• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Good Posting Practices

It would be helpful if members did not post to 'warn' new members that their post is breaking the rules and they could be in trouble with the moderators.

In the first place, we are hardly likely to ban or delete posts by practically brand new members who have very possibly never looked in the Website Issues section—because we're not absolute idiots.

Second, we know from experience the style of approach most likely to be well received—but it's hard when someone has jumped in and pissed on their chips already.

Please leave it to us.
 
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Yithian said:
Killjoy alert.

In the last three months alone, we've had approximately fifty Cromer 'jokes' on threads that are not the dedicated Cromer thread (yes, we've counted). Around half of these were in CHAT, but the rest were scattered across a variety of Fortean threads where they have no place. We haven't included in this total the numerous Cromer jokes in profile posts (that's your personal domain), but around thirty of the duddest or most incongruous found elsewhere have now been removed.

I usually prefer not to name names, but two posters of long-standing and good character form the core of our Cromer-tangent production team: @ramonmercado and @Tigerhawk.

If they and everybody else could now limit this tendency to the Cromer thread, we'd be most grateful; we have asked nicely in the past.

It's off-putting to newcomers to have pointless derailments about crabs, and the joke is past its best before date in terms of humour.

Edit: this is not now 'a thing'—we don't plan to police use of running jokes or humour; it's just that this one has run so long that that particular domain has been left very far behind.
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Bump.

This is still in force.

Don't waste our time, please.
 
Right, the Mods are all busy with various real-world concerns and things are getting disorganised. We're going to need more co-operation from our regular members on three fronts:

1) We are getting too many double posts, mostly images going around on social media. We've had a lot of the same photos cropping up on the Optical Illusions / Simulacra / Pareidolia Threads multiple times.

You are not expected to decide with 100% precision which the best location for a post is, but please do check recent contributions to see whether a conversation on the matter you wish to discuss is already taking place on a thread active within the past few days. Old and ancient reposts are not a concern.

2) Multiple threads are being derailed by lengthy tangents about sex/sexism/sexual rôles/sexual etiquette/gender rôles/body image/fashion/linguistic propriety etc.

We do not say these matters are unimportant, but we do say that most people who aren't regular readers do not come here to read about them. For a few weeks now we have been patiently moving such digressions to the re-rail the de-rails thread; as from last night, they're simply being deleted.

3) Don't spam Fortean threads with pointless one-liners—especially not in response to three or four other pointless one-liners. Doing so will simply result in their deletion and a temporary ban for repeated offences.

Thank you.
 
Yithian said:
Right, the Mods are all busy with various real-world concerns and things are getting disorganised. We're going to need more co-operation from our regular members on three fronts:
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Just to add for those who have complained that moderators haven't dealt with other people's mistakes to their satisfaction in a timely manner: this wasn't rhetoric—we're busy.

We do our best, but we all have jobs and families that aren't pixelated and some days we don't see everything.
 
Yithian said:
Right, the Mods are all busy with various real-world concerns and things are getting disorganised. We're going to need more co-operation from our regular members on three fronts:

1) We are getting too many double posts, mostly images going around on social media. We've had a lot of the same photos cropping up on the Optical Illusions / Simulacra / Pareidolia Threads multiple times.

You are not expected to decide with 100% precision which the best location for a post is, but please do check recent contributions to see whether a conversation on the matter you wish to discuss is already taking place on a thread active within the past few days. Old and ancient reposts are not a concern.

2) Multiple threads are being derailed by lengthy tangents about sex/sexism/sexual rôles/sexual etiquette/gender rôles/body image/fashion/linguistic propriety etc.

We do not say these matters are unimportant, but we do say that most people who aren't regular readers do not come here to read about them. For a few weeks now we have been patiently moving such digressions to the re-rail the de-rails thread; as from last night, they're simply being deleted.

3) Don't spam Fortean threads with pointless one-liners—especially not in response to three or four other pointless one-liners. Doing so will simply result in their deletion and a temporary ban for repeated offences.

Thank you.
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I came in here to post this anyway, and see it is relevant to your (fairly) recent post - what is the best way to cross-reference posts? For example, someone posts a Guatemala-related post in some thread or other (lets say Sinkholes, since they turn up regularly in Guatemala City) and I would like to link that somehow in the dedicated Guatemala thread in Fortean Travel - I wouldn't particularly want to double-post. Is it simply a case of dropping in a hyperlink and brief summary?
 
