I need help

Hi everyone

i need help. I've been a member of Near Death.com practically from it's inception. When it's founder was unable to keep it going I and a few others, kept it alive. It was mostly my financing and Scotty's management.

The site used to be vibrant and bustling with participants, however it has been degraded down to the same wearying cynical people who must have no lives because they practically live there.

They gang up on and spam people with endless ad hominem. They've chased away practically everyone who doesn't share their atheistic and cynical viewpoints. All you have to do is mention God and you become their public enemy #1.

I paid $200 this year and I want to reclaim the site for all the gentle souls who were aggressively chased from it. I really want it to stop being a killing zone (participant wise).

I'm speaking up to them today and I invite everyone, including the atheists here to join me if you wish to. The atheists here are kind and respectful and I just wish the ones there were as civil.

I'm so fatigued of the war zone they've created. They think they can destroy all notion of God by going to each NDE site and saturating it with endless negativity.

Of course their "mission" is futile, but they have managed to ruin the sites as far as being places of safety or comfort for many who're in the depths of grief after having lost someone they love.

I'm asking for help because I don't know what else to do. Patience, reasoning and kindness haven't been the answer. I've already tried these for years.

I need some kind of meanocide spray to make their intolerant, arrogant and nasty behavior go away.

What do you all suggest?

Here is the forum if anyone would like to help me.

http://www.near-death-forums.com/index.php

Sounds like a negative atmosphere on that site. Maybe someone else wants to join, but not me. Don't have advise. Just do what you feels right.

[Miss Hepburn]

Gentledove,
What if you were to write pms warning or simply laying out the rules -maybe new rules ---- and 'go somwhere else with your vitriol'!

jan, kai, chloe, moose - the real meanie pouncers - that you give them a week to change or their ipo or isp's or something will be banned.
You've had it as one of the "owners".
You certainly have that right. (I had a forum once.)

I was banned from a forum bec they had rules - you had to believe "their way".
Any dissent and bye.
Of oourse, I've been asked back by other moderators because of my congeniality, humor and enormous love of God. But the owner says, no...I mean can't have someone saying the Bible has alot of made up stories now can you.

Hmm, or should there be a public announcement on the forum?
So many new people go, "What is this place?"
It is actually a disservice to newcomers.

The people that leave have their heads screwed on straight and have found other forums like this one.

Let's figure something out...want to wait a day or so til a good answer comes up?

Art would love to come back and share!

Send PM's to everyone reminding them of the need to be polite and post a reminder thread as well. Make it clear users will be banned if they do not follow the rules.

I've already made the announcement here...

http://www.near-death-forums.com/vie...8860&start=140

I really don't care if no one participates there, it's better than the cynicism and negativity and careless manner in which they treat people...so, yes,at this point it's a disservice to newcomers.

So I will ban their IP addresses, because i've tried everything else I know and it hasn't worked.

Thank you so much for your congeniality, humor and enormous love of God, tolerance and enormous love for all!

Originally Posted by beautydylan

Send PM's to everyone reminding them of the need to be polite and post a reminder thread as well. Make it clear users will be banned if they do not follow the rules.

Thank you for this sage advice! I think that banning is unfortunately the only response that works in some cases. I will write a thread reminding people they must be civil or leave today...

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by gentledove

Thank you for this sage advice! I think that banning is unfortunately the only response that works in some cases. I will write a thread reminding people they must be civil or leave today...

Yay! I love women with backbone....this has gone on far too long....then the nice people should be asked back - Art, Seven, PeteUK, Pamelasue -probably many more...

Many have left after being pilloried to pieces by the gang of seven...or eight...or more *sigh*

I didn't stand up for people who were being bullied enough as I didn't want to shut down the freedom of the forum. I didn't want to be controlling, I thought reasoning with them would work...

I do hope the kind and thoughtful people will come back to contribute! I promise to do my best to keep anyone from being picked on/belittled again.

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." Edmund Burke

I'm happy to help out - feel free to ask if you decide you need any help at all :)

Originally Posted by gentledove

Hi everyone

i need help. I've been a member of Near Death.com practically from it's inception. When it's founder was unable to keep it going I and a few others, kept it alive. It was mostly my financing and Scotty's management.

If it's your financing then it's your site. As you're using phpBB the answer is quite simple. Put up a locked post to say that bullies won't be tolerated and what they're doing is not in the Spirit of the site. Tell them what you're doing and why then ban them and delete their posts. You'll probably end up with a fair bit of hate mail, but in phpBB you can hide your e-mail address and stop people from e-mailing you. If that sounds a bit draconian then locked-post a warning first, at least you've done your bit. It seems to me that they're trying to take ownership of the site and making it their own. A wake-up call wouldn't do any harm and if they won't heed the warning.....