The Discussion Forums became a real life soap opera this week when we discovered we had a couple of drama queens and a spy from another forum in our midst!
It all began two weeks ago when several members of a popular Australian women's forum defected to the AWO Discussion Forums in protest when two of them were banned for life. Suddenly our quiet little forum was over run by forum junkies who spent hours posting messages on topics such as, 'what did you have for dinner?' and 'what's the last thing you brought?' Not really the kind of thing we were use to discussing. But I have to admit that initially we were thrilled to have such an influx of new members in the forums. We had been struggling to attract new members to the Discussion Forums since it opened in May and even though the topic threads were lacking in substance, there was a lot of activity going on and it was quite exciting to see the message boards finally coming to life.
But right from the start I had my reservations about this group of women. Firstly, they all knew each other from another forum and often talked amongst themselves to the exclusion of others. Secondly, it soon became apparent that a few of them were carrying a lot of emotional baggage from what had transpired on the other forum. Thirdly, the group wanted to make some major changes to the AWO Discussion Forums which were contrary to our existing policy of running an open forum where there is no hierarchy of membership. And last but certainly not least, the ring leader was a major drama queen!
Shortly after their arrival another woman joined the forums who said she was from a non English speaking background. My AWO business partner and co-administrator of the forums, Danielle Hutchinson was the first to notice something wasn't quite right there. This woman claimed to be from a non English speaking background and yet the messages she posted on the forum were not consistent with her story. Danielle suspected she was from the other forum sent to spy on our new members, but I told her to just monitor the situation because we didn't want to make this type of accusation unless we were sure.
As I said the ring leader of the new members was a drama queen and when I moved some of the chat threads out of the Members Only Area to the General Chat, she threw a huge tantrum which culminated in her and two others setting up a new forum on their own. I had no problem with that until they used the private message feature on the AWO Discussion Forums to recruit members for their new forum, including one of our moderators. It was at this point the 'spy' decided to blow her own cover posting a message on the forums that only antagonised the whole situation even further. It was really quite ridiculous, a group of grown women throwing tantrums and personally attacking each other on the message boards.
Danielle and myself were finally able to calm everybody down and a few of the new members did decide to leave us. Unfortunately, the drama queen wasn't one of them and when she returned to the forums after an absence of one week, most of the remaining members deserted us - now it's more like a ghost town than a lively discussion forum.
In the middle of all of this, a few men who had objected to what I had to say on the issue of ISP filtering joined the forums just so they could argue with me about it. At one point I had to lock all new member registrations just to keep these guys out because I feared the Discussion Forums would become the battle ground for the debate on ISP filtering. Between these guys and the dramas queens previously mentioned, I tell you the soap operas on TV have nothing on the melodrama that is played out in online forums!
Poor Debs. Totally clueless and intent on being chief censor as well as managerial bottlewasher - she blames everyone else for erratic forum numbers and doesn't realise that, if she can't roll with the punches in any debate, AWO will be deserted whenever she arbitrarily locks comment (or commentators based on gender, opinion etc.) out.
I don't know of anyone who wholeheartedly relishes criticism, but unless one is willing to take it any blog (no matter how genuine or otherwise) will wither on the vine.
She may be able to survive on knitting patterns, recipes and advice to the lovelorn - I'm not sure many other readers will.
AWO forums which appear to have survived Deb's red pen can be reached here.
The stores are garlanded with tinseled baubles and Santa is tucked away in a corner of the shopping centre having his photo taken with the littlies - even the piped Muzac has turned festive.
Somewhere in the digital Dardenelles:
I previously had the misfortune (on this occasion anyway) to manage a group of Fisheries scientists. Our Department had a great internet filter which let them monitor staff internet useage. I kept getting calls from our HR people about all the deviants in my section who continually searched sex sites. Of course, closer examination invariably showed that scientists intent on breeding fish needed to search for 'sex' when looking up scientific papers on fish breeding. Kevin I wish you well with your filter. I'm sure it will slow down the internet, frustrate legitimate users, cost a fortune and be as effective as Grocery watch and Fuel watch.
