Reported Qs and As

[rogerr]

It seems to be the norm on here that Qs and As are reported and therefore banned, just because one person doesn't agree with the point of view put forward by another. Obviously rules and regs. have to be followed, but it seems to me that certain people are taking on the role of AB ED and even think they are a higher authority just because they have been on here a long time. They feel it's their right to spout off about everyone else, but they can not be challenged. Can these people have flags too?

[dot.hawkes]

I am not frightened to challenge anyone for anything on here rogerr, don't worry, if you find it a problem just email the ed with the relevent link and the ed will actually take it upon herself to decide if there is a problem, as per the Site Rules.

[B00]

If the post has been removed maliciously by users just for the sake of it, it'll be looked over by Ed the day after (Monday if it happens on a Friday) and if it's deemed OK by her it'll be put back.

AB is kinda staffed (for want of a better word) by it's members which is proved by the report button available for us all to use.

Yeah it's annoying when it happens to you, but if it's an OK post it'll be back Monday morning- so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Enjoy ya weekend! :-)

[enigma]

Yes Rogerr , certain people do think that they are a law unto themselves and that they have the right to an opinion but woe betide anyone who dares to disagree and express a difference of opinion. It's pitiful really but hey , if they must march on their little power trip , let them. These are usually the same people who keep getting banned and wonder why. There are usually plenty of other interesting threads to pop into anyway. As long as you keep within the rules regarding posting ie not posting anything which is abusive , sexually explicit , not a question/chat etc then there shouldn't be any grounds for removal and if this is the case , then the threads are usually returned. Enjoy AB x

[dot.hawkes]

well said enigma that is bang on, glad you agree.

[jno]

beats me how anyone thinks they know who's reported a post. It's all anonymous (except when the Ed lets a name slip). Everyone just supposes it must be someone who disagrees with them, and some even suppose it must be someone who's been here a long time. There's not a shred of evidence for any of this, alas; so I don't know why users waste their time fretting about it.

[B00]

Lol, agreed jno.........

Unless of course it's one of MY posts, then I'll be finger pointing and demanding decapitation of the culprit louder than anyone ;-)

[Rock'n'Roll]

Couldn't the Ed query the 'reporter' as to her/his objections,if, in Ed's opinion there is nothing wrong? If the complainant is regulary posting objections in what the Ed sees as a vindictive manner,then perhaps the user could be suspended for time or have their contract terminated

[jno]

I think that may happen already R'n'R - one of the things that lead me to suspect the reporters aren't necessarily the people you think they are.
B00, if you were wondering who reported your thread on the wearing of penis gourds in St Albans on Thursdays, I'm afraid it was me.

[enigma]

I wasn't referring to the ones who report posts , more the ones who don't seem capable of understanding that others have a right to a difference of opinion or through sheer arrogance , will not let them voice their opinion as sometimes happens. Everyone has the right to express an opinion without being personally insulted be it a long standing member of AB or a 'greenie'. Everyone has a fundamental right to the same respect and courtesy.

I have never reported posts maliciously but will put my hands up to reporting posts which are abusive , sexually explicit (younger members of my family use this site and it is a family site after all) etc. If someone breaks the rules then I don't see why they are so up in arms when posts like that go. They know the rules when they sign up for AB and as much as I enjoy a bit of banter as much as the next person , if I see a thread which is really ott in a sexual context , then I have no hesitation in reporting it and do not feel ashamed for doing so. What might seem funny late on a sat night will still be there sunday morning for others to read and there are plenty of chatrooms geared up for a more mature audience where subjects like this can be discussed - AB is not the place for graphic posts.

I don't understand the need for the whole naming and shaming process. Surely the inevitable witch hunt which will ensue would only lead to further problems on AB and aggravate the problem further. Then you will have certain people reporting someone just because they reported their post. The answer is quite simple , stay within AB rules and your post won't get removed. If it does go with no valid reason , then the AB Ed will reinstate it if there is nothing wrong with it . I don't see where the problem is there as it takes 3 people to remove a thread so obviously three separate people have all had the same idea but as I said , if there is nothing wrong with it , it will be reinstated.

[goldenfield]

One big problem with that enigma - it only takes ONE person to remove a thread when that person has multiple user names. That is what has been happening quite a bit and as long as the reporter has the AB Ed on their side, which some have, that thread will stay removed and the person being reported on will find themselves with the likelihood of being banned from the site.

[kick3m0n]

enigma...correction there, not necessarily 3 separate people. There are those on here with multiple IDs, so if they use three of these to report your post, it can be removed even tho only one person has objected. That's why I strongly wish multiple IDs were banned, they are only ever used for bnegativwe reasons, hence I've long campaigned for multiple IDs to be banned or disallowed.

[kick3m0n]

oooh goldenfield, great minds (lmao) and cross posts. xx

[enigma]

Okay , I see your point about multiple ids being a problem in getting a post removed in the first instance but surely if it is a legitimate post in accordance with the AB rules , then once the AB ED has had a chance to look at it , it will be reinstated ? I have seen threads quite quickly disappear , only to reappear a short while later. The Ed is usually on the ball (unless at the weekend when she's not around) I'm not quite sure what you mean by the reporter having the ED on their side though Goldenfield. I would doubt if she is discriminatory towards Abers as none of us are the be all and end all on AB (although some people think that they are !) and no-one has the authority to dictate what stays and what gets removed - only the Ed herself. If it is permanently removed then it must have been in a breach of the rules to begin with and it was duly noted.

