Glassified Trolling

[PyroChixRock]

is there an ignore option?

find it? If not I can add whoever you need to ignore to your ignore list.

Usually threads like this amuse me, gives me something to read, but this one for some reason bums me out. It seems like this wouldn't have been going on around here 5 years ago. Seems people were a lot nicer, or walked away from the computer and cooled down before typing responses back when I used to lurk around here.

I agree. What the heck is going on? Since when do people fling insults like this on tmp?! Clearly we need to raise the level of moderation, which to me feels like babysitting. We shouldn't have to edit/delete your posts guys, you are adults. Go read the TOS again please, cause after this people are getting the ban stick. I hate banning people!!

I deleted most the troll food in this thread, except some funny ones to keep the topic of the thread relevant. Name calling and shit flinging though, you make us all look bad.

[PyroChixRock]

As for the original concern...Alien, thanks yo. We're on it, even if we need to hunt down more mods to help (volunteers?) I'm terribly sorry it's gotten so bad that you had to make a thread to get my attention, but I really appreciate that you have.

[PyroChixRock]

Icky, we were deleting that at the same time lol. poor vb is confused!!

thanks for being so fast.

[ALIEN!]

Cool guys, one of the things that always impressed me all the way back to the black board was the sense of community and respect the forum members have for each other. I met all these people in a virtual world and said to myself, damn, I wish they all lived in my neighborhood. When I was able to start putting faces to names at the first Glassroots I was in heaven, felt like I was at home, the same kind of feeling I would get at a Rainbow Gathering. This sense of community is what keeps me coming back. This forum probably had more to do with the rapid explosion of the glass scene and many people forging a career for themselves than anything else out there. To see noobs come on here and shit all over each other is quite sickening.

Pissing matches have always been expected in the politics room, but to see shittyness getting posted to peoples classified threads is just low, right up there with slamming someones glass pics. Thankfully I haven't seen any of that in a very very long time.

Anyway, I guess that's all, thanks Misha, Icky for stepping up, you guys fuckin rule.

And Misha, you should totally change your screen name to Khaleesi, if anyone could be Khaleesi it would be you Dragon Mama, though some of us GOT fans might expect to see some titties LOL

[DaveK]

I guess I should have lurked a little longer to get the lay of the land. I never dreamed there was so much politics involved. Sorry if I tipped over someone's rice bowl. I lived thorough so many crazes, that this GTT craze just has "Beanie Baby" written all over it. I will have to try one to see what all the fuss is about. I have to admit, you do have a point. When I end up buying a torch it will either be local, so I can try before I buy, or from the manufacturer because I don't know you from Adam and you obviously don't know me.

[jw721]

I lived thorough so many crazes, that this GTT craze just has "Beanie Baby" written all over it. I will have to try one to see what all the fuss is about.

Not really a craze, just a damn good brand of torches. And thank you to Misha and Icarus for jumping in on this one. There was such a sense of community here when I stumbled across it, I still see it but there seems to be several vendettas/rivalries going on here for some reason. We all blow glass, or are learning to blow glass. We shouldn't be attacking each other. The wealth of knowledge here, both with the members and the posts, is what this forum is about, not calling another artist's work janky, or hijacking "for sale" threads.

[p.j.]

Id like to petition the moderators of the pot to enact an anti-trolling policy in the glassifieds, and helping to remove troll posts. For at least a year now I've noticed a huge uptick in the amount of troll posts in peoples ad threads, which to me is below my standard for melting pot members. Most of these trollposts seem to be coming from newer members and people that aren't posting anything helpful anywhere else.

Questions are understandable, but when it gets to the point where your just harassing and insulting someone in their own sale thread, thats some bullshit. Takes a real loser to have nothing better to do than post negative comments in a sale thread of something they don't even have interest in. If a sale seems suspicious and you want to ask a question to solve your suspicions thats one thing, but to bitch about the price of something you arent even shopping for? Get a life. PMing questions is also classy, as you aren't cluttering up someones sale thread.

Its just getting a little less respectful around here is all.

who cares bout manners anyways when you are undercutting someones sale

[D. dino i ninjah]

I would like to play devils advocate for a moment and say that banning people and deleting posts is not really cool in my opinion I think that the forum is getting too serious about its self really ... Its just my opinion I think you should leave the posts that show how much of an ass so and so Is in order to give reference to the nature of the poster ...
In many ways I think that is what "fuck sizzle" was doing .. trying to remind you all that we are glass workers .. mostly pipe makers and this IS an internet forum ... let it be what it is and stop trying to controrl it ... this art form was not about conforming to the "Rules" in fact last time I checked it was about breaking them .. and doing so with as much style as possible ...

