Suggestion How to deal with "drive by" reports.

[-JD-]

[NOTE - Mods: Since I'm not exactly advocating for an exact course of action subject to a up or down vote, please feel free to move or tweak the thread to best effect.]


Prompted by this thread: https://scubaboard.com/community/th...rife-diving-academy-divemaster-course.656286/

and specifically:

Personally I think that “Thumbs Down” posts from new SB’ers who are “One and Done” should have the entire thread deleted. Unfortunately, there have been a number of similar threads.

If the OP can’t show up to respond then the original post and thread shouldn’t be allowed to stay to sully the reputation of legitimate businesses.

Thank you for your opinion

I though it might make sense to open a discussion to see the board's collective thoughts on what if any action should be taken on threads by drive-by posters, often just leaving some form of rant.



@Umuntu 's suggestion of simply deleting the thread is certainly one. It eliminates the search result of a potential hit-job. On the downside, it would eliminate a significant venue for discussion and presentation of "the other side of the story" as had occurred in this instance and others.

My initial reaction to the nuking concept was to instead consider the potential for adding a neutral disclaimer notice so that a viewer, especially someone following a search link who is unfamiliar with SB, has better context to understand the situation.

Spitballing ...

This posting was made by a new or low-post count user who has not continued to contribute to this discussion. It is suggested that you read the additional responses to the thread to be more fully informed before reaching conclusions.

What think you all?

 

[dlofting]

I like your suggestion as I think there is value in keeping the original post.

 

[MikaelT]

I think it would make sense for an admin to amend the original post with a link or message indicating that the "accused" has provided a response or rebuttal, thus better reflecting that there are often two sides to the story in these kinds of cases.

On the other hand, as the owner in the thread we are discussing has described very well, the reputational damages of being the subject of a "rant post" on a board of this size can negatively impact business. It is also hard to defend and counter this kind of social media vengeance.

It would be very interesting to hear what other business operators feel about this since this is not the first time this phenomenon has appeared (and it's not unique to this site; look at Facebook and all kinds of review sites).

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

I though it might make sense to open a discussion to see the board's collective thoughts on what if any action should be taken on threads by drive-by posters, often just leaving some form of rant.

I am not sure how to identify a "Drive By" posting.

 

[-JD-]

I am not sure how to identify a "Drive By" posting.

Valid question. I agree it is somewhat subjective.

One and only post is the most extreme and obvious example. Coming on and making a few posts, only in that thread and not otherwise participating in SB, would still be in the spirit IMO.

 

[The Chairman]

Hi, let me introduce you to our Thumbs Down forum. It used to be called Whine and Cheese.

It is not indexed by Google. That means that the only search that will find it is our internal search. You have to be a logged in user to even see it.

I don't like censorship just because something's negative. I also don't like our platform being used to assassinate a dive op because of a petulant customer. We use thumbs Down when we get drive bys for this very reason. A new, and potentially good user gets to vent about this or that, and yet a search on the interwebs won't reveal it.

 

[-JD-]

Hi, let me introduce you to our Thumbs Down forum. It used to be calle Whine and Cheese.

It is not indexed by Google. That means that the only search that will find it is our internal search. You have to be a logged in user to even see it.

I don't like censorship just because something's negative. I also don't like our platform being used to assassinate a dive op because of a petulant customer. We use thumbs Down when we get drive bys for this very reason. A new, and potentially good user gets to vent about this or that, and yet a search on the interwebs won't reveal it.

I didn't realize it was one of the "private" (non-indexed) forums. Simply moving it there, pretty much solves the issues.

Mea Culpa! Sorry ...

Feel free to nuke or "Solved" this thread.

 

[Johnoly]

What think you all?

I'd be in favor of moving the "buried' owner's response to inside the OP's 1st post.

{Edited down to just my suggestion}

 

[The Chairman]

Feel free to nuke or "Solved" this thread.

Did I mention that I don't like needless censorship?

SB users have been shaping SB since I took over the forum in 2001. We do that by listening to your concerns and acting on them. Often, you guys come up with the very solution we implement, like our Thumbs Down forum. All discussions are welcome. We are a community.

 

[Zef]

There are 2 tropes that come to mind in response to the suggestion of nuking "drive-by" negative posts:

1. All press is good press, even if it is bad press.

2. It is not agreeable speech that needs protection, it is that which we find disagreeable.


Who knows, maybe the OP of the drive-by in question was completely irrational....or maybe there is some tiny sliver of truth buried in their rant that deserves to be teased out by those willing to.

Regardless, it provided the dive op the opportunity to respond and come across as the "hero" of the story, perhaps bolstering their position in the marketplace in some readers' minds.....

.....perhaps the whole referenced discussion thread was socially engineered for that very purpose. Who knows?

It doesn't take long for malicious posters/posts to be sniffed out. And when that happens, the community opinion is very easy to decipher in the words and tone of the discussion responses.

Free speech, by its nature, will and should stretch the boundaries of what every individual who wants to enjoy it, finds comfortable to their ears and minds.

-Z