Very quiet in here

Dial Hard · 03-06-2025 01:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511031#Comment_123511031

Fair enough.

03-06-2025 01:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123510933#Comment_123510933

Oh really? So if I had named any specific poster and pointed to an example of how they were being transphobic, I wouldn't have been warned for it?

I don't believe you.

I explained my position, on "giving examples" multiple times. You say you were reading the thread, so if it was the case that I could have done so, why didn't you step in and say so? That might have been a helpful instruction to receive from an Admin.

There is no "poor me" about me. Pot Kettle Black. Quite frankly, you turning every feedback thread into just another warning about "showing respect for the poor volunteer mods", and I see it now comes with added threats.

I did all I could to remain civil on that thread, and to remain within the site rules. Pity others who did not do me the same courtesy faced no repercussions, and "big shock" are continuing to post the same bile and hatred with impunity elsewhere on the site.

I can only come to the conclusion that the moderators on those forums must share their views, and as such, moderate from that viewpoint.

Big Bag of Chips · 03-06-2025 01:40PM

If you'd like to PM me a list of phrases @Ezeoul I will bring it to the Admins for consideration

flyingsnail · 03-06-2025 01:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123510996#Comment_123510996

Apologies, I may have misunderstood the intention of your post, but to me it read more like a threat to use those past posts to ban them, rather than a warning about future posts.

03-06-2025 01:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511059#Comment_123511059

You had a whole other 1000 post thread where you could have stepped in at any time to make that offer on, but are only doing it here now for appearances sake.

Too little, too late.

@Boards.ie: Mike @Boards.ie: Odhran

Big Bag of Chips · 03-06-2025 02:10PM

You can PM this list to Mike if you prefer.

Hannibal_Smith · 03-06-2025 02:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511108#Comment_123511108

Too little too late? What on earth does that mean? Like you're going to complain to management? 😂. If you don't like how things are working here you are not compelled to be here. You do know that? All you seem to do is whine about moderation and how it doesn't meet your expectations.

Hannibal_Smith · 03-06-2025 02:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511203#Comment_123511203

Too late...you've had your warning 😂

03-06-2025 02:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511203#Comment_123511203

Again, you had a 1000 post thread to make that offer on, and didn't.

Don't waste my time. Which is also valuable.

Dr Turk Turkelton · 03-06-2025 02:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511108#Comment_123511108

Name change to Nerak needed here…

suvigirl · 03-06-2025 02:47PM

Two posters on this thread banned since the thread began. What did they do I wonder? I didn't see anything particularly abusive or against rules in any of their posts.

Yeah Right · 03-06-2025 03:09PM

A couple of points:

Moderation, in the main, has gone to the dogs across the entire site. Not long ago there was a much clearer delineation of what was allowed/not allowed. Posts that were deemed unacceptable were flagged as such and left there as a warning to others. The current ethos seems to be "nah, can't be bothered with all that, let's just deleted the post and ban the poster". Lazy and ineffective and self-defeating. Yes it's a volunteer role, but that doesn't mean it should be above criticism or beyond reproach. Zero transparency, just lash out with the ban-hammer. There was a quote made early in this thread "All posters on feedback should lose the attitude towards volunteer moderators" which is indicative of the 'us vs them' mentality that has become the norm. Really? Everyone has an attitude problem?
The posters in the trans thread were refusing point blank to highlight what terms etc. they found offensive, despite being asked countless times to provide examples. Claiming, now, that was because they were afraid of getting banned is outrageous. You can't bemoan something and complain it's a regular occurrence then point blank refuse to show even one example of it.
In a completely absurd contradiction, we had someone on that thread who was claiming that using labels for trans folks they didn't approve of was transphobic while in the same breath were throwing out labels for non-trans folk and demanding they be accepted, even if the subject disapproved of that label. Like something out of the onion or Waterford Whispers…………."I demand that you stop using your own labels for me and also demand that you accept the labels I have bestowed upon you, anyone who doesn't comply is transphobic". I'm still not convinced that poster wasn't taking the piss.
In summary, the moderation leaves a lot to be desired, yes, but I'm not sure in this instance if that is necessarily the case. Locking threads and shutting down discussion is like the antithesis of the entire point of the fecking website.

suvigirl · 03-06-2025 03:35PM

As I can't start any discussions, I am unable to start a thread for this question, does anyone know where I can find the general site rules? The ones about warnings etc. I know each forum has its own charter but I mean the site wide rules etc?

Boards.ie: Mike · 03-06-2025 04:03PM

Hi everyone,

Let me cut through the noise and clarify a few things.

Boards.ie has always operated on a simple principle: don’t be a dick. That phrase may be blunt, but it’s effective. It’s about treating each other with respect—whether you're a moderator, long-time user, or someone just passing through. It applies to everyone, equally.

