50 Post Minimum/Access Request for GAA Forum?

flahavaj

What with the controversy in the Meath/Louth match this weekend and the fact that many match threads (esp Dublin ones) seem to end up locked or with multiple infractions/bannings is it time to make access to the GAA forum a little more dificult to gain? There even seems to be a good few people who have registered in the last few days just to troll the Meath/Louth threads.

Given that GAA is as or even more emotive a topic than soccer, surely its time that the forum followed suit.

K-9

flahavaj wrote: »

What with the controversy in the Meath/Louth match this weekend and the fact that many match threads (esp Dublin ones) seem to end up locked or with multiple infractions/bannings is it time to make access to the GAA forum a little more dificult to gain? There even seems to be a good few people who have registered in the last few days just to troll the Meath/Louth threads.

Given that GAA is as or even more emotive a topic than soccer, surely its time that the forum followed suit.

Don't think it is needed, maybe 4/5 threads a year cause problems.

From October to February is relatively quite. New Posters might not think it is worth accessing at that time of year and then not come back. Now they can post away and become part of the community.

flahavaj

K-9 wrote: »

Don't think it is needed, maybe 4/5 threads a year cause problems.

From October to February is relatively quite. New Posters might not think it is worth accessing at that time of year and then not come back. Now they can post away and become part of the community.

I thik its far more than 4/5 threads a year. It seems to me during championship season theres one neaqrly every weekend, or at least one everytime a controversy crops up (or a Dublin game:pac:). It was a trainwreck on Sunday, pure and utter chaos and must have been a nightmare to moderate tbh.

With regards the forum beig quiet over the Winter, I don't see how thats a problem or should influence things either way:if no one posts anyway over the winter apart from a few regulars then whats the difference?

It is rarely regular forum users that cause the problems on these threads, but rather people who stick their heads in, post something inflammatory and then disappear again/get banned. Making access that litle bit more time consuming would at least snuff out that phenomenon and make the mods' job a lot easier.

K-9

flahavaj wrote: »

I thik its far more than 4/5 threads a year. It seems to me during championship season theres one neaqrly every weekend, or at least one everytime a controversy crops up (or a Dublin game:pac:). It was a trainwreck on Sunday, pure and utter chaos and must have been a nightmare to moderate tbh.

With regards the forum beig quiet over the Winter, I don't see how thats a problem or should influence things either way:if no one posts anyway over the winter apart from a few regulars then whats the difference?

It is rarely regular forum users that cause the problems on these threads, but rather people who stick their heads in, post something inflammatory and then disappear again/get banned. Making access that litle bit more time consuming would at least snuff out that phenomenon and make the mods' job a lot easier.

All good points, them Dublin threads are legend at this stage! Don't really get involved in them any more.

Suppose it's the mods call really. It would cut down on the new regs and hit and run trolls, but they are usually easy to spot.

flahavaj

K-9 wrote: »

All good points, them Dublin threads are legend at this stage! Don't really get involved in them any more.

Suppose it's the mods call really. It would cut down on the new regs and hit and run trolls, but they are usually easy to spot.

I suppose part of my point is that while these trolls are easy to spot, it still takes up a lot of the mods' valuable time just having to infract/warn/ban them/delete their posts. I've seen them have to lock threads temporarily on many's an occasion just to try and catch up with 5-10 pages of utter tripe. Not only does it waste their time, it means posters who want to discuss a match are denied the chance to. Even this mornong there was no thread for a while to discuss arguably the biggest story of the Summer so far, the Louth controversy as all the threads had to be locked overnight.

I suppose on the flip side its extra work having to validate people's accounts as well and approve them once they've gotten 50 posts, so its a double edged sword.

Daysha

My own 2 cents...

Yesterday was as bad as I can remember on the GAA forum, without a doubt. Want to know exactly how bad? I had to issue more bannings and infractions yesterday than every other day I have been a moderator combined. Myself and the rest of the lads have been up to our eyes racking through the dozens of reports posts and hundreds of replies spread across multiple threads. Would things have been better if we had an access request rule invoked? Probably.

But.

One clear difference between us and the soccer forum is its usefulness for getting information about local matters. We have tons of people that sign up to Boards every year for the sole purpose of asking where the nearest hurley maker is, or what club in their county are they best suited to etc. And they have no problem asking that because they know we have a core group of very helpful and knowledge posters who are directly involved with local GAA clubs that are more than willing to be of assistance. I know myself I signed up to Boards just over 5 years ago to ask where I could purchase some old GAA programmes. I was given a perfect link that same day and I've been around ever since.

I know the SF also debates with a lot of Irish soccer issues as well but by and large it deals less with local soccer clubs (I'm talking real junior clubs here like Villa FC or Carrick United) and more with big Premier League clubs and major international competitions, so it doesn't attract the same type of threads. At least I'm nearly sure it doesn't, I'm only a lurker there.

