How Weird Can Some Forums Be ?

[mongo]

It may be no surprise to many of you that Mongo only lasted about 24 hours on another forum.
No, it was not another photo forum - it was a car club forum.
No, it wasn't because Mongo was his usual/whatever self

it was for something totally unbelievable .............
quick story..........

joined car chat forum (which shall remain nameless - after all, what's in a name ??) on Friday night.
made a few posts as "Mongo". Got the attention of a few nice and interesting members.
Some of those members expressly said they loved the Mongo in the third person dialog. Of course, some of the duller ones didn't get it and had a little dig at Mongo. But Mongo has broad hairy shoulders.
Mongo wrote some in depth goods and bads of a particular model of car which few members had experience with. So, we were constructively contributing to this particular thread.
Mongo logged in the next day only to find that the administrators had changed all the "Mongo(s)" in Mongo's posts to "I" instead. No notice or permission from Mongo to do so.
Of course, Mongo immediately wrote to the administrator asking why his posts had been altered, suggesting this was not the norm on other sites and hoping this was not the norm there either.
Mongo got a very unsatisfactory short answer saying his posts had not been changed - only the "Mongo(s) had been. That of course told Mongo what they did but not why they did it.

Mongo took this as blatantly poor attempt to avoid an explanation. The fact was, the post had been changed by changing "Mongo(s)" to "I" and in such a sloppy way as to then not correct the incorrect grammar that resulted.
The worst part is that the administrators thought this was OK to do and that members including Mongo should have to put up with that sort of direct interference and misquoting a member's post content.

Mongo's practice did not violate any rules of the forum. It is possible some people are just dull/humourless or intimidated by what they don't understand.

Mongo reminded them that "I" does not make the comments or contributions to the forum - but that Mongo does. Further , that if Mongo was not going to be permitted to make his comments on the forum, then, to please close his account. Thus commenced and ended the short and weird 24 hour experience with that forum. Mongo is used to being thrown out of places but this time, he told them to keep it and that he was leaving.

Mongo does not expect comments on this topic , he was just so blown away with the mentality he encountered, he just had to tell you that, sadly, it still exists.

[Debra Faulkner]

Yes, people can be strange! I think car clubs can be a little bit like stamp collecting clubs - old and stuffy perhaps. Their loss.

[Mary Anne]

As long as we love you Mongo that the main thing, look I enjoy you speaking in the third person dialogue, its different and puts a spark in my day.
They are a bit behind the times I think. :rolleyes:

[Shelley]

Their loss Mongo, maybe they couldn't handle that Mongo drove a car or something, lol. My hubby is on 4wd forum and he has made some good contacts, 4wd meets and met some people. Cause he is mechanical and makes/adapts stuff - he has helped many .... its a FJ forum thing for his beast that he drives.

[Kym]

We loves Mongo(s) :lol:

[JoPho]

Mongo lingo caused you to be flingoed?

There was a character from an old TV show 'Fire' called "Grievous" who always spoke in third person.
He came across as rather dull witted but was a very gorgeous and brave fire fighter!
When I read your posts I visualise you as the deep voiced hunky Grievous..but a whole lot smarter. :)
Oh dear..have I overshared?

[mongo]

thanks to all for your comments and views. The funny part was that Mongo had no difficulty with any of the members really - it was with the last person you would expect i.e. the administrator who should be the most sensible and reasoned person to speak to.


We loves Mongo(s) :lol:


Mongo accepts - its a date !........:D

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Mongo lingo caused you to be flingoed?

There was a character from an old TV show 'Fire' called "Grievous" who always spoke in third person.
He came across as rather dull witted but was a very gorgeous and brave fire fighter!
When I read your posts I visualise you as the deep voiced hunky Grievous..but a whole lot smarter. :)
Oh dear..have I overshared?


thanks JoPho. Mongo remembers Grievous (Bodily Harm) now that you mention it but did not realise Mongo was doing what he used to do..........:lol:

as far as the deep voiced hunky and smart.........Mrs Mongo and the whole research team analysing the "missing link" in human evolution at Cambridge University would definitely not agree with that part of the Mongo fantasy.

You have shared (but not over shared). Even if you had, it is amongst friends.

Mongo much thanks you for your comments.

[I @ M]

Maybe you should have named the forum and "we" could have joined en masse and all typed in the 3rd person.
That would have kept the administrators busy for a while to the point of robbing them of valuable gear stick knob polishing time ---- :rolleyes:

[macmich]

there loss mongo
cheers macca

[mudman]

We loves Mongo(s) :lol:
careful Kym, the world ain't ready for multiple Mongos, neither is the native fauna

[mongo]

Maybe you should have named the forum and "we" could have joined en masse and all typed in the 3rd person.
That would have kept the administrators busy for a while to the point of robbing them of valuable gear stick knob polishing time ---- :rolleyes:

Ahhh...Andrew how Mongo doth love thy style. A righteous rogue cast in Mongo's own (well, we won't say "image" for your sake) virtues. Truly love the idea. Sadly, the other members there would not have thought to do this or even have attempted it had they thought of it.

