What has happened to SG.org?

Detritus

<p>I love this site it's fun and the people who live in the area have expertise ranging from Medieval Latin text to Glassblowing.</p><p>But yet...</p>

Brodiej

My take is that tolerance is in rather short supply. And even those that believe they are tolernant display rather hypocritical tendencies. I think people have started to take things all rather too seriously, and don't appreciate some of the characters that contribute. If you take them seriously, so begins the downward spiral. It is not a necessity to bring someone round to your point of view and for them to admit they are wrong. Some views are just fundementally at odds. Accept it, perhaps assume that not everyone with a differing view to your own is a bad person and get back to making the forum an interesting place to be.

Eliz

<p>Brodiej, I think it's about more than just intolerance on the part of some posters. I could be wrong but I imagine most people who've been reading and contributing to SG org for a few years would agree that it's lost something in the past few months.</p><p> Any wit or humour seems to have disappeared and been replaced by rants, incredibly nasty and neverending arguments between 2 or 3 posters and a very annoying tendency for people to cut and paste long passages from newspapers or other websites. </p><p>I'm not sure what the solution is because I know banning people can be very problematic - I'm hoping it's just a phase and that normal business will resume once certain people get bored and find another outlet for their negativity. Enjoy the sunny weekend fellow Stroud Greeners! </p>

chrisn4

<P>Detritus started a good earworm thread...</P> <P>I am sure Eliz and others will keep us entertained with their morally good and entertaining threads they will start and contribute to...</P> <P>looking forward to reading what you have got planned...</P>

Brodiej

@ eliz. True, but the responsibility of the content of the site is down to those that contribute. Decide yourself how you want it to be moving forward and adjust what you post/whether you post/how you react.

chrisn4

<P>"banning people can be problematic"</P> <P>i started posting under the name mrannonyomus74 - i didnt get banned</P> <P>then i change my name to "the northern heights" - i didnt get banned</P> <P>then i changed my name to sgsteve - i got banned after one thread about recycling - not sure why,perhaps a good thing. </P> <P>then i changed my name to chrisn4 - ban potentially on the way perhaps,who knows. That might cheer you up...</P> <P>why change your name - an attempt to take on a new personality perhaps or style of posting - didnt work though!</P> <P>"Nasty comments between 2 or 3 people"</P> <P>care to explain what you mean? Or are you just being negative for the sake of it,you don't like that you explain...</P> <P>"outlet for your negativity" - er,you are being negative yourself,can you see the irony of that?</P> <P>"Annoying cut and paste" - sorry to have annoyed you - I happen to think a point of principle is worth annoying the punters over and I dont know how to do a link to a newspaper article.</P> <P> </P>

chrisn4

<P>slabber and sevlow also got banned - but they weren't me.honest gov...</P> <P>perhaps if miserabalist punters with a a sense of humour failure arent happy then perhaps you are right it is time to move on...</P> <P>i do agree that some people on this forum can be a bit daft or go over the top...but it is a diverse community..</P> <P>i am sure you value diversity...or do you value diversity only if you agree with their opinions...just asking..</P> <P> </P>

Detritus

<p>Dude what the hell do you need 4 names for?</p>

chode

Ok, I have a suggestion. Let's have 2 sticky threads. One for jokes, and another for inspiring thoughts, something positive for people to read and think about. Quite busy at the mo, but happy to start it off.

chrisn4

<P>you can see if someone is banned by clicking on their name...</P> <P>if i am banned soon then...its been nice communicating with you all,i have enjoyed it...</P> <P>sounds like eliz is calling for a few bannings...ban this ban that...people like to ban things these days in england...merry england didnt used to be like that...it used to be a more tolerant place...ah well all good things must come to an end... </P> <P>be lucky...</P> <P> </P>

chrisn4

<P>"what do you need 4 names for"</P> <P>to muck about and have a laugh and not take things too seriously - then make some serious points - then muck around</P> <P>i wont be needing any names soon as i will be banned due to breaking the rules of sg.org...</P> <P>be lucky...</P>

barebackreader

I think that for relative newcomers and lurkers (like me) the arguments can be off-putting. Not the fact that people with different viewpoints are arguing - that's pretty much the whole point of the internet - but the tone. Like people have personal grudges. It's boring, and strangely cliquey.<div><br></div><div>But Brodiej is right. Contributors=content. Maybe we could have a lurker-outing thread? New people introduce themselves, old faces stop by to say hi and encourage them to have fun with SG.org.</div>

Brodiej

@ChrisN4. I think you have a good sense of humour, and think a lot of your threads are quite funny. Guess my only advice would be, make some friends rather than push a point till people can't breathe any more. They only have themselves to blame on the repurcussions, but surely your sole purpose isn't to wind people up right?

chrisn4

<P>brodiej - i think you are making some interesting points,that will get people thinking and discussing as always...</P> <P>if david and andy want to ban me then i do not mind - because everyone has got to grow up and stop being immature and mucking around at some point...and it is too tempting to muck around and be daft after a few ales...</P> <P>perhaps a ban would be a good thing in my case...</P> <P>so a ban,yes a ban...</P> <P>be lucky   </P>

harpistic

@backbarereader: The thread you're thinking of is this one: http://stroudgreen.org/discussion/comment/38367<br><br>I agree with you...<br>

chrisn4

<P>Dear David and Andy,</P> <P>Please can you ban me from SG.org</P> <P>I enjoy taking part in this forum. But it would help if you banned me so I am not tempted to post anymore comments.</P> <P>I am not being ironic.</P> <P>Thank you very much</P> <P>carry on</P> <P> </P>

barebackreader

Thanks harpistic. I'll drop by that thread and leave my two penn'orth. 

