Where's CariadAgain? 🤔

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.

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

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.

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.

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...

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 .

JaneJudge

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

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

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.

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

SpinDriftCoastal

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.

She often wrote what I didn't think 😀 but it's always interesting to read other points of view!

Re: how people express themselves. I think if someone is downright rude or insulting, then some measure of discipline needs to be put in place as that is unacceptable. However, if someone is stating their opinion in a measured way, it may not be what we agree with but we must respect that it is their right to express themselves. I often find that people flinch when something is mentioned about a subject that affects them. i.e. I know a lady whose husband was imprisoned for a particular crime (fraud) and when that subject is raised her face does flinch but she doesn't say anything. Should the group carry on talking or should they be aware of her presence? It is about being the adult in the room I think.

It wouldn't occur to me to report someone, on the odd occasion I've not liked a response to something I've said, I just ignore them and move on. I would hope that the moderators would step in if rules were broken, without us having to prompt them.

I'd rather see an edit button for typos and the facility to send a supportive emoji to a poster like you can on Mumsnet without having to post a separate response.

Doodledog

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 .

I do so much agree. If any posters to Gransnet feel it;s a lifeline, then banning causes terrible harm to them. Banning should never be done without a full explanation to the banned poster that they fully understand.

There is no sufficient reason to ban any poster unless their activity on Gransnet is illegal.

BlueBelle

I would never report anyone, I believe in fighting my own battles but I wasn’t a fan of Carriad so I hadn’t actually noticed she wasn’t on. If she has been banned she will have plenty to say when she’s back
( I do report the advertising trolls as I m often up in the night when they are at their worst )

I agree, never ever reported anyone but scam ads

TheSunRisesInTheEast

It wouldn't occur to me to report someone, on the odd occasion I've not liked a response to something I've said, I just ignore them and move on. I would hope that the moderators would step in if rules were broken, without us having to prompt them.

I'd rather see an edit button for typos and the facility to send a supportive emoji to a poster like you can on Mumsnet without having to post a separate response.

👍👍

There is no sufficient reason to ban any poster unless their activity on Gransnet is illegal.

And that’s the point. It may have been and site owners can now face heavy penalties if they don't take action.

I can only assume that bans occur due to persistent breaches of the Talk Guidelines although how those guidelines are interpreted might be subjective and cause for debate.

The book We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets is fiction but is based on real life experiences from people who had worked as moderators on some of the more toxic platforms. Harrowing work. It’s quite a short novel and worth reading.

I do understand what some are saying about how some may see this site as a lifeline but moderators won’t know someone’s personal circumstances. We are just usernames. They will look at Talk Guideline transgressions post by post. If they do impose sanctions then the person on the receiving end can always make their own representations and ask to be to be reinstated if they think the decision harsh.

The anonymity of social media means that people don’t always exercise the discretion they might show in face-to-face conversations. When people let rip they aren’t always thinking, or thinking at all, about what effect their words may have on other people. Their rant about something may be triggering for someone else who also has issues to contend with.

The key is the word moderation as well as consideration for others. Were people to moderate what they said in the first place there would be no need for staff to moderate.

I am not sure it is as simple as legality though is it.
Say for example every time I posted someone said 'I loathe Galaxy, she is vile'. I am not sure that breaks the law but it would be particularly unpleasant ( especially for me )

If women had moderated what they said on MN it would have been a disaster both politically and in terms of safeguarding, I realise I am arguing on both sides of the debate at once here, but when people are constantly being careful of their words it does impact their ability to think.

Galaxy

I am not sure it is as simple as legality though is it.
Say for example every time I posted someone said 'I loathe Galaxy, she is vile'. I am not sure that breaks the law but it would be particularly unpleasant ( especially for me )

I don't think a matter of personal prejudice amounts to hate speech. I think hate speech is speech that makes unsubstantiated allegations.

Galaxy

I am not sure it is as simple as legality though is it.
Say for example every time I posted someone said 'I loathe Galaxy, she is vile'. I am not sure that breaks the law but it would be particularly unpleasant ( especially for me )

But it would constitute a personal attack, therefore breach Talk Guidelines and should be deleted. If somone were to do that repeatedly, then the moderators have the discretion to ban the offender.

The guidelines are clear:

... where necessary, we will use our discretion to delete posts (or ban posters).

We do have a few forum rules to make sure we keep Talk a good place to hang out:

• No personal attacks

• No posts that break the law, including hate speech of any kind

• No trolling, misleading or deliberately inflammatory behaviour

• No trollhunting

• No spamming

We'll remove posts we consider to contain personal attacks, to break the law and/or to be obscene, racist, sexist, disablist, ageist, homophobic or transphobic, once they are brought to our attention. We will also delete any posts that we think are just seriously unpleasant (please note that any subsequent posts repeating the words in the deleted post may be removed also).

Yes that's what I mean it isnt illegal but I really would expect GN to moderate that behaviour ( against anyone not just me!)

Caleo

Galaxy

I am not sure it is as simple as legality though is it.
Say for example every time I posted someone said 'I loathe Galaxy, she is vile'. I am not sure that breaks the law but it would be particularly unpleasant ( especially for me )

I don't think a matter of personal prejudice amounts to hate speech. I think hate speech is speech that makes unsubstantiated allegations.

Free speech is harmed if posters must aim not to offend. Hate speech is something else.

Yes I know the forum rules. I have been on both sites for 20 years.

Galaxy

I am not sure it is as simple as legality though is it.
Say for example every time I posted someone said 'I loathe Galaxy, she is vile'. I am not sure that breaks the law but it would be particularly unpleasant ( especially for me )

That's exactly what I was getting at upthread, and you replied to say that JR is at the forefront of free speech😀.

Graphite, we know that no websites can be too careful about legalities, but I honestly don't think that most bannings are because of anything remotely illegal. This is not Twitter 😀

I understand that there are rules, but don't really understand what they are. If, for instance, there were a 'no swearing' rule I would understand if those who swore repeatedly were banned. As would they, and all the rest of us, whether we disapprove of swearing or not. But 'the spirit of Gransnet' doesn't mean anything - and it appears to be interpreted in different ways depending on who is on mod duty when a post is reported.

Posts that are nasty to individuals are usually picked up by other posters, and some are left to stand whilst others are deleted. I was once compared to the KKK for a comment about not allowing men to compete in women's sport. I didn't lose sleep, but clearly it bothered me, as I can still remember it. I didn't report it though (I don't report), and I assume no-one else did either as it stood, but a few people posted to say it was out of order. IMO that is more appropriate, as deleting it would have deleted the evidence of that poster's lack of boundaries - as it was her true colours were on display. I'm sure we would all wade in the circumstances you describe too, Galaxy 😀

Sorry I wasn't clear. Someone upthread said that they didn't think posters should be banned unless what they said was illegal. I gave an example to show that wouldn't work. Generally I am comfortable with the forum guidelines, I actually trust MN/ GN in terms of speech. That doesn't stop me from moaning if someone disappears of course.