General behaviour on the rugby board - PLEASE READ

[Pete C (Kiwireddevil)]

Afternoon all.

I'm just switching to general rant mode for a moment.

I know there's a heatwave in Northern Europe. I know the RWC build up is getting interesting. All that means people are getting a bit tetchy. But that's no excuse for the amount of time RugbyDreamer, Hobo, myself and the rest of the admin/mod team have had to put in this week calming waters. And we'd much rather be spending time trying to do the "fun" stuff like getting Q&As and possible prizes for site members.

There's an awful lot of unneccessary sniping, snide comments, and general interpreting-in-the-worst-possible-light of other people's posts going on (especially if the poster is someone you don't like). And as a result the number of rugby posters on final warnings for posting behaviour is approaching double figures.

Along the way we've also had some pretty good (in my opinion anyway) debate going on. So folks, I'm asking you all, before you fly off in a rage at someone's comment, take the time to re-read a post just in case you've mis-read it. And re-read your own post before hitting send.

Remember that most general wind-up posts are pretty easily shot down by hard facts. Remember also to be gracious if someone offers up evidence that suggests you're wrong - everyone's wrong occasionly. Even me. Though I like to think I fess up when I realise I'm wrong.

Over the next few days we're going to take a tougher line on general windups, as well as those who react to them - consider this a general warning.

Also, comments on this thread that either name specific posters you'd like throttled back (or just throttled), or go down a childish he-said/she-said route won't be looked upon kindly.

I'll warn people in advance too, I'm going away Friday morning to Bordeaux for the weekend. Which means Hobo will be in charge of the ban button. And Hobo likes using the ban button.


Anyways, to summarise, remember the golden rule - Treat others the way you'd like to be treated*, play nice, and respect each other.


Thanks for reading



*Except for any masochists out there

[Thomond]

Good point Kiwi.

Can I have one of those prizes for agreeing with you,your greatness?

[Cymroglan]

There's an awful lot of unneccessary sniping, snide comments, and general interpreting-in-the-worst-possible-light of other people's posts going on (especially if the poster is someone you don't like). And as a result the number of rugby posters on final warnings for posting behaviour is approaching double figures.


Most of us know how to behave and we all know who the wums are.
A final warning should be just that if they continue spoiling the site then it should be a instant ban.

[AsLongAsBut100ofUs]

See you in Toulouse, NOT Bordeaux, otherwise yer going to the wrong bliwdy airport!!

[Cari]

I don't want to sound like I'm moaning, but sort out the ignoring "foe" facility, and that could save a lot of bother on the boards. I'm not saying it would cure all ills, but it would help if it works and we can ignore the very posters we dislike.

[Adam D]

Unfortunately, many of the things that arent working (such as the foe and mobile versions) are not designed by us but by the hosts.

It is up to them to fix - but we do chase them all the time.

[Cari]

Fair enough Hobo

[Notch]

I heard Wayne Barnes put 100 quid on Ireland to reach the semi-final... and he was wearing the black England kit at the time!

[AsLongAsBut100ofUs]

I heard Wayne Barnes put 100 quid on Ireland to reach the semi-final... and he was wearing the black England kit at the time!

Now that's just starting if ever I saw it!!

[Adam D]

for the record - Kiwi was correct.

I DO like the ban button.

[Guest]

Re. the prospective "foe" facility.

I know it's not working at the moment, but if/when it does would that mean you don't see posts by your designated "foes"? Wouldn't that mean that whole threads wouldn't make sense with posts not "showing" etc?

[Cymroglan]

I guess if a person is on a final warning means that they have been warned before for their behaviour so should there not be a way of identifying people who are on a final warning, maybe that will act as a deterrent to others also it would show members that the site officials actually do mean what they say.

[greybeard]

Quite sad that this post had to be made in the first place.

Also quite sad that...

Also, comments on this thread that either name specific posters you'd like throttled back (or just throttled), or go down a childish he-said/she-said route won't be looked upon kindly.

