Sahara

[Minx]

In the past?

We^* also don't suffer fools gladly. . .  but we also keep lists of IP's

^{*(i. e.  the Admin Team)}

You should  recheck your list then as I have not been to this site before that post and if your list says otherwise then my ISP has just handed me a dynamic IP formerly used by someone else who has.


Mutation

ADMIN(Minx): If this is the case, the I would suggest that you contact your ISP and advise them that you have inherited the well known wrongs of another identiy. This identity is pegged by a number of Forums as a vicarious and vexatious identity.
We now Report all activities and ISP's associated with this identity to the relevant Authorities

[mutation]

In the past?

We^* also don't suffer fools gladly.  .  .   but we also keep lists of IP's :)

^{*(i.  e.   the Admin Team)}

You should  recheck your list then as I have not been to this site before that post and if your list says otherwise then my ISP has just handed me a dynamic IP formerly used by someone else who has. 


Mutation

ADMIN(Minx): If this is the case, the I would suggest that you contact your ISP and advise them that you have inherited the well known wrongs of another identiy.  This identity is pegged by a number of Forums as a vicarious and vexatious identity.
We now Report all activities and ISP's associated with this identity to the relevant Authorities

That doesnt actually make sense firstly how would you as an admin of this forum have access to the ip address logs of other forums unless you were the administrator of all those forums? Which I am pretty sure you are not.
Please if you think i am someone else PM me to discuss.  I dont actually like the implication that I am someone else.
Simple fact is anyone who had a dynamically assigned IP address from their ISP can end up with any other address in the same pool once the IP address lease has expired. The timeframe for this could be as little as an hour or as old as the DHCP server involved.
Today with Network Address Translation available to nearly all computer users using IP address to identify users over any timeframe is utterly pointless anyway!



Mutation

[Patricia]

Minx, given what Mutation has had to say ...can I suggest that perhaps you do a "cut & paste" of the relevant parts of this topic (both parties) & send it on to the relevant authorities ...explain your concerns etc.....perhaps they have a little gremlin that they are not aware of......either way it would clear the air!!!  

[Redneck]

Not my old mate again is it?     

Leave him alone you Admin lot!!!

LOL!!!

[Sandpaper]

I don't know how your system works, but the forum that I used to moderate had a section in a users profile which was headed "other forum members using the same IP address" or such, and it showed the unique number. It came in very handy at times... Very few members bothered with going to such extremes as registering twice etc... only the desperate.

Not sure if this is of any help.  

[mutation]

Minx, given what Mutation has had to say ...can I suggest that perhaps you do a "cut & paste" of the relevant parts of this topic (both parties) & send it on to the relevant authorities ...explain your concerns etc.....perhaps they have a little gremlin that they are not aware of......either way it would clear the air!!!  

Gee I hope all you new poster dont get such a warm welcome or you just might find yourself without any new posters at all, though I am beginning to suspect that is the intention!



Mutation

[Patricia]

Not so Mutation...AO welcomes & encourages all new members & especially the genuinely new if that makes sense.....unfortunately I (along with others here) have been on several forums where we have seen our "resident troll" basically try to disrupt & destroy the forum. Because he keeps re-inventing himself under various names it has become a tad annoying & made everyone a little suspicious. The sad thing in all this is that I (personal view) think that over time he has contributed some good & intereting topics...not saying that I actually have agreed with all of his points but still this forum is all about having an opinion. However, when you dispute his opinion he has been known to become personal in his attacks.

The troll's latest antics (given that he is banned from here) is to annoy another member by replying to his blog.

End of story...but hope this explains some of the comments.  

[mutation]

Not so Mutation...AO welcomes & encourages all new members & especially the genuinely new if that makes sense.....unfortunately I (along with others here) have been on several forums where we have seen our "resident troll" basically try to disrupt & destroy the forum. Because he keeps re-inventing himself under various names it has become a tad annoying & made everyone a little suspicious. The sad thing in all this is that I (personal view) think that over time he has contributed some good & intereting topics...not saying that I actually have agreed with all of his points but still this forum is all about having an opinion. However, when you dispute his opinion he has been known to become personal in his attacks.

The troll's latest antics (given that he is banned from here) is to annoy another member by replying to his blog.

End of story...but hope this explains some of the comments.  

I too frequent several forums and suspect I know who you are talking about I have banned him twice myself on another forum but I would like it if you could tell me what name or names he goes by so I can be sure before I take this further.Can you give me the blog you are talking about I fell like a visit if you know what I mean.
If IP address lists is how you determine if someone is a troll or impostor then I think this forum need to pick up their game and rather than point fingers at people because of an ambiguous string of numbers use something else or just have enough moderators to create rolling bans on people intent on disrupting your forum. Suffice to say that I now feel about as welcome here as a nugget in a childs wading pool!


Mutation
P.S. Was the Troll you speak of ECB86 by any chance?

[tilly]

mutation ...welcome...I know ECB86 has been banned or suspended.........I couldn't really see what he had done wrong...I don't follow all the threads....shall have a read of his past posts......sometimes I think we are a bit too suspicious of newcomers......

[Crankenstein]

The blog mentioned is mine, link in signature.

[Chris]

mutation ...welcome...I know ECB86 has been banned or suspended.........I couldn't really see what he had done wrong...I don't follow all the threads....shall have a read of his past posts......sometimes I think we are a bit too suspicious of newcomers......

