Deleting Posts/Threads

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I see that Ladell Bell’s thread on his MR article submission has been deleted.

I do not mind that Kalmbach does this, keeps the forum nice and clean. But it would be nice if the posters to the thread had been given a message as to why it was being deleted. I have posted to a few other threads that were also deleted with no reason given but I have also had notes from bergie about a couple of others as to why. There does not seem to be any consistency. And a lot of threads (in comparison to other forums I am on) get deleted here, at least that I post to [:P]

Maybe its just me, if I post to the tread, it is the kiss of death for it [:D]

2

The originator of the thread you refer to is a known trouble maker on this and other forums and has been kicked off several times.

3

I was so totally lost by that thread… I understand Ladell Bell is supposed to be someone who has been banned from other forums… So, was the layout submission all a lie? Were those photos of his own work or someone else’s?

I sure hope he wasn’t trying to pass someone else’s work off as his own. That would be pretty low.

So, why did he rename the thread, and why did he delete his original post and the pictures? Call me clueless or an idiot, but I watched that whole thread with a mix of confusion and morbid curiousity. Kind of like a train wreck.

4

When Bergie has to step in and delete a thread, I think the originator of it is the only person who receives an explanation. Bergie doesn’t have time to notify everyone who has responded to it.

5

I have received notes from bergie when a thread was deleted but I was not the originator, so that is why I am confused.

I would also think (hope) that the forum software could be set up to send a generic message to all the posters in the thread as to why. Just it can be a little confusing when a tread gets deleted and you start spending time looking for it, not aware that it is gone.

And I agree that the particular thread in question here should have been deleted, no issues about that.

6

Something funny happened to that thread earlier this morning. I noticed that the post title had been changed to the number 7. Since only the author (and presumeably the moderator) can change the post title, I thought the author was trying to change it and somehow mis-edited the title. Maybe the post was deleted by the author.

On the old forum, the originator could delete a thread, but only if no one else had posted to it. Once there was a reply, the originator couldn’t remove the thread. I’m not sure if that’s still the case here.

7

That’s still the case.

8

He changed the title yesterday I think, along with a lot of editing and deleting of his post text/images. Must have been the most heavily edited thread I have ever seen [:D]

9

In reference to the deleted thread, some background for those joining our game in progress. “Ladell Bell” was in fact Al. He goes by many names and aliases. Those scenes are from his layout as far as anyone knows. He posts mainly at the atlas forum, but seems to often be suspended there for thirty days at a shot for picking fights with other members, advertising his auctions in violation of forum rules, and posting vulgar language. He has been suspended there multiple times.

During the times he is shut out over there, he often tries to sneak onto the MR forum using a new alias. He almost always does this on the weekend so that he avoids the Kalmbach moderators. Because he has made so many vulgar, abusive, and objectionable posts on the MR forum in the past, he would be thrown out immediately if recognized here … he’s built up quite a body of work.

For the first half-dozen or so posts each time, he’s relatively benign. This time he was looking for help with a wiring problem. Then he can’t resist the urge to start picking fights. And then he can’t help himself but to post pictures of his layout. This process has repeated itself many times.

He’s not very good at the subterfuge, because what he seems to want most is recognition of how clever he is for outwitting MR. Sometimes someone recognizes him early and he’s gone before most people on the forum even know he is here. Sometimes he lasts until he posts a picture. At whatever point Al is found out, he usually goes into a paroxysm of rage. Monday morning, the thread and his fake membership are deleted.

This time, he thought he would try to cover his tracks by deleting all his posts and renaming the thread, but some who have been through this many times and are tired of his antics quoted his posts so that they would be there for MR to see in order to give Al the boot. For the trouble, Al rewarded me with an amazingly vulgar, if unimaginative, PM. Of course, I forwarded this to MR,

10

The editing was done because the illicit poster had accidentally put out too much identifying info – and got called on it. He was vainly hoping he could preserve his latest fake identity to use further, but I’d imagine several notes to Bergie were already in the mail even before that.

I happen to be an editor of a major non-rail-related forum that also suffers from such trolling. Trolls assume multiple identities in an attempt to fool others, but almost always leave in a identifying mark of some kind that those who’ve been paying attention will almost immediately recognize. I know, it doesn’t make sense, since it is so self-defeating, but self-defeating behavior is a very typical aspect of the troll’s life. Not getting the kind of attention in real life that satisfies their emotional and psychological needs, they do it online.