SimonBurchell said:
I came in here to post this anyway, and see it is relevant to your (fairly) recent post - what is the best way to cross-reference posts? For example, someone posts a Guatemala-related post in some thread or other (lets say Sinkholes, since they turn up regularly in Guatemala City) and I would like to link that somehow in the dedicated Guatemala thread in Fortean Travel - I wouldn't particularly want to double-post. Is it simply a case of dropping in a hyperlink and brief summary?
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You can QUOTE the post you want to use as if replying to the thread that it is posted on, and then cut and paste the resulting content from the reply box to the reply box on the thread you wish to add it to—and append your comment to that QUOTE.

In these cases, the belt and braces approach is to explicitly state where it comes from (even though clicking on the quotation will take the reader to the origin thread):

"I found this story on the Sinkholes thread interesting..."
 
Following on from @Yithian 's perfectly valid point in the Jimmy Savile thread that I was going off topic on a conspiracy thread I feel that there was a germ of a potentially interesting discussion here that maybe could be moved somewhere else.

Trouble is, I'm not sure where, or even if it is worth it.

I think that an effect of the Savile revelations has had a detrimental effect on the way society views relationships between age groups, certainly sexual relationships, but also long term relationships and friendships. A sort of assumed grooming scenario from old to young whatever the reality of the situation.

I wonder why certain events seem to have this effect and others don't. I'm thinking Satanic abuse panics, bogus social workers etc. but did they have any long term effect on other areas of society? (I know we have threads on these but I'm not sure if this fits in those)

Were/are people who wanted to become GPs or neonatal nurses following the Shipman and Letby revelations treated with suspicion. Have fewer mothers wanted to give birth in hospital or are these seen as tragedies that should have been spotted but weren't; let's get back to normal.

Are there other events that have had long term, perhaps not immediately obvious effects on how society in general reacts to certain groups or situations and if so why? Is it to do with the reporting and the media or do some events trigger a sort of group reaction that reverbates far more when others don't?

Does this discussion have any merit and if so is it worth a new thread (and if so what the hell do we call it)

Alternatively, am I talking complete Horlicks, which is not unknown and I should forget the whole thing? :dunno:
 
Tunn11 said:
Following on from @Yithian 's perfectly valid point in the Jimmy Savile thread that I was going off topic on a conspiracy thread I feel that there was a germ of a potentially interesting discussion here that maybe could be moved somewhere else.

Trouble is, I'm not sure where, or even if it is worth it.

I think that an effect of the Savile revelations has had a detrimental effect on the way society views relationships between age groups, certainly sexual relationships, but also long term relationships and friendships. A sort of assumed grooming scenario from old to young whatever the reality of the situation.

I wonder why certain events seem to have this effect and others don't. I'm thinking Satanic abuse panics, bogus social workers etc. but did they have any long term effect on other areas of society? (I know we have threads on these but I'm not sure if this fits in those)

Were/are people who wanted to become GPs or neonatal nurses following the Shipman and Letby revelations treated with suspicion. Have fewer mothers wanted to give birth in hospital or are these seen as tragedies that should have been spotted but weren't; let's get back to normal.

Are there other events that have had long term, perhaps not immediately obvious effects on how society in general reacts to certain groups or situations and if so why? Is it to do with the reporting and the media or do some events trigger a sort of group reaction that reverbates far more when others don't?

Does this discussion have any merit and if so is it worth a new thread (and if so what the hell do we call it)

Alternatively, am I talking complete Horlicks, which is not unknown and I should forget the whole thing? :dunno:
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I would have thought that a lot of the legitimate material brought up in this aspect could be covered in any of the threads that revolve around "The Madness of Crowds".
 
Tunn11 said:
Following on from @Yithian 's perfectly valid point in the Jimmy Savile thread that I was going off topic on a conspiracy thread I feel that there was a germ of a potentially interesting discussion here that maybe could be moved somewhere else.

Trouble is, I'm not sure where, or even if it is worth it.

