My Toad Pond has disappeared ??

[RINGER]

~ before people know what each other are made of.

That is a major issue! Y'all know next to nothing about anyone on here, without a face to face meeting ~ Forums do not provide provision to do any such thing.
Some just assume by the way others approach written communication they know the writer intimately, impossible!
We all know what assuming does?

 

[Kim Luck]

"By placing discretion in the hands of an official to grant or deny a license, such a statute creates a threat of censorship that by its very existence chills free speech."

Harry A. Blackmun

 

[okalford]

That is a major issue! Y'all know next to nothing about anyone on here, without a face to face meeting ~ Forums do not provide provision to do any such thing.
Some just assume by the way others approach written communication they know the writer intimately, impossible!
We all know what assuming does?

If I may contribute to the off topic and wishing to do so with all respect: This forum is a bit different to a lot of forums and a community as many have mentioned. From reading here over the years and also speaking of my own experiences many members have met face to face thanks to the forum. On the French Car Days in Melbourne alone it was impressive how many did know each other and the family feeling there was amongst the attendees, many being members of aussiefrogs. We have had parma nights, other dinners/lunch gatherings and various organised drives to name a few. Even interstate members sometimes visit and meet other members. It's all part of the 20+ year history of this great forum.

 

[David S]

There are some members of this forum I hope never to have the misfortune to meet. I washed my hands of the pond in early 2020, but it evidently continued on a similar embarrassing path. I guess that continued to also be my fault as an ex-moderator, even though I wasn't there. People are only happy with moderation when it suits them and that's typically only when the other person's material, with which they disagree, is affected. One mcmember even bagged me at one point for daring to desert my post for a weekend on which a nasty argument broke out - Self-moderation be damned! A member badgered me to have another member using a sock removed and then publicly complained about the awful mods binning said sock operator and expected respect.

And yet people wonder why the pond has gone, and even before that, why many reasonable forum members avoided it.

I'm not a supporter of totalitarian regimes. Neither am I a "Fixated Person". I am however happy to discuss any topic you like with yourself
or anyone else, including French cars, spare parts, energy sources, and anything else dear to your heart, whether you disagree with me or not.

Save for the first sentence, we both know that's not true. You have displayed a fixation with Rupert and likely many persons not of the 'left' persuasion when dismissing others whose material you do not agree with. It seems you just tried to attack me by calling me a 'Fixated Person' because you didn't like what I posted. Be honest about your conduct please.

The funny thing is other forums manage to have robust discussions about off topic stuff including politics without knickers getting in a twist. Quality and character of moderators is key.

More hilarity. Site admins / moderators can only respond to the (low) quality of the contributors and their contributions using the forum tools they have available. In this forum it's not in real time and always after the event. Other forums would have 'managed' your contributions by ejecting you years ago. You apparently learned absolutely nothing from being suspended more than once. For only a lowly car forum, you certainly took being suspended seriously enough to create a fake account at one point.

All the talk of the Toad pond, why not try out the discord so we can keep this thread clear for real updates. ...
The Toad Pond Chat group

Excellent idea. Kim and Haakon can be among your first customers and take their abuse of others there.

 

[Haakon]

For only a lowly car forum, you certainly took being suspended seriously enough to create a fake account at one point.

only as a means of getting a PM through that was essentially WTF. I was expecting at least an interesting answer, but it was sadly mundane and a bit sad... But hey, if you want to be a douche about it, by all means imply i was being underhand

 

[Kim Luck]

There are some members of this forum I hope never to have the misfortune to meet. I washed my hands of the pond in early 2020, but it evidently continued on a similar embarrassing path. I guess that continued to also be my fault as an ex-moderator, even though I wasn't there. People are only happy with moderation when it suits them and that's typically only when the other person's material, with which they disagree, is affected. One mcmember even bagged me at one point for daring to desert my post for a weekend on which a nasty argument broke out - Self-moderation be damned! A member badgered me to have another member using a sock removed and then publicly complained about the awful mods binning said sock operator and expected respect.

