Taking a break (flounce alert!)

I can only assume you are back now there’s a thread allowed. And that a permanent ceasefire will be in place by the end of the day.

The anon mod policy is mine. When we bring in a new mod I give them the option of being anon or not. However I always strongly recommend that they remain anonymous as they will attract personal abuse. It has happened in the past that a mod has been abused in the outside world as a result of them being nothing more than a volunteer with the best interests of the whole community as their principle motivation.

As for the censorship issue… I’ll be starting a thread on that shortly with a way forward.

I’d say there’s an easy, if unpopular, answer to both. At least if I was in charge.

Bans. Proper ones.

I know I’m hardly the paragon of virtue on here but there is so much that slides that people end up getting frustrated, more people step out of line and it becomes a vicious circle until a topic gets locked or someone gets a temp ban.

The issue I have with anonymous mods is there’s no transparency and therefore no trust in the process. How do you know who’s a mod or a mate of a mod that will get more leeway than a loudmouth like me? If you want people to buy into a system it has to be seen to apply equally and fairly, there are more than a few examples in my own past where I feel that’s fallen short. There are people on here who do nothing but troll and cause havoc yet inexplicably still have posting privileges despite being reported multiple times.

As for confronting mods in real life that’s just an instant ban and shaming at the very least. That’s in no way acceptable.

The only problem with all that is it also hinges on people acting like adults which, as w00dster pointed out, is pretty unlikely.

How is it so hard to discuss these things civilly without automatically resorting to playground insults? You’re grown men ffs, act like it.

Didn’t you know world leaders and egotistical dictators all check in on STW before

It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find out Sunak was one of the regulars in the pension and investments threads.

Question is, were they world leaders & dictators before, or because of, STW membership?

Makes you think.

The issue I have with anonymous mods is there’s no transparency and therefore no trust in the process. How do you know who’s a mod or a mate of a mod that will get more leeway

I have trust in the process because I think Mark and the team seem reasonable and fair, I suspect that extends to their judgement of character when selecting mods.  Anyone Mark picks as a moderator is likely to have shown themselves to be even tempered and moderate and be an all round ‘good egg’.  The very thought that being ‘out’ as a mod could earn you accusations of favouritism (probably unfounded) on top of other abuse, just reinforces the need for them to remain anonymous IMO.     The moderation on this forum is IMO of a pretty high standard. I should imagine you need a skin like a rhinoceros and the patience of a saint to be a declared mod*. I’d rather eat my own feet than do that voluntarily.

*Or in Drac’s case, the patience of a rhinoceros….😜

Bans. Proper ones.

In my day, we strung people up in the gibbet and watched the crows eat their eyes…

People are too soft now.

Bans. Proper ones.

We’d need a thread naming and shaming those who have been banned and why – or we may just think they have flounced! 🙂

I think it’s clear as daylight that “Binners” and “Scotroutes” are undercover Israeli Moderators…. to think otherwise is just naive. I also suspect “Cougar” of election interference in the recent Russian elections…

There are people on here who do nothing but troll and cause havoc yet inexplicably still have posting privileges despite being reported multiple times.

As fellow paragon of virtue on here, another part of this issue is that when someone posts something really offensive it gets deleted but the poster is allowed to continue posting on the same thread (normally using more ‘reasonable’ language but still expressing the same views as their offensive post).

This leads to a weird dynamic where some people are extremely angry at a particular person but it’s not apparent why and it seems like they are just angry because they disagree.

It also creates anger when other people jump in to agree with or defend the offending person because you aren’t really sure if they have only seen the reasonable posts or if they are also agreeing with the offensive posts.

Not sure what the answer is but I think if people are going to be allowed to continue participating in a conversation then everything they have said should be visible.

I don’t like it but I can live with the idea of anonymous mods – I do get vexed when threads are closed with no reason given. If someone’s being a moron, hit ’em with the ban hammer, don’t just end the debate. Other than that, I think this place is pretty well-modded.

I have no idea what any of this is referring to so have no dog in the race, but,

Their ball their rules but I’m also uncomfortable with the fact that it’s this subject and only this subject being censored.

Well, that’s clearly not true. And frankly is unfair IMHO.

I was a moderator here for a decade. In that time we censored precisely nothing. Sure, accusations flew like pigeons in Trafalgar Square, nary a day would go by where some twit would pipe up about what they weren’t allowed to say because of some imaginary STW Thought Police or who knows what.  It’s utter nonsense.  Rather, actions have consequences.  If you don’t want to be treated like a **** then stop being a ****.

