We were having an informative discussion under the thread titled Tired of Photography or Wallpaper until Mike (+tbob, aka, mindmelt, aka LOL2012, aka tft, aka WTF1, etc. etc.) rudely jumped in using foul language and got the thread sent to the graveyard! Why don't you just ban this user if he is going to be so insulting, vile and obscene instead of letting him run rampant over the site? He's already posted 4 new posts above about the same thing? What is going on and why aren't you mods doing something to stop this?

I think you should get help. Listen to yourself. You are the one who is offended all over the place. You readily admit it.

.tinylittledot
13/10/12 23:57
complain message
Kiss kiss Cynlee

What I don't understand is that for 'most' of the 8 years I've been here tbob didn't behave like you do...what happened to you, tinylittledot?

I never told you to quit either. I tried to help you. You asked me all kinds of questions about myself, which I answered politely and when I asked a question of you, you never responded. I think you should think about things and realize that you might be just a tad paranoid.

tinylittledot, you intimated that you were no longer a mod. No other mod has logged on since this discussion began. So, who removed all your new threads and where are your comments in this thread? I know I can't delete mine, so how can you delete yours?

I was wondering if I was losing it for awhile but I notice the missing comments and threads too.

Sure is puzzling, Pat. I guess you can say anything you want when you know you have the privilege of removing all evidence of what you said.

Perhaps I'm the one a tad paranoid now but I just noticed that as of 1:51 we have a new member on the site...8xvXz4ht3C...is it just me or does the arrangement of numbers and letters seem familiar? My apologies if it is in fact a legitimate new member but can't help but wonder if yet another persona has emerged.

Several of us have noticed a variety of new user names with just letters and numbers. They get a new user account and stay on the site long enough to leave a comment or look around and then they don't reappear. It is quite odd. I think that is the sixth user name like that I have encountered in the last few weeks.

Well, since the other discussion threads mysteriously disappeared I just hope that tinylittledot read my last post and will heed the advice...start fresh, post images, contribute in a positive way, and forget the rest of the nonsense.

Most of the names that are like this: "8xvXz4ht3C" are simply bot spammers.

Mods do not & never had the have the ability to remove threads.


I have been logged on multiple times since this discussion started.

What is a bot spammer? Not remove threads, mimi, remove their own comments from a thread. However there were threads started that seem to have disappeared completely.

Both comments and threads, Cindy...what happened to DUDE YOU'RE KILLIN THE SITE thread? or, something like that...there were about 3 of them with that title.

Bot spammers put ads on sites. I have noticed quite a few.

Anyone on the site can "erase" the words they wrote but the name/date/avatar stays in place.

Ok, I googled. It's a robot spammer, but I still don't understand why or what it is attempting to do.

I thought as much because I have removed comments, but in this case, the name/date/avatar also disappeared and I am not crazy because Pat saw them too.

I understand about the bot spammer now. It's like all the junk emails I get, I guess.

You are right about the bot spammer Cindy. I get junk mail too, dang it! ;)

I guess there is no explanation for where those comments went then?

Mods can move threads to the elephant graveyard but in the case of threads/comments/avatars completely missing I can only assume then that Geri can somehow do that remotely? This isn't the first time I noticed this sort of thing happening at 'just the right moment'.

Well, I guess there's a remote chance he was online at just the right moment. lol

It is my limited understanding that *caedes is able to remotely access the site..I am definitely not tech savvy enough to begin to comprehend how. ;)

Must sign off ladies, good night!

I must be missing something - in this thread and most recent graveyard one there are posts missing which are referred to by other poster so they must have been removed completely because there is no name/date/avatar visible.
Had the first ridicuous comment made be a 'new' member in the graveyard thread been removed when a complaint was sent about it (there was at least one , I sent it) the whole discussion may have been able to continue without being taken down.
Seven genuine people participated in that thread and along comes one other, then soon after the thread disappears. I did not see what was said by them except for their first inane post so do not really know if they were the reason. An explanation why would have been welcome and also respectful to the thread starter.
I was under the impression that mods could delete threads due to the fact that I once requested that if post of mine was deemed inapporopriate by them then simply remove it rather than make a public issue of it. I was told this was possible. Perhaps just certain higher divisions of the Mod Squad are able to do that ?

It is not possible to delete threads, as far as I am aware.

If I was online 24/7, I could remove a comment as soon as I became aware of it. I'm not planning to do that any time soon though, so you should expect that a response will usually no be immediate. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Personally I felt that the original point of the thread had been lost among the large number of posts that were in response to the offensive remarks, and I wanted to stop it from devolving any further before the removal of said comments could take effect (the process can sometimes take several hours to complete). The best way to avoid this from happening in future would be to make a complaint (although even this is not usually necessary as I do generally read all new threads when I visit, and often another mod has alerted me to the issue anyway) THEN... IGNORE the offensive post, rather than responding to it or engaging with the "flamer". This is fairly common knowledge I believe, BUT the WORST thing you can do when confronted with a post which attacks you or others on a forum such as this one is jump in and start defending yourself or others, or attack the flamer. THIS IS GENERALLY WHAT THE FLAMER WANTS YOU TO DO. If no one responds to them, they have nowhere to go. If I am able to remove the offensive post (assuming, of course, that it is actually justified), it will be dome ASAP. If it cannot be removed, then there is still nothing to be gained by responding, unless you really feel like having an argument you cannot win!

