ok
cheers scotty

sick of bullshit postings

OK Guys, so who's sick of the bullshit postings we are starting to get on here now - pathetic, shitstirring, non constructive postings that the only sriteria seems to be insult and belittle one fighter or another depending on the day -

Would I be right in thinking people are geting as sick of this as me? it's boring and rather tedious don't you think! and I think one way to improve the quality and nature of this forum is too enforce the use of ligit names and make profiles compulsary and moderate dumb postings more actively -

people that genuinely have interestiing positive input to this site are turning away as a result and we don't want this Brian, so what yah going to do about it????

Just me two cents guys - what do yah reckon?

image girl

I vote bugsy first to go - so so dull bugsy get a new hobby and stop annoyiing us axers

not you scotty, we know who you are, it's the ones whogo to effort to hide who they are that are in my view being a pain in the arse -

look out john wayne parr (jwp) they are on to you they have work out your real name lol just kidden

Im with you!
Every member should have a valid profile and email address.

DOH!

I also think this is a good idea. There are so many negative posts on here at the moment by anonymous posters. Rediculous.

Maybe Brian can make some adjustments to his policy on account registration so this can be avoided in the future.

this funny for two reason's 1 the person who start this the image girl has no profile (dosent worry me if she did or didnt)just that she has pointed it out (make profiles compulsary)
2nd i think brian has a life out side of ax so to read what everyone has to post on ax by the time he got out side of the pc world he would have hair again lol
by the way caitalin im not haven a go at you i just find it funny when ppl say some thing that they dont do them self
cheers scotty

Wouldnt they just make a up a name anyway i.e. I could have filled my profile out as being called Albert Smotherson and nobody would have known any different?

Brian has spoke to myself about this via email, he has suggested that members be verified via email and or telephone call etc.
I thought this was a brilliant idea.

Image Girl, I am sick of the time wasters to, two of my postings have been turned into a pile of S*** due to people like just wanting to have a dig at others.

Good post, well done :-)

Tony

This has been on my wish list for a long time. It is funny how the insults and rude comments always come from someone without a prophile and hiding behind a screen name. I ahve honestly almost left AX over this in the past and it is a sham because there are so many good honest contributors here

In full agreement. Good topic Image Girl.

I am inclined to agree, however i have not filled in my profile as yet but if asked will do so.

please fill in your pofile:)

You all know who I am so I guess this thread doesn't apply to me.

who are you:)

Your nemesis and conqueror.

Also the foremost practitioner of Taweezdo, the worlds most deadly martial art. DIE!

"Your nemesis and conqueror."....LOL

There you go Andy C

it's a beautiful thing:)

Image girl, I agree totally but...I am I the only one that can see the irony of this being posted by someone under an assumed name with no profile!?!? Or am I missing something?!
:-)

JC
(That's an abreviation of my full name by the way.Like JWP. Except shorter. And not as good.)

Cheers for all your feedback -

doh! yeah yeah I know I haven't filled out a profile and use the image girl' but with that you know my real name also and my real email address and pretty much you know who I am, what I do and what I'm about - it's the ones who make massive efforts to have us totally in the dark as to who they are - and then post bullshit posts. That's what I'm talking about -

For the record I'll fill out my profile as soon as I get a chance -

Cheers, any more feedback

What good is a profile if no one verifies the content!!!

like Tony brought up, get the details verfiied somehow - alot of sites do verify your details before they let you post, it's not uncommon I don't think

image girl -

Yeah I agree. If you're going to disrepect someone, at last have the mana to do it under your real name. Haha that way we might get some grudge matches set up and they can make for great fights.

good point except the ones who post BS under tag names would never step up and actually fight.

yeah..i agree..lol..i will put my name down and my profile...only thing is what is it again...hummm ( thinking)...lol

David Cummings writes:

This has been on my wish list for a long time. It is funny how the insults and rude comments always come from someone without a prophile and hiding behind a screen name.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Yep!

the only flameouts I have had were with two individuals who lacked the courage to give their real name or even an e-mail address. one asked me to send him an e-mail to his anonymous hotmail account. I did...never got a response from him either...surprise, surprise......its so easy to talk shit from behind a computer screen.

I don't care about profiles, as non fighters havea right to opinions too...but the e-mail should be real and veriable and traceable. none of this hot mail/ yahoo anonymous crap. and by God use your REAL name if you wanna insult someone.

thats my two cents worth.


dan

who are you image girl?

If you didn't know who I am already -


My name is Caitalin, I am a 29 year old five foot nothing, brunnette nearing the end of my firsr year of settinig up and establishing my auckland based freelance photographic company the image girl'

and who is the image girl - she does alot of multisport, adventure racing and endurance sport event coverage - and alot of other corperate and function photography for various high profile organisations and so on - she got introduced to kickboxing and K1 by Supercharge' Jason Vermoa, a friend of hers a few years back and hasn't looked back since - the image girl' photographs most Auckland fight nights and has done so for a fair while now, and getting more skilled with every event - she photographs also Dixon's K1 events here - which she loves to do with a passionate energy as you all well know I suspect. - Her work can be found on this site, in International Kickboxer and in Fight Times magazines ( her multisport work can be found in various mags and sites related to that sport ) - A runner at heart I took the sport of kickboxing on myself when she started to photograph it and wanted to learn more about it in order to improve her photographic timing and prediction skills with the sport - and she was hooked, loves it and trains, though not sparring, at etk with Jason and Rog as much as the crazy image girl' schedule allows her to do - the image girl has soem big plans this year that if you lot knew about you'd be as excited about as I but you will learn more about these great things ( both for you and the sport ) as the are closer to fruition - The image girl makes one promise to you all, and that is that I will only consider that I have made it' inher professional involvement with this sport when she get the invite to shoot at the Tokyo Dome, it's a little while off yet but she promises to you all it will happen and what's more you'll all know about it!!

So like' what else do you wanna know to those that asked

please note the email given above, the same one as I've alwas used on every post is legit -

I hope those that needed to got the point about what this posting was meant to be about! which was not about taking the piss out of me for not having my own profile up ( though somewhat deserved I admit ) but about making this a better and more constructive forum for those interested in it, and getting rid of the people who post bullshit -

Image girl

hang on a minute,...
ANDYC
i dont remember posting thsat!!!

for a start im not to type DIE after saying something
someoen else has access to my password
Brain please send me a new one

ok image girl yous have all got me...im gonna have to give yous my profile then...i didnt want to do it but here goes...i live in hollywood at loony tunes, im close to the ground but when i stand on my back 2 thumpers i be about 1 foot, im grey and white, wit a big long bunny wabbits ears and a fluffy bunny wabbits tail wit da big long whiskers...and when i see a stwanger i eat my carrot and go up to them and say..eh' whats up doc...lol...ive been in a lot of movies and cartoons..1 of my favourites was space jam witda michael 'air ' jordon..does that make you guys happy...

