With all the recent turmoil lately on the forums I think it is time to consider how to better handle the cyber bullying that is becoming all to common here. Hopefully the members themselves will start to behave in a more polite manner and also the moderators can effectively manage the situation better. If neither of those things happen then the furture of AZ forums may be in jeporady. If it is not managed better by all involved AZ will become a much less pleasant place to be. It's obvious that some members are here just to stir up the pot with the only goal of upsetting other posters. It's my opinion that we as a community need to start to think how we can help the forums become a more friendly environment. As I type this I wonder how long it will be before this turns into something ugly and in my opinion that is part of the problem. Cyber bullying is becoming expected here, IMO...
Cyber bullying!
- Thread starter Quesports
- Start date
You are absolutely correct.
Sadly, its not going to change, and it couldn't change without a significant shift in Moderator involvement. Which would require more mods, and would create a hue and cry from a block of posters about being repressed.
Great thoughts, though.
Sadly, its not going to change, and it couldn't change without a significant shift in Moderator involvement. Which would require more mods, and would create a hue and cry from a block of posters about being repressed.
Great thoughts, though.
Most posters are simply aliases to other posters.
Only one person who posts here has met me and would know who I am.
But there are some who are "public" people, for lack of a better term.
Some are here for business reasons.
We know who Jam is.
We know of her partner, her dog. her work, and her passion for the game.
We see her in videos in the front row at tournaments.
If someone attacks me, I usually ignore.
Most "public" persons won't bother with this site because they become targets for the morons.
And the site is poorer for it.
Only one person who posts here has met me and would know who I am.
But there are some who are "public" people, for lack of a better term.
Some are here for business reasons.
We know who Jam is.
We know of her partner, her dog. her work, and her passion for the game.
We see her in videos in the front row at tournaments.
If someone attacks me, I usually ignore.
Most "public" persons won't bother with this site because they become targets for the morons.
And the site is poorer for it.
I agree, and sadly the site is progressing tin the "wrong" way. I think really that is the price you pay as a spot becomes more popular, it becomes "dumbed down" a bit.
I mean really, guys creating multiple handles to try and make their opinions look popular? Who does that besides people that don't believe their words have merit? And who are they convincing outside of themselves? And, if you believe in what you say, why do you need self-convincing?
It's sad. I was reading a guy going on about what a saint Juice was because he took both sides of bets and made Calcutta bets that he couldn't win. Sorry, but all it looked like to me was a bunch (however many there really was) of guys coming to the defense of the grape they have been squeezing.
And that made me a little sorry for Juice. I've seen guys come into pool rooms and action spots going off because that made it appear to them that people liked them. I don't know they guy, but some of what I read about how wonderful he was, just seemed like guys defending their meal ticket.
Kevin
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I think the site will not change. The people who post here are similar to those who hang out in a pool hall. There are all types with the lowest common denominator towards the red neck end of the spectrum. I have accepted the idea that a certain amount of crudeness is to be expected. This limits my input, relative to some other forums I visit. On the whole there is some good information here and lots of trash to wade through. I take it for what it is and lower my expectations of what can and cannot be accomplished.
I don't think that a pool player's site could be much different given the people who are interested in this topic. I have come to accept it for what it is. There will be drama and collateral damage along the way. There are enough knowledgeable people here with good intent and that keeps me coming back, though less frequently than I would prefer.
I don't think that a pool player's site could be much different given the people who are interested in this topic. I have come to accept it for what it is. There will be drama and collateral damage along the way. There are enough knowledgeable people here with good intent and that keeps me coming back, though less frequently than I would prefer.
I appreciate all the comments made so far even though I may not agree with them all. I went to Wikipedia and did a search of the term cyberbullying and read a rather long dissertation on it and was surprised to see how big an issue it is. I did copy the part below and encourage other members to look it up and read the entire story. It was an eye opening story from my perspective. This first part was cut and pasted from Wikipedia:
Adults and the workplace
Cyberbullying is not limited to personal attacks or children. Cyberharassment, referred to as cyberstalking when involving adults, takes place in the workplace or on company web sites, blogs or product reviews.
