Let's Talk About Bullying.

what is a big hitter? my head hurts

big hitter

someone who doesnt appear to have much of a life outside of their online persona and/or spends an inordinate amount of time on said forum

Back on topic and following Stoatsbrothers post, one has to wonder how being largely anonymous one can complain about being bullied, I mean it’s not you is it? It’s a forum ident you’re already hiding behind, how safe do you need to feel?

No-one can stop anyone posting, O.K. posts get ignored, not surprising in a place with as high volume as this and not the easiest ‘quote’ procedure, so what is being bullied then ? Being Ignored? Sub plots you’re excluded from? I rarely see direct attacks or folk vilified (except when they’re already banned and can’t answer back :lol:)

It’s a piece of work of a forum this, all manner of human character failings are here..

Whoa I’ve just seen a twitter. I’ve also seen something said about a Mark Alker? Who is he?

I’ve also seen something said about a Mark Alker? Who is he?

Mark – resident grumpy

How often in life are the folk crying “bully” actually the bullies themselves but in a more manipulative manner?

I concur completely.

Whoa I’ve just seen a twitter.

As I said before, it’s quite enlightening, isn’t it?

As I said before, it’s quite enlightening, isn’t it?

+1.

Got to wonder how people can indulge in such behaviour and still find time to ride a bike.

I suspect some people are mourning his passing because they liked having somebody around who had a worse internet problem than themselves.

I don’t particularly see the Elf banning anything much to do with bullying as such although there is a pack mentality on here and it does veer towards bullying sometimes.

However I do see it of indicative of an attitude on STW that those who fit in get treated differently.

While I do accept its STW towers playground not a democracy IMO it diminishes the forum to remove dissent from it. Some posters get away with much more than others. I wonder if this is because of the nature of the characters who complain. I think the mods should not just look at the number of complaints but who makes them and the content. Ernie Lynch for example – I find it hard to see why he is one of the most complained about posters and got banned. ( I do understand why elf was) Is it because he challenges people?

There are significant number of posters on here who mock, bait and belittle all the time and who get little sanction. They cause as much if not more strife that the likes of Ernie and Elf but I guess don’t get complained about so much – until recently I did not complain much and almost never about “behaviour” ‘cos I understand that if I live by the sword I must die by it. However given my recent warnings and banning I have complained about the unpleasant behaviour of the people who belittle, bait and mock people. No obvious effect tho.

Last nights furore was an eyeopener to me the way it exposed the behaviour of some of the mods / stw folk. I think less of them for the way they have behaved. It appears that if you fit in with them you are treated differently from if you don’t. Challenging people is not accepted, mocking, belittling and baiting is.

The forum will be a less interesting place when the dissenters are all purged. I think it is a shame.

This is so utterly terminally sad, it truly defies description.

A forum user, can’t remember who, once likened this place to your favourite boozer.

As far as I’m aware the landlord is free to bar people from their pub, if they’ve done something illegal, offended the landlord or for pretty much anything the landlord fancies barring them for.

If enough of the regulars were hacked off with a particular drinker and complained to the landlord the landlord should definitely protect his livelihood and bar that person. If the landlord thinks that person is stopping new people coming into the pub, then again he should ban them.

I don’t expect the management to be perfect, quite frankly I don’t care if they are.

The forum will be a less interesting place when the dissenters are all purged. I think it is a shame.

Have you seen the abuse aimed at STWMark on Twitter?

I’m sorry TJ but as I read it Elf has not been ‘purged’ because he is a dissenter nor because he is a freethinker who dares to challenge received thinking: to present the situation in that way is self-aggrandizing and indulgent on your part. You might well be right in that there is no single incident or post that can be identified as crucial here. But that isn’t really the point in the context of what appears to many people on here (not just the vocal minority) to be a sustained posting history marked by aggressive and disruptive behaviour.

Given Elf’s approach to those who disagreed (dissented?) with him I think his behaviour has everything to do with bullying even if his banning did not.

For what it’s worth my politics tends to be in agreement with both his and yours. My sense of how we should conduct ourselves on a public forum most certainly isn’t though.

Dissent is one thing, being deliberately disruptive is anoher thing indeed.
Mark has previously stated that givn his history on STW we has on a short leash and if he behaved himself then he could stay, although I think he probably got given the benefit of the doubt too many times.
Personally I found him both annoying and infuriating, although the balance tipped to the latter.
His frequest “wunundred” got up my nose, as did the random picture posting and irrelevant comments when HE decided the thread wasn’t interesting enough for him.
He’s clearly not an idiot and occasionally could be quite inciteful, but if you didn’t agree with his “facts” be prepared to be berated. Its rather saddening that he’s resorted to torrents of abuse on e-mail and twatter though.

If TJ could just get his runout groove sorted……

Mattie – my point simply is that the standards are not applied evenly.

If Elf needs to be banned for that then there are quite a few others who should be as well as their forum behaviour is as disruptive.

If Elf needs to be banned for that then there are quite a few others who should be as well as their forum behaviour is as disruptive.

…but do others share his long history of being an occasional ass pickle, TJ?

“Immense amount of fun tonight, hundreds of tweets all about me, which is what it’s all about. Thanks everyone!”

one of his tweets. kind of says it all really.

I don’t expect the management to be perfect, quite frankly I don’t care if they are.

The management were more like the bloody Men In Black last night; some very swift erasing of ‘the truth’. That’s actually a very disturbing trait. But it’s cool – TJ is like Mulder and Scully rolled into one and has captured it for all to peruse should they feel the need.

there are quite a few others who should be as well as their forum behaviour is as disruptive.

