Impersonating users deleted/perm-banned, including most notably "Leuders"

I wish I was you so I could fix that botched quote.

I hope you realise that that I made my suggestion not long after taking over moderation. You and many others here used the forum over all that time, with minimal 'noise'. Numerous others joined during that time - indeed they still are joining Skeptiko!

I don't know why you would have found communication with Alex difficult. I expect you would have only needed to say that you had a genuine interest in this subject, and wanted to share your thoughts with others here.......

...


David

I don't think you get the point, David. If I am to be vetted before I join, I am bound to get the impression that the person vetting me gets to pick and choose who he wants on his forum. So I then suspect that if I join and say anything he doesn't like or if he throws a hissy-fit then he may well summarily ban me. Which indeed, is exactly what Alex did. 

But, once again, I must be clear about why I didn't beg to be let back in (as his demand for another justification email amounted to): I didn't like what he did when he decided to remove all those posts. Nor did I like his imposed change of direction for the forum - away from the subjects most of us joined to discuss in the first place.

I have no doubt you will get new members. People interested in the subjects Alex wants them to discuss these days. I'm sure a lot of people who are here are also still members there. I have no problem with that. It's not for me though.

I bet.

Oh, come on. If you enter SF nowadays you may find up to 10 people! Wow! 

It's usually more like 3-5, but you got to give Dave his due, Alex can't take all of the credit for that achievement.

I don't think you get the point, David. If I am to be vetted before I join, I am bound to get the impression that the person vetting me gets to pick and choose who he wants on his forum. So I then suspect that if I join and say anything he doesn't like or if he throws a hissy-fit then he may well summarily ban me. Which indeed, is exactly what Alex did. 

Doesn't every forum do that somehow or another? Suppose we were invaded by a large group of people who wanted to discuss football, but couldn't be bothered to set up their own forum! The idea that you can let anyone into a forum regardless of their intentions is patently absurd.

I can understand that you became pissed off with Alex, and I hope this forum flourishes because I don't want to see such a large group of people scattered, but the idea that anyone has a right to join any internet forum they like, is just irrational. I mean on that basis, we could become over-run by folk from JREF and we would just roll over and say, "so be it".

But, once again, I must be clear about why I didn't beg to be let back in (as his demand for another justification email amounted to): I didn't like what he did when he decided to remove all those posts. Nor did I like his imposed change of direction for the forum - away from the subjects most of us joined to discuss in the first place.

I have no doubt you will get new members. People interested in the subjects Alex wants them to discuss these days. I'm sure a lot of people who are here are also still members there. I have no problem with that. It's not for me though.

I'm not sure what he hoped to achieve, but the focus of the forum is exactly as it was, and is not dissimilar to this forum! I mean, I was staggered when people here seemed to be in favour of exploring conspiracy theories - exactly what seemed to upset a lot of you on the old forum. Conspiracies often involve politics - which seemed to have become another flashpoint on SKEPTIKO.

I think he acted irrationally and impulsively, but heck everyone does occasionally! I think he became upset by the ever rising chorus of objections to my moderation style (mostly pretty ill-informed), it wasn't what I wanted, because I moderated the forum purely to try to make the forum work as well as possible.

David

Doesn't every forum do that somehow or another? Suppose we were invaded by a large group of people who wanted to discuss football, but couldn't be bothered to set up their own forum! The idea that you can let anyone into a forum regardless of their intentions is patently absurd.

I can understand that you became pissed off with Alex, and I hope this forum flourishes because I don't want to see such a large group of people scattered, but the idea that anyone has a right to join any internet forum they like, is just irrational. I mean on that basis, we could become over-run by folk from JREF and we would just roll over and say, "so be it".


I think he acted irrationally and impulsively, but heck everyone does occasionally! I think he became upset by the ever rising chorus of objections to my moderation style (mostly pretty ill-informed), it wasn't what I wanted, because I moderated the forum purely to try to make the forum work as well as possible.

David

So when it was suggested that you simply take six months off as a moderator and let Laird have a shot at moderation, what stopped you from considering that as a suggestion? You are so arrogant and cling so tightly to your "position" as moderator that you couldn't step down even temporarily to save the forum that you so dearly love? Which I might add has suffered a loss because of your stubbornness. If you knew he became upset because people didn't like your moderation, then why not step down temporarily to relieve the pressure on Alex and the forum?

Doesn't every forum do that somehow or another? Suppose we were invaded by a large group of people who wanted to discuss football, but couldn't be bothered to set up their own forum! The idea that you can let anyone into a forum regardless of their intentions is patently absurd.

I can understand that you became pissed off with Alex, and I hope this forum flourishes because I don't want to see such a large group of people scattered, but the idea that anyone has a right to join any internet forum they like, is just irrational. I mean on that basis, we could become over-run by folk from JREF and we would just roll over and say, "so be it".


I think he acted irrationally and impulsively, but heck everyone does occasionally! I think he became upset by the ever rising chorus of objections to my moderation style (mostly pretty ill-informed), it wasn't what I wanted, because I moderated the forum purely to try to make the forum work as well as possible.

David

Please use the quote system carefully, David. You have included your own text inside my quote which may give others the wrong impression.

Sure there will be people joining this forum who I don't like. Clearly, one or two of them are already here. Some people seem to enjoy the back and forth with sceptics while I lose patience with them very quickly. That's the reason I stayed out of the CD forum on Skeptiko for the most part. The people who enjoy (fairly civil) confrontation should have an open forum to do so. 

I once tried to ask a psi related question on a Physics forum. They even had a special section for "fringe science". Turns out that they don't allow woo mongers to post - all they do in that section is sneer. I was banned immediately and without explanation - my first and only post. I would hate to think that we would be so trigger happy. There was a time when Skeptiko was more tolerant too.

Please use the quote system carefully, David. You have included your own text inside my quote which may give others the wrong impression.

My post looks OK - I think you must have muddled up the quotes.

David

My post looks OK - I think you must have muddled up the quotes.

David

Just so I understand, could you link to or give the post number where Kamarling said this:

I'm not sure what he hoped to achieve, but the focus of the forum is exactly as it was, and is not dissimilar to this forum! I mean, I was staggered when people here seemed to be in favour of exploring conspiracy theories - exactly what seemed to upset a lot of you on the old forum. Conspiracies often involve politics - which seemed to have become another flashpoint on SKEPTIKO.

In this post it is part of the quote, apparently from Kamarling(?) but its original source isn't obvious to me.

Just so I understand, could you link to or give the post number where Kamarling said this:

In this post it is part of the quote, apparently from Kamarling(?) but its original source isn't obvious to me.

Thanks, Typoz - yes, that's the bit that wasn't me.

I once tried to ask a psi related question on a Physics forum. They even had a special section for "fringe science". Turns out that they don't allow woo mongers to post - all they do in that section is sneer. I was banned immediately and without explanation - my first and only post. I would hate to think that we would be so trigger happy. There was a time when Skeptiko was more tolerant too.

What on Earth did you do? Call Einstein a poser?