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I specifically joined this forum as at the time there were many interesting and intelligent threads and i found it refreshing compared to most other horse racing forums.
Its very difficult to moderate a forum and have it
A) Open for all
B) Interesting and variable in contentPersonally i do believe people should be able to post as they wish but at the moment this forum has unfortunately ended up in a bit of a rut with people slating each other irrespective of the topic.
Its a shame and i will be honest and say im glad im not in charge of it as nobody is really right or wrong so its hard to resolve, but unfortunately the outcome is a worse forum to any visitor.
I only post as i would love to see the forum return to its former state and say categorically now this post is aimed at no-one in particular.
There’s been a spate of pocket talk, slating jockeys which to me is not what this forum is all about. Can’t see a way of controling it though without censorship, not a good idea. It’ll calm down soon and we’ll be back to normal.
This is the best forum for knowledgeable racing folk. And I include many I’ve had "debates" with over the years.
We should have disagreements without getting personal. Noticed things have got a bit niggly recently. But equally, people should not read personal stuff in to a small disagreement about racing; when there’s nothing there.
Value Is Everything- Total Posts 17716
There’s been a spate of pocket talk, slating jockeys which to me is not what this forum is all about. Can’t see a way of controling it though without censorship, not a good idea. It’ll calm down soon and we’ll be back to normal.
This is the best forum for knowledgeable racing folk. And I include many I’ve had "debates" with over the years.
The frustration, Ginger – certainly for me – is that these newbies have ignored polite requests from other established members to consider the good standing and reputation of this Forum, before posting the pocket-jockey slating threads, sharing their Saturday night larks, asserting their opinions without giving reasons, and generally diluting the (often superb) quality of postings with thoughtless drivel.
After a certain point, and when polite pleas to take all that to the Chat Room have been ignored or rudely batted back ("evryones difrent mate so just dont read it") frustration certainly intensifies.
Though this may have something to do with Silly Season grouchiness, there is a real fear that the influence of TRF is on the slide. For the great majority of us who (in the main) consider what we want to say, and how to say it, before dashing off any old rubbish, this is a sad way for things to go.
Do we really want TRF to become another Betfair Forum, or encourage the off-the-cuff illiteracy of, say, the Racing Post’s online "comments" sections?
Probably guilty as charged Bagnallc but sometimes some threads/posts just prompt me to respond; and though I realise that I can often be quite cutting in my remarks most of the time it’s only tongue in cheek stuff and I just enjoy the wordplay of crossing swords usually with people whose statements or remarks seem ill-thought through. When you get to a certain age it just comes natural to put some of these whipper-snappers in their place, especially the ones who are clearly talking through their backsides.
The forum currently has a mechanism that could be utilised to encourage more meaningful threads and posts. The ratings system whereby forumites move from handicap to listed etc. status could be adapted. Instead of automatically going up the ranks depending on the number of posts contributed perhaps it could be adapted to a quality rather than quantity format. Selling platers (no names mentioned) could remain in the bottom league until such time as they refrain from jockey and member insults and be rewarded for positive contributions by being upgraded. This might act as an incentive to showing respect to other members and conforming to the forums objectives.
Ken
p.s. For example, members such as Nathan Hughes could endeavour to improve their tipping threads before being allowed to join the elite ranks.There’s been a spate of pocket talk, slating jockeys which to me is not what this forum is all about. Can’t see a way of controling it though without censorship, not a good idea. It’ll calm down soon and we’ll be back to normal.
This is the best forum for knowledgeable racing folk. And I include many I’ve had "debates" with over the years.
The frustration, Ginger – certainly for me – is that these newbies have ignored polite requests from other established members to consider the good standing and reputation of this Forum, before posting the pocket-jockey slating threads, sharing their Saturday night larks, asserting their opinions without giving reasons, and generally diluting the (often superb) quality of postings with thoughtless drivel.
After a certain point, and when polite pleas to take all that to the Chat Room have been ignored or rudely batted back ("evryones difrent mate so just dont read it") frustration certainly intensifies.
Though this may have something to do with Silly Season grouchiness, there is a real fear that the influence of TRF is on the slide. For the great majority of us who (in the main) consider what we want to say, and how to say it, before dashing off any old rubbish, this is a sad way for things to go.
Do we really want TRF to become another Betfair Forum, or encourage the off-the-cuff illiteracy of, say, the Racing Post’s online "comments" sections?
