If you post on this site - PLEASE READ

[Gene]

The amount of complaints about the tone of the posts on this site has reached record proportion. 

People complain that I banned their friends.

People complain that I haven’t banned others.

There have been multiple instances where Person A complains about Person B and Person B complains about Person A.

People have threatened to leave if I don’t do something.  (Given the amount I use this site, you would think people would realize that statement doesn’t have a whole lot of sway with me since I am paying to keep a site alive I don’t even use.)

I understand that people can be rude since that is the main reason I stopped using this site myself.  I would ask anyone who posts and participates on the site to do two things:

1. Before you post something, please review the content of your post and make sure it does not attack or insult another member in any way, shape, or form…unless you don’t value your membership and wish to go out in a blaze of glory.

2. If you read a post that you disagree with, please realize there’s a reason that Baskin-Robbins makes 31 flavors of ice cream.  Remember opinions are like ‘you know what’, everybody has one.

This is NOT to suggest I don’t want to hear about spammers, inappropriate, insulting, or vulgar posts.  I think we want civil, open discussion with sharing knowledge and ideas but we will not tolerate trolls.

I am pushing Ning to provide voting buttons where the Community could vote down posts from any trolls and once they hit a certain number, we would ban them.  Until then, I ask that everyone play nice.  Thanks in advance for your support!

[eva ciechonska]

I know this Tracy but I have sat on many committees where we have fought like cat and dog then gone out for a drink at the end of the day.  No two people agree every time but do you need to war over it?  Life is too short to bear grudges. 

A couple of years ago I had to have words with one of the members on this site because she was spreading rumours about my dog.  I have moved on, sadly I don't believe she has.  Hatchets need to be buried, and the sooner the better.

[Torie Lancaster]

Sara.....I have just finished reading both discussions and wavy coats is 'six of one & half a dozen of the other' but I wholeheartedly agree with you about the PRA discussion as a outsider looking in, let's just say it's 'clear as crystal'.

Am I right in thinking this site has 4000 members? 

[Torie Lancaster]

I'm interested Sara because I usually go straight to the photo's when I come on here and then I head for the latest discussions.  I have noticed that so many more members add photo's than participate in discussions. That's all.

[eva ciechonska]

Tori, I have had this conversation with European friends and they say that it is very difficult for them to participate in debates because of the language barrier.  Their spoken English being far superior to their grasp of the written word.  When you see how many blogs and photos are posted in the language of the poster than you can see that it is very possible.  It is as simple as that.

[Angela Roberts]

if you go to the members tab at the top of the page it shows All Members (2069)

[eva ciechonska]

Sara I would also add to your list of discussions Summer's Stomach. it was a debate around July of last year and it was that which probably resulted in your friend being asked to leave this site.  I did not want to get into finger pointing and I hoped that we had gone past that.  However you could still not call this bullying but it was most definitely amazingly discourteous to the extent of even sending me reeling, and I don't phase easily.

I would say that most of us have been guilty at some stage of extreme reaction, some of it justified, some of it not so justified.  We should all be able to accept this and move on.  Self righteousness is the mother of all evil.........please let us not go there.

[eva ciechonska]

But it does Sara because you mentioned that you were friends with Val Martin so you do know.  In all fairness you were not involved in the Breed Standard - Wavy Coats   discussion either but you have chosen to post this as an example of what you see as "bullying".  I have merely suggested that members also look at Summer's Stomach .  The two discussions ran more or less one after the other. 

Let us please stop this now before it degenerates any further.

[Finding_Beau]

Hi Sue

Sara did not write that bullying was included in the UK Kennel Club Code of Conduct. She wrote: “The Kennel club warned members to watch their conduct on internet forums otherwise they could be taken to task over it”. I read the link you attached. The UK Kennel Club Code of Ethics section is 4 pages long, 1 page talks about Harassment which is a criminal offence and 2 pages talk about Social Media. The word ‘bullying’ does not need to be used.

I am a member of a Canine Control Council in Australia. The President has included messages in the monthly journals warning members to watch their conduct on internet forums. This has been ongoing for years. The Code of Conduct was updated to reflect the expected behaviour of members on internet forums. The word 'bullying' was not used.

[Andy Benstead]

Hi Sara. This is just my opinion, for what that's worth.

I really enjoy ES and I often look through the site and have nothing but praise for it. I have owned Setters for about thirty years and have learned so much about them from the members of this site since I joined some months ago.

I have found members very friendly and very helpful.

No bullying that I have seen, but I am thick skinned and it would go over my head as I don’t care what people think or say about me. Some people are very different to me and the slightest thing will upset them. In my opinion, this is a good and useful site to explore and learn.

As with all forums and discussions, some of us tend to go off on a tangent and this is a perfect example of that happening.

If anyone is interested, I will be selling chill pills soon! (I am not really selling pills of any kind, it was a joke).

[Andy Benstead]

Hi Mel.

I think most of us could do with one from time to time.

I like a bit of humour, but have noticed that some people take a light hearted comment the wrong way. This happens on every forum. Some of us laugh and cry over different things.

[Pat Aldridge]

Mel, hope your girls' health improves - it's awful when your furkids are not well.  Have a wine - or whatever you fancy.

[Andy Benstead]

Hi Mel.

So sorry to hear that. I could not even begin to imagine what you are going through. Let's hope for a full and rapid recovery.

Andy x