The uncomfortable truth is that the volunteer moderation team just want an easy life and if someone is going to go out of their way to be a pain in the bollocks then either a thread closure, a ban or both is just a matter of time. It’s bog all to do with content, it’s down to conduct, and the more persistent they are then the more likely that they’ll leave the moderators little option.

“The issue I have with anonymous mods is there’s no transparency and therefore no trust in the process. How do you know who’s a mod or a mate of a mod that will get more leeway than a loudmouth like me?”

Even if you’re a mate with a mod (or mods) you still get a slap if you step out of line (and quite rightly)

Ask me how I know 😅

Does anybody really believe that is the job of STW to host contentious discussions? There are plenty of forums where politics (or whatever) are discussed.

Hard to remember sometimes that this is a site where middle-aged men who used to cycle can discuss bikes. Other stuff is allowed, and is often great (see the current ‘definitive recommendations’ thread)*, but there is no reason that STW HAS to have threads about contentious subjects, and if it’s causing grief then they are right to get rid of them.

alexpalacefan: instead of flouncing why don’t you –
A) continue bike and Skoda Octavia discussions here, but find somewhere else to discuss Israel, and
B) find a decent football team to support

Personally I’m more upset that the Hebden Bridge Trouser Company thread has closed. That was a source of constant fascination for me.

* actually I cannot find that thread at the moment. Did it get out of hand and lead to multiple bans and eventual closure.

The secret police thing annoys me too because of the complete lack of transparency but that’s another subject for another day.

And why do you suppose that might be?

I think many mods have left/stopped becasue of the levels of abuse that comes their way.

Well, I know for certain that at least one did.

The issue I have with anonymous mods is there’s no transparency and therefore no trust in the process. How do you know who’s a mod or a mate of a mod that will get more leeway than a loudmouth like me?

You don’t, of course. The thing is though, you shouldn’t need to. If I were you and I genuinely believed that it was all a matey boys club at the top, I’d find a different social circle to go throw rocks in.

I’ve said this before but as Mark alluded to earlier, when I accepted the moderator role it was very strongly recommended that I remained anonymous.  I refused broadly for reasons you’ve just described, I wanted to bridge the gap between site owners and site visitors, to bring some transparency to what’s going on, and I realised that I couldn’t do that and remain anonymous.

For better or for worse, I made it a condition of my acceptance that I wasn’t going to do that.  It’s blown up in my face a few times, baseless nonsense accusations around “I can’t argue with you because you’ll ban me” and variations thereof were commonplace.  Whilst I’ve not broadcast my real name on STW I’m not particularly difficult to track down and I’ve had STW users harass me on Facebook after being baynned.  But ultimately this is a community and one that, even after stepping down as moderator to preserve my own sanity, I’m fiercely protective of.

… Which is why I can’t sit here and watch someone **** on about what they can’t do and how oppressed they are.  If there is a topic which has suddenly been declared verboten then it’s an extraordinary situation and one of your own making, you can only close so many threads before it becomes more hassle than it’s worth.  If we can’t play nicely then we shouldn’t be shocked when we can’t have nice things.

Even if you’re a mate with a mod (or mods) you still get a slap if you step out of line (and quite rightly)

Ask me how I know 😅

Honestly, I used to welcome it.  The last thing I wanted was preferential treatment, rather my Aspie brain has something of a wonky filter and I relied on the rest of the team / Mark to tell me when to rein it in.

Never understood having a go at mods. They do a thankless task for free in their own time. I’ve never been banned but had a few warnings. Never had an issue with that or the people dishing them out. Quite childish and a bit pathetic to take umbrage when it is you being the dickhead.

Hopefully the dedicated thread can remain calm and civil. I wonder if a bookies will give me odds on the most likely contributors to kill it.

Sorry. Just testing something

 Whilst I’ve not broadcast my real name on STW I’m not particularly difficult to track down and I’ve had STW users harass me on Facebook after being baynned.

That is absolutely pathetic.

If this is the level of psychosis that we’re talking about, they’re better off banned – for their own wellbeing.

I imagine this site is generally pretty mild and easy to manage compared to some spots on the internet, but kudos to the mods anyway – whoever they may be.

So long Alex.

(I’m also a fan – Versailles being my fave)

The issue I have with anonymous mods is there’s no transparency and therefore no trust in the process. How do you know who’s a mod or a mate of a mod that will get more leeway than a loudmouth like me?

I have had posts deleted and a few warnings over the years,  some of which I didn’t understand, but it’s only a biking forum, I’m not going to lose sleep over it.

I absolutely support anonymous mods though – Rule #1 applies, it doesn’t matter who or where you are shooting your mouth off, there are ways of doing it acceptably. I’ve been “taken aside” in real life for things I’ve posted on here when I’ve been a dick, volunteer mods must have it loads worse.

