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Dealing with apparently destructive personalities...

WebSlave

WebSlave

It is what it is, but certainly not what it was.
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I guess I'm just tired of dealing with some of the crap that goes on in the BOI... I just banned a member for 30 days yet again for his over zealous use of name calling and generally derogatory nature when posting. I've warned the guy many times, and have instituted several temporary bans to try to drive the point home. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Seems I am always giving people the benefit of the doubt WAY after there really should be no doubt. Yeah, I know, maybe I should be a hard ass about this.

But in any event, I am giving a much more critical eye on people who are just intent (whether accidentally or by malicious intent) to drive this site (especially in the BOI) into the gutter and derail and constructive discussions that are trying to take place. Interjecting name calling towards any of the parties, and in particular trying to spin a thread way off topic by engaging in snipes at other participants within the thread.

Yes, I would like to think everyone here has this site's best interests at heart, but I'm not being so foolish to believe that this is always the case. Maybe I will be displaying just a touch of paranoia when I begin to believe that perhaps such actions are malicious in intent, and done fully with the hope and design to cause damage and thereby blunt the effectiveness of what we all (or most) want the BOI to accomplish.

As such, I am going to be much shorter with the warnings, and more quick with bannings when I see sufficient evidence of such actions that I consider as being destructive and ill intended. I am requesting the mods to keep a sharper eye on this as well and help me make a SERIOUS effort to get the BOI back on track as an effective tool for this industry, and then keep it that way.

There are some people who obviously just don't like the BOI, and bully for them with their opinion. But if they feel they have the urge to display that attitude within the BOI for no other reason than to derail a thread or to simply make some inane off topic comment to that effect, then they will simply get what they want and get ejected from having access to that forum. If they are not adding anything of value, and apparently only trying to diminish any value someone else may get from the BOI, then I simply do not need them to be there.

No, I'm not going overly hard line on rules like I did once before. But I AM going to weed out obviously destructive personalities that, either by the unfortunate circumstances of some mental affliction they have, or by a covertly malicious campaign on their part, engage in activities that are damaging to the credibility and effectiveness of the BOI
 
I don't blame you a bit. It's just ridiculous when you give someone chance after chance and they still continue with their negative behavior. :thumbsup: for WebSlave.
 
I understand the point. I just think it is to bad that the deuteragonists, and on occasion tritagonists, do not suffer the same penalties when the protagonist does.
 
I understand the point. I just think it is to bad that the deuteragonists, and on occasion tritagonists, do not suffer the same penalties when the protagonist does.
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Who knew Mr. Dove had such a way with words.:) Had to look them up.
 
I realize it took experience and thought to reach this conclusion, but, it's about time. I've certainly had my fill of those who destroy for the sake of destruction and malice and appear to be having fun while they do so.

I think in the past there were those who had valuable opinions and insights to add to the BOI business discussions but chose not to participate because of the snipers.

That's not to say we shouldn't express our opinions of someone who has given another a bad deal, of course we should; but those I mentioned were firing their guns just to see people die and who could blame those who thought about posting, if they did not want to walk into the line of fire?
 
I have only been a member of the BOI for a year or so but I can say that I am glad for this decision. The BOI is an important tool for people in the hobby of herping and there are a few who tend to make it into a joke by their behavior.
I think you are right as well, that some of these people who behave badly have little or no respect for the BOI or Fauna and therefore they do not care how their behavior appears to others or effects the credibility of the BOI.

People need to feel safe in posting there in order for things to work. While I understand that there will be disagreements and there will be anger, there should be no room for the total childish behavior that some members flood the threads with. Once that starts happening the focus shifts off of the original post and turns to jr. high school antics and that serves no one.
 
People need to feel safe in posting there in order for things to work.
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Sorry to just pick out one statement and go off on a tangent... I'm going to though.

I don't think people need to feel safe for the BOI to work. People should be aware that they may be questioned, scrutinized and analyzed pretty closely. That's not always going to be comfortable for them- although those who are honest and ethical will have a much easier time of it. They should also be aware that their reputation may be changed by things they post, that there's some accountability that's going to change the opinions other had of them; in both positive and negative ways as their actions warrant. These aren't necessarily safe feelings.

The problems occur when scrutiny crosses a line. When the Bad Cop in the routine stops being accusatory and a little verbally intimidating and goes to break their hand in a desk drawer. It's the line between being labeled a liar (when they have lied) or a thief (when they have stolen) and having a stream of profanity or vulgar insinuations vomited forth upon them. Sometimes it's a pretty fine line. Sometimes it's really obvious when it's been crossed.

And unfortunately, some people cross it way too often. Some as a result of zealous pursuit of what they think is right, others because they've got a chip on their shoulder... or maybe it's all just the kind of thing Skinner would have enjoyed; people who are physically and visually displaced are often less real and thus there's less guilt for hurting them. He'd probably add a few more electrodes though. He was nuts for mild electrocution.

The discussion forums of course, people should feel that they're in a different environment. Safe from ridicule and safe from the kind of scrutiny that they may get on the BOI. The worst that should happen there is a little eye rolling if it's really, genuinely deserved (the thread where the poster had a green iguana which had dropped it's tail and they put it back on with masking tape comes to mind).
 
