Lack of new posts

[Derek]

No posts since the 5th. I just wonder if this is the result of over censorship, as many of the old contributors to this forum have long gone, many for not being allowed to express their views. It is easy to allow open debate providing those contributing are in support of my views. Yes of course the rules need to be in place to ensure that friendly discussion takes place at all times but these should not be applied to restrict opposing views. I remember the old days when the likes of Luton Town, Mark and Zuro plus many others would, tongue in cheek, post and whilst Luton Town together with Zuro and I never publically agreed we still remain good friends to the day. There are many contributors that it used to be fun to read their posts. Hopefully the forum can someday return to the fun it once was.

Derek

[John H]

Interesting, in all the time the forum has been going there are probably less than 20 posts that have been moderated and probably around 15 threads closed, I’m not sure if that counts as over zealous!!
The rules of the forum are there for all to see and I am pleased to say that 99.9% of the time they are followed.

Regards all

John



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[Admin]

No posts since the 5th …..

Not true Derek. The following posts have all been made since 5th December :-

Category "Local Services etc" 3 posts on 6th, 1 post on 11th.

Category "Free Ads" 1 post on 7th.

Category "Travel & Transport" 1 post on 8th, 1 post on10th.

Category "Entertainment etc." 1 post on 11th, 1 post 12th.


Things always go very quiet on the Forum at this time of year so all-in-all we are not doing too bad so why not be full of "good cheer" and wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Thanks to all our Forum Members for yet another successful year (2018). Let's hope that 2019 is just as good and continues to be enjoyed by everyone involved.

Whoops ! another post about Christmas trees just popped in as I was writing this.

[wilson]

I would agree Derek, the forum was driven by regular contributors who posted frequently on most subjects. I do recall earlier this year the easily offended brigade stated that the forum was a bit intimidating, so they didnt post through fear of being disagreed with. All the forum characters have since moved on (i wont say where) and this forum through wishing to appease the vocal minority has withered, a real shame i think.I remember many posts that ran for ages,yes they may have gone off topic occasionally, but they got people contributing. Where are the vocal minority with all their posts or are they armchair voyeurs who lurk who knows.

[Derek]

Hi
I would not agree that the number of posts moderated or closed were proportionately low unless they were all from one member. The problem is in my view is caused by a degree of self centred behaviour and the sense of achievement when the back is patted.  Differing views expressed politely can make forums enjoyable but beliefs and opinions can occasionally differ from the party line.

Right at the start of this forum I was a keen supporter but in a discussion concerning the exchange rate I dare to mention UKIP and the effect that us leaving the Eu would have on the exchange rate. I was told off and did not bother to post from that day to almost this. It so happens my comments then happen to have been right but of course most of what I use to say was and is possibly wrong but always said in a polite and respectful manner and within the rules.

I belong to several forums, many of which have a motorbike theme as that is my interest. Yes others contributors to those forums  occasionally have held a different view point to mine (how dare they) but I do not get my posts moderated (edited) or receive emails telling me what and what not I can post. May I suggest that another category is added maybe that would allow the banter of old that was good fun.

Derek

[wilson]

It really is quite odd how other forums are able to accommodate members opinions without the teddy being thrown out. And thats the point really they are opinions, no one is necessarily right or wrong,they just have a different point of view, this forum on many occasions has ganged up on a lone voice who dared to not toe the party line.
I think the forum stats speak for themselves a 50% drop since 2015, a return to the good old days would be welcome but i fear the lurkers might have another agenda, my opinion of course.

[Tony Gillam]

The activity on all forums wax and wane. An almost identical thread is current on the Caravan & Motorhome Club forum, to which I subscribe having bought a motorhome since my apartment in GA was sold. This is a shadow of Hans original one though.

Never mind views on the exchange rate, I would imagine the introduction of this new travel document which only allows 90 days within a 180 day period is going to have a greater impact on owners in GA. It will also affect quite a number of caravan and motorhome owners who have been in the habit of over-wintering in warmer climes as well.

[John H]

I well remember the "good old days" when Suzi Screwz used to run out of padlocks with the amount of threads that Hans used to close, that Hans had to resort to giving one member his own section of the forum to post in as other members found his posts so offensive, that members used to threaten others with denuncias, that three other forums sprang up in the area as folk were bored to death of all the petty arguments that constantly appeared.

It was out of this that this forum came to life, it’s also worthy of note to state that it’s the only one that has stood the test of time.

The forum rules state;

GAsbags.
We want to make GAsbags as enjoyable as possible for the majority of our members and become a great resource for information on this part of Spain that we all share a love of. We of course need rules to help keep things running smoothly and protect our broad range of users.  Here are a few key pointers to take into account when using the Forum. We have also adopted some simple posting guidelines to help you which can be viewed on the Site Admin section of the Forum.

Basically the most important thing to remember is to be kind and respectful to each other.

This is a privately owned site. Posting is a privilege, not a right. Any inappropriate posts or any issues that take up a disproportionate amount of site resources or make it a worse place to be will be stopped at our discretion - with or without explanation. This isn’t a “freedom of speech site”, respect is the name of the game. Do not flame, hound, badger, disrespect, or taunt anyone on the forums. If we feel a thread is getting out of hand we will close it or delete it.
Any member not paying respect to other members or the rules of the Forum will have their membership terminated.

