se23.com - an exile from the north speaks out

[Wide Lea Red]

se23.com is a terrible shame. It could be a great forum, but all the life is moderated out of it, and a lot of senseless bigotry is completely unmoderated. No matter how peaceful an atmosphere you want to create, it is just wrong that people have to think so carefully about what they post, for fear that they will get put on pre-mod if they disagree with someone. Particularly when so much provocative, sub-Mail nonsense goes completely unchecked, often from posters from outside the area. That's what forums like that are for - exchange of views on local issues. se23.com appears to be exclusively for saying 'we need a great deli like what East Dulwich has got, it'd work here, yes it would, we're great, us, great. And a cinema. Yes, a cinema. It'd work. Great!'. Oh, and 'hang dole scroungers/big issue sellers/anyone who commits any crime ever'.

I value its existence but I know of a number of people who no longer go on there because of the character of the place. It drives people away. Maybe people with opinions aren't the sort of people the admin wants on there. I've no idea. I imagine I'll be properly banned if the admin reads this and works out who I am, which shouldn't be hard. That'll be sad, but you don't reflect a community by shutting so much of it out. This isn't a rant, it's a genuine plea - the place has got to change if it's to be worthwhile.

[rshdunlop]

Our dear admin here in Sydenham tells us that he has met SE23 admin and they discussed moderation and had similar views. So I'd be very interested to hear what our admin has to say about the bizarre experience I've just had on SE23.com.

I posted a request for recommendations for a bike repair shop. I got a couple of replies then admin moved the thread to the trading post. Now, because you can only reply on the trading post via PM, all the replies were lost. I emailed admin and asked him, very politely, if he would consider moving the thread back to the main forum, partly because I had lost my replies, but also because I wasn't buying or selling anything, I was asking for recommendations. I pointed out that my thread was no different to a long running thread on SE23.com asking which was the best local fish and chip shop.

I received no reply. Instead he... wait for it ... removed the fish and chips thread! Both illogical and ego-maniacal! If he removes every thread that asks for recommendations, or puts them into the twilight world of no-reply-trading post, there will be nothing left on the forum.

Anyway, I asked admin, again very politely, via email, if the replies I had already had, which I had read but not noted down, were still in the system, and could I have copies? Nothing. So I put an EXTREMELY polite post in the general forum asking those people who had already replied to post their recommendations again for me. That post was removed within minutes.

This is not running a tight ship. This is not keeping things tidy and organised. This is bizarre, illogical behaviour that is beginning to feel like a personal vendetta. All I wanted was to get my son's bike repaired.

[bigbadwolf]

Forget the heavy handed policies of the se23 forum. Most of the people that lurk and post on there treat this place as their local online sanctuary. They just daren't say so on the se23 forum.

If it's any help, I saw the recommendations on your pulled thread. They were the bike shop in Catford and Balfes Bike on East Dulwich road. I've used Balfes and they truly are amazing and you always get far more than you pay for.

Oh and, rshdunlop.

Re: my previous warning,

I told you so.

[rshdunlop]

BBW - yes you did. I was more worried about some of the rabid posters than admin, but I'm still nursing a scraped jaw from when it hit the floor today as all this unfolded.

Thanks for the info too. Are you stalking me?

[bigbadwolf]

Are you stalking me?

No... well, yes... just a tiny bit. Sort of.

Shit.

[mummycat]

Some of the standards are slipping...

Earlier this year, I posted a couple of events in Mayow Park with the same format as on here. In the Subject Line I would state Date, time and venue and then write in the details in the Message body text box. I noticed they were deleted within 24hrs with no explanation. After a while, I contacted "Admin" to ask why and he explained that they all had to follow on in the same post "Mayow Park". Well, thanks for telling me - I thought I had imagained posting them!

My subject title had been deleted and after each of my post, other people had to post "...just to clarify this event will take place on..." This made myself look silly - as if I had left the details out! Are these people are also "Admin"? How would they know when the event was and how could they have the power to move my post if they weren't?!!

What's amusing now, is that someone else has started another Mayow Park thread, which hasn't been moved!

[admin]

I'd be very interested to hear what our admin has to say about the bizarre experience I've just had on SE23.com.

I posted a request for recommendations for a bike repair shop.....

I would recommend http://www.comptoncycles.co.uk/ for complicated things. They have a good workshop and done me proud. For simpler stuff then try SE20 Cycles in Maple Road, Penge (website under reconstruction). Winston is a lovely man and his charges are too low.

I don't know what to say about your other points. Personally I like the flack to be open on the forum where it might make a difference as no Admin is perfect. I really don't like people muttering behind my back. But then I know that happens here which, in the end, damages the forum and IMHO the community's right to discuss what it wants to discuss.

