Who knows, maybe if this place treated people like adults and didn’t feel the need to censor naughty words then maybe people would censor themselves?
Are you new here?
Swearing costs us money. Google disables monetisation of ads on pages with words they don’t like. I get a report daily from Google telling me which pages they’ve stopped servings ads on.
so there’s that then.
No it didn’t.
Yes it did.
I wrote a post which included a rather imaginative swear word. I noticed and went to edit it but by the time I did I'd already been banned for "deliberate bypassing of the swear filter". I appealed but got nothing back in response so I lived with it.
Don't tell me stuff that happened to me didn't.
Edit: FYI it was on 28/07/2017 as I sent a particularly unimpressed email to the mods inbox. No, I don't send many emails or clear my sent box often.
I posted something in the rugby thread to say I thought a player was a prick.
I posted the same on a rugby forum where the "prick" was filtered out and censored, and the post was still removed shortly after. It is an official premiership rugby club forum, the the modding in their is soooo over the top, it makes this place look like mum's net!
They were probably responding to a violation report from Google. See above
Yes it did.
I don't believe you. Sorry. Warning perhaps, ban no.
I was a moderator for ten years. I've seen all manner of "I was banned because..." posts the vast majority of which were at best half a story.
Our internal policy was to let the swear filter do its job, even if it did so badly. The only way you'd have received a ban for swear filter avoidance as you describe would be either a) multiple infractions after being asked to desist or b) a genuine mistake in moderation. And in the case of b) I would've leaped on that and put it in front of the rest of the team for review because that's not your fault as a member, you're doing what you're supposed to do (and I called out a -lot- of those judgement calls in the early days, it's unfair).
Mistakes happen, people are human. But I can tell you with cast-iron certainty that it wouldn't have happened as you describe whilst I was on the team, I wouldn't have let that fly. In the time before or after my tenure I can't know of course, but I'd still file that under "wildly unlikely." Mods don't want to issue bans, banning is a last resort; mostly the moderators just want everyone to be nice to each other. No-one in the history of STW ever got a ban purely for swear filter avoidance as their first offence, bans were typically doled out either for being deeply offensive or "how else can we make this stop?"
Edit: FYI it was on 28/07/2017 as I sent a particularly unimpressed email to the mods inbox. No, I don’t send many emails or clear my sent box often.
Because Microsoft, my STW mailbox only goes back as far as 2019 unfortunately. Otherwise I'd be able to check.
Sorry about my poor English earlier re: been/being. I spent the last week trying to wrangle high school Latin into Italian and had a challenging day today after arriving back from Italy late last night.
Hopefully the latitude offered by English enabled the meaning to be understood despite the poor word choice.
"Please do not attempt to evade the Swear Filter. Have some time off due to an increasing number of warnings."
Swearing costs us money. Google disables monetisation of ads on pages with words they don’t like. I get a report daily from Google telling me which pages they’ve stopped servings ad
Whether the AI overlords are right, wrong, or just crazy this is a pertinent point. Profanity is a significant component of English. Both in spoken and written form. However, it is a component that is used appropriately. And the STW forum is one place where its use is not welcome.
Not sure if anything wrong with swear word moderation on this site? I read swear words as an extreme expression and easily taken as aggressive, particularly, online and I am not sure that works on a public forum. I am quite potty mouthed in conversation, but thats with with care, to friends and peers who I can read reaction. Online I like to think I have better judgement with an audience I dont know as well.
Besides if you allowed free usage these words would lose their value and impact which would be a shame. Not sure why it needs to be questioned tbh?
Though OT I am reminded of a Henry Normal poem reading some of the posts here. A cultural gem.
https://www.inspireculture.org.uk/reading-information/henrynormal/henrys-poems/
Also debated posting this... I read the first 3 pages of Hannah's Trans article thread and was really grateful everyone was so considered and careful contributing to a terribly difficult thing to understand, I wanted to read and helped me. Compare to a recent discussion on another (London based) excellent cycling forum on the same thing, that the language went nuclear early on, the thread became ultra-aggressive, any understanding was lost and the thread was closed. Which way do you want it?
It’s not quite as annoying as when predictive text stops you swearing
Predictive text is a ducking aunt!
Depends how well you’ve trained it, mine doesn’t… 🤬😁
If it's just about advertising revenue then fair enough! Wouldn't have guessed that
I believe it’s more about maintaining a sense of decorum rather than “protecting” anyone.
Decorum is a painfully twee and old fashioned word, but if more people acted with it, the world might be a better and calmer place.
I'd suggest an imaginative punishment for breaching it, but following a rather unexpected warning from tne mods yesterday for a comment, I'd better not.
If it's about advertising revenue then how about making that transparent and replacing the ****s with ££££s?
I swear a bit. When I notice I'm doing it regularly I try and remind myself that swear words are generally just when you are too lazy/thick to think of a better word to emphasise your words!
