Forum conduct
Yet again I am disappointed by the way several forum members express themselves.
The forum's Terms of Use item 12 says:
"Respect is the name of the game. You must respect your fellow members. Please refrain from inflammatory and defamatory comments as well as flaming, taunting, and general disrespect. Do not simply put down the opinion or advice given by others. If you don't agree with it, say why - respectfully. Don't just tell them they're wrong..."
So many threads seem to degenerate into personal arguments.
In the relatively short time that I've been a member this seems to have become a progressively more serious problem.
It really is time the moderators stepped in and issued some warnings.
The forum's Terms of Use item 12 says:
"Respect is the name of the game. You must respect your fellow members. Please refrain from inflammatory and defamatory comments as well as flaming, taunting, and general disrespect. Do not simply put down the opinion or advice given by others. If you don't agree with it, say why - respectfully. Don't just tell them they're wrong..."
So many threads seem to degenerate into personal arguments.
In the relatively short time that I've been a member this seems to have become a progressively more serious problem.
It really is time the moderators stepped in and issued some warnings.
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Comments
You can't credibly believe that such behaviour won't have an impact on how others post or rile and provoke those who are the targets of the endless attacks.
And even you have to have your little digs, you have been here almost the entire time this forum has been open to the public and in that time you too have stirred, made objectionable comment and piled in to support others when they have done so.
The outrage you express today is at odds with some of your own behaviour and posts.
And for the record, and in answer to the title of your link, unlike Andy I don't go around deliberately lying and twisting other people's posts nor will you find any suggestions from me that anyone is autistic.
So not much mirror there.
If you and others want to rile people and poke at them then expect them to respond.
If you REALLY want to be part of a forum where good manners and politeness are the norm, then you have a part to play in bringing that about and will need to modify some of your own posting behaviour accordingly.
Stop egging people on when they launch personal attacks, stop clapping when people make a barbed comment, stop cheerleading for the same few troublemakers and then playing along when they seek to blame others.
Totally agree.
Realize on one thread I've been dragged into this myself, but there is a trend with certain individuals where there they seem to delight in the thread they post in spiraling downwards like this.
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
I posted some of my thoughts on several of those topics so will not repeat those at length here.
Something I do see though is that whilst the number of forum users technically grows the number of very active forum members is still declining. That does not need to be a problem in itself but can of course lead to lengthy discussion and debate amongst a small number of people which can detract from a clear topic account when others new to the forum may come looking for information and answers. There is not necessarily any way to avoid such lengthy discussions as many of them have no definitive answer and are simply a lengthy exploration of different views and positions.
The forum moderators do remove some posts and contact some individuals directly. Whether they should take more and quicker action is something people could discuss. Any action they do take though should be consistent, fair and justifiable.
FWIW, though, just about any Internet forum I have ever been a member of seems to attract this kind of behaviour. I'm not sure this one is worse than any other (not that that excuses the behaviour, of course).
A few days ago I was the target to a number of baiting remarks in a thread I'd not even posted in for 2 months. When the baiting provoked an answer the outpourings of outrage quickly followed, by comparison only one person piped up when others were **** stirring and baiting.
It's very simple to me, if you're a liar and you opt to lie about something people have said then expect them to respond. If you're 'mates' with a liar who opts to lie about something people have said and then you decide to cheerlead for them, expect them to respond.
If you're going to post when drunk late at night and post rude, profane or baiting comments, expect the targets to respond.
And if you're one of those who sit in silence while the baiting goes on only to cry outrage when the inevitable response comes, then you're part of the problem and your complicity isn't lessened by the occasional holier than thou post in threads like this.
In fact, being blunt, it makes you look like a hypocrite.
"Something I do see though is that whilst the number of forum users technically grows the number of very active forum members is still declining. That does not need to be a problem in itself but can of course lead to lengthy discussion and debate amongst a small number of people"
Might this be because people come here for help - notice the issue that this thread has been created above, and then leave because they don't want to put up with the lecturing tones and in some cases downright abusive/personal comments.
Unless this is dealt with a little more rigorously then you will indeed have a very small number of "knowledgeable" individuals that will continue the infighting, which will quickly discourage others from sticking around too long. i.e the problem exacerbates.
YMMV, but I would not thought this would be what YV want from this forum.
The apparent lack of effective policing makes it worst here than the norm IMHO.
Still, there are worst. Not that I'm saying that's an excuse.....
It just needs more control so that antisocial episodes don't break out or if they do they get stopped quickly. IMO.