A survey of 1,072 workers by the Dignity and Work Partnership found that one in five had been bullied at work by e-mail and research has revealed 1 in 10 UK employees believes cyberbullying is a problem in their workplace.[55]
Cyberbullying can occur in product reviews along with other consumer-generated data are being more closely monitored and flagged for content that is deemed malicious and biased as these sites have become tools to cyberbully by way of malicious requests for deletion of articles, vandalism, abuse of administrative positions, and ganging up on products to post "false" reviews and vote products down.
Cyberstalkers use posts, forums, journals and other online means to present a victim in a false and unflattering light. The question of liability for harassment and character assassination is particularly salient to legislative protection since the original authors of the offending material are, more often than not, not only anonymous, but untraceable. Nevertheless, abuse should be consistently brought to company staffers' attention.
Recognition of adult and workplace cyberbullying tactics
Common tactics used by cyberstalkers is to vandalize a search engine or encyclopedia, to threaten a victim's earnings, employment, reputation, or safety. Various companies provide cases of cyber-stalking (involving adults) follow the pattern of repeated actions against a target. While motives vary, whether romantic, a business conflict of interest, or personal dislike, the target is commonly someone whose life the stalker sees or senses elements lacking in his or her own life. Web-based products or services leveraged against cyberstalkers in the harassment or defamation of their victims.
The source of the defamation seems to come from four types of online information purveyors: Weblogs, industry forums or boards, and commercial Web sites. Studies reveal that while some motives are personal dislike, there is often direct economic motivation by the cyberstalker, including conflict of interest, and investigations reveal the responsible party is an affiliate or supplier of a competitor, or the competitor itself.
Adults and the workplace
Cyberbullying is not limited to personal attacks or children. Cyberharassment, referred to as cyberstalking when involving adults, takes place in the workplace or on company web sites, blogs or product reviews.
A survey of 1,072 workers by the Dignity and Work Partnership found that one in five had been bullied at work by e-mail and research has revealed 1 in 10 UK employees believes cyberbullying is a problem in their workplace.[55]
Cyberbullying can occur in product reviews along with other consumer-generated data are being more closely monitored and flagged for content that is deemed malicious and biased as these sites have become tools to cyberbully by way of malicious requests for deletion of articles, vandalism, abuse of administrative positions, and ganging up on products to post "false" reviews and vote products down.
Cyberstalkers use posts, forums, journals and other online means to present a victim in a false and unflattering light. The question of liability for harassment and character assassination is particularly salient to legislative protection since the original authors of the offending material are, more often than not, not only anonymous, but untraceable. Nevertheless, abuse should be consistently brought to company staffers' attention.
Recognition of adult and workplace cyberbullying tactics
Common tactics used by cyberstalkers is to vandalize a search engine or encyclopedia, to threaten a victim's earnings, employment, reputation, or safety. Various companies provide cases of cyber-stalking (involving adults) follow the pattern of repeated actions against a target. While motives vary, whether romantic, a business conflict of interest, or personal dislike, the target is commonly someone whose life the stalker sees or senses elements lacking in his or her own life. Web-based products or services leveraged against cyberstalkers in the harassment or defamation of their victims.
The source of the defamation seems to come from four types of online information purveyors: Weblogs, industry forums or boards, and commercial Web sites. Studies reveal that while some motives are personal dislike, there is often direct economic motivation by the cyberstalker, including conflict of interest, and investigations reveal the responsible party is an affiliate or supplier of a competitor, or the competitor itself.
Thanks
You sure have a nice thought there.I commend you for it and hope somekind of calm will come from it,but humans including my self can and will be assholes when things comes up that urk us untill our conscience gets the better of us and we realise we are acting like low lifes that is if you still have a conscience.