I think that an effect of the Savile revelations has had a detrimental effect on the way society views relationships between age groups, certainly sexual relationships, but also long term relationships and friendships. A sort of assumed grooming scenario from old to young whatever the reality of the situation.

I wonder why certain events seem to have this effect and others don't. I'm thinking Satanic abuse panics, bogus social workers etc. but did they have any long term effect on other areas of society? (I know we have threads on these but I'm not sure if this fits in those)

Were/are people who wanted to become GPs or neonatal nurses following the Shipman and Letby revelations treated with suspicion. Have fewer mothers wanted to give birth in hospital or are these seen as tragedies that should have been spotted but weren't; let's get back to normal.

Are there other events that have had long term, perhaps not immediately obvious effects on how society in general reacts to certain groups or situations and if so why? Is it to do with the reporting and the media or do some events trigger a sort of group reaction that reverbates far more when others don't?

Does this discussion have any merit and if so is it worth a new thread (and if so what the hell do we call it)

Alternatively, am I talking complete Horlicks, which is not unknown and I should forget the whole thing? :dunno:
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I'll see whether I can find a more suitable home for it later this evening, when time allows.

Edit: appreciate your raising the subject here—on the correct thread in Website Issues. Everyone! Look at @Tunn11!
 
Tunn11 said:
I think that an effect of the Savile revelations has had a detrimental effect on the way society views relationships between age groups, certainly sexual relationships, but also long term relationships and friendships. A sort of assumed grooming scenario from old to young whatever the reality of the situation.
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I don't think a discussion on how old men used to be able to constantly harass young women in the good old days* has any place on this board. To you, it is all about Saville. To anyone who has once been a teenage girl, it is that we are finally being taken into consideration rather than treated like objects and a "debate" on this is going to start a culture war.

*And if anyone thinks they aren't any more, I guarantee they are wrong.
 
Isn't there a place for debate over social attitudes, especially when those attitudes are so obviously erroneous?
 
Min Bannister said:
I don't think a discussion on how old men used to be able to constantly harass young women in the good old days* has any place on this board. To you, it is all about Saville. To anyone who has once been a teenage girl, it is that we are finally being taken into consideration rather than treated like objects and a "debate" on this is going to start a culture war.

*And if anyone thinks they aren't any more, I guarantee they are wrong.
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I'll confess that this post has made me reconsider my insouciant inclination to 'give 'em what they want'.

I'll confer with the other mods and supply a collective decision soon.

WastefulSameAttwatersprairiechicken-max-1mb.gif
 
@Yithian Double points for Avon. Perfect personification!

Edit: Also lending full support to @Min Bannister . This is an example of what I am definitely going to call The Victory Effect.

This isn't a subject for debate. If it is here then I and others will experience a heightening of tension, watchfulness and general unease. It's not badness or lack of control; it is deep-seated revulsion and fear, constantly having to be on guard, constantly watchful. The place will stop being a refuge (in so far as it is, that is not really). It's always, in its various incarnations, had this undercurrent. The jokes and posts about how someone found his ?niece arousing don't tend to happen anymore.

This place shouldn't be making some of us educate some of the others on sexual violence, aggression and the related social actions and effects on us. It isn't fortean. I can't see it as part of the leeway we've discussed recently to have it here.

If you don't personally experience this then count yourself lucky by birth, circumstances or blind luck.

As I say

We could call it the Victory effect - having your experiences minimised and the threats to your existence discussed casually to find a way of making it OK to like the perps. It must be possible to say whatever needs to be said without this. This is a competent, thoughtful and able group of people. How can we get a handle on this?
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Editing to add that earnest disclaimers from people about how they don't do this, with details of the good deeds which are surely even now hymned by angels really, really don't help.
 
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Tunn11 said:
Are there other events that have had long term, perhaps not immediately obvious effects on how society in general reacts to certain groups or situations and if so why? Is it to do with the reporting and the media or do some events trigger a sort of group reaction that reverberates far more when others don't?
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I think the media / reporting effects on society of traumatic events, whether on a personal level or major disasters, are interesting. One thinks of the hysterical reporting of the Hindenburg disaster obliterating airship travel, where actually the primary cause was the US refusal to supply the helium for which it was originally designed.