... gives the impression that those who would like to clean up the board would be treated as troublemakers if they got into specifics. I don't think we should be discouraged from calling a spade a spade and pointing out where the problems lie.

Obviously the moderators aren't blind and know a problem when they see it. And of course other posters aren't moderators and could ask to be elevated to the position if they really felt strongly enough. But the quote above was just a little heavy handed.

[red_stag]

Kiwi - out of interest Kiwi would my earlier antics today on the Semi Final thread have been frowned upon.

I call it changing the point of attack to keep debate going.

[Adam D]

Greybeard - The way to deal with offensive posts/ wums is to either PM the mod/admin team with your concerns or use the "!" icon to report it.

What we didnt want on this thread is for people to start namecalling and it descending away from the threads intention - namely to be good.

[Guest]

Kiwi - out of interest Kiwi would my earlier antics today on the Semi Final thread have been frowned upon.

I call it changing the point of attack to keep debate going.

I think it should be, ya pesky rascal

[Cari]

Staggy - I don't think so because you were obviously wumming.

[PJHolybloke]

Greybeard - The way to deal with offensive posts/ wums is to either PM the mod/admin team with your concerns or use the "!" icon to report it.

What we didnt want on this thread is for people to start namecalling and it descending away from the threads intention - namely to be good.

You've got to be kidding?

Surely you know who the serial offenders are?

Don't you have access to their PM function?

Why don't you just sort them out?

Last night I was on the end of an insinuation of homosexual activity with another poster and an accusation of mutual pleasuring over a shared keyboard with a number of other posters, (this is me right upset about it ) I'd no more dream of drawing such abuse to the attention of the mods/adims than cry about it, I've played the game for God's sake, you cannot seriously expect me or other members to "grass" on these posters, rather than deal with them directly?

More to the point, how can you expect posters not to take the pee out of someone when they're giving it away?

I'm happy to discuss this further on a PM basis as I think everyone concerned with the admin of this forum is doing a really good thing, which I totally appreciate, but as I can only control what I write.......

Nemo impune me lacessit.

PM request mods/admin.

[Gibson]

PJ,

Does that mean the Date's off? Bhu88er. I bought wine, roses and everythang. Ah well.

[PJHolybloke]

Roses? Ahhhh, gwoan then, we tight again.

[aucklandlaurie]

Last week I came down hard on someone, not because that person called me a pathetic mongrel but more because it was in a procession of boorish postings taunting me.
I wouldn't switch places with the Mods,and respect their purpose. But to punish anyone taking retalitory action is somewhat short sighted as it only encourages those who know that they can send numerous abusive postings, and the person on the other end cant do anything about it.
Last Saturday ,late afternoon, our time all you NH guys were asleep and a couple of Kiwis ( and an Aussie) werent prepared to put up with a tyraid of abuse, Its not in our nature,........ We play our rugby the same way......

[Biltong]

Well, I tend to get a little sarcastic now and then , but generally try to keep my cool. I can sometimes see when it is not worth having a debate with some posters and then just ignore them.

[welshjohn369]

That's right anyone gives you grief laurie pretend you can give them a damn good bitch slap and have done with it

[red_stag]

It is difficult as there is a fine line between banter and bad behaviour.

Biltong and me had a good old head to head yesterday which was little more than poking fun. If your gonna poke fun its up to you to make sure the other person sees it that way - whether through phrasing, smileys etc.

[Pete C (Kiwireddevil)]

It is difficult as there is a fine line between banter and bad behaviour.

Biltong and me had a good old head to head yesterday which was little more than poking fun. If your gonna poke fun its up to you to make sure the other person sees it that way - whether through phrasing, smileys etc.

Well said Stag.

I'll add that one thing I hope we as Mods do better here than over at the Beeb is recognise the difference between lighthearted banter and bad behaviour. We won't always be right, but certainly right more often than old 606. Unfortunately this week an awful lot of posters have been reacting to both the banter and the bad behaviour the same way, which prompted me to write the article above.