Seamus Haley said:
Sorry to just pick out one statement and go off on a tangent... I'm going to though.

I don't think people need to feel safe for the BOI to work. People should be aware that they may be questioned, scrutinized and analyzed pretty closely. That's not always going to be comfortable for them- although those who are honest and ethical will have a much easier time of it. They should also be aware that their reputation may be changed by things they post, that there's some accountability that's going to change the opinions other had of them; in both positive and negative ways as their actions warrant. These aren't necessarily safe feelings.
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By SAFE I did not mean that no one should question the people involved. That is part of what makes the BOI work. I was not at all suggesting that members of Fauna should not be able to sift through the crap for the truth.
My problem is how it is done by some people.
 
Some of those people have been very effective on the BOI....what I view as more problematic is the interpersonal conflicts between members (you know, the ones that frequently start out as potshots between sideline participants) that derail the thread. Without drawing a hard line, it is difficult to contain the off topic yammering.
 
I can believe it took this long. This is so far past due. I am 1 of the many people out here that has lost most of our faith in the BOI. It’s too bad that we can’t go back to the day when rich and Ritchie ran the show. The BOI was a much more respected place then. I do understand why the change had to happen but to me that’s when it started spiraling out of control. I think rich getting fed up with all the b.s. and drama like a lot of the rest of us will help get the BOI back on the track it was designed to be on. Still a few to go but I’m sure they wont be able to control themselves long and will hopefully feel the boot on the backside soon. Good job rich.
 
hhmoore said:
Some of those people have been very effective on the BOI....what I view as more problematic is the interpersonal conflicts between members (you know, the ones that frequently start out as potshots between sideline participants) that derail the thread.
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Exactly!!!! Those are the first, second sometimes third parties I was talking about in my earlier post on this thread.
 
I think anyone posting on the BOI ought to be at least a little careful in what they say. While I'll regret the loss of digging skills and a certain bluntness some former members had... well I won't regret the loss of pages and pages of uninformative trash talking that came with it. :(
 
jim0602 said:
I can believe it took this long. This is so far past due. I am 1 of the many people out here that has lost most of our faith in the BOI. It’s too bad that we can’t go back to the day when rich and Ritchie ran the show. The BOI was a much more respected place then. I do understand why the change had to happen but to me that’s when it started spiraling out of control. I think rich getting fed up with all the b.s. and drama like a lot of the rest of us will help get the BOI back on the track it was designed to be on. Still a few to go but I’m sure they wont be able to control themselves long and will hopefully feel the boot on the backside soon. Good job rich.
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:iagree:
 
when i read my comment here again, i need to clarify. I dont mean "Good Move" on the banned member/s, i mean... Good move on just making a harder line and being less lenient. If im remembering the time when TWO of the bannings took place, i like the both of them, personally. But im cool with being harder on the behavior issue, overall.
 
Mooing Tricycle said:
when i read my comment here again, i need to clarify. I dont mean "Good Move" on the banned member/s, i mean... Good move on just making a harder line and being less lenient. If im remembering the time when TWO of the bannings took place, i like the both of them, personally. But im cool with being harder on the behavior issue, overall.
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Besides Wes, who is the other person you speak of?
I am under the impression that some of the folks who have been "banned" were allowed to come back after 30 days, so, in reality, they are "suspended" not banned.
Am I correct on my assumption?
 
lanceheads said:
Besides Wes, who is the other person you speak of?
I am under the impression that some of the folks who have been "banned" were allowed to come back after 30 days, so, in reality, they are "suspended" not banned.
Am I correct on my assumption?
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You are wrong on your assumption, but regardless.... Would i love for wes to be here? Sure, hes a good guy. Rich has made it clear, that wont happen, and i wont give him crap for it either.

Sorry my wording was "off for you" and that you felt the need to make a comment, there are TWO people that were suspended/banned/some other word that might bother you because of my usage of it because its not clear enough for you to obviously understand the gist of it, that i would like to have back.

If you dont know who those two members are. well, aint that just fun! But since im sure youll need some sort of response, otherwise you might keep bugging me with lame responses... Chuck and Jas.

I was CLARIFYING my comment, so that they would not think i AGREED with them being gone, therefore insulting them. Stop being a prat.
 
there are TWO people that were suspended/banned/some other word that might bother you because of my usage of it because its not clear enough for you to obviously understand the gist of it, that i would like to have back.


If you dont know who those two members are. well, aint that just fun! But since im sure youll need some sort of response, otherwise you might keep bugging me with lame responses... Chuck and Jas.
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Jas is due back in a few days and Chuck has a couple of more weeks.
 
Alicia,
I KNOW Wes is gone. So who's being the prat here?
I also know you don't care for me, since I always went after your buddy Chuckie for being so obnoxious. I held your buddy's feet to the fire when he deserved it, which was often.

Great that you defend Chuck, as for John Stranahan, I wish we would come back, as I like him.
But, you really don't care what I like, so no worries there.
 
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