Forum Bullies

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 03:15 AM

I cant help noticing since coming back that there's a group of people treating this forum as their personal playground and seem to bully everybody that hold a different opinion then them, often resulting to personal attacks and insults.

Now we can all report such a person but we never know if something is being done.

So i suggest we get some stats beside our profile photo that will show if a user has received any warnings or infractions, myself included of course.

So what do you think, would you like more transparency?

**jeroen_13** · 11-05-2012, 03:22 AM

Good idea, but it also will cause some problems ; If you see a person with a (lot of) warning(s) , can you thrust the post, and do you believe it ?! Even though it could be right, it might change your thoughts.

Jeroen

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by jeroen_13

Good idea, but it also will cause some problems ; If you see a person with a (lot of) warning(s) , can you thrust the post, and do you believe it ?! Even though it could be right, it might change your thoughts.

Jeroen

If anybody receives persistent warnings it must be for a reason no?

**otacon** · 11-05-2012, 03:26 AM

Yes sure. I believe the forum is supposed to be a mature place where mature and in-depth discussions take place, and not a place for personal attacks and bashing of RIM / other brands. If everyone would just calm down and accept that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, then the forum would be so much better. However, since some people think they're above everyone else and that their opinion needs to be loudest and they bully other people when they have opposite opinions, then they should be identified so people can avoid going into a deep discussion with these people that might end up in name-calling and insults.

**Ben1232** · 11-05-2012, 03:55 AM

I haven't been on these forums as much as i usually am of late due to hospital but some people come out with such daftness and need a wake up call. (not in the form of bullying)

I read that someone wanted to contact RIM because they dropped and damaged their Playbook and wanted to complain. Of course this person needs a prayer but there has been many other challenged people's threads / posts too which riles the sane.

**xandermac** · 11-05-2012, 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by belfastdispatcher

I cant help noticing since coming back that there's a group of people treating this forum as their personal playground and seem to bully everybody that hold a different opinion then them, often resulting to personal attacks and insults.

Now we can all report such a person but we never know if something is being done.

So i suggest we get some stats beside our profile photo that will show if a user has received any warnings or infractions, myself included of course.

So what do you think, would you like more transparency?

So that you can antagonize them and try to force more infractions? You want transparency? I received 1 infraction in December of 2011. That's it. Hope that helps.

edit, FYI, didn't even bother voting. The owners make the rules.

**diegonei** · 11-05-2012, 06:47 AM

I rather see temp bans being used more often than creating a second-class sub-group...

I am sure such a thing already exists though, and only mods can see those with "the mark".

**mikeo007** · 11-05-2012, 06:54 AM

So you basically want a self-policed forum where a militia of members can gang up on others and falsely report their posts in order to downgrade their credibility? Gee, that sounds familiar, like another forum that shall not be named...

**OniPod** · 11-05-2012, 06:58 AM

Sorry to hear that Ben. Hope you are feeling better. I had surgery two weeks ago (So I took a few days off as well)

I don't see it happening. Belfast, you can always put em on ignore. After a few weeks they will get the memo and stop messaging you. If the personal attacks are that bad, then you may want to report the offending post and move on. When people talk about transparency, they usually mean in the way something is run, not disclosure of details in the users profiles and actions. Personally I don't think we have a right to have people's infractions show up for all to see. I am sure if someone receives multiple infractions then they would be banned after a certain number, right? The system seems to work as it stands. I can also see some users never posting as their number of infractions would detract from their message(Some arguments get really personal, right?)

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by mikeo007

So you basically want a self-policed forum where a militia of members can gang up on others and falsely report their posts in order to downgrade their credibility? Gee, that sounds familiar, like another forum that shall not be named...

I assume a report doesn't automatically result in a warning or infraction, the mods decide and I'm sure they do it only when necessary and when deserved.

When people start talking defamatory about another poster within the forum posts then you know they're just bullies, they can take that to PMs, not in the forums imho.

**simu31** · 11-05-2012, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by mikeo007

So you basically want a self-policed forum where a militia of members can gang up on others and falsely report their posts in order to downgrade their credibility?

Actually, I'm pretty sure he said he was putting out the idea that all forum members could see infractions of other forum members, not that forum members themselves could add infractions, hense not self policing.
If all he wanted to do was get a militia together to "gang up" on certain forum members, it's not that hard to organise and they wouldn't need to know about any users infraction levels to have an effect.

So that everyone knows, because it doesn't bother me either way, I've had 2 infractions which have long since lapsed. I didn't necessarily agree with either of them, but I'm grown up enough to say that I accepted my punishment like an adult and moved on... I'd like to add a thank you to Ed for his editing of my second post which got an infraction, he removed a sentance, it went on to get a whole load of "likes"

Si.

**ubizmo** · 11-05-2012, 07:25 AM

I think we should list both infractions and infarctions so we can see who's getting really wound up.

**taz323** · 11-05-2012, 07:45 AM

I do agree that some need to calm down and there is a different opinions, which is good it keeps the conversation going. but have also seen post were the whole intention is to strike a nerve.

