Inconsistent moderation and reponse to Defamation in Airsoft forum

gerrowadat

I have reported the posts in question, and have yet to receive a satisfactory answer form the moderators.

In post http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=76384379&postcount=100 -- user hrta claims I have a file open against me in balbriggan Garda station for pyrotechnics/explosives offenses. This is untrue, and defamatory.

I reported this post soon after it was made, and nothing was done.

Later in the thread, things got a bit off-topic, and I'll put my hands up and say the infraction was warranted. Back on topic, fair enough.

However, hrta's post, and my report of it, has still not been acted on. I contacted the moderator in question, and was told that I was infracted straight away and hrta's post wasn't, since my infraction was 'more important to the community'. I'd like to know how not acting on defamatory comments contributes to the airsoft forum. I am well-known in the community, and I believe that this untrue claim by hrta constitutes material damage to my character and good name within the airsoft community.

I should mention that andy_g is an associate and regular customer of hrta. I believe that he is not acting on my report due to this relationship.

gerrowadat

hrta goes on to defame me more directly here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=76422107&postcount=162

What he says I did is a criminal act. I'm flabbergasted this post is still here.

Morag

The thread is locked with a note saying the mods are going to review the thread, what more do you expect to have happened over night from when you started this thread?

If you want to go over the mods heads as you see the matter as urgent with legal ramifications then I suggest you contact the admins or the community manager rather then posting here.

But honestly it looks like you'd be best of settling this with the person who posted off this site and in a legal manner.

gerrowadat

Sorry for being obtuse in the second post -- this thread is more about inconsistent moderation. The original post I link to is still there, despite the mods being aware of it, they have essentially told me "it's being looked into", while infracting other people in the meantime. I've been a human long enough to understand that "it's being looked into" usually means the opposite of that. Why has it taken 2 days? Will there be a resolution to the report?

Morag

2 days?

It's barely been 10 hours and 8 of them were over night from when you started this thread.
If you have issues with moderation you are meant to raise the matter with the cmods.

Again you have said this is now a legal matter and you need to raise that with the admins and/or the community manager directly rather then here in feedback.

gerrowadat

This thread is not about defamation. I am handling that separately.

This thread is about the inaction of the moderators on the airsoft forum to the post quoted in the original post above. Which was posted on " 08-01-2012, 04:18", i.e. 2 days ago, despite action taken on posts from other users since then.

Morag

You need to contact the cat mods
Category Mods: Dub13, Sparks

Beruthiel

gerrowadat wrote: »

Why has it taken 2 days? Will there be a resolution to the report?

Are you joking?

You do realise that they moderate voluntary, have real lives and jobs and give of their spare time when they can.
It will take them longer than two days.

gerrowadat

Beruthiel wrote: »

Are you joking?

You do realise that they moderate voluntary, have real lives and jobs and give of their spare time when they can.
It will take them longer than two days.

They had no problem giving of their spare time to respond to other reports on the thread, so time isn't an issue.

Sparks

gerrowadat, you might not know this, but the sports Cmods haven't had broadband access for the past few days because of the damage to the eircom network caused by the storm.

What you do know is that the PM which was copied to the sports cmods shows the mod in question specifically telling you he was dealing with your grievance. And you do get that saying

I should mention that andy_g is an associate and regular customer of hrta. I believe that he is not acting on my report due to this relationship.

is itself defamatory, right?

gerrowadat

Sparks wrote: »

gerrowadat, you might not know this, but the sports Cmods haven't had broadband access for the past few days because of the damage to the eircom network caused by the storm.

What you do know is that the PM which was copied to the sports cmods shows the mod in question specifically telling you he was dealing with your grievance. And you do get that saying
is itself defamatory, right?

And the boards mods close ranks like clockwork. Good luck to youse, shouldn't have bothered.

Sparks

gerrowadat wrote: »

And the boards mods close ranks like clockwork. Good luck to youse, shouldn't have bothered.

Close ranks? Your issue was dealt with this morning, in the manner you stated you wanted it dealt with, and probably would have been dealt with earlier if people had internet access instead of storm-damaged phone lines. What were you expecting here, guaranteed response times from unpaid volunteers on top of getting exactly what you asked for?

easychair

As a post script, if you are going to sue the other poster for defamation, can you post here the court address and dates, as I'd be fascinated to hear the case and the arguments for each side.

