*** BGAFD NOTICE: ABOUT THIS FORUM ***
Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:51 pm
Asking forumites to see things from a moderators point-of-view is a bit like expecting players to give the referee a thumbs-up because he correctly gives a penalty decision against them. People will always chafe against the constraints of authority and we've no problem with that. But it takes more than a spot of insubordination to get removed from this forum. If that weren't the case, then those who have recently been shown the door would have made their exit a lot sooner than they did. In fact, if insubordination was all it took we'd probably have to install a revolving door. We do not boot people off for the fun of it, or because we're on some sort of power trip. Anyone who gets barred is the author of their own misfortune.
Yes, the O/T is not the Algonquin Round Table but neither is it a cage fight. Rather, it's something more akin to the local caff. And like any caff owners, we expect those who come here to dine to eat their food. Not throw it at other people because living in a free society means you can do what you like - or else it's Fascism, man!
The reasons for barring 'warren zevon rip', 'Magoo' and 'Keith Rasputin (aka Giles aka Shiola aka Betamax Man)' had nothing to do with their politics, or the people with whom they clashed, or associated, or any other of their foibles. Our decision was made solely in relation to their addiction to metaphorical food-throwing. e.g. the repeated re-posting of comments removed by us because they breached the FAQ (we're talking hundreds of instances for the first two ex-members); the vituperative and gratuitous nature of their 'disputes' with other members; their serial and flagrant disregard for the FAQ; and, not least, their total lack of consideration for ourselves, as moderators, whenever they exercised their 'right' to say or do whatever they felt like.
The fact is, the provision of the O/T Forum is a courtesy to those who visit, and hopefully contribute to, BGAFD. There's no charge for it's usage and no expectation of what people should do or say, save that they attempt, in good faith, to comply with the FAQ. Beyond that, all we expect in return is a little bit of that same courtesy to be shown towards ourselves and the way we run things. Unfortunately, over the past year or so, there has been a nasty atmosphere created by some posters who, while happy to hang out here, seem to have nothing but contempt for our attempts to maintain a civil and tolerant environment. Frankly, we've wasted too many hours of our personal time monitoring the misdemeanours and stupidities of individuals who patently don't give a damn about our efforts. This isn't us being precious but simply making clear that the days of our following certain posters around with a bucket and shovel to clear up the mess they leave in their wake are now past.
Our priority is not only to maintain the sites but also to improve them and we can't do that if we have to waste significant amounts of our time dealing with things we wouldn't be bothered by if everyone was keeping their end of the bargain. There have been moments when we have seriously considered closing down the forum. When, day after day, you feel you can't leave the computer for more than a couple of hours for fear of the wreckage you might return to, you know you're approaching the point of no return. It's even more aggravating when it's not so much the tail that's wagging the dog but just a few of its stray hairs. To repeat, this forum is a courtesy not an entitlement and what resources we can muster we need to apply to the enhancement of the databases and other areas. Not monitoring slug fests between people who don't contribute anything except perpetual aggravation.
In a nutshell, the viability of this forum (and the others) depends largely upon self-policing by members, because without it we simply aren't going to be able to maintain it and wouldn't want to anyway. After all, it's supposed to be a place where people enjoy themselves, not a magnifying glass for all the worst aspects of society at large. Hardly a Utopian daydream when people routinely have a good time down their local, night after night, with nary a glassing to be seen. We've no idea why some members are 'happier' spewing bile but at the end of the day we don't have to understand it. We just have to call time on it and get on with all the other more constructive things that need attending to.
Hopefully, this is the last ridiculously serious post we have to make for a while. If it isn't then it's probably because we're rolling up the carpet and removing the light bulbs. We will now retire to our ivory basement for a nice cup of tea and volume five of steve56's epic autobiography '1969: The Year of Living Dangerously'.
~~
The Origin story of this forum, sometimes referred to here, is pretty much correct. The O/T really was created in order to allow steve56 the freedom to be, erm, steve56 without driving the Mods to distraction on the main board. Long may he gambol here...
Our instincts tell us that conspiracy theorists like nothing more than a juicy denial to confirm their suspicions but we've never paid them much mind, so...
We have no relationship with Killergram beyond a few dozen emails relating to obtaining images for our database, plus the removal of some libelous posts. They seem quite nice but we don't know them at all.
Nor are we in any way associated with David Sullivan. Anyone who researched the invariably ungracious comments posted here about him over the years could deduce that in half-a-minute. Of course, if he approached us with a cheque displaying several zeros, we would sell-out to him faster than you can say Zebra-stripes! But only if he agreed to moderate the O/T in person.
We are entirely independent and beholden to no other individual or organisation. In fact, we barely know anyone in the industry. We represent ourselves and no one else!
