Where's CariadAgain? 🤔

And if Trump Inc took over I would flounce off anyway.

MaizieD

Scribbles

SpinDriftCoastal

I do miss biglouis. She was a voice for her generation.

I think you'll find she is back among us in feline form. 🐈

That's what I was thinking of pointing out. She's been back for quite some time...

Oh, that is good to know. I did miss her comments. She often wrote what I thought. Thank you for pointing that out.

JaneJudge

why are people getting banned? and why and who is reporting?

We'll all be banned if Trump Inc takes over!!

Allira

BlueBelle

I don’t think there needs to be an announcement as such, that’s very official sounding but if Iwas ill I d just send a pm to someone I trust on here just to say BB won’t be around for a bit, it doesn't need more than that, or if able I d do just that myself at least you’re not left hanging thinking well she did say she wasn’t well could she have died or be in hospital etc etc
When you see a familiar face disappear ( at our age) you tend to think the worse
Rosie well of course it’s obvious if you’ve read both
posts !!!!!!

Three of my friends died, just suddenly. 😥
That's why I joined GN in the first place, I felt bereft and in need of somewhere to chat.

This is why banning someone from here can have big impact on their life. As we can see from the other thread about GN and what it means to individuals) some people just dip in and out, but others see it as a social life, or a way to stay sane during an illness. To have that taken away for what might be an unfortunate communication style seems disproportionate.

We don't know, JaneJudge. That's what we're talking about .

Scribbles

SpinDriftCoastal

I do miss biglouis. She was a voice for her generation.

I think you'll find she is back among us in feline form. 🐈

That's what I was thinking of pointing out. She's been back for quite some time...

BlueBelle

I don’t think there needs to be an announcement as such, that’s very official sounding but if Iwas ill I d just send a pm to someone I trust on here just to say BB won’t be around for a bit, it doesn't need more than that, or if able I d do just that myself at least you’re not left hanging thinking well she did say she wasn’t well could she have died or be in hospital etc etc
When you see a familiar face disappear ( at our age) you tend to think the worse
Rosie well of course it’s obvious if you’ve read both
posts !!!!!!

Three of my friends died, just suddenly. 😥
That's why I joined GN in the first place, I felt bereft and in need of somewhere to chat.

Yes I agree it is perfectly possible for a forum to be at the forefront of protecting womens speech and operating a set of guidelines, that may sound contradictory but so be it. This doesn't mean I don't get cross if a particular poster is banned, etc.

why are people getting banned? and why and who is reporting?

Oh I was referring to the legal action and threats of imprisonment that were mentioned , I am absolutely ok with MN / GN operating within its own guidelines.

Galaxy

MN has been at the forefront of free speech for women for over a decade now, advertisers have threatened to pull their business etc. Roberts has been a key player in ensuring wonen were able to talk about their concerns even when many found it offensive.

More than one thing can be true at the same time. And I very much doubt that Ms Roberts gets involved with banning users on GN. This is an entirely separate issue.

I think Roberts will be able to cope with being threatened by legal action, she has seen it all before.

I don't think that most bannings are about breaches of the law. People rubbing one another up the wrong way will not expose GN to legal action, and as far as we can tell that is what leads to the reports that can escalate to bans.

Unless things have changed, not everyone will have a static IP address, so the fact that the same user may appear under 6 different addresses doesn't mean that all of those usernames are operated by the same person. They may be, of course (the Internet is a strange place ) but it's not a given. It's still very odd that someone stole your story, Graphite.

Of course people can just leave or take a break. But it is also true that people get banned, and that posters are often in the dark as to why (including the banned ones, it seems). That means that banning is not working as a deterrent, as we don't know what we are being deterred from doing, and unless bans happen in the dead of night with all evidence erased there is little on the board to show us what led up to them either.

I think what most people would like to see is just more transparency, and clearer guidance about what is likely to lead to a ban.

MN has been at the forefront of free speech for women for over a decade now, advertisers have threatened to pull their business etc. Roberts has been a key player in ensuring wonen were able to talk about their concerns even when many found it offensive.

I don’t think there needs to be an announcement as such, that’s very official sounding but if Iwas ill I d just send a pm to someone I trust on here just to say BB won’t be around for a bit, it doesn't need more than that, or if able I d do just that myself at least you’re not left hanging thinking well she did say she wasn’t well could she have died or be in hospital etc etc
When you see a familiar face disappear ( at our age) you tend to think the worse
Rosie well of course it’s obvious if you’ve read both
posts !!!!!!

Late one evening, a new thread appeared in the genealogy section from an unfamilar user name. The opening post was word-for-word a post I had made some time before. Someone had taken my very specific family story and re-posted it as their own. My initial reaction was that it was a bot. I asked the moderators to investigate. They were able to check the source IP address. It was a real person who had multiple accounts under different user names. Very odd behaviour.

As for announcing if someone is leaving or taking a break, wouldn’t that depend on how they view the platform? Elsewhere it has been described as as community but others may just see it as any other anonymous social media platform, just one of many they contribute to. Do people announce they are leaving Facebook, TikTok, Reddit etc? I have seen people announce they are leaving X to go to Bluesky because the former is so toxic but that’s about all.

