It is easy enough @madpenguin to ignore* those who consistently are rude/offensive/dismissive of other people's rights to an opinion and to avoid threads whose title is not inviting, just as you can bookmark threads of particular interest.
*click on the poster's name then on the head and shoulders icon to "Ignore".
It is more about ignoring a particular thread rather than a poster themselves. For example I may not wish to see all the threads on vegetable gardening so could just click on 'ignore' so I would not see those threads in the list but a particular poster on that thread may be the one I want to see discussing cacti. So ignore thread not poster. I remember I had this option on some other forum and it was jolly useful!
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
I must admit, I never quite understood the ignore bit. Isn't a brain a filter? Surely you don't just read anything and everything that appears in front of you? If a topic, based on subject, has no appeal, don't open it - if a post, upon reading part of it, isn't your cup of tea, don't read the rest.
On another forum I was on when you came to the first page it was all the latest posts and I had to scroll through a couple of pages before I saw something I may be interested in checking out further. Once I was able to ignore threads only the posts I wanted were at the top. Think it was RSPB site? There were so many threads on Ospreys and what have you that I decided to ignore (you can always unignore) so only saw threads that interested me. Sort of opposite to Favourites!
“Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
Why? Debates over peat have been more heated than other political discussions. We've been told this has to be a non-political space and any posts of a political nature will be removed. Guidelines for this censorship haven't been given and neither has any justification for the change of policy. Apparently politics aren't relevant to the life of gardeners.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Why? Debates over peat have been more heated than other political discussions. We've been told this has to be a non-political space and any posts of a political nature will be removed. Guidelines for this censorship haven't been given and neither has any justification for the change of policy. Apparently politics aren't relevant to the life of gardeners.
Not quite - I thought 'may' (which implied 'may not' to me as well) was the word used not 'will'. Which implied to me it was the context/content that was relevant.
What I think I perceive is in the answer by thevictorian (a poor sample size to draw conclusions from eh?). It seemed to me that it was more likely that a gardening thread/set of posts flared up over gardening than a thread/set of posts on politics. But I also then think that it's more likely for posts about non-gardening topics to be reported and to then be actioned/sanctioned by the mods. If the purpose of mod action is to stop flare-ups and inconsiderate posts, then the process seemed wrong and ineffective (I don't recall flare-ups on political threads - I do recall disagreements - which are not necessarily the same thing) to me - BUT - if the purpose is to stop political posts then it seems vaguely more effective.
I couldn't say if gardening or politics was more evocative was my meaning because I didn't stray into the politics or many non gardening topics. People were commenting that the forum was quiet and I was saying that in my opinion it can be very hard to get settled into the forum to begin with because of some replies being off putting. I'm sure most were not meant in that way but I've seen many posts where people are instantly accused of being bots, told I don't grow those because I don't like them, use the search, not another bloody cat thread or other similar things, it just doesn't come across as welcoming all the time which is a shame because there are so many nice and helpful people on here, even the grumpier ones can be fun/helpful from time to time.
As for my personal opinion, if people wish to go off topic then fair enough. I do find it confusing that just about any subject before was fine but now there are limits, although admittedly I don't know how heated things have gotten in the past.
Why? Debates over peat have been more heated than other political discussions. We've been told this has to be a non-political space and any posts of a political nature will be removed. Guidelines for this censorship haven't been given and neither has any justification for the change of policy. Apparently politics aren't relevant to the life of gardeners.
As I see it, the "heat" generated by a topic is not the stumbling block that led to the restriction. And whilst peat could be discussed from a political POV, that is not the only way to discuss it, whereas discussion about war is always political.
You'll get heated debates over anything and everything - wasn't it Swift who coined big-endian? (Don't quote me - my memory fails me all the time and I'm in a state of permanent confusion).
The point being that anywhere there's a difference is debate - and given that the universe appears to be based on difference....
Edited to add: Just googled endian -
'
It began upon the following occasion.
It is allowed on all hands, that the primitive way of
breaking eggs before we eat them, was upon the larger end:
but his present Majesty's grandfather, while he was a boy,
going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the
ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers.
Whereupon the Emperor his father published an edict,
commanding all his subjects, upon great penalties, to break
the smaller end of their eggs.
The people so highly resented this law, that our Histories
tell us there have been six rebellions raised on that
account, wherein one Emperor lost his life, and another his
crown. These civil commotions were constantly formented
by the monarchs of Blefuscu, and when they were quelled, the
exiles always fled for refuge to that Empire.
It is computed, that eleven thousand persons have, at
several times, suffered death, rather than submit to break
their eggs at the smaller end. Many hundred large volums
have been published upon this controversy: but the books of
the Big�Endians have been long forbidden, and the whole
party rendered incapable by law of holding employments.
During the course of these troubles, the emperors of
Blefuscu did frequently expostulate by their ambassadors,
accusing us of making a schism in religion, by offending
against a fundamental doctrine of our great prophet Lustrog,
in the fifty�fourth chapter of the Brundecral (which is
their Alcoran). This, however, is thought to be a mere
strain upon the text: for their words are these; That all
true believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end:
and which is the convenient end, seems, in my humble
opinion, to be left to every man's conscience, or at least
in the power of the chief magistrate to determine....'
I was watching that BBC series on the Boleyns last night (iPlayer - other players are available - but may not show the BBC!) - and Henry VIII could have got into a fight over how big his calf muscles were or how long his beard was. C'mon.
Posts
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
For example I may not wish to see all the threads on vegetable gardening so could just click on 'ignore' so I would not see those threads in the list but a particular poster on that thread may be the one I want to see discussing cacti.
So ignore thread not poster.
I remember I had this option on some other forum and it was jolly useful!
Once I was able to ignore threads only the posts I wanted were at the top.
Think it was RSPB site?
There were so many threads on Ospreys and what have you that I decided to ignore (you can always unignore) so only saw threads that interested me.
Sort of opposite to Favourites!
Not quite - I thought 'may' (which implied 'may not' to me as well) was the word used not 'will'. Which implied to me it was the context/content that was relevant.
I couldn't say if gardening or politics was more evocative was my meaning because I didn't stray into the politics or many non gardening topics. People were commenting that the forum was quiet and I was saying that in my opinion it can be very hard to get settled into the forum to begin with because of some replies being off putting. I'm sure most were not meant in that way but I've seen many posts where people are instantly accused of being bots, told I don't grow those because I don't like them, use the search, not another bloody cat thread or other similar things, it just doesn't come across as welcoming all the time which is a shame because there are so many nice and helpful people on here, even the grumpier ones can be fun/helpful from time to time.
As for my personal opinion, if people wish to go off topic then fair enough. I do find it confusing that just about any subject before was fine but now there are limits, although admittedly I don't know how heated things have gotten in the past.
Just my view, of course. 🙂