Reminds Mongo of when he told this forum that some cranky woman came out abusing Mongo when she saw him taking photos of some Plovers in a small open grassed area next to the national park. No one was in or near the area at the time. One of the AP members said much the same thing ....."tell us where this park is and 40 of us will show up to take photos"......that'll learn her !! Shows great sense of humour, sense of fairness and camaraderie.

thank you for your comments.

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careful Kym, the world ain't ready for multiple Mongos, neither is the native fauna


Alas, sad but true that Mongo may have to give up his date and deep passions to ensure that there can only be ONE ! .....for the world is not ready for more than that. Sorry Kym....:(.....but can Mongo still keep the prepaid tickets to movies, dinner and hotel suite.....:D

[ApolloLXII]

In these days of, at times, extreme political correctness, I would hazard a guess to suggest that all of the Mongos in your post were changed because Mongo can be construed as being short for Mongoloid so it was changed in case anyone might be offended. It certainly doesn't bother me. Mongo is always welcome here :).

[mongo]

In these days of, at times, extreme political correctness, I would hazard a guess to suggest that all of the Mongos in your post were changed because Mongo can be construed as being short for Mongoloid so it was changed in case anyone might be offended. It certainly doesn't bother me. Mongo is always welcome here :).


thanks for your comments Apollo and interesting theory. Mongo must profess ignorance of what the term "Mongo" may be otherwise used for or associated with. Certainly, he intends no offence.
In relation to your theory behind the forum's actions, Mongo suspects that is not the case. However, even if it were, then, one would have thought they would not have allowed Mongo to use his name as his forum name either - yet, they did. Very confusing. We will always be left wondering about something that may have no rational answer.

[ricktas]

I am sure there are plenty out there who think Ausphotography is weird..well that at the least I am. I have had some doozies to deal with over the years. But Mongo, you are not one of them.

Your are a great member, helpful, polite (except for the occasional threat to eat something or someone), your photography is good, your advice is spot on. In other words, we appreciate having you hanging around here.

[mongo]

I am sure there are plenty out there who think Ausphotography is weird..well that at the least I am. I have had some doozies to deal with over the years. But Mongo, you are not one of them.

Your are a great member, helpful, polite (except for the occasional threat to eat something or someone), your photography is good, your advice is spot on. In other words, we appreciate having you hanging around here.

Mongo does not quite know how to respond to that. He must be doing something unMongo-like to be getting a good wrap - he must be getting soft. He guesses he will have to eat the neighbours children, their two cats and their galah after all to reprove and re-establish himself and his reputation. He will also throw in their grandmother if she is still living there and the mobility device so their is no doubt.

For a very naughty and oft maligned creature, he is very grateful for the free rein and sanctuary he is given at AP . Thank you for the kind words and confidence.

[ricktas]

Mongo does not quite know how to respond to that. He must be doing something unMongo-like to be getting a good wrap - he must be getting soft.

softness is a good quality to have in one's fur...

[Mark L]

We loves Mongo(s) :lol:
However, somewhere else, I's loves I.

[Duane Pipe]

Stick around here Mongo where your friends appreciate what you have to share. What is Mongo like when on the turps, a bit like Animal off the Muppet's I would imagine..

[Dylan & Marianne]

administrator's intelligence was challenged by the thought of 3rd person speak?

[old dog]

definitely their loss I. We all love I on this forum and hope that I loves us as well....which I know he does.

[ApolloLXII]

administrator's intelligence was challenged by the thought of 3rd person speak?

I think you might be on to something there.......

[mongo]

Stick around here Mongo where your friends appreciate what you have to share. What is Mongo like when on the turps, a bit like Animal off the Muppet's I would imagine..

great imagination Dave and it would have to be in Mongo's case because he virally does not turps at all. Just as well, he is after all, a handful as he is.

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definitely their loss I. We all love I on this forum and hope that I loves us as well....which I know he does.

Mongo knows it sounds strange Dylan, but Mongo could not put it down to anything else. Mongo gave him an opportunity to explain his actions but he failed to do so.

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definitely their loss I. We all love I on this forum and hope that I loves us as well....which I know he does.


Mongo says thank you Graeme and says its all mutual.

[Lance B]

What a bunch of ninnies, and as other's have said, it is their loss! I love the third person speak of Mongo, as we know that Mongo is a fictional, hairy, bird and animal eating culinary expert and your wordcraft in the third person that makes for very entertaining reading.

