MB

DB7 has asked me to open a debate regarding the recent situation of people being asked to leave the forum.

How do I honestly feel? As a newbie - I was quite prepared to leave it - I don't think it is my place to say anything on a forum that I haven't fully understood yet..been known very well on.

But, I did feel some surprise and concern and, basically, felt that I didn't really know what was happening (this is not very clear - but my business partner is goingto ring any moment and say 'well, what have you done?' - gah!)

Basically, I don't know whether certain posters were given a 'warning' or not - but I hope they had that chance, at least.

But, just seeing the other side of it -

I have been on a forum where - if people start to find it dull - they stop bothering - and the forum suffers.

But where do you draw the line?

I hope they were treated fairly (as I have been - I have to say and I am a bugger, normally, which is why I thought I might be next. I think I might have banned me in the first week and I am a bit baffled as to why I am still allowed here, myself. Unintentionally annoying though - sorry!)
Playing devil's advocate:

What are the limitations? Are they reasonable?And is it OK for threads that people have invested time in - to just disapear?

Discuss!

(Sorry - very poorly worded, punctuated - but in deep 'lounging around on the internet and not carrying out dull tasks' trouble.)

davidb

i wasnt asked to leave ! bet thats surprised a few people .maybe i went too far with double entendres but then again if anybody here is a fan of the carry on films ,you would be used to that sort of thing .i dont know what the moderators might have seen posted by other members who may have been asked to leave .all i can say is they must have done a good job as moderators because ive never seen anything nasty posted on here .

Harleybloke

I think it's a difficult one.

The forum was created with a particular idea in mind. The creators wouldn't want to see that creation hijacked. If I created something, I'd jealously guard it!

Things evolove though. Rude or provocative posts should be dealt with but if a person was perhaps just a bit too enthusiatic...........maybe 'cut them some slack' but after all, we're all guests here.................

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

Marky B

Who has been asked to leave lately?

I am on another website where someone was told to leave because their posts were becoming too personal and namecalling.
Ta Ta
Marky B

I once shot an elephant in my pyjamas - how he got in my pyjamas,I'll never know

hankoler

This has surprised me as I have not read any thread or comment that would offend me or anyone for that matter, unless messages were sent privately.Even so it would be interesting to know who has gone.

Lord Brett

I was a bit surprised, but the only controvertial thread I've got involved with (to me knowledge) was the Daily Mail one. Perhaps I've not been going on the threads which have caused concern.

The Mausoleum Club has become very quiet since they had a similar 'tidy up' a while back. I'd hate to think of Britmovies changing too much, as it is by far my favourite forum.

wadsy

Yes, Its such a friendly forum, I've not witnessed anything untoward. Maybe

some threads were getting repetitive but thats nothing to get barred for is it?

batman

I started that one.

I'm the cutest bottom judge!

smudge

We have been here before...

Two or three summers gone (I forget exactly when) we got to a point where the forum was all being jolly and matey, the long-established members did the majority of the posting and it did somewhat resemble a 'gentlemen's club', but not quite a closed shop...

New members came along and decided to uplift the chat quota of the site, to a point where it threatened to become overwhelming. Debates arose, some folks preferred to throw their toys out of their prams rather than debate, a schizm (?) arose and a new, 'lighter' site arose in direct competition to this one. There was a lot of switching between the two sites, with (I believe) some active encouragement for regulars from here to 'go over'.

The new site was very (remarkably, even!) similar to this site but with a wide variety of topics. In the end (as an infrequent visitor) it did - I feel - spread itself too thinly and suffered as a result. Last time I saw it the 'last post' dates were quite stagnated and it has since (I am told) closed down.

New members came here and postings went smoothly - the new blood brought lots of new interest. As ever with such things people came and people went, and occasionally came back.

Lately we've hit a peak of off-topic conversations, mainly in the fun and games vein. These have grown rapidly and we've come to a point where - once again - they have threatened to overwhelm the site. The original 'fun and games' bits were interesting and challenging film and TV quizzes. The recent influx have been verging on desperate as people sought to keep themselves entertained.

