Site is a graveyard - How can boards save itself? [Threadbanned users in 1st post]

Black Swan

60 replies and 1.6K views and counting.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121954958#Comment_121954958

Easy to spot if you're a regular in any given area of the site. The arguments and posting style.

I've been warned a couple of times for accusing people (who ended up being re-reggers)

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955131#Comment_121955131

Yeah i have two warnings on that thread. Mod has lost the run of himself.

Norrie Rugger Head

So, bring back DeVore?

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955161#Comment_121955161

I'm reregged from years ago but not of the banned variety.

I quit all social media a long time back, when in an upheaval of a personal time. Completely lost access to the account. It's still there, taunting me.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955043#Comment_121955043

The "legal mumbo jumbo" prevents boards getting sued. Any comment on boards by a poster that is published becomes their responsibility.

But I agree with you overall debate has being stifled on boards. I would surmise it was because the mods have been sick and tired of a cohort of posters acting the maggot. So they went draconian. In some threads the mods are extremely strict and do not even open debate with posters.

To be honest at this stage I think a lot of moderators are like Leo Varadkar (especially the older ones), going through the motions. Disillusioned with their posts and wondering why they are still there.

The impression I get from the higher up site admins is that they look down on posters, and almost engage out of sufferance rather than actually having to do their job.

To be honest I think boards.ie needs a root and branch clear out. The new site which only half works, and has a terrible search function is symptomatic of the malaise.

I suspect many people who run boards.ie have been there far too long. They have lost the vibrancy and spark. I get the impression it used to be a passion for many. Now it is just a chore they have to suffer. All that bitchiness and sniping, can eventually wear away a person.

Norrie Rugger Head

Are we allowed to discuss MCD now?

🤣

Legal restrictions have been here since the site's most popular days so wouldn't blame that.

Looking in, as someone who only read the posts for a long period:

1. Rise of social media hurt but also group messaging seemed to hit hard.
2. Purchase by Distilled. Went from a passionate enterprise to a business driven one
3. Vanilla. Place has never recovered
4. People have aged out

Conversly: moderation has gone very light touch. There is a much more polsrised atmosphere in many fora, with comments freely posted which would have resulted in bans previously.

Place is more openly right wing also. If that's a symptom of the country society or just that it's so quiet here that existing right wingers are proportionally over-represented now, don't know. This place used to range from a hefty centre right population to left of centre (with a smattering of far left), now there is a hard right element barely staying inside the rules. It's, honestly, disconcerting with how far it's moved

One suggestion, though. Take a hit to pride and kill/merge dead fora. There are far too many graveyards which made sense back at boards height. Right now they just accentuate the issue

Edit: I actually think that purchase, in bold above, really hurt. It felt, overnight, that moderation was hamstrung and more controversial/emotive takes were encouraged

Tom Mann Centuria

Numbers were already declining fast in Soccer before the glorious move to Vanilla, but obviously not declining fast enough for Boards, so they hid it. One of the (comparatively) busier forums just put in a cupboard down a big long corridor with the sign for it made for ants.

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955271#Comment_121955271

There's a soccer forum? /s

I always though that having a single soccer forum was a mistake. Place was always toxic.

It was busy enough to have a general forum and sub-fora for the big english teams. Kepp the rabble sequestered in their own spaces

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955271#Comment_121955271

Any idea how many moderators are in the Soccer Forum these days?

I've been banned from there for 2 or 3 years after being told I'd have my posting privileges removed for 6 months.

Any time I ask about being allowed back in it's "We'll have to discuss it among the moderators" carry on.

The whole of Boards barely has a mod so how many are in the Soccer Forum?

Tom Mann Centuria

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955298#Comment_121955298

Yeah not sure, even when there was loads of them, half didn't do any actual modding anyway.

Tom Mann Centuria

The things that help keep Reddit ticking over will never be allowed on Boards. Porn, Piracy and Political extremist echo chambers.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955154#Comment_121955154

Not bad for one thread in a forum that's dead on it's feet. Imagine the busier forums.

Bobson Dugnutt

There’s still some cool and decent contributors around, but it’s mostly just boring old middle-aged cranks who think their blindingly obvious opinions are somehow unique and insightful; when they are just the opposite.

Mr Disco

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955319#Comment_121955319

bit of pot-kettle there lad…

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955153#Comment_121955153

There’s a rake of posters who “blame” the mods for their own inability to follow the rules of the forum/site. They claim it’s because they hold the “wrong” opinions but, in reality, it’s because they can’t express their terrible opinions without being uncivil, attacking the poster or going way over the top.