This is for the general information of the membership and I hope will be received in the manner it was intended... hopefully if a few people read it and take it on board we can minimise the effect flamers etc have in the future? The system isn't perfect of course, nothing is, but I do think it is remarkable how few of these instances this discussion board has had over the years and I think that must mean that it is being run fairly well...

PS just in case anyone wondered... the other thread that was moved to the EG (something to do with fractal generation, I think) was moved because it seems to have become a magnet for spambots, for some reason... several of them have posted there in the last few days. I had removed the spam but it just kept coming so I have removed the thread (which had not had a genuine post on it for several years) to try and stem the flow.

If anyone wants to start another (productive) thread on how to encourage activity on the site, please feel free to do so... you can always provide a link so that people can read the old thread if you want.

Over and out...

If tBob, a.k.a. mindmelt, a.k.a, WTF1, a.k.a. boor-of-the-year can cause the disruption and removal of a thread then he simply has too much effect on the site, but all he's doing is using the features of the site to attack it and us (similar to what happened with the VB). If you want to keep his spite out of your discussions then you already have the tool to do it. Start a PM discussion of your own, one for each person you want to discuss the current concern. It might seem like extra work but I've done it myself and it works just fine. Unlike regular PMs, the previous text remains in the discussion as it does in a thread. The difference is that you have the control over it and not tBob. He won't even know you're doing it. You cut off the flow of air (or discussion) to his brain and it will fade away. You're already ahead of the game in his case, though... his brain is already half gone.

-Nik

The only issue with taking it to pms is that it cuts off the flow of open discussion where others can jump in and offer alternative viewpoints. I second Sam's suggestion to simply ignore anyone who is aggressively combative in these discussions and let it fall on deaf ears. If you think the comment is out of bounds, report it via the "complain" button and move on.

Maybe it's just because I'm sick today, but the idea of giving somebody energy and attention that brings *you yourself* down is self-defeating in my opinion.

I think Nikoneers suggestion is similar to mine, in that it means that there is no response to the flame actually posted on the discussion itself.Although I'm not sure of exactly what people would have to discuss?

Anyway, I'm glad to see people are responding to this in a calm and sensible way. I probably got a little defensive in my first post but the fact is, most people around here are working to make the site function, and the more we work together the smoother things will run and the less problems like this will effect it.

no u!

Just to be clear and speaking just for myself--the only reason I gave Mike any air time yesterday was to hopefully point out to him the error of his ways because I can clearly discern his attachment to the site and his frustration with it as well. To be honest I have had similar feelings at times but obviously interjecting some dumbass comments into a serious discussion on how to improve the site is not the way to go. If any of my comments yesterday led to the banishment of that thread to the graveyard then I do apologize as it was not my intent to interrupt the flow of a worthwhile conversation, nor to criticize Mike either for that matter. I do hope we can return to a civil and constructive discourse on how to improve things on the site…as for Mike, if as I suspect, he want to see things improve and wants to remain a member I would hope he might do so in a more positive manner in future as clearly his previous tactics offer no solutions or do him any good either. On that note, I do hope we can come up with some new ideas to inject some new energy and goodwill on the site.

I, too believe that it's only a couple individuals that appear to enjoy disrupting things. This is a good site, it has lots of beneficial member features that other sites don't have, and I think we pretty much all know that. Whatever iBob's problem is, it's his problem. Doing our best to ignore him or anyone that "stirs the poo," as my niece would say (except she doesn't say "poo"), and not responding, which is exactly what he wants, will do more to deter these concerns than anything else. As for making things a bit more fun or interesting, although I didn't like the way the VB was manipulated by a few nasties, I also acknowledge that a lot of members liked it. We need to come up with something that gives those good vibes but can't be taken over by disgruntled parties. What that could be still stumps me. We keep at it, though, and we'll figure out something. The Caedes site is worth fighting for, to whatever degree.

Is it not possible to remove offensive or totally worthless posts to the Hall of Shame rather than dump a whole thread ? Anyone that had responded to such a comment I am sure would be happy to edit their posts and leave the discussion to continue.I appreciate that it can not always be expected for a post to be removed immediately after a complaint is sent. I am not sure what actually happens if complaints are received and upheld - does that sound the death knell for a discusssion, or can just the offending stuff just be taken out?
Maybe even the most persistent flamers would lose interest after a time if their waste of space comments were removed.

