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'Policing benefit bashing in the forum: valid debate or hate crime?' blog discussion
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There are also posters who are, quite frankly, sick in the head. Although relatively few, their persistence and sheer viciousness gives them a degree of influence out of all proportion to their number. If allowed free rein, they will come to dominate the boards.
So, more moderators please.
But beware. Because moderating is a thankless and time consuming task, it is those very bullies who are most likely to volunteer. I have seen this elsewhere and in each and every instance it has resulted in the eventual collapse of the forum in question.
Not just representing government and business, some on certain other forums gleefully pat each others on the back for the disruption they have caused, and plan the next invasion, nothing to do with views or right and wrongs.
Its amazing the things you can find on google when your board
For instance, one of the authors of a rather nasty comment on this blog http://www.insiders-view.co.uk/money-saving-expert-forum-fans-attempt-to-take-down-insiders-view/00912
Seems to be connectet to the attack of a recent poster that was mentioned earlier.
Martin and this whole forum has its enemies, and it is not always to do with any view or belief, it’s just for the pleasure of causing agro in a lot of cases.
Remove all information about benefits - Sorted.
WhiteHorse: Funny how snipping someone's message completely changes the meaning...
You have deliberately misconstrued my message.
I'm sure people that are not out to fan the flames will read my message in full as posted earlier>>>
The solution...
is fairly simple.
Remove all information about benefits - both the information pages and the discussion/'slagging off' pages.
The information people require is freely available from other places on the Internet and elsewhere. Anyone who needs help on how to defraud the system is ruining this wonderful resource we have and we shouldn't be supporting fraud anyway, and anyone who is genuine can go to the official places to get the help they need.
No one should be hounded out of a public forum and people should hand their heads in shame. Martin - you probably will be affected by this bad state of affairs at some point so pull the plug now.
Sorted.
Nobody that I am aware on the benefits board as been hounded out.
My experience of the benefits board is that people are able to be offered some good information that is explained in easy terms. Most posters will use references in their posts to back up what they have said. Yes, at times we do get posters that want to exploit the benefits system, but these are reported to @abuse which are removed ASAP. I think that abuse do work around the clock removing offending posts, but unless the posts are reported then there is not alot they can do.
Recently we decided to compile a benefits guide [a sticky on the benefits board; still needs to be finished] and some regulars and some newbies contributed towards it. There is a good community spirit on there and people who are vunerable are supported very well. The only problem that I have come across is posters in DT moaning at me when I have to move threads over to the discussion board, but this is in accordance with the rules on the benefits board. In the main, a lot of people recieve help and do appreciate it.
Don't agree with this at all, sorry. I'm not a frequenter of the benefits boards (maybe I'll check them out now) but I don't think they should be removed. Some benefits, such as tax credits or pension credit, affect many people and it would be useful to have somewhere on MSE to go for advice about these and other benefits. There are "official" channels, as you say, but not everyone knows where to find these and will come straight to MSE if they are already registered here. If the boards and information on the main site were removed a lot of vulnerable people may not know where to go to get help. Please don't remove this useful information Martin.
I thought the problem with the 'publicly available' information was that it wasn't always that clear. The Benefits board helps people to know exactly where to look.
"The days pass so fast, let's try to make each one better than the last"
My late maternal-grandfather (Grampy) was a prominent war hero during WWII. Involved in significant operations such as the Normandy Landings (D-Day), Arnheim (A Bridge Too Far) and in the first medical team with the British Unit that liberated Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration-camp (he never slept at night again, for the rest of his life, after that). Therefore, I am more acquainted with actual 'hate crime' than I ever wish to be.
MSE provides an important forum for debate on BOTH sides of the argument. Yes; if any post is abusive, racist, or otherwise offensive, it should be reported and deleted. But PLEASE do not abolish rational, balanced debate. That's how it starts. Freedom of speech is a precious thing in this world - as long as it is not overly-extreme.
Gassing babies for no reason other than race is a hate-crime. Offering a forum for debate (whilst deleting any "flamers" out to cause mischief) is democracy. Do not confuse the two.
Martin Lewis deserves the highest honour in the Queen's List for all he has done to help the desperate and lonely in this country. People shouldn't slag-off him or his work just because they don't see eye-to-eye. Life's too short.
R x
I'm a moderator on another site, and though we've agonised and agonised over free speech, there are some people who are simply there to cause trouble or take out their aggression on strangers. It's strange that this should happen on a benefits board, because the aggressors are usually people with a great deal of spare time during the day, but people are odd. And those who get kicks out of attacking strangers online are even odder. You can't reason with them-they aren't reasonable. Hiding behind their keyboards, they probably don't even think of themselves as habitually aggressive-it's always the OP's fault.
Three strikes. Warning, final warning, out. And if the IP matches someone previously banned, or comes via a proxy, one strike.