whats going on?

[Rich]

what has happened to beach and boat?last year there were loads of kayak reports,beach reports,boat reports all very useful and very welcome !!!!! i posted our specimen open comp last year nothing!and the cod boat open this year 279 views 2 reply's!!!!!! 1 of which was mine!! where has everyone gone? can anyone shed any light rich

[Female species]

Downhill mate, used to be a good lil site

[Sunny]

The trouble is that humans can't resist the lure of an argument....and the triggers for such meaningless rows are small, insignificant often ill-conceived and blown out of all rational proportion.

Once the bun-fight has begun the keyboard warriors engage in combat that always ends in tears; most often by the self-deletion of accounts and occasionally forcing the Mods to take action.

The guys who started the fight and deleted their own accounts go off and set up their own forum, dragging their chums and close mates with them. They then devote their time to poaching members from this forum......especially anyone who posts catch reports !

In some bizarre twist the two Muppets who started the fight then kiss-and-make-up and are to be found within the same breakaway forum.....you couldn't make it up.

Me, I'm just a simple angler who liked the idea of a forum of like minded guys that was for anglers and led by anglers. When I was introduced to B&B it was just that and was a terrific alternative to the bull-pit of WSF. A friendly forum with a great reputation.

Then the fights began.....one after another. First up was Solehunter threatening to leave unless Petepan was fired from the Mod team. Then Mike1923 and bazza pulled out because they claimed they were sick of the island anglers and also wanted a forum in which everyone contributed to catch reports, not just read them.

Bazza has been ceaseless in poaching members from this forum....and WSF until they kicked him out for doing it.

Then there was the anti-Drew brigade; an island-on-islander rift, accompanied by more threats to leave unless he was arbitrarily banned. So off they sailed to set up yet another separate forum......

Now I hear that Drew has joined their forum ....how the twists of hate dissolved to love and friendship !

Now, I'm not entirely innocent :hysterical:
last year I openly criticised the killing of an endangered species - for the weigh-in at an Island - and outside of this forum I wrote to the sponsors to complain and question their morals. It got out that it was me that had written to the sponsors, who instead of choosing to ban endangered species from the weigh-in, instead withdrew their sponsorship. I don't know why they did.....perhaps because they were really broke or were themselves incensed by the needless killing of an endangered species for a trivial prize. My stand on conservation went down like a lead-balloon with some members and they left.

The latest spat on here is evident for all to see...TOF has deleted his account because he organised a charity shore comp that was poorly supported. He openly complained and the inevitable bun-fights began. The results are so so so predictable that I am losing the will to care any longer.

There are guys who come on here and put in endless effort to try and make things work, to support the forum for what it should be....just a group of anglers sharing fishing experiences.

One thing is for sure, there will be further rifts, needless spats and tantrums on B&B....but if the forum is to continue it really needs everyone to just get back to what it was intended for….post catch reports, find new angling mates and join in sharing the other guys glorious fishing moments…..

I wish it were that simple mate

[stevecave]

i dont mind posting on here but when i and others put posts up then get ear bashings its not worth it life's to short and fishing is to exiting to read annoying perthetic schoolboy posts.
iv just put a few catch reports on the boat section to see if i get any response but it prolly wont happen

olly

shame really as i fish rather alot from my boat and have so good fun with my m8s when fishing

[eccles]

Know what you mean Sunny, all a bit pathetic and juvenile, but then some people are incapable of behaving any better than the average chav teenager unfortunately. Fortunately they are in the minority unless they are members of WSF which I made a point of avoiding several years ago.

[jellybelly]

I borrowed this account to reply to Sunny.

I ain't canced my account because people did not fish the comp I set up for Sophie Rolf. That was their choice.

I made my feelings clear about what I thought, and a few replied. (Made a change)

Some were for what I said and some against.

I thought that was what a Forum was about. An exchange of views. It may be heated it may be passionate, but as long as it is not personal insults, I cannot see the problem.

The reason I deleted my account was because posts are being deleted.

I know Sunny has a difficult problem here as some posts could upset some people. (I hope mine did), but if people are upset they may reply and put their point of view.

I would like to thank him for his support and help when I got threats from 'Frankie Boy' on this forum as that was well over the top.

But when a Forum is censored, even if the intentions are good , then sorry, it is not for me.

I have lived in enough country's where things are censored and it is not for me.

We are supposed to be adults reading this forum and should be able to have a good row over things and get it out of our system.

As I was once told 'There are two sides to any point of view'

(Mind you I was also told that if you tied fishing weights to your willy it made it longer , 3 years and a pound of lead later, I found out they were lying)

I know that Sunny wants to avoid a 'bun fight' as he called it,, but isn't that what a Forum is for.

The dictionary defines a Forum as a medium of discussion.

Correct me if I am wrong, but don;t you have to have more than one point of view to have a discussion. Otherwise it is an agreement.

Personally I will not be going to any other site as I have enjoyed annoying people on Beach and Boat, and hopefully raising a smile here and there.

I wish you all well, but as I said in my last post, people can't be bothered any more, and when you try to stimulate them to reply, well you know what happens..............

Best wishes

TOF

[kingfish]

Being a keen angler and a member on b&b, i have noticed a big decline in the interest on this site recently. We all know how good it used to be, and i am amazed how some people can seem to justify that having an argument on line is quite normal and good fun - surely thats not what we want and i agree with sunny these people are not wanted - lets get back to where we used to be and enjoy the forum for what it is.