Years ago, Niamh (Boards.ie employee and Community Manager at the time) laid it out plainly: respecting how people want to be addressed, especially around pronouns and identity, is not up for debate here. That still stands. It’s not about political sides; it’s about being decent to each other. You can refresh yourself with this here.

Now, about the recent thread closure: the “Very quiet in here” thread had moved well off-topic. It was intended for general forum feedback but morphed into a detailed debate on trans issues. That discussion deserves its own space, which is why it was split. Closing the original thread wasn’t censorship—it was housekeeping.

I’ve seen the frustration, and I get it. Some of you felt shut down or misrepresented. That’s not the goal, and we’re going to try to be clearer when threads are moderated. But here’s what won’t change:

Respect goes both ways. Mods are volunteers doing their best. Personal attacks, public pile-ons, or “gotcha” bickering don’t help.
Threads should stay on topic. If the subject changes, take it to a new thread or the correct forum.
We’re not playing sides. We apply rules based on tone, conduct, and relevance—not beliefs.
The ‘don’t be a dick’ rule is still our backbone. It’s not going anywhere.

We’re here to keep Boards a space where people can talk, disagree, and debate without turning it toxic. Help us do that.

Yeah Right · 03-06-2025 04:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511544#Comment_123511544

https://www.boards.ie/content/terms

Think this is a good starting point

suvigirl · 03-06-2025 04:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511645#Comment_123511645

Yeah thanks for that. Doesn't have the specific thing I'm looking for, interesting though

Flaneur OBrien · 03-06-2025 05:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511642#Comment_123511642

But Mike, I had been trying to turn that thread back as only a user could. I had on the last two pages been trying to have a discussion with those I disagreed about how trans issues should be moderated, only for them to constantly change the subject, then the thread was locked.

For it to be locked, without a mod/admin stepping in to moderate the thread with a couple, "keep it on track" warnings, or editing the OP to say what shouldn't be discussed on the thread is frankly, bad moderation. Locking threads because you can't moderate them is bad moderation.

I'm not being mean to the mods here, but if you can't or don't have the interest in moderating a thread, why are you here?

eightieschewbaccy · 03-06-2025 05:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511642#Comment_123511642

It ran for nearly a thousand posts. Plenty of the posts about transgender people absolutely amounted to far more than being a dick. The thread ceased to be feedback pretty early on and it was just allowed to go out of control. Absolutely posters were the issue but ignoring it for so long sounds more like the discussion was being left off by moderation.

The thread was truly unpleasant and it really doesn't strike me that "don't be a dick" is the backbone of the site any more.

Flaneur OBrien · 03-06-2025 06:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511973#Comment_123511973

I agree.

Also, I think what "being a dick" is has changed CONSIDERABLY considering the world's richest man and the American President exude massive dickish behaviour that would see them being regularly banned from boards.

Thats why I was trying to bring the discussion around to talking about why "posting with the intent to be derogatory" should be an actionable offence.

Some say it already is, but I will completely disagree as there was many, many posts in that last feedback thread that absolutely were posted with the intention of being derogatory.

McBain11 · 03-06-2025 06:34PM

Are we still at the stage in CA where you cannot even challenge a ban?

You really have to laugh at the level of moderation around here. Nothing short of septic.

Flaneur OBrien · 03-06-2025 08:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123510933#Comment_123510933

Can I ask for a clarification here?

If Ezeoul had called out users/posters out on the thread as transphobes/terfs/anti-trans/whatever-language-you-want-to-use, surely that would be a case of attacking the poster, not the post and so they would be warned/threadbanned?

I'm genuinely asking btw. It was always my understanding that calling a poster a racist/homophobe/whatever-youre-having-yourself would go against the "attack the post, not the poster" rule and is an actionable offence. I believe you want users to report such posts instead.

I'm asking as you have said that if she did call them out on the thread, it would be a "ridiculous assertion" that she'd be warned/threadbanned.

Maybe you missed the part where she said about naming posters, and just saw the part regarding naming specific examples of transphobia.

On that thread however, explaining people's internal transphobia was often met with a defensive, "That's not transphobic!" 🤷

And I don't know what you can do with that.

aero2k · 03-06-2025 08:51PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511035#Comment_123511035

Actually, on a re- reading of the thread I realised that I got the order of your two posts wrong in my head, a fact which might explain my poor attempt at humour.

You might be kind enough to explain why you responded to the post you quoted with "And we're off" - what was wrong with the point I was making?

nullzero · 03-06-2025 09:47PM

What was interesting about the trans thread was that a small cadre of posters felt justified in asking that the rules of the site the changed to be in line with a radical activist group and that site staff (all of whom bar Mike are volunteers) should be sent on training courses run by these very activist groups, I can only assume at their own expense.