"Anyone that had responded to such a comment I am sure would be happy to edit their posts and leave the discussion to continue."

The salient point and that should be heeded in these instances is.. don't respond.

No need to edit then.

And whomever is trying to disrupt whatever discussion is met with ... 'silence'. Accomplishing the end goal of as little potential disruption as possible.

I was thinking along similar lines as Lyn regarding the Hall of Shame and while the suggestion of not responding is ALWAYS a good rule to follow, human nature isn't always so disciplined...and I'm still not sure I fully understand the mystery of the missing threads or why that happens but no matter...the others yesterday were garbage threads anyways...I DO think, however, that we are ALL equally accountable for our conduct here and if inappropriate comments by members go to the Hall of Shame I would think it only reasonable that that would hold true for mods as well...to have a thread just magically spirited away as if it didn't exist is only to invite those inclined to re-offend...furthermore, it's not fooling anybody...there's always some hawkeye on the site who will have spotted some offences before they evaporate into thin air...in any event, whatever actions were taken concerning yesterday's threads is done now and I hope we can now resume some good dialogue in connection with improving things on the site. Personally, I rather liked some of the suggestions put forth by Chris (coram9) and Sam.
HERE

"The salient point and that should be heeded in these instances is.. don't respond."

Agreed, but human nature being what it is (and assuming we are all human) it does not always happen and the offending post either remains to the delight of the poster or the whole shebang goes west.
All I was suggesting is that in those instances the Hall of Shame could be used. Correct me if I am wrong (and I am sure someone will) but I thought that was the purpose of the H of S.
If it isn't what is its pupose?
With a small amount of back viewing it is clear that the silent treatment has been used effectively.Shame it sometimes gets brought to attention by some other strange individual(s) awarding 10 creds to a stupid post.

Suggestion - been suggested before - could the number of creds per person per post be limited to one to give each one real 'credence' ?

I don't like to re-hash topics that have already been explained, especially as recently as 2 days ago but the same thing has happened again and I would really like to know who, why, and how comments were completely erased from
THIS thread when I was having a conversation with someone. I know full well the true identity of who I was talking to but since he wasn't making his usual dumb comments I felt it quite reasonable to engage him in conversation as it dealt with CGI art, a topic of interest to him and others on the site and though not necessarily the entire intent of the thread it at least plays a part. It was only when the person I was talking to kept changing his responses that I felt it useless to continue but why and by whom was his presence completely removed. There was nothing inflammatory taking place though it now tends to make some of my responses appear ridiculous and even irrelevant. More importantly, it also tends to undermine trying to have a sincere discussion if this is to take place without good cause or a subsequent explanation.

I saw them also - one minute semi sensible then changed to garbage and in the short time it took to enter a complaint when I looked again they were gone and Pat is apparently talking to herself.

Sorry.. the answers to questions being posed are not suited (nor, advisable) for public consumption.

Have a think, reflect on what has been said/posted.. the answers might reveal themselves to yous.

... ...

As frustrating as one might view the above statements ...

I do hope 'we' can start to channel the energies being devoted to this aspect of what transpired recently... here, instead.

Ok, I get your implication, Les...I think...as I'm sure you probably get mine when I used the words 'the true identity of who I was talking to' but nothing inflammatory took place and no one informed me that ALL conversation with a certain person was prohibited...if that is the case a quick PM letting me know not to waste my time would have been nice...as for channeling my energies on the link you provided that's exactly what I was attempting to do when a portion of that thread just disappeared...being informed that such answers as to 'why' are not advisable tends to seriously deflate my interest in sincerely trying to participate in such discussions if that's what can happen without any warning.

(*points back*)

Made a couple of edits with respect to the wording in parts of my above post.

Not as terse now, I hope ... and more to the point, I didn't mean to imply asking questions was wrong. However, there will be times when the information being requested is being kept under wraps for good good reasons. That's all.


Having posts disappear that 'you' (speaking generally here) might have responded to?

Has happened to me as well.

And I do understand the frustration.

Thankfully, though.. the list of members who do so and the frequency of this stuff (outside of the recent past, although, right there might have provided a caution in and of itself?) is not long at all?

No worries, Les...no terseness detected and no offense taken...appreciate your efforts in trying to provide me with some answers, veiled as they need be...I'll leave it at that for now, having reached some conclusions of my own.

The spammers and the anonymous "no-got-artisans" were another reason I got away from dA...Many were kids making trouble, and all the while looking to swipe someone else's intellectual material and pass it off as their own on other sites...Within some other art sites, especially those dealing with illustrations...there is a common saying, "When it looks like foul play...you'll find the original in dA..."

Well I read "most" of the comments some of them were a mini series.. lol
If tbob aka (the other voices in his head) is causing trouble why is he still a mod? shouldn't he be reprimanded in some way for behaviour? maybe he should be demoted of his status for a few months until he could be more mature and considerate to the members