New forum

[Naturalcynic 678]

25 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

It didn't spill over on my part, I was not allowed to join! The truth is I simply wanted to be part of the new forum and was effectively barred without even being given a chance. I was eventually allowed to be on the forum under some kind of probation that I "behave" - but that just meant I couldn't say anything that I really thought - I had to follow the narrative - and that is what others had to do too, but I'm sorry, but that just isn't a discussion board, it is just too bland. No real meaningful discussion about football can happen if you close down anyone that thinks out of the box, or is just a bit different - that is cancel culture at it's worst and it's no surprise that the forum has all but stopped in it's tracks.

I have no animosity towards Morty, I've met him a few times, no problem, but it became very difficult for me on here and it did affect my mental health for a while, because I refused to give in to the constant attempts to belittle me and the refusal to accept me as I was - a real fan who just happens to think around subjects and suggest alternatives, rather than just go along with the majority view. It eventually dragged me down to a low level and I had to step away from it for a while. It wasn't just one person - there were others too that joined in, but that is the nature of bullying - one person starts it and others join in. On the other hand, some of the support I received at the time was heart warming and was really appreciated. 

So your choosing "one of us" to be moderator might have solved your issue in one sense, but the frustration I felt at being the one who was being continually abused and looking forwards to the new forum which was supposed to be a safe place - and finding my chief antagonist as moderator - seemed totally wrong to me. The sanctuary it was suppose to offer is actually a phallacy - it is seen as a place where no-one can express themselves freely. I said before on here, running a forum like this needs a balance - it needs moderating, but only lightly and if people step out of line too far, then of course they should be stopped from posting, but generally, let people say what they want. Variety is the spice of life, squash that and you have nothing that will hold people's interest. A lot is said about cancel culture these days and cancel culture is real - it is a danger to free thinking and free speech. I do hope this forum and any others that come along do not go too far down that route.

But to  Connor and anyone else who reads this who has some responsibility for this forum, this is still the best place for people to come and discuss all things Norwich. There might be a few bad apples, but get rid of those when they appear and the rest of us can get on and enjoy what is a great place to celebrate talking about the football club we all support.

As always, a considered, honest, polite and well-written post LDC.  I don’t always agree with the positions you take (in this case I do) but I absolutely support your right to state your opinions without being met with hostility and abuse.  I also find it ironic that someone banned from here for persistent hectoring is now the moderator on what is being suggested by some as a viable alternative to this site.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Naturalcynic

[JonnyJonnyRowe 498]

3 hours ago, lake district canary said:

It didn't spill over on my part, I was not allowed to join! The truth is I simply wanted to be part of the new forum and was effectively barred without even being given a chance. I was eventually allowed to be on the forum under some kind of probation that I "behave" - but that just meant I couldn't say anything that I really thought - I had to follow the narrative - and that is what others had to do too, but I'm sorry, but that just isn't a discussion board, it is just too bland. No real meaningful discussion about football can happen if you close down anyone that thinks out of the box, or is just a bit different - that is cancel culture at it's worst and it's no surprise that the forum has all but stopped in it's tracks.

I have no animosity towards Morty, I've met him a few times, no problem, but it became very difficult for me on here and it did affect my mental health for a while, because I refused to give in to the constant attempts to belittle me and the refusal to accept me as I was - a real fan who just happens to think around subjects and suggest alternatives, rather than just go along with the majority view. It eventually dragged me down to a low level and I had to step away from it for a while. It wasn't just one person - there were others too that joined in, but that is the nature of bullying - one person starts it and others join in. On the other hand, some of the support I received at the time was heart warming and was really appreciated. 

