[Archived] Has this community lost its community spirit?

[bob fleming]

I'll tell you what will improve things.......

get everyone who posts to use their real name.

You can get the real names, in the main, by clicking on a posters profile and reading their email address.

[Majiball]

Not keen on real names.

Have a code of conduct, stray and a ban commences.

[dave birch]

Maj, note your use of the word "keen"... nice, in it's real context for once.

why the problem with real names? Mines been up here since 1996.

[Majiball]

Maj, note your use of the word "keen"... nice, in it's real context for once.

why the problem with real names? Mines been up here since 1996.

If real names were enforced I would stop posting as my career comes first. It wouldn't be worth the risk as one day, hopefully when things are better I aspire to working at rovers. If my real name was on here every player and staff member would know my real opinion on them and it wouldn't happen.

[dave birch]

Understand, Maj

[booth]

I genuinely think this site should turn into paid-for membership. While a simple and ruthless solution I believe it would solve a lot of problems.

A very small fee seemed to fix problems on other sites with a large membership. I remember on Kevin Smith's site ViewAskew, it was someone like 1 dollar to post on the forums and the dollar went to charity. It also lasted in perpetuity so wasn't just a money making racket.

Not keen on real names.

Have a code of conduct, stray and a ban commences.

And what about, if banned more than once, you must use your real name and confirm who you are.

[Mike E]

A very small fee seemed to fix problems on other sites with a large membership. I remember on Kevin Smith's site ViewAskew, it was someone like 1 dollar to post on the forums and the dollar went to charity. It also lasted in perpetuity so wasn't just a money making racket.

And what about, if banned more than once, you must use your real name and confirm who you are.

Not a bad idea (on both counts). Something like a required £5 donation to East Lancs Hospice (or a rovers charitable cause) would be fine with most on here?

[thenodrog]

Why a charity? We'd all fall out over which charity to donate to anyway. Any charge should go to the club in some way in order to gain a little bit of influence at board level.

BUT imo a charge is surely unworkable cos membership would migrate to other sites and as a result the content would worsen causing even more to migrate. Ultimate result would be no BRFCS. Not only that but on the down side skoo kids, parents with young families, unemployed etc couldn't afford to pay to post. Mind you every negative has a positive so thanks to Gordon Brown's legacy Jimmk2 would disappear up his own pipe cos his state pension hardly allows for much more than a packet of Werthers these days.

[Glenn]

Keep it coming guys, it's great to see everyone contributing.

A few quick follow ups -

Real Names - We have to address this soon. The law has recently changed and whilst the official guidelines on it's implementation, reading of the actual bill is leading everyone to think it'll impact forums massively (mostly in a good way). Previously we limited the responsibility we had for people posting copyrighted/libelous stuff under what was known as the internet provider or common carrier defence which means we're only liable for content we've seen and as long as we act quickly to remove anything brought to our attention we're in the clear. The downside of this meant that anything we "moderated" i.e. closed a thread for people being arses, we immediately became liable for as we'd obviously seen it. So the accepted solutions were either absolute moderation (were ever post it checked) or report-based moderation only (where only reported stuff is moderated). Like most not-for-profit sites, we don't have the resources for the first, so we opted for the second, which frankly means that 99% of the stuff we'd previously have stamped down on, stayed (it also meant a few people that understand this law played us a bit as they knew they could get pretty much anything removed.

The new law, reads such that we're not responsible by default as we as we enable people who feel they have been wronged (or, we assume their solicitors) identifying the original poster so the can be pursued directly. Now until the actual guidelines for this are published, it's not clear what details we are expected to disclose to who, but the clause is definitely in there to prevent us letting users hide behind a cloak of anonymity. The common thinking is that if we collect and email address we'd have to pass this on, but some as expecting "real names" to be covered too.

Frankly, I massively encourage the use of real names online now. Times have changed, 10 years ago I stood out my using my real name online and then it was only my first name (drive because I was utterly embarrassed by being introduce in real life as "Slam-Tilt", but nowadays it's pretty common, people post on open groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and the like all the time, certainly it seems the younger you are, the less you care about online anonymity. And I do agree with Dave, if does shift people's perceptions of you and lessens the chances of you being an idiot when you think "hell, I might bump into these people in real life, I hate them to think this testosterone fueled ass-hat I'm coming across as, is what I'm really like". Hell, I'd love everyone everyone to use a real pic for their avatar too. People worry about about anonymity and a I believe the CHOICE to be anonymous is important, but frankly my real name and home address have been freely available on this site for a decade and it's not really been a problem for me.

Bob, only staff can see email addresses, not everyone else

On the point scoring thing - I agree, but I wonder how we address that, can we define acceptable use / moderation rules to make it clear what is and isn't acceptable or is it just a personal trait that we have to address with the ban button?

I think we just need a set of community moderators who care about this message board and recognise that there are quality-of-post issues. We're supposed to be a community and we should just rid ourselves of troublemakers without hesitation.