I totally disagree. For a start there is no way of proving that the person's name is real, as Phil pointed out.

Second of all, it is not relevant to what people say. When I post something I like people to judge what is written not to judge me.

There was a thread about this before called 'anonymous posters'.

Thirdly, everyone has the right to privacy. Most people on this board with alias names write good constructive posts. Occasionally someone appears with an alias and slags others off and that is all that some notice.

On the other hand there are some people without aliases who are offensive at times. Does it make it OK just because they dont use an alias?

The previous thread- 'anonymous posters' was quite in depth on the subject and i reccomend taking a look at it

I disagree on the privacy bit for this reason.. when you use it to slander, then if you get kicked off of Ax just make a new fake name. what si to keep someone for making a name like Ramon dekkers or Rick roufus and writing some BS that everone thinks is the real person??!!

It is pretty easy to tell if someone is not Rick Roufus or Dekker.
As for the people who got kicked off then got back with a new name.They are easily spotted by the words they use and their points of view. It really does not matter.IMO
Laters,
Caro

check the IP.

Have nothing against using an alias here or on any other forum, most people do. But then I'm new here so keeping my mouth shut most of the time, reading, learning and stalking...

Bwahaha!

It was not to long ago that someone using Rick Roufus name was posting and a lot of people thought it was him

you said it well satankid...right on the button..plus we all have our own opinions thats whats fun about this..we are all those ones who sit on our ass and drink coffee and play on the computer talking fact or whatever while the real people are out there in the real world doing the real thing..bwaha..and isnt it true when you say something thats right but is probably bad gets everyone talking about it like the rarkings up we do ...isnt that what boxers do they rark each other up before they get in the ring well i think its the same here with our opinions so thanks image girl for this thread...bwaha

speak for yourself bugs :-D

Satankid writes:

I totally disagree. For a start there is no way of proving that the person's name is real, as Phil pointed out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thats true, Gareth, but generally the ones with the monkey ass nicknames are the most shameless and unrestained about libel and slander.

But Take away the so called "humorus" names and it takes some of the deranged glee from these slaggers and trollers. Also, if only e-mails that bear that name of the persons verifable ISP are permitted, then Brian can lodge a complaint with their ISP and get their ISP service discontinued.I have done that on another message board and it stopped the guy...

By the way, This isnt about guys like you who never slag people and who are not ashamed of their real name...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--

Second of all, it is not relevant to what people say. When I post something I like people to judge what is written not to judge me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Agree with you on that part-thats why I dont really care about the profiles, because I have seen some dumb posts from guys with impressive profiles. Besides a fan shouldnt be dismissed just becasue he/she never stepped into the ring.

A forum that is fan friendly where fans who supprt our support by buying tickets and videos arent afraid of being ridicled for not being a fighter, will help the popularity oif the sport.

So like you said, Judge what they say in its own merits. I dont think I would be particularly swayed by something on here just becasue Mike Tyson posted it. nuff said on that.|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thirdly, everyone has the right to privacy.
---------------------------------------------------------------
When you make public libelous remarks you forfeit your right to privacy.
under English, or American law anyway. Plus, its morally questionable to shield cowards and slanderers. Brian can keep their privacy once he has verified their identity, and only reveal it if they break the axd rules,or slander someone.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most people on this board with alias names write good constructive posts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
True, and its usally not a good idea to make general rules based on the exceptional situation. BUT... the problem is getting out of hand.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Occasionally someone appears with an alias and slags others off and that is all that some notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The problem as I see it is its more than just occasional.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other hand there are some people without aliases who are offensive at times. Does it make it OK just because they dont use an a alias
------------------------------------------------------------------------
no, of course not, but in such cases, Brian has a viable remedy and so do YOU and I if they slander you and we know their true identity-also
they are making their identity known and thus making themselves accountable to their peers. Plus, i think even the obnoxious posts by people who identify themselves pale in comparison to the totally put of control crap from the anynomous trollers.

take care Mate, I appreciate the info you furnish me from time to time on the Japanese scene.

I respect you enpormously as you know,

dan

I'm gonna respond to this, but first, Farhad...are you serious about the password thing? Email me.

----------


I am very glad this topic was started (or restarted) because I have a lot of thoughts regarding this that have changed over time. I did speak with Tony Hayes, and others, about the mandatory profile idea. But, as Chris Hernandez pointed out, what good is a profile if the information is not verified. I've had many ideas about this over the past 2 years or so. I've privately told people about some of these ideas and I've gotten mixed feedback. After going through those conversations, and after getting really frustrated time and time again because of moderation issues, I've come up with two solutions (see below).

First, here are the different fragments of this issue.

1. Anonymity - I do respect what satankid is saying. I used to be a huge advocate for anonymous identities because, as satankid has said, 'When I post something I like people to judge what is written not to judge me.' That is a very good point. However, after 10 years of being on the internet, I realize now there are some fundamental things about the internet, and about human nature, that cause that to not be realistic. The first thing being that people are stupid. That's right, I said it...people are stupid, typically speaking. More specifically, people's decisions are most often fear-based. Thus, if Joe-Shmo says that Richard Somebody is not to be trusted, then it doesn't matter if there is any truth to the claim or not. People are not going to do business with Richard Somebody because of fear. There will always be the question 'Well, what if Richard Somebody is not to be trusted?' Joe-Shmo takes advantage of fear-based decision making plus he accepts absolutely no personal responsibility for what he says. Nothing falls back on Joe-Shmo. Nobody can touch him (except the FBI, CIA, IRS, RIAA and other such acronyms).
   
   
2. But also, I see, especially in the Kickboxing community, or I should say MORE specifically within the Muay Thai community, how people tend to judge others. There are definite cliques and elitism within the community that causes people to be closed minded. This is the part of the community that I really cannot stand. Those attitudes, alone, have caused me many times to want to drop Ax altogether for a lack of vision of anything good to come from all of this effort. There are many people in the community who will not consider what you have to say unless you are a fighter or have been training people or promoting shows for 15+ years. To those people, if you are merely a hardcore fan, then you are nobody and what you have to say is not worth consideration.
   
