Banned!

[stuartbert two hats]

6 hours ago, Alvoram said:

Oh 100%!!!

There is no doubt in it!!  

I have no idea what happened, who you pissed off or how, but when I was on there that afternoon, this forum and you, came up way too often. 

But like I said, that to me just made them look like they had some kind of vendetta, and that they were toxic. Because they weren't being discussed here in the same light, they came across as obsessed. Hence I left pretty quick. (There are some nice folk on there too though, btw.) 

To be fair, there were lots of good reasons to be unhappy when the discord was set up. I'm not going to relitigate that now, I like being friends with everyone, there are good and bad parts of both communities - certainly not everyone on the discord is a troll, it really doesn't need very many people to cause a big problem. You can probably count the number of people on one hand across both communities who have behaved genuinely unreasonably.

[EamerRed]

2 hours ago, scatteredscreens said:

They can also whip up a cheap VPN and continue their trolling.

Exactly this.

If you're a troll, you're likely on here less often, and come on just to wind people up. With a VPN, it is very easy to get around this and still troll, even with the IP ban in place. But if you're an innocent normal user, blocked via IP, you will find it far more of an inconvenience.

I fail to see how this solves anything other than wind up current or prospective paying users. It makes it marginally harder to troll, but it is still very easy, if you really want to.

Edited November 6, 2022 by EamerRed

[EamerRed]

Really appreciate that sometimes a project is your 'baby' to some extent, but I'd be amazed if there is a forum on the Internet this size that doesn't have some sort of moderation in place. There's a reason why they do it, because it works. Otherwise they wouldn't bother.

I'm often a user that comes and goes on here, and I've always really liked your posts Neil, and genuinely feel for your problems you've been having. But a semi-'workable' solution in place, pissing off people who have paid to help you keep this place going - this is the totally wrong way to go about this, and sometimes it's best to listen to people who have good intentions with their advice, as plenty of people here have.

I'm absolutely certain you'd be happier for it. Even just a trial with 2 mods for a few weeks or so, you might be amazed at how much more free you feel.

Edited November 6, 2022 by EamerRed

[evannn]

1 hour ago, stuie said:

Do any festivals have their own forums? 

Latitude used to; then they eventually shut it down and I think some of the users made their own after. Don’t know if it’s still going

[GeezLouise]

3 hours ago, stuie said:

Do any festivals have their own forums? 

I used to be on the download festival board in about 03-04. Dunno if it’s still up and running 

[K2SO]

24 minutes ago, GeezLouise said:

I used to be on the download festival board in about 03-04. Dunno if it’s still up and running 

I doubt it. To be honest, I don't think there are a great deal of forums in general now compared to say 10 years ago, now that Reddit has managed to shake it's reputation of being just for internet nerds. Everything is just on there.

[blutarsky]

11 hours ago, Neil said:

Currently is much better than not at all. If the forums have to die for efests to continue then so be it. 

The forums are eFests. 

[dmedxb]

Neil, I hope you can consider taking on some voluntary help to moderate the forums. This is one of my favourite places on the internet between ticket sale and festival (from June to Oct, I can't handle reading about Glasto!). I absolutely love reading the weather thread, tent recommendations, lineup speculation... its just generally a pretty wonderful community you've created here. 

I just want you to know that eFests is a special place but I can't help but feel that acceping help will continue to preserve that. I am not, of course, suggesting that users like me with 100 posts moderate but there are surely people who are integral to this community that would be adept at helping. 

IP bans aren't the answer - any trolls are just going to use a VPN. Every forum on the internet, whether message boards or Reddit or Discord or traditional social media, has a moderation team. 

✌️

[Neil]

56 minutes ago, blutarsky said:

The forums are eFests. 

yeah,i take all this shit, because you're worth it, you don't have a high opinion of yourself do you?

[Neil]

17 minutes ago, dmedxb said:

 you've created here.  

✌️

it didn't happen by itself it happen by how its been moderated to keep the idiots away, it could be an idiot forum, likew so many others on the net, most of which died years ago.

[Hugh Jass II]

14 minutes ago, Neil said:

yeah,i take all this shit, because you're worth it, you don't have a high opinion of yourself do you?

