Reasonable
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I suppose a couple of things have been bothering me on WC lately and wanted to seek other people's opinions. It about censoring members for their opinions and that leads into other topics such as Flex culture, that unfortunately invades every social media platform.
Before I start with the censoring issue, WC terms and conditions are clearly stated and to me, reasonable for the most part, although reading them more thoroughly lately I see many difference with other parts of the T&Cs. I am sure none of us would ever approve of online bullying or abuse in any way. The watch community is wide and varied, as it should be. The main body of the code of conduct seems to be…
Examples of unacceptable behaviour by participants include:
Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
Public or private harassment
Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting
I have noticed that some members seem to be censored or muted. People I have followed suddenly stopped appearing in my feed. I have looked back on many of their posts and wondered why. Being a public forum there of course will be disagreements between members. People have come from other platforms and cause trouble and abuse, change their name/email and start all over again. Often the abuser then reports a member. It is called muddying the water, politicians use it every day.
Personally people I disagree with I usually say nothing and move onto the next post, or try and make my point in a reasonable way. Failing this I block them. On a few occasions I have private messaged people and nine times out of ten, any discourse is usually sorted out that way, sometimes making a new online friend even. I remind myself that WC is global so many cultural issues sit differently with us all and some make me feel uncomfortable. Again when these arrive I ignore and move on. I am pleased that religious and political posts are rare on WC, as it should be. I am of the opinion that I do not want to know or hear people's political views, let alone religion. Howether people need to express themselves, that is why most of us are here. Some of us can be salty, or tongue in cheek or in my case I like to be humorous given the chance. That is where the culture issues really comes into being, as what is funny to me, or salty, might in another part of the world be downright insulting.
WC members are going to disagree and fall out, that is life. Providing members adhere to reasonable behaviour seems common sense. We must remember that WC is not a democracy. We do not get to vote on the rules and conditions, let alone the people in charge. I have used the word “reasonable” several times and it is my hope that people who are deemed to have come into conflict are given a “reasonable” hearing.
Finally WC on the whole is a great place to be. It should be fun and educational and a place to chat to like-minded people from all over the world, and for the most part it is. There will be bumps in the road and I hope that most of us have broad shoulders. I was wondering what members think about my points?
Thanks for taking the time to read.
From the UK, I am a watch nut, from the age of 18 been putting £5ish aside each week to fund my watch passion and never stopped.
There is, in addition to cultural, also a language barrier. I am not a native English speaker and likely not the only one.
For example, I don't get what "salty" is supposed to mean in your post and while I think that I know what tongue in cheek is, I often don't get the joke or lack context. So even if something is or would be funny, I may not be able to understand it because it uses complicated language. It's why I like emoji, they are more universal.
I experienced this myself, not sure if I was personally blocked or muted and I verified with other crunchers that my comments are being muted/blocked and not sure why?! I usually will get a warning of sorts which I totally appreciate and acknowledge but there was no warning ?! , unless there was a glitch in the program itself … it’s when I asked why my comments are blocked that all of a sudden my comments started appearing with no explanation…. Perhaps it may be a glitch or someone felt offended with some of my comments and reported my wise bum!! lol which is ok too …
I think your points are spot on. I’ve appreciated the minimum religious and political takes here, and the overall respectful interactions. I’d hope it’s mostly the result of Crunchers’ self-control, but I’m sure a review team plays a decent part, too.
This is a unique and valued place.
I do agree that there should be a consistent warning notice on any questioned posts. That way, the lines can be a bit more bright in helping to determine what to post.
Thanks for this post to start this needed discussion.
If making a comment that could be taken differently I try to use an emoji that reflects my intended tone to hopefully convey that intent better.🤔
I experienced this myself, not sure if I was personally blocked or muted and I verified with other crunchers that my comments are being muted/blocked and not sure why?! I usually will get a warning of sorts which I totally appreciate and acknowledge but there was no warning ?! , unless there was a glitch in the program itself … it’s when I asked why my comments are blocked that all of a sudden my comments started appearing with no explanation…. Perhaps it may be a glitch or someone felt offended with some of my comments and reported my wise bum!! lol which is ok too …
This has happened to other's I know of as well.
If someone takes enough offense to something said on an anonymous watch enthusiast forum, blocking is the best policy.