I hope what you say gives way to some thought to what you call the Bullys,but the only thing that I know of that a bully understands is a baseball bat in the teeth and a little shame when it happens to them to get a grasp what it feels like to be on the receiving end of retribution,and in fact they are not bullys at all, but little cowards that only have guts with words hidden behind a key board and never fought a foe face to face like a man and afraid of there shadows only knowing that little world of theirs, a never ending Bullshit reel of defamation,sort of like my ranting here.
Hitman.
You sure have a nice thought there.I commend you for it and hope somekind of calm will come from it,but humans including my self can and will be assholes when things comes up that urk us untill our conscience gets the better of us and we realise we are acting like low lifes that is if you still have a conscience.
I hope what you say gives way to some thought to what you call the Bullys,but the only thing that I know of that a bully understands is a baseball bat in the teeth and a little shame when it happens to them to get a grasp what it feels like to be on the receiving end of retribution,and in fact they are not bullys at all, but little cowards that only have guts with words hidden behind a key board and never fought a foe face to face like a man and afraid of there shadows only knowing that little world of theirs, a never ending Bullshit reel of defamation,sort of like my ranting here.
Hitman.
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I think that out of all people in this world of ours pool players have the most ginormous ego. An ego so big it can rival professional athletes that act like complete and utter twats because they are gods 
As long as this pattern of thought is around it will remain the same and I don't think things will change. Sad but true.
As long as this pattern of thought is around it will remain the same and I don't think things will change. Sad but true.
Here's something to consider about this place: AZ has often been liken to a cyber-pool hall. And to a large extent that is true. Just like at the pool room, we're all here because we love pool. There are all levels of play and experience, some gamble, some don't, some play tournaments, others leagues, a few guys just like to practice quietly in the corner. Some guys don't even play but like to hang out anyway.
However, the distinction many fail to make is that here, when you get into more than a passing disagreement with someone, you're basically doing the pool room equivalent of woofing at them. And then what happens is that, for better or worse, you've matched up with them but you're not playing pool -- you're in a word game.
Some people here are 100 ball runners when it comes to word games.
Others are APA 5s, or not even. I'm not saying it's fair, just the nature of the beast.
Lou Figueroa
However, the distinction many fail to make is that here, when you get into more than a passing disagreement with someone, you're basically doing the pool room equivalent of woofing at them. And then what happens is that, for better or worse, you've matched up with them but you're not playing pool -- you're in a word game.
Some people here are 100 ball runners when it comes to word games.
Others are APA 5s, or not even. I'm not saying it's fair, just the nature of the beast.
Lou Figueroa
Well said, and I feel the need to add a bit.
First off - IMO bullying is only 'effective' if it is done by someone whose opinion, feelings, status etc. you care about. If the popular kids at school make fun of someone its bad news. If the kid in the corner doesn't like the way you dress...well meh. So when someone comes at you or tries to put you down, ask yourself - "do I really give a flying @#$% what this person thinks of me?"
Secondly, I have been on the internet a long time and participated in many forums - gaming, industry, and social. All forums have trolls, some more than others. The number one rule for forum posting is Don't Feed the Troll. All trolls just want attention. They want to get a reaction out of you, or someone else reading the thread. Without the drama or attention they quickly shrivel up and go away. Ignore them and they will not post anymore.
First off - IMO bullying is only 'effective' if it is done by someone whose opinion, feelings, status etc. you care about. If the popular kids at school make fun of someone its bad news. If the kid in the corner doesn't like the way you dress...well meh. So when someone comes at you or tries to put you down, ask yourself - "do I really give a flying @#$% what this person thinks of me?"
Secondly, I have been on the internet a long time and participated in many forums - gaming, industry, and social. All forums have trolls, some more than others. The number one rule for forum posting is Don't Feed the Troll. All trolls just want attention. They want to get a reaction out of you, or someone else reading the thread. Without the drama or attention they quickly shrivel up and go away. Ignore them and they will not post anymore.
