It wasn't provoked Gary, It was from the heart.. I feel that nothing has been resolved so I bid you guys goodbye.... I have very much enjoyed using this site and I have met some good mate mates through it, but it is time for me to move on.. I shall be on Bushcraft living if anyone wants me...
Thank you Tony for a great site, your a star sir..... I shall miss it... Jon Pickett...
I'm terribly sorry you feel that way Jon. I truly hope it is not in response to my post, because it certainly wasn't aimed at you. As I recall yours, as usual, was one of the reasonable voices trying to get the thread back on track.
I do think some things have been resolved, at least one of the main protagonists of that particular slanging match appears to have thrown his rattle out of the pram and left the site and others have seen that there is going to be a new approach to dealing with the problem through the carding system.
As I think John said somewhere else on the site, (I can't find the exact quote.) part of the problem is that some of the older members are allowed to act in ways that would quickly get a new member banned for being a Troll.
There has been an active, vocal and often troublesome cadre on this site for a few years now, that seem to delight in stirring things up and then gloating about it on other sites.
It's a great shame, because a few of them were highly respected members in the past, but their argumentative bitterness has reduced them to figures of derision and scorn when discussed by members around the campfires at meets and moots.
If they could just "Get over it!" I think a lot of the members who used to post a lot, but have backed off recently because of their bilious rancour, might feel more like getting more involved again.
There, I've said perhaps more than I should but it's out now........
Aha...Found the quote.
I think a large part of the problem is the members who are both knowledgeable members and trolls. Straight out trolls tend to get banned quickly where as those with a history of useful posts behind them are given much more leeway.
It is not my call but I tend to think short term bans could be used as a bit of a deterrent. At the moment sending a thread off on one only gets the thread locked but still allows you to go on another thread and do the same. If you got a week long ban for stirring it then clearly you can't cause the same problem for that week.