It'd be a shame to see our ability to help newbies with their local GAA questions diminish because of those mindless individuals who flooded the forum yesterday with their abusive and provocative posts. Also yesterday apart I don't think this year has been as bad as you suggest flahavaj. I've been mod for 7 months and yesterday was the first day I thought "holy shít this place is bad". Dublin threads obviously need one eye on all the time but I don't think they get as problematic as they used to be a few years ago (not unless they're playing a certain team in green and gold from Munster :P)

I appreciate the input though flah I'll forward this thread onto to the other mods just in case they missed it.

cruiserweight

As a former moderator of the GAA forum I would have to say that it is not really necessary. Unlike the soccer forum where big events or games occur fairly regularly, the games and events that bring so called trouble makers are few and fair between. During my time as a moderator crap like what has gone on in the last few days happened when Dublin were knocked out of the championship or stuff to do with Paul Galvin. I would see the GAA forum and stuff that goes on to be more like the rugby forum in some ways e.g. Leinster vs Munster and Dublin vs the rest.

Also, not that I can say for definite, from what I can recall the majority of bans and infractions that I had to give out in my time were not to new users but to users who had more than 50 posts.

flahavaj

Reading this today again it looks like I've gone over the heads of the mods or that I'm trying to be a busybody speaking on their behalf. If thats the way it looks I'm sorry lads, that was never my intention, honestly. Hopefully i've not caused any offence.

oscarBravo

I don't think anyone's offended, flahavaj. We won't know whether something's a good idea unless we discuss the pros and cons.

smashey

As Daysha and cruiserweight have already said, I don't see the need for this although I do appreciate the feedback. This is the busy period for the GAA forum and we tend to know what will cause problems on the forum; Paul Galvin, Dublin v Meath/Kerry etc. The problem this week was basically a huge mistake by the match officials in the Leinster final and we got a load of new posters having their say as well as some regular posters posting while their emotions were running high. While it wasn't pretty for a while, it will clam down and the forum will be stronger as a result. As these things happen, more and more people become aware of what is and isn't acceptable there.

DeVore

Its good to question things, provided a negative answer can be accepted too.

Firstly, I spent a good bit of the day watching the forum and think the mods did a great job! I think we can all agree that.

The trouble didnt seem to come from new users or one-post-wonders. There were plenty of long time users in the forum throwing digs.

I dislike the repeated "we're better then Soccer because" line, its boorish and high-handed and stigmatises Soccer when to be fair both inside and outside Boards Soccer has cleaned up its act. GAA would do well to simply do its own thing and on a day when the Ref was assaulted, might want to keep its head down rather then cast aspersions

All forums go through days like that. Who would have thought the Leaving Cert forum would hold our record for most users on a forum ever!

These exceptions happen, and we deal with them as a team. The mods did well yesterday and were backed up by the whole team structure of admins, HQ, Cmods and fellow mods....which was good to see.

I dislike making policy based on edge-cases. And this certainly seemed to be the case yesterday. If it became a persistent problem then we would have to revise our approach but for the moment thats a long way off imho.

DeV.

K-9

DeVore wrote: »

The trouble didnt seem to come from new users or one-post-wonders. There were plenty of long time users in the forum throwing digs.

That was my view of it too and from my experience in general of the Board some of the names stood out to me anyway as regulars. There are some people who just hate certain counties and let that cloud their postings. Usually easy to spot though!

DeVore wrote:

I dislike the repeated "we're better then Soccer because" line, its boorish and high-handed and stigmatises Soccer when to be fair both inside and outside Boards Soccer has cleaned up its act. GAA would do well to simply do its own thing and on a day when the Ref was assaulted, might want to keep its head down rather then cast aspersions

Wouldn't be a fan of it either but it is a common view in GAA circles. Some sections of the Soccer forum have their superiority views too, one of those things you just have to put up with when reading there. You'll get similar comments on GAA threads, don't think it is meant in a bad way though.

Anyway, hopefully we don't have to put up security fences like this to prevent the actions of a tiny minority.
/ cliche.

flahavaj

I did have to chuckle yesteday when a poster called "Joe Sheridan" registered and gave his views on the matter.:pac:

---

Looks like on this occasion people seem happy with the GAA forum as it is. Fair enough. Sure no harm to throw these things out there from time to time.

Maybe when Dublin go out of the championship this weekend and the place goes into meltdown we can reconsider.:pac::p

Aidric

flahavaj wrote: »

Reading this today again it looks like I've gone over the heads of the mods or that I'm trying to be a busybody speaking on their behalf. If thats the way it looks I'm sorry lads, that was never my intention, honestly. Hopefully i've not caused any offence.

An absolute disgrace. :pac:

flahavaj

flahavaj wrote: »

Maybe when Dublin go out of the championship this weekend and the place goes into meltdown we can reconsider.:pac::p

Oops.:pac: