What improvements would you like to see in this discussion forum?

[bush_cheney2004]

Speaking of off topic, it looks like I derailed the thread with my suggestion. This isn't the place for this discussion.

Oh, the irony.

[cybercoma]

--- because over time, whatever is ignored will go away.

Posts fall to the bottom of the forum. Replies do not. I couldn't possibly care less about troll posts and I'm sure no one else does either. If they get little or no responses they disappear in no time. Derailing threads is a different matter altogether. It keeps them at the top of the forum with inane arguments that have nothing to do with the topics.

Trolling is being disruptive which is largely a subjective judgement.

From the rules and guidelines:

Being disruptive in this setting should be defined as what seems to be intentionally derailing a thread completely off-topic just to get a rise out of people. That seems to rarely, if ever, be addressed.

More to the point, reporting a single post doesn't bring it to your attention either because it's not usually a single post that's a problem, but a series of them that create the problem. I'm sure the vast majority of posters here recognize when a poster is being "disruptive" but they take it out on you because you don't seem to recognize it. When you do recognize it, you say things like you did earlier where you blame people for retaliating instead of addressing the serial instigators.

Like I said earlier though, that's fine. That's obviously the way you and Greg have decided things will be handled, so it's upon the posters to regulate themselves and not to reply to the instigators. That's why I'm trying to remind people here to just let the instigations go and stop giving an audience to posts and replies that don't rightfully deserve to be honoured with responses.

[Charles Anthony]

Sorry! Enough of that thread drift.

---

I would like to see some discussion in French here! Heck, why not get some First Nations out here too?

There is a lot of Canadian (let alone international) politics that is never engaged here at MLW and the only way we will see it is if this board steps out of the Anglo-Saxon lingo. I have no idea how to promote this or how to kick it off. Anybody with me? Any ideas?

Come to think of it, I would be willing to step down from moderating just so that I may participate in French discussion to help kick it off!!! Anybody with me? Anybody want to practice their French? Anybody want to help teach us some French??

[jacee]

Sorry! Enough of that thread drift.

---

I would like to see some discussion in French here! Heck, why not get some First Nations out here too?

There is a lot of Canadian (let alone international) politics that is never engaged here at MLW and the only way we will see it is if this board steps out of the Anglo-Saxon lingo. I have no idea how to promote this or how to kick it off. Anybody with me? Any ideas?

Come to think of it, I would be willing to step down from moderating just so that I may participate in French discussion to help kick it off!!! Anybody with me? Anybody want to practice their French? Anybody want to help teach us some French??

I'd like to see more Indigenous and Francophone posters here, and their issues discussed respectfully on MLW.

Unfortunately, when those issues do come up there are some posters who aren't respectful.

I'm not sure what you do about that.

Cases in point:

Slamming Quebec about equalization.

Slamming Aboriginal rights.

.

[cybercoma]

Sorry! Enough of that thread drift.

---

I would like to see some discussion in French here! Heck, why not get some First Nations out here too?

There is a lot of Canadian (let alone international) politics that is never engaged here at MLW and the only way we will see it is if this board steps out of the Anglo-Saxon lingo. I have no idea how to promote this or how to kick it off. Anybody with me? Any ideas?

Come to think of it, I would be willing to step down from moderating just so that I may participate in French discussion to help kick it off!!! Anybody with me? Anybody want to practice their French? Anybody want to help teach us some French??

That's easy. Just make a French language sub forum. There's enough bilingual posters that could potentially draw in others. It may take a little while to get going, but it might work.

[jbg]

That's easy. Just make a French language sub forum. There's enough bilingual posters that could potentially draw in others. It may take a little while to get going, but it might work.

How about one in Canadian?

[BubberMiley]

How about one for just Canadians?

[The_Squid]

How about one for just Canadians?

Now we're talking!!

Edited February 16, 2014 by The_Squid

[jacee]

Now we're talking!!

[waldo]

Here is a little secret about my bias as moderator: At approximately 99% of the time, I hate it when you folks respond to trolling more than I hate the trolling to which you respond. Please govern yourselves accordingly.

you/Greg speak to increasing membership. I trust you have considered how new members will gain an understanding of your expressed moderating bias... before they quit the board because of its/your long-standing position to "ignore trolls" and instead punish/suspend those that take their bait... assuming they accept your acknowledged bias in the first place and don't just quit shortly after joining because of all the troll BS behaviour they see go unchecked.

and that's just new members! I know of 2 long-standing members who chucked it in as they had enough... member WIP, in particular, would write the most thoughtful and researched posts, only to have them buried pages deep after the usual a-hole on this board went to town with his act. It's a smallish board as it is - the loss of any regular (positively) contributing member leaves a gap and gives pause to others as to why stay/bother!

