We do have good mods, a lot of the credit for that goes to a consistently good string of admins. The admins are the ones who get charged with determining the overall tone, with selecting the mods, with listening to the mods (and users) to determine what should and shouldn't fly, and so on. From Bone Daddy to Whippy to Ramius to Cardboard Tube, we've always had some very good leadership at the top level.
Jeff I think that, no matter how much you kiss up, your title isn't going to be changed.
Yeah, the admins know who really loves them.
Elki on
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FalloutGIRL'S DAYWAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered Userregular
edited July 2007
I like PA because I am the best poster
Fallout on
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BobCescaIs a girlBirmingham, UKRegistered Userregular
edited July 2007
*Intelligent, witty people who are happy to have a proper debate about any topic but don't hate you if you happen to disagree with them.
*Wide range of topics to discuss.
*Strong, sensible rules; people who ignore the rules get reminded of them and quickly banned if they continue to ignore them. Also the fun in the threads they start/contribute to once they start being a dick.
*Stalking my boyfriend, who also uses these forums.
Generally, PA's the only place that I have actually registered and posted where it isn't for 'work' purposes and I don't already know everyone who posts.
BobCesca on
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VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
Jokes aside It's impossible to say that it's just the mods or just the admins or just this or that. It's the combination of all these things that make the PA forums not suck. Like one big machine if one of the parts falls out the whole thing would stop working.
It's not hard to meet PA people face to face. We're surprisingly sociable and pretty much everywhere.
The vast majority of PA people actually seem to be in America, with a few Australians and Europeans sort of hanging around the edges. So, I haven't met anyone here and I'm unlikely to in the near future, but I still find it a great forum. The posters are intelligent (except for a few big exceptions) and the rulers are fair.
I've met Rohaq, Ben0207 and Harlequinn at GameCon7 a few years ago, and then Rohaq again for a Firefly convention last year... and all of them were fantastic people. I get jealous every time they have a get-together in the UK. As far as I know, there are quite a few Irish people on the board, and as I said, I have met Harlequinn, but I have no idea who the others are, really.
Rohan on
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
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Muse Among MenSuburban Bunny Princess?Its time for a new shtick Registered Userregular
I've met Rohaq, Ben0207 and Harlequinn at GameCon7 a few years ago, and then Rohaq again for a Firefly convention last year... and all of them were fantastic people. I get jealous every time they have a get-together in the UK. As far as I know, there are quite a few Irish people on the board, and as I said, I have met Harlequinn, but I have no idea who the others are, really.
I think thats partly why I loved my other forum so dearly - we had a couple of forumers in New Zealand, 2 or 3 in Australia, and some from the UK. That rather put a damper of any plans we had to all meet up eventually, something we seriously considered.
Muse Among Men on
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TavIrish Minister for DefenceRegistered Userregular
I've met Rohaq, Ben0207 and Harlequinn at GameCon7 a few years ago, and then Rohaq again for a Firefly convention last year... and all of them were fantastic people. I get jealous every time they have a get-together in the UK. As far as I know, there are quite a few Irish people on the board, and as I said, I have met Harlequinn, but I have no idea who the others are, really.
It's not hard to meet PA people face to face. We're surprisingly sociable and pretty much everywhere.
The vast majority of PA people actually seem to be in America, with a few Australians and Europeans sort of hanging around the edges. So, I haven't met anyone here and I'm unlikely to in the near future, but I still find it a great forum. The posters are intelligent (except for a few big exceptions) and the rulers are fair.
I want to go on vacation to the UK for the sole purpose of meeting PAers there.
Also, to woo the Queen.
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Clutch414Dodge Swinger.......WHENEVER IT FEELS RIGHT!!!Registered Userregular
edited July 2007
Please be gentle, I've only began posting here a week or so ago, so I am officially a n00b to this forum. I mean no harm. :winky:
I mostly post when I am at work and it is a slow day. To me, nothing makes a day where you've got all of your objectives complete and the mother-grabbing clock won't MOVE (CLOCK....I KEEEEEEELLLLLL YOU!!) by quicker than honest, well-reasoned discussion on a message board.