Personally I don't see the need for multiple IDs if not to cause menace , although I have read a few times that some people keep other names as a back up in case someone gets them banned. I have used the same name since joining a few years back and have never felt the need to change it but have noticed that some people keep reappearing under different guises just to stir things , whilst others have no choice but to adopt a new user name because they have been a victim of malicious posting. I wasn't aware that if you were reported repeatedly then you are banned. Is that correct ? If that's the case then that is really unfair and I hope that the ED will find a way of dealing with that. I don't see how you can stop it happening though because if you ban someone on their IP address , then others who share the computer will suffer too. My hubby uses AB as do other family members sometimes but then again , I know that they don't antagonise people (I hope) but if someone can fall foul to malicious reporting and get banned , then that would mean that the others couldn't use it either.

[goldenfield]

Do you not think AB Ed has her favourites on the site, enigma? I have seen quite a few people banned on this site just because they dare to challenge the kind of people that rogerr is talking about. I have also seen threads that are perfectly ok to the eyes of most AB posters disappear and not reappear - read into that what you will.

Naming those who have been banned serves no purpose as - one, that username will not appear again and two, the banned person just has to re-register under another e-mail address.

[enigma]

I dare say that the ed does have her favourites Goldenfield because after all , she is only human. We all have people we like on here and some whom we don't like as much. There are people I can relate to on here , others whom I find really funny and a minority who are downright nasty whom I don't like at all but I never name these people as it serves no purpose and I dare say that the ed is much the same. If she has allowed personal feelings to cloud her editing judgement then I must say that I have never noticed. The only posts which I have noticed disappearing as usually either nasty posts , sexual posts , chatty/non question type questions etc but if you feel that you have had posts removed unfairly or have witnessed such posts being removed , then perhaps you should email the ed to make your feelings known. I have noticed quite a few times though that some Abers will post a 'Where did my thread go ?' post only to then answer it saying 'Oops , just noticed it's back.' I doubt that the ed does actually single out certain users but if you feel this way then email her.

[enigma]

I have used AB for a few years now and a few times I have copped a fair amount of flak for daring to express a difference of opinion but I have never been banned for arguing the toss. I have never , ever felt the need to personally insult another ABer though and try to reason out any disagreement in a civillised manner. Sadly some people can not discuss matters without resorting to puerile name calling and in my eyes they lose their whole argument and any respect when they do so. I can't recall any member being banned JUST for differing in an opinion. There usually has to be more to it than that. Or perhaps I am just being really naive. As I said earlier , I wasn't aware that someone using multiple names can have a member banned by continuosly reporting them. Does this automatically ban an ID ? Surely if this happened though you could email the ed to plead your case and have your ID reinstated if you have done nothing wrong ? AB is a crazy place at times

[dot.hawkes]

How many times have we read notes from the ed saying that her purpose is not to ban genuine ab users? If the site is self regulating, which is quite clearly is, then the idea that you can report a thread that you do not approve of, as opposed to disagree with, is what the site is about. I often will report a thread lately that clearly comes under one of the more serious reasons for reporting, and it vanishes immediately, which suggests to me that at least a couple of other people have already agreed with my opinion on it. Why have the technical people established a reporting facility if they did not intend for it to be used. I have experienced the removal of posts and threads of quite pertinent and genuine content. Once the ed has had chance to look at them, sometimes within minutes of their disappearance, they are reinstated with the option to report removed. I believe if you look at the beginning of this thread that is the case, as there was a juvenile attempt at impostering me made soon after the thread was established and I emailed the ed for it to be removed.
Everyone can carry on moaning about multiple ids as much as they like, until the technical team sort out a way around this we are going to have to worry less about them and just enjoy the site, it isn't the big deal people make out unless they are used to intimidate, bully or insult people.

[dot.hawkes]

actually it is my own thread below that has the reporting options removed for the first part of it, sorry rogerr. : )

[rogerr]

Thanks everyone for your comments.
It wasn't me who had a question/post banned. I just noticed while mooching about the different sections that there are several people that do not like their opinions challenged. Suddenly the offending post is removed, so the challenge disappears. Although the post sometimes gets reinstated the person who got it deleted has made their point ie don't mess with me or you get deleted. I would not know how they manage it so quickly
R

[dot.hawkes]

well i know yesterday the imposterer I had on the thread below was removed within minutes of me emailing the ed, and you will see that i chose not to report it so that their pathetic jealousy and sheer idiocy was left for others to read. The ed acted swiftly however. The same thing happened I think with the offensive brownface comments about the disabled child, it was reported by several people and vanished. That is how it works. most people on here tend to form groups depending on the category and their how they act on the site, I personally do not feel i follow anyone nor do i tend to only post in B&S where alot of the bother starts, but the site has it's good points, alot more so than the negative ones.

Cheers

dotty
xxxx