Gransnet today....Just my opinion.

merlotgran

Don't want to completely hi-jack the 'Christmas in four words' thread so I've started this one. Feel free to shoot me down. I don't do flouncing.

Some time ago, the 'What does Gransnet mean to you?'thread developed into a 'Bring back jingl' campaign. Despite this, it has become clear that we are not entitled to an explanation as to why she is still shackled to the naughty step

We inhabit a goldfish bowl which must be respectable to the outside world looking in on an ageing cyber community. Old people are only expected to be curmudgeonly in books and TV nonsense. Manufactured threads about growing old disgracefully are perfectly acceptable so long as they fit the approved template which has been set by people who are NOT as old as we are.

All well and good until a situation causes a ding-dong. We must be ever mindful that Gransnet is a business relying on advertising revenue. Swearing is tolerated on Mumsnet because it's acceptable in the young and feisty whereas the 'one foot in the grave' club have to leave all that behind and remember our opinions don't really count any more.

The political threads are argumentative because that's politics. You can't put a straight jacket on a well informed if opiniated point of view which is as it should be. Folk who hide behind the sofa when all hell breaks loose should know better than to get caught in the cross-fire.

So....We're allowed to moan about Brexit, complain about our aches and pains and chat about telly dramas/adverts/music. We willingly offer support to complete strangers even though it often comes back to bite us. I'm not the only one who can spot a set-up. Above all, we must remain bland!

There were two members who railed against this. One is sadly no longer with us and the other has been kicked into touch for being too outspoken. Unsurprisingly, they rarely saw eye to eye but that's LIFE!

I'm off to put the joint in the oven. I might even start a thread about it.

Only joking!

Just to answer a couple of your points...

"We inhabit a goldfish bowl which must be respectable to the outside world looking in on an ageing cyber community. Old people are only expected to be curmudgeonly in books and TV nonsense."

Not in the slightest. You are welcome to be as curmudgeonly as you like (after all, I am a curmudgeon of the highest order* and a similar age to many others on here) What 'outsiders' think looking in is absolutely not our concern. The very essence of the site is that people can be who and what they want to be - we are the last to subscribe to the everyone-must-fit-a-stereotype mentality.

* and if 2016 hasn't given us enough stuff to moan about already, god help us. Pleeeease let 2017 be better.

All well and good until a situation causes a ding-dong. We must be ever mindful that Gransnet is a business relying on advertising revenue. Swearing is tolerated on Mumsnet because it's acceptable in the young and feisty whereas the 'one foot in the grave' club have to leave all that behind and remember our opinions don't really count any more.

We have no issue with swearing whatsoever (well....the C word may be a different matter - but the rest...no issue). In fact it's many of our users who have the issue - mostly when very strong language is used on the forums we get flurries of complaints about it. Our response is, as backed up in our netiquette section, that while we are aware that many people don't like swearing, this is a site for grown-ups so basically it's fine

The thing to remember is nothing to do with advertising revenue, spats or otherwise (why, after all, should we sanitise our opinions as we get older? Mine have certainly gone the other way since I hit 50). But basically we are a tiny team, responsible for the site 24/7 365 days a year. We have very few rules and the ones that are there are there for a reason. Heated debate/argument/bust-ups are fine as long as they don't descend into personal attacks or anything that is libellous etc etc. We spend an inordinate amount of time telling people that if they don't like the, um, lively nature of political threads etc then best to steer clear of them. We would prefer never to have to delete posts or suspend members - but we simply don't have the resources to deal with issues that happen over and over again, despite polite entreaties and firmer warnings.

Folk who hide behind the sofa when all hell breaks loose should know better than to get caught in the cross-fire. As I've just mentioned above - absolutely.

The bottom line is that we don't want bland any more than you do. We love the variety of threads we see, from the mundane to the outspoken, from the humorous to the supportive, and everything in between. Voice strong opinions, please! Disagree with others who don't share your views - of course! Stirring things up for the sake of it - not so much. (That's a general point by the way, not implying for a second this is something you would do!)

And on that note I need a cuppa

jane

trisher

So Granny has been firmly returned to the corner again, while her carers sigh, whisper about how difficult she can be and dip their chocolate digestives in their tea.
Sorry Cari it won't wash
If as you say
We would prefer never to have to delete posts or suspend members - but we simply don't have the resources to deal with issues that happen over and over again.
Why are posts deleted because a single member complains?
Why don't you have a warning system for threads which are very vociferous?
And why do you ban someone who has so many supporters and who obviously brought people to the site?

*Why are posts deleted because a single member complains?
Why don't you have a warning system for threads which are very vociferous?
And why do you ban someone who has so many supporters and who obviously brought people to the site*

We never delete a post on the strength of a single - or even multiple - report/s. The report system is there to bring anything of concern to our attention - we are a post-moderated site and simply don't have time to read everything that gets posted as it gets posted. So a report will alert us to something but will not influence what we do about it.

We do have a warning system - we often post on threads that are getting over heated. We might also email people to remind them that there is a thin line between a vociferous comment and a personal attack

Banning is a last resort. We obviously can't go into details about any specifics, suffice to say that it is never done lightly and there will always be more to it than may be immediately apparent

I never did get that cuppa.

In case it wasn't clear - the comment about banning was generic and not referring to any specific poster. You will appreciate we can't go into any specifics on here.

And under the circumstances, yes, very good idea [wine}

Why isn't there a bottle emoticon when you need one???