I've tried other forums and I can completely relate to what some people have been saying in previous posts. So far, PA has been the best forum experience I've had. I got so annoyed with the previous board I was posting at (I won't name it but it is one of the LARGER game-related message board sites) and I just absolutely got fed up with the frothing-at-the-keyboard 12-year old fanboys. SO...I said "F' THIS" and went looking for a new place to post. I've been reading and enjoying PA since about 2002, so I decided to stop in and see what the forums were like. I wasn't dissaopinted. Great moderation and good well-reasoned (for the most part) discussion here.
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FalloutGIRL'S DAYWAS PRETTY GOOD WHILE THEY LASTEDRegistered Userregular
Well, my main internet forum is comprised of a xenophobic bunch of Internet know-it-alls who somehow evolved over time into a group of people that likes to hang out (or e-hang out) with each other. I don't think it's really reproducible or even really quantifiable, but it's just one of those weird little things that sociologists will probably be talking about 50 years from now.
I like the PA forums because it's got a large, fairly interesting and diverse userbase and because I've been here longer than almost everyone.
i ike my favorite internet forum because it's small enough that stupid ass subjects and ridiculous alts are funny without becoming annoyingly pervasive, but large enough that someone's always doing something epic and posting about it or arguing about it.
basically, there's tons of goofy shit, but also a nice bit of subtance too. plus, i've known 75% of the people who post on it for like 7 or 8 years now irl
Pants Man on
"okay byron, my grandma has a right to be happy, so i give you my blessing. just... don't get her pregnant. i don't need another mom."
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
We do have good mods, a lot of the credit for that goes to a consistently good string of admins. The admins are the ones who get charged with determining the overall tone, with selecting the mods, with listening to the mods (and users) to determine what should and shouldn't fly, and so on. From Bone Daddy to Whippy to Ramius to Cardboard Tube, we've always had some very good leadership at the top level.
If a forum is really in the crapper, it's a good chance that the guy(s) running the show need to rethink some core policies, or step down. Selecting an appropriate mod staff is probably 75% of running a good forum.
edit: Beyond that, I think that having mods who actually contribute to and understand the forums, and having a requirement for at least minimal adherence to proper spelling and grammar is important. People tend to take things more seriously when evry poast duznt lok liek th1s.
We have a good mod squad (zing!) at the boards, but we're restricted by unclear rules, favoritism, constant second-guesisng, and a set of admins that never visit the site but somehow can determine what's best for it.
I banned a guy for trolling for a relatively short time (2000 minutes). He circumvented the ban just to tell me what a dick I was , so I IP banned him permanently. A week later I find someone removed his ban and he's back, and nobody talked to me about it.
I won't lie: With the resources these boards have they could very well be the juggernaut of forums on the internet. I'm talking serious, big-name people. Yet somehow we're languishing behind the fan forums of a comic site in user numbers, poster quality, EVERYTHING. The users here are just incredible, and for years I never peeked under the PA curtain nor realized how deep it goes (I did the first time I read up on PAX and what a friggin event it is, and lurked for a while until I got a better feel for the place). Yet by contrast my site contains instantly-recognizable celebrity yet the forums are a complete shithole.
I'm not trying to kiss ass, but as a fellow mod at another site I really can't get over how well run this place is. Major kudos to everyone behind it and all the posters in this place.
We have a good mod squad (zing!) at the boards, but we're restricted by unclear rules, favoritism, constant second-guesisng, and a set of admins that never visit the site but somehow can determine what's best for it.
That's the clincher. If the rules are clear and enforced consistently then you end up with a community that wants those rules and abides by them. It's just like raising kids. ;-)
It also helps that the mods come from posters so they know the board/community and the board knows the mods so, when you disagree with a decision, you don't immediately think "bastard mods!" but rather "what rule did I not follow?"