   
3. Things in the KB community are fragile. Very few people are on firm ground, if any. Even Ishii has collapsed with a Tax evasion scam in a drastic effort to garner money to afford enticing Mike Tyson to fight in K-1 (the way I understood it). That is at the top of the foodchain. Everyone underneath is desperate for food scraps. What this means is that everyone is afraid of negative publicity or negative judgments because they can't afford it. Example, there were people in the past who used to post on Ax, people that were involved in the sport, but they decided to stop posting for fear that they could receive a backlash from e-pirates who just like to stir trouble. Their fear-based decision is rooted in
   
   
4. There are those in the community who are actively involved (judge, referee, promoter, trainer, fighter, manager) who feel this pressure of judgement from within the community and decide not to say their real opinion on certain topics because they fear that others in the community will not do business with them. They value anonymous accounts because it allows them a certain freedom of speech that their peers would not allow them otherwise. In an ideal world, we'd all have open communication and say what we really think. But...um...bah humbug! Many people just can't accept opinions that differ from theirs too greatly.
   
   
5. Not only that, people on the internet generally have a lack of ability to hold a discussion with someone who has a different opinion. People get defensive. They lash out in anger and frustration. Even if they decide to argue, often they don't know how to intelligently argue. There are those who feel they have skill in online debating and have spent many an hour on forums across the globe telling people the many ways in which they are wrong. The formidable Keyboard warrior, if you will. They spend so much time trying to make themselves appear to be the more intelligent, or better, person that they lose the actual point of the argument. The purpose of the discussion is gone and people forget why they were communicating in the first place. It turns out that people come here for diverse reasons, some of which are to get into online verbal battles with others. I don't respect that. Those people suck.
   
   

As time goes on, I spend less time thinking about how people should change and I spend more time thinking that people will never change. I sometimes think I should start being selfish, for once, especially since a handful of people in the past have accused me of being this way anyway. What the hell do I have to lose? Perhaps I should decide how I want to do things and not really care about what people think.

This line of thinking leads me to the options that I'm considering...

Verified Ax User

• We would allow people to signup for Verified Axer status. If they signed up, we would request their phone number, address, etc...and use the necessary means to verify who they are. In their profile, their "Real Name" field would be hardcoded...in other words, they can't change it. Their name would show a "V" next to it, or some symbol that denotes that they are a Verified User. The contact information that they supplied would be for internal Ax use only and would not be made public. Since this is an optional thing, there would be many people who would be not-verified. The theory being that people with a verified account would be respected more on the forum and in the community. Oh, also, all Verified Ax users would have a profile with at least their real name and Ax name listed.
  

Reserved Fighter names

• We'd create Ax accounts for all of the fighter names that we can think of, thus reserving them. On the registration page (which really needs to be revamped anyway) there would be a blurb of 'Are you a fighter? Your name might be reserved...click here'. That would send them to the list of fighter names where they can claim one. Then they will see a page page to supply their contact information so we can verify them.
  

With verified Ax users and Reserved fighter names, there is a potential for things like sponsorship and such. If a Ax-trusted trainer says "This person is that fighter" then we would take the trainers word for it. If they are lying, then the trainer loses his/her Ax account. It's sort of like co-signing a loan. If they are lying, it comes back on the trainer.

Or, I could do this...
Revamp the entire Ax website to make it all verified users.

• Initially, this would drastically reduce the number of people that are on Ax. The number of registered users would probably drop from the thousands into the hundreds. There would probably be many people who would boycott Ax just for this. But then again, do I care? This would provide an opportunity for a competing website to take Ax place in the free-for-all Kickboxing forum discussion market. To that website owner, I would say 'good luck and have fun'.
  
  
• In all honesty, if I had a website with only 15 really cool, level-headed and intelligent contributors, I would be content.
  
  
• I would be taking a chance of losing almost all opportunity for generating revevue. But then again, this site was never intended to generate revenue. Making money wasn't the point of this website when it started. It was intended to provide a service to the community. Then again, I'm led to believe that only a few dozen people truly appreciate what this website brings. The rest would only appreciate it after it is gone, or changed drastically.
  
  
• Do you have any idea how much of a resource it would take to verify all of the people that regularly visit Ax? Ouch. I've got a new dayjob where I'm just now starting to make some ok/decent money, but my wallet would empty quick. Aside from money, it would take a tremendous amount of time. I would have to find volunteers to join up with the Ax team in verifying people in their particular country or region. To be honest, I have had mostly bad experiences with people volunteering for Ax and then not showing up for the job. (Pick any Ax project). I understand that people have legitimate reasons and that I can't complain about people that are volunteering, but just the same, I can't count on Ax volunteers in most cases. There are the few diety-like beings that keep actively involved in the Ax team, like Andras Kadinger, Dave Jackson, Helen Lu, Rob Cox, and Gareth Yeulet.
  

Of course, there is always the fourth option of shutting the whole site down. I've considered that more times than you'd know. Someone once asked me how much it costs for me to run Ax. The answer lies not in currency but in hours, days, weeks, months and years. I'm spent so much time dealing with Ax bullshit, you wouldn't understand. In some ways, the only thing I've achieved is a small, fragmented feeling of satisfaction that I made a difference in the community. The truth is, I've had empty pockets and a long-lasting feeling of disappointment from the lack of achievements with Ax. I know that if I grew up in a rich family or I didn't have bad credit from school loans, and many other convoluted circumstances were different, that things would've turned out quite differently with Ax. If I were a money-oriented type of guy, I would've used my computer knowledge to generate the revenue to do something with Ax. I've only recently decided to go that route with my computer career. Before, I never cared about money. But now, I accept the way that the world works. Even relationships can revolve around issues of money. I've been rejected by a girl before because I wasn't 'career oriented'. You and I both know what 'career oriented' means. Making money just never turned me on before.

But enough of that...let's get back to the point. What do you think about the ideas above? Perhaps you have your own ideas. Let's hear em. In the history of Ax, there has been a ton of criticism but very rarely workable and constructive ideas for solutions to the problems. I assure you that none of you think as deeply about Ax issues as I do. I've asked you to think things through more in depth, but very few people do. I spend hours thinking about Ax problems and how to solve them with very the very limited infrastructure that I have. Many of you think up these complaints in a flash and stand up and complain, but when the microphone comes to you for an answer, I don't hear anything. I expect that is exactly what will happen within this thread. Let's find out.

I'm curious who has even read this far. This was a long post :-P

Brian

Did I read it all ?? Yes ..!!

Perhaps sponsorship or reference by another recognisable IP address holder to get a 'fix', much like you'd give for leasing or renting properties, to get that 'Verified' status.

This could be a ‘double whammy’ as it would potentially increase other peoples awareness of the AX site as they check out what their acquaintance has asked them to 'sponsor' or provided that reference, by way of another IP address ...

awesome dan your spot on...and rmr brian richie i agree totally what you say..so its bugs bunny away...boing..boing

I got my top secret anonymous code name and prefer it that way. I try not to make personal attacks on anyone. If anyone feels that I am making personal attacks against anyone then please let me know cuz I try not to and would be glad if you pointed it out to me. I just enjoy discussing kickboxing and boxing and this is generally a pretty cool place to discuss things. I ain't famous so if you knew my real name you probably would not know me and it probably would not make any difference to you. I could be legkick or bugs bunny or joe blow or joetta blow does it really matter?

