Old lady dies (see other post)

[french frank]

There was a brief period, when 'moderation' on the old BBC Forum got rather out of hand, that a few of us (including, IIRC, both 'Anna' and myself), posted under temporarily adopted (and very obvious) new identities. I originally posted under my own name, I think, then changed to a pseudonym as encouraged by the BBC. I later went back to just my given forename. That was then purloined by another (a van demon) for a while. I eventually adopted the name "Nethersage" which remains appended to my avatar over at r3ok.com.

And in response to that, I, who am in possession of a lot of information about people's assumed - and real - identities which I would not dream of disclosing, am unaware of anyone who has recently joined in debates who was not known to me (virtually) and who was not of reasonably long standing.

[Julien Sorel]

It's becoming evident that a number of members are privy to information not available to the rest of us as to the identities of certain persons on this forum. At least two ostensibly "new" members are, we are told, actually long-time members of both this and the previous BBC incarnation of the boards, having used (by their own admission) a variety of aliases at different times. It's perhaps not surprising therefore that they should be looked at as johnny-come-latelies to those without this esoteric knowledge.

While there is nothing to stop members leaving and then re-joining the forum, to do so under a new identity suggests that either they originally left under a cloud, or were in some way ashamed of their previous incarnation(s). I make no inferences but if some people were to come clean on this, it might help to clear the air.

I left the BBC Message Boards because the BBC failed to moderate a long running thread in which (a) there was overt racism (not of the politically correct variety - one poster wasn't moderated who appeared to be a Holocaust denier) (b) there was a long running thread in which a poster continually advocated the use of torture to extract information from terrorists. I suppose (b) is borderline within a MB's House Rules, but I decided I'd had enough of belonging somewhere where that was part of the discourse.

I left here in the past because I had a lot on my plate and didn't want to add to that by getting over involved in the discussions. That now feels the case again, so I'll take similar action.

I don't think it's a good idea for current members to talk about "johnny-come-latelies" (a) because anyone contemplating joining might find it off-putting; (b) it makes the place sound like a Home Counties golf-club. Not, I'm sure, that there's anything wrong with Home Counties golf-clubs. Just in case you happen to be a member of one. Or anyone else might happen to be a member of one. Or know someone who is a member of one. Or know someone who knows someone who is a member of one. Or knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who is a member of one.

I have, by the way, been a member of For3 from many years before this Message Board.

[ahinton]

I was trying to use a blanket term....maybe I should have said Many of the post in the last 40 (I'm sorry my dyslexia gets bad if I have to go backward and forward)....sorry [as I said first para 'not counted accurately]

....but take yours [I promise I am not trying to make an issue]And the manner in which they express it. That said, A_I_C is, I believe, entirely out of order in asserting that "there was no informed debate" in the thread; posts by Julien Sorel, Richard Barrett and Pabmusic alone (although there were plenty of others) were more than sufficient evidence of such informed debate; it was also evident that, in most cases, the questionable behaviour was down to certain posters and the informed debate down to others and very rarely if ever did the twain meet.

Perhaps if A_I_C has indeed ever run a forum, he will tell us about it... >>>

Now I agree with that, with what you say BUT during the MT post (and I admit I did the same, in my own fashion i.e similar fashion) in dealing with the posters you describe , you did it in vague hints and subtle sarcasm that they didn't get what were saying....and so it continued....so while you were no a protagomist, you were a perpetuator....

Well, if so, I do not know how else I could have expressed what I was trying to express, which was that
(a) the thread had indeed included quite a few examples of serious, informed and intelligent debate as well as some questionable behaviour, contrary to A_I_C's inference that much if not all of the thread was infected by questionable behaviour at the expense of serious, informed and intelligent debate and
(b) the question of whether or not A_I_C had ever run a forum was in response to the reference thereto by FF herself.
If indeed I transgressed within contributions to the MT thread itself (which, now that it's gone, I cannot even tell), I apologise, although if merely taking people to task for repeatedly preferring to castigate and insult rather than engage with said serious, informed and intelligent debate constitutes such a transgression, there's not a whole lot more to be said, I imagine.

[french frank]

Please see my Msg #241 on identities.

[ahinton]

I don't think it's a good idea for current members to talk about "johnny-come-latelies" (a) because anyone contemplating joining might find it off-putting; (b) it makes the place sound like a Home Counties golf-club. Not, I'm sure, that there's anything wrong with Home Counties golf-clubs. Just in case you happen to be a member of one. Or anyone else might happen to be a member of one. Or know someone who is a member of one. Or know someone who knows someone who is a member of one. Or knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who is a member of one.

Or whose Conservative MP runs one.

Seriously, though, I am quite sure that I would far from alone in hoping that you might reconsider your decision to leave the forum.

[Anna]

And in response to that, I, who am in possession of a lot of information about people's assumed - and real - identities which I would not dream of disclosing, am unaware of anyone who has recently joined in debates who was not known to me (virtually) and who was not of reasonably long standing.

Anyone know what happened to that stalwart of the old R3 MBs - Lawrie Packer?

Oh Bless, we've all come over nostalgic and feeling the love .....

[Nick Armstrong]

I sometimes posted on the old R3 MBs as "Vegetable Magic" I cannot remember now whether it was because I had briefly embraced vegetarianism or was just entranced by how the dark shine of aubergines and the dull glow of red peppers looked lovely in the fruit bowl set off by a bi-coloured swede!

Start at 0' 35" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPRgi448XfU

R.I.P. :cauliflower emoticon:

[french frank]

<sigh> No way to have the last word on any subject here :-(

[Bryn]

For a brief while, some time back, I thought Ludders might have re-appeared.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Seriously, though, I am quite sure that I would far from alone in hoping that you might reconsider your decision to leave the forum.

I whole-heartedly concur.

[eighthobstruction]

Thanks AH....it is right that we take those people on, as I wrote: I did a similar thing....or tried to....

[french frank]

Am I alone in having lost track about what anyone is talking about here?

[Nick Armstrong]

Am I alone in having lost track about what anyone is talking about here?

You

are

not

alone!

[Anna]

<sigh> No way to have the last word on any subject here :-(

No, there isn't, because <deep sigh and deep breath and stifle of sniffle emoticon> we all admire and love you for setting up this forum and putting up with some of the unruly elements when you don't have to and could pull the plug at any time. So there!
And Julien, don't do it! You know it makes sense!
See how nicely the children are playing now?

[eighthobstruction]

light weights....