For what it's worth, we do know who the "usual suspects" are, and we do PM them.

It's also worth remembering that the board's gotten busy enough that us mods can't read every post on the board - I have a pretty busy day job. Hence we do rely at times on people letting us know if a thread's going downhill - we may not visibly act on a thread, but we will start monitoring it. So do let us know if you think there's a problem, before flying off the handle.

[pete (buachaill on eirne)]

for the record - Kiwi was correct.

I DO like the ban button.

Hahahaha why does this post remind me of a Roman Emperor in the gladiator areana?!
Yikes!

[Guest]

It's obviously pretty easy to spot when a post is offensive and just downright unneccessary. However, there's also the constant drip, drip, drip of posts aimed to annoy, sabotage threads and bring up the same, tired arguments and insults. Those can be just as bad over a length of time.

[pete (buachaill on eirne)]

It's obviously pretty easy to spot when a post is offensive and just downright unneccessary. However, there's also the constant drip, drip, drip of posts aimed to annoy, sabotage threads and bring up the same, tired arguments and insults. Those can be just as bad over a length of time.

+1

[nottins]

It's obviously pretty easy to spot when a post is offensive and just downright unneccessary. However, there's also the constant drip, drip, drip of posts aimed to annoy, sabotage threads and bring up the same, tired arguments and insults. Those can be just as bad over a length of time.

Ah yes, the ones along the lines of England having over half their squad of foreign players. Over and over and over and over again.

[Notch]

It's obviously pretty easy to spot when a post is offensive and just downright unneccessary. However, there's also the constant drip, drip, drip of posts aimed to annoy, sabotage threads and bring up the same, tired arguments and insults. Those can be just as bad over a length of time.

Ah yes, the ones along the lines of England having over half their squad of foreign players. Over and over and over and over again.

And those rising to it, who exacerbate the problem!

[BATH_BTGOG]

The trouble is it's the same old names causing the problems

[greybeard]

Ah, so we should all change our names? I like it. Good plan.

[Guest]

Has Linebreaker read and understood this thread? Just asking.

[MBTGOG]

You need another moderator. Especially for the World Cup.

[AsLongAsBut100ofUs]

And, to be fair, it shouldn't be a pub-dweller :hic:

[Guest]

And, to be fair, it shouldn't be a pub-dweller :hic:

Nor a Jock <whiskey>

[PenfroPete]

Nor someone who is actually going to the World Cup

[AsLongAsBut100ofUs]

And, to be fair, it shouldn't be a pub-dweller :hic:

Nor a Jock <whiskey>

I know, how about Someone with militAry bearing, reckon they'd be Suitable!

[Great White]

I've been Pm'd for bad behaviour and I don't mind admitting it. I deserved it because at the end of the day, i'd risen to the bait.

But, in my defence, there are only two people on here who wind me up, and they know fine well who they are. The problem from my point of view is that they are allowed to post the same drivel over and over and over again and whilst remaining on the right side of the rules - just about. Its when you rise to the bait, and its inevitable given the ceaseless nature of these people's comments, its you that gets into trouble. Thats all wrong in my opinion, the people in question should be taken out of circulation at source. The mods were warned that they would come across from 606 but gave everybody a new chance. Which, if you ask me, was a mistake.

[red_stag]

I've been Pm'd for bad behaviour and I don't mind admitting it. I deserved it because at the end of the day, i'd risen to the bait.

But, in my defence, there are only two people on here who wind me up, and they know fine well who they are. The problem from my point of view is that they are allowed to post the same drivel over and over and over again and whilst remaining on the right side of the rules - just about. Its when you rise to the bait, and its inevitable given the ceaseless nature of these people's comments, its you that gets into trouble. Thats all wrong in my opinion, the people in question should be taken out of circulation at source. The mods were warned that they would come across from 606 but gave everybody a new chance. Which, if you ask me, was a mistake.

+1 and I would say this is the single biggest issue the moderators are facing.

[Guest]

Leopards can't change their spots.