Posted by Dan of Brisbane / 09 Dec 2008 9:16pm / Permalink
We must have internet filtering. The Australian adult population do not have the capacity to protect their own children from accessing the internet in an appropriate manner. Therefore, the obviously ignorant people must call upon the immortal power of glorious education revolutionary Chairman Rudd to save the Australian masses from corruption by the tyranny and evils of the internet, and do a better job of raising YOUR kids by controlling, censoring and determining what is and what isn't appropriate for YOU and YOUR family. LONG LIVE Rudd!
Posted by David / 09 Dec 2008 9:34pm / Permalink
I am an adult who lives in a democratic society and as such I have a right to decide what I see, do, hear and how I act. I do not need an elected official making these decisions for me or telling me what is best for me or my family. This type of filter is the sort of thing one expects of China and the like, not Australia. Parents are responsible for what their children view on the internet and there is already available plenty of existing software to block offensive material. Most kids at some stage will expose themselves to pornography whether in sharing magazines, books, comics, or the net. Lets face it it has been around a long, long time. Mine went looking on the net before the "nanny type" software was available, but we were checking what and where they were going and we confronted them then dealt with it as responsible parents. They knew the rules, they knew we could check on them and they knew the penalties if they continued. And they stopped. Apparently loss of mobiles, going out, pocket money etc was more important. As some other people have stated this will not stop the pedophiles, they will just find other ways around the blocks, they always have regardless of the medium. All it will do is hinder Australia's ability to have a useful fast internet system. It needs to be an OPT IN system for those not prepared or capable of overseeing their own children. And let the rest of use benefit from all the advantages the web can give us. And for the record I am not interested in pornography but to each his own. I am a lot more concerned about the violence that is allowed on our TV's, films and computer games and think it does more damage to kids who are constantly exposed and desensitized by it.
Posted by Marg / 09 Dec 2008 9:28pm / Permalink
I live in a swing seat that labour won by 900 votes. If this filter proposal goes through, I will change my vote and lobby everyone I know to do the same. If I convince ten people, who convince 10 people each, who convince another 10 people each then the ALP is one seat closer to losing the treasury benches. I hope you think the risk of losing government is worth trying to introduce an unworkable solution to a problem that does not exist and exists as a tool to allow the back room boys to censor at will the information we can see. A solution that can only be used by future governments even more fascist than this one to strip us of our rights to get information they do not like. Remember the Nazis were voted in legally - this is how it starts.
Posted by Dean Nicholls / 09 Dec 2008 9:24pm / Permalink
I must post here as I very strongly object to ANY form of filtering of Internet content. If I want content to be filtered I will do so at a personal/home level to protect my children from unwanted content.
Posted by Web Wizard / 12 Dec 2008 3:35pm / Permalink
First we need an internet filter. Then we need a newsagent filter to make sure no publications slip through that parents may object to. Then we need a library and book shop filter to make sure the same protection is there. Then government should be able to filter what the teachers at schools and universities can say (to protect the children). Same for movie theatres, TV, Radio, Australia post and so on. Stop this mad idea now.
Posted by Tim / 12 Dec 2008 3:20pm / Permalink
I find the methods used by Conroy to convince us we need mandatory ISP censorship to be disgusting. Exploiting victims of child abuse and peoples fears of it is a very underhanded way to foist totalitarian like control of information on society. Sure the less tech savvy might lap it up. But the rest of us see straight through it. We know the filtering will not stop child abuse, we know that a secret blacklist will be an open invitation for censorship. At least we can take comfort in the fact that if the train wreck is implemented that the blacklist will leak. Then everyone will see the real motivation for censorship. Weather that be political, religious or commercial. ie governments silencing critics, Family First forcing Christianity on us, Media conglomerates trying in vain to stop piracy or a combination.
Posted by Cleanfeed will not be forgotten come next election! / 12 Dec 2008 3:04pm / Permalink
You guys are turning out to be worse than your predecessors. Censoring the Internet will be your downfall. You have no idea what you've just started. You've woken a sleeping giant.
Posted by cameronreilly / 12 Dec 2008 2:02pm / Permalink
(Some of the comments turning up on the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy consultation blog begun on 8 December 2008)
By yesterday morning Conroy's blog had received over 700 comments with the vast majority against his filtering plan. Won't be long before the comment function is closed or this large block of negative opinion suffers an 'accident'.