Saga zone forum

Oh what a shame, I made a really good friend on there, but must admit I left it to come on here as I preferred this forum. Let's hope this doesn't go the same way. What can we do to prevent this I wonder?

Fortunately, we have not suffered from a plethora of racist and homophobic postings which are, apparently, one of the main problems on the Saga site. Nor do we have a large problem with trolls and multiple postings, which also seems to have been an issue.

Just shows that age is no barrier to being an utter a*se.

So now they will have to find somewhere else to go!

Moved ya mean they're heading this way!

I'm sure GNHQ can handle them

Oh no!

Well where else can they go?

Don't give them ideas! They're probably googling at this minute to see who's talking about them...

Better get behind the sofa and close the curtains.

It was more to do with the cost of running the site, the racism and trolling was an excuse, so they could lay the blame on the members. I know Ros Altmann and she was as upset as the members of the closure. The way they were indiscriminately banning members, for minor things, such as supporting a friend, saga have shot themselves in the foot and have underestimated the power of our generation. There has been an online article, at the Mail and Telegraph and an article will appear in today's hard copy Mail.

glamma

Here'sIan Cowie's blog in the Telegraph.

Saga sound naive in the extreme.
Makes you realise what a good job GNHQ are doing.
[obseqious toady emoticon]

Hope we don't do the same. I'd hate to lose you rabble

Gnhq are doing a better job, no doubts there.

Very true! GNHQ

I don't think I would have the courage to run any kind of on-line forum or chat room. The moderators on one of my expat forums have had to warn members that mentioning names in respect of the latest child abuse scandal, if they were not already in the public domain, could result in the forum being sued. This is a big site, owned by a large publishing company, and they can afford to have people watching it 24 hours a day, and presumably deleting any posts that break the law. When the site was taken over by the publishers, some members formed a break-away forum but it is withering away and members are drifting back to the larger site.

A much smaller ex-pat forum, which is localised, was in danger of imploding when a few members started getting very insulting with others who did not share their political views.

I think our HQ does a fine job and remains fair and objective.

I think we have a good site here and every now and again it concerns me when (to use an analogy) our thriving plant is pulled out by its roots and given a good shaking to see what makes it grow or what ailments it might have. As long as it is carefully re-potted and the site benefits and grows from being inpected like that, all very well. Giving it a good kicking like last week didn't benefit any of us.

We should expect threads to be censored or deleted, if boundaries and guidelines are broken. Sounds like Saga haven't been able to exercise enough control over the forum, but the bottom line is that finances will dictate whether their, or GN's, HQ feel it's worth making the effort.

I sometimes wonder whether GNHQ look at the scrapping threads and think....sod it! #imageofGeraldine'shandhoveringoverredbutton

GNHQ - you are doing a great job. Keep up the good work

I agree when and janthea.
And we could perhaps learn something from SAGA's demise.
Disruptive elements can and do crop up online and they can be skilled at causing trouble.
If we notice a surge of anger, outrage or indignation caused by someone on GN (and many of us have experienced this) perhaps the wisest thing to do is pull those itchy fingers away from the keyboard. Do something else until the emotion has died down a bit and then decide whether to respond.
The disruptive ones thrive on people getting "wound up" and rising to their bait. Then, I guess, they sit back and get their "fix". The power to upset others is an addiction for some unhappy people. Maybe it starts in school - getting other people into trouble with the teacher, bullying etc. An online forum provides a fairly defenceless playground for mischief makers. Particularly a forum where members tend normally to be kind and trusting.
Starve them of the oxygen of attention and they will go away and look for some other forum to stir up.
And if you feel something infringes the membership guidelines - report it, let GN make the call and then accept the refs decision.

Excellent analogy, when.

Funny that this thread is full of praise for GNHQ' judgement in direct contrast with another.

Since it closed the forum, Saga have been unbanning members and deleting vast threads..........trying, too late, to make itself look better as now the press are interested and one zone member is also speaking to a radio station.

There is a piece in today's Mail.