Random Irritations

[Arthur Wedge]

Have any you been on other forums ? This place is very mild, massively moderated and sure there are a few who seems to love spending their day have pointless circular arguments but on the whole it's possibly the most vanilla public forum in the internet.

There are some football forums out there that are just horrific - it’s a blood bath .

The forum has evolved over the years

Sometimes I read through some old threads and blimey that was a lot close to the knuckle

Looking at the threads at the moment there doesn’t seem to be anything you would say is toxic , think the mods stepped in when WHS threads got a little heated but even then it wasn’t anything like what was seen in the past

There are a lot of posters that have left for one reason or the other and there are some that have joined - it’s coming to the end of the season so maybe cabin fever will set up but unless I have missed it seems very calm at the moment

 

[Orikoru]

There are some football forums out there that are just horrific - it’s a blood bath .

The forum has evolved over the years

Sometimes I read through some old threads and blimey that was a lot close to the knuckle

Looking at the threads at the moment there doesn’t seem to be anything you would say is toxic , think the mods stepped in when WHS threads got a little heated but even then it wasn’t anything like what was seen in the past

There are a lot of posters that have left for one reason or the other and there are some that have joined - it’s coming to the end of the season so maybe cabin fever will set up but unless I have missed it seems very calm at the moment

I also don't think it's been that bad lately. Since they bolstered the mod team they're always quick to lock down anything personal. I don't report much stuff at all, but anything that was over the line that I have reported, they've acted quickly. I do have sympathy for Homer at the same time though, as he does seem to get a disproportionate amount of abuse from people, but then I know full well that the more you post the more ammunition you give people.

Perfectly put. For me, still, the good on here far outweighs the bad. If someone responds to a post of mine rudely/aggressively/negatively I take a minute...and move right on by.

This is definitely the way. Have to laugh things off rather than let it play on your mind. I've had one or two over the years that have become more sustained but I just pop them a message and ask what the crack is, and that would usually diffuse things.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

And so 2024 continues….
Why the feck can’t 2025 start now..

 

[Fade and Die]

Had to visit Slough town centre this morning by train. What a throughly depressing down on its luck place it is.
As soon as I stepped out the train station I was approached by a respectable-ish looking woman who asked if I could help her, she gave me a story about having her electric cut off and she was not a begger but could I help her out. I gave her a tenner had a bit of a chat and went on my way, it was about a 10 minute walk to my destination, I must have passed 20 other people either begging, drinking or kipping on the floor before I got there.

I popped into a cafe for a coffee and was approached by another very rough looking woman asking for cash, i said no and she went back out to join a group of blokes all drinking.

Slough town centre is just a collection of closed shops, land cleared for development and pound shops. It’s hard to believe that a town a commutable distance from London can be so run down.

I am pretty worldly and regularly work in the roughest parts of London but I was shocked how bleak this place is.

 

[3 jabber]

Perfectly put. For me, still, the good on here far outweighs the bad. If someone responds to a post of mine rudely/aggressively/negatively I take a minute...and move right on by.

I've seen disagreements but nothing serious. If someone claims to love banter but in reality takes everything as a dig against him then I guess he doesn't understand what banter actually is.

 

[3 jabber]

Had to visit Slough town centre this morning by train. What a throughly depressing down on its luck place it is.
As soon as I stepped out the train station I was approached by a respectable-ish looking woman who asked if I could help her, she gave me a story about having her electric cut off and she was not a begger but could I help her out. I gave her a tenner had a bit of a chat and went on my way, it was about a 10 minute walk to my destination, I must have passed 20 other people either begging, drinking or kipping on the floor before I got there.

I popped into a cafe for a coffee and was approached by another very rough looking woman asking for cash, i said no and she went back out to join a group of blokes all drinking.

Slough town centre is just a collection of closed shops, land cleared for development and pound shops. It’s hard to believe that a town a commutable distance from London can be so run down.

I am pretty worldly and regularly work in the roughest parts of London but I was shocked how bleak this place is.

It hasn't been the same since they merged with the Swindon office*



*If you know then you know.....

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Had to visit Slough town centre this morning by train. What a throughly depressing down on its luck place it is.
As soon as I stepped out the train station I was approached by a respectable-ish looking woman who asked if I could help her, she gave me a story about having her electric cut off and she was not a begger but could I help her out. I gave her a tenner had a bit of a chat and went on my way, it was about a 10 minute walk to my destination, I must have passed 20 other people either begging, drinking or kipping on the floor before I got there.

I popped into a cafe for a coffee and was approached by another very rough looking woman asking for cash, i said no and she went back out to join a group of blokes all drinking.

Slough town centre is just a collection of closed shops, land cleared for development and pound shops. It’s hard to believe that a town a commutable distance from London can be so run down.

I am pretty worldly and regularly work in the roughest parts of London but I was shocked how bleak this place is.

With one of our sites in Slough it’s never a nice visit there

The place is surrounded by some very affluent areas but Slough itself - a hole that battles Luton and Peterborough

 

[GreiginFife]

According to some people and despite doing 45-50 hour weeks on average, I am not a “working person”.

Utter bawbags.

 

[PaulMdj]

Perfectly put. For me, still, the good on here far outweighs the bad. If someone responds to a post of mine rudely/aggressively/negatively I take a minute...and move right on by.

Good post.

I don’t think there is anyone on here who hasn’t crossed the line with another poster or 2 at times.

But it seems some haven’t learnt from their own mistakes.

 

[Billysboots]

I've seen disagreements but nothing serious. If someone claims to love banter but in reality takes everything as a dig against him then I guess he doesn't understand what banter actually is.

Slightly surprised by this, if I’m honest, especially if it is in reference to Homer and his post yesterday.