Having been somebody who has said if it doesnt suit dont read it i feel i have to put my tuppence worth in….and a newbie too (heaven help me)
Sure there are going to be stuff that is rattled off that may well have no depth but because its racing and what goes with it its somewhere where people can let of their frustration. As regards stating that the forum is going downhill because of newbies with all due respect would that be right?. This forum is as opinionated as any forum ive seen you’ll never stop it. Absolutely there are some posters on here that its a joy and very interesting indeed to read their opionions on things….But there are others whose are not……..Thats life.
Established forum members? Hahaha
For crying out loud Pinza, you need to have a word with yourself pal, same goes for conundrum.
I’ve had numerous personal messages in the last week; not gonna say who nut they’ve all said to ignore any grief or abuse I’ve taken, I come on here for a bit of fun, which is how it should be.
If you take things that serious I’ll call it a day on here, pathetic really.
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As regards stating that the forum is going downhill because of newbies with all due respect would that be right?. This forum is as opinionated as any forum ive seen you’ll never stop it. Absolutely there are some posters on here that its a joy and very interesting indeed to read their opionions on things….But there are others whose are not……..Thats life.
The trouble is that many of us have experienced these sort of symptoms before, and know where it leads.
I don’t know how many members remember the UK.SPORT.HORSERACING newsgroup? About ten years ago it had a lively, opinionated exchange of intelligent views, but gradually the jockey-slaters, top-posters and trolls muscled in and ruined it. Industry professionals ceased to contribute, and gradually all the serious and informed posters melted away, bullied by a "tyranny of the weak" into silence. It was an upsetting experience to witness the decline, and eventually I stopped posting and moved on.
It was not moderated, of course; and what a joy it was to discover TRF, which was and is! But the chores and difficulties our moderators have had lately sorting out trolls, animal aiders and potentially libellous posters do not seem to be getting easier. These undesirables have a way of insinuating themselves in quite blandly, slyly getting everyone tearing at each other’s throats to further their disruptive purpose.
I have not been worried about TRF before, but I see more signs just now of the kind of decline that set in with UK.SPORT.HORSERACING. Let’s hope it is a Silly Season blip, but I confess to getting a whiff of
deja-vu
.
Dear Bagnall.
Hi. There are several huge problems with horse racing forums generally. Here’s a sample.
A) Not enough
female posters
to water down the testosterone. Mixed fora are generally more pleasant places to be and there is always the possibility of a Forum Baby inherent in every post. Any ideas for a recruitment drive?
B)
Boredom Posting.
(Like this one!
)C)
Pocket Talking
– unique to gambling fora. You don’t generally get posts like "I ******* hate my rhodedendrons: They didn’t bloom ORANGE enough!" on http://www.mygardenworld.com/forum. At least I haven’t seen any.
D)
Midsummer Madness
– even veteran racing professionals get tetchy in July and August. This is why the Norman Aristocracy used to go on the Grand Tour straight after the Glorious meeting. Maybe we all ought to do the same.
E)
Trolls and Respawns
– horse racing forums seem to attract a small but statistically significant number of complete nutbags.
Evidence One: The Racing Post comments.
Evidence Two: the Betfair Forum – an outreach facility for Rampton Hospital if ever there was one.Racing fora get a load of Respawns too – Members Who Cannot Be Killed By Conventional Moderation.
We get loads of them, duck. Because TRF, on occasion, tries to stick its head above the class parapet, it attracts Respawns more than any other forum. You can blast them full in the face with the emerald sunburst of the BF9000 energy gun and still they stand, Bagnall; still they stand.
It drives Corm to tears meowd, proper biblical floods.
It’s just normal, Bagnall. All of it. Hope you enjoy your stay on TRF, sir.
Established forum members? Hahaha
For crying out loud Pinza, you need to have a word with yourself pal, same goes for conundrum.
I’ve had numerous personal messages in the last week; not gonna say who nut they’ve all said to ignore any grief or abuse I’ve taken, I come on here for a bit of fun, which is how it should be.
If you take things that serious I’ll call it a day on here, pathetic really.
I like your posts Matthew, they’re entertaining, but I think you’re wrong to call this complaint pathetic. You obviously come on here "for a bit of fun" and that’s great, I’m sure there’s plenty of others who do too, but there’s also people who come on here for serious discussion and they shouldn’t be made to feel they’re being pushed out. This forum has always been well respected and dignified and it would be a shame to see it lose those qualities.
