Ladies, and gentlemen, we as mods have been following this thread very closely, and have come to the opinion, that some though not all the blame lies with the light-touch moderation that has prevailed for some time. Needless to say, we will be paying more close attention to all posts now in an attempt to prevent threads descending into disarray, and pandemonium. We advise anyone who posts that they should, "play the ball, and not the man", as mentioned above, although it has been said before. From now on, any posts we believe do not meet the standards will be deleted without explanation. There will be no appeal etc., and the mods may even warn, ban or find other means to administer the rules.
To answer the above comments from Columbus, this board
is moderated, it always has been, but people do not like to be overly ruled, and generally you will find that we self-police. We do indeed have all the policies you mentioned, as you will have noticed when you joined, or in the rules thread at the top of each forum. However it's the interpretation of them, that I think we excel at, and why our board is popular.For your safety, we even have several solicitors, some who specialise in social and new media law who advise us, and keep an eye on any potential threats or legal issues that may crop up. I do not dispute that people have left, or stopped posting, but the membership continues to grow, and there is always a natural fall-off rate, regardless of the reason. It is easy to say that people have stopped posting because of one 'bully' left un-reprimanded, but that is unrepresentative of the whole, and an argument set out to apportion blame while making a point.
BaggyTrousers is not a troll, but a passionate Ulster rugby supporter who has valid opinions, as do others. Baggy does not deliberately set out to bully, insult, but often responds more vehemently than others in the defence of these opinions. Often as not, he is right
, and he brings a lot to this board. You only have to read his posts to see his opinion is often correct, or more valid than others in the viewpoint that he makes. (IMHO)
Some posters do not like the way he strenuously argues his case, and yes, he goes against the rules. However, when he does he has more often than not been warned or even been banned. However, the moderators, and others have realised, that there is no real intent behind his tone of voice or his threats. Some posters who get offended are easily offended, and I expect would be easily offended by many things. Others set out to provoke him, and Baggy unfortunately rises to the bait. I am sure he will in time mellow (or maybe not
), but it takes all sorts to make a community, and all are welcome for the most part.
The moderators here have dealt with many a real troll in the past and are more than capable of keeping this board in order. We have added new judges, or mods over the years, and some have left. We may have become a
little complacent as we feel that the people on this board and Ulster fans in general are among the best of fans of any team anywhere, but IMO with a difference, a very cutting wit, and SOH. The vast majority are friendly, and deserve a place they can go to express their opinion. Here at the UAFC we take all sorts, and we give as good as we take, but as such, anyone new to a community like ours must also be aware that they may receive some
banter that may seem unfriendly in the first instance, but is rarely such.
I hope you understand where I am coming from, and rest assured we are still in charge. As always, yours in rugby,
Have to say I agree with Scranner about new posters arriving and getting uppity about forum etiquette but that's just my opinion.