Admin

[rshdunlop]

Thanks for the recommendations, Admin.

I don't like to mutter behind people's backs either, which is why I emailed the SE23 admin with my concerns and gave him time to reply. I would have posted the above on SE23.com but I doubt it would appear for than five minutes.

No admin is perfect, some are better than others. Making the forum virtually unusable, however, is self destructive. And yes, BBW, you can say it again - you told me so. But if I believed everything you posted here...

[digime2007]

I lost patience with se23.com a long time a go. There was even a period where you had to log in to see forum posts, no guest access was allowed - so annoying!

Anyway, I agree that no admin is perfect but some come closer than others, some have more aptitude than others and some use feedback better than others. We're lucky that our Admin scores pretty highly on all three.

[bigbadwolf]

But if I believed everything you posted here...

Good grief, rshdunlop. I sincerely hope you aren't implying that for some inexplicable reason I may be guilty of embellishing, or indeed, fabricating, some - or all - of the contributions I bestow (force) upon the plebs of Sydenham?

Perish the very thought, rshdunlop!

[Duke of Clarence]

Meanwhile over on Virtual Norwood BMS (Bad Mod Syndrone) is alive and kicking but not so free speech. After he decided to ban everyone from posting about the park the forum administrator (a non-dom who lives in NYC and is bothered about advertising revenue but not local issues) suspended the accounts of a number of posters who dared to post about a controversial proposal to build a £250m shopping, hotel & leisure on the hilltop of Crystal Palace Park. The dissenting voices were silenced. Once the key protagonists were off the boards (6 suspensions in as many weeks), the mods allowed a thread to run that they entitled "development of the top site" The old thread had been called multiplex 2 but that had enraged the PR section of the development team. "It is not a multiplex." they wailed, "It is a palace!" No it's not. It's a mixed use commercial build aka a multiplex.

VN is VD these days, Virtual Deadwood. Hardly any posts and when they are they're about dogs, slugs, shops, trains and crime. I much prefer the subtle moderation on STF it makes a pleasant change from the virtual Stasi on the hill and makes for a much freer, easier and more interesting forum.

[rshdunlop]

There are bemused SE23ers looking for their Fish and Chips thread, which was a lively little discussion (yes, honestly). If any of you wander over here, see my first post in this thread and accept my apologies for getting your favourite thread removed. Maybe someone who isn't in pre-mod can let the rest of SE23 know that it's gone forever and it's all my fault.

[Duke of Clarence]

and I thought been taken out by a multiplex was tough till I saw that a thread about a chippy saw the sun set on your SE23 posting days rshdunlop. Ah well, their loss.

[michael]

A new blog has been created:
http://se23regurgitated.blogspot.com/

[rshdunlop]

I saw that - how did the whole of the old fish n chips thread get 'regurgitated'?

If the blog gets a sufficient number of 'followers' that may form a quorum for a new forum (I'm a poet!)

I'm out of pre-mod, finally, and we can now add posts in the Trading Post, which is good. But someone (possibly linked to the new blog?) is now in pre-mod for questioning disappearing threads.

[michael]

I have requested that the bike thread is also regurgitated.

[michael]

Here it is:
http://se23regurgitated.blogspot.com/20 ... pairs.html

For some reason my posting to the regurgitated fish n' chips has been removed from SE23.com, I wonder why?

[rshdunlop]

Thanks for that, Michael.

I have no idea whether the powers that be at SE23.com are mad or just not up to the job. It's a role to be performed with finesse, not a sledge hammer.

Watch out, you'll be in pre-mod any minute now.

*later* I'm having a little giggle to myself now, watching SE23 admin trying to be consistent with the crazy system he has enforced upon himself. A new thread about a coffee shop was dumped in the Trading Post. Someone pointed out that, in that case, all the restaurant, cafe, coffee shop threads should go into the TP too. And low and behold, there they are. To give him credit, we can now post comments in the TP, so we can still continue those discussions. He is trying to be consistent and logical - TP is now for commercial subjects and small ads. But I always think there is a bit of a negative connotation with getting moved to the TP, like you've been trying to sell something to people on the sly, and have been caught out. Newcomers will never find half the stuff in there. It all makes me wonde whether this guy is just in over his head and his heavy handed approach arises from panic rather than megalomania.

[kingfisher]

I've only ever really posted on se23.com's Pools discussion, and that was a while back. But during my latest visit I had a little difference of opinion with one of the more prominent contributors, Roz, after posting a rebuttal against one of her pious tantrums; and now I'm on some kind of delayed post status.

It would seem that se23's online judge, jury and executioner is a bit too protective of the more sycophantic disciples amongst his flock.

[admin]

I have no sycophantic disciples

Admin