Anonymous accounts and the future of tMp

[Pauli Walnuts]

The goings on in a particular thread over the last few days have for me once again highlighted the issue of anonymous accounts.
Users have been driven away from tMp by such accounts and the trolling that goes with some of them. There are generally much more interesting conversations taking place in the 4Barsrest and GobIron groups on Facebook than there are here.
I had a brief conversation with JP and one of the major reasons he believes is behind this is indeed the anonymity issue. (He also mentioned moderation but hopefully, that has changed since the days when he was an active member).

I have opened a discussion here in the moderators area - there are but 2 of us now and ultimately, the site owner has to take a stance. Sadly, he makes the Glazers look like home and away season ticket holders when it comes to taking action on here.

So, I am asking you to force the issue here one way or the other - a simple poll. Should tMp move to using Facebook login or some similar authentication as a means of dealing with the issues of anonymity?

 

[mikelyons]

I do not post on here anything like I used to because of the possibility of some idiot hiding behind an anonymous login/username who thinks that gives them the right to abuse other members. Such juvenile behaviour only spoils it for the majority of users who are generally nice people, and who want to hold sensible conversations without having to put up with a load of verbal abuse and ridicule. tMp used to be such a lively and interesting place with a good mix of fun and serious. Now, it is often like a ghost town. I wish people would just grow up a bit. If they don't like what is going on here, there are other places they can go and do their trolling with like-minded knuckle-draggers.

 

[markh]

I personally felt this forum was far better when it had characters with (sometimes very controversial) opinions but they were not ashamed of them and didn't hide. They often had avatars but were easily traceable an often listed their full names/bands in their profiles.

 

[Seffblatter]

Nothing that I have said is trolling and I have not abused other members so I fail to see why my thread has triggered this discussion? I personally think that due to what banding is like (i.e cliquey and if someone in a band says something that goes against the majority opinion of that band then they are alienated..) that we need this forum to be here to allow individuals to express opinions anonymously so that they are free from ridicule.

Yes, my opinions go against the norm and some may view them as possibly controversial due to this but I haven't verbally abused anyone.. :S

 

[Bbmad]

Being able to post anon is the only thing that sets this site apart from the facebook pages.
It is all very well saying that tmp is less interesting because of anon, but the fact is that an anon poster has generated more pages worth of a thread in a couple of days since the days of RO (another anon).

 

[Pauli Walnuts]

Nothing that I have said is trolling and I have not abused other members so I fail to see why my thread has triggered this discussion? I personally think that due to what banding is like (i.e cliquey and if someone in a band says something that goes against the majority opinion of that band then they are alienated..) that we need this forum to be here to allow individuals to express opinions anonymously so that they are free from ridicule.

Yes, my opinions go against the norm and some may view them as possibly controversial due to this but I haven't verbally abused anyone.. :S

Actually, you did trigger this - the response from Wingates Band which in turn was prompted by correspondence they have had from their regional Committee. If you don't understand why then you are in a minority.

tMp isn't here to be the dumping ground you go to when you don't have the balls to put your name to your opinions.

 

[Pauli Walnuts]

Being able to post anon is the only thing that sets this site apart from the facebook pages.
It is all very well saying that tmp is less interesting because of anon, but the fact is that an anon poster has generated more pages worth of a thread in a couple of days since the days of RO (another anon).

Which he/she could equally have done by adding their name.

 

[Tom-King]

The goings on in a particular thread over the last few days have for me once again highlighted the issue of anonymous accounts.

Nothing that I have said is trolling and I have not abused other members so I fail to see why my thread has triggered this discussion? I personally think that due to what banding is like (i.e cliquey and if someone in a band says something that goes against the majority opinion of that band then they are alienated..) that we need this forum to be here to allow individuals to express opinions anonymously so that they are free from ridicule.

Yes, my opinions go against the norm and some may view them as possibly controversial due to this but I haven't verbally abused anyone.. :S

I'm not sure you were being accused of trolling?
I read that as 'that thread raised the issue again... and since we've already been having issues with anonymous trolling, let's discuss anonymous accounts'.

For me, the fact that you dropped a pretty misleading lie (later admitted) which unsettled a band enough to have them issue a public statement is more than enough reason to question whether anonymity helps this site - without anonymity, you wouldn't have done that (and there's not much else that you couldn't have posted identically, if you had the guts, without anonymity).