To begin with EC wasn't banned. His account was temporarily suspended because of his personal attacks on a member. As you know the rules are quite clear and were put in place to prevent the ongoing harassment of other members by an individual whose sole intent seemed to be disruption!

Of course, swearing at Minx didn't go down too well but his account is still active and if he wishes to return once the ban has expired he is quite welcome to post as before.

Please remember that the *only* reason we have such strict moderation is because of this one individuals repeated signing on under multiple ID's and constantly reverting to the same behaviour. Up until he left the now defunct Stickybeek (which he almost singlehandedly ruined) and arrived here we had two moderators, over 100 posting members and no rules to speak of except for the one which was "Play nice.

I appreciate the strong moderation in here can appear oppressive... and even restrictive... but the alternative is to let the clown wreck the place. It took a long time to get me motivated but now he's stirred me up, for as long as I'm in overall charge, there is no way this place is going to be closed.

In one of his previous incarnations he suggested we ought to abandon the democratic principles the forum was grounded on and revert to the 'benevolent dictatorship' model... well currently we seem to have a bit of a mix of the two. In theory the instigation of suspensions and bans is the province of the general membership, but when the Admin Team feels it necessary to protect the forum we invoke "Rule 7" and use it without mercy.

No member should be made to feel 'uncomfortable' about expressing their opinions and personal attacks are *not* what the forum is about. Yes we have digs at each other now and then... especially between those who are long term members but there are limits and lines. Mostly the Admin Team stays out of the way but once those (subjective) lines are crossed we act.

[Sandpaper]

I do believe this forum needs to be a bit more welcoming and IF the mods determine there is a problem...deal with it without the big fanfare and trumpet blowing, the unnecessary sharing of the details etc. This is where PM's should come into play.....a quiet word in the ear of the offender...and so forth....rather than having a stage show for us audience.
I dare say most members of the forum would willingly accept the Mod Team's decision....after all isn't that what Mods are for?

At times, I do get the impression that those people with a contrary opinion to the 'status quo' are not so readily accepted, in this forum.
We need differing opinions...or the end result will be we all nod off to sleep...in agreeance.

[Chris]

I do believe this forum needs to be a bit more welcoming and IF the mods determine there is a problem...deal with it without the big fanfare and trumpet blowing, the unnecessary sharing of the details etc. This is where PM's should come into play.....a quiet word in the ear of the offender...and so forth....rather than having a stage show for us audience.
I dare say most members of the forum would willingly accept the Mod Team's decision....after all isn't that what Mods are for?

At times, I do get the impression that those people with a contrary opinion to the 'status quo' are not so readily accepted, in this forum.
We need differing opinions...or the end result will be we all nod off to sleep...in agreeance.

Up to a point I agree... but would you *really* like us to suspend/ban members without telling you it had been done?

One of the defining features of this place has always been that it was (is!!) member driven. Every one of us in the Admin Team is essentially just a 'super member' and if we start hiding things from everyone else  we end up undermining the fundamentals that the forum was created on!

This equality is actually *very* real. As I've pointed out before if the membership gathered together to ban *me* I'd accept it and bow out!! Also as I've explained to Minx and the others... I have no more power than anyone else in the Admin Team.

The current kerfuffle isn't about a difference of opinion... it's about members having respect for each other. The rules say personal attacks are a no-no anywhere other than in the Open Slather forum, and so we respond when complaints are made.

As with all rules, If the membership *wants* to allow personal attacks (outside the Open Slather board that is) as well as 'opinion'... then vote on it and if the majority wins the rules are changed.

Please remember I've continuously made a point of supporting bambu's right to post whatever he likes regardless of the majority opinion that disagrees with him and I'll continue to do so. I'm not about censoring other peoples opinions... write what you like within the law. However... if the forum rules are broken... you get told off!

[mutation]

I do believe this forum needs to be a bit more welcoming and IF the mods determine there is a problem...deal with it without the big fanfare and trumpet blowing, the unnecessary sharing of the details etc. This is where PM's should come into play.....a quiet word in the ear of the offender...and so forth....rather than having a stage show for us audience.
I dare say most members of the forum would willingly accept the Mod Team's decision....after all isn't that what Mods are for?

At times, I do get the impression that those people with a contrary opinion to the 'status quo' are not so readily accepted, in this forum.
We need differing opinions...or the end result will be we all nod off to sleep...in agreeance.

I couldnt agree less all discussions must be "in public" and therefore transparent it is clear to everyone who is saying and doing what. I practice this in my moderation of other forums and it can only lead to respect on both sides.
The proviso is the Moderators need to be correct in their accusations and they need to be even handed with both those they agree with and those they dont.
When I post I post as a poster when I moderate I am clearly moderating and i dont mix the two. If you do you create a caste system of posters where some posters are "more Equal" than others and people become intimidated by moderators who back up their own weak arguments with heavy moderation!


Mutation

[Sandpaper]

Point taken...yeah..some good points.
On the forum that I was moderating, the membership was high...and there was no way you could ask for input by members on every mod decision...besides the time factor, it would have resulted in a bigger problem than original issue.
EDIT: Having said the above.... I should add that forum has died in the bum...and I believe it can be attributed to the fact that the original 'friendship and camaraderie' has ceased.
So that in it self may blow my original theory out the window.