Playing the report so they might be muted game is annoying.
I for one welcome open dialog, discourse, and even disagreements. Without any of those, knowledge is not furthered.
I find it's easier to just skip to the next post than take the hassle to report, block, whatever.
I have written a lot here about this subject. My opinions have mollified somewhat. I am still blocked or muted by several for my wildly retrograde opinions, such as "G-Shocks should not be worn with a suit, not even ironically." (Seriously, this got me blocked. I was polite about it. I did the whole "wear what you like" bs that is supposed to inoculate us from accusations of "wrongthink", but nevertheless somewhere a suit/G-Shock wearing advocate was offended.)
Also, I still hold the opinion that a little negativity in a feed is more interesting. My most read and commented on posts have walked this line. The same is true for comments. (I miss the OG troll, @DeeperBlue, she had such a light touch. The cut was made without the recipient ever feeling it.)
I wish that WC was less opaque about muting or blocking things. Posts and comments just disappear. It has happened to me, although not recently. There is usually a point in a comment exchange where you know it is coming. Although, surprisingly you can still say whatever you want about the Cathars without repercussion. "Cathars wear G-Shocks with blue suits," is not controversial. (Of the things that I have written, this might be my favorite troll post. And I could not do it here.)
I assume that this thread will be removed soon, but for what it's worth: I used to be a moderator of a political forum that originated in the Web 2.0 times. It was fairly lively, but the recent changes in the political climate, largely driven by different activist groups, changed the discourse substantially. The problem was generally compounded by:
a) User growth
b) Different countries enacting often obscure laws on which speech is protected, and which is not.
This increased my moderation efforts to an unbearable level.
While I would expect the need for moderation to be far less at WatchCrunch, I'm almost certain that the capacity doesn't exist to moderate threads outside of the narrowly defined scope of watch collecting.
I have never blocked anyone, as I am like the poster; if something ruffles my feathers, I just move on. Life is too short to worry about a printed comment on a forum.
However, I now have a question. I thought if you blocked a certain person, they just stopped showing up on your feed. It sounds like blocking someone blocks them from everyone’s feed. Is that a correct assumption?
Thank you for sharing. I am new to WC (1 week) and have loved this week. Reading this saddens me a bit. There is a commonality amongst us all: watches. That being said, I appreciate people with different beliefs, backgrounds, languages, and cultures. It lets me see beyond what is in front of me.
Alas, this is social media and there are those out there that don't know how to see past differences. They see differences as a way to dived vice learn and grow.
Finally, I really appreciate calling out flex culture. Watches can range from a few dollars to millions. Let's appreciate the watch and other people's love of it. Hate of a watch, color, band, etc isn't needed here. I like seeing people's passions.
Sorry for the long reply. Thanks again.
Great thread.
That's all I have to say😬
I assume that this thread will be removed soon, but for what it's worth: I used to be a moderator of a political forum that originated in the Web 2.0 times. It was fairly lively, but the recent changes in the political climate, largely driven by different activist groups, changed the discourse substantially. The problem was generally compounded by:
a) User growth
b) Different countries enacting often obscure laws on which speech is protected, and which is not.
This increased my moderation efforts to an unbearable level.
While I would expect the need for moderation to be far less at WatchCrunch, I'm almost certain that the capacity doesn't exist to moderate threads outside of the narrowly defined scope of watch collecting.
I hope it is not removed.😬 I just wondered what peoples thoughts were on this subject and tried to write it in a positive way.
Great thread.
That's all I have to say😬
Blocked and reported.
I have never blocked anyone, as I am like the poster; if something ruffles my feathers, I just move on. Life is too short to worry about a printed comment on a forum.
However, I now have a question. I thought if you blocked a certain person, they just stopped showing up on your feed. It sounds like blocking someone blocks them from everyone’s feed. Is that a correct assumption?
No, you are invisible to them and they to you. The rest of us are unaffected.
There is, in addition to cultural, also a language barrier. I am not a native English speaker and likely not the only one.
For example, I don't get what "salty" is supposed to mean in your post and while I think that I know what tongue in cheek is, I often don't get the joke or lack context. So even if something is or would be funny, I may not be able to understand it because it uses complicated language. It's why I like emoji, they are more universal.
Tongue in cheek is something said in irony, is flippant or insincere.
