I know I'm adding yet another one but come on guys, it seems like that's all that's being posted anymore. One of the best ways to combat trolls is to post interesting topics that help fuel meaningful discussion. I can tell that many people are legitimately concerned. However, the type of troll activity I've encountered so far doesn't warrant this kind of attention.
I've tried to generate interesting topics which fuel meaningful discussion but these faux concern trolls just want to tell my I'm off topic for general discussion and try to label me as a troll whilst doing so.
That's why I'm trying to highlight why these guys should never be moderators so that the actual moderation team (Whoever they might be) can let natural conversation flow and regular members will just have to tolerate it if it is considered worthy of discussion.
Jim will have an ignore option and moderation team in place shortly, the sooner the better but this is good for MC's overall length of life to start up things as and when required at this point.
I certainly understand how you feel, and feel the same way myself. However, unless you've been particularly observant, and I won't say exactly how because that'd be giving the hard-core trolls and heads up, you may well have not noticed exactly what's been going on here, and what many are trying to avert. Who needs, or wants, what happened on so many IMDB boards to happen here, or to this site in general? I don't, and I doubt you do either.
I'm not talking about mere nuisance posters. A block or ignore button (I'm hoping for a block function) will easily take care of them. But there's more going on here than that, unfortunately.
For the first 1-3 weeks of MC's young life, for the most part things were great and congenial: a genuinely wonderful community was forming here. First on this General Discussion board, and soon spreading out to the other specific boards. Momentum was building, new (genuine) posters were arriving, many of whom went straight to their favorite former IMDB boards, without bothering to stop and post here, and probably not bothering to read this board either.
IMO this period is something of a "now or never" period of time, where either Jim stops the influx of trolls by whatever sensible means, and the boards can for the most part go back to how it once was, or, he doesn't, and the site will be increasingly overrun with and eventually ruined by them.
This only started when the former IMDB trolls began becoming disgruntled with the IMDB2 forum cracking down on them, and then coming here to post about it in many new threads, and trying to create a them vs us environment, when few if any care WTH is or was happening on IMDB2, or any other site.
The future of this site depends on what Jim chooses to do SOON. The first troll attack happened about 10 days ago, created by the same people I mentioned above. This is not subjective opinion; it's objective. If you weren't here for it, you wouldn't know that, and even if you were, it's possible you didn't entirely realise what was going on.
Anyway, I'd MUCH prefer to go back to regularly checking out the Trending section of this site, and discussing whatever films/shows/people I'm interested in discussing at the moment, as I (and many others) had been doing, and increasingly so.
Unfortunately we do need to solve this problem (and be "we" I really mean Jim, as ultimately the decisions are up to him), before it gets even more out of hand than it already is.
Don't listen to this one FilmFan1983, if you read carefully you'll see they say exactly nothing but are still trying to win you over to their "Side" (And believe me they are the ones trying to polarize people here).
There's no proof to any of their claims and they prefer feelings and somehow magically knowing what those who aren't speaking out are thinking. Mumbo jumbo stuff.
Any attempt to try and discuss how moderation should play out to be the best for everyone here gets shot down by them as they feel a powerbase is something which should be kept secret and away from the eyes of members who volunteer the content here.
I'd hazard a guess at them being some sort of social justice tumblrina with an axe to grind against marginalised communities who they feel they can speak on behalf of without being elected by them. A prejudice bigot looking for personal gain from people's sympathies.
" If the moderators here used their real names and emails for example, we would know that they are above reproach legally. "
Oh yes. We don't need fake names like "John Carter" someone who pretends to be a great person while gathers information about users behind the scenes. Transparency and impartiality are very important.
" Anything's possible and it certainly isn't outside the realm of competing business to do such things but there'd have to be evidence for such a claim."
"If the moderators here used their real names and emails for example, we would know that they are above reproach legally."
I have no dog in this fight, but why don't YOU use your real name and email, for example, and therefore we'd know YOU are beyond reproach? Why not require this of all MC users? After all, if they (including me and you) have nothing to hide, why not?
Oh, but on a thread I posted, warning posters here about posting any info that was revealing, with which you agreed, and even added using their email address as their username, you want OTHERS to do the same that you advised against. I can't imagine why that would be.
As per usual, I fully expect you to dodge answering these questions, because it's not in your interest. As usual.