So your choosing "one of us" to be moderator might have solved your issue in one sense, but the frustration I felt at being the one who was being continually abused and looking forwards to the new forum which was supposed to be a safe place - and finding my chief antagonist as moderator - seemed totally wrong to me. The sanctuary it was suppose to offer is actually a phallacy - it is seen as a place where no-one can express themselves freely. I said before on here, running a forum like this needs a balance - it needs moderating, but only lightly and if people step out of line too far, then of course they should be stopped from posting, but generally, let people say what they want. Variety is the spice of life, squash that and you have nothing that will hold people's interest. A lot is said about cancel culture these days and cancel culture is real - it is a danger to free thinking and free speech. I do hope this forum and any others that come along do not go too far down that route.

But to  Connor and anyone else who reads this who has some responsibility for this forum, this is still the best place for people to come and discuss all things Norwich. There might be a few bad apples, but get rid of those when they appear and the rest of us can get on and enjoy what is a great place to celebrate talking about the football club we all support.

I wasn't having a dig, I can't even remember what it was all about now, or why the Pink'un was said to be under threat, it was about a decade ago now that I built that forum so I'm sure its all water under the bridge! 

However, I agree that with 20 years of history and all those archived posts that I stumble across when trying to find something on Google which remind me of players I'd long forgotten about, like Matty 'Fatty' Pattison, it would be best if this place could survive.

Or, if Newquest don't want the hassle anymore, if the forum and its historic posts could be transferred to a new domain with new ownership. Perhaps another local business would be prepared to take it on. e.g. @hogesar if he has the skills to do this. That would be the decent thing for Newsquest to do rather than just pressing the delete button.

I suspect however that it was an empty threat and that this forum isn't going anywhere.

Edited December 20, 2023 by JonnyJonnyRowe

[JonnyJonnyRowe 498]

3 hours ago, Naturalcynic said:

on what is being suggested by some as a viable alternative to this site.

I only really suggested that it was the obvious place for people to regroup in an emergency, if this place disappeared overnight, although Hogesar seems to be well on the way to building a Plan B also.

[sgncfc 1,259]

Any forum will eventually attract a few posters who don't play by the rules. The mods job is to kick them off, as quickly as possible. If you don't have mods then sometimes it degenerates, as it has on here on occasion.

But surely, you can also moderate your own experience. I just don't look at those threads which fall into arguments. I have also blocked some posters who gave me what I considered to be unreasonable abuse for holding a different view ( this includes some supposedly "respected" regular posters) because I have no interest in their opinions any longer, and I have no respect for them. Unlike LDC, I have had no mental health issues but I can understand why you would because some people have no concept of the impact of what they are saying. Personally my rule has always been - would I say this to the person's face in the pub?

I think I agree with most posters on here much of the time, but not always; just like that chat over a pint. Some people don't rate Kenny Maclean as a footballer - I think they're wrong. I have the same arguments every week! That's the way of the world; people see different things and when you introduce passion and commitment they say things they shouldn't when they are protected by distance on a keyboard.

A first step to a fairer, friendlier forum would be to ban "in match" threads - some of the comments then are just outrageous.

[The Great Mass Debater 1,092]

We did this a few years back. I joined the mass exodus but soon found myself the only one on there, at which point the chat function became rubbish

Edited December 20, 2023 by The Great Mass Debater

[Capt. Pants 4,298]

4 hours ago, sgncfc said:

Any forum will eventually attract a few posters who don't play by the rules. The mods job is to kick them off, as quickly as possible. If you don't have mods then sometimes it degenerates, as it has on here on occasion.

But surely, you can also moderate your own experience. I just don't look at those threads which fall into arguments. I have also blocked some posters who gave me what I considered to be unreasonable abuse for holding a different view ( this includes some supposedly "respected" regular posters) because I have no interest in their opinions any longer, and I have no respect for them. Unlike LDC, I have had no mental health issues but I can understand why you would because some people have no concept of the impact of what they are saying. Personally my rule has always been - would I say this to the person's face in the pub?

I think I agree with most posters on here much of the time, but not always; just like that chat over a pint. Some people don't rate Kenny Maclean as a footballer - I think they're wrong. I have the same arguments every week! That's the way of the world; people see different things and when you introduce passion and commitment they say things they shouldn't when they are protected by distance on a keyboard.