We do NOT have a hit-list of members lined up for future barrings. Nor do we lock small children in a cupboard under the stairs. If anyone is booted off it's because they're making our lives difficult and we aren't prepared to be messed around anymore. No one is 'guilty' simply by dint of their previous, or current, associations.
Yes, the O/T is not the Algonquin Round Table but neither is it a cage fight. Rather, it's something more akin to the local caff. And like any caff owners, we expect those who come here to dine to eat their food. Not throw it at other people because living in a free society means you can do what you like - or else it's Fascism, man!
The reasons for barring 'warren zevon rip', 'Magoo' and 'Keith Rasputin (aka Giles aka Shiola aka Betamax Man)' had nothing to do with their politics, or the people with whom they clashed, or associated, or any other of their foibles. Our decision was made solely in relation to their addiction to metaphorical food-throwing. e.g. the repeated re-posting of comments removed by us because they breached the FAQ (we're talking hundreds of instances for the first two ex-members); the vituperative and gratuitous nature of their 'disputes' with other members; their serial and flagrant disregard for the FAQ; and, not least, their total lack of consideration for ourselves, as moderators, whenever they exercised their 'right' to say or do whatever they felt like.
The fact is, the provision of the O/T Forum is a courtesy to those who visit, and hopefully contribute to, BGAFD. There's no charge for it's usage and no expectation of what people should do or say, save that they attempt, in good faith, to comply with the FAQ. Beyond that, all we expect in return is a little bit of that same courtesy to be shown towards ourselves and the way we run things. Unfortunately, over the past year or so, there has been a nasty atmosphere created by some posters who, while happy to hang out here, seem to have nothing but contempt for our attempts to maintain a civil and tolerant environment. Frankly, we've wasted too many hours of our personal time monitoring the misdemeanours and stupidities of individuals who patently don't give a damn about our efforts. This isn't us being precious but simply making clear that the days of our following certain posters around with a bucket and shovel to clear up the mess they leave in their wake are now past.
Our priority is not only to maintain the sites but also to improve them and we can't do that if we have to waste significant amounts of our time dealing with things we wouldn't be bothered by if everyone was keeping their end of the bargain. There have been moments when we have seriously considered closing down the forum. When, day after day, you feel you can't leave the computer for more than a couple of hours for fear of the wreckage you might return to, you know you're approaching the point of no return. It's even more aggravating when it's not so much the tail that's wagging the dog but just a few of its stray hairs. To repeat, this forum is a courtesy not an entitlement and what resources we can muster we need to apply to the enhancement of the databases and other areas. Not monitoring slug fests between people who don't contribute anything except perpetual aggravation.
In a nutshell, the viability of this forum (and the others) depends largely upon self-policing by members, because without it we simply aren't going to be able to maintain it and wouldn't want to anyway. After all, it's supposed to be a place where people enjoy themselves, not a magnifying glass for all the worst aspects of society at large. Hardly a Utopian daydream when people routinely have a good time down their local, night after night, with nary a glassing to be seen. We've no idea why some members are 'happier' spewing bile but at the end of the day we don't have to understand it. We just have to call time on it and get on with all the other more constructive things that need attending to.
Hopefully, this is the last ridiculously serious post we have to make for a while. If it isn't then it's probably because we're rolling up the carpet and removing the light bulbs. We will now retire to our ivory basement for a nice cup of tea and volume five of steve56's epic autobiography '1969: The Year of Living Dangerously'.
~~
The Origin story of this forum, sometimes referred to here, is pretty much correct. The O/T really was created in order to allow steve56 the freedom to be, erm, steve56 without driving the Mods to distraction on the main board. Long may he gambol here...
Our instincts tell us that conspiracy theorists like nothing more than a juicy denial to confirm their suspicions but we've never paid them much mind, so...
We have no relationship with Killergram beyond a few dozen emails relating to obtaining images for our database, plus the removal of some libelous posts. They seem quite nice but we don't know them at all.
Nor are we in any way associated with David Sullivan. Anyone who researched the invariably ungracious comments posted here about him over the years could deduce that in half-a-minute. Of course, if he approached us with a cheque displaying several zeros, we would sell-out to him faster than you can say Zebra-stripes! But only if he agreed to moderate the O/T in person.
We are entirely independent and beholden to no other individual or organisation. In fact, we barely know anyone in the industry. We represent ourselves and no one else!
We do NOT have a hit-list of members lined up for future barrings. Nor do we lock small children in a cupboard under the stairs. If anyone is booted off it's because they're making our lives difficult and we aren't prepared to be messed around anymore. No one is 'guilty' simply by dint of their previous, or current, associations.