Pay Up Sucker
Banned
There are so many different types and tactics of bullying on here that I see. Some members are skilled at it also and some do not even realize they are doing it too lol.
My opinion is that on a internet forum, management have to educate themselves on bullying tactics. You are supposed to confront bullies and when you do that on here, sometimes the victims are the ones that get the hammer and the bully’s just move on to a new target.
Just ignoring someone or giving someone a dirty look is a form of bulling, My company has educated us on "bulling in the work place" with meetings in the past
My opinion is that on a internet forum, management have to educate themselves on bullying tactics. You are supposed to confront bullies and when you do that on here, sometimes the victims are the ones that get the hammer and the bully’s just move on to a new target.
Just ignoring someone or giving someone a dirty look is a form of bulling, My company has educated us on "bulling in the work place" with meetings in the past
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Watch out Joe. People don't like to hear/read the truth, especially the ones you find mostly in pool rooms.
I bolded the part above because it rings so true. The TV show Bully Beatdown reminds me of Jasby's comment as well. In all the episodes I saw I can only remember one where the bully was unapologetic at the end of the show. The look of guilt on their faces after the beatdown they received spoke volumes in itself. Hopefully by recognizing cyber bullying for what it is will help to curb the problem. Joe W's comments about not wanting to participate as much as he might otherwise tells me there is a serious issue here. He's a respected member and his comments and time here are valued by me and others. It will be a sad day when more and more folks like him feel the same and stop participating altogether.
I frequent may internet forums and several of them have a very low tolerance to personal bashing. One warning is all then you're gone. I like the policy. I don't feel the need to be a be or pretend to be keyboard badass. It proves nothing more than the person needs to grow up...right after they take a vacation for a few days.
They likely don't talk to someone in person the same way, why do it here? Oh yeah, no repercussions because they hide behind a screen name
They likely don't talk to someone in person the same way, why do it here? Oh yeah, no repercussions because they hide behind a screen name
There are so many different types and tactics of bullying on here that I see. Some members are skilled at it also and some do not even realize they are doing it too lol.
My opinion is that on a internet forum, management have to educate themselves on bullying tactics. You are supposed to confront bullies and when you do that on here, sometimes the victims are the ones that get the hammer and the bully’s just move on to a new target.
Just ignoring someone or giving someone a dirty look is a form of bulling, My company has educated us on "bulling in the work place" with meetings in the past
Coming back and taking shots from multiple-aliases is also a form of cyber-bullying ;-)
Lou Figueroa
Pay Up Sucker
Banned
A good example of bullying is Lou. He likes to place people on his ignore list that disagree with his opinions etc. He than continues posting at his targets and taunting them but ignoring there responses. The victim will end up looking like the perpetrator to the untrained eye, this is what he does. Lou has many victims on the net and as many bulling tactics as well
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A good example of bullying is Lou. He likes to place people on his ignore list that disagree with his opinions etc. He than continues posting at his targets and taunting them but ignoring there responses. The victim will end up looking like the perpetrator to the untrained eye, this is what he does. Lou has many victims on the net and as many bulling tactics as well
lol. You were a waste of bandwidth in your previous incarnations here. No change.
Buh-bye.
Lou Figueroa
I must be missing something. I don't think the bullying or harassment here is bad at all. In fact, considering it is a cyber pool room, I'm often shocked at how mild it is. IMHO, the mods here do a fine job of where they draw the line.
Nobody can bully another unless the "victim" allows them to in cyberspace. If people get upset over something a stranger types on a website, I struggle to imagine what they're like in real life. If they do bother you, just put them on ignore.
Nobody can bully another unless the "victim" allows them to in cyberspace. If people get upset over something a stranger types on a website, I struggle to imagine what they're like in real life. If they do bother you, just put them on ignore.
Ah, a man after my own heart.
Of course you're right. No one has to put up with the clowns -- just ignore them and all twelve of them will pile into their car and pull away.
Lou Figueroa