**qbnkelt** · 11-05-2012, 07:49 AM

What I would like to see is the option not to see member's posts when I put someone on Ignore. Unfortunately, when others quote the particular member, the posts become visible.

Now THAT is something I could get behind.

The members voting other members up or down results in one horrible mess. Similarly, members' infractions are between the mods and the members. No airing out of dirty laundry here, that is distasteful.

There are other alternatives elsewhere if someone wants that kind of forum. Let members who want that go there. THIS is not THAT place. CB has more class than that trashy spectacle.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 07:52 AM

Originally Posted by Qbnkelt

What I would like to see is the option not to see member's posts when I put someone on Ignore. Unfortunately, when others quote the particular member, the posts become visible.

Now THAT is something I could get behind.

The members voting other members up or down results in one horrible mess. Similarly, members' infractions are between the mods and the members. No airing out of dirty laundry here, that is distasteful.

There are other alternatives elsewhere if someone wants that kind of forum. Let members who want that go there. THIS is not THAT place. CB has more class than that trashy spectacle.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

Nobody sugested members voting other members up or down, where did you get that from?

**xandermac** · 11-05-2012, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by belfastdispatcher

Nobody sugested members voting other members up or down, where did you get that from?

Oh no, please don't start this again. Let her opinion stand and move on.

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by xandermac

Oh no, please don't start this again. Let her opinion stand and move on.

Opinion on what? I never put that forward and I would agree, I would never suggest that members should vote on other members, I want that to be clear.

What I'm suggesting is transparency, for users and mods, after all, how often members complain that other members seem to be getting away with plenty insults and never a ban?

If anything Mods should welcome that.

**xandermac** · 11-05-2012, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by belfastdispatcher

Opinion on what? I never put that forward and I would agree, I would never suggest that members should vote on other members, I want that to be clear.

What I'm suggesting is transparency, for users and mods, after all, how often members complain that other members seem to be getting away with plenty insults and never a ban?

If anything Mods should welcome that.

Look, moderators get to use their discretion. Suppose you come across a user that you don't like, you see that they've only ever had 1 infraction yet you believe they deserved more, you're inclined to start reporting every post just to see if that will help your cause. It creates an atmosphere of animosity, there is already enough of that. People will have differing opinions, it's up to the user to either engage in the conversation or merely move along, showing their infraction count won't change that, it won't suddenly make the trolls/flamers any less so... I'm assuming that is what you would like to gain from this proposal, less animosity, or do you have a different outcome in mind? Such as pressure to get someone banned?

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by xandermac

Look, moderators get to use their discretion. Suppose you come across a user that you don't like, you see that they've only ever had 1 infraction yet you believe they deserved more, you're inclined to start reporting every post just to see if that will help your cause. It creates an atmosphere of animosity, there is already enough of that. People will have differing opinions, it's up to the user to either engage in the conversation or merely move along, showing their infraction count won't change that, it won't suddenly make the trolls/flamers any less so... I'm assuming that is what you would like to gain from this proposal, less animosity, or do you have a different outcome in mind? Such as pressure to get someone banned?

Mods get accused certain people get "special" treatment, transparency would eliminate this issue.

**mikeo007** · 11-05-2012, 08:13 AM

Sorry, i guess i misunderstood Your intent. In that case, it sounds like you're looking for a sense of fulfillment after reporting a poster. You want to know that your report did something. I feel that this would cause even more problems, with members knowing the outcome of their reports and expecting mods to explain themselves if the decision doesn't match up with their own expectations.

**xandermac** · 11-05-2012, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by belfastdispatcher

Mods get accused certain people get "special" treatment, transparency would eliminate this issue.

So it's the way the forums are run that you have the issue with? I believe your leaving post covered that. No need to re-hash it. Aren't there other forums that cater to your desires already?

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by mikeo007

Sorry, i guess i misunderstood Your intent. In that case, it sounds like you're looking for a sense of fulfillment after reporting a poster. You want to know that your report did something. I feel that this would cause even more problems, with members knowing the outcome of their reports and expecting mods to explain themselves if the decision doesn't match up with their own expectations.

No, I don't think Mods should explain themselves, it's not part of what I put forward.

**mikeo007** · 11-05-2012, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by belfastdispatcher

No, I don't think Mods should explain themselves, it's not part of what I put forward.

Never said it was. Nonetheless, I can see it as a consequence of the proposed system.

**xandermac** · 11-05-2012, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by mikeo007

Never said it was. Nonetheless, I can see it as a consequence of the proposed system.

Agreed. Disgruntled users would see a low infraction count and create a little storm.

**belfastdispatcher** · 11-05-2012, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by xandermac

So it's the way the forums are run that you have the issue with? I believe your leaving post covered that. No need to re-hash it. Aren't there other forums that cater to your desires already?

I don't have an "issue", I've put an idea forward and see who agrees with me. If you don't that's fine.

I will not discuss other forums on CB. What I do there is none of your business, no offense.