What a mess .

[Old Grumpy]

Yes the forum I mean, nothing is organised any more, which shows what a great job BH did as a moderator, he's sadly missed. Despite having quite distinct forum headings for the likes of Sports Bars, Restaurants, Shopping etc the whole lot is now a confusing jungle, making it impossible to just read what interests you without wading through the rest of the, what I consider to be rubbish. My pet gripe is the General Udon Thani Topic which includes the ridiculous jokes topic .Every day the indicator shows new postings which when clicked turns out to be nothing at all to do with Udon Thani but another self styled comedian repeating something he has heard elsewhere that he considers funny. Okay give them an outlet for this rubbish if you must, but please make it obvious to those of us not interested what it is so we don't waste our time or more importantly miss something we might want to read but clicking "as read" the entire topic .
Just to clarify. In eating out I don't want to read about boxing, rugby or any other sport, surely that belongs in sports bars, just what 's on the menu, surely that's simple to do?

[Stantheman]

Definately living up to your name. I look and ignore what I don't want to read, no pain involved. If you think a poster is a problem just Foe them.

[Old Grumpy]

Definately living up to your name. I look and ignore what I don't want to read, no pain involved. If you think a poster is a problem just Foe them.

Of course I really don't expect you to understand, it's not any individual poster causing a problem its the lack of discipline on the forum that is causing the mayhem. Looking and ignoring is not the answer, I simply don't want to look in the first place, when I do look I want to see something that is connected with the topic title, not something not even remotely connected to it .

[Udon Map]

Definately living up to your name. I look and ignore what I don't want to read, no pain involved. If you think a poster is a problem just Foe them.

Of course I really don't expect you to understand, it's not any individual poster causing a problem its the lack of discipline on the forum that is causing the mayhem. Looking and ignoring is not the answer, I simply don't want to look in the first place, when I do look I want to see something that is connected with the topic title, not something not even remotely connected to it.

I've never done it on this forum; but on others in which I participate, when you "foe" someone, you don't even see that they have posted. It's as if they don't exist.

[747man]

Definately living up to your name. I look and ignore what I don't want to read, no pain involved. If you think a poster is a problem just Foe them.

I'm Sure he is a " Happy Man " Though Stan.....

[stattointhailand]

Definately living up to your name. I look and ignore what I don't want to read, no pain involved. If you think a poster is a problem just Foe them.

Of course I really don't expect you to understand, it's not any individual poster causing a problem its the lack of discipline on the forum that is causing the mayhem. Looking and ignoring is not the answer, I simply don't want to look in the first place, when I do look I want to see something that is connected with the topic title, not something not even remotely connected to it.

I've never done it on this forum; but on others in which I participate, when you "foe" someone, you don't even see that they have posted. It's as if they don't exist.

and that is the very reason that I am loathe to "Foe" anyone

Just because I dont agree with someones ultra right wing fake news on one thread doesnt mean that I dont want to read their well reasoned and informed opinion on a different subject

[stereolab]

Definately living up to your name. I look and ignore what I don't want to read, no pain involved. If you think a poster is a problem just Foe them.

Of course I really don't expect you to understand, it's not any individual poster causing a problem its the lack of discipline on the forum that is causing the mayhem. Looking and ignoring is not the answer, I simply don't want to look in the first place, when I do look I want to see something that is connected with the topic title, not something not even remotely connected to it.

I've never done it on this forum; but on others in which I participate, when you "foe" someone, you don't even see that they have posted. It's as if they don't exist.

Missing some posts, within a thread, because you have "foe'd" someone, might mean you have missed an important piece of information, or gleaned and interesting fact. Even the most awkward of posters get it right on occasion.

[tamada]

From some comments seen on other threads, when a member is marked as 'foe' only their original posts become invisible but if someone else links a comment on that foe's post, then the foe's post is seen even though they are on the members foe list. Like the whole 'ignore' function, it's a poor tool IMHO and I agree that it can block otherwise relevant, sensible, un-opinionated posts on various subjects by a single member based on their stance on only one subject.

As for irrelevant posts popping up in the wrong category, I think that can primarily be laziness on the person posting and not considering the alternatives; a bit like the 'General' topic on the big TV forum that needs full-time moderation to move stuff where it ought to be? I have found that if you use the report feature on this forum, any incorrectly classified or misplaced threads are relocated appropriately. Help the mods by helping yourself first no?

[jackspratt]

As for irrelevant posts popping up in the wrong category, ...........................

You mean like this: topic49469.html

A meaningless thread title, plunked in completely the wrong place.

