We Did Warn You...

[J*B]

BRFCS is a Football Forum for Rovers fans to predominantly discuss Blackburn Rovers. This is what we'd like to be known for. However we understand that people enjoy this platform to discuss other topics with Rovers fans in the I Can't Believe Its Not Football section. 

We Did Warn You, or 'WDWY' is a new sub section of the forum designed to alleviate pressure on the moderation team and allow those of you that love controversy to be involved in it. 

I have described WDWY as: We did warn you (WDWY) is a sub section specifically for topics outside of football which have been flagged as controversial. It will contain topics which take up a significant portion of moderation time and have been deemed almost impossible to moderate successfully. To help with this, we've relaxed the rules in the WDWY section - whilst our key principles apply i.e. no sexism, no racism, no homophobia - if you want to bicker and fall out, then within WDWY you can crack on. Specific rules on the section will be found within WDWY.

Here is a list of threads which as of now have been moved from ICBINF to WDWY, as they're deemed to be controversial subjects:

Politics

Unions

Trump

Coronavirus

Brexit

Ukraine/Russia

Climate Change

Cost of Living Crisis

Therefore any discussion on any of these points in ICBINF or the main football board are now banned. No ifs, no buts. If you post even hinting on any of these subjects your post will be hidden and - after a short period of goodwill time - your account will be face a warning. 

If you choose to have access to WDWY and then bring anything from this section into other sections (i.e. bringing discussion from WDWY into ICBINF) your account will be banned. We've given you a section to have these discussions exclusively for a reason - so that it doesn't affect the heartbeat of this forum, Rovers discussion. 

WDWY will be reviewed in 3 months time to see what changes - if any - are needed. If you chose to join WDWY you'll have the opportunity to give input into how the sub section evolves at this point also.

One last thing... the same rules apply to the moderation team - so if the mods want to participate and want to call your views on Brexit, its fair game. 

WDWY is request only, if you would like access you will need to either PM me or email me at [email protected] requesting access. 

[RoverDom]

I think on the whole it's a good idea to have a light touch approach to moderation on certain topics. I wonder if making it an opt in system will maybe result in fewer people using it though?

Maybe switching it to an opt out system? So by default people can see it but if they've had enough they can request to be removed (or just not go in there). 

 

Would be interested to hear from people who have decided to not opt in? 

[Mike E]

By going with opt-in, we can ensure no complaints about the content. Hence 'We did warn you' 

[Upside Down]

Ah I see. When I first saw it I thought it was a secret sub section for people to exchange snuff videos or something. 

[riverholmes]

It's a very sad reflection of the state of the internet - and our society - that vitally important political discussion has to be hidden in case it upsets a few people. I'm not exaggerating when I say in the history of mankind, political discussion and forums have never been more important, given the immense dangers we face. I really appreciated the opportunity to not only post here but to have a lot of engagement. No doubt, the people being upset and causing real difficulties aren't the average poster but those with the capacity to indulge and attack in legal or commercial threats.

I appreciate the work of the mods and those who run the website and credit to you for even keeping the political discussion alive, albeit, hidden. Credit for also facilitating open speech, where debate and controversy was permitted, despite the prohibitive environment for it. To reduce mod demands, there was the potential for amalgamating the multiple threads, eg. unions, climate change and so on, into one more manageable thread - though, I appreciate extensive moderation would still be required.

If legal, commercial or other threat - or the potential for it - was a factor in this censorship, alongside the practical issue of demands on mod times, I'd be hopeful that the web team would be open enough to acknowledge it. 

Thanks, again.

Edit: I wonder, for the future, if standard post numbers capping per user per day (and post editing capping) could be implemented to help with moderation demands, on particularly demanding threads?

Edited June 17, 2022 by riverholmes

[RoverDom]

On 15/06/2022 at 10:24, Upside Down said:

Ah I see. When I first saw it I thought it was a secret sub section for people to exchange snuff videos or something. 

You only get that section if you buy the platinum membership. 

[StubbsUK]

On 17/06/2022 at 14:07, riverholmes said:

It's a very sad reflection of the state of the internet - and our society - that vitally important political discussion has to be hidden in case it upsets a few people. I'm not exaggerating when I say in the history of mankind, political discussion and forums have never been more important, given the immense dangers we face. I really appreciated the opportunity to not only post here but to have a lot of engagement. No doubt, the people being upset and causing real difficulties aren't the average poster but those with the capacity to indulge and attack in legal or commercial threats.

I get what you're saying but this is a football forum, not a political one, and it's not the political discussion that causes the issues, it's the tone, the fact that people can't be civil with each other so it's not a debate, it's just an argument.

There are plenty of (better!) places to have whatever political debate you like, but we want this to be the best place to have Blackburn Rovers discussions.

[J*B]

This is actually working really quite well so far from my point of view. 

As a side note the grace period of discussion on the WDWY subjects has now ended. Nobody has questioned where the discussion has gone for 14 days, so that can’t be an excuse!

[Norbert Rassragr]

Not asked to join, but I bet it's been lively the past few days!

[DeeCee]

Only the usual suspects

[J*B]

On 06/07/2022 at 14:51, Norbert Rassragr said:

Not asked to join, but I bet it's been lively the past few days!

It’s arguably the best thing I’ve done whilst owning this website. It wasn’t my idea… but it turns out if you let adults be adults they behave like adults. 

[Mike E]

14 minutes ago, J*B said:

It’s arguably the best thing I’ve done whilst owning this website. It wasn’t my idea… but it turns out if you let adults be adults they behave like adults. 

Now fuck off and let me eat my ice cream in peace, DAD!

[Upside Down]

Ice cream? Where's mine?

[RoverDom]

Where's the union thread gone? It was just getting juicy

[J*B]

I’ve no idea, I’ve just had emails saying where is it…

[47er]

Ha and I thought it was just me who couldn't find the Unions thread!

[J*B]

Im looking into what’s happened - but it’s also past midnight on a Sunday / Monday. If it spills out into here then appropriate warnings will be issued. 

[RoverDom]

2 hours ago, J*B said:

but it’s also past midnight on a Sunday / Monday.

I hope you weren't planning on doing anything like sleeping????

[arbitro]

8 hours ago, RoverDom said:

Where's the union thread gone? It was just getting juicy

I'm going to see my Shop Steward about this. If it's not resolved we will be balloting for strike action.

😂😂

[47er]

The longer the silence goes on the more intrigued I get!

What's going on in high places?

[Upside Down]

UP THE UNION (thread)!

Edited August 1, 2022 by Upside Down

[J*B]

47er somehow managed to delete the thread. I’m trying to bring it back. 

side note, I was very clear that WDWY shouldn’t spill out into ICBINF. Those that have are now banned. 

[47er]

7 hours ago, J*B said:

47er somehow managed to delete the thread. I’m trying to bring it back. 

 

I did it? Hilarious! just shows if its a choice between conspiracy and cock-up, the latter wins every time.

The question is --which person is responsible for giving me this enormous power which I didn't know I had and  which I wouldn't know what to do with?!!!

Am I really able to delete entire topics? Wow!

Edited August 2, 2022 by 47er

[J*B]

26 minutes ago, 47er said:

I did it? Hilarious! just shows if its a choice between conspiracy and cock-up, the latter wins every time.

The question is --which person is responsible for giving me this enormous power which I didn't know I had and  which I wouldn't know what to do with?!!!

Am I really able to delete entire topics? Wow!

You shouldn't be able to, I've no idea how you did it frankly...

[47er]

18 minutes ago, J*B said:

You shouldn't be able to, I've no idea how you did it frankly...

Me neither!! Wish I could help you.