Also When some one deleted a thread of mine it caused problems with my account ... I lost rep points which others users had given me and can for some odd reason no longer receive rep.. I would like to note that I did not talk shit or any thing like that ... I started a poll that was about a subject that was destroying our industry and still continues to be ...
had the poll been left up other would have had a space for continued discussion .. Now its just swep under the rug ...
Also a lot of times NEW people don't know any better and some one saying in the thread ..." hey that is way over priced " allows others to know that there are other options available that are more affordable ...

Stop trying to RULE others and just let the glass blowers be themselves ... . some of my favorite people are total ass holes and I love them because they tell others the truth.
People do try to over charge for all types of things and some one saying so is a good reminder to those that don't know the difference ...

I think this forum should be less regulated that it is personally ... But I feel the same way about our country so .

[LooseSeal Baller]

[Eric S]

okay so I know in general we want the glassifieds to be more respectful, but I actually think it was good to have all the BS in here, because it was a perfect example to everyone else of what we're talking about and dont want.

It also showed the true colors of a few members, and I think it'd be best for more of the forum to have seen them before they got deleted. By letting the members see how childish and petty some users get, hopefully that will help everyone to universally ignore those members and not help them out when they need it. If they're not going to have respect for the forum or other members, then no one on the forum should have respect for them, and they should know it.

[Matt P]

I've been an active member of a number of forums for 10 years now. They are all shit-shows, all the time. They are full of people who love to tell others to eat shit and die, because its the internet and there's no way in hell they'd do it face to face. Or... may they would, if so, they're at least consistent {insert generic internet insult here}.

talkglass on the other hand... is a shit show... some times, sure, lots of times, its an online forum. BUT, it has always been the quickest to get after someone for being an ass to a person, rather than an idea or though. talkglass has always been quick to get rid of people that blatantly break the TOS, yet give patience to the annoyances that technically don't.

i love it. keep it up. talk shit on rules all you want, the internet is a terrible, terrible place, and i don't mind a few rules here. it keeps some semblance of dignity...occasionally.

[istandalone24/7]

yea well if me slinging the bullshit and douchbaggery back at the wit who first flung it, then yes that's my true colors.
not even sure if that was directed at me or not, but i digress.

i think most of the people that are considered "harsh" (idk what else to call it w/o sounding like i'm saying people are assholes, because i'm not) here on TMP probably don't act that way face to face. that is usually the case anyway.

[kbinkster]

An interesting thing about the on-line glass community is that eventually, many of us do wind up meeting each other face-to-face. I meet several people IRL, anyway, and I know lots of people who go to more events and travel around way more than I do. So, really, there is a motive to be civil - you might find yourself face-to-face with someone you chit chat with on here or one of the other forums. Sure, people are going to disagree from time to time, but you can disagree without being ugly. I think that is what lies behind the TOS and the moderation here - people can disagree, but it is expected that we treat each other with respect.

[Eric S]

Its the inability to deal with private matters privately, or the inability to let things go, that show the true colors. If any of the members in question truly were the "bigger man" there wouldn't be this childish obsession to have the last word no matter what.

also, for the record, One time a few years ago I got into a heated disagreement on a thread on here, that went to private messages. I felt strongly about something that was said and I posted a PM in a thread. Not only did I receive an infraction from the user, But I also got a very strongly worded PM from a mod, along with a 2 week ban from the forum and a warning that anything like that in the future would be a permanent ban. After 2 weeks of consideration, I realized I had made a stupid move, and apologized to the user and the mods, and self-imposed another few weeks away from the board to move past the event and punish myself for being a dick.

another thought- this is NOT a democracy. You are welcomed to share your opinion with the staff, but you cant be mad at them if they dont agree or implement your changes, no matter how many users are clamoring for it. This is a private forum, and it is a privelige, NOT a right for you to be here. When I first came here, any question of the TOS or the way things were decided had to be between a user and a mod via PM. even questioning a simple rule or why things get decided the way they do was grounds for being banned.

So I would have to disagree with this notion that the forum is more heavily moderated now than it used to be. perhaps we are seeing more mod action, but only because the new crop of users demands it. Per capita I think it is much less regulated than it used to be, probably not by design but because the mods are so overwhelmed with the increase in BS to deal with.

[SlyAirbrush.com]

i Agree Its getting to be a bit much

[PyroChixRock]

An interesting thing about the on-line glass community is that eventually, many of us do wind up meeting each other face-to-face. I meet several people IRL, anyway, and I know lots of people who go to more events and travel around way more than I do. So, really, there is a motive to be civil - you might find yourself face-to-face with someone you chit chat with on here or one of the other forums. Sure, people are going to disagree from time to time, but you can disagree without being ugly. I think that is what lies behind the TOS and the moderation here - people can disagree, but it is expected that we treat each other with respect.

Everyone reading this - you WILL meet me face to face one day...so be nice!

Yeah Kim is right guys, this is "real life" too, regardless of what mommy told you.