I think we already have the first part (though we may benefit from more boots on the ground) if we didn't Ricky wouldn't have started the topic. We did used to have the second and whilst it used to make me cringe sometimes when the burning pitchforks came out, I do know see that in many ways it worked.

[Amo]

What's stopping someone from just using a fake name, my mate Hugh Jass would like to know?

[bob fleming]

Bob, only staff can see email addresses, not everyone else .

Oh. I work here?!? That explains a bit, mainly to my boss. I'll get my coat / p45.

[Paul]

Don't forget the P11D

[bob fleming]

Don't forget the P11D

I'm sure he won't !

[alexanders]

As a member from abroad this mb have been splendid.

An older gentleman from this mb named roverthemoon helped me get tickets to Stoke away under SA in the relegation battle where I also met a lot of forum members when we travelled together in a maxi taxi to the match.

Preston Blue has offered me tickets.

I went to pub and match with clitheroerover for Chelsea away saying goodbye to the Rovers in PL for the foreseeable future.

I have also become friends with some of the members here.

I also found the Rovers supporter who gave me a Rovers top in Magaluf in 2004 (IF I rember correctly) because he was ecstatic that he met a Rovers fan from Norway (Thanks Hi-mack).

[thenodrog]

Like most not-for-profit sites, we don't have the resources for the first, so we opted for the second, which frankly means that 99% of the stuff we'd previously have stamped down on, stayed (it also meant a few people that understand this law played us a bit as they knew they could get pretty much anything removed.

Care to name them Glenn? Maybe a section indicating title of removed post, reason and instigator would reduce some of their eagerness.

[ABBEY]

On real names mines not rocket science and everyone at rovers as known me as ABBEY since Bash christened me it around 1984

[Ricky]

I've always used my real name. Interestingly someone did stop me in blues once to tell me that I don't look like the pic in my avatar lol.

[Tom]

I like the idea of positing restrictions and I think on the odd occasion we have used it it has worked well

A few times we have seen someone be a pest but because they weren't breaking rules as such it was tricky for us as mods to ban them (saxo and Braddock were generally annoying but mainly in there viewpoint) I do think we should be harsher at times but that would have to be two ways and not just newer members.

I'd be all for an un moderated section were anything goes but only if you use your real name there.

We may not be perfect but could be much worse, hell there's a Facebook page run by a previously banned egomaniac from here which seems to be modded purely to massage his own ego and anyone that dares disagree or call him out gets their comments removed.

[J*B]

A private section, which is only available to people who have posted for an amount of time and have been invited/vouched for by long standing established members, who are all limited to one invite every other month.

Means everyone else can bitch to themselves in the public section, while people who do actually want to have decent debate and want to post in confidence can use the private section.

[jim mk2]

I would support a membership fee with a small donation to a children's charity. I don't think anyone would argue about that. I understand the concept of "giving" is beyond the comprehension of golfers from Pleasington but most people I'm sure would be willing to contribute. A membership fee would also soon see the back of undesirable elements.

[Glenn]

I've always used my real name. Interestingly someone did stop me in blues once to tell me that I don't look like the pic in my avatar lol.

I said that to Scotty the first time I met him ..... His avatar was (and I think still is) Garfield

We may not be perfect but could be much worse, hell there's a Facebook page run by a previously banned egomaniac from here which seems to be modded purely to massage his own ego and anyone that dares disagree or call him out gets their comments removed.

Oh Tom, you know that comment will have just sparked another complete email about how we bully people and don't give them the right to reply (so, in advance, sorry Tombo).

..... I do like the idea of making the bear pit "real names only" (or a least linked to a Facebook account), it gives people an incentive to use their real names whilst allowing those that wish some level of anonymity to retain it.

[RoverScot]

The events at the club clearly have had a knock on effect here. It's been hard to concentrate on football when the off the field matters are so perverse.

As such, there is a huge difference between debating the merits of whether Benni McCarthy or Roque Santa Cruz should start to whether or not to you should attend or actively engage with the club at all. It's likely to elicit more passion and thus potential conflict.

[Tom]

I said that to Scotty the first time I met him ..... His avatar was (and I think still is) Garfield Oh Tom, you know that comment will have just sparked another complete email about how we bully people and don't give them the right to reply (so, in advance, sorry Tombo)...... I do like the idea of making the bear pit "real names only" (or a least linked to a Facebook account), it gives people an incentive to use their real names whilst allowing those that wish some level of anonymity to retain it.

Hey I mentions no names

Give me access to the email account or set up a mods one (think that was on your to do list a year or so ago) and ill do some replying for you

[bennyboyt11]

Steve Kean ruined this forum.

[yoda]

Steve Kean ruined this forum.

and he never answered emails

Glenn, how would you verify the true name?

can you not inform all members of the new legislation and point out that posters are responsible for their own material and therefore liable to action by anyone who feels they have been abused/threatened/wronged etc and the board has a duty to pass on personal information to the relative authortities