Bit surprised by the OP reaction and comments,  hope he reconsiders and unflounces soon

We’d need a thread naming and shaming those who have been banned and why

Let’s establish Struggle Sessions where the class enemies are confronted with the victims of the heresies and punished until they recant.

Am I breaking Rule #1 by suggesting that the header and is a bit ironic?

I’ve never understood why folk feel the need to tell us they’re leaving. Just stop posting ffs.

@Scotroutes That’s some size of a pigeon

Never understood having a go at mods.

I think for some it’s a case of,

The best thing about Alex taking a break is that I will no longer read his name as “Alexfacepalm”

*Files the ‘Gaza’ thread in the don’t go in there’ catagory alongside the Keir Starmer thread*

binners
Full Member
*Files the ‘Gaza’ thread in the don’t go in there’ catagory alongside the Keir Starmer thread*

Have to agree, Ive made one post and that’ll be it for the foreseeable. The war and the thread are going to head in predictable directions over time.

I’m keeping to the relative safely off the political threads.

Not something I ever thought I’d say. 😉

Joking aside, the thread could act as a necessary safety valve but it’ll be a shame to see any posters getting a permanent ban as you lot are actually ok in my book. Genuinely, there’s no one on here (other that a*very* infrequent and obvious troll) that I even vaguely dislike.

Most of the years long arguments that we see play out on some threads are actually between posters that agree on 90% of the topic discussed but focus on the 10%. It’s something I’m guilty of too.

Most of the years long arguments that we see play out on some threads are actually between posters that agree on 90% of the topic discussed but focus on the 10%. It’s something I’m guilty of too.

I think this is the core problem. Instead of looking to find areas of agreement and then how to negotiate around the disagreement, threads turn into bickering over minor disagreements based on purity tests. I think George W. Bush was a disastrous president, but I think he was a deluded fool, not the anti-Christ. Unfortunately, that doesn’t pass purity tests and apparently I’m a Tory voting Tory that votes for Tories because I fail ideological purity tests.

Yep and apparently being a centrist is akin to being the baby eating bishop of Bath and Wells end of so anything you say is inadmissible. All a bit pathetic really. The irony being I’ve probably moved leftward in my political views due to the more empathetic posters on here.

The irony being I’ve probably moved leftward in my political views due to the more empathetic posters on here

I was brought a Tory in the 80s and it has taken some real life exposure to those who suffer as a result of those policies for me to see the light, and a lot of the left wing posters on here have deepened my beliefs and values over the years.

It’s not just on here,  but we all so keen to argue bitterly over that 10% rather than celebrate the 90% that unites us.

The best thing about Alex taking a break is that I will no longer read his name as “Alexfacepalm”

Whereas I always imagined it to be an instruction to the Echo Dot controlled air con at Kensington.

I was brought a Tory in the 80s

So many questions. Was s/he willing, was a ransom requested, were they eventually rehomed with a loving family that didn’t mind the noise and poop on the carpet?

Remember, a Tory is for life not just for Christmas.😉

will no longer read his name as “Alexfacepalm”

And I’ll never be able to ask which was the favourite stately home.

I think credit is due to alexpalacefan for not only sticking to his principles but doing so so publicly.

Personally, I stick to the politics threads to avoid wanting to commit genocides when the e-bike ********* keep trying to invent new names for bicycles in the bike threads.

Personally, I stick to the politics threads to avoid wanting to commit genocides when the e-bike ********* keep trying to invent new names for bicycles in the bike threads.

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It’s with a lot of regret that I haven’t been on the bike forum in an age due to “reasons”.

That said, id imagined it to be a two wheeled utopia of harmony and tree hugging. I’m sure that’s how I remember it anyway! 😁

Interesting take. That situation is **** horrific but having a realistic sense of what I can and cannot influence I can’t understand this position. What am I missing?

Am i missing something where posting on a forum will do anything other than make oneself feel better about the situation

IT certainly wont improve any world issues.

relapsed_mandalorian
Full Member
Interesting take. That situation is **** horrific but having a realistic sense of what I can and cannot influence I can’t understand this position. What am I missing?

Just for clarity, who are your replying to RM? I’m not being argumentative, I genuinely don’t know if I’ve posted something controversial without knowing it!😁

Just for clarity, who are your replying to RM? I’m not being argumentative, I genuinely don’t know if I’ve posted something controversial without knowing it!😁

The OP. The flounce. Anyone that might be able to point out what I’m missing?!

I missed out the quote, so understand the confusion.