I assume you have reported them to the mods then. If so, I am sure the mods will take the correct decision, as is their way. After all, it is their forum. If you don’t like that, please accept a full refund and close the door behind you when you leave.

my point simply is that the standards are not applied evenly.

TeeJ – Why should they be? I mean seriously… why?

Mattie – my point simply is that the standards are not applied evenly.

I couldn’t agree more. Some people appear to get away with breaking the rules on an almost daily basis without so much as a word.

If your not happy theres plenty of forums here: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/

As I said. NO ONE is stopping you from using them. 🙄

one of his tweets. kind of says it all really.

It’s not him. As I said earlier, only a narcissistic sociopath with Mariana Trench depths of self loathing/confidence, would post such things.

So it can’t be him.

Fred has been banned because Mark doesn’t like him, it seems pretty clear to me.

It’s Mark’s site, he can ban whoever he likes for whatever reason he likes, I’ve got no problem with that but let’s tell the truth.

Sorry if this has been said but hasn’t Elf been warned on numerous occasions (and banned on several) in the past already? This latest incarnation of his online personality had lasted longer than previous ones but with every post he does seem to push his luck that bit more. I guess ‘The Man’ had just grown tired of him.

It is a shame because I quite like reading his posts as, even when they are full of nonsense, he writes in an amusing way and often has something interesting to say.

But he can be an arse too.

What tyres for bullying?

Furious Freds!

😀

STW is a commercial site.

If it costs Mark or his staff time to deal with complaints about Elf or advertisers start making noises about the tone of the forum then, commercially, Mark shoudl act. Why shoudl he pay staff (or himself) to sort a situation out repeatedly.

I didn’t have an issue with Elf, personally, but I can understand MArks’ frustration with the situation – why shoul dhe waste money on one person out of 100,000 when he has a business to run.

Elf knew he was being closely watched and the likely result of continuing to behave the same way.

What is tedious, is given any thread some feel the need to post their view ten times on the same thread. Almost word for word. It gets to the stage you can guess what they will be saying before they post. Any interesting comment made by someone with a spare 30 seconds in their week is lost. And you end up sticking to the Bike Forum.

It’s not him. As I said earlier, only a narcissistic sociopath with Mariana Trench depths of self loathing/confidence, would post such things.

So it can’t be him.

Ah, I get it. 😆

I was referring to the Bullheart post removal BTW. Just for clarity…

Jamie

…but do others share his long history of being an occasional ass pickle, TJ?

In my view yes. However their targets tend not to complain to the mods – I certainly do not about abuse directed at me until recently

CaptainFlashheart

I assume you have reported them to the mods then.

Unfortunatly until recently no – and their other targets tend not to as well by my understanding

Scamper – Member
What is tedious, is given any thread some feel the need to post their view ten times on the same thread. Almost word for word. It gets to the stage you can guess what they will be saying before they post. Any interesting comment made by someone with a spare 30 seconds in their week is lost. And you end up sticking to the Bike Forum.

+1 to that.

Well, TJ, here’s the thing. If you feel someone has overstepped the mark, then report them. I myself have been guilty of this in the past and have received the appropriate warning from the mods. Fair enough, I would say.

If these “targets” (Nice emotive language, btw) don’t feel it’s serious enough to report it, then maybe it isn’t serious enough.

If it costs Mark or his staff time to deal with complaints about Elf or advertisers start making noises about the tone of the forum then, commercially, Mark shoudl act

But if the forum comes down too heavily on anyone that dares criticise an advertiser, which I suspect to be true, then this will have a negative effect on the forum and the advertiser.
Would you trust a site that only puts forward a company in a positive light?
Would you trust a company that can’t deal with critisism?

Oh go on then, what’s Elf’s twitter feed?

Naming names, I reckon that hora gets bullied a lot. But then he keeps coming back, so I think I’m missing the gist of it and that it’s actually some man love.

Its actually the same characters who do the malicious stuff. Its tedious and worrying. I’ve been followed from topic to topic before. Like someone carries out a search on your username. That is weird. Seriously weird.

The majority of Other ‘abuse’ isn’t abuse at all. Its good natured ribbing over my bike swapping and head angles from boys who will be boys. Something that I admit I bring on

I keep coming back because I’ve met some great blokes on STW- alot of regulars.

@elfinsafety

I agree d_s – it’s about balance and Mark has to make a commercial decision about the cost/benefit of each case.

I think in Elf’s case they’ve been through a process and clearly the decision was made to stop him posting.

It’s not the first time he’s had a permanent ban, is it?

Damn. Missed it all. Watched Sherlock and then went to bed.

Can I just put in a word on behalf of Fredelfin?

He actually can’t help but come across in the way that he does, due to a personality quirk from which he suffers. I’ve covered this before, but it seems it’s worth repeating. I used to find myself getting intensely irritated by his online “persona”, until I realised that he actually can’t help it.

When he gets back, let’s all give the guy a break, yes?

I’d wager that wwaswas has it. The Bighitters (TM) add little value to STW as a commercial entity, they just consume resource to police, and put people off the site who there is an opportunity to generate revenue from click through adds and subs.

CaptainFlashheart – Member

Well, TJ, here’s the thing. If you feel someone has overstepped the mark, then report them. I myself have been guilty of this in the past and have received the appropriate warning from the mods. Fair enough, I would say.

If these “targets” (Nice emotive language, btw) don’t feel it’s serious enough to report it, then maybe it isn’t serious enough.

I think its more about not wanting to run off bleating to the mods but to try and deal with it on the forum or to ignore it.

Certainly in future I will be much quicker to report posts and posters that I consider abusive and I urge others to do so as well.