>>The personal arguments are inevitable when people like Andy are allowed to get away with repeatedly lying and misrepresenting other people's posts
A few days ago I said I was not going to post on here anymore, just read to check for Updates. However I cannot stand by and see the likes of Martin call me a liar.
I have never deliberately posted an untruth on this or any other form. I also do not post when inebriated as I am teetotal.
I feel this is a deliberate slur on my character my Martin and demand an apology. Then I will go away again and hopefully will not feel the need to return.
You claimed
"Martin is forever lecturing about the evils of keeping a recording. "
In fact I did not mention evils, or suggest I thought it or anyone wanting to keep recordings were evil
Even after I posted:
In addition I said the feature "could be very useful to ensure recordings aren't lost if one has to reset a box" and closed my post with "Which isn't to say I wouldn't find it useful or a welcome addition."
You made the following claim:
Not at all just fed up with your holier than thou posts about Copyright Laws.
Again, you were reminded that I'd said the feature could be useful, but not once did YOU retract the claim that I was was "holier than thou" or that I thought there was anything evil about wanting the feature.
It's interesting though that someone saying something about you which you feel is unfair, untrue and unjustified provokes demands for retractions while you spent a morning repeatedly doing the same to me and apparently thought it just peachy to do so.
Would you like to take this opportunity to retract your own comments?
>> I also do not post when inebriated as I am teetotal.
I never claimed YOU did.
Jeeez, this is ridiculous
As Keith has pointed out, we do remove posts and contact forum members offline to remind them of our forum etiquette if they have been off the mark and we have also made statements publicly on the forum. We remind them of our guidelines and terms of use and ask them to refrain from using offensive language, attacking other people, getting personal, not respecting others' views and other unacceptable behaviour.
We are appealing again to these posters to please let the community thrive in good spirit and let people express their opinion freely and treat everyone with respect.
In future, we will be compelled to have to ask members to leave if this behaviour persists which we really would like to avoid.
And yet when such posts are brought to your attention via email, often NOTHING happens which helps fuel a belief that endless attacks are acceptable.
When a post in which someone calls another poster a "troll" is left in place and no response received by the complainant that tells both posters two things:
To the one making the attack, that the behaviour is acceptable;
To the person on the receiving end that it's pointless flagging up such behaviour
YouView have a share of the blame in all that goes on here because the moderation and enforcement of the rules is patchy at best and often inconsistent to the point on unfairness
I mean, how many times can the same poster be allowed to call others a "troll' before the forum rules are actually enforced and the posts removed?
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
I understandably got a bollocking via email the one time I used the phrase, others apparently get off scott free:
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
Use of the word was even ignored when it was used in direct response to a mod:
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
YouView might like to blame the forum users, but I'm really sorry to say it, some of the problem is exactly because of the inconsistent moderation.
Appealing to people while not enforcing your own rules isn't really going to work, when people are endlessly attacked and baited and the rules aren't enforced than there's only one way people are going to respond, and that's angrily.
I have seen a number of active members on here get a bit out of hand from time to time, myself included. It is in the nature of the beast. Most have subsequently managed to acknowledged this, shown some contrition and apology and even modified their style and behaviour. With one glaring exception.
The main reason that you seem to be developing such a persecution complex is because it seems quite clear to me that, sadly, you are the worst instigator and perpetrator of the kind of thing that you profess to dislike so much. Have you not noticed that few other posters "suffer" the kind of treatment you believe you are receiving? Have you no idea why?
I confidently expect you to respond to this post with your usual outrage and a lengthy, point-by-point pseudo-intellectual defence. Do yourself and the rest of us a favour and have a good long think instead.
Thanks for your comments.
I don't have a problem with the fact that some people don't like me, nor do I have an issue with people being brusque or rude if they prefer to post in that way.
I do have an issue with people who deliberately needle and poke and then cry foul when that behaviour produces the only response it can be expected to produce.
I post on here largely to try and help people who have an issue, sometimes like all of us I become embroiled in long discussions as topics spiral away from the original question.
Sometimes I'm not always as considered as I later might wish I had been, that's true of all of us I'm sure.
But I don't see the need for anyone here to make personal or personalised comments about other people, if you disagree with an opinion someone expresses it's possible to say so without going out of your way to insult them.
For example, personally I don't see where it's ever ok to suggest someone is autistic. Do you?
Certainly I don't see that kind of proactive barb - as opposed to something said in the heat of a robust discussion - are being even vaguely in keeping with the rules.
And yet the mods don't take action.
