In todays news...

[DefTrap]

I'm skimming a lot of the these threads that gain lots of posts really quickly (it's not just the political ones, the common denominator is where a group of 3 or 4 have determined they are the experts,) and it's the same old story. Accusations of political bias and smug accusations of ignorance.

Some of you would do well to take a step back. You're not "fixing" anyone's opinion on here and if you're having a quiet joke with yourself about how clever and controversial you're being, it feels mostly like you're just shitting on the carpet.

[Potter]

As always you have a wonderful solution to make yourself superior .... Lovely. However, you're once again, completely wrong. Seeing all the answers from the outside is always really simple, however completely ignores the human element and dynamics. I could spend 45 mins tidying thread X or Y but then another thread goes off on a tangent. But that's part of forums, the off tangent threads... it's what makes them fun (generally)

I was agreeing with you, I used your quote about keeping things in the right threads.

I'm not here for an argument, you often seem quite angry about what happens in this section and I'm trying to pass on an opinion of what I see.

I moderate on forums that are a lot busier than this one and it's because the healthy general sections pull the rest of the forum along, it's always going to be that way because in general people that use forums post mostly in the general sections to chat away, the more focussed sub sections tend to get less traffic because there is only so much to discuss.
I was offering some feedback, but I'm not trying to be right or superior, I'm not in every thread accusing people of being wrong, I stopped posting at all because it's not an inviting environment for discussion. And evidently, whether I post in this section or not makes no difference.

I'll try another way, instead of pointing at the problem and upsetting people, maybe I'll suggest an answer, and IMO the answer is to encourage healthy general sections that aren't off-putting to people looking in. These general sections have the potential to be very busy but on this front page there are threads last posted on in November last year, there is a reason for that.

[weeksy]

These general sections have the potential to be very busy but on this front page there are threads last posted on in November last year, there is a reason for that.

Which is ?

As for me being 'often angry' i've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. I don't do angry, not ever. I don't even do riled up.... or often even irritated. However yes at times i comment on post on some of these threads to keep people in check.

[Potter]

I'm skimming a lot of the these threads that gain lots of posts really quickly (it's not just the political ones, the common denominator is where a group of 3 or 4 have determined they are the experts,) and it's the same old story. Accusations of political bias and smug accusations of ignorance.

Some of you would do well to take a step back. You're not "fixing" anyone's opinion on here and if you're having a quiet joke with yourself about how clever and controversial you're being, it feels mostly like you're just shitting on the carpet.

Yeah that's exactly what I did, I stepped back, I stopped posting entirely in this section at the end of 2023 and only started again this week when I saw it kick off and I thought I could offer an opinion about why.

You can argue that it's a well trodden path making accusations of toxic threads where people genuinely don't understand the subject and political bias is allowed to control the narrative - but if that's what's happening then that's what's happening.

I stopped trying to fix peoples opinions, I've been clear that I won't be offering any more insights, you can take the piss but (for example) I gave people a pretty clear heads up of the economic situation that was coming, in the face of piss-taking and abuse, all things that came to pass and if people listened and acted upon it then they'd have been a step ahead. I did a similar post on another forum and got a lot of thanks and positive feedback for it.

That's how a general section should be, a healthy place for people to share knowledge and help each other.
This isn't it.

[weeksy]

I'm skimming a lot of the these threads that gain lots of posts really quickly (it's not just the political ones, the common denominator is where a group of 3 or 4 have determined they are the experts,) and it's the same old story. Accusations of political bias and smug accusations of ignorance.

Some of you would do well to take a step back. You're not "fixing" anyone's opinion on here and if you're having a quiet joke with yourself about how clever and controversial you're being, it feels mostly like you're just shitting on the carpet.

Yeah that's exactly what I did, I stepped back, I stopped posting entirely in this section at the end of 2023 and only started again this week when I saw it kick off and I thought I could offer an opinion about why.

You can argue that it's a well trodden path making accusations of toxic threads where people genuinely don't understand the subject and political bias is allowed to control the narrative - but if that's what's happening then that's what's happening.

I stopped trying to fix peoples opinions, I've been clear that I won't be offering any more insights, you can take the piss but (for example) I gave people a pretty clear heads up of the economic situation that was coming, in the face of piss-taking and abuse, all things that came to pass and if people listened and acted upon it then they'd have been a step ahead. I did a similar post on another forum and got a lot of thanks and positive feedback for it.

That's how a general section should be, a healthy place for people to share knowledge and help each other.
This isn't it.

You don't seem to like it here much fella...

[Potter]

These general sections have the potential to be very busy but on this front page there are threads last posted on in November last year, there is a reason for that.

Which is ?

Cut out the political bias and the uninviting feeling that has grown in here like poison ivy.

As for me being 'often angry' i've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. I don't do angry, not ever. I don't even do riled up.... or often even irritated. However yes at times i comment on post on some of these threads to keep people in check.