[Sunny]

TOF, thanks for the measured reply....I for one can see your point.

The trouble is that the line between 'debate' between two points of view and 'argument' are one sentence away from each other. Experience has taught me that if I don't step in and 'call time' on such debates that they will always without fail deteriorate to spiteful argument.

When I first joined the B&B mod team I was advised that it was a mistake to ever let such debates run. I tried to mediate a few, to keep them going without stepping in and without deleting posts.. Well you can guess the results....everytime the senior mods had to wade in to save the day when things deteriorated and got really nasty. Unfortunately it is a oneway street.

I'm not against rationale debate, but this is not WSF and if guys wish to be a member of B&B for their angling and a member of WSF to satisfy their urge to have arguments then I would suggest that is a fair way to go. Me I go on WSF to have my bun fights with the Commercial Fishermen who run and dominate that site. I don't 'go off on one' here on B&B about conservation or sustainable fishing; because this forum is not the best place to do so.

None would be happier than me to see The Old Fart return to this forum, his contributions were valued, I'm sure, by many.

This is not to say that we are excluding debate, just not the ones that are heading for disaster

Cheers
Nick

[Sunny]

I see that we had 502 guests viewing the site in the last 24 hours.....none would be ex-members though would they

Guys, stop looking in on us....come back and Sign In..... come home

[limpit]

now some of this thread has gone missing? whats going on indeed If peoples posts are being removed by the mods because they dont agree with them then the forum has lost it point If it was removed by the original poster then I take it back

[Sunny]

Nov 18, 2012 17:05:52 GMT @limpit said:

now some of this thread has gone missing? whats going on indeed If peoples posts are being removed by the mods because they dont agree with them then the forum has lost it point If it was removed by the original poster then I take it back

I suggest you read the forum rules again !

If you think the forum would be better off as a pointless series of rows then go join WSF...if you want to discuss angling then stay

[Rich]

finally my post found some people sunny ;D seems to be a lot of lurkers ! i for one will share my spots with everyone as i have done in the past some people just get to protective over marks,and wont say what they have had!!!!! yes you may spend a number of years on one spot but dont we all! and you learn something new every day share people and lets see some new reports

[walker]

I've seemed to have missed most of these 'spats' so I may be barking up the wrong tree, but could it be that most of us have just had a s*it year. I for one couldn't catch from a gold fish bowl at the moment.

Coupled with Sunny taking a year out has meant there has been a drop in reports. But all things are cyclical, people will leave, new members will join, new relationships will form - we just have to wait. Thats all...

[Sunny]

Nov 18, 2012 20:48:33 GMT walker said:

I've seemed to have missed most of these 'spats' so I may be barking up the wrong tree, but could it be that most of us have just had a s*it year. I for one couldn't catch from a gold fish bowl at the moment.

Coupled with Sunny taking a year out has meant there has been a drop in reports. But all things are cyclical, people will leave, new members will join, new relationships will form - we just have to wait. Thats all...

Walker, most go back over the last 2-3 years, few have been very recent..... a different crowd back then. It's human nature at it's very best. If you ever find yourself sat wondering why a war began somewhere in the world, sometime in history, you only have to watch folks on a forum....the answers soon become obvious

There is an expats forum.... huge like WSF....and my wife joined (trying to get help on some things) and she says that some people on there are just plain rude & confrontational (not to her I might add). The best one though was a guy - who having had a go at another fella - then himself was questioned by a lady as to why he behaved in such a way and if he couldn't say anything helpful or nice then he should not be on there. Well done missus.... she would do well on some angling forums

Some say this forum was at its best in the early days, when it was smaller; before my time, so I can't comment. The work to keep it friendly is one that needs to continue as it is the one aspect that distinguishes it from some of the others.

Nov 18, 2012 20:17:38 GMT Rich said:

finally my post found some people sunny ;D seems to be a lot of lurkers !

PeteB has taken the decision to make all of the boards visible to non-members; which includes the two Catch Reports sections. I note that some don't think this is a good move as it allows the 400-500 guests per day to come and read and contribute nothing. On this point I have no strong feelings one way or the other on this matter.

It is also true that when someone goes to the effort to write a blog that zero responses/replies can be disheartening. So I can only ask that guys at least make some effort to thank the author; otherwise we risk the danger that they won't bother next time.

Posting reports where little has happened. I guess its hard to post a report which says "I caught two small pout". Most only report when they have nailed a monster fish. Not sure what the answer is here. You want reports, but two small pout and no pictures is not that sexy. You're call guys.... I would still go for it...but I have no pride or ego to worry about ;D

I agree with you on the bad year thing...the weather has not helped at all.

But the biggest threat to this forum will continue to be the loss of members to poaching. Maybe it is like the lifecycle of a star...it grows gets to big and burns out ;D

I'll keep posting to keep you entertained throughout the quiet winter months

[eccles]

Agree to a large extent Sunny. I tend not to post unless something fairly spectacular occurs as I also don't believe that folk will be interested in my catching half a dozen whiting this time of year for example.
I do try to post on tackle and knowledge subjects from time to time as those posts can be useful to novices and youngsters.
I do belong to another excellent forum (no name to be mentioned) where the mods also kick out or reprimand juvenile and insulting behaviour. It still mystifies me why some people behave so badly when they almost certainly would not do so if they were met face to face on a beach somewhere. I can only assume that they have some kind of personality disorder.