Use the "Mark Read" button, people!

[Pat Lamb]

A few people have noticed and become fed up with the, shall we say, frequent and repetitive posts that have been popping up (and dragging on).

It's still possible to use these forums without being burdened with all that trash.

1. Note thread starter.

2. If the thread was started by someone like "I am a moron", don't read the thread unless you think the last poster in the thread might have added something worthwhile.

3. When you've read (or decided to skip them all), hit the "Mark Read" button on the top right of the forum.

Why bother?  My reason is that I think these forums have value for new bike tourists, and can serve as a good place to discuss new things for experienced tourists (I almost wrote "old," sorry!).  Letting trolls, like the one who's apparently trying to blanket these boards, run it out of existence, serves no good purpose.  While I'd prefer the moderators actually moderate, this is the course mere users can take to try to preserve the benefits of the forums.

Edited to add: And don't feed the troll, obviously!

[staehpj1]

It's still possible to use these forums without being burdened with all that trash.

Yes. it is pretty easy to mostly ignore anyone you find to be offensive or just a waste of time.  The fact is that the few problem folks show up in all of the forums eventually.

Also some of the folks presumed to be trolls are actually for real and just have a strange point of view or mental condition.  I recall one of the worst trolls from quite a few years ago who actually espoused the weird views he was posting.  He turned out to be a bit weird, but was actually a nice guy and eventually did a coast to coast ride.  I won't comment on his weird comments, but they were among the more bizarre of what I have seen on the forums.

It would be nice if there was an ignore button for both particular threads or particular posters.

[DaveB]

One problem is that threads that start out as a useful topic can get co-opted by either a troll or a well meaning but weird contributor.  So until you recognize the name of the most recent contributor, you are likely to open the thread again, only to be annoyed.

[Molly88]

I assume it would be bad manners to post it, but if anyone is interested in seeing one of the threatening PMs sent by this person, PM me.  There is a reason Tim has been banned from the other bike forums.

[Westinghouse]

I have encountered this in small ways on this forum over the years. Someone asks for information about touring. You even do research and answer them. Next thing you know they engage you in a pointless argument. My side was easy to verify and prove. The other side was not provable, yet they persist. I just ignore it.

I have noticed much worse on general discussion forums in the USA. I entered information I knew to be unquestionably true and accurate in every detail, but usually to me met with accusations of fabricating by people whose only contributions to the discussion were unfounded theories and beliefs promoted by mass media, etc.

On another forum I encountered posts which I knew definitely to be partial truths with a lot of other information omitted in order to present a favorable picture of the subject at hand. I brought that up many times, but mostly to be libeled and threatened. I did enter the missing information and that was eventually removed.

Just block and ignore. It is a sign of the times.

[Nyimbo]

Last week I spent some time looking for a way to block a certain specific poster's threads or posts from my feed but didn't find any way to do so.  I did see and decide to use the "Mark Read" button as you mentioned in the post  because it seems the best option.  What I wondered at the time is, when marking the posts read does it just look to the moderator as if I have read all of the offending posts, because I wanted the moderator to see that I was not reading them.  I doubt that it does.

I'm still a bit sad that I have to stop and look at original poster or last person to post every time I open the forums.  Instead of just jumping in and reading all the new posts.   

[jsieber]

I apologize for the delay in responding to this thread and for the slow response to the general recent behavior on the forums.

I think that we do need to keep in mind that each participant is coming from a different place and is not necessarily here to cause trouble or waste others time. The purpose of this forum is to create a community where we can share knowledge an inspiration about bicycle touring. My hope is that everyone can follow the golden rule of treating others how they would like to be treated and not have to resort to banning participants. If you are not interested in a specific topic or the posts from a specific user please move on to content where you feel you can contribute to the community.

That being said, if you go to your forum profile from the menu at the top of the screen there will be an additional menu to Modify your profile where there is an option for Buddies/Ignore list. From there you can add users that you wish to ignore. Adding users to the ignore list will allow you to carry on in the forums without having to read their posts.

I ask all members of this forum to keep this a place that welcomes all members new and old and helps to inspire people to travel by bicycle. It takes effort from each of us to get along and keep this from becoming like many other places on the internet. 

 

[Molly88]

A disappointing response. I'll be surprised if many new folks stick around after wading through the foolishness. Oh well....

[staehpj1]

Thanks.  That sounds like the right approach to me.  It isn't always clear who is or isn't a troll, so it seems better to let us have the option of adding those who we wish to ignore to an ignore list without the need for banning folks.

Folks who spam the boards are another matter, but you guys have generally done a good job of removing them and their posts.

[Nyimbo]

I suppose it is just a software problem but was disappointed to still be getting email notifications for new post from people I have blocked as well as showing up in the "Unread Post" feeds.  I know it isn't life or death, just annoying.

[jsieber]

I suppose it is just a software problem but was disappointed to still be getting email notifications for new post from people I have blocked as well as showing up in the "Unread Post" feeds.  I know it isn't life or death, just annoying.

Understood. It appears that the forum software does not take those items into consideration. It is possible that it will be fixed in a newer version.