I think it is unrealistic to get everyone to verify exactly who they are. However I ain't real savvy to the in's and outs of it so maybe I am wrong. We talked about this once before and it all seemed to make sense. I mean this is the internet and if you want to hide your identity I'm sure it is not all that hard.

y'all be cool now.

Oh, why is this suddenly an issue? Maybe I missed it. I guess it is always kind of an issue but I didn't notice anything lately that was especially bad. I don't read all the posts these days so I don't know.

Anonymous top secret legkick signing off for now.... or forever??

Thanks Brian - your input to this has been great and appreciated and well understood I expect from not only myself but others - you bring up some great points that I admit I had thought of whcih is good

Firstly Brian, this complaint wasn't meant to be a dig at you, no way! we all know how much you put into this site, time, money and energy, passion and like you say with sometimes what seems likevery little reward - so thank You for Ax, it is a great site, I know that, you know that we all know that - maybe some of us though should learn to have a little more respect for it and it's axer's -

but what my issue was was sick to death of posts that were either just bitch slapping back and forth or just simply totally pointless and nonconstructive in their content - even some of the postings ont his post might be meant to be funny but are just the same old rather tedious humour and arogance that it seems very much like I am not the only one who's sick of -

And my thought was that if people weren't able to hide behind a false name, alot less bullshit would be said! that's it pretty much -

I don't think I nor anyone else would expect your every energy, money, time Brian to be put into the verification of all azers, because a mere few were a tad annoying axers with attitude -

And I think I would not be the only one if you expected to make more income etc from this site that you have been - just cause you passionate about something and enjoy doing it doesn't mean it's only love' that you should be expected to do it for - so go for it do what you have to do in order to make this site do for you what you want it to.

So let's just ALL have a little more respect, and think about our postings and comments before we click on send -

cheers all -

image girl

doh! missed a few words out there...."and I think I would not be the only one to think. fair enough ra ra ra if you expected to make more of an income."....

and I'll add to the paragraph prior to that that I hadn't realised it would be such a mammoth task to instigate or action verification of axer's posting on here - I had thought quite a reasonable and common thing but I stand corrected by the looks -

yes brian i AM serious!!1

For example ,...
the time these posts from "me" were posted was the 5th of feb at 2pm
now at 2pm i know for a fact that i was teaching an english lesson at school!
if you dont believe me you can ask me the schools details and they can confirm it.
another thing i do NOT make statements like " DIE!!!"
ok fair enuff i openly practise taweez do
but another thing,..
ill call someone my "nemesis" but i wont use " nemesis and conqueror"
and i dont consider andyc as a "nemesis" at all i may have disagreed with him a few times but thats HIS problem not mine im afraid
another thing
i of all ppl would not say " bwahaaahaaa!"

but i know someone who would,....

in fact i once posted on AX at someone elses house ,... but without pointing the finger that person KNOWS who he is
more to the point that person KNOWS i know who he is !!!

YES IMPOSTER!!! i KNOW who you are(you bumpaklaat raas) !!!! DIE!!!!
BWAAAHAAAHAAAA !!! (j/k brian i dont use wthose words,.. its not my style)

like for example,...
remember that time there was this guy called punisher who just came on and said " crocop fears the black man" and we were thinking it was bonjasky or someone?
well thats one xample (in my opinion , i dont think bonjasky would do something silly asthat anyway)
then there was :
Whacka/tintong tiger/betty swallocks,... etc
then you have other anonymous users such as Paul Daniels (who has already done a dissapearing act it seems)
then you had roguerunner making threats and fightfan2004 or whatever his name was,... doing similar,.. ALL hiding behind a false name

maybe i do ruffle a few featehrs with my views and opinions
but at least i do it under my own name!!!

image girl, just thought it interesting but you shared easily enough so fair is fair. :)

Farhad writes:


maybe i do ruffle a few featehrs with my views and opinions
but at least i do it under my own name!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I feel the same way...I have to respect that-I just wish others would follow suit and be accountable to their peers for what they say.


dan

Brian, I think you are being way too hard on yourself. I think that you have achieved plenty with Ax. Personally I love the fact that I can get up to date news and views from around the world and have made a number of new friends across the globe. The idiots become more salient on this board because they are the exception rather than the norm. Axers are generally better informed and behaved than posters on the other boards I have checked out and full on flame wars are relatively rare. Thank you for your hours of work and sweat. They have allowed me to have hours of enjoyment. Also this is one unreliable Ax volunteer who is trying very hard to get his act together. Should have a couple more articles up in the next 2-3 weeks but need you to answer the e-mail I sent so that I can sort out that problem.

In regards to the topic. I really don't have a problem with aliases. At the end of the day everyone is bound by the same rules and if they break them they face the same consequences - whether they have filled in their profile or not. If you don't like how they play - contact the moderators.

okay,here`s my sensational suggestion:why can`t we have someting like a
"seal of quality"for axers:the o-t-h-e-r axers judge every axer-the result is
shown at profile or at every single post of that particular axer.sure,some
assessmnts will be biased,merely based on sympathy,but if enough people are
taking part,this won`t matter a lot.so if the others see that somebody is a
notorious shit-stirrer,they won`t take his opinions serious ,and he may loose
interest to abuse ax.if he gets himself a new ax-name ,but doesn`t change his
manner,things will simply repeat !( call it a-bay-system,or was it o-bay? *) )

Brian,i think it`s fair to say that i proved you wrong lol !
btw your comment was truly great;didn`t know that you are thinking THAT much
about how to improve ax !! :)))
(oh,if there`s a catch to my suggestion,please tell me gently;i have a heart
you know !!!)

I'm glad that Punisher geezer was banned anyway. He was a complete tool.

he was a fool!!!
wait till i see him!!!
if i find out who he is,.. hell soon fear the asian man!!!

I'm all for name / profile disclosure. If not to the rest of the contributors at the very least to Brian and co - in this way at least there is some form of consequence / responsiblity for ones actions on ax ... Although guys like Felix seem to manage themselves fine unfortunately others fail to do so and cause more rubbish than it is worth to respond to. Good Post Caitlin

Brian,

Have you ever considered making Ax a pay site.
I wouldn't have a problem at all paying a small annual fee.

I'm sure a good percentage of the users would feel the same.

I mean if membership cost $10 or so, that’s less than a dollar per month. I’ve been here from the very beggining and know how much work you guys have put in.

