Seeing that the objective of any forum is to encourage lively discussion, I would like to file a complaint about Rick B, who clearly isn't. His moderation style is one of threatening anyone who disagrees with his opinions with yellow cards, whereas he seems perfectly fine with posters calling other posters the b-word. I've checked the rules but being of a different opinion is not a bookable offence in forum rules. I as an active poster do not believe in the carding and reputation system in the first place and don't do repping as I find both very childish and playground like. What I find even sillier however is a moderator threatening posters with a card for expressing their opinion on a subject: I thought that discussion and expression your opinions was what discussion forums were all about. I'd appreciate if you could clear this up for me: do you expect your mods to run their specific forums as their private forum, welcoming only posters who more or less agree with them? Or do you expect them to encourage lively discussion within the forum rules?
As a Villarreal fan I spent some time in the Arsenal forums and I have to say Rick B was pretty decent, if not outright congenial. Some Villarreal fans were off their mark with rude comments and he handled it pretty evenly handed. I tend to dislike Arsenal supporters on these boards and he is one of the good ones. Just thought some perspective was needed.
Fair enough. Thing is though I wasn't disrespectful. I just wanted to discuss something that was of no interest to him. Resulting in me being threatened with a card which I think ridiculous. THe point being I never did anything going against forum rules. Meanwhile I'm regularly being called the b-word and no-one including Rick B seems to have a problem with that. Not that I have a problem with being called the B-word mind.
looks like your reputation may have proceeded you on that one. its difficult to see that you did anything remotely close to trolling or flaming. dunno why he didn't just lock the thread if he didn't want to allow it. overall Rick B is one of the most respected posters around FWIW
I just have this idea that he's running the Arsenal forum as if it were his. If that's forum policy, i.e. letting mods run their specific forum as if if were their own, then that's fair enough with me, I just didn't think BigSoccer was run that way.
I think Rick is one of the best mods on BigSoccer and I'm sure you'll find that view shared by most who have had contact with him. I personally didn't think your posts on that thread quite reached the level of trolling although I could see how others could. It is not a clear line and you'll always have a consistency problem as views differ on where the line is. Repeating the same point over and over despite having plenty of good reasons pointed out to you by every other person on the thread and then making inflammatory claims that a player is on his way out based on him not starting one particular game during a busy start to the season...well it did seem more like an attempt to upset the natives than a post meant to start a discussion. I suspect that repetition without adressing any of the relevant counterarguments plus the inflammatory claims that Arsenal are risking losing one of our good young players based on one sub appearance is what got Rick worked up this case as its a pretty good sign that someone is posting just to upset the board's regulars (ie. trolling). Not sure if you've done this already but you might consider PMing Rick over the issue. BTW if you read the Community Forum Guidelines, you'll see how repeated posts made by someone "really going out of their way to stir things up (as judged on a forum by forum basis by the community's mod" can be considered trolling and a violation even if they do not contain personal attacks, violate the TOS, etc. I'm pretty sure that is the way Rick saw your posts. It also outlines how you should have dealt with the situation (come to the other Arsenal board mods with the complaint first then SuperMods if you are not satisfied with the actions of the co-mods). Making this thread was probably not an ideal way to get the issue resolved and certainly shouldn't be the first action taken.
I'm not stirring things up though or trying to stir up. If you take issue with my debating style then fair enough, but why threaten to card me for it? I just find it all incredibly childish. I'm a grown-up and I don't take kindly to being treated like a child that's told to behave otherwise they'll end up on the naughty step. If I'm really that annoying just send me a private message and politely ask me to stop it, don't threaten with cards. I do realise that I am capable of winding up people, but for heaven's sake I am able to take a hint from a moderator if it were only put to me in a grown up fashion, not in the shape of a threat. I too have never had a problem with Rick by the way. That is why I arrived at the conclusion that he thinks the Arsenal forum is his territory to protect.