[chappo1]

I have to admit that it took me a while to get used to this site in a navigation sense and I disappeared for a good while but I have never found the administration a problem.
As a moderator on another site I can appreciate the careful monitoring of a newbie but not the rude response.....john

[dbax]

there are some strange ones in this world Mongo !!

[ameerat42]

Mongo should re-join that forum and speak instead in the FOURTH person. Lettem try to fix THAT!

[Duane Pipe]

Me love I to. And me love you.

I deliberately put myself in a situation to get myself band from a forum because I had had enough of the being put down for my thoughts. They would start topics for members to comment on and I found that if my beliefs differed from the majority I would be ridiculed and in a nasty way..

**name removed per forum rules** You and your members Suck:(

[mongo]

What a bunch of ninnies, and as other's have said, it is their loss! I love the third person speak of Mongo, as we know that Mongo is a fictional, hairy, bird and animal eating culinary expert and your wordcraft in the third person that makes for very entertaining reading.


Thanks Lance - Mongo hopes he continues to contribute, entertain and amuse .......he certainly loves trying to.

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there are some strange ones in this world Mongo !!

Yes David, it seems so but Mongo thought he was the strangest of them all ....that is until a couple of days ago. someone else is now wearing that crown.........:(

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Mongo should re-join that forum and speak instead in the FOURTH person. Lettem try to fix THAT!


there is no doubt that would learn 'em AM !!!........but Mongo may never recover either from speaking that way............:D

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[Kym]

Interesting thread.
Sometimes AP is criticised for being too heavy handed in terms of rules and moderations, but that is exactly why AP is safe :th3:

[ricktas]

Sometimes we just shake our heads as well. When you join AP we send an automated PM to you, both welcoming you to the site and linking you to the Getting Started on Ausphotography guide.

Below is a reply to that PM. There were no other communications with this new member, just this...so I banned them straight away. Member name and email etc redacted.

Whilst this is not the case with Mongo's interaction with the moderators on another site, but from an Admin/Mod point of view, sometimes we just shake our heads..and ban people.


-----Original Message-----
From: AusPhotography:: Australia's Premier Photography Forum::
[mailto:rick@ausphotography.net.au]
From : *redacted*
Subject: New Personal Message at AusPhotography:: Australia's Premier Photography Forum::

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL!
***************************

Dear *redacted*,

You have received a new personal message at AusPhotography:: Australia's Premier Photography Forum:: from ricktas, entitled "Welcome: Getting started on Ausphotography (AP)".

To read the original version, respond to, or delete this message, you must log in here:
http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/private.php

This is the message that was sent:
***************
Welcome to Ausphotography. I, the moderator team and the members are looking forward to seeing you on the forums

To help you get started I have included below a link to an Article on the site that gives you an overview of Ausphotography, and how to go about participating on the site.

http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showlibrary.php?title=Getting_Started
_on_Ausphotography_AP

Once you start posting, most of the site will open up to you (including the photo forums), within 60 minutes of your first post.

I hope you enjoy the site as much as our existing members do. Welcome aboard Australia's Premier Photography Forum.

Regards,


Rick
Site Owner/Administrator
***********************************************************************


From : *redacted*
[mailto:rick@ausphotography.net.au]
Subject: New Personal Message at AusPhotography:: Australia's Premier Photography Forum::

You are such a shallow and very weak spirited person. You are not worthy of operating any sites

***********************************************************************

That was it, no other contact. Not sure whether they did not like my PM, our site rules, or what. But something obviously annoyed them.



Here is another one. A member had created a thread then posted into the thread that he wanted the thread deleted. None of the moderators or I noticed his post, thus the thread stayed on the site for a few hours. I came home to an email demanding I remove the thread. When I went and looked, by that time, one of the moderators had actioned it and removed it.

*************************************************************

On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 9:10 PM, Ricki Kean <rick@ausphotography.net.au> wrote:
I came home this evening to your email requesting your thread be removed. I then viewed the thread and saw that the moderators had removed your thread. I apologise this was not done sooner, but we cannot always be online and do not get to view every thread. If you use the report post/thread icon in the thread, every moderator is sent an email advising them of this and whoever is online can action it in a more timely manner. However your last posts to the thread, venting your frustration at the lack of moderation are not appreciated. We actioned it as soon as we became aware of it.

Yes it took several hours to remove your thread, cause we did not see that you wanted it removed.

Below is the reply I received:


Hi Prick, never contact me again via email or elsewhere! Your a ####ing Rude Pathetic ####### ferret looking ####sucking Bastard, so Go and #### YOURSELF and your bitch #####!

#### you very much!
**************************************************************

Ah the joys of running a website....hehe

[Dylan & Marianne]

LOL those responses to moderation were ......interesting........someone having a bad day with a touch of coprolalia ?