Totally disregarding everyone’s definition of what is and isn’t banter, the moment someone else refers to their own mental health then, whether anyone else here likes it or not, as a human being I would expect their comments to be respected, and most certainly not dismissed.

I count myself as extremely lucky. The only brushes I personally have had with mental health issues have been mercifully mild, and easily treated. But I have seen others, including very good friends, battle almost daily with their own mental wellbeing, to the point where they have been in constant turmoil.

You often cannot see that turmoil when you are face to face with the sufferer, so I absolutely understand that it can be nigh on impossible to spot via a written medium such as this forum. As a consequence, when someone here points to their own mental health as being a concern then I think the least everyone here can do is respect their position, whether we know them personally or not, whether we like their online persona or not, and regardless of our own metrics.

Turning to a comment made elsewhere that this forum is “massively moderated”, sorry, I disagree and then some. If any of you saw the number of posts we get reported, and then actually compared that to the number of interventions required by way of response, you may be surprised. There is actually very little moderation required and the forum, in the main, remains censure free.

 

[PaulMdj]

@Billysboots I wholeheartadly agree with your comments about mental health and it is only right people should be protected and supported, however, it doesn’t give those going through a hard time the right to post what they want without considering what others may be coping with.

 

[Billysboots]

@Billysboots I wholeheartadly agree with your comments about mental health and it is only right people should be protected and supported, however, it doesn’t give those going through a hard time the right to post what they want without considering what others may be coping with.

Totally agree - it cuts both ways.

 

[Bazz]

Perfectly put. For me, still, the good on here far outweighs the bad. If someone responds to a post of mine rudely/aggressively/negatively I take a minute...and move right on by.

I don't think I care enough about anything to argue with complete strangers on the Internet.

 

[PJ87]

Driving home with the girls and the tyre light came on saying 23 psi (rest at 38)

Pulled over could hear the air coming out

Managed to get to the tyre shop safely , unfortunately too big to repair (the bolt was massive)

New tyre fitted.

I will say shout out to star tyres in rainham , in and out in 20 mins after just pulling up and explaining what happened

Girls stayed in the car aswell

£105 later lol

 

[Robster59]

Sometimes peoples mental health can be detected from what they write on a forum, but more often than not we don't know the mental anguishes they are going through.
I know from personal experience that you don't know what will trigger off that angst. Sometimes it can be the most innocuous thing, but other times it's caused by people trying to force their viewpoint on people and have no issues about how they go about it.
I don't go on many forums but have been on one where a flame war started that wasn't moderated (the old Golfmagic forum) and it basically contributed to people leaving and the forum dying off.
I find this forum to be, generally, a positive and supportive place. As said by @Tashyboy , the dementia forum was of great help to me and I hope I can also use it to help others going through the same situation.
If things are happening that have put Homer in this situation, then maybe people need to consider what they post sometimes and have due consideration for others.
@HomerJSimpson - I know you won't be looking at this but look after yourself. Life is too short to get yourself stressed over what people write on a forum.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Mental health is a very tough subject

There are various levels and many have struggled in the past without realising , and many still do

We have all at some point I suspect had some episodes in our life where we have struggled.

It’s good that people are now able to be vocal and speak out when they are suffering and need help

when in the military mental health for a while was very taboo , big rough military- they can’t be affected , but it was clear especially after the gulf war, Bosnia and then Afghan that many were suffering and it was really good to see combat stress centres being started

There has been occasions where people have claimed mental health and it’s very hard to disprove and I hope when people do they are actually suffering

If a forum contributes to those issues then the simple way is to switch off , this forum has the ability for people to ignore what others are posting

There are always ways to switch yourself off from what you believe is affecting you.

 

[PaulMdj]

I don't think I care enough about anything to argue with complete strangers on the Internet.

Without getting into it publicly, sadly it is not as straightforward as you’d like to think.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

According to some people and despite doing 45-50 hour weeks on average, I am not a “working person”.

Utter bawbags.

Is that because you're not on benefits?

 

[3 jabber]

Slightly surprised by this, if I’m honest, especially if it is in reference to Homer and his post yesterday.

Totally disregarding everyone’s definition of what is and isn’t banter, the moment someone else refers to their own mental health then, whether anyone else here likes it or not, as a human being I would expect their comments to be respected, and most certainly not dismissed.

I count myself as extremely lucky. The only brushes I personally have had with mental health issues have been mercifully mild, and easily treated. But I have seen others, including very good friends, battle almost daily with their own mental wellbeing, to the point where they have been in constant turmoil.

You often cannot see that turmoil when you are face to face with the sufferer, so I absolutely understand that it can be nigh on impossible to spot via a written medium such as this forum. As a consequence, when someone here points to their own mental health as being a concern then I think the least everyone here can do is respect their position, whether we know them personally or not, whether we like their online persona or not, and regardless of our own metrics.

Turning to a comment made elsewhere that this forum is “massively moderated”, sorry, I disagree and then some. If any of you saw the number of posts we get reported, and then actually compared that to the number of interventions required by way of response, you may be surprised. There is actually very little moderation required and the forum, in the main, remains censure free.

I guess there are different interpretations of over moderation. People know that anything contentious on here will result in being booted off. That's over moderation in my book, just because you don't get many posts reported doesn't mean people can post whatever they want.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I guess there are different interpretations of over moderation. People know that anything contentious on here will result in being booted off. That's over moderation in my book, just because you don't get many posts reported doesn't mean people can post whatever they want.

Nor should they be able to. This forum is meant to be welcoming, not aggressive or unpleasant. If anyone wants that, find it elsewhere. If that is too sanitised for people, again, people can go elsewhere.