Thanks to those who know what Im like as a poster and a Mod and who posted here. Firstly, if anyone has a problem with anything I do or say I always am approachable with a PM. I will quite happily explain. I received a PM from Johan telling me The facts are simple. but simplicity is often overlooked so I'll go through the points by number as Im sure someone here will want to respond. 1) Johan started a thread asking No problem with that, an easy enough question to answer. Which I and 3 other posters did with the fact that Van Persie was left on the bench because he was tired after the International v Ireland in which he played 94 minutes. Arsene mentioned this specifically in his press conferance. 2) Johan then proceeded to say that this wasn't the case and that Wenger had been criminal to leave him out. Along with a barbed criticism of Arsenals play. 3) More posters plus myself kept repeating the same thing - Van Persie didn't start because of a reason and he usually would. Johan kept ignoring this and then proceeded to tell us that we could lose Van Persie one of our best players if this keeps happening. Now if you go onto ANY club forum and start a thread saying that they will lose one of their best players, and that he is unhappy most people will see that as trolling. In the T.o.S as Cannon said above it states: As Johan kept on about this point time and time again and completly ignored both mine and other posters attempts to understand the facts of the reason Van Persie was left out, I had no choice but to ask her to stop posting this as I considered it trolling under the T.o.S. I did this here: Post asking nicely I even put a smiley to show I wasn't being insulting at all. 4) Johan's response was: Now therefore in my opinion Johan turned the issue into an ugly one by insulting both me and the Arsenal forum. If you read the whole thread not once did I insult her or be aggressive. I simply stated the facts that under what I believe the T.o.S are and from which I have quoted, she was trolling. I therefore asked her nicely to stop with a smily which she retorted with an insult and I then forced the point by warning another post would result in a ban. She was more than welcome to PM either me or Cannon and discuss it. She choose not to which is her perogative, but I'd suggest quite honestly that she think twice about posting in the same manner on either the Chelsea or Man U or Liverpool boards.....I doubt she'll get such a nice response......... Re the b-word - well it was said ONCE in the thread, I didn't see it until now when Ive gone and checked. I'll obviously edit it and warn the poster. But seriously, it would of been easy to report that post and it could of been dealt with a lot easier. It seems you went out of your way again.........
Rick - you have a way of making being in the right seem wrong. From my point of view, Cannon's comment about "repeating the same thing without addressing any of the counterarguments" really should be highlighted because it is a problem very frequently on BigSoccer. Such posters don't feel like they are doing anything wrong, they are being civil and are often being treated poorly in return, but the fact is: such behavior can constitute trolling if persistent enough. I've read the thread - and another common problem on these boards is that we treat outsiders poorly way too quickly and I'm not sure that thread is an exception. Threatening yellows seemed too harsh/quick to me even though you (Johan) weren't engaging in much give and take debate. When I post on other forums, I do try to be really polite and if folks react negatively to what I'm saying I try to go away quietly. If you don't do so, it's not surprising that a mod will get involved and ask you to stop.
Sorry Johan, but that right there killed your case! If a person who leaves neg rep with the kind of comment below agrees with you, you can't be right.
It's a special talent us Conservatives seem to have...... but I take your point. I actually only called it trolling the first 3 times I asked Johan to stop. I only threatened with a yellow in my 4th post asking her to stop........ Next time I will send a PM as well, but the thead was moving so fast I posted perhaps what I should of PM'd.
Fair point - just remember that another option is a thread closure with a polite comment that the topic can be revisited after a few more games. And it's worth remembering that this is a little different than a ManU fan coming to troll - although perhaps they would already be on a red?!
Well in all honesty I had hope that the thread would become a debate about the two players, which is what the Arsenal board members turned it into. Johan kept trying to turn it back to her single point though. And I'm not that harsh!!!! I can't remember the last time I asked for a Red card unless it was for racism or similar!!! Not trying to be defensive (although it may sound like it) I actually didn't (and still don't) have a clue who Johan supports, it doesn't say in her profile. The only time I have crossed bridges with her before is in the Politics forum. Where I don't think we agree.
As this thread has an attention of a super mod,I'd like to ask,is this post from the same thread acceptable? https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9386090&postcount=45 Isn't this an outright sexism?
No it's outright sarcasm. And really and truely it's one of the most obvious sarcastic posts Ive ever seen. I'm pretty sure that everyone on that thread and anyone else would take it as such.
It seems like a personal attack to me, and an accidentally ironic attempt at gaysmack. Not sure why labeling it sarcasm makes it okay, although I have no idea what the poster in question is like.
The poster knows johan neeskens is a girl as he continues with another sexist post: But now that you mentioned it,I don't know where the mention of Turkish Bath comes from.I don't know the poster well either.
ok.I thought that's why you thought it was a gaysmack. Thanks for the info.Maybe I should rent that next weekend.
because i have seen the crap you do, thinking that you can make the rules and not allowing for free discussion (not trolling). you are also the mod that is quickest to threaten with a yellow (from what i have seen).