It's the way it comes across then, because you post about things ruining your weekend or getting the ban hammer out, etc. The way it's worded sometimes comes across like you're really annoyed about it.

I moderate and I never threaten things like that, if I did it would be because I was angry about something, so perhaps I'm reading it with my own interpretation.

[Count Steer]

Well it landed in my inbox today so it's today's news.

What milk would you like in your skinny decaf latte sir? Soy? Goat? Oat? Almond? Coconut? Errr....camel?

https://theconversation.com/turning-cam ... l%20scales

[Potter]

You don't seem to like it here much fella...

I like the sub sections and sometimes the main general section.
There are some good people on here, which is why I stick around, it also gives me access to some people that can help others.

I think it's a shame to let it slide in the way it has and I think it could be a thriving hub, I feel like I've supported more than some and I feel like I care more than some, I honestly think some people don't care about it, so every now and then you see a bit of frustration like this coming out.

[weeksy]

I think it's a shame to let it slide in the way it has and I think it could be a thriving hub,

See, now you're irritating me

Let it slide... Which is implying it's my fault the forum is shit.

FFS.

Tell you what, i'll make you the Admin for 6 months and you make it better... how's that ?

[Rockburner]

I moderate and I never threaten things like that, if I did it would be because I was angry about something, so perhaps I'm reading it with my own interpretation.

That's how communication on internet forums works, (hell, it's how most communcation works). We all read posts and put out own interpretation on them, especially if we haven't met the person in real life and have learnt their mannerisms etc in order to be able to "read in that voice".

This is not new, this is well known. This is why it's imperative to read anything on an internet forum without emotion or bias, all you can do is read the words and assign the generally accepted, dictionary definitions to them, nothing more.

[Horse]

As for me being 'often angry' i've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. I don't do angry, not ever. I don't even do riled up.... or often even irritated. However yes at times i comment on post on some of these threads to keep people in check.

It's the way it comes across then, because you post about things ruining your weekend or getting the ban hammer out, etc. The way it's worded sometimes comes across like you're really annoyed about it.

That's not how it comes across to me.

I hear each post preceded by "*sigh* Again ... "

[Potter]

See, now you're irritating me

Let it slide... Which is implying it's my fault the forum is shit.

FFS.

Tell you what, i'll make you the Admin for 6 months and you make it better... how's that ?

I haven't said the forum is shit, I don't know what you think is going on in my head but do you actually think I'd shit all over you and what you've done in creating this place by telling you that it's shit?

The reason I get so pissed off is because that's what I think other people are doing to you, I've told you this before, I told you at the start that I'd be one of the last blokes standing to support you, financially as well when it's needed.
But that doesn't mean I agree with you all the time, and I suppose my problem is I don't keep my mouth shut enough.

After months of staying silent in this section, I saw another spat because of the same old formula, so I commented on why I think it was happening and I commented on why I think the forum is slow moving. I've seen you comment in other sections about less footfall than you'd like and I thought I had some insights from working on other forums that are busier.
That's all it was, but obviously it's not wanted so I'll go back to not posting again.

Making me an admin would be a terribly bad idea when you obviously think I'm wrong about everything I've said.

[weeksy]

I think it's a shame to let it slide in the way it has

This was your exact comment. How else was i supposed to interpret that ?

[weeksy]

But that doesn't mean I agree with you all the time, and I suppose my problem is I don't keep my mouth shut enough.

You should never feel like that. You should always feel free to post anything any everything you think/want/feel. (within reason of course).

The one thing i want to encourage is debate and discussion. Incliuding politics, like this particular issues. My whole point was that things about Gaza (in this example) already have their own thread and is being discussed (badly) in there already, so no need to clutter up other threads with the exact same debate.
It really wasn't any deeper than that.

It then escalated slightly as people thought it was my job to 'tidy up' the threads, whereas it's more their job not to feel threads with the shit being posted elsewhere

[Potter]

Well I feel that this turned into something much bigger than I intended, so probably best to let the thread get back to the news, although it seems like a slow news day today.

[Rockburner]

.... it seems like a slow news day today.

How well do you know your biscuits??

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/quizzes/taki ... od-quizzes

[KungFooBob]

9/10!

I do like a biscuit.

[McNab]

.... it seems like a slow news day today.

How well do you know your biscuits??

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/quizzes/taki ... od-quizzes

7/10, but I maintain that a fig roll isn't a biscuit. Also, only showing the biscuit side of the chocolate digestive was a dastardly trick.

[weeksy]

I'm not actually sure how i got 1 wrong !

[Count Steer]

10/10. Woot! (Probably should have been 9 because people have mentioned a couple of them and I was a bit about one).

(PS Should have been in 'Chefs, cooking, BBQ's and foodies' ).