Here’s a genuine question Neil, and it is not intended to inflame or troll or anything… do you actually care about the people who use your business? Or is all transactional? Is everyone just a customer rather than a friend to you?

The forums of this website have grown over the years into a thriving community that has spilled over into the real world at times. Friendships have been formed, we’ve even had a marriage. To so many people this isn’t just a place to come and doss rather than do any work (it is that too) it’s a massive part of the whole festival experience. I often say I enjoy the build up and speculation about the festival more than the actual five days itself. This behaviour of yours negatively impacts everyone’s festival and serves only to alienate the people who have built this community. Those who are still here every day during fallow years and lean times.

Think of it like a pub, your name might be above the door. But it’s the people inside who create the vibe and atmosphere that encourage others to enter. If they go then you’re in trouble.

You talk about people threatening your livelihood, yet any business no matter how big or small cannot survive if it treats its regular and loyal customer base badly.

People here aren’t customers, they’re the people who make this site what it is.

[Neil]

6 minutes ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Here’s a genuine question Neil, and it is not intended to inflame or troll or anything… do you actually care about the people who use your business? Or is all transactional? Is everyone just a customer rather than a friend to you?

 

whatever they are, it doesn't give them free reign to be c**ts

 

6 minutes ago, Hugh Jass II said:

we’ve even had a marriage

at least three, and at least three kids, do keep up

[Neil]

8 minutes ago, Hugh Jass II said:

This behaviour of yours negatively impacts

what about saying the same to the people who are choosing to be c**ts, you wouldn't accept similar from your real friends, and certainly not in your job, and i'm not going to either, if you don't want this to keep on going round i can always close the forums, efests would survive cos its more than the forums.

[Neil]

11 minutes ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Think of it like a pub

a pub wouldn't put up with this sort of disruptive shit without banning people.

[Hugh Jass II]

4 minutes ago, Neil said:

a pub wouldn't put up with this sort of disruptive shit without banning people.

Yeah but if a trouble maker came from a certain street they wouldn’t ban everyone else who lived in that street.

[Neil]

5 minutes ago, Hugh Jass II said:

Yeah but if a trouble maker came from a certain street they wouldn’t ban everyone else who lived in that street.

that's not what i'm doing, but you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to portray the technical limitations as the worse thing possible, you should hear what people say about how you do your job, they know you're shit.

[parsonjack]

21 minutes ago, Neil said:

you should hear what people say about how you do your job, they know you're shit.

Whatever your opinions regarding trolls etc and how your site should be run that last comment was out of order Neil.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, parsonjack said:

Whatever your opinions regarding trolls etc and how your site should be run that last comment was out of order Neil.

yeah what the fuck? 

[Neil]

6 minutes ago, parsonjack said:

Whatever your opinions regarding trolls etc and how your site should be run that last comment was out of order Neil.

say the same to the people who say efests is only a success because they visit here,nuthing to do with the work i've out in over 25 years.

[Neil]

7 minutes ago, scatteredscreens said:

yeah what the fuck? 

everyone should have a public commentary on how they do their job, would only be fair.

[parsonjack]

2 minutes ago, Neil said:

say the same to the people who say efests is only a success because they visit here,nuthing to do with the work i've out in over 25 years.

Of course it's very much down to the work you've put in over so many years....but that work has enabled the community to form, and they are very much what makes this place so special.  Without your community this becomes a much poorer place, not to mention the loss of a very valuable revenue stream for you.

[Tranquility of Solitude]

This whole thread is in danger of lowering my mood the day after a successful ticket day..... something I wouldn’t have thought possible.

[Neil]

Just now, parsonjack said:

  Without your community this becomes a much poorer place

which doesn't mean i should put up with endless shit to keep them.

[Neil]

1 minute ago, parsonjack said:

 Without your community this becomes a much poorer place, not to mention the loss of a very valuable revenue stream for you.

its not that valuable cos the income when the forums were off-line a year ago was very similar to when they're here.

[parsonjack]

Just now, Neil said:

which doesn't mean i should put up with endless shit to keep them.

I completely agree.  I'm aware of the technical difficulties but blanket bans though isn't the way to sort the wheat from the chaff.