There have been a handful of ideas thrown my way of how to charge a regular subscription fee from Axers for the services offered here. I honestly don't think that charginbg money would work. Right now, there are only two services offered here, a Forum and a News page. The News page isn't fully developed, but it's there and it's running on a budget of $0. The reason it's not developed is that there is no money in it. I could build it, generate interest and create a market for Internet Kickboxing news, but that would take a lot of work.

I wouldn't feel right charging money just for the message board. I would feel ok charging money for the other services, once they have launched, because they require a great deal more moderation and work (like the fighter database example). People expect forums to not cost anything. If the fighter database project grew and promoters were using it for their match-making, I could justify charging some small fee for that service. But that counteracts one of the main reasons for having the fighter database, which is to provide a resource for educating the fans. Everyone needs access to that information if it is going to work.

Rather than charging money for the forum, I am thinking more about the idea of 'paying with your identity'. If you enjoy Ax so much, 'pay' for this service by verifying your identity with us. That won't provide me with revenue with which to develop or maintain Ax projects, but it will make moderation easier.

Then of course there would be all of that small footnote text saying that we would not use your name in a mailing list or spam or whatever..blah blah blah. I can't stand spam. I would only want to use the info to make sure that you are you. I'm sitting on a list of 2600+ email addresses of a very select niche market. There are many companies who would love to get their hands on such an email list. I've been offered money for it, but I won't budge on that issue.

take away anonymity and you'll lose a lot of the quality humour that's part and parcel of AX. People like bugs bunny and Fonzy add a wee bit of humour to a world that is way to miserable for it's own good. So, they may something that you don't like, big deal! What difference does it make if you know who they are? Are you then going to go and beat them up fo cracking a joke? The world is a more colourful and interesting place because of loonys like them.
P.S Fonzy, stay cool, Bugs, I would go to ground for a while as Mr E Fudd was said to be in the area looking for "That wascal wabbit".

This point gets raised a lot too. There have been stirrers in the past that have been kicked from Ax. Some Axers will say "But that guy added some fun to the site".

My answer is, there are a lot of people that add humor to the site without being degrading. This website is not a comedy website. Those people ultimately cause tension within the community that results in more problems and more closed minded attitudes as well as resentment for people who are anonymous. In other words, it backfires. I realize there are people who are anonymous that have really good points to make and their identity shouldn't matter. However, the shit-talking anonymous Axers tend to curtail the acceptance of anonymous Axers in general.

The funny thing is, like I had mentioned before, many of the anonymous stirrers are people who are active in the community that have a lot of stuff to say but are afraid of the backlash. With anonymity, they can get away with a lot more. I think that is cowardly, but then again, I'm not in their shoes.

Brian

Perhaps those if us who have been using real names should then be permitted to change to an anonymous name.

that at least levels the playing field, since the consensus on this board is nothing can be done about slagging anonymous trollers.

But, it is now , if someone calling himself "Donald Duck" slanders brian Ritchie, and Brian finally gets fed up and retaliates and says something that is "over the top" in frustration or anger, he looks either undiginified, or low class or simply ridiculosu in front of his peers for gettying in a mud wrestling match with a pig, who in thoroughly enjoying the whole thing in utter anonymity.


And on the other hand if Brian takes "the high road" and ignores repeated insults, then simply decides to turn the other cheek and wipe the verbal spittle from his face, like a pacifist quaker, he looks like a coward or a defenseless wimp.

Meanwhile, no one knows who "donald duck" is-so he he has no standing to lose in the community- and so hell yeah, why not go way over the top if you have no standing to lose???

Think about this too: Legally, Brian Ritchie can't be sued for slandering Donald Duck-because legally "Donald Duck is an anonymous entity who cannot be identified. thius he has no legal standing. But the reverse is not true.

Why is that? The Law quite rightly recognizes that an anonymous person has nothing whatsoever to lose, status wise when he is slandered- because no one knows who is being ridiculed, or defamed. but a known person certainly does have lots of standing to lose when he/she is slandered.

So hell yes, It makes LOT of difference what a persons name is.

I respectfully disagree with the idea that a persons name and identity is meaningless or unimportant.

.

dan

This tread is pathetic - I mean I could fill in my profile with lies and more lies who would know if it is or is not true, even if Brian will make this a paid site nobody will check if it is really me or not.

And image girl - things like everybody knows who I am , just ain´t cut it.
I dont know for example, and tons of newcommers will not know. And if we want to educate the newcommers and make them fill up the profile, what example do you give them when you post a tread with such a name with an empty profile.

I agree.

There's also a very serious reason why posters should, if they choose, remain anonymous. Petty minded revenge. A couple of years I was co-promoting a show that attracted less than complimentary comments about it from a regular on AX who also happened to be (and still is) a friend of mine. Although I didn't agree with everything written I wasn't going to start falling out with them for expressing an opinion. The long and the short of it was a witch hunt was started over it and the person was nearly driven out of Thai Boxing. For expressing a F***ing opinion?! The way that person was treated make me alot more pissed than any comments or opinions that were written about me or any of my shows. If that person had used an alias to post they would have not been persecuted so shamelessly.
Just my tuppence worth.

I think we've got two issues mixed here.
1. How to deal with problem posts/posters
2. Remaining anonymous

1. That is a decision for admin to decide. If someone is being slandered, ban the poster, delete the thread.

2. It has benefits. Some people may feel they are unable to express themselves fully when everyone knows them. It’s not a matter of being cowardly or two faced, writing behind a nom gives you some freedom and you don’t run the risk of getting hassled the next time you walk in the gym, talked about, or being dragged in to personal flame wars on the forum.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing that I have posted that I would not say to anyone’s face if I were talking with them. I feel I can be more open with you this way.

Miss E, if you arent bothered about saying stuff to peoples face why have you got one of the least informative profiles on Ax. At least put something in even if its rubbish!

"At least put something in even if its rubbish"

the point of that would be?

and really it's none of your business what my real name is or where I train, is it that important to you? ;-)

I'm not posting as I'm sure you and others are aware, some gyms don't like you training in other styles/with other trainers, some folk get all territorial over stuff like that. I can, if I choose raise questions in a different way than I could with a trainer. I wouldn't want to be talked about either. Just some examples.

As I said before the problem is with troublemakers and not the profiles.

Couldnt care less who or what you are, but what pisses me off is people like you bigging yourself up saying you would say stuff to peoples face when you cant even put your name down on an internet site. If someone was going to be that bothered about what you are saying then yes it is cowardly to not say who you are, if you know it is going to cause offence. Keyboard warrior is the term.

LOL dear oh dear. 'People like me' tsk tsk.