Whether this place finds it appropriate for such discussions is beyond my pay grade :)
 
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Min Bannister said:
I don't think a discussion on how old men used to be able to constantly harass young women in the good old days* has any place on this board. To you, it is all about Saville. To anyone who has once been a teenage girl, it is that we are finally being taken into consideration rather than treated like objects and a "debate" on this is going to start a culture war.

*And if anyone thinks they aren't any more, I guarantee they are wrong.
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With respect @Min Bannister that's not what I was asking for. I've had to deal with cases of harassment and alleged harassment when I was working, it was not nice. Harasment by those in power whether because of status, age, whatever, is wrong and was wrong and always will be wrong. No debate needed. For the record I have and had not any intention of trying to justify it or excuse it

What I was interested in is the probably unintended effects some of these behaviours or the way they are reported have on other people who are not behaving in that way.

For instance:

The cases I outlined in the Savile thread where I knew of (pre Savile) long term relationships between different age couples that were accepted then but probably wouldn't be now.

And why some high profile cases e.g. Shipman and Letby involving not harassment but victimisation of the vulnerable don't seem to have the same far reaching effects. e.g. widespread distrust of neo natal nurses. Also @Cochise 's example above which takes us outside the realm of abusers/abused.

I intended it to be more about as @gordonrutter put it the madness of crowds rather than one category of incident. I guess I phrased it clumsily but the Savile affair was what made me ask the question and perhaps it was an unwise example, but that was what made me think of the question.

However I have absolutely no wish to raise a topic that causes any distress to other forum members. I'm quite happy to drop the whole topic and apologise - it really was not my intention to upset anyone or cause a major fuss.
 
Tunn11 said:
I intended it to be more about as @gordonrutter put it the madness of crowds rather than one category of incident. I guess I phrased it clumsily but the Savile affair was what made me ask the question and perhaps it was an unwise example, but that was what made me think of the question.
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That's how I read your original post and was a bit bemused by the points raised by @Min Bannister and others. However having carefully read them I can see what they are getting at as well.

I have every faith that the mods will make a wise decision on the matter. :)
 
Tunn11 said:
And why some high profile cases e.g. Shipman and Letby involving not harassment but victimisation of the vulnerable don't seem to have the same far reaching effects. e.g. widespread distrust of neo natal nurses.
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There has indeed been a change in how neonatal unit staff are seen. My next door neighbour is one and says parents are certainly more anxious, and that nearly everything staff do has now to be tediously double-checked and recorded.

Staff find this hard as they are hardworking and compassionate, but they have to accept that they're now under scrutiny. Most unfair.
 
So ...
A celebrity who became a conspiracy nutter/joke has been accused of impropriety. Since this has hit mainstream media, the subject is verboten.
Got it.
escargot said:
There has indeed been a change in how neonatal unit staff are seen. My next door neighbour is one and says parents are certainly more anxious, and that nearly everything staff do has now to be tediously double-checked and recorded.

Staff find this hard as they are hardworking and compassionate, but they have to accept that they're now under scrutiny. Most unfair.
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It's always galled me.
Past 21 years old, Enhanced DBS checked (and you have to pay everytime for the check), Qualified in First Aid.
But you're a bloke. You are disqualified to be a babysitter. Or a nursery teacher. Or even a nurse.
You are a male, wanting to be in a 'traditionally' fermale profession. Nope.
 
Kind of reminds me when my first wife ran away. Nothing to do directly with me, her upbringing meant she couldn't cope with motherhood - and she did the exact same thing to her next bloke.

Left me as a male single parent in 1981, my boy was 15 months. Not acceptable, y'know. Even when I eventually got a judgement for maintenance, despite the fact that by then I was unemployed, I was awarded maintenance of 1p per anum and absolutely none of the single parent support systems wanted to know. Had in the end to move back to my parent's house and rely on my Mum's help.
 
Stormkhan said:
So ...
A celebrity who became a conspiracy nutter/joke has been accused of impropriety. Since this has hit mainstream media, the subject is verboten.
Got it.
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I am confused

There's a thread about this case.

You've posted on it.

f70244e4a07e1b2aa41ff090b4a2f3ab.gif


Would everybody else please refrain from posting about sex and gender on this website issues thread.
 
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