Where the MODS when we need them

[Dmacca]

Like it or not, this is a serious matter and the actions/songs/chants of those on Saturday are a criminal offence.

I was just pointing out that when push comes to shove, it's not going to be my butt on the line because it's been discussed on here.

We moderate to protect the forum and it's users and we get grief for it, we don't and we get grief for it....what we suppose to do?

Fair point there CaleyD.

Please dont get me wrong, but I have to wonder if things have gone massively to far the other way now where PC is involved, listen to what the average football fan calls the referee, or a member of the opposition no-one would bat an eye lid on here or anywhere else about that, of course thats if religion or ethnicity is taken out of the equation.

[CaleyD]

I don't make the law and I didn't make it a criminal offence for some of the songs/chants being used by a small group of ICT fans on Saturday to be sung.

Whether we agree with the overly PC nature of the country/world these days or not, we have to operate within the boundaries that sets....we'd be fools to ignore the law, and I wouldn't want any part of running a forum that did as it would be putting me at personal risk of prosecution.

The level of moderation which occurs on this site is over exaggerated, and it generally revolves around the same few people (usually the ones who are first to cry censorship) who feel the need to constantly try and push our buttons. These are now the very same people who are saying that we aren't "censoring" this subject enough.

When it comes to matters of personal abuse and insults we generally don't get involved unless it is reported and/or it degenerates to such a level that the original point of a post is lost. Our actions on this occasion meet with that, and whilst their has been plenty of insults etc thrown around, it would have been near impossible for us to moderate every post that was being made.

Our choices...we let it run it's course so long as the original point is still held within the discussion, or we remove the lot and people cry "censorship".

The moderators who were around made the call that as we had no reported posts (at that time) then they would allow things to continue....the moment they felt it was getting to a stage where it was more about the insults than the topic in hand they closed the threads. Personally I think they made the right call and to have tried to do anything else would have made an unfortunate situation even worse. Not only that, those who like to have a go at the moderators at every chance would have found an excuse either way...but such is life

[reefinweedallday]

Don't let them grind you down,saddo's will always think of something to grumble about,they should have gone to the Highland League in the 80's they would have cried at half-time with the banter that used to flow!!!

[Guest]

Like it or not, this is a serious matter and the actions/songs/chants of those on Saturday are a criminal offence.

Celtic fans are NOT a race (granted, they are a breed apart) so there is nothing criminal about asking a shower of plastic paddies with their tricolours "Why dont you go home?".

Stop believing Dr John Reid & his deflectionary pish. Potatoes or civilians blown to bits?.....i know what i'd rather sing about.

[CaleyD]

And I know your sailing close to the edge in regards to promoting the kind of bile this game can do without on this forum....want to keep pushing it?

[RiG]

there is nothing criminal about asking a shower of plastic paddies with their tricolours "Why dont you go home?".

That's not what was being sung though.

[Kingsmills]

The fact is that a small group of our "fans" broke the criminal law.

[Guest birdog]

I think the moderation team did a very good job on this occassion. The discussion was allowed to flow where before the Mods would have been jumping all over it. I, when I quit my birdog account, asked Scotty to loosen the rules and stop being so dracaonian. By posting here attacking the new stance of the mods I was being hypocritical and using the situation to have a cheap dig, for my own agenda. Well done guys.

As for reefinweed and his attacks on the PC brigade, I can assure you sir that I am far from PC. When we were watching football in the '80s the world was a different place, I seriously doubt that I would be taking my son to a top flight match back then, the protestant population had a justifiable xenophobia towards catholic Irishmen, Mark Walters was being pelted with bananas at the piggery, monkey jibes were a common sound whenever a black player stepped onto the pitch, Alf Garnett was considered to be hilarious. Now I still hold some views which would be cosidered extremely un-pc but I keep them to myself or discuss them within sympathetic company not at a football match and not to taunt a crowd which might contain members which are more than willing to resort to violent means when taunted in the nature they were.

I was wrong in my attacks on the mods but I stand by my thoughts on the singers.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Well said FYIbirdog , it takes a big man to admit he's in the wrong.

Edited October 20, 2008 by DALNEIGHCALEY

[Joe DiMaggio]

Like it or not, this is a serious matter and the actions/songs/chants of those on Saturday are a criminal offence.

Celtic fans are NOT a race (granted, they are a breed apart) so there is nothing criminal about asking a shower of plastic paddies with their tricolours "Why dont you go home?".

Stop believing Dr John Reid & his deflectionary pish. Potatoes or civilians blown to bits?.....i know what i'd rather sing about.

Dont think anyone has a mjor problem with that song other than it just looks like your a rangers fan without the bus fare. Its the other songs which were the problem, ones that you dont even hear at ibrox nowadays!!

[Scotty]

This forum is getting out of control this afternoon and no MOD is doing anything about it. People swearing and threatening to batter people. But yet, when I or anyone else take the mick out of someone, we get banned and get threatened with bans for life. Obviously, some might not be online, but there must be some that are online and can control this mayhem. The worst ive seen the site since I joined.

What are you going on about? I'm not getting bullied or anything. I'm just saying that the MODS have certainly got their favourites and are very easy on some and very harsh on others.

Thats life mate. It was the same in school, its the same everywhere. Get on with it.

It's difficult to read every post but if you report the posts we get e-mail alerts and can deal with things quite quickly. Just checked and no reported posts!

Thats cause no-one knows they need to. You's are usually far too quick to over step the mark regarding posts etc.