We have no intentions of adding sub sections for general banter.

If this does not meet your needs then may I respectfully add that this may not be the forum for you.

Regards all

John

[puddy-woo]

Could it not just be that most of us have now been here for years, mostly know where is good to go and where to buy what we need so haven’t much to say anymore?


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[JB]

would be a shame for forum to die... a bit of friendly banter is always good to see

[Derek]

Hi

Don't worry we must be due for another "Please don't leave saga" very shortly and a dramatic comeback which is exiting stuff to witness.

You can see clearly the problem (or at least I can) a constructive comment delivered in a polite manner receives if you don't like then the door is there or words to that effect.

The problem is self centred thinking that if you don't subscribe to the I agree syndrome but dare post a different view point then closure or worse will take place. I could name many that used to contribute such as Barry from the Gran Alacant advertiser. Boy did this guy do a lot for those in Gran Alacant. Then I recall Ray (I seldom ever agreed with his postings) but he did hold a right to a different view point to mine. Remember Luton Town and what he used to do with his charity work and the Best restaurant award. I could go no but the point might be made.

After a very difficult personal year health wise, which thankfully, thanks to our marvellous heath service here in the UK I live to tell the tale, though I have continued to visit the forum I have refrained from posting for the reasons already expressed. I just wonder if mentioning the UK health service here I have broken the forum rules. We shall see if my post is edited or removed. A clear example of why members of old no longer contribute.

Derek

[JB]

As well as information on anything new going on or advice and help living in GA... i personally would love to hear more gossip and GA scandals... isn't that what Life is all about  " little dramas" !!

My 2 or 3 trips a year mean i only get little snippets !

[John H]

This is getting boring.

When the forum first started Derek made a post with a reference to UK politics, yes I removed it. I contacted Derek and politely told him why, feedback from the old forum had said that people were bored of seeing posts about UK politics and it was turning them away from the forum in addition to the  other reasons I noted in an earlier reply, reply #7 in this thread.
Derek would not accept this and demanded that we close his membership and remove all of his posts, we asked him to reconsider this but he refused.
He subsequently returned to the old forum and slated this one.
He took the matter very personly against me for applying the forum rules.
If you check Dereks posting history since he rejoined you will see that all his posts are aimed at me, you will also note that non of these posts have been moderated and non of his posts have been removed.
I will add that Derek and I used to be fairly pally and spent several evenings in each others company, making it even harder for me to understand his attitude.
A little while ago whilst in Brothers I noticed that Derek had come in with Steve and his family, holding out the olive branch and hoping to rebuild some bridges I went across to Derek and said "good evening Derek". Derek turned to Steve, who was stood next to him and said "who said that"........I took my cue and returned to my friends, Derek did not approach me prior to his leaving.
It would appear from Dereks posting that I spend all day "censoring" members posts, as I noted earlier I have probably moderated less than twenty posts, this is done to remove comments or expletives that fall foul of rules, when this is done the software that drives the forum automaticaly footnotes the post with Last Edited by John H and then gives a date, this can not be over ridden........if anyone wishes to trawl the forum you will find this to be true.
As for removing posts, again only around 15.......probably 12 of these from Mark Possemiers, or whatever user name he chose to operate under, I removed these as in all honesty I got bored of moderating his posts.
As for closing threads, I have closed non, I do not have the authority to do this despite what others may have you believe.
I also do not have the authority to bar members or stop them for posting.
Sorry for having to post this, but I feel I must fight my corner in light of the comments passed by Derek.

JB, as for whats going on, advice and help on living in GA thats what we are all about, you will see that I for one have made plenty of posts on this subject.

As for scandals, we have to be careful, thats when the fall outs start. Just because we host the forum and I have never hiden my identity I have had people sending me threatening messages such as  "don't worry, I'll find you as everbody says Gran Alacant is a small place".....along with lots of profanities. Thats when I changed my user name from John Hannon to John H. We have also had people threatening us with denuncias on what we consider to be a friendly forum, hence our rules, which some consider too stringent.

Finaly I will add that Les Bounds, who had a vision for a fair inclusive forum in GA  where people feel free to post in a friendly atmosphere without being harrased can see everything I do as an administrator on his forum, we do discuss things......we do not administer this forum to discriminate against anyone, we do it to stop it sliding into disripute as the Plaza did.

I hope this for once and all clarifies the situation and that we can once again return to the focus of the forum which is:


We want to make GAsbags as enjoyable as possible for the majority of our members and become a great resource for information on this part of Spain that we all share a love of

.....and after all the time and effort I've put into supporting this forum I do get passionate about it and its continued success.

Regards all

John

[Admin]

Everything that John H has stated in the above post is absolutely true and accurate. The Moderators of this Forum do a wonderful job and have my full support for everything they do to make this Forum work the way I want it to work. John H is also right about who has responsibility for removing posts, banning members or deleting threads etc because those responsibilities are mine and mine alone. Thankfully, I have only had to carry out such actions on very, very rare occasions and because it has been absolutely necessary to stop this forum from reverting to the "good old days" of slagging people off, sending personal messages with threats, violence and profanities. If members are wanting to return to those "good old days" then just forget it, it is not going to happen on this Forum. I am all for plenty of friendly banter as one of our members has suggested but the Forum must remain within the rules at all times which everyone signed up to when they first registered to become a member.