OLBG or KGB?

consul · Handicapper Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 12

What is with all the censorship? Is this a Soviet betting site or something?

1. If you make a post that in any way is critical of OLBG, it appears that they remove it! So much for freedom of speech! Remind me not to move to England any time soon.

2. If you use certain very innocent words in your comments, and those words happen to have a double meaning, but it would be obvious to even a complete idiot that you are using the innocent meaning, the automatic censorship system will automatically remove it.

So there you have it. Be careful what you say here. Any moment now I am expecting somebody from OLBG to come knocking on the door. If you don't hear from me for a while, you know why. Hopefully the salt mines are not so remote that we can't still get a bet on.

nors · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 8:18 am Post subject:

OLBG has always tried to be a haven for quality posts on betting and sport. There are plenty of sites where you can say what you want regardless of causing offence or libelous posts. Our aim on the forum is to try and offer a platform for sensible discussion aimed at working together.

We may be cautious on removing posts but that is to maintain a certain standard of debate. You only have to look around the internet to see the proliferation of out of control forums, this very easily could happen here unless we guard against it.

It is refreshing that people who post have put some thought into what they are saying. The reason you baulk at it is that the norm on the internet is for sites that allow free for alls with no regulation, and let me assure you that becomes tiresome and irritable to everyone.

We would say to everyone the rules are there to enhance your long term enjoyment of the site and to offer a meeting place for inciteful betting chat. Most people understand and respect our aims and the aims of the members.

Thanks for your thoughts.

consul · Handicapper Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 12

That's fine, I understand the intention there. But you still have not addressed the censorship issue. It is completely inappropriate to remove a comment such as:

"If Dehli wins the t o s s in this match, they should elect to bowl first"

Those spaces between letters are necessary to prevent your system from removing the word. Such a super-sensitive censorship system is ludicrous. Even if somebody were to use the alternative meaning of the word, I am sure that only an extremely small minority of people would find it offensive.

Certainly since the BBC are openly using the "C" word in a television drama, I don't see why we should need any censorship of this kind in our tips or on the forum.

And finally, it would be far more appropriate to reply to a message that you object to and state why you object to it before removing it. A better thing to do would be to move it to a section of the site especially set aside for such things, so that the removal can be objected against and so that other people can see what you are censoring and why.

You do need to be able to take criticism on the chin instead of trying to cover up and hide things. Better to treat criticism of things as feedback and actually learn from your mistakes and fix them. Acknowledging when you have a problem or at least arguing the point, is not going to drive people away.

I also would like to take the opportunity to make it very clear to anyone who reads this thread that I did not actually make any offensive comments at any time (or at least that any reasonable person would find offensive) and have not used bad language etc.

Antony OLBG · Stallion Read My Blog! Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5883

I agree
The automated censorship rules that we set up when we first launched are not needed any more - I'll sort it out next week
That said Im curious as to what your agenda is - are you just here to criticise?

manafana · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 12:30 am Post subject:

did provide many a laugh so it did ant, such as never being able to write andy rodd ick.
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consul · Handicapper Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 12

That said Im curious as to what your agenda is - are you just here to criticise?

Now, why would I bother with that? I realize there are some imbeciles out there who waste their time stirring up trouble, but it should be fairly obvious that I have an IQ above room temperature and that I have tried to address issues with fairness and good humor.

The point is that criticism should not be forbidden. Nobody is expecting perfection. There are many things I have noticed that I would like to see improved, but have said nothing so far, at least publicly.

There is much that you could do to improve, but having said that, this is still one of the best sites in this niche, and the only one that I have bothered to post tips in (apart from my own private sports sites).

I love OLBG. I think it is great! But the thing I don't like is the way that criticism is treated, and that anybody daring to speak an opinion will be attacked on a personal level, all the time with that oh-so-efficient English politeness....

Comments such as this one:

It is refreshing that people who post have put some thought into what they are saying. The reason you baulk at it is that the norm on the internet is for sites that allow free for alls with no regulation, and let me assure you that becomes tiresome and irritable to everyone

seem to intend to imply that I personally have done something to offend, when in fact all I have done is to question the use of the censorship and raise awareness of it. And this, I might add, without any prior discussion with me that you had a problem (and against your own written policy on such things).

As I said, I love OLBG and my main agenda is to see it grow and improve. But that won't happen if you're not willing to listen to the very people who make OLBG happen - the members - and it is these people, it must be remembered, who ultimately will help to attract new members into the fold.

The administrators here have talked about respect for the site and the forum rules, and of course I honor that 100%. I only ask that you all remember that respect is supposed to flow both ways, and you should respect us also. This way everyone will be happy, and our mutual goal of seeing OLBG be outstandingly successful may then be achieved.

man o bong · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 6:16 pm Post subject:

To be fair, this site has grown to a fairly decent size over the years even with this dictatorial cencorship stance. (tongue in cheek)

I for one, find it quite refreshing to be able to read through the site without coming across swear words in every other post. Dont get me wrong, i can and do F and Blind with the best and more frequently than i should, as anyone who has conversed with me will agree.

You've nor been around long, but if you can stick it out a bit longer you will find that the heavy handed moderation of the site is part and parcel of the backbone which makes it so popular and successful. Its not going to be to everyones taste as will not other sites that gounmoderated, but we do have that wonderful liberating option of choice.

My choice is to live and act within the rules of the site and spend more time hre than anywhere else, and if i do feellike letting off some steam, i kick the bloody dog instead
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