Cant' win eh? Damned if we do and damned if we dont. We do have the report function for a reason, and regardless of what network we were on or what software we used for the boards, this facility has been available, and noted within our forum rules (which you tick a box to say you have read and agreed with) for the last 8 or 9 YEARS. Its function, even if you did not read the terms, is fairly self explanatory.

As to comparing administrative action taken against you or anyone else with the posts of this weekend, its like comparing apples and oranges. I was away from the computer for the last couple of days - and will be away next weekend too !!! Although I have not yet read everything that went on, I have read a bit and will finish reading the rest when I get a chance. At first glance I am happy that the mods took action where needed and let discussions continue where that was warranted. However, once I have read everything, if I feel any further action is needed, I will discuss it with the mods and take action if needed.

O aye, really wanting to be a MOD. I'm just trying to make a point that, CaleyD, Scotty etc, have been quick enough to delete my posts and others in the past, but yet, all this going on in the BENI thread and Mike Smith Thread its a bit too far and can't understand how nothing is happening with it. I'm not saying you should, just that it's a bit unfair on people like myself that have been targeted in the past for meaningless things.

No-one is "targetted". when the mods take some form of action against a poster it is always reactive rather than proactive. ie. the action is taken after the poster has broken the rules.

We dont have favourites, but I will be brutally honest here and say one thing from my own personal perspective and that is that - No-one is perfect and I personally do treat some posters differently than others !!! If you have been around the site for a long time and I know you, you might just get a little more rope than someone whose first couple of posts are abusive, or who seems to be on a mission to wind us up. Its human nature. Its also why we put together a team of moderators with a very wide set of viewpoints so that we could try and be consistent in what we do. There are times when mods/admin discuss things and one may want a stronger course of action for one reason or another. In the end, we normally come to a consensus which allows us a degree of balance.

One action I did take this morning was to make the Mike Smith thread invisible. While I understand some of the frustrations expressed within the thread, I believe that some of the contents crossed the line with regards to our policy of personal comments about club staff/officials in the same way that it did when we moderated the Brewster threads a few weeks ago. This is a thread I will be discussing with the moderators and will reinstate if that is the decision of the team.

RiG there may not have been complaints through the Report buttons but I certainly brought up concerns within the Mike Smith thread. I was even replied to by a MOD and no further action taken. This account was banned for 2-3 days for posting non offensive comments on a thread, shut down for fear of homophobia, yet the mods allow someone to promote their sectarian actions and claim that they will do it again. Where is the consistency?

See last paragraph above.

The MODS cant be around to read every single post every single minute of the day, if theres something needing reported then click then the options there and 9 out of 10 times one will come running in to have a look.

That said I can see a few posters that need to be reminded about what they can and cant post on here, although people getting involved in volatile subjects like sectarian abuse should expect emotions to run high when being responded too. The actual deletion of posts is a bit pointless in the long run once everybodies read them, letting folk know that they cant use the site to threaten each other is a bit more serious and really if somebodies been threatened on the boards or via PM then they should report it to the MODS, action will virtually always be taken against whoevers being abusive.

Indeed. Its a fine line we all tread ... we would love to be able to let everyone post what they like but the simple fact is that if we did that we would get shut down and probably sued for some of the garbage that would be spouted.

Because of our time within first the RIVALS network and then the SPORTNETWORK where corporate lawyers were available, I am well versed on the fact that we have a legal duty of care as to what we allow to be posted on the site. It is true that the individual poster is ultimately responsible for what is posted, but we as the medium carrying that message can also be held accountable if we do not react and respond to comments or complaints made about our content within a "reasonable timeframe". Everyone has to realise there are limits and whilst we will sometimes allow some of those limits to be pushed somewhat our primary aims are to protect the site (and ourselves).

As for some of the "Internet Hardman-erry" going around this weekend, I have received a single complaint and will deal with it.

I think the moderation team did a very good job on this occassion. The discussion was allowed to flow where before the Mods would have been jumping all over it. I, when I quit my birdog account, asked Scotty to loosen the rules and stop being so dracaonian. By posting here attacking the new stance of the mods I was being hypocritical and using the situation to have a cheap dig, for my own agenda. Well done guys.

As for reefinweed and his attacks on the PC brigade, I can assure you sir that I am far from PC. When we were watching football in the '80s the world was a different place, I seriously doubt that I would be taking my son to a top flight match back then, the protestant population had a justifiable xenophobia towards catholic Irishmen, Mark Walters was being pelted with bananas at the piggery, monkey jibes were a common sound whenever a black player stepped onto the pitch, Alf Garnett was considered to be hilarious. Now I still hold some views which would be cosidered extremely un-pc but I keep them to myself or discuss them within sympathetic company not at a football match and not to taunt a crowd which might contain members which are more than willing to resort to violent means when taunted in the nature they were.

I was wrong in my attacks on the mods but I stand by my thoughts on the singers.

Praise indeed. As I said before, we try. We dont always get it right, but we try. If posters can think before they post, and use the report buttons when something offends rather than back-seat moderating, it might make it even easier for us. Contrary to popular belief, we dont like deleting, moving or editing posts, or banning people, but as mentioned above, when we do it, it is done for a reason and not out of devilment.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Aye - damned if you do:damned if you dont. Yas did well but I think yon Birddog geezer should have got a few per cents on his warnings. I would have reported a few of them but they were scary and I feared reprisals

How the **** have I still got a feckin fifty per cent warning rating !! Is that cos ya love me and I am one of your faves.

Oh and can ya stop putting ***** in those feckin asterisks - I nearly got reported for that.