Salty is humor that can be described as gritty or coarse. Say may call it “down to earth”.
Down to earth is thought of as more practical or common and not high brow (upper crust)
I hope that helps a bit. I know those maybe just as confusing as the original sayings. 🙃 But it might help. 🙏🏻
As a thing gets bigger it inevitably gets ruined, hahaha.
We're, I think, at a tipping point right now where this is a community of people just wanting to be nice and nerdy about a fringe interest transitioning into something people want to exploit for profit or personal glory. It's just the natural shape of good things. And in capitalism, making the thing grow is an obligation of the creators, it can't just stay the same.
So, I don't want to control anybody when I see them spamming for their brand or launching nonsensical AI poll bots, or starting arguments for sport, but I do go, "Aw man, already?"
No, you are invisible to them and they to you. The rest of us are unaffected.
Good. Thanks for the clarification.
I have written a lot here about this subject. My opinions have mollified somewhat. I am still blocked or muted by several for my wildly retrograde opinions, such as "G-Shocks should not be worn with a suit, not even ironically." (Seriously, this got me blocked. I was polite about it. I did the whole "wear what you like" bs that is supposed to inoculate us from accusations of "wrongthink", but nevertheless somewhere a suit/G-Shock wearing advocate was offended.)
Also, I still hold the opinion that a little negativity in a feed is more interesting. My most read and commented on posts have walked this line. The same is true for comments. (I miss the OG troll, @DeeperBlue, she had such a light touch. The cut was made without the recipient ever feeling it.)
I wish that WC was less opaque about muting or blocking things. Posts and comments just disappear. It has happened to me, although not recently. There is usually a point in a comment exchange where you know it is coming. Although, surprisingly you can still say whatever you want about the Cathars without repercussion. "Cathars wear G-Shocks with blue suits," is not controversial. (Of the things that I have written, this might be my favorite troll post. And I could not do it here.)
We all know a true Cathar would only wear a purple suit and a white G Shock.
Blue suits are for the #custodesspecial
There is, in addition to cultural, also a language barrier. I am not a native English speaker and likely not the only one.
For example, I don't get what "salty" is supposed to mean in your post and while I think that I know what tongue in cheek is, I often don't get the joke or lack context. So even if something is or would be funny, I may not be able to understand it because it uses complicated language. It's why I like emoji, they are more universal.
Salty can also mean seasoned with experience. Think get off my lawn, old man, too old for this.
Super post Paul……
I’m with you if I don’t like the subject, the post is iffy or it’s boring I just swipe right and slide up and down to the next one. I think I have blocked one knob troll
oh and I like salt if you know what I mean and for Christ sakes though some of the posters need to stop blithering about and get it said 😉😂
Great post. Have seen some of mine and others' posts disappear.
Humor seems to be a bit and miss with the WC crowd. Most get it, others don't and evidently complain.
Admin/mod is a tough role and is necessary but some sort of heads-up should be in place.
Thank you for sharing. I am new to WC (1 week) and have loved this week. Reading this saddens me a bit. There is a commonality amongst us all: watches. That being said, I appreciate people with different beliefs, backgrounds, languages, and cultures. It lets me see beyond what is in front of me.
Alas, this is social media and there are those out there that don't know how to see past differences. They see differences as a way to dived vice learn and grow.
Finally, I really appreciate calling out flex culture. Watches can range from a few dollars to millions. Let's appreciate the watch and other people's love of it. Hate of a watch, color, band, etc isn't needed here. I like seeing people's passions.
Sorry for the long reply. Thanks again.
First Off, Welcome to Watch Crunch and Enjoy! This thread is from long time members that I have respected for quite some time. In my opinion, 99.9% of WC is made up of watch enthusiasts and collectors enjoying the best platform for watches. I hope this is your experience. WC is the only place where collectors with one watch, collectors with seven figure collections, and everywhere in between, communicate with eatchother.
First Off, Welcome to Watch Crunch and Enjoy! This thread is from long time members that I have respected for quite some time. In my opinion, 99.9% of WC is made up of watch enthusiasts and collectors enjoying the best platform for watches. I hope this is your experience. WC is the only place where collectors with one watch, collectors with seven figure collections, and everywhere in between, communicate with eatchother.
Thank you. I feel accepted and welcomed.