A first step to a fairer, friendlier forum would be to ban "in match" threads - some of the comments then are just outrageous.

Some good points. I'm not sure light touch moderattion has worked on here and the standard of debate has at times reduced drastically, but there are exceptions. I would advocate ignoring people as they pretty much cease to exist thereafter and done well they will end up just talking to themselves.

Personally I love the matchday threads and participate wholeheartedly, usually away games as I go to all home games. Done in conjunction with live TV (usually a stream 😉 ) is great fun and enhances my enjoyment of the game. However, you will get more impulsive comments, sometimes unfair, sometimes outrageous, but in someways it replicates in stadium banter. Best to stay away from those threads if that's not your thing.

 

[Nuff Said 5,182]

On 20/12/2023 at 12:23, sgncfc said:

Personally my rule has always been - would I say this to the person's face in the pub?

Perfect, I hope I speak to posters the same way I would if we met. Anonymity does sometimes tempt us to be blunter than we might otherwise be though.

[dylanisabaddog 5,022]

On 20/12/2023 at 12:23, sgncfc said:

Any forum will eventually attract a few posters who don't play by the rules. The mods job is to kick them off, as quickly as possible. If you don't have mods then sometimes it degenerates, as it has on here on occasion.

But surely, you can also moderate your own experience. I just don't look at those threads which fall into arguments. I have also blocked some posters who gave me what I considered to be unreasonable abuse for holding a different view ( this includes some supposedly "respected" regular posters) because I have no interest in their opinions any longer, and I have no respect for them. Unlike LDC, I have had no mental health issues but I can understand why you would because some people have no concept of the impact of what they are saying. Personally my rule has always been - would I say this to the person's face in the pub?

I think I agree with most posters on here much of the time, but not always; just like that chat over a pint. Some people don't rate Kenny Maclean as a footballer - I think they're wrong. I have the same arguments every week! That's the way of the world; people see different things and when you introduce passion and commitment they say things they shouldn't when they are protected by distance on a keyboard.

A first step to a fairer, friendlier forum would be to ban "in match" threads - some of the comments then are just outrageous.

Treating other posters as if they were strangers you were talking to in the pub should probably be pinned to the top of the message board in capital letters. 

I don't agree with banning match threads. Have a look at TWTD. It is a shambles with numerous match day threads, several of which produce quite rude responses. 

[hogesar 9,773]

On 20/12/2023 at 12:23, sgncfc said:

Any forum will eventually attract a few posters who don't play by the rules. The mods job is to kick them off, as quickly as possible. If you don't have mods then sometimes it degenerates, as it has on here on occasion.

But surely, you can also moderate your own experience. I just don't look at those threads which fall into arguments. I have also blocked some posters who gave me what I considered to be unreasonable abuse for holding a different view ( this includes some supposedly "respected" regular posters) because I have no interest in their opinions any longer, and I have no respect for them. Unlike LDC, I have had no mental health issues but I can understand why you would because some people have no concept of the impact of what they are saying. Personally my rule has always been - would I say this to the person's face in the pub?

I think I agree with most posters on here much of the time, but not always; just like that chat over a pint. Some people don't rate Kenny Maclean as a footballer - I think they're wrong. I have the same arguments every week! That's the way of the world; people see different things and when you introduce passion and commitment they say things they shouldn't when they are protected by distance on a keyboard.

A first step to a fairer, friendlier forum would be to ban "in match" threads - some of the comments then are just outrageous.

This is literally a test to see if you reply or not. If you haven't I'm assuming you've blocked me and therefore will be sad 😞

[KiwiScot 1,489]

1 hour ago, hogesar said:

This is literally a test to see if you reply or not. If you haven't I'm assuming you've blocked me and therefore will be sad 😞

Only me! 

[Inch High aka Inchy.. 412]

Been on here for 16 yrs and kind of got used to the quirks.