All of this was said with a straight face whilst refusing to provide any proof whatsoever of the supposedly glaringly obvious and omnipresent anti trans rhetoric that can be seen all over this site every day.

Not even a screenshot of an offending post with a username pixelated was posted, nada, zip, zilch.

Nobody arguing against this position was suggesting that trans people should be fair game for abuse on boards.

The real issue was the audacity of this group in making the demands that they did and what a detrimental impact acquiescing to these demands would have for the site going forward.

Agree to those demands and the site would become little more than a radical left wing blog.

It would have been good to see a bit more input from mods/admins on that topic although this thread has offered some clarification.

Sometimes feedback feels like the wild West which adds to the feeling that it's becoming a safe space to air grievances of a personal nature as opposed to staying on topic.

If we take anything from this perhaps mods/admins doing more to keep these feedback topics on the rails would be a positive. Even just deleting the bickering posts en masse and keeping things from veering to far off piste.

Flaneur OBrien · 03-06-2025 10:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512605#Comment_123512605

What was interesting about the trans thread was that a small cadre of posters felt justified in asking that the rules of the site the changed to be in line with a radical activist group and that site staff (all of whom bar Mike are volunteers) should be sent on training courses run by these very activist groups, I can only assume at their own expense.
All of this was said with a straight face whilst refusing to provide any proof whatsoever of the supposedly glaringly obvious and omnipresent anti trans rhetoric that can be seen all over this site every day.

LOL.

*******************************************

Warned: Breach of Charter - adds nothing to the feedback

Big Bag of Chips · 03-06-2025 10:31PM

@Flaneur OBrien this is exactly the "bad faith" posting that causes problems on the site. People twisting others' posts to suit their own agenda. I don't believe anyone was asked to name any poster. (The report function exists for posters to report disruptive and abusive posters) I certainly didn't ask for names. Clarification was sought over phrases that might cause offense, and words that the poster thought should be added to the swear filter to avoid unnecessarily causing offense. Listing these words was not going to earn anyone a ban. It was a ridiculous assertion and an obvious attempt at avoiding answering a very straightforward question.

One eyed Jack · 03-06-2025 10:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512605#Comment_123512605

Sometimes feedback feels like the wild West which adds to the feeling that it's becoming a safe space to air grievances of a personal nature as opposed to staying on topic.

Now where would anyone get a strange notion like that?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123507485#Comment_123507485

Bit awkward.

*****************************************

Warned: Breach of Charter. Adds nothing to feedback

Flaneur OBrien · 03-06-2025 11:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512750#Comment_123512750

What is this fresh hell now, BBOC? Do I really need to spell it out? I guess I do. And you're accusing me of bad faith posting?!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123510685#Comment_123510685

I also didn't see very much legitimate feedback more so sniping and fighting amongst the usual cohorts. When asked for examples @Ezeoul you couldn't/wouldn't give them.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123510919#Comment_123510919

@Big Bag of Chips if I had pointed to any specific examples of transphobic language or named any of the posters using it directly, I would have been immediately infracted, most likely banned. Don't pretend like you don't know this

Thats absolutely clear to me that Ezeoul thought you were looking for examples of transphobic language or transphobic posters. I'm not twisting anything here by the way, I am quoting you direct.

Just because you might not have meant that, DOES NOT mean that it was construed that way. We are not mind readers. Maybe your language needs to be clearer when you are in "admin mode".

I was trying my best to give genuine feedback on that thread, but there was little to no input from mods/cmods or admin to keep it on track. It was badly moderated, and badly handled by locking it and now boards has lost another 2 posters because of a badly moderated thread.

---------------------------------------------

Warned - Breach of Charter

JP Liz V1 · 03-06-2025 11:20PM

Is there a limited how much you can post from an article, if I just link the source, it's a dump and sometimes others won't open the link, just ask what's it is about, is article quoting, as in valid parts of the article, with source and your opinion not correct?

Big Bag of Chips · 03-06-2025 11:24PM

3 or 4 times I asked for a list of terms (not names) to be PMd to me. I offered the option of PMing the list of terms (not names) to Mike. The poster couldn't/wouldn't provide any such list, despite being asked on the thread a number of times and again being asked to PM an admin.

The poster would not cooperate with the request. And came up with various excuses and deflections to avoid doing so. Bad faith posting.

This subject is now closed.

And adjust your attitude in feedback or your posting rights here will be removed.

Trigger · 03-06-2025 11:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123512882#Comment_123512882

Not so much from a CA point of view, but I think personally that you should be giving the general gist of the article for people who can't open links due to restrictions in work etc, and also adding in your own commentary to it, like why you agree/disagree with it or so on.

Very quiet in here

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