Way to Russia Talk Lounge

WayToRussia

We decided to clean up the forum and those 3 users who often go off-topic and bring non-relevant content to the forum were banned:

surfguy, yorbcbud, stephenb

this is a temporary ban for 1 month only. if they re-register under a different name and start posting again, we'll ban their IPs. If that doesn't work, we'll delete all their previous posts and will delete every message they post from then on.

However, if everything is fine, we'll open access to these users in 1 month again.

We're also thinking about deleting the Talk Lounge section of the forum, leaving only the relevant ones. It depends on how much crap is posted on the forum during the next week, so please don't waste your time, cause all the non-relevant posts might disappear at once.

nikir · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:01 am Post subject:

Champagne anyone? Some caviar to go with it?

MrSpice · Lounge Wizard Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 3436

And what is the purpose of this ban and the other bans over the past few months?

It's not like you have a very popular forum that is being disrupted by a couple of "bad" users like yorbcbud and others you have banned.

Seems like the problem here is that very few people visit this forum nowadays. By banning a few "bad" users, you will not solve the problem of making this site popular. Isn't that your goal - to make this site popular and make sure lots of people come here, buy your services and look at the advertising you put up here?

It seems to me that all successful forums were build on attracting more people, not less. After all, this site was very popular 2-3 years ago with "Talk Lounge" and "Not Relevant" threads enabled and active.

If you only allow people to talk about "relevant" topics, this forum will become even less interesting and will only attract temporary users who will ask a couple of questions about Russia and then leave forever one they have gotten the answer.

Seems like the owner of this site follows the same idea as the rules of Russia itself thinking that less freedom would be better for the people. And I respectfully disagree...

allyson988 · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:46 am Post subject: Banning

Hey, I enjoyed reading the 'Surfguy' and his fellow 'hoods' stuff. Okay some of their stuff may of not been relevant to Russia but when they did write about Russia, it was good stuff.

For entertain value and I gather that many visit this site for such, we need these guys back.

What about all those that spoke about women in a un PC manner? given that, we live in a post-modern PC age, why not ban those users as well?

Unless someone is selling something like moonshine or weed, offering or looking for sexual services, writing blueprints for chemical warfare, then and only then should they be banned.

Ever heard of the saying freedom of speech, it is beleive it or not encrusted in the 1997 Russian Cons?

RusskiCanadian23 · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:34 am Post subject:

Yeah, ban the three best guys we have here... We're Deleting the Talk Lounge. What the fuck has this place turned into... It was a civilized site when I first got here... Now it looks like a fucking third world dictatorship. You are bunch of fucking little despot wannabees. Good luck WayToRussia, you are going to be talking to yourself here very soon, because no one will be on. I am definately not gonna stay in the kind of shithole site that bans people arbitrarily, and stomps freedom of speech. If those three guys are gone, so am I. I'll come back, only when all those people you banned, for no reason, be allowed to come back too. For now, boycott. I hope other users join me in this. I am just standing up for the freedom of speech here. See you, bunch of assholes, never. I am outta here.
Victor

allyson988 · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:49 am Post subject:

Thats right RusskiCanadian23. WE SHOULD HAVE A BOYCOTT UNTIL THE BANNED 3 ARE FREE.

SITE ADMIN, PLEASE ALLOW US A POLL TO DECIDE IF THE BANNED 3 SHOULD RETURN. SURELY YOUR SITE USERS SHOULD BE THE ONES TO DECIDE. WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY, WELL MOST OF US AND AS RUSSIA IS A DEMOCRATIC FEDERATION, THE BANNED 3 SHOULD BE INNOCENT UNTIL POLLED OTHERWISE.

GIVE US A POLL. PEOPLE DO YOU AGREE WITH THE BAN, USE YOUR VOICE, IT IS ABOUT ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS THAT IS NOT TAXED BY THE STATE.