What questions? You keep saying I'm dodging questions when I don't owe you fucking spit if you were on fire dough-ball.
So far we don't have any eligibility criteria for members and so children, yes children, may post here and they will not have the wealth of experience that older people might. They might use their own names and email addresses and regret doing so later.
Should a child moderate these forums? FUCK NO!
Dumb fucks like you might use your real names and emails too. There's a Nigerian price waiting to wire you money fuckface, pass on your details and it'll be right at your door by morning.
As for moderators though. They've built nothing here, they've brought nothing, if anything they should be looking to make the community retain its members and make them feel like there is something worthwhile here and promote taking part and conversation over things which make it a fun place to visit.
What have you supplied numbnuts?
Sorry, bad grammar. What have you supplied? Numbnuts?
Getting desperate are you now, Wilson et al? I have no reason to tell anyone to not listen to you. Why are you so afraid of what I say, and trying to tell Filmfan (who's known me from posting here for a while now), I'M the one trying to polarize people?
I have no reason to tell anyone to not listen to someone else, and never have done. I'll let my posts (and yours) speak for themselves. I'm quite certain you can't, and won't, do the same, for obvious reasons.
So what is it, Wilson? You claim to think I'm a racist for using the idiom "I call a spade a space," but then you don't (when called on it), but then you do, and then you backpedal again and don't, and now you're back on saying I'm a bigot for the same, LOL!
Hey Ben, despite trying to come up with somewhat different personas for your various and well known socks, once under pressure, the same you comes out, which anyone can easily see.
Had you learned from your spade is a spade faux pas I'd say you weren't racist. But even though you know now it has racist connotations you continue to use it. That's not an adult way of learning and it certainly should be brought towards issues which will be as delicate as race relations with a role of moderator in the future.
As for your no reasons to tell anyone to not listen to me. So many negatives just to say you have no reasoning skills or points to put forward.
You're a fool (as are your "friends") if you didn't realise I knew using the term "spade" within some contexts is a racial slur. Can you not recognize sarcasm? Most likely you can and are simply using this as a means to troll me. Or, again, it's entirely likely I'm overestimating your intelligence, given many of your other responses -- and I'm not speaking only of yours to me.
"As for your no reasons to tell anyone to not listen to me. So many negatives just to say you have no reasoning skills or points to put forward."
Is that right. It's very simple. I've never tried to dissuade anyone to listen to you, because you're no threat to me. Obviously I've become one to you, but if you're merely interested in the truth, and not at all in sidestepping direct and honest questions/posings, why would that be the case? The answer is obvious. Do you think it's not obvious to others as well?
Why do you suppose (not meaning you, but others who are reading this and aren't so savvy as to what's really going on here) I've not ever told anyone to not listen to you, but for *some* strange reason, you've felt it necessary to say the same about me? No reasoning skills, LOL! Yeah, that must be it.
I have faith in those reading, and in Jim. Clearly you have faith in neither.
" Hey Ben, despite trying to come up with somewhat different personas for your various and well known socks, once under pressure, the same you comes out, which anyone can easily see. "
"Why are you so afraid of what I say, and trying to tell Filmfan (who's known me from posting here for a while now), I'M the one trying to polarize people?"
no one is afraid and no one even cares whatever the fark you are saying here. NO ONE CARES LOL. Please stop wasting our time
Just used the ignore feature and your response is the only one I see in this thread. While the general board is still active, I didn't realize how much of it was due to trolls bumping their own threads. Hopefully, we'll see the good kind of activity pick up from now on since the tools are in place.
Haha, same here. Says 27 posts in this thread on front board, but I only see your two responses. And that is after putting just the three most pesky trolls (all the same person I think) on ignore!
It's a bit sad not seeing everything that is going on. For sure many new users getting pulled in by the trolls for ex, but even so this is like breathing in fresh air after exiting a heavily polluted tunnel.
Yeah I agree. I hope the mods will be able to see all posts and posters keep purging the bad ones. And in addition, I suspect I will have to do keep using the ignore button constantly for new trolls that will keep coming in. It won't be too difficult for me though. As you said, this is a breath of fresh air.
Most of the complaining about trolls is being done by trolls, that is why it's flooding out everything else. It's just a few people with lots of names, going back and forth at eachother. The Itchy and Scratchy show.