Scotia on "Forums".

I would just like to state that at times its not easy to run or moderate a Forum.

I try my best to let as much go as possible and don't write the scripts, its a bit like the Forrest Gump quote! "Life's like a box of chocolates" and its true, I never know what I am going to get, until I visit the Forum.

What the visitors don't see is the emails/sms/phone calls when we have a "hot" issue, this sadly takes up much time and this weekend was a fairly difficult experience.

I have sponsors, I have partners and I have to try and keep a balance, the site was to "give the punter/owner/trainer a voice" and many do use the facility and many will not, many just visit, which remains sad to me.

I just ask for all the contributors to keep it "decent" for want of a better word, and try and respect others views.

As I type this, I am sure I will offend someone, but its not possible to keep all parties happy.

I have kept for a couple of years a post on behalf of one of my heroes, Lester Piggott, and at the same time it was the plan to launch A.B.C., so you could say, I was always aware of what I might be letting myself in for, but this was in the Guardian Tuesday the 8th 2005, I am sure many will again take offence, but I enjoyed and still enjoy the fact that a Forum gives us a 24/7 facility to air or share our views.



"The punters' forum on the Betfair betting exchange is not a place for the timid or the thin of skin. It is a cross between a betting shop and a masked ball, where anonymity means that insults and accusations can be thrown around at will, and the noise in the background is the black rage of perpetual losers.

For sure, many of the contributors are self-obsessed loners, wild conspiracy-theorists or stats-fiends with calculators for brains (27.39 per cent are all three). But underneath the bile and the bad jokes, this is also a place where racing fans can interact and inform each other in a way that would not have been possible five years ago. So it seems only fair to record the fact that of all the tributes that have been paid to Lester Piggott as he passed his 70th birthday on Saturday, the most honest and affectionate has surely been a thread on this forum which has, in its own way, endured as impressively as the Long Fellow himself.

With the simple title "Piggott stories", the thread was started in early August, which in forum terms is the early Jurassic (few discussion threads survive 24 hours in the febrile atmosphere of the forum). It now stretches to more than 1,000 individual postings, many of which, as the title suggests, simply involve ordinary punters retelling their favourite anecdotes from the great jockey's life and times.

The ruthless jockings-off, the close guard on his wallet and the acid one-liners are all recorded, along with tributes to great rides in major races and personal memories of Piggott's triumphs around the gaff tracks, long forgotten by all but a few. It would take the best part of two hours to read and digest it all.

But what is also interesting about Piggott Stories is the way it provides a launch-pad for other reminiscences. Among its contributors are several with memories stretching back to the immediate post-War period, and their stories of the time are rarely anything but fascinating. Historic plunges and coups, the famous tipster Prince Monolulu and the origins of centralised handicapping are just a few of the topics that garner a mention as the thread winds its way through the history of the turf.

At some stage Piggott Stories will drop off the bottom of the forum for the last time, into the dustbin of history. Until then, it offers proof that internet forums can amuse and inform almost as easily as they abuse and defame."

good punting/posting

Dave "scotia" Scott

keep up the good work dave

Scotia why are you putting up with all this especially when you arent getting paid,its a nice hobby but you should be able to socialise instead of playing policeman for the whole weekend because of a few.It would be different if you are getting paid and thats your living,but somehow if i were you i would try and get some income for the clicks on your site otherwise you are the sucker,or are your sponsors that good and kind to you.

scotia unfortunately your forum has really taken a major dive.many people who made really good contributions have left because you have one or two posters on here who say they have the welfare of the sport as top priority but judging by recent posts they havent..good luck with your forum in the future

Thanks guys, have not been short of advice the last few weeks/months and will not shoot from the hip or make a knee jearking reaction. I will manage my way through this as I have with many projects in my life, and if it has to end, so be it, and if it has to grow, it will be done in a professional manner.

Morning Cat, lets think about this logically, this is an open Forum 24/7 same as Betfair, on a far smaller scale, its open to ALL posters and Dave Scott does not prescribe what must be posted, you are well aware of my likes and dislikes, however I try not to let that interfere with other opinions on the site. If the need comes for a moderator, I can use the delete button.
Some may like Cheltenham "you" regard it as rubbish, and using your own words, if you don't like Cheltenham, well stay away from the thread. If you have a problem with the RA, feel free to post, but again keep away from personal attacks.
One thing that must now be obvious is that the constant negative image of the site and aggressive replies is in fact putting off ordinary punters posting on the site.
This is a major concern, and yes I obviously enjoy high traffic, but would be more happy with contributions rather than viewers, I would very much like to keep the site alive and will have to consider the best options?

No advice from me Dave but just want to say Good Luck and I hope things work out. I have seldom met someone more passionate about what they do and hopefully the site will with your persistence work its way through this tough patch.

I have no doubt you will make it happen

Cheers Brent and all the best in your new venture.

Unfortunately, by its very nature, an open forum on the Internet cannot work as long as (oh my freaking buttocks, here he goes again!) anonymity exists. This is the devil in the details.

Hosting such an enterprise is a thankless job.

Dave, I know why you do this and wish you all the best.

But when that invetitable day comes when you pack it in, don't feel like a failure, because you have tried the impossible.

Keep your head up and set up rules that will allow you to have a life. Do not be a slave to complainers and human geldings.

Human Geldings - thats brilliant - one for the notebook

I don't understand this transference of blame in regards to what is posted on a forum. Surely a proprietor of a site cannot be blamed for the views of posted by its members. I cannot understand why some are jumping all over Scotia regarding the "hot topic". By this I mean from all quarters, those in favour of the hot topic and those complaining on the side by email or behind closed doors. No win situation for the proprietor who is expected to publicly take sides. Strange stance by all parties and Scotia should always remain neutral unless there is blatant abuse in my view.

Everyone on this forum should forget about who owns what as far as this site is concerned. You own your alias, you own your name and you should be accountable and responsible for what you choose to post not Scotia the sponsors or any other poster.

The interesting part is that there is no anonymity as far as the "hot topic" is concerned. Those that have posted have the strength of their convictions to post who they are and they stand by their posts without fear.

So to be fair to the posters on that particular post, I would think that none of these posters are "complainers" or "human geldings". Perhaps the real complainers are the ones moaning in the darkness (via alternate means) without posting. The posters are the ones brave enough to air their view and be shot down for it. Mathew Lips and TS included.

www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/16/31801.html


"So what can you do to avoid being locked up or being sued for everything?

To begin with, don't click "publish" if you have just unloaded all your frustration and anger in the heat of the moment. Sleep on it, tone down the language and try stick to verifiable facts. If you are going to express your opinion (and a lot of what you see online these days is opinion), make sure people understand it is your opinion and keep it balanced and fair. Just because you can destroy someone's reputation, doesn't mean you can or should.

Remember that this doesn't just apply to Facebook Wall posts and blog posts; it also applies to comments you may leave on a website [such as comments under Bizcommunity articles, press offices and/or forum discussions] or messages you may post on services such as Twitter or send by email.

Although not a material factor, the size of the potential audience is also relevant because it magnifies the likely harm. It may seem gratifying to tell all 600 of your Twitter friends what a reprobate your former best friend is but the reality of a summons or a pair of handcuffs tends to put that moment of inspiration into perspective.

To quote some movie character: "Be cool"!"