Please post what I have that has caused offence before accusing me of being cowardly.
Look, you don't know me so you can not honestly judge whether I am an honest person or if I mean what I say/write and that's fair enough, time will tell.
I've given my opinion and a couple of reasons if you can't stick to them then fine. I'm not going to be drawn in to a silly debate on this issue with you.

Yoda writes 'If that person had used an alias to post they would have not been persecuted so shameless'
Exactly. The KB community does not see the ways in which it shoots itself in the foot, on many levels. Their attitude creates the need for anonymous identities on forums. Ironic, really.

E, you are almost correct, by my assessment. #2 affects #1, so in some ways it can be seen as the same issue (at least within the context of this discussion). With Verified names, moderation becomes easier. It becomes less easy for someone to just re-register after being banned because the process of registering becomes more involved. There are major downsides, of course, such as the growth of the website will slow to a crawl. However, the people that are here will probably remain loyal to the website and appreciate it even more than before.

It IS possible to have a moderation framework that works with the current setup, which allows Anonymous posters. However, the amount of resources (number of moderators, time it takes to program the moderation tools) it would take far extends past my available resources. There is a way to prevent people from re-registering after being banned, even though they have an anonymous identity on Ax. There is a way to have people legally accuntable for what they say on a public forum, even though they have an anonymous profile. For an example of this, do a search on the RIAA and the MP3 music trading scene. People that are online aren't always as anonymous as they think. The system here at Ax is currently imperfect because of resource limitations.

Phil, I believe that 'E' already answered that question with 'I feel I can be more open with you this way.'.

Dynamo, you obviously didn't read all of what was written, or else you wouldn't have written 'even if Brian will make this a paid site nobody will check if it is really me or not'. How can you make such comments about an entire thread when you didn't even read it all?

I'm still not convinced that anonymity is a bad thing. It has often been said that Ernesto and other K-1 fighters check out Ax. If I was one of them and I had something to say the last thing I would want to do would be fill in my profile and have every topic I tried to post on become about me (we've seen it happen plenty of times with Smiler and Carter and they aren't even at the top of the K-1 food chain yet). You know that if Ernesto or Sefo or whoever posted under there own name on here it would cause a riot! Thats just one scenario among several I can think of that would justify aliases.

However, I absolutely think that Brian and the Ax team should have everyone's details so that they can maintain control of the site. Case in point - the recent 'Masterdon' debacle. Person with alias engages in some obvious trolling. Brian deactivates the account and sends e-mail to person whose computer it was and since then there has been no reapperance of 'Masterdon' or anyone sounding like him. Which suggests to me that the system works - he has either left Ax (no great loss) or decided to behave himself. I understand what Brian is saying about the resources needed to provide that level of moderation but if we as Axers take responsibility not only for what we post but also for reporting infringements the moderators job will become a lot easier. I don't have a problem with reporting people I think have crossed the line. My desire to see the quality of Ax maintained and to keep idiots off it is stronger than any fear of being a 'narc'.

I do think everyone should have to provide full name and contact details when they register but don't think that these necessarily need to be shared with the world.

Dynamo,

firstly, if this thread is so pathetic' how come it's got 75 posts on it, not all of which are saying how pathetic it is but making constructive and interesting commmens -

by your comments you have made it very clear, as Brian has already pointed out that you have not read hardly any of this post -

a, i have acknwledged that yes, I shouldv'e filled out my profile before posting this - and also stated that I'll get it filled out asap so why bother bringing that up again I am not sure! I have said before somewhere in this post that that is not what I am talking about or refering to, it is the posters who go to great and extreme lengths to hide who they are and then post annoyiing bullshit ( why do I feel like I am repeatiing myself here Dynamo - )

b on all my posts are my real name and my real email address, quite unlike some of the posters hiding behind their alais names ( you mustv'e missed" my pointing this out earlier in this post )

b, Strange that after reading this post you still don't know who i am - in this very post is a lengthy explaination as to who I am, what I do, the name of my company ( the image girl funnily enough ) how I got into the sport, what I look like, where I want my involvment with this sport to take me! you obviously missed that one too. and for the record I would consider myself one of the more open and communicative axers' not exactly afarid of letting you all know what I am about - and to add to that, you might not ( even still ) know who I am but there are many, many an axer who does -
Are you slowly getting the point that Brian and I are making here Dynamo - it's quite simple really read it before you call it pathetic -

image girl -

YODA,i know what you are talking about.
it`s a drastic example for the price you have to pay when you say the truth.
(this adds to the "pathetic" quality of this topic.)

i sympathize with what DAN said.

What seems funny is that this thread has also turned into a bitch fest.

How about, instead of responding to rediculous posts by people obviously looking to start trouble, we just IGNORE them? We're all grown ups now guys and girls, it's not hard to just ignore stupid posts.

Validating user accounts is a big job on a site like this that's only getting bigger. If we all took the responsibility to NOT enter into these cyber-wars then there would be much less of a problem.

That's my thoughts anyway. How about it?

I think this is a ridiculous idea, the problems aren't that bad, it'd limit what is written on Ax, ppl would fear reprisal, legal action or whatever.

Image girl - Do you explain yourself who you are in every thread you post in?
And yes I do think this tread is pathetic even if it reaches 1000 posts.

Why you trying to force people to fill in the profile if they do not want to?

Fuck everybody is trying to force someone into something.

And NO I am not getting the point you trying to make here with BRIAN, and you two are just assuming I have not red the entire thing. How do you know?
"Rather than charging money for the forum, I am thinking more about the idea of 'paying with your identity'. If you enjoy Ax so much, 'pay' for this service by verifying your identity with us."

even if Brian will make this a paid site nobody will check if it is really me or not. - if this comment made you think I did not read the whole thing - than you are wrong - tell me how in the world will you verify my true identity if I fill up my profile with bullshit? I ment that not even money will not make us tell the truth - and if you did not notice the IF than you did not read my comment carefully.

The thing you two trying to present and put it into effect here is called censorship.

Ax is great for info but it it is hardly democratic.
How many times have you Brian kicked out people from AX??

And if we are such a community here how come YOU ONLY decide to kick people out?

This smells!!!

IS it because it is your site??

For example I did not agree with kicking out certain members and I even said that.

"Smiler and Carter and they aren't even at the top of the K-1 food chain yet"

Matman, I'm at the same level as plankton!!!! Still waiting to evolve...lol!

Interestingly, I post as Smiler, my fight persona, that just happens to be me with nothing false about it - what you see is what you get. But I posted a few times on Sherdog recently, and the amount of trouble I had convincing people it was actually me!!! And my profile was filled in, with email contact too, and I ahd to give alot of personal experience info to convince them....