I'd quite like a word randomiser instead of the asterisks, nothing lowers the heat of an inflammatory post quite like a randomly inserted 'sturgeon', 'cuddle' or 'turnip', the more surreal the better.
The presence of a swear filter is entirely fine IMO, the benefit of a text based format is that you have the time to consider what you type and tweak it before posting (although I do miss the old preview post button), if you can't get a concept across without swearing that says more about you.
A filter is not preventing people getting across an idea or concept and spares the blushes of sensitive individuals who can't deal with seeing a rude word typed out. Where's the real harm?
<>Swearing costs us money. Google disables monetisation of ads on pages with words they don’t like. I get a report daily from Google telling me which pages they’ve stopped servings ads on
Finally a coherent justification for restricting vocabulary. Which is no huge deal, just that occasionally the right word to use is out of bounds. I find the passive aggression on display rather more distasteful. (Alongside going back to edit out the html or whatever gobbledygook that randomly appears.)
I'm more offended by the sites poor formatting than swearing if I'm honest
I’d remove the use of asterisks. But, like Cookeaa, I’d have the forums software automatically replace swear words with random nice, innocuous things. For example,
“You utter ladybird”
“Cabbage off”
“Giraffe you”
On a more serious note, whilst I have been known to type the odd swear word, and say them, I do feel that you should be able to frame an argument, make a description or insult without resorting to them. It shows a stronger command of language to me.
It shows a stronger command of language to me.
A moot point but I look here for entertainment and sometimes info, not to assess folks' linguistic abilities.
Swearing costs us money
Fair enough. Annoys me more though knowing language is being censored as a result of the fragile corporate sensibilities of advertisers.
I do feel that you should be able to frame an argument, make a description or insult without resorting to them. It shows a stronger command of language to me.
Some of us were brought up in places where swearing is a natural (almost dominant in fact) form of expressing yourself. I can communicate fine without swearing, but I often feel it's restricting me from being myself because of the faux sensibilities of people with 'higher' educations or manners. Being told not to swear always comes with a hint of snobbery IME.
It’s a private forum, their ball, their rules
Clearly, otherwise no discussion.
I have never thought this forum would be significantly enhanced if I was able to type rude words..
Significantly? Probably not, I'd say somewhat.
Marina Hyde is one of my favourite writers making fun and also serious points from the ephemera of current affairs. I'm not saying drop the filter and she'd start posting on here or that I'm 0.5% the writer she is, but can you imagine this piece without swear words, which starts from Gillian Keegan's recent woes into analysis of this post Thick of It government?
randomly inserted ‘sturgeon’, ‘cuddle’ or ‘turnip’
I'll stick with asterix (asteri?) thank you very much.
It’s a private forum, their ball, their rules
Pretty much, plus we do at least get to discuss these things and offer feedback, I've used forum' where even that was shutdown.
I wouldn't say STW is particularly restrictive, you can raise most topics and get into some protracted and heated 'debates' if you really want.
I’ll stick with asterix (asteri?) thank you very much.
What every time I type a swear you want to insert a Gaul in my post?
could be fun.
Its pretty easy going here - try criticising bothy publicity on Walkhigland for instance. ££££££ does not like arbitrary words and they pay the bills so fair enough.
I swear a bit. When I notice I’m doing it regularly I try and remind myself that swear words are generally just when you are too lazy/thick to think of a better word to emphasise your words!
To paraphrase Billy Connolly,
"If you can come up with an alternative to '**** off' I'll gladly use it. It certainly isn't 'go away.'"
We tend to follow 'Radio4 rules'. The swear filter is quite funny when read out loud.
If you hear it on the radio then you can probably say it here without any asterisks.
Disappointed was expecting
”…be careful what you do say and you can make shite all day. “ Seems very on trend for some on stw 🙂
@mark ta. Yes I did have a few warnings but IIRC they weren't getting through, as I said I did try to edit my post but took the holiday as it was a particularly heated thread and wasn't doing anyone any good.
I'm not bitter about it, I find myself increasingly walking away from stuff these days before it gets near the point of me losing my shit.
As said your ball your rules, if it's losing you money then your stance is fair. I'm happy to blame corporate puritanism, roll my eyes and get on with life.
We tend to follow ‘Radio4 rules’. The swear filter is quite funny when read out loud.
If you hear it on the radio then you can probably say it here without any asterisks.
I've heard the c-bomb from the presenter on mid-afternoon Radio 4.
I’ve heard the c-bomb from the presenter on mid-afternoon Radio 4.
You can't say that in Canada.
I’ve heard the c-bomb from the presenter on mid-afternoon Radio 4.
Interviewing Jeremy Hunt doesn’t count
If this forum had a sprinkling of swear words then wouldn't that eventually trigger corporate profanity filters to blacklist the domain? That might affect some members' habits.
I think we should all go Father Jack.... fek!
You can’t say that in Canada.
What do they have against Radio 4?
I think a good **** goes down well when spoken but isn't that effective when written.