Rumour threads locking

996tt

If someone posts a rumour about a business and then the rumour is found to be incorrect, why only lock the thread, surely this is causing as much damage as having it open. In situations like this the threads should be deleted.

996tt

996tt wrote: »

If someone posts a rumour about a business and then the rumour is found to be incorrect, why only lock the thread, surely this is causing as much damage as having it open. In situations like this the threads should be deleted.

If you have an issue with mods, go to the Feedback forum, but as far as I know from that thread the rumour hasn't been proved correct or incorrect.

Seaneh

Deleted User wrote: »

If you have an issue with mods, go to the Feedback forum, but as far as I know from that thread the rumour hasn't been proved correct or incorrect.

The Fibber's/Fox's/Kennedy's thread was proved incorrect.

snubbleste

Deleted User wrote: »

If you have an issue with mods, go to the Feedback forum, but as far as I know from that thread the rumour hasn't been proved correct or incorrect.

Yeah but the doubt is still there. When I saw that thread I assumed that there is a possibility the business is shut and that's what I still think. It's close to damaging a business' reputation imo

996tt

Deleted User wrote: »

If you have an issue with mods, go to the Feedback forum, but as far as I know from that thread the rumour hasn't been proved correct or incorrect.

I dont have any issue with mods, more of the policy which they follow as all mods in the galway forum seem to lock rather than delete.

Just from the business's point of view, if a customer reads a false rumour it may prevent them from shopping there even if the rumour has been proved incorrect due to such things as warranty issues or for example buying a voucher

sgthighway

996tt wrote: »

I dont have any issue with mods, more of the policy which they follow as all mods seem to lock rather than delete.

Just from the business's point of view, if someone reads a false rumour it may prevent them from shopping there even if the rumour has been proved incorrect due to such things as warranty issues or for example buying a voucher

+1
its not a mod issue but these rumours damage business.

The stuff on here just reflects what people are chatting about in work/college/the pub. More people can see it here but it can also be corrected.

Fey!

The OP is absolutely right, and his/her suggestion to delete rather than lock is spot on.

I'm sure that if the rumour turns out to be true after that the thread can be reinstated.

Mrs OBumble

Deleted User wrote: »

If you have an issue with mods, go to the Feedback forum,

+1

TBH, I'd prefer if policy was that the original post iss edited to say something like

[There was a rumour that ]
.. original post ...

[this has been proven incorrect]

Because that would reflect that there is chat about the business etc on the streets/pubs, and show in the first screen that it wasn't true.

biko

Aye, it's a tricky one and there have been threads turning out to be true and some turning out to be false.
If we remove the rumour threads then a) someone else may start another and b) they won't know to PM the mods with confirmation if they come across it.

For now I think locking rumour threads show that it was just a rumour but leaves it visible so people can see it was only a rumour.

I was thinking of banning people starting threads without backup but that seems harsh so for now locking is best option in my opinion.

I'll rename thread from FAO Mods to Rumour threads locking. We can discuss it here for now but I'll move it later sometime to Feedback where these type of threads should go.

I'd like to add three things as a notice.
1. Please don't start a thread without some sort of link to avoid speculation.
2. Spreading rumours isn't a crime but if it's done maliciously then standard infract/ban procedure applies.
3. Boards is very popular and the people you post about will most likely read it. Don't post things you wouldn't say to their face in public.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

It's worth noting that rumours relating to the financial health of a business can and have been found to be defamatory as they can jeopardise its potential future

rivalius13

Lock and amend title. Deleting it just leaves it open for other people to come in and recreate threads with the same rumours and the vicious cycle continues.

rivalius13

rivalius13 wrote: »

Lock and amend title. Deleting it just leaves it open for other people to come in and recreate threads with the same rumours and the vicious cycle continues.

This is true. If you delete it, then more people will just come along and create new threads about it. As someone has suggested, perhaps the best way to go about these things is to amend the title with rumour proved correct or proved incorrect.

For anyone interested, I have created a thread for this in Feedback here

pleasant Co.

If anything, deleting a rumour thread will only help spread a rumour.