Its the inability to deal with private matters privately, or the inability to let things go, that show the true colors. If any of the members in question truly were the "bigger man" there wouldn't be this childish obsession to have the last word no matter what.

also, for the record, One time a few years ago I got into a heated disagreement on a thread on here, that went to private messages. I felt strongly about something that was said and I posted a PM in a thread. Not only did I receive an infraction from the user, But I also got a very strongly worded PM from a mod, along with a 2 week ban from the forum and a warning that anything like that in the future would be a permanent ban. After 2 weeks of consideration, I realized I had made a stupid move, and apologized to the user and the mods, and self-imposed another few weeks away from the board to move past the event and punish myself for being a dick.

another thought- this is NOT a democracy. You are welcomed to share your opinion with the staff, but you cant be mad at them if they dont agree or implement your changes, no matter how many users are clamoring for it. This is a private forum, and it is a privelige, NOT a right for you to be here. When I first came here, any question of the TOS or the way things were decided had to be between a user and a mod via PM. even questioning a simple rule or why things get decided the way they do was grounds for being banned.

So I would have to disagree with this notion that the forum is more heavily moderated now than it used to be. perhaps we are seeing more mod action, but only because the new crop of users demands it. Per capita I think it is much less regulated than it used to be, probably not by design but because the mods are so overwhelmed with the increase in BS to deal with.

eric I totally forgot about that! I gotta say you guys have a superadvantage with me at the reigns - I'll never hold a mistake against you as I probably won't even remember it! But of course, there are people who stick out, but they make a huge effort to get my attention. Too many spankings as a kid I guess? Maybe not enough pudding.

side note, you've become a kick ass member and I'd be really sad if you ever forgot about us here. It's worth my time and effort to make this place more comfortable for you and the other great members we have. My goal has always been to provide a place that was a cool hangout for all of us, but also a place to make money. Professionalism and respect will get us there. The more everyone puts into that effort, the easier it will be, and of course the less moderation the staff will have to do.

DINO!! I hate babysitting and rules too and wish I never had to say no, or edit or delete anything. But, there's a need for it here, cause we wanna stack paper, yo. And we want to do it while hanging out with our coworkers...this is the place. It wouldn't be the same if I didn't have the motivation to remove the shit talk. Leaving it around for people to read just loses us potential assets to the community who don't want to read it, and don't stick around cause they find too much of it.

It's kinda like vaccines...risk verses benefits. This is an easy shot to receive with many more benefits than risks.

There's always facebook groups and reddit if you want less moderation. I personally don't like reading all the shit slinging so I don't frequent the other sites often. but there are some cool threads to be found there too, once you dig through the mounds of shit.

i Agree Its getting to be a bit much

Aye aye, captain! on it as best we can. please remember you guys can help with that report button. It's a big place and we're a small team! We can use the help.

[LarryC]

Yup. Seemed like a troll post at the time and I still feel good about calling it out. I feel that when someone is trying to sell something that it is disrespectful to post digs on the pricing. PM if you feel you must but that kind of post doesnt belong in a sale thread. I think the moderating here is right on point. Wouldn't change a thing Misha and crew.

[Samson]

I agree 110% Larry. VERY hard to find a forum that lets the masses Mod itself. And it works.

[H1JACK3R]

One of the more valuable things on this site is the Glassifieds section. The equipment we all use is specialty, and often there aren't a lot of local buyers. I didn't see what was wrong with him publicly asking why he was charging more for a used one, than a new one would cost. Instead of getting hostile about it, the seller could have said, It has extras, and I need the money. No harm done on either side there.

The seller of the Sidewinder has previously, publicly acted like a jerk. When I pointed out that I thought he had been previously banned, and quoted HIM, my post got deleted, while this stayed up:

edited

Seriously?

[PyroChixRock]

Hyjacker we missed it if its still up. Remember only humans are pushing the buttons here and we do our best. I'll try to find it but now to remove it I have to edit your post too. I say edit cause there's other info in your post that should stay. This is so against the way I prefer to moderate here because of course ppl can't really see what I changed in your post. I'd rather delete so plead keep that in mind, guys, when you're pointing out things that shouldn't be here. A separate post is helpful.

It's not against any rule to ask a question about pricing, however in the classifieds it's been a problem. Therefore we request everyone respects the fact that a business transaction is going on.

If you were in a pawn shop and someone was negotiating a sale, would you really walk up, butt in, and say they are asking too much?! Chances are most of you would answer no. If you'd interrupt a price negotiation like that IMHO you need to read a book on etiquette, common business practices, and manners.

The format here leaves so much room for ppl to forget this. I can't put a rule in that's so specific because in a few cases of course there are going to be conversations about it that are helpful and welcomed by the OP.

I can edit the old and outdated etiquette thread to reflect our discussion and spell things out more clearly that way.