And yet people wonder why the pond has gone, and even before that, why many reasonable forum members avoided it.


Save for the first sentence, we both know that's not true. You have displayed a fixation with Rupert and likely many persons not of the 'left' persuasion when dismissing others whose material you do not agree with. It seems you just tried to attack me by calling me a 'Fixated Person' because you didn't like what I posted. Be honest about your conduct please.


More hilarity. Site admins / moderators can only respond to the (low) quality of the contributors and their contributions using the forum tools they have available. In this forum it's not in real time and always after the event. Other forums would have 'managed' your contributions by ejecting you years ago. You apparently learned absolutely nothing from being suspended more than once. For only a lowly car forum, you certainly took being suspended seriously enough to create a fake account at one point.


Excellent idea. Kim and Haakon can be among your first customers and take their abuse of others there.

All you forgot to include was the phrase "In my humble opinion!". As for any "Rupert", I have no idea who that is. I trade under my own name, not a pseudonym. I'm happy to take criticism but reserve the right to respond as appropriate if I feel my sensibilities have been offended. Like a certain senior NSW politician it seems you might have microscopically thin skin, thus my reference to said politician using the "Fixated Persons Unit" to attempt to silence one of his critics. In any case I don't think I have been overly critical of you or anyone else either as moderator or as a contributor, but perhaps you could list my heinous offences in a similar fashion to the way alexander used to do and everyone could examine them in detail before calling for a public execution? Just don't make it a "He said", "She said" thing or you'll get the thread closed.

 

[seasink]

I have for a while moderated a forum for people even more self-opiniated than car enthusiasts. David and gibgib are not over-reaching, even if complete deletion is the ultimate remedy. There were warnings - the alternative would have been some long holidays which may have been detrimental to the main sections.

That said, I miss it too. Okalford's social aspect was more likely to be developed in the Pond than in the technical sections

 

[Kenfuego]

Wow that's a bit bitchy. It's the sort of stuff I was referring to. Let me clarify:
I have found plenty of interesting stuff in the toad pond. I don't mind reading it. I'm not ASKING for it to be quashed. But it's not what Aussiefrogs was created for, and in my opinion it has deteriorated in recent months. Some discussions of topics I am very interested in, like electric cars, solar power, among others, have become really nasty, bitchy personal attacks with almost nothing of substance. I still take a look because I am interested in the topic, but I get disillusioned because it all gets too nasty. Not because people express opinions I don't agree with, I'm fine with that, but because it gets so vitriolic. And I maintain that the nastiness is from both sides of an argument, both people whose opinion on the issue I fully support and those I disagree with. BOTH sides have been really rude and there is no need for it.

It is possible discuss an issue without resorting to sneering sarcasm.

It is certainly NOT what A/F was created for. IT the off topic pond thread was purely to keep the rest of the Forum free of general chitchat, though in my experience there were members who continued to post off topic general and ,unrelated to motoring posts, particularly in Froggy Chat. They probably had their reasons, but it was like a competition to see how off topic (gross??) one could post there, till other members virtually begged the moderator to move the topic to a non public area as some posts were quite embarrassing!.

The Pond was the ideal graveyard for those very OT posts, but a similar contest of will and intent soon deep sixed the Pond -too hard to moderate and I know the toll that takes on them, as my daughter was once a moderator who tried to be even handed and a friend to all - still friend to many loyal froggers. I won't speak for her but I know that any accusation of bias cut to the bone.. they are volunteers and try their best.

 

[schlitzaugen]

That is a major issue! Y'all know next to nothing about anyone on here, without a face to face meeting ~ Forums do not provide provision to do any such thing.
Some just assume by the way others approach written communication they know the writer intimately, impossible!
We all know what assuming does?

Not sure we do.

I am not sayin' you get to know someone like you would if you had a long term face to face relationship but then again, you wouldn't otherwise meet face to face people on the other side of the planet either.