The bottom line is that this is a film site.

Like any other forums, threads will often meander away - sometimes off at a tangent - but the majority always fall back into line somewhere. Most people remember and respect the fact that this is a film site - there are a hundred and one chat platforms out there in the ether of the Internet, so if you're looking for that sort of format there is surely something which will meet those needs.

We're a friendly lot here - really - but the core friendships have grown out of a mutual hobby, film and TV. People really shouldn't have an expectation that they can come in and impose a 'chat room' ethos into a place which clearly isn't a general chat room.

It had got to the point where the majority of new posts every day were relatively trivial fun and games. There was certainly more chaff than wheat and good film/TV discussions were disappearing fast...

Let me reassure you that those concerned were indeed treated fairly - some of us even tried to encourage them along in open forum, but some couldn't take a hint, whilst others reacted a little badly to being asked to post in a more 'on-topic' fashion.

This really should be a matter of common sense and self-policing. If you are in a film forum one assumes a modicum of interest in the subject and that any posts will contribute to the overall nature of the site. If you wander way off once in a while, no great damage, but to create extensive threads is not really reasonable from many angles - not the least to say that none of us help out with the financial costs of maintaining Britmovie, and I don't suppose all the extra space that has been needed of late has been free.

It's all just a question of balance really and, at the end of the day, people have to make their own judgments about what they are posting/contributing...

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

davidb

i only joined here to look for some films like the reckoning etc .when i was asked to contribute to the forum before i could make that request ,every post i made had a reply with this at the end [i wont mention his name , im sure you can guess who ] .that annoyed me and intrigued me ,it drew me in to other discussions ,found myself arguing interstellar physics one night even . its a good job im not just starting out on here now as i dont think id have hung around [ drat thats how we could have got rid of him ]

Dame Starry

I wasn’t aware that anybody was actually asked to leave but I am confident that they would have been given fair warning beforehand.

I joined this website because it was about British films and I actually knew very little about British films and actors/actresses then. I have learnt a lot since I’ve been a member and seen a lot of films that I would otherwise, undoubtedly, have allowed to pass me by. I have made many friends who have been happy to help as well.

BritMovie isn’t a general ‘chat room’. Chat rooms are ten-a-penny; they’re all over the Internet as part of other websites – even TV programmes and supermarkets.
It’s very nice to have a little place to go to have a general chat or minor whinge in the “Back Row”, but we should never lose sight of the real purpose of this website.
You can learn so much just by watching, searching and asking questions.

BritMovie is a mine of information with many people who have first-hand experience and information on films and players who are happy to share it with us all – WE ARE SO LUCKY ON HERE!

DS x.

smudge

"but to create extensive unrelated/tenuous threads is not really reasonable from many angles - not the least to say that none of us help out with the financial costs of maintaining Britmovie, and I don't suppose all the extra space that has been needed of late has been free."

This machine won't let me in to Edit - hence the above correction...

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

Dame Starry

Good point, Smudge - no website has finite space (as Tescos once pointed out to me).

Hopefully, DB7's 'Late-Spring Clean' will go some way to freeing up some useful space.

DS x.

davidb

maybe people could be limited to 5 new threads a week [ and the moderators could phase out older threads ] ,that would make people prioritise the ones they thought more relevant .someone was making 5 new threads an hour just lately [ im sure you can guess who etc ] most of which were trivial ,but you cant knock that persons enthusiasm and occasionally a good discussion would arise from one of their postings .id rather see a daily or weekly limit to their threads than just see them get fed up and leave .

scholes

I wasn't aware that some members had been asked to leave though. Frankly I find that a little surprising as other than the odd one or two threads which have invited serious, and at times, rude responses, the posts are generally very civilised.
We do have some individuals on this forum who collectively have a wealth of knowlege on every aspect of films and TV. Yet it needs other topics to add a variety and interest that would otherwise render this portal limited to the select few.Yet I can understand the recent clean up of posts which were not subject related.
From my own point of view I try to avoid posting for the sake of it and always attempt to respond in a meaningful way.