For example, is it possible to defame or libel an anonymous profile on the internet? Part and parcel of defamation is that the person being defamed has to be clearly identifiable and has to suffer some loss. As an anonymous internet profile does not (at least to me) clearly identify the owner of the profile name, it seems any charge of defamation might be likely to fall at the first hurdle.

Can you keep us posted as to the time and date of any proceedings?

Thanks.

gerrowadat

easychair wrote: »

As a post script, if you are going to sue the other poster for defamation, can you post here the court address and dates, as I'd be fascinated to hear the case and the arguments for each side.

For example, is it possible to defame or libel an anonymous profile on the internet? Part and parcel of defamation is that the person being defamed has to be clearly identifiable and has to suffer some loss. As an anonymous internet profile does not (at least to me) clearly identify the owner of the profile name, it seems any charge of defamation might be likely to fall at the first hurdle.

Can you keep us posted as to the time and date of any proceedings?

Thanks.

Hi easychair,

I won't be posting anything to do with any potential action, as boards has specific rules about this sort of thing.

What I will say is that both my account and hrta's account are not 'anonymous'. We're both well-known members of the airsoft community. He is a business owner, I was the chairperson of the governing body for airsoft on 2009. I've been in print media, radio and generally been a public figure for Airsoft. I've met hrta many times. I would say that most regular posters on the Airsoft forum know his name and mine, who we are, so I would reject that we are 'anonymous'.

My day job involves a significant amount of foreign travel, so you can imagine what effect an explosives offences investigation, or even the assertion that there's been wrongdoing in that regard, might have on my (public) good name.

In any case, this is not what this thread is about - this thread is about the fact that myself and TheDoc were infracted for going off-topic on the thread, whereas no action has been taken against hrta for directly stating that I am guilty of a criminal offense related to explosives, and implying that I am underinvestigation for same. I did not get 'exactly what I asked for' as Sparks says, and I don't consider this matter closed.

I have since contacted Sparks via PM, as well as Dav, and have recieved no reply whatsoever.

easychair

gerrowadat wrote: »

Hi easychair,

I won't be posting anything to do with any potential action, as boards has specific rules about this sort of thing.

What I will say is that both my account and hrta's account are not 'anonymous'. We're both well-known members of the airsoft community. He is a business owner, I was the chairperson of the governing body for airsoft on 2009. I've been in print media, radio and generally been a public figure for Airsoft. I've met hrta many times. I would say that most regular posters on the Airsoft forum know his name and mine, who we are, so I would reject that we are 'anonymous'.

I look forward to you making that argument in court.

gerrowadat wrote: »

My day job involves a significant amount of foreign travel, so you can imagine what effect an explosives offences investigation, or even the assertion that there's been wrongdoing in that regard, might have on my (public) good name.

.

AS I have no idea who you are, I have no idea what impact, if any, an allegation by an anonymous poster on a website might have, but I don't suppose the immigration departments of foreign countries will be too concerned, even if they know about it which is doubtful, about such allegations.

gerrowadat

easychair wrote: »

I look forward to you making that argument in court.

As I said above, nobody said anything about court but you.

AS I have no idea who you are, I have no idea what impact, if any, an allegation by an anonymous poster on a website might have, but I don't suppose the immigration departments of foreign countries will be too concerned, even if they know about it which is doubtful, about such allegations.

I tend not to make assumptions about the wide net cast by the United states DHS on regular visitors.

I'm also not interested in discussing this on this thread. The community manager has responded to me this morning and I'll leave it in his capable hands.

easychair

gerrowadat wrote: »

DHS on regular visitors.

I'm also not interested in discussing this on this thread.

But you have been discussing it here, and also were the person who started off the thread. If you were not interested in discussing it, why have yuo been discussing it, and why start off a thread the topic of which you don't want to discuss?

gerrowadat

easychair wrote: »

But you have been discussing it here, and also were the person who started off the thread. If you were not interested in discussing it, why have yuo been discussing it, and why start off a thread the topic of which you don't want to discuss?

This thread is about inconsistent moderation on the airsoft forum. Hence the title.

Beruthiel

gerrowadat wrote: »

I'm also not interested in discussing this on this thread. The community manager has responded to me this morning and I'll leave it in his capable hands.

There's no reason for this thread to remain open then.
B