I don't think there's a need to have names real or otherwise, as they are too easy to make up. Instead, I see this site continuing with its good moderating, and members acting for the good of the site by not rising to wind ups and insults, and keeping it professional, remembering fans come here, plankton come here, and the top guys like Mr Perfect too.

C'mon, for the good of our sport! Money is starting to arrive, lets not go backwards now...

Smiler

Smiler, After you quit fighting you should be a diplomat.

Smiler is one of my favorite Axers. He always provides invaluable contribution to the threads.

-------------------

Jones writes 'it'd limit what is written on Ax, ppl would fear reprisal, legal action or whatever.'

But for good reason, right? I mean, what if they are breaking the law by saying damaging, libelous remarks about someone else? This brings up a whole other topic of how we feel about the laws in each of our countries. That is a much bigger topic that just Ax. We shoudln't assume that the existance of the internet is going to 'fix' each of our legal systems by allowing anybody to talk smack about anybody. It is easy to consider that idea if you are not in a position to have your business damaged by some anonymous person on an internet site. Most of the people on Ax are not in that position.

That would bring me to my next point... what if Ax instated these strict registration requirements and a lot of people went to another Kickboxing website? Personally, I think that would be great! :-) The people that would stay would be much more enjoyable to interact with. No more smack-talk. Or, there would be smack-talk,

--------------------

Dynamo
Why are you doing this?
So much infighting. This is such a waste of time.

...But...what have I got to lose...nothing.

'Ax is great for info but it it is hardly democratic.'

Let me make this clear to you. Ax is a website owned by me. I can do whatever I want with it. I have no idea where you developed this expectation that Ax should be a democracy-based website. This is not the first time that I've heard that comment, and I think it's ridiculous. The content of this website is filled by the community. The website is not RUN by the community. I put a lot of effort into developing and maintaining this site.

'How many times have you Brian kicked out people from AX??'

I'm not sure of the exact number, but it's about to have one more added to it.

'And if we are such a community here how come YOU ONLY decide to kick people out?'

I don't only decide. There is a small group of Ax moderators that help in making more difficult moderation decisions. But, I consider their ideas because I respect their input, not because I'm bound to them. Utlimately, I decide what happens with my website.

To put it simply, the content of this website is community driven. However, the rules and regulations of the website are NOT community driven. I occassionally ask for input from the Ax community, like I'm doing within this thread, but I make the final decisions on how the site is run.

'The thing you two trying to present and put it into effect here is called censorship.'

First of all, I'm not only talking about one idea. I'm talking about multiple concepts. That is why I assumed that you didn't read the entire thread, because you keep missing the details of the conversation.

Secondly, let me say a few things about censorship. I think censorship is very misunderstood. In reality, there is no such thing as a censorship-free environment. How can I say that? What is censorship? To me, censorship is a consequence for the things that you say. Sometimes, that consequence comes in the form of a law that says "You can't say that or you`ll go to jail!". Sometimes, censorship is less defined, but it still exists, like in the case of people from the KB community blacklisting someone for posting their opinion on an internet forum. That is still censorship. It is censorship coming from the larger community.

If I were talking directly about censorship being instated by the Ax Kickboxing Website, then you can see plenty of Censorship by looking at our list of rules for the site. Rules = Censorship. We have some rules, so we already censor what people can say, to a relatively small degree.

I am not proposing more Ax censorship. What I am proposing here is a lack of hidden identity. This provides an opportunity for censorship to be provided by some other force outside of Ax, like the legal system or the black-listing by those in the KB community. If you have a problem with the legal system, or with the KB community blacklisting people, then why don't you deal with those problems directly? Don't blame Ax for those things. Those things exist without Ax. Ax has probably protected some people from those things, but those problems exist regardless of Ax`s policies.

'even if Brian will make this a paid site nobody will check if it is really me or not.'
or
'tell me how in the world will you verify my true identity if I fill up my profile with bullshit?'

Firt of all, it has little to do with what you fill into your profile. You can say that you weight 367 lbs and are 7'8" tall and I'm not going to verify that. What I would verify is your identity... your real name.

How? If I were to receive payment from you, wouldn't I be able to verify your identity? If I accepted payments, I would only accept Paypal and Credit Card transactions. and I would only accept payments from a card or paypal account in your name. So you could, potentially, register under your friend`s name and use your friend`s credit card or paypal account, but they will get in trouble if you break the law in their name. Or, I could catch you and you could be banned from the site and possibly be taken to court for identity fraud.

Aside from payments, there are other ways to verify someone`s identity. For instance, providing a telephone number or an address that can be searched and linked to your name. Or you could send a scan of a recent utility bill, which can then be verified by that utility company. You could scan a driver`s license. There are lots of options for identity verification. Many of them are dependant upon the country in which the person is located. I could offer all of the verification options, or just a few of them, depending on how many resources it would take to support each verification process.

None of these verification processes are perfect, but they would verify most people. The verification process has almost nothing to do with the contents of your profile. The only thing it would change is your 'real name' and 'country' fields would be filled in automatically and you wouldn't be able to change them (unless you moved to another country).

I'll give an example of some real-world 'censorship' provided by the Kickboxing Community: Fast-forward to the future. Let's assume that Dynamo`s real name would be verified. If I lived in Slovakia, I might choose to avoid working with Martin Belak because I thought he sounded really stupid when he posted some ridiculous comments on an Internet Kickboxing website. If he were completely anonymous, I would not know such things about Marin Belak. I would be in the dark. However, with a real identity established, I could link his comments to him and conclude that he has been hit in the head too many times and that it would be a business risk to work with him on a promotion.

See? It's all about honesty. You decide to say something, then people know what you have to say. They get to know the REAL you. It would make people think before they speak. I've been using my real identity since the birth of Ax. I'm not afraid to say what I think.

What is everybody so afraid of?
I know the answer to that. You're afraid of having to deal with the messed up aspects of the Kickboxing community at large. Well, maybe it`s about time that we started dealing with those problems, rather than avoiding them with anonymous identities.

Andrew writes 'We're all grown ups now guys and girls, it's not hard to just ignore stupid posts.'

I wish it were that simple. It`s not simply about ignoring stupid posts. Sometimes, the comments made are monetarily damaging to a legitimate business. Who takes responsiblity for that?

Plus, we all know that not everyone ignores the comments made. What if Mr Sam Anonymous said that Mr Joe Promoter was a dirty promoter? Mr Joe Promoter could decide to brush it off, no big deal. But what about all of the other people that read that? Even if a small percentage of the people that read that comment believed it, that is still damage done to Mr Joe`s promotion. What if Mr Anonymous was actually one of Mr Joe Promoter`s competitors? Or a disgruntled fighter? What if you were Mr Joe Promoter and someone said something damaging about your promotion that you knew was not true? Would you ignore it? What if the comments made got a lot of attention?

