Reporting posts

Yes Anya please stick with us, your posts are valued.

Fortunately, I have not encountered that problem on Twitter, judthepud. I suppose one person's assessment of what is controversial will differ from another's but since the hashtags I mostly use (to do with nature and identifying plant species) are not the sort to attract controversy, I don't get much.

So I still maintain that Twitter is what one makes it. One doesn't have to join in Twitter storms or to get involved with trolls. A discussion of differing point of views can be perfectly polite and, in my experience, it is.

Anya I don't know what happened to make you leave, or stop postings, but come back and give it a try again?
jingl I didn't put the cat in the washing machine( or the soft toy either) they were hand washed!

Oh!!!! I am so relieved!

Can I just say, I don't think it is fair when upset posters mention a particular time when a particular poster has been nasty to them, because it makes everyone wonder who the particular poster was. Either fight it out on the particular thread or shut up about it. #theparanoiasback

Are you talking about me jingl?

Well. I guess so. In this instance. But it would apply to anyone.

You do see what I mean, don't you? (or else ignore me. I do sometimes think I've been made permanently paranoid by GN )

which in this case, is a bathtub.

Don't cats wash themselves?

Not everyone is as feisty as you dear jings and some of us deal with things differently. Maybe posters just want to say why they are retreating - for a while or permanently without having a bout of fisticuffs?

jingl at least you're honest! Might I point out paranoia is merely thinking someone is out to 'get you' !

If I do come back to posting regularly it will be with a bang not a whimper and I'll have the bullies, bitches and boot lickers firmly in my sights. It might make GN a bit more lively when some of us start fighting back but not sure I want to descend to their level. However.......

Anyway off to the allotment now to plant out my spaghetti squash, fennel, peas and globe artichokes.

I've reported spam a few times when I've been first on the scene, and once I reported a particularly nasty comment. The poster has left as far as I can tell, so no need for paranoia.

Anya, life is far too short. Keeping away is much better for one's sanity, truly. If people cannot discuss an issue without swearing, insulting, deriding and mocking or indeed turn to personal insults of any kind, be they based on nationality, size, or whatever- then it is a poor show and not a discussion at all. I have no problems whatsoever with anyone disagreeing with me ever- but would like to be able to gently persuade with information- without all the above ensuing, but a few won't let this happen.

So best left well alone... sad, but true.

The vast majortiy here are great and interesting and kind, in their own special way- but GN is spoilt be the few who cannot help but being unpleasant, rude and turning things personal. A pity.

I never report spam - they're so obvious and GNHQ will deal with them - and sometimes they're very entertaining!

In three years I've reported two posts - can't remember the first one but the second was last year when two posters (could have been one person) snook-in a few sickening paedophile comments under the guise of children and Halloween trick or treating. They were quickly removed.

Reporting should be a last resort.

I agree River walk

When we say that the forum is self-policing, that does not mean that it should be moderated to the very peak of the highest sensitivities of the most puritanical poster. That would make it very bland and boring, with only the viewpoint of the moderator ever appearing, like the political pronouncements that emanate from North Korea.

It means that each and every post is not filtered through a moderator before it appears, but that the members themselves "keep order". Some of it is by suitable replies (but not by making it worse by returning and escalating the insults) and some of it is by explaining and clarifying the posts that caused the angry response, or by deflecting the storm. Some of that is by reporting posts that break the guidelines, or would be considered abusive if they were spoken aloud. GN only interfere when asked to and not always then.

I report spam and occasionally posts which seem to be personally abusive. Some of them GNHQ have agreed and deleted, sometimes they remained. That is up to GN.

I have also a couple of times emailed GNHQ about a poster being generally obnoxious - for example a man who repeatedly posted salaciously and sent pms propositioning several female posters (This was NOT Pompa - I hasten to add, this was someone really slimy who claimed to "love older women" and I don't think it was with affection) I think others had complained, and he vanished.

Recognising and reporting spam is a kind of game - Ha ha! Caught you! Out you go! The first to notice one and report it should get a gold star, and scores recorded in a league table!

Last post but one should read "only the viewpoint of one person".

Well put Elegran

Agreed Elegran. I have been reported once for a comment which came across as critical of Islam, it wasn't meant to be but sometimes words, unaccompanied with face to face contact of a conversation, can come across all wrong. I apologised and carried on with what I meant to say. I also had someone kindly report a vicious attack on me; the first I knew about it was hours later when I logged on. The attacker has now left the forum so I assume I was not their first victim. I always read my posts before putting them on GN but sometimes it is hard to say exactly what we mean, and I would hate to think that there are people looking for offence when none was meant. To be honest, we are all grown ups, and as long as nobody is libellous or spectacularily nasty it is best to just quite that thread ( although sometimes it is irresitiable to just put that one last comment.......)

^ I'll have the bullies, bitches and bootlickers firmly in my sights^

Don't hold back with the language, eh, Anya!

Trouble is, Anya, that by looking down one's sights and firing too often, there unfortunately is a risk of becoming a bully or bitch, or of being regarded as one, and by sympathising with someone fired on too enthusiastically, a risk of becoming a bootlicker or being regarded as one by someone with a smoking gun.

Elegran Phew, I was sweating there for a while

jingl your post at 09:16:46
Spot on.
anya if you do start posting again, I hope you'll keep your allusions to bullies, bitches and boot lickers to a minimum.

Soutra

Elegran I'll only be returning fire, not firing the opening salvo. Offering sympathy is never bootlicking, as I'm sure you understand.

JaneA do you really? Well I will take your 'suggestion' on board of course