I’ve seen it happen with the forum I used to run. It used to be populated by intelligent like-minded thirty-somethings, but it’s been completely overrun with schoolkids now and it’s awful. It’s like the back of the bike sheds.
I hope David can instill in everyone here the desire to KEEP this a respectable, intelligent, dignified place to come and talk about the sport we all love, while maintaining respect for each other.
A) Not enough female posters to water down the testosterone. Mixed fora are generally more pleasant places to be and there is always the possibility of a Forum Baby inherent in every post.
*flutters eyelashes*
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Established forum members? Hahaha
For crying out loud Pinza, you need to have a word with yourself pal, same goes for conundrum.
I’ve had numerous personal messages in the last week; not gonna say who nut they’ve all said to ignore any grief or abuse I’ve taken, I come on here for a bit of fun, which is how it should be.
If you take things that serious I’ll call it a day on here, pathetic really.This is rather a good example of what I’ve called "The Tyranny of the Weak". It is overtly disrespectful to other Forum contributors, lays claim to victimisation, and demands that everyone should tolerate the writer’s own standards of what he sees as "a bit of fun".
"A bit of fun" is of course absolutely compatible with the "serious content" that most of us enjoy on TRF, but there’s a place for it. It is the Chat Room, and that’s where Mr Matthew01 (to take one recent example) should consider making his remarks about drunken clubbing on Saturday nights and taxis home.
But does he? No, of course not: because what he wants is for everyone to be exposed to his postings, so he can get the maximum "fun" out of TRF, irrespective of what such postings do to dilute the quality and reputation of the Forum, and irrespective of the degree to which they spoil some other people’s more serious brand of fun.
Sorry to analyse his posting like this, because I’m aware it looks rather like taking a sledgehammer to a nut: but it’s a pretty good example of the thin end of this particularly lethal wedge.
Like Pinza, I, too, have recognised a shift in the forum’s integrity over recent months. Under my former user name as Ken(West Derby)..only changed because I no longer live in West Derby….I remember lots of serious debates by long-established members, many of whom I have not heard from for ages. Even so there used to be plenty of heated and strong arguing but it always seemed to be with a seasoned respect for similarly-minded individuals. Nowadays the lack of respect shown to more senior members is very disappointing and I do question the alleged age of one or two individuals. The way some remarks come across convinces me that we are often dealing with wayward teenagers.
A recent visit to the Betfair forum was an eye-opener. Little substance and without any merit that would encourage me to hang around.There is a scientific explanation of the effect but not the cure:
"In a German study, eighty per cent of those surveyed described themselves as confident in their answers on a questionnaire, yet only forty-two per cent got even half the questions right. This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect: people who don’t know much tend not to recognize their ignorance, and so fail to seek better information"
If only everyone could be as modest and unassuming as little me.
Pinza the reason I haven’t taken conversation to chat is because I only have an iPhone, it doesn’t matter to me anyway mate.
Id suggest a closed shop with only posters say who joined before 2 years ago then with what ive read here. Close everyones account who doesnt meet that criteria. Id agree that things posted should be pigeonholed in the correct place mind.
p.s. For example, members such as Nathan Hughes could endeavour to improve their tipping threads before being allowed to join the elite ranks.
The problem with that though Ken is i would be sat in the Crows nest all on my own! It can be quite lonely at times being "The Special one"!
It was NOT a polite request to use the chatroom.
It was a ‘we don’t want your sort here so jog on somewhere else.’It’s amazing what some people consider to be polite.
For me, I think the reason alot of ‘old heads’ are getting tetchy lately is because of Racing For Change & the concerns regarding prize money, the levy, bookmakers & all sorts of percieved issues with racing.
People are seeing the sport they love taken away from them but it’s mostly in the mind. If you go looking for negatives, you will find them. Do bigger number cloths really matter? Are the bookmakers really such a bunch of crooks? Is there a lack of quality jockeys & quality horses? Would morning racing be so bad? The list goes on & the answer to most of those questions is no.
As far as I’m concerned (and I admittedly I have limited experience of them) racecourses are still a great place to be, we still have great races (whatever the powers that be call them), great horses & a sport that while it does have problems, is not nearly as much in the doldrums as suggested.
Rumours of racing’s death (and TRF’s death) have been greatly exaggerated.
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