[noosard]

555 60hrs of postings on one page
not a major mess to shift through

[BillaRickaDickay]

A mess, fake news, trolls, pseudo peeps, this is how it is today, anything to get a positive/negative response to promote their own agenda, look at me here l am, that's why you have twats like Mr dribbles allowed to continue with his racist insults, bums on seats.

[tamada]

As for irrelevant posts popping up in the wrong category, ...........................

You mean like this: topic49469.html

A meaningless thread title, plunked in completely the wrong place.

You can always click on the report button (exclamation mark) on that thread and offer it be moved to a more relevant category. Or you can make noise here which won't change much of anything but thanks for the link anyway.

Albert Finney RIP

He has gone BTW.

[saint]

A mess, fake news, trolls, pseudo peeps, this is how it is today, anything to get a positive/negative response to promote their own agenda, look at me here l am, that's why you have twats like Mr dribbles allowed to continue with his racist insults, bums on seats.

You forgot all the bitterness and anger that seems the norm these days .
What happened to open , educated debate without all the personal attacks and name calling ? I dont know if its the new immigration rules rocking everyones boat , or a luner eclipse , or just that time of the month , but civility seems far away these days . Sad really sad .

[tamada]

I don't really see it as 'the norm' inasmuch there's so little else of interest being posted, certain threads on certain subjects suddenly suck the air out of the forum. When it comes to international news and politics, two persons/events have pretty much dominated that since 2015/16. The imponderables of local politics in conjunction with draconian penalties for speaking one's mind means it is probably something best avoided. So, as the UM demographic gets older, possibly less mobile and more isolated or disconnected from the undeniably faster-changing local news and events, there's bugger all else to debate and it becomes another piss & moan fest. Everyone with half-a-keyboard knows how to wiki and become an instant armchair expert, even on things that normally they wouldn't give a toss about. For some, the periodic, robust but typically short-lived keyboard joust has degenerated into something akin to seal clubbing or, with the recent fad of meme-a-minute, carpet-bombing a whole slew of threads before I've had time to change my incontinence pants let alone get my first bloody coffee. With a whisky chaser.

More recently, the long-term stay immigration crap-shoot has only served to upset a whole bunch of righteously offended members here (count me as one of 'em!) and that whole uncertainty about your own status in a place that you have probably called home for longer than I have been perforating Thai flange would understandably make some even more irritable than their bowels. At least we don't have too many smug buggers posting here about their good fortune to still get an income letter and suggesting that the misfortune of those that can't is some sort of poetic justice wrought of being a load of chavs and pikeys with a penchant to getting drunk and punching other people's lights out.

There's no denying that the local Sunday pub 'scene' where expats could amicably jaw one-on-one with detractors or sycophants alike is mostly moribund. If there was anyone who lorded bombastically over any conversation or social gathering, you knew them by name and face and dealt with it accordingly. Eventually someone with dazzling wit and instant repartee (usually me) would shred them... and it would be gracefully accepted. If the gobshite prevailed, you either stopped going to their hangout or you simply adjusted your schedule to avoid them. Otherwise you simply ignored them. IMHO, the 'foe' button on the forum is the equivalent of stopping going to a venue and a bit of a cop out. If you can ignore your wife or the morlam blasting away at 2 AM, apart from being blessed, you have a head start on ignoring anonymous, noisome numpties of our own ilk.

With regard to social isolation, another thing to consider is the cost of a night out in Udon has increased while the amount of 'traditional' expat hangouts and activities have decreased. There used to be a reasonable bunch of reasonably opinionated but mostly likeable old buggers that would meet beside UD Town before UD Town became UD Town. I guess age and manufacturers recalls probably had more to do with their demise than the constant changes to the venue as Udon swiftly moved around and past them. Although the increasing clamp down on DUI is to be lauded, the collateral damage means the minority expat's weekend social mobility has been shot all to buggery. There's always been the skylab's for those with a bit more derring do (and know where they're going) but more recently, GRAB car appears to have extended hours afforded of more drivers signing up. I just hope THEY'RE sober!

Anyway, I reckon we all know the "red rag to a bull" topics and threads by now as well as all the UM bulls and matadors. There's simply no real point in opening certain threads if it has already pissed you off so it is more a case of just ignoring the ones that the bulls and matador's have already crapped all over. For me, the Grass Roots Footie thread is simply an oasis of tranquility where one can post mostly unchallenged, broadly unquestioned... and personally totally ignored. Unless one mentions red-haired pseudo Jockinese managers in a favorable light and then all the bloody handbags come out.

OK, you can all exhale now.
tam