Are non-anonymous bloggers just folk with overblown egos?

[NickB]

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So asks Spiderman on TheSlate.

I expect one of his anonymous alter egos will now back him up.

I have to say I resisted the idea of making people use their real names for many years. In the end personal circumstances a couple of years ago led me to take several 'life-tidying' steps to dispense with unnecessary sources of stress, one of which was the cessation of anonymous posting on this site.

I am of course disappointed that so few have taken the opportunity to contribute to the new-look Seil Chat, particularly when over the years so many people said they would contribute to a non-anonymous forum. However, the lies being peddled and the personal insults being handed out on TheSlate to those who do choose to post under their real names has done nothing to make me regret my decision.

So - thanks to Allan Coutts for that. To Spiderman - IMO your calculated insults to named people from behind a cloak of anonymity are cowardly, whether you like it or not. You have the right of reply - why not register for Seil Chat under your real name and tell us what you think?
And please - don't tell me it is because your ego is not big enough

[jimcee]

This situation is really getting to the pathetic stage.
NB - get a grip.
You ran a reasonably successful Forum for a number of years with a cloak of anonymity for your subscribers.
Unfortunately you decided to make it a site for your propaganda on the upcoming referendum, and received some adverse comments to the input.
And, again unfortunately, you took exception to people disagreeing with your pronouncements and started willy-nilly banning them and brought out a rule (as I suppose was your right as the big white chief) that everyone had to contribute under their own names.
This proved to be a bit disastrous as practically nobody took you up on your change of rules.
I personally, being fairly long in the tooth, was quite willing to still speak my mind and declare my identity, and I suspect that if it had not been for some of my interventions your blatant propaganda would not have reached such a wide audience - this I did in the interests of free -speech and not to make your pages more worthy of reading.
There is an old saying about teaching your grandmother how to suck eggs (which I have never understood) and I have no intention of delving further into this subject, unless invited to do so.

[NickB]

I have no intention of delving further into this subject, unless invited to do so.

Good. Your comments seem to add little to the discussion, consisting as they do of a personal attack on me and some serious misinformation about the history of this forum. Consider yourself specifically not invited (by me at least) to not delve further. Although at least when you want to insult me you have the brass neck to do it under your real name, so I have to give you credit for that Jim. The fact that you seem to be blissfully unaware of how out of order some of your comments are is just part of your charm I guess.

For anyone who imagines there is a grain of truth in Jim's comments about this forum - here are the facts:

Apart from a few warnings and temporary (max. 1 month) suspensions, no-one was actually banned from Seil Chat during the entire 8 years that anonymous posting was the norm - with the sole exception of Pentland Pirate who, in a fit of madness one night, and after fair warning, posted no less than ten consecutive posts personally insulting me and using totally unacceptable language. He was then banned for life under any and all of his aliases and under his real name. I have no regrets about that decision.

I have covered in the OP the reason I introduced the 'real names' rule. As to it being 'disastrous' - well, not for me it isn't. Instead of a load of people slagging me off on a regular basis I only have to put up with Jim now. Many of you will no doubt have noticed that although the only reason Jim posts is to slag me off and personally insult me - which is of course against forum rules - I have refrained from banning him because that is what he seems to want. I am reluctant to give him the satisfaction.

Let me repeat what I have said several times before, while it would be nice to see more people contributing it really is not a matter of great concern to me how many people use this forum. I provide it for those who want to use it, for no personal gain or fame. Whether they choose to do so or not is entirely up to them. All I do promise is that those with the bottle to post under their real names can do so in a situation where debate will be conducted in a civil manner and all points of view - if reasonably expressed - can be given an airing.

As for politics - it is kept in a separate forum and any political posts in the main forum are moved there. Most of my posts have been factual , political news items which do not always make it into the mainstream media. Where opinions are expressed then if by and large those opinions are mine then you know the remedy. Anyone else who is prepared to abide by the forum T&C and post while being respectful of other peoples' views is as free to post there as me.

I believe that using our real names provides the assurance that we will treat each other gently and with respect. Though Jim seems to be the exception to this rule

[NickB]

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Oh dear. I have just had an abusive and insulting PM from Spiderman. I suppose that is what I get for leaving his account open here. I am afraid I have not dignified it with a reply, but here's my public response:

Let's get one thing straight 'spidey' - I do not respond well to intimidation. Your unprovoked attack on me, your attempt to set The Slate against Seil Chat and your unpleasant comments on those who choose to post on here under their real names was childish, unnecessary attention-seeking nonsense.

Allan has made it quite clear he does not want the new forum to be used to settle old scores, so I suggest you avoid such topics. Other people aren't interested in your obsession with yourself or with your perceived grudges about how you were treated on another forum in the past.

Time to grow up . . . You aren't really a superhero, you know.

I don't expect to see any more attacks on me, on this site or on posters on this site appearing on The Slate.

Now, let's allow this thread to sink without trace and trust that the 'forum wars' episode is over.