[Kym]

Some people don't get it that AP is run by a voluntary team (and the members :cool: for that matter) and is a free site.

AP (Rick) gives out prizes and awards; runs with significant costs (hosting and software licenses); and does this purely from great sponsorship and advertising.
A quick calculation tells me that prizes and awards etc. since Rick took over amount to nearly $10,000 and the running costs over that period were of a similar amount.

[adro]

Some forums can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience and some just leave you shaking your head in utter disbelief as to how people wish to portray themselves.

Another hobby of mine is online car racing simulations which I have been doing for the last seven years.
There are numerous forums ranging from the company who makes a sim, sites dedicated to sim racing and then private leagues who have a site/forum which people can join and race in structured series thus providing good clean racing with a regular and known crew.

I have been involved in several Australian league sites over the years and was a moderator on one.
I was always proud of how 99% of the members acted and respected each other to an extent that moderation was not needed.
Just a bunch of fair dinkum Aussies wanting to enjoy their hobby, exchange a bit of good ol' Ausie 'don't take yourself too seriously' banter and remembering we aren't racing for sheep stations.

Then we go to the overseas forums and you'd think you've been dropped in a war zone.
Inability to accept other peoples opinions, racism, adults acting like 10 year old spoilt brats, teenagers who need a large dose of manners shoved down their throat, threats of violence whilst using in-game voice chat plus on the forums, deliberately provoking arguments ( even has it's own name, trolling ) I could go on and on and on.
A lot of the times it seems moderators don't want to do much as they have to keep the paying customers from leaving thus losing revenue.
At other times moderation is taken to extremes.
I heard of someone getting a forum ban for several months for posting a picture of a carrot. I didn't see the picture but how offensive can a carrot be?

So to sum up, I've found Australian forums to be the most polite and enjoyable ones around.
Yes, you'll come across the occasional bad apple, or should that be carrot, but that will always be the case.

Sites like Aus Photography can hold their head up high and be proud of it's members and the civilised manner in which they act whilst providing a popular and helpful service to enrich our hobby/passion/job.

Anyway that's my two cents worth, happy new year, it's time I got myself a coldie.
No, this post wasn't a coldie fuelled blurb, just an observation of the good and bad ways forums are used. :cool:

[ameerat42]

Adro. My ears are still ringing from your endorsement of Aus Photography and Aus Phorums in general :D

I can agree with some of what you say. I am also on another forum, which, until recently, didn't "bother" to indicate who were the
moderators. No matter what anybody posted, it would soon descent into a vitriolic bath of tirade, insinuation... etc.

Well, now there are 3 or 4 mods with their roles indicated after their names. The discussions are now still robust, but lacking in the chaotic
diatribe of aforetimes.

(Actually, the general level of the pictures presented is not as high as on here, although they do range from really top ones. Oh, just musing.)

Am.

[MattNQ]

One of the most entertaining photography ones I love to read is a certain landscape forum. A lot of the MF brigade on there. Some superb 'togs and good cc and advice. But a cc thread can turn into 10 page debate about French food vs American food, rights and wrongs of vouyeristic street photography, or the meaning of life. and don't ever mention Mr Rockwell or the hasselblad lunar........

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2

[mongo]

Mongo has lived anything but a sheltered life and even his jobs can be pretty confronting at times. However, he felt a little naive when he read Rick's last post with very prime examples of what sometimes goes on and is said in the background. Hard to believe and head shaking stuff.

[jev]

Then we go to the overseas forums and you'd think you've been dropped in a war zone.
You must have had bad luck than. I am a member on several forums, some Australian, a couple US ones and several Dutch ones. Topics range from photography to cars to golf to hifi to work-related subjects. I have been a moderator at a couple and a juror with one of the largest Dutch photography forums. There are badly run forums out there, sure - but many others are just as welcoming, open-minded and controlled as this one. Just weed out the bad ones and continue on the great ones like ausphotography.

[Sdison]

Mongo's story reminds me of this scene from the West Wing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAB858elJOw

Even if you're not a West Wing fan you can get the picture of what's going on. The internet is a crazy place.

I'm a forum veteran despite my relatively young age (23) - I've been hanging out on online communities for nearly half my life. I've seen some horrendous stuff in some forums and been an active member of some very good ones, but I've never been in a forum that's as welcoming and as engaging as this one.

[Bennymiata]

Poor, misunderstood and maligned Mongo.

The forum of which you speak used to have a great sense of humour, but a few years ago, it lost it, for some reason or another, which is why I also left it................

[mongo]

Poor, misunderstood and maligned Mongo.

The forum of which you speak used to have a great sense of humour, but a few years ago, it lost it, for some reason or another, which is why I also left it................

thanks for your reply George. Mongo thinks it was also very unfortunate - he would otherwise liked to have stayed.