like After Hours (which it does btw).......men are probably less inclined to contribute to serious topics concerning mens health/well-being in a mature and open way then women are...i.e. do many men talk about men's health issues when out for a pint?- don't think so.....as a result, TGC is probably always going to be more a more 'restrained' place ...?

CDfm

All this talk of differentiation is a bit like the Guardian and London Times marketing staff working on advertising sales angles.

Its not like that.

TGC was intended for grown up chat and man to man banter and long term style stuff. While it might have started out as a guys answer to tLL it almost apologises for being there.

Like if some posts clothes lets move it to Fashion or if someone posted a thread on do you go to church it would get moved to a church forum. Thats hardly building up an on line rappport with people you want to yap with.

AH is more quickfire and has a huge following and you can start a thread in there and it and get have huge number of hits and the following day its dead and people move on to the next thread.

i mean they have another head shop burned down thread which got almost 8000 views since midnight last night alone

whereas TGC does not have anything like that number of regular users at all

now AH would have no probs in having a thread like whats the most pints you ever drank or head shops and stuff whereas TGC would probably think thats too lowbrow.

If its a forum for men it should cover mens stuff on a mans level.

Like I never did get BGRH and while i supported the thread lots of the humour etc is beyond me

K-9

CDfm wrote: »

All this talk of differentiation is a bit like the Guardian and London Times marketing staff working on advertising sales angles.

Its not like that.

TGC was intended for grown up chat and man to man banter and long term style stuff. While it might have started out as a guys answer to tLL it almost apologises for being there.

Like if some posts clothes lets move it to Fashion or if someone posted a thread on do you go to church it would get moved to a church forum. Thats hardly building up an on line rappport with people you want to yap with.

AH is more quickfire and has a huge following and you can start a thread in there and it and get have huge number of hits and the following day its dead and people move on to the next thread.

i mean they have another head shop burned down thread which got almost 8000 views since midnight last night alone

whereas TGC does not have anything like that number of regular users at all

now AH would have no probs in having a thread like whats the most pints you ever drank or head shops and stuff whereas TGC would probably think thats too lowbrow.

If its a forum for men it should cover mens stuff on a mans level.

Like I never did get BGRH and while i supported the thread lots of the humour etc is beyond me

Just on the fashion point, I got a pm from one of the mods clearing that up. The redirect was left there for that thread and the advantage IMO of moving it is, you get more female opinion than you probably would here.

It probably depends on how you word it too. Maybe if it was just asking for male opinions it could stay?

Personally, I like AH too, I think they should keep their "how full was I" last night threads! I thought here was supposed to be more mature than that?

I don't think it should become a forum about mens rights and the woes of men in society either!

CDfm

I am not saying it should be a mens rights forum but a Mans thread in the same way tLL is about women.

I dont read tLL -its not of interest to me - but is it concieveable that we would ever get threads here like " my partner wants me to get circumcised or vasectomised" or "are right I want to buy a Donkey Jacket and always wanted one where do I go."

You should have a place a guy can go and ask about the pros and cons of marriage etc and get a mans eye view. I get rightiously annoyed when at times when stuff turns into gender debates and I overreact. I do think that these issues attract that but guys need to be encouraged to talk guy stuff but in a guy way and not in a RI/PI way, BGRH way or tLL way. If women want to join in great but it shouldnt be the Lads of the Ladies Lounge Forum anbd at the moment there is very little of the building site, factory floor or transport worker about it.

Nevyn

CDfm wrote: »

at the moment there is very little of the building site, factory floor or transport worker about it.

That would be due to the site's demographic as a whole being people who work with computers or in IT. Yes it's slowly changing but that's how the deck is stacked.

CDfm

Thaedydal wrote: »

That would be due to the site's demographic as a whole being people who work with computers or in IT. Yes it's slowly changing but that's how the deck is stacked.

That may have been so in the past but i wouldnt be so sure now

Here is some stats from 2007 that Boards have on this site.

Present: August 2007 Stats

• 1,554,695 Visits

• 757,398 Absolute Unique Visitors

• 10,668,185 Page Views

• 6.86 Average Page Views

• 00:08:34 Time on Site

• 43.65% Bounce Rate

• 41.18% New Visits

Now they were claiming 1m page views a month and by any stretch they aint all IT people as the numbers are too big.,.

K-9

Look, we'll never have a mens TLL forum, we just will not, simply because we are men!

Some seem fixated with TLL, AH and BGRH on here. The whole point is, it is different to those.

The only way I can see is, let it develop itself naturally. See what threads are here, if they take off, well and good, if they don't, well.......................

CDfm

K-9 I dont know about other people but youve got me energised - I think we should move away from " Leave the Toilet Seat Up Week". towards " Things that Give me a Pain in the Bollix".

The PC rule book should be binned Men.

Dr Galen

CDfm wrote: »

The PC rule book should be binned Men.

I have little truck with the PC brigade either CDfm. I also have little time for the anti-women brigade, the "I'm going on a rant and to hell with everyone else" brigade and also the "derailing threads with my personal bugbear" brigade.

Not being too safe is one thing alright dude, but what I will say, is that just because you feel things should be one way or another doesn't mean everyone else does. Reading through this thread, it appears many regular posters here have no issues with how this forum operates and what gets discussed here. Some good suggestions have been made alright, and they have to be looked at, but all in all nearly everyone seems pretty happy.

The old saying that you can't please all of the people all of the time comes to mind tbh. For those posters who would like to see wholesale changes, I ask two things. Firstly, can you please put forward some concrete arguments for the changes your looking for, as so far, its all been about personal views and interests.

Secondly, ask yourselves the question, if most people are happy and cool with things as they stand, maybe the issue is less with the forum and more to do with what you guys want from it. Maybe its the case that the Gentlemens Club isn't the place for you and other fora here on boards.ie are more up your street.

CDfm

That may be so MM.