Thread's gone |----> RL, "hey Sean, did you hear anything about Bar 903 closing down?" (because I was reading a thread about it, but the thread disappeared and I never found out if it was true or not)

Sponge Bob

On balance most rumour threads are correct at the time and the posters behaved honourably. Two notable exceptions were a grossly unfounded rumour about Fibbers/Kennedys and anotherscurrilous but slightly less serious one about Karma/Skeff...both in the past week and the Kellys eruptions earlier this month of which there were 2 or 3

I would personally ban someone for starting a grossly unfounded rumour when they could simply have walked past and found the place open BEFORE they opened their stupid gobs...or if they signed up to post a rumour. Maybe that's why nobody ever made me a mod

SparKing

Maybe have a thread for unconfirmed rumours?
Specifically saying in the title that everything is unconfirmed/speculation.
I don't necessarily buy in to the idea that rumours of a place closing would affect business, if anything it's the fact that business is quiet, it leads to rumours of closing.
How can it be proven one way or the other?

snubbleste

SparKing wrote: »

..I don't necessarily buy in to the idea that rumours of a place closing would affect business, if anything it's the fact that business is quiet, it leads to rumours of closing.
How can it be proven one way or the other?

Yes it does!
Rumours affect confidence in a retailer and can lead to a business struggling and closing down. A retailer depends on his good name to trade.

SparKing

snubbleste wrote: »

Rumours affect confidence in a retailer and can lead to a business struggling and closing down. A retailer depends on his good name to trade.

Says who?
Link please.
Not every business, I would say.
btw, 2 friends of mine have been made redundant from a business which has gone into liquidation in Galway yet until The fecking Advertiser says it's so it's not true.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

SparKing wrote: »

Says who?
Link please.
Not every business, I would say.
btw, 2 friends of mine have been made redundant from a business which has gone into liquidation in Galway yet until The fecking Advertiser says it's so it's not true.

Businesses operate on credit, ie they order stock then sell it then pay the suppliers. If there are rumours about a businesses health they will not get any credit and will cease to be able to trade. It's very real

SparKing

I was thinking more from a customer point of view I suppose, business people I know pay absolutely no attention to rumours, in fact I would think that suppliers are the very people in the know based on orders received and payments made or late etc.
But that said, point taken.
I for one might be more inclined to revisit a business I hadn't been to in a while if I heard they were struggling.

biko

SparKing wrote: »

Maybe have a thread for unconfirmed rumours?
Specifically saying in the title that everything is unconfirmed/speculation.

This will never happen. Boards isn't a place for gossip or rumours.
It'd be too difficult to moderate and also would be a legal issue.

civis_liberalis

Boards is a place for debate, but while people might not realise it themselves, posting rumours about businesses closing without having spoken to someone in the know, i.e. the business owner or having read it in a (relatively) reputable publication... my opinion is that they are being incredibly irresponsible, for the very reason outlined by SlasherMcGurk above.

liabhroidi

That rumour that you referred to and which was mentioned here will be confirmed true in the next 48 hours anyway when a voluntary liquidation is enacted. Sad that all of these are true. Wish more weren't.

biko

Until I see a news link it's speculation/guessing/rumour/gossip/hearsay.

Fionn MacCool

It might have been mentioned here already,but something I've never understood about this site is how they will infract posts they decide are offensive, yet leave them there. Same goes for arguments that take threads off topic - they will infract them for such heinous crimes yet not bother deleting the posts to clean the thread up.

I've dared not ask up til now, but I figure if this thread is still here it should be safe to ask.

biko

Fionn, that's a separate issue from Rumours and if you post in Feedback about it the mods and admins there will respond.
You should also add an opinion on how you think the system could work better.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

It might have been mentioned here already,but something I've never understood about this site is how they will infract posts they decide are offensive, yet leave them there. Same goes for arguments that take threads off topic - they will infract them for such heinous crimes yet not bother deleting the posts to clean the thread up.

I've dared not ask up til now, but I figure if this thread is still here it should be safe to ask.

Speaking personally, I leave them there as an example for everyone in the forum of a post which will incur a yellow/red card.

Fionn MacCool

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Speaking personally, I leave them there as an example for everyone in the forum of a post which will incur a yellow/red card.

Sort of defeates the entire purpose of having rules against offensive content. Unless of course, the rules are just there to give you an excuse to punish people - I imagine not!

PopeBuckfastXVI

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Sort of defeates the entire purpose of having rules against offensive content. Unless of course, the rules are just there to give you an excuse to punish people - I imagine not!

If something is grossly offensive I'll delete it after the infraction, but if it's just handbags stuff I'll leave it in place.

Fionn MacCool

And why are they so touchy about bad mouthing local businesses and stuff on here? Are you not covered by the aul "the views expressed are not those of Boards.ie" or whatever?

PopeBuckfastXVI

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

And why are they so touchy about bad mouthing local businesses and stuff on here? Are you not covered by the aul "the views expressed are not those of Boards.ie" or whatever?

In a word; no.