 

[Tom-King]

I do not post on here anything like I used to because of the possibility of some idiot hiding behind an anonymous login/username who thinks that gives them the right to abuse other members. Such juvenile behaviour only spoils it for the majority of users who are generally nice people, and who want to hold sensible conversations without having to put up with a load of verbal abuse and ridicule. tMp used to be such a lively and interesting place with a good mix of fun and serious. Now, it is often like a ghost town. I wish people would just grow up a bit. If they don't like what is going on here, there are other places they can go and do their trolling with like-minded knuckle-draggers.

For me the other major issue to that there seem to be quite a few people who get tetchy whenever they are disagreed with (some of them even hiding behind anonymous or semi-anonymous accounts) and this is something that would also need to change for this site to get back to being fun and lively again

Whether there's a link with anonymity, I'm not sure... do people get more defensive because of the number of anonymous posters?
Do anonymous posters inflame discussions more than necessary and provoke additional tension between known/non-anonymous members?

 

[Seffblatter]

I'm not sure you were being accused of trolling?
I read that as 'that thread raised the issue again... and since we've already been having issues with anonymous trolling, let's discuss anonymous accounts'.

For me, the fact that you dropped a pretty misleading lie (later admitted) which unsettled a band enough to have them issue a public statement is more than enough reason to question whether anonymity helps this site - without anonymity, you wouldn't have done that (and there's not much else that you couldn't have posted identically, if you had the guts, without anonymity).

Never said it was a lie

 

[Seffblatter]

Actually, you did trigger this - the response from Wingates Band which in turn was prompted by correspondence they have had from their regional Committee. If you don't understand why then you are in a minority.

tMp isn't here to be the dumping ground you go to when you don't have the balls to put your name to your opinions.

Technically yeah I triggered it but the response was pretty farfetched.

And it's not about having the cojones and I didn't suggest that it was a dumping ground, it's more of a safe space where people won't hound you and try and track you down. Opinions are supposed to be debated separately from people's identities.

 

[Tom-King]

Never said it was a lie

When you say you're a member of a band... then when caught out and it being made clear you couldn't have been playing you admit that you werent and then finish up with:

However, I will refute all connection to the band

One could be forgiven for assuming it to be a lie... And I don't expect you to disprove that assumption, so it may as well be a lie.

And whilst you're anonymous, why even care if your tmp alter-ego is seen as a lier? Other negative opinions of it don't seem to bother you?

 

[Seffblatter]

When you say you're a member of a band... then when caught out and it being made clear you couldn't have been playing you admit that you werent and then finish up with:



One could be forgiven for assuming it to be a lie... And I don't expect you to disprove that assumption, so it may as well be a lie.

And whilst you're anonymous, why even care if your tmp alter-ego is seen as a lier? Other negative opinions of it don't seem to bother you?

If I cared then I'd try and argue the toss but I don't hence why it's best to just step away from it all - it's not about who I am - it's about opening up discussion which is what has happened. Which is good.

 

[DS2014]

I think that what Seffblatter was up to was more like old fashioned Flaming (making an outrageously provocative statement about an already well-know controversial/sensitive topic in the hope of starting a forum "fire"), rather than Trolling...a small point, I know, but an important one. The petrol for this particular fire-starter came (unintentionally, it seems) through his clumsy misappropriation of the Wingates name. They rightfully felt aggrieved, in my view, since they clearly have no association, or, would wish to have no association with Seffblatter. Indeed, what was so inept about this attempt was that the target of the flaming was the adjudicators/adjudication system (or the NWRBBC), and he completely missed his target and hit Wingates square in the chin instead. Totally irrespponsible and reprehensible.

Regarding the issue of anonymous accounts, I choose to use an avatar because I do not want trolls and spammers to be able to pester me through jigsaw identification, or, worse, unnecessarily contribute personal information that might assist somebody in executing identity theft. If TMP goes non-anonymous, I won't contribute anything.

I don't often agree with our resident flamer/troll, Bbmad, but anonymity actually is a USP that TMP holds over Facebook (where the conversation is usually crushingly dull...there was even one about valve oil on there the other day that generated dozens of replies!).