Unless people are in touch off-site, nobody knows what has happened to those whose accounts are no longer active, whether they closed them of their own accord.

On another of these threads a few weeks ago, someone asked why concern is only showed for some people and not others? A common factor seems to be that they were prolific or controversial in some way and therefore highly visible. But they could just as easily decide to leave. There is a lot of speculation on these kinds of threads without much or any evidence.

If someone has been banned, I doubt the moderators do it without good reason. We know there are talk guidelines and what they are. Depending on the severity of the breach and the member’s history it will either result in an immediate or an eventual ban.

An added reason is now the Online Safety Act 2023. The provisions of this only came into force last year meaning moderation should have been tightened. Owners of social media sites can now be fined up to £18 million or 10% of their annual revenue and even imprisoned if they allow breaches of the law.

GN is far behind the curve because it doesn’t give users the tools to reduce the likelihood of seeing dangerous, abusive of hateful content as one can on other sites. There is no function to block the posts of certain users or to filter out certain words as one can on other platforms.

It’s been reported that Justine Roberts is in talks to secure private equity investment in her business for an international expansion strategy. That means that potential investors will be looking very closely at MN and GN and doing due diligence. That will include how this platform is managed, its potential exposure to legal action if not moderated adequately, how much investment will be required to tighten moderation and provide the safety tools that GN should have, as well as update it generally so it becomes a cohesive part of the brand rather than an old add-on that’s been largely forgotten.

Doodledog

BlueBelle

For those who seem to be in the know ! Why would BigLouis change her name? I don’t think there was ever any controversial posts from or about her or have I missed something
A lot of people have been concerned about her health it’s a bit harsh to leave them all hanging thinking she’s very poorly or worse and why ??

I had my suspicions, but it’s not for me to post them. If someone wants to make a change that’s perfectly within the rules, and nobody’s business but hers. Plus it was just a suspicion- it may have been (and may still be) wrong.

It seemed obvious to me when a poster 🐱recounted an identical story to one BigLouis told us had happened to her.

Either it wasn’t her story or she’s the same person.
I don’t see why it’s a big deal, but if people are expressing genuine concern maybe send a PM to say “I’m fine, thanks for asking” ?

No not at all Doodlebug it’s not up to anyone to blow someone’s cover, but I just think it’s harsh of any poster to leave people hanging, when people are obviously concerned about their health or worse, the poster doesn’t need to give any details a simple ‘I ll be off line for a few months would be enough’
Anyway that’s it from me I m off to try to find some zzzzzz s

I do know what you mean about the poster not saying she is ok, but I guess that would blow her cover. To be honest I thought you were talking about people who suspected they had seen the reincarnation saying nothing, and I think that is rather different.

Of course it’s up to them Doodlebug, but a bit harsh when people have been asking if anyone knows if she’s ok ? has she died ? is she very ill etc etc.
Why not say I m leaving for a bit because I m ill, busy, moving etc no details needed
I suppose I’m just an open person and would be straightforward about my position because I wouldn’t want people being concerned I don’t play games I am what I am

I think a lot of name changes are after incidents that haven’t involved a ban. Maybe an argument or when someone has revealed more information than they are comfortable with.

If people change their names after being banned wouldn’t they also have to use a different email address? Just curious. Or even a VPN ? You’d have to be pretty keen to participate, I couldn’t be bothered personally, just look elsewhere ?

BlueBelle

For those who seem to be in the know ! Why would BigLouis change her name? I don’t think there was ever any controversial posts from or about her or have I missed something
A lot of people have been concerned about her health it’s a bit harsh to leave them all hanging thinking she’s very poorly or worse and why ??

I had my suspicions, but it’s not for me to post them. If someone wants to make a change that’s perfectly within the rules, and nobody’s business but hers. Plus it was just a suspicion- it may have been (and may still be) wrong.

ViceVersa

petra

Allira

eazybee

I do remember the furore a few years ago when four members were banned; it was acknowledged and there were some grounds for it. There was a campaign and as far as I am aware those who wished to return were eventually allowed back.
It is still sad when people vanish without apparent reason.

As far as I remember, there were no real grounds because the person who managed to get them banned turned out to be a rather convincing troll who fooled many posters.

You’re not wrong there, and a lot more going on behind the scenes that members were aware of.
Plus the fact that that particular member had had 6 user names 🤷‍♀️

Six user names? How do they keep track? How can they be bothered?

Not 6 user names at the same time. For various reasons they chose/ had to change their names.

I had a pm from Cariadagain on 18th February and she did post for a couple of weeks after as I recollect.

petra

Allira

eazybee

I do remember the furore a few years ago when four members were banned; it was acknowledged and there were some grounds for it. There was a campaign and as far as I am aware those who wished to return were eventually allowed back.
It is still sad when people vanish without apparent reason.

As far as I remember, there were no real grounds because the person who managed to get them banned turned out to be a rather convincing troll who fooled many posters.

You’re not wrong there, and a lot more going on behind the scenes that members were aware of.
Plus the fact that that particular member had had 6 user names 🤷‍♀️

Six user names? How do they keep track? How can they be bothered?