andy

We have spent the last 6 months working on a bid for the Heritage Lottery Fund. <br><br>We wanted to turn part of stroudgreen.org into a local video social history project. It was going to be really good, involve lots of people, schools and businesses, local artists and students. <br><br>We heard today that we didn't get it.<br><br>I do think the site has lost a lot of its value. People post for themselves, not for others. It's less of a community. People post to wind up others. It's boring. <br><br>I'm tired of it. It takes time and costs money to run the site. It feels like it's run out of steam. All we've ever tried to do is make the site something that adds to the general sum of happiness in the area and I'm not sure it does anymore.<br><br>This isn't fishing for thanks. It's a real question. There's no shortage of websites where people can have poorly informed online discussions. If this isn't doing something different, I don't really see the point. Maybe these things have a natural lifespan.<br><br> @brodiej and @barebackreader are right. You get what you give. If people don't want it, we'll turn it off. <br>

miss annie

<p>Hello Andy</p><p>Really sorry to hear that you didn't get the funding for that. Thank you for all you have done for our little corner of the city. I've learnt a lot, made some good friends and realised an lifelong ambition to set up a Women's Institute all through this site. What you do with it is up to you, but thank you.</p>

chrisn4

<P>andy n david - so are you going to ban me or not? please do as you did last time for some reason you didnt explain...</P> <P>are you saying that you are going to switch off sg.org?</P> <P>last person to leave sg.org turn the lights off..</P>

chrisn4

<P>andy and david - u blame everyone else but yourself - many authorities blame others for their mistakes- maybe they just didnt think you were up to the job - have you ever thought about that - before you and others who comment on this forum blame others who dont agree with you- maybe they were right...with regard to your comments above</P> <P>now ban me again as you did last time - when you didnt agree with my comments on recycling on the sgsteve thread...</P> <P>people have had enough of authorities bossing them around telling them they are wrong and telling them what to do...</P> <P>carry on</P>

chrisn4

<P>eliz - i am sure you want to have a discussion rather than just lecture us on how right you are and then go...or not?  on one of the 2 threads you started you were talking about how you werent a fan of haringey sex establishments...</P> <P>sevlow wrote that he thought haringey sex establishments were a good thing...</P> <P>but then the authorities who run this website banned sevlow...so now he cant take part in your sex establishment thread...</P> <P>you must be delighted with sevlow getting banned eliz? as you are implying that you want people banned</P> <P>as mentioned i would like to be banned...as i was last time... </P>

Detritus

<p>Out of 22 comments on this subject you have made 10 of them, that is the equivalent of a little kid having a paddy in the shops</p>

Mirandola

Very sorry to hear about the bid too. I think the site used to be great and is less so now, but I'm not sure how I'd fix it. I suppose I'd vote for a tougher moderation policy. The free for all internet is great in theory, but there's always a tendency for it to turn into /b <div><br></div><div>I know you're not fishing for thanks, but thank you anyway. This site makes living round here a lot more interesting. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

chrisn4

<P>perhaps it would it would be better to shut sg.org down if it is as bad as andy makes out...just a suggestion : )</P> <P>thats what a discussion forum is all about ... to discuss ideas and to make suggestions...isnt it? or not?</P>

chrisn4

<P>or are you the kid?</P> <P>detritus?</P> <P>just asking </P>

chrisn4

<P>"i'd vote for a tougher moderation policy"</P> <P>how about a no thickys policy? </P> <P>not very tolerant</P> <P>but then sg.org isnt very tolerant so for many it wouldnt be a problem</P> <P>just saying...</P>

krappyrubsnif

I am going to say it - chrisN4 or whoever he is, by whatever name he chooses (and one or two other regular idiots) are ruining this site.  By as Andy has wisely said, posting for themselves, not others.   They are casting a shadow over this site - presumably that is their intention.      A site that used to be a pleasure and fun to read has become the opposite because of this.   <br><br>Andy, you have done a wonderful job and I am sure I speak for many when I say I'm truly grateful for all the time and effort you have put in to facilitate a positive community here in this great little corner of London.   Please don't stop.   A shame that a few trolls are drowning out the positive energy.    Let's just hope that we can all move on.<br><br>I for one have adopted a simple policy - I don't bother opening threads where chrisN4 has been the last poster.  This will presumably drastically cut the time I waste reading stroudgreen.org and it won't guarantee I never have to read one of chrisN4's annoying shouty insulting rants again.    However it might make for a more enjoyable experience.  If it doesn't, I'm off, I've got better folk in the real world to talk to.    I have more control over who I have a beer with.<br><br>So there!<br><br>

Mirandola

What Krappy said. 

gardener-joe

ditto

Siolae

<p>What Krappy said too.  But I would also like to add that his site is a really wonderful local resource.  It would be such a shame if it closed down as it is like a little local wikipedia of information.  Mostly it makes me happy, except when I stupidly succumb to tempation to feed the troll...</p>