 

[Pauli Walnuts]

I think that what Seffblatter was up to was more like old fashioned Flaming (making an outrageously provocative statement about an already well-know controversial/sensitive topic in the hope of starting a forum "fire"), rather than Trolling...a small point, I know, but an important one. The petrol for this particular fire-starter came (unintentionally, it seems) through his clumsy misappropriation of the Wingates name. They rightfully felt aggrieved, in my view, since they clearly have no association, or, would wish to have no association with Seffblatter. Indeed, what was so inept about this attempt was that the target of the flaming was the adjudicators/adjudication system (or the NWRBBC), and he completely missed his target and hit Wingates square in the chin instead. Totally irrespponsible and reprehensible.

Regarding the issue of anonymous accounts, I choose to use an avatar because I do not want trolls and spammers to be able to pester me through jigsaw identification, or, worse, unnecessarily contribute personal information that might assist somebody in executing identity theft. If TMP goes non-anonymous, I won't contribute anything.

I don't often agree with our resident flamer/troll, Bbmad, but anonymity actually is a USP that TMP holds over Facebook (where the conversation is usually crushingly dull...there was even one about valve oil on there the other day that generated dozens of replies!).

At least there is conversation over there - tMp has become a for sale board of late with nothing of real interest being posted until this one thread. Many of our more intelligent members chose to post in FB first and often, only there. We have had major contests go by with hardly any conversation here in tMp.

It is now academic for me as I have just resigned as a mod here - best of luck to the last man standing @PeterBale

The Poll will remain open until such time as the owner, if he can be bothered, chooses to review the results and close it.

 

[MissBraz]

I have recently come back to using TMP again (just before Christmas) despite having an account for many years, I stopped using it originally, 4 or 5 years because of how posts and threads were moderated and shut down, when the moderators didn't like what was being said or agree with opinions of others.

Although I understand why Wingates feel aggrieved, it was nice for almost a second that people were debating and speaking up about possible imperfections in our movement and how it could move forward or change.

I'm lucky to play in a band that has a flourishing youth section but not all are lucky enough to be able to say that.

Lets discuss/argue/have an opinion on anything we like - but think whose name we are dragging into things!

 

[stevetrom]

Perhaps a system where anonynity is alowed from other members, but not from Moderators.

If someone is missusing their annonymity they can be warned, spoken too, whatever and only barred if they insist on going beyond what the site/Moderators feel is acceptable

 

[Pauli Walnuts]

Perhaps a system where anonynity is alowed from other members, but not from Moderators.

If someone is missusing their annonymity they can be warned, spoken too, whatever and only barred if they insist on going beyond what the site/Moderators feel is acceptable

All of the recent mods have been public. Sadly, anyone who is banned through mis-use simply comes back with a new anonymous account so that doesn't really work.

 

[Euphman2]

At least there is conversation over there - tMp has become a for sale board of late with nothing of real interest being posted until this one thread. Many of our more intelligent members chose to post in FB first and often, only there. We have had major contests go by with hardly any conversation here in tMp.

It is now academic for me as I have just resigned as a mod here - best of luck to the last man standing @PeterBale

The Poll will remain open until such time as the owner, if he can be bothered, chooses to review the results and close it.

Sad to see you go. I have always seen you as the voice of reason

 

[Anno Draconis]

At least there is conversation over there - tMp has become a for sale board of late with nothing of real interest being posted until this one thread. Many of our more intelligent members chose to post in FB first and often, only there. We have had major contests go by with hardly any conversation here in tMp.

It is now academic for me as I have just resigned as a mod here

Sadly this hasn't been the place for a decent conversation about banding - or anything, really - for quite a while now. The fact that the only thread I've been bothered to post in was started as a blatant wind-up (and in fact, almost all the threads that aren't vacancy ads seem to be wind-up threads, albeit sometimes interesting ones) just about sums up where the board is now. It's basically just another place for bands to put vacancy ads now, until such time as the new owner pokes his head in, sees the tumbleweeds blowing through and pulls the plug out of the server. I'll be sad to see it go but internet fora owned/managed by people with no interest in the main topic of the forum don't tend to survive (unless they can make money out of it).

Sorry to see you've left what remains of the team(!) but I can't say I'm surprised, it must feel a bit like the Alamo...