[waldo]

Yes...they moan...they whine...they complain...anything but accept the mere possibility of an opposing opinion and the style in which it is delivered. So upset, they can't ignore that which offends them. Sad......

no. What's sad is you calling your own 30K+ posting troll act... "a delivery style"!

.

[waldo]

There's no excuse for any member to lose their cool enough to break the forum rules. That said, cut the "I'm a victim" routine nonsense and obey the rules yourself. Nice try though. 99% of everyone on these boards is sick of your behaviour.

well stated

[waldo]

Speaking of off topic, it looks like I derailed the thread with my suggestion. This isn't the place for this discussion.

no - what could be more of an improvement to this board than to have trollish behaviour discussed? Alternatively, perhaps you might consider starting an 'airing of grievances' thread. An early Festivus perhaps.

[The_Squid]

no - what could be more of an improvement to this board than to have trollish behaviour discussed? Alternatively, perhaps you might consider starting an 'airing of grievances' thread. An early Festivus perhaps.

That's exactly what I thought when I mentioned that maybe dealing with the trolls would improve the forum. All the other suggestions are just lipstick on a pig if the trolling isn't dealt with in a meaningful way.

[jbg]

you/Greg speak to increasing membership. I trust you have considered how new members will gain an understanding of your expressed moderating bias... before they quit the board because of its/your long-standing position to "ignore trolls" and instead punish/suspend those that take their bait... assuming they accept your acknowledged bias in the first place and don't just quit shortly after joining because of all the troll BS behaviour they see go unchecked.

and that's just new members! I know of 2 long-standing members who chucked it in as they had enough... member WIP, in particular, would write the most thoughtful and researched posts, only to have them buried pages deep after the usual a-hole on this board went to town with his act. It's a smallish board as it is - the loss of any regular (positively) contributing member leaves a gap and gives pause to others as to why stay/bother!

Finally we agree.

I am trying to hang on for dear life after two poorly-considered suspensions. I do not think Greg and Charles have a bias; they simply suspend when someone makes a "trolling" accusation. I fully understand that Greg and Charles, though, are volunteers and have other lives to live, and an income to generate to support themselves. That is still a vital context.

Edited February 17, 2014 by jbg

[jbg]

How about one for just Canadians?

Now we're talking!!

A bit of a personal attack, eh?

[The_Squid]

A bit of a personal attack, eh?

Personal against whom?

[jbg]

Personal against whom?

The American on the thread.

[jacee]

The American on the thread.

One of them perhaps.

[jbg]

The American on the thread.

One of them perhaps.

I assume that be me.

[BubberMiley]

You probably think this song is about you.

[jbg]

You probably think this song is about you.

That song has, believe it or not, Canadian content. Carly Simon sings about the person moving "his living up to Nova Scotia to see a total eclipse of the sun."

[jacee]

I assume that be me.

You assume wrong. You're not the derail king. Edited February 17, 2014 by jacee

[Moonlight Graham]

no - what could be more of an improvement to this board than to have trollish behaviour discussed?

I was very careful to voice my issue with the trolling in the most civil and constructive manner that I could while still airing my great displeasure about a specific member. It's a serious issue and a serious suggestion to improve these boards so I agree I don't know where else would be more appropriate to discuss it, as long the conversation remains civil. I've reported these issues privately to the mods in the past a few times with no response from them.

[Moonlight Graham]

--- because over time, whatever is ignored will go away. It is not for me to label somebody a "troll" while people are seriously conversing with that person. There are lots of other reasons but they all pivot on the fact that everybody has a different opinion on what constitutes trolling or thread-drift or whatever.

Just because somebody is seriously conversing with people doesn't mean they aren't also trolling much of the time. I think I "seriously converse" the vast majority of the time here but, despite that, if I consistently break a particular rule I'll be suspended or banned. I don't understand the double-standard. Also, IMO this isn't thread-drift, it's completely on-topic.

If everybody avoids responding to every incidence of disruption/trolling-in-their-own-individual-personal-opinion, then an exact universally accepted definition of trolling is a moot point...

What's the point of having rules if they aren't enforced? Also, we can put certain members on ignore, but one of the points of my complaint was that new members can sign-up and then leave because they're being consistently trolled. Nobody should be spoken to like that, ignored or not.

Despite that, lots of people make frivolous reports and they complain incessantly when there is no intervention upon their frivolous report. In other words, they do not want what you want.

I just want the rules enforced The fact that many other posters here agree with me provides helps show that my reports about his member aren't "frivolous". I know you can't respond to every report but I'd love a PM from you or Greg explaining why this certain member doesn't consistently engage in trolling.