AND REMEMBER WHEN VOTING, DO NOT VOTE NO BECAUSE YOU SIMPLY DO NOT LIKE THE BANNED 3, I FOR ONE DO NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THEY SAY, BE OBJECTIVE AND VOTE YES THEY HAVE THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT OFFEND THE MASSES. NO THEY DO NOT HAVE THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

nikir · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:31 am Post subject:

How about the right of the site owner to steer his site in a particular direction and take necessary measures to ensure that it stays on track. Businees you know.

allyson988 · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:44 am Post subject:

Fair point keeping a business on track. But what about the rights of the customer. Remember without them there would be no business. Apart from those customers who do not care or value the great liberties of freedom of speech that has been won by our forefathers. And if business is done with only those customers who do not value freedom and liberty, then a dictorship would form and liberty for new customers and those remaining customers would be a thing of the past.

danbrew · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:51 am Post subject:

I don't visit enough to tell you whether those three users contribute in a meaningful way (actually, that's not accurate - I probably do visit 3-5 times a week, but I generally don't read the off topic posts), but what I can say is that the advice from people who have actually been to Russia, who know the local laws/customs/etc. is phenomenal.

The bulk of Talk Lounge is just garbage. Nobody besides the "clique of WTR visitors who have never visited Russia" really care about those off topic posts. My two cents is that those posts generally degrade the image of WTR - this isn't Dr. Phill.com or some dating website. It's a really really really great site that has helped many people navigate the complexities of visiting Russia. I've thought for a long time that the childish behavior exhibited in Talk Lounge chases people off. Imagine the way a new user will interpret the many off topic posts - "hmmm... these people are talking about dating and this and that and nothing about Russia. I wonder if the rest of the 'advice' I get here is authored by those same people???" That's what I think. And this is the internet, so you can take my free, totally unsolicited advice, any which way you'd like.

I'd bet that the majority of the users in Talk Lounge haven't contributed one dime to the revenue generation ability of WTR as a business - quite the contrary - I'd bet they have hindered it.

danbrew

nikir · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:04 am Post subject:

allyson988 · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:20 am Post subject:

Perhaps i should make it clear why i defend the banned 3.

Firstly, they may or may not have contributed monies from their back pocket to this site but it cannot be argued. that they, or have not contributed indirectly via word of mouth as no ones knows whether or not they have.

Next, it is rather simplistic to argue that those or some of those that visit the of topic site have never been to Russia or are indeed Russian by birth.

Also, those especially first timers who visit the of topic site, must be aware that it is of the topic, giving the name of the forumn. Business can be generated via the of topic site, chit chat can produce a business purchase for the site.

Further, if everyone was to visit this website only when looking to make a purchase or get ideas to make a purchase, the site would be in the most basic terminlogy dead.

One final point before i chose (a liberty that i have living in a democracy) to engage in something more productive. yes the bulk of the talk lounge may be rubbish, but one man's rubbish is another man's gold.

As an academic, i chose to live and let live and like to think in an objective manner. I make no assumptions based on what i bet or think.

nikir · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:30 am Post subject:

And my final comment on this is, can you contribute to any discussion that is relevant to the objectives of WTR? Or are you just going to piss into the wind forever more?

WayToRussia · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:50 am Post subject:

MrSpice – in true tradition of Russia and Russian people and in the name of Stalin and Putin I have just banned you also.

Regarding your comments:

Don't worry about this site being less popular, it actually doubles the audience each year, which is quite impressive comparing to the declining tourist trend. If you want full stats, check this page out: http://waytorussia.net/OurTeam/Business.html

Actually, your post only confirms the problem: this FORUM became less popular NOT WAY TO RUSSIA itself (where people can find tons of useful information for free, which we gathered ourselves and still do). And it happened because there are too many people posting crap and non-relevant content. A newcomer comes to get some info and they're afraid to post because they're afraid to see some arrogant comments. Plus there's lots of non-relevant political clutter and word-wanking which nobody wants to read anyway.

WayToRussia · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:56 am Post subject:

danbrew · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:56 am Post subject: