.
Perhaps a better title befitting the post would have been 'I'm a wee sook and isn't Nick B great'?
Perhaps.
However, I have had conversations with and PMs from people who either used to post or would like to post but won't because they find the attitude of many of the currently active members too abrasive and unpleasant. Older members of the community in particular are reluctant to expose themselves to the savage 'banter' that has sadly become the norm on here.
Members of this forum have found it to be an ideal medium to criticise pretty much everyone who is actually doing something for this community - the Seilachan, Community Council, Hall Committee, several people running local businesses - all come in for regular and moderately abusive comment with pretty much nothing positive ever put in its place. 'Incomers', the majority of the population by a long way, come in for regular stick, especially if they happen to come from South of the border. Anyone who dares write a letter to the Oban Times becomes a target for the forum's derision. The moderator is falsely accused of taking community money by a member who made the same 'mistake' four months ago.
When someone does choose to say something positive (thanks Pyruma) about another member - me on this occasion - they immediately come under heavy sniper fire from the anonymous (character) assassins in the undergrowth. Fortunately I am not too timid to reply, even though I am the only poster here whose identity, physical stature, address etc are known to everybody. What I say as your Christmas message is get your collective act together and learn the difference between banter and abuse. You are creating a thoroughly bad impression of our community on what is a public forum easily found by potential visitors, and doing nothing to encourage constructive dialogue on community issues.
I have moderated this forum with a very light touch compared to many - on other fora posts are regularly pulled and threads locked without the mods coming under personal attack, as the community realise they are just doing their job. It is
NOT a democracy, you will
NOT be using the red buttons on your remote controls to vote whether or not a post should be pulled or a thread locked, and whining about it will make no difference at all. Indeed, having given you the benefit of the doubt for five years now I think we can confidently say that unless there is a sea change in the attitude of some posters we will see a lot more posts pulled, threads locked and malicious alter-egos banned in the coming year, in an attempt to widen the appeal of the forum and stimulate some real, non-abusive discussion on local issues.
I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you all that if any members feel that a poster has been abusive towards them they should use the PM system to let me know. Bullying will not be tolerated on here. To those of you who are reading this but are reluctant to join or to post because so many of the incumbents seem to be hostile, my Christmas message is
reclaim your forum!
- NickB 