As i said above, I actually think the inconsistent enforcement of the rules is a big part of the issue, Just as you ask me to take a long look at myself, I think YouView need to do the same thing.
We are left pretty much to our own devices here, although YouView quite clearly maintain a close watching brief. Long may that continue.
I can sense you want to turn this into a row over how many times you've said it. I have a recollection that you've hinted at it more than once, but if you say it was just the once I'll go with that.
However, as you're one of the people who decry bad behaviour on the part of others, perhaps you'd like to explain why you think making such a comment even once would be acceptable?
It's not like you don't know such a suggestion would be deeply offensive and was entirely uncalled for in the context of the discussion being had, specifically me noting that I'd spotted how you'd deliberately mimicked another poster's lack of punctuation and posting style to have a little sly dig at them:
http://community.youview.com/youview/...
But I thought it might appear as being a criticism of one person in particular, so I started a new thread with no references to other posts or individuals.
Despite the very early hour, within twenty minute a certain individual replied, strongly criticising others and naming four forum members.
What popped up in my mind were some famous song lyrics: "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to make a change. And no message could have been any clearer, if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a change."
So I posted a link to the song on YouTube, and this was not intended as a "wind-up".
Within five minutes I was the subject of criticism.
Having thought about this throughout the day I still feel pretty offended by those remarks.
I value this forum and it's contributors for most of the time. I find it informative and often entertaining. When making a contribution I try to be polite, good-natured and whenever possible humorous.
But I've watched with dismay as threads spiral into angry confrontation and I've been irritated by the way a relatively small number of people can be so dismissive of others.
A recent example was in USB connection where BeatleUK found it necessary to say:
"Sorry I don't post on forums much... I didn't mean to make anyone angry, I just wanted to put in my 2 cents. I feel like I should have kept my mouth quiet..." And then once more the discussion turned to personal remarks and bad-tempered argument. Several people including myself tried to signal a yellow card but on and on it went.
This isn't the way this forum should be.
"Respect is the name of the game. You must respect your fellow members..."
BeatleUK was out of order to make personalised remarks about me in his/her first forum post when they know diddly squat about me. Despite me making clear that I found that objectionable, they persisted.
As reporting such comments to the mods achieves little, I responded. You made it clear there that you didn't like the tone of that response and the action open to you was to report me to the mods.
You opted instead to start this thread and then, as you have above, react with faux surprise when I answer my critics head on with examples of how others behave.
As for the Developers Channel - OpenSource Add-Ins thread, the only intemperate post was from Visionman who had to be upbraided by another poster for declaring "thread closed" in a response to the OP.
Other than that all that happened, as often does on forums, is someone didn't like a number of people telling them that they didn't like, support or think a suggestion had much chance of happening.
Then, once again, Visionman comes in with an over the top attack and his favourite little "troll" word which he likes to use liberally.
I don't find that surprising given that past uses of that word which have been reported have remained in place. As i said above, by failing to clamp down on that behaviour YouView have sent the message that open attacks and accusations of being a troll are fine.
If i'd been shown through inaction by the mods that excessive attacks on others were just peachy I too would find little reason to modify my behaviour.
You quote:
"Respect is the name of the game. You must respect your fellow members..."
If that applies then it applies to everyone, including those who to **** stir with lies, and those who like to label others "troll" or autistic.
As you've put so much effort into condemning me today I look forward to seeing you do so to others in the coming hours and days.
If you're not prepared to do that then you have no business upbraiding me.
As for you being "pretty offended" by my remarks, imagine how offensive I find the behaviour you expect me to endure without comment.
And I thought his response where he mentioned having thought you were HFA was not meant to be offensive as he raised it specifically in the sense of you not being such, and in fact being "a man of taste and discernment." It seemed to me he was genuinely acknowledging your witty comment.
Then your next two replies seemed to indicate that you hadn't taken offence and it all seemed to remain good-humoured so it seems to me strange that you're now sensing that it was indicative of a vendetta against you.
Just thought I'd mention my take on it.
I don't actually think it's my place to publicly decry other people's comments, and it's specifically against the forum rules so I try not to do so. I'm sure I fail from time to time.
I actually did find the comment offensive, I was merely doing my best not to rise the bait. I didn't bother reporting the remark as experience tells me I'd have been wasting my time.
As I've already said today, the inconsistent moderation of this forum is a large part of the issue, in fact I'd say it' the biggest part as people will always seek to push the boundaries and where the boundaries are so unclear that will mean people going OTT from time to time.