Spivs, respect and necessary change in the online Rangers community.

[forlanssister 3,050]

I mainly post on FF but I find that Gersnet tends to be a more 'thoughtful' forum. FF has the advantage of being a much larger forum and a wider range of viewpoints. RM, in my opinion, tends to be the worst for abuse, posters shouting others down and lack of moderation.

 

Pretty much the way I see it too.

[Zappa 0]

Regarding the subject of anonymity and using real names, it's something that forum and social media users need to decide for themselves as individuals, but not something which should be enforced. On most of these platforms it would be virtually impossible to enforce anyway because people could easily sign up with fake names and addresses just as they already do with many online activities which require you to complete forms with your personal details.

[Zappa 0]

On FF at least, quite a few of the 'regulars' know each others real identities and have often socialised in the real world. Personally, I have never made any attempt to hide my real identity and have had pro-Rangers articles and letters published under my real name.

 

I think that anonymity needs to have its limits. When it is misused and abused it should be lifted. If you have something to say then you really need to have the courage to say it under your real name.

 

In the case of the articles being published by Gers forums and sites I think it comes down to the writer and the specific content being published. In the mainstream media on sites such as the beeb, Scotsman, Herald and many others it's extremely common for Rangers related articles to be published completely anonymously, so why should Rangers fans replying to forum topics or writing current affairs articles about the club or the mainstream media's handling of our club feel the necessity to always publish comments or article content under real names?

[bossy 0]

In the case of the articles being published by Gers forums and sites I think it comes down to the writer and the specific content being published. In the mainstream media on sites such as the beeb, Scotsman, Herald and many others it's extremely common for Rangers related articles to be published completely anonymously, so why should Rangers fans replying to forum topics or writing current affairs articles about the club or the mainstream media's handling of our club feel the necessity to always publish comments or article content under real names?

 

Just my view. On the few occasions where I have been published by the MSM it was always under my name. I felt no need for - and did not ask for - anonymity.

[calscot 0]

It's a good point - all that huffing and puffing over Sectarian Electric Thought-Crime could have been saved if, instead, they had brought in a law requiring everyone to use their own name.

 

In fact, that is one thing which Rangers messageboards could do off their own bat to improve the overall tone. Re-register under your real name or else you no get posty, mate. We could take the lead and set an example with which to show the likes of Spiers and the SNP govt. that we are taking steps, taking action, so get off our backs and see what others are doing instead, for once.

 

It would be a really smart move and I can't see any reasons against it. If someone desperately wanted to share info but didn't want tp be revealed they could always pass it on to someone else to post.

 

I really don't see the sense in this at all - as amms said, lots of people post from work. Or imagine you're applying for a job and they google you and find one of your angrier posts or with expletives... Or they just don't like your opinion or the fact you spend so much time on a football forum.

 

Or you might just disagree with a nutter online and he looks you up, finds your address and damages your car or something, never mind attacking you. Or they could complain to your employers or the police which would come to nothing but cause you great embarrassment.

 

There's countless reasons for anonymity and it's not all about being a keyboard warrior.

 

You may have your real name there but it actually makes no difference to me as I don't know you. It's as much of a user name to me as anyone else and for all I really know it could be an alias (a footballer from a by gone age or something) - but I don't really care one way or the other as it doesn't affect me.

 

You don't have to be hiding anything to want your privacy and anonymity.

[Zappa 0]

I mainly post on FF but I find that Gersnet tends to be a more 'thoughtful' forum. FF has the advantage of being a much larger forum and a wider range of viewpoints. RM, in my opinion, tends to be the worst for abuse, posters shouting others down and lack of moderation.

 

The attempt to keep direct finger pointing out of it seemed to be successful up to a point, but it was inevitable that names would be mentioned.

 

On FF the first (and almost instant) reply was from one of the mods, MDC and it seemed as though he wasn't sure if FF was included in the gist of the article or not, since one of his replies was "PS - we have a clear sticky on abuse and dozens of people every week still seem unable to read it.". In fact all of his responses while polite and courteous (which I like!) seemed quite defensive, making me think he maybe didn't really 'get' the article if you know what I mean. Other responses over there were good, although I thought the SoS thread hijack was a bit odd. I guess that could be because I mentioned and quoted D'Artagnan's article which had focused a lot on SoS, but I'm not sure (or particularly bothered either).

 

The response on RM was different and as anticipated, the issue was played down with no direct response to the article coming from any of the mod or admin team. I thought this was a really good reply from the writer JCS though:

 

The article by Zappa (above), and the article by D'Artagnan that he refers to, are excellent observations on the parlous state of our support - whether 'on line' or 'off line'.

 

Speaking to supporters on line, at meetings, at the games and elsewhere, the message is essentially the same - who can we trust?

 

The inescapable fact is that most fans are totally bewildered by all of this in-fighting, and the constant charge and counter-charge that ineitably attends the public 'interchanges' that charactrerises these squabbles.

 

Not one of the protagonists has overed himself with glory, indeed, it's difficult not to conclude that they have caused greater division in the support and alienated the very people they should be relying on.

 

Whilst I fully realise that it's wishful thinking, I wish that every last one of them would disappear into the mists of time, so that we could start afresh.

 

Having said that, the expletives, the abuse and the vitriol aimed at ALL of the protagionists in this sorry saga is totally indefensible.

[Super_Ally 0]

I originally joined under my own name and eventually got bmck I think to change it.

 

Didn't know internet protocol was to sign up under a daft or assumed name when I first came here. Naive. :-)

[TheTinMan99 0]

More tolerance about opinions, and less tolerance about personal abuse, on all forums, would go a long way to making the divides seem less dramatic. Without appearing to kiss the admin ass on here, Gersnet seem to have the balance about right. The big two could do a lot worse than send their mod teams on here for a week for some much needed re-training.

[andy steel 0]

Cool, you want to go against all advice given by various bodies about staying safe on the net and advice not to divulge personal details, unbelievable.

 

I can't see how you would be putting yourself in danger were you to post under your real name.

[andy steel 0]

I really don't see the sense in this at all - as amms said, lots of people post from work. Or imagine you're applying for a job and they google you and find one of your angrier posts or with expletives... Or they just don't like your opinion or the fact you spend so much time on a football forum.

 

That would give them a pretty good idea of who I am, so I'd see it as more of a good thing than a negative. And I am intensely proud of being a Rangers fan - I'm more than happy to be known the length and breadth of Scotland as a Bluenose. If that's a negative for a potential employer or whatever its probably best to be known at an early stage! If posting on a Rangers forum is so embarrassing one can only do it in public under a nom de plume, we're in bigger shit than I thought.

 

But I doubt that people would post furious diatribes so much under their own names.

 

Or you might just disagree with a nutter online and he looks you up, finds your address and damages your car or something, never mind attacking you. Or they could complain to your employers or the police which would come to nothing but cause you great embarrassment.

 

No-one has yet, and I've had countless run ins with ubers. I don't buy this society terrorised by Old Firm fans the media love to present and I'm happy enough to talk football and accept what comes with it.

 

 

There's countless reasons for anonymity and it's not all about being a keyboard warrior.

 

Well, I never said that was what it was about. However, more broadly, people corresponded in newspapers and magazines for decades and never felt the need for anonymity, how come its so different now?

 

You don't have to be hiding anything to want your privacy and anonymity.

 

The last is true enough, but something of an oxymoron, in that if you want your privacy etc that much, you're unlikely to be into online posting.