<>Asking to be notified as a commeter if a thread is deleted would really create a workload for the admins. Better yet is to pay attention to the timing and characteritics of such threads on your own part is a better solution. The guy recently joined, had a very low post count, and most of his other threads had various insults, open or veiled, that tipped me off. And it happened on a weekend, which is when most of this sort of behavior goes on, because “while the cat’s away, the mouse will play.” Plus, like many of us here, I’m a regular user of the Atlas forum and it soon became really obvious who this was.

So I ignored it, knowing that it was due to be shut down.

<>

11

Thanks alco_fan and mlehman for the insights.

You see these kind all over forums but as I am relatively new here, missed him until he started getting “weird”.

And as I noted in the deleted thread, if those were photos of his work, then he could really provide a positive contribution to the hobby if he would stop focusing on the negative. It is really the hobbies loss overall as well as his own.

12

For all the kerfuffle that this has caused for those who were genuinely interested in the outcome(s) of this thread, I can’t imagine what it must be like living between Al’s ears. What is it like to have bizarre conclusions and actions come up from the depths? What is it like for him when he is cut off by moderators and cannot get his “fix” of controversy? What else does his mind turn to when he can’t get his kicks disrupting fora?

Scary.

13

Everyone;

The photos were 100% his. It is a shame; he has a LOT of talent. Unfortunately, he has not yet mastered the people skills needed to interact on the Internet to showcase his talent.

One of my job duties is technical writing, i.e. repair manuals, electrical diagnostics, service bulletins, etc, so it was real easy to notice an authoring “style” as distinguishable as his. A spell checker can only change so much verbiage. And as others have noted, it fits the pattern. Join the forum amid great fanfare, begin the insults, etc, etc, etc.

Last night before I went to bed I got a PM from him. He basically said he was sorry and wanted me to delete his tirade that I had quoted. He said he regretted it and wanted it off the Internet and put behind him. I thought about it and went ahead and did as he asked and replied back.

I got another PM this morning thanking me for deleting it. He also apologized further and gave me his phone number.

I know what you guys are thinking and no, I will not post his number here or anywhere else.

Parker;

You have a ton of talent. Perhaps you need to seek some professional help. It could be a simple chemical imbalance easily treated with medication. I know one person and this helped him tremendously. Obviously the path your on is not working.

Once your house is in order, I would start a new MR account. Pick a non-controversial screen name. Make it the last one you ever need.

Ask your questions and also take the time to help others. No trolling “My Athearn fell off the table, broke a gear, what should I do?” or ridiculing others questions. It can be annoying hearing the same questions asked so just turn off the computer for awhile.

After a year or so you could contact MR, show them your able to behave. I am sure they would then look at your layout as future magazine material.

Jim

14

As has been mentioned, the Internet has a long memory. I’ve read several articles just recently where people’s posts on seemingly private sites can be accessed by potential employers, and existing employers when wanting to evaluate people. Google is becoming very powerful, and the racy or otherwise posts you make on various sites have the potential of being used to assess your suitability.

I recall Al from way back when too. If he is a fireman as he states, it could be interesting if some of his comments were ever brought up in an evaluation. Makes one wonder about his interpersonal skills on the job. Does he argue with others, and blame eveything he does on them? Seems to me firemen need to be sure of their co-workers in all ways, as they could be in life threatening situations and have to have confidence in them.

In one of his past rants on this forum a few years ago, again he snuck into the forum in the middle of the night and posted all kinds of vile material. I just happened to see it because I’m a few time zones ahead of many. He was accusing the moderator of being hard on him because he is black. Many forum members, myself included, didn’t even know he was black until he brought it up. Falling back on the race excuse isn’t a good reason, especially since it didn’t make any difference in what he posted. It was his childish behaviour and language.

We haven’t seen the last of Al for sure. Wonder how long he’ll last after being reinstated on the Atlas forum?

15

I’m a volunteer firefighter and I can tell you that our dept doesn’t accept ANYBODY who has or has had a history of attitude problems and/or can’t get along with others. My life may depend on the person next to me and I can’t be worried about what his latest problem is or what kind of snit he’s in. I can’t fight fires directly anymore due to my disabilities but I can still run pumps, move hoses and move vehicles if necassary. My function in the dept is as a safety officer. My primary duty is to watch and evaluate the scene and make sure the proper equipment is being used and in the proper way. If a danger situation develops, such as a burning structure is about to collapse, I make sure the danger signal is sent. This is why many fire depts don’t want people with attitude problems, for many of them develop their own agenda and don’t listen when an order is given, thus endangering everyone else.