(Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself?) Any update?

I can understand the reason you took the action you did, if you felt they were genuinely a decent poster. However if there was a clear, well telegraphed rule of zero tolerance/immediate threadbans for abusive PMs would you have received one in the first place? Having to read abusive PMs and then request that other mods deal with it is not only time consuming but demoralising. Cutting down on abuses like this would surely help with mod recruitment and mod retainment.

Yep. Benevolent dictatorship was what we had, with clear, inclusive rules that were explained. The mission of boards.ie was clear. To facilitate and form new and existing communities, and to be a welcoming place.

That's changed, and the owners/management should relay to the user base/community what is the point of boards.ie now.

If it's to be solely a discussion forum, but focussed (mainly) on Irish issues, it has lost its USP, in my opinion.

It may be only be a perception of another poster following other posters around. But in those cases the poster should definitely report them and if the mod doesn't agree just ignore them. Hitting the ignore button is easy and everyone is capable of doing that.

I think a quick PM to users who report a lot of posts that don't require moderation action would be easier than having to edit post that does given the shortage of moderators. Not everything that might annoy or offend me might be against the charter.

While a mod edit gives a clear example of what isn't appropriate, it might not be a realistic expectation in a busy forum.

Something is needed, anything would be a start, but it needs to be more than 'We're fine, you're not' that we've seen on two threads now.

100%.

No . Not talking about the two posters discussing the topic. I think you know I didn't say that tell me how.

A poster that posts on a thread solely to make snie remarks about another is goading and trolling .

"Now, if Poster B appears in a thread and their first and only posts are deriding Poster A, then it's different. But I genuinely don't know if that happens here. I haven't seen it."

This .

You don't see it if it doesn't pertain to you maybe but it is obvious to the person being trolled straight away .

It has happened a few days ago with two other posters and only became clear what was happening when a mod intervened .

Might make a few comments to cover their tracks but essentially always gets a dig in , or continues an old argument .. unprovoked.

That is what I am talking about and to name that poster or call it out to defend oneself can get a warning .

You are saying less intervention , but sometimes the only way to get poster like this off your back is to report .

As for ignoring , yes .

But then that post and poster can still carry on with that behaviour unabated . That isn't right either .

Posters who consistently troll a person or deride them need to be stood up to , called out and mods should take on board context if that gets a warning .

I am not promoting being uncivil but its a very fine line when one is up against repeated trolling and frustrating if its not dealt with .

There are posters on boards on all sides who have changed their names to get away from this behaviour .

Saying we are all mature adults who should be able to handle ourselves is fine .

In the real world if somebody was saying sxxx about you you have recourse . In the world of social media you are more reliant on the rules and the enforcers of those rules to protect against trolling stalking and online bullying .

Do we want a site where only the thick skinned or the trolls prevail ?

Edited to correct mistakes .

It needs a shift (back) in attitude from a lot of people if it's to be anything like it once was. It's not going to happen though. So moderation will need to change to combat that.

And that won't be well received either

Clarity is missing from everything boards wise right now.

The rules of the site are not clear.

Most of the forums individual charters are not clear, or visible.

Who moderates what is not clear.

What boards.ie's mission is, is not clear.

I'm relieved to see you acknowledging we need to shift back. I agree. It was a great, positive place that did an awful lot of good in the "Real World"™ to boot.

As for people not receiving the new moderation well, I believe the phrase, "our house party, our rules" is apt.

The rules just need to be clear.

It needs to be first owned by people that, well to be blunt, give a sh!t about it. It's a long way from a server or two set up under someone's bed that was the very quintessence of a passion project, it just seems to be an acquisition in a corner for some money interest now.

Couldn't agree more. Either close the CA and Politics parts of the site or change the entire moderation team. Far too many with axes to grind as you instance, trying to run with the hare and then hunt with the hounds. Moderation first & foremost should aim to protect the site from legal jeopardy. Once that base is covered, moderators need to be firstly well informed and up to date with the topics under discussion. After that they need to stick to the basic principles of the site charter, they need to be aware of and leave their own biases out, be polite, even handed and transparent. Finally thread bans should expire after a set period for posters with a set history, say six months or 500 posts or something like that.

Current affairs and politics are two of the most popular areas of Boards. If you close them, you may as well shut the site. I don't think there are any easy answers apart from mods being posted to monitor contentious threads instead of relying on posts being reported. A swift cop on can do a lot to keep a thread civil and can prevent people being railroaded by cabals which does happen on occasion. I appreciate it may not always be possible, but even if it was known that it sometimes occurs would likely keep some of the sharper trolls in line.

Well there's no point in having them, if as we increasingly see, they are influenced by a cabal of activists who are in broad synchronicity with moderators. When you reach the stage where the ordinary everyday views of middle ground Irish citizens are being suppressed, there's no point. This part of the site then becomes an irrelevant echo chamber, with an occasional flurry from re reg posters or those who make the error of trying to engage.

We're mostly aware of the current government & establishment tactic of painting ordinary Irish citizens as 'right wing' in order to suppress negative commentary and protest against state actions and policies. These parts of boards have become a mirror of this.

Out of curiosity @Tell me how what is your definition of piling on