These issues are not simple.

What I think is 'pathetic' about this thread...

1. All of the comments made about how 'pathetic' the thread is.

2. The opportunists who wish to take the opportunity to bash the image girl for appearing hypocritical by not filling out her profile (Her Profile is filled out now, get over it)

3. The quick complaint posts that offer a severe lack of detail of the topics being discussed. I proposed some ideas. What do you think about them? Why? What ideas do you have? Please, no more 'This sucks' comments.

I'll give an example of some real-world 'censorship' provided by the Kickboxing Community: Fast-forward to the future. Let's assume that Dynamo`s real name would be verified. If I lived in Slovakia, I might choose to avoid working with Martin Belak because I thought he sounded really stupid when he posted some ridiculous comments on an Internet Kickboxing website. If he were completely anonymous, I would not know such things about Marin Belak. I would be in the dark. However, with a real identity established, I could link his comments to him and conclude that he has been hit in the head too many times and that it would be a business risk to work with him on a promotion.

Listen buddy - you dont have the slightest idea the way I work with MT in Slovakia. And I take this as a big offence from your side.
I think you went too far!!!
But everything runs in a circle Brian, remmember!!!

At least you showed the other axers why not to fill up their profiles.

'How many times have you Brian kicked out people from AX??'

I'm not sure of the exact number, but it's about to have one more added to it.

You treathening to kick me out?????

HAHAHAHA Do so please!!!

One by one, kick everyone out that posts something you dont like, you will be left with all the buddies that brush you the right way.

And before you do so /kick me out/ explain pls which rule did I break??
Because I posted my opinions?

I think you should kick yourself out and stop posting as you broke a rule, without verifing my credibility you wrote something I really dont like.

Cheers guys.

Blame me mom. Always taught me to see both sides of the argument - just in case you get more information and realise you're wrong!

I've also had some good mentors, and have also really grown up in the last few years. I now accept that everyone is different, and (obvious criminal activity the exception) is entitled and has a right to live how they like and voice their opinions...who am I to tell them their wrong?

People like Oliver Sperling should be posters we should aspire to be like - polite, honest, opinionated with the backing of knowledge.

And the one thing I like about kickboxing is that everyone is equal. I mean at my class I have unemployed, manual workers, professionals, company owners, movie actors, music industry people....yet everyone is on the same level playing field, no-one treated better than anyone else. Its the way it should be.

Just my two-penneth!

And Caitlin, your a typical girl! Sure you have loads of piccies of you, but being a girl will never be happy until you post one that's perfect!! lol! Good luck with the career!

Smiler

If the changes as suggested above take place it will no longer be a forum of free debate (not talking about cost I'm talking about discussion of issues) and yes as it's your site you can do with it as you please. I'm sure some people would stay, some would leave on principle.
As I moderate my own group it's open to anyone with a similar interest, if they get abusive they get warned, post deleted if its a continuing problem banned. I don't care what your real name is, what I care about what you do and say.

Of course that last line should read "what I care about IS what you do and say". (Blush)

Well, I'm behind Caitalin on this one! Sure you can have your nick-names etc but at least fill in your profile with your e-mail address so if somebody has a problem with what you've written then they can contact you directly.
This way everybody else doesn't have to read all of the back and forth bickering that we have seen so much of lately!
Peace :-)

Although, there are spider programmes out there that will take your email adress from a web site and add to spam lists...so not everyone likes listing a public email for that reason....

Smiler

E, you make excellent points, but it`s coming from one point of view only. Yours.

A few years ago, I had the same mentality. However, my thoughts have changed, as I grow to learn more about the KB community, it'a large degree of instability coupled with great amounts of irresponsiblity.

I used to have this lovely ideal that I aimed for that involved a totally open forum with everyone getting along and sharing ideas and everyone benefitting from the existance of this website. Now I`ve seen too many examples of people within the KB community who are not responsible enough to exist within that ideal setting. There are people who exist within the community that would choose to say insulting, yet funny, things about someone else in the community JUST FOR FUN, because they are bored and want a laugh. To me, that is insanely irresponsible if you care anything at all about the sport(s) of Kickboxing.

In addition to that, you have ignoring another finepoint. Moderation difficulties. If I kick someone for saying something inappropriate, then they could potentially re-register. We may catch them. We may not. It really depends on how busy the moderators are during that week. The moderation and registration scripts aren`t setup the way I would like them to be. They could be rewritten to help catch people doing this. I don't have the resources for that. Plus, the site is growing steadily. That means that it is only going to get worse for the moderators. Nearly a year ago, I instituted forum rules, which is a first for Ax. I did this because I had to change under the pressure. The original version of moderation, where I would deal with each situation individually, wasn`t working. Now I have broad-sweeping rules with which to work from.

The whole idea of identity verification is really about accepting the world in which we exist. In this world, in each country, there are laws that govern and protect people (supposedly) from damaging attacks that can hurt their business. When someone writes something publically that is hurtful to another and causes proven damage to them or their business, it is called 'Libel'. ('Slander' is when it is spoken, like on radio or television'). That is one form of consequence for saying what you think. IF you don`t like that, then you need to go about changing the laws in your country. Get involved in politics. You shouldn`t rely on Ax to save you from the laws in your country.

It is unrealistic that someone would sue another for libelous remarks. It is expensive and time-consuming to take file a lawsuit and go through the whole litigation process. However, what is more realistic (for the KB community) is black-listing. (as I tried to give an example above, with Dynamo). Again, if you have a problem with people black-listing others for comments that they say publically, then you should deal with that issue directly. You should not rely on Ax to save you from that backlash. Sometimes, blacklisting is justified. Most of the time, it is not. Obviously, there are a lot of people within the community that do not like this aspect of the community. Whatever your opinion, perhaps it`s time that you should put your foot down publically about it, in your own name. Perhaps we should stop 'band-aiding' community issues and start fixing the problems instead, rather than relying on an anonymous forum to cirvumvent these problems.

'And before you do so /kick me out/ explain pls which rule did I break??'

You went off on a rant about the moderation that was unrelated to the topic. That breaks two rules.

Brian,

I understand your points, but there's alot of good in letting ppl post anonymously. Reprisals may not be legal action, things could be said that were 100% true but ppl may take things into their own hands.

Having an anonymous forum could stop KB becoming like pro boxing with dangerous mismatches and all sorts of other scams.

Jones. You`re absolutely right. There are a lot of benefits to a forum that allows anonymous posters.


I created another page to overview the points to this discussion. This thread has gotten to messy.
Click here to go to that thread