Sure there’s some who post mostly in this forum, complaining constantly about the way the site works now, vanilla, the search function, cookie notifications and anytime the site is down for more than 2 minutes. They’ve hardly posted in other parts of the site but have been ever present in here.

Seems like it’s mostly “legacy” desktop users who have the majority of problems with the site, and are quite vocal about it, while the rest of us just get on with it and make the best of what’s here.

The, near constant, abuse of moderators should not be tolerated. The number of threads set up just to “have a go” at them has been excessive. It’s a thankless job that has gone unappreciated for far too long.

Would it be possible to remove the “Dispute Resolution” forum? Far too much time wasted there on terrible, terrible, posters who, from what I can see, are only there to waste as much mod/admin time as possible.

osarusan

For whatever reasons - the switch to Vanilla, the dreadful moderation, the lack of new blood as younger people don't join, people just getting more grouchy as they get older - things are as I said about 9 months ago on a similar feedback thread:

The ratio of decent poster:dickhead poster shifted in favour of the
dickhead, and has never righted itself, and likely never will

Manach

In defence of Boards, taking Reddit as an example their usage based is the US and the world. And while some conservations might be begun with intent, if it should stray into any of the culture-wars disputed zones you might easily get downvoted to oblivion or just banned from the forum outright without the appeals mechanism that Boards has in place.

pjohnson

Tbf its a classic trope of pretty much every forum that you'll have people constantly moaning about moderation. Especially funny when said person has recieved multiple bans from multiple moderators across multiple threads and they still insist its the moderator to blame rather than themselves.

Montage of Feck

I miss the good friday pub thread!

This is it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955154#Comment_121955154

Do you think the site is in decline with numbers of members and posts?

sbs2010

Get Mr Feigelin back

Cluedo Monopoly

I like Boards just fine. My only social media now. Used to be on FB and Linkedin but they are silly.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955437#Comment_121955437

Mr. F has been back numerous times.

I think he's still active but we're not allowed accuse others of being WUMs.

Dammo

Very frustrating to use on phone. Moving to the next page lands you at the bottom and you have to scroll to the top.

briany

People absolutely whinging about getting banned by mods.

They act like they get banned for a small grammatical error. The reality is always that they're being unnecessarily combative over a sustained period of time, being obtuse or posting flagrant misinformation about something. General attempts to derail discussions or be uncivil in the pursuit of same, and they're almost always given a chance before being hit with a ban. For the other times than almost always, there is even a forum to discuss why one has been banned.

Does this stop them clutching their pearls and crying 'police state!' when (rightly) banned? Does it fúck.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121954894#Comment_121954894

"Some mods are excellent, some are good, some not so much and some are sh*t."

That about sums up the modding in my humble experience of it.

I might also add that several moderators seem to act mainly on reports from other posters, that's the main trigger to issue a warning or threadban etc. This is quite open to abuse by those who hit the flag or report function on the slightest pretence.

Personally I've never reported a post, no matter how abusive or trolling the other poster is. If you can't stand the heat in the kitchen then get out. I'd only do so if it was clear that the content was grossly dangerous or if it clearly caused a legal problem for boards. Otherwise best let it roll. I've been quite disappointed in those that I suspect of reporting my odd post, to the point of despising them.

One of the things that does annoy me though, is that there are threads in which posters are clearly and openly trolling & baiting. There are other moderators reading and participating in these threads and yet it all passes by.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121955332#Comment_121955332

More than a bit and sure don't we have a good idea who Bobson was fomerly!

thegame983

When every second post is by the same clown who has 50k+ post to his name you know it's best not to bother engaging or reading the thread.

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058344179/site-is-a-graveyard-how-can-boards-save-itself

reddit is a joke, constantly reported for anything people don't want to hear, the same o'd story, mods side with some and pick on others. a ban on redit you can never get back no matter what you do, sign in in another email even with a vPN and it's only a matter of time before their highly advanced software blocks access again, you get a message you've been banned for trying to avoid a previous ban etc etc. if this is some advance form of Ai then we better watch out.

it's the same story, block speech you don't want to hear so that you can freely say what you want because you think it's the only speech that should be heard. this is communism at the highest only much more advanced. next we'll have an intranet not internet !

So as bad as boards is for blocking speech, redit is a hell of a lot worse.