[red_stag]

Leopards can't change their spots.

True but then why keep them on the board. This isn't a democracy where you can appeal sentencing. Nobody has a "right" to post here. If the same people just are out there to annoy then scrap them and get rid of them.

[Guest]

Well that was my point really. I don't mean to be critical, but if people have been banned from 606, I wouldn't have thought they were the sort of people that should be on here.

[red_stag]

Agree entirely Rev

[greybeard]

I feel an overpowering urge to say "I told you so"

[Davie]

This isn't a democracy where you can appeal sentencing. Nobody has a "right" to post here.

Quite right. But neither does anyone have a "right" to demand the place is run the way they see fit.

How about you give the rugby admins and mods some credit and let them decide.

You have the "right" to express an opinion as does everyone. The Mods in this section do a fine job of balancing your "rights" with everyone else's

[red_stag]

Davie not demanding anything. just giving my opinion which is one shared by many. There are serial offenders on this site who time and time and time again oull the same stuff.

[PJHolybloke]

This isn't a democracy where you can appeal sentencing. Nobody has a "right" to post here.

Quite right. But neither does anyone have a "right" to demand the place is run the way they see fit.

How about you give the rugby admins and mods some credit and let them decide.

You have the "right" to express an opinion as does everyone. The Mods in this section do a fine job of balancing your "rights" with everyone else's

Davie, I agree the mods do a good job and I said as much earlier, I also said that I appreciate everyone's efforts in producing a good forum.

I'm happy to let the mods decide but the point made earlier by kiwi (I think) was that the mods need help.

I said I was happy to discuss the matter further on a PM basis and still am.

Red Stag hasn't demanded anything much less the removal of rights, he was merely pointing out that the "right" to post doesn't actually exist in the first place.

To be brutally honest our entire society has become overwhelmed by people's "rights" to this and "rights" to that, what's wrong with imposing individual responsibilty? People who post in any public forum have to be held responsible for what they write, totally responsible, that includes the responsibility to ensure that what they write is well researched and accurate (particularly when quoting other people or using figures or information they refer to as "facts"), posters who fail in these areas on a consistent basis don't have an opinion, they have an agenda, and nobody has the right to impose their agenda on other members.

The point was also made earlier (kiwi again I think) that the mods on v2 do a better job than the woodentops on the old 606 and I couldn't agree more, but the usual suspects are still getting away with their belligerent activities and (apparently) not being held responsible.

The fact that this thread is a global announcement suggests that the scattergun approach is being pursued as opposed to the scalpel, I may be wrong and I'd be happy to discuss the issue or be corrected on a PM basis.

But certainly, all of you, keep up the good work because I totally appreciate what you do here.

[Ozzy3213]

I wasn't going to post on this thread, but having read through I feel the need to.

Seriously people, if someone is blatantly being a Muppet, or being offensive to you, ignore them, don't respond and hit the alert a moderator button if you feel strongly that it should be dealt with.

It's not difficult. Getting into an online slanging match with someone just because they are winding you up, particularly if it is obvious that is what they are trying to do, is a bit pathetic in all honesty, I thought most people on here were grown ups.

Let the mods do their job, they are doing a pretty good one so far, and enjoy the good rugby debate with other sensible posters, there are plenty out there to choose from.

It's a great game that we all follow here, so let's ensure that the board remains a great one by not descending to level of the lowest human elements on here.

Peace!

[Cari]

I think PJ and LDPC raise a valid point. The responsibility lies with the posters themselves - what they write, how they react to other posts and whether or not things are reported through the appropriate channels. Things get out of hand because posters allow them to, not because the mods aren't doing this or that. You can't expect the mods to read every single post and/or be around twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

If you're offended or dislike a post it's up to you to report it, and in such a way that it gives a valid reason for the mods to see why it should be removed. Personally, I've never had a problem with that. Only once have I reported a post and in fairness to the mods it was removed shortly afterwards.

Basically this forum is what its users make it.

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