The jailing system is good as well. It gives the mods a way to warn someone in a way that is public so lets people know that rules are enforced, whereas going straight to a ban doesn't do that. Its more effective to have someone posting from jail than to have them disappear completely.
I think that the age range here is pretty large as well. The older posters here have seen the way the rules have helped make the forum what it is so you have a core of people who not only like the rules, but who want to encourage younger posters when they make a good comments and explain to them why the rules are there when they break them.
I like this place because basic fucking intelligence is mandatory. I tend to avoid forums where this is not the case.
This place, for example, G&T is filled with stupidity, but it's not UNREADABLE stupidity. I'm joking with ya, G&T is a generally cool place. D&D is better than most debate forums because getting into a heated argument where you might get a bit steamed and just out of complete habit, toss in an insult, like "You twat", and people WON'T cry "AD HOMINEM YOUR POINT IS MOOT I WIN!" like other forums I've been to. It's nice to have a sense of order, but it's also nice to not have to re-explain my point because everyone decided "Oh he's mean, he can't possibly be right". Which of course frustrates me more...
We do have good mods, a lot of the credit for that goes to a consistently good string of admins. The admins are the ones who get charged with determining the overall tone, with selecting the mods, with listening to the mods (and users) to determine what should and shouldn't fly, and so on. From Bone Daddy to Whippy to Ramius to Cardboard Tube, we've always had some very good leadership at the top level.
Jeff I think that, no matter how much you kiss up, your title isn't going to be changed.
This.
We have admins that know their stuff and pick good mods, and the mods know when rules can be bent a bit to accommodate special circumstances, and this attracts smart users.
The conspiracy thread I started is a good example. I couldn't even name a forum other than PA where that could have worked. Anywhere else, it would have turned in to a crapfest before a full page was covered.
I like this place because basic fucking intelligence is mandatory. I tend to avoid forums where this is not the case.
This place, for example, G&T is filled with stupidity, but it's not UNREADABLE stupidity. I'm joking with ya, G&T is a generally cool place. D&D is better than most debate forums because getting into a heated argument where you might get a bit steamed and just out of complete habit, toss in an insult, like "You twat", and people WON'T cry "AD HOMINEM YOUR POINT IS MOOT I WIN!" like other forums I've been to. It's nice to have a sense of order, but it's also nice to not have to re-explain my point because everyone decided "Oh he's mean, he can't possibly be right". Which of course frustrates me more...
actually, i hate the fact that "fuck you" seems to be an acceptable retort here, mainly because most people would have the common sense not to do that when talking face to face with someone. i know it's okay to be an asshole on the internets blah blah blah, but starting a response to someone's opinion with "you're a fucking moron" like i see CONSTANTLY here is just childish.
and would probably lead to an ass kicking in real life.
Pants Man on
"okay byron, my grandma has a right to be happy, so i give you my blessing. just... don't get her pregnant. i don't need another mom."
I like this place because basic fucking intelligence is mandatory. I tend to avoid forums where this is not the case.
This place, for example, G&T is filled with stupidity, but it's not UNREADABLE stupidity. I'm joking with ya, G&T is a generally cool place. D&D is better than most debate forums because getting into a heated argument where you might get a bit steamed and just out of complete habit, toss in an insult, like "You twat", and people WON'T cry "AD HOMINEM YOUR POINT IS MOOT I WIN!" like other forums I've been to. It's nice to have a sense of order, but it's also nice to not have to re-explain my point because everyone decided "Oh he's mean, he can't possibly be right". Which of course frustrates me more...
actually, i hate the fact that "fuck you" seems to be an acceptable retort here, mainly because most people would have the common sense not to do that when talking face to face with someone. i know it's okay to be an asshole on the internets blah blah blah, but starting a response to someone's opinion with "you're a fucking moron" like i see CONSTANTLY here is just childish.
and would probably lead to an ass kicking in real life.
I've only ever seen that in response to trolls and spammers, or in jest.
I rather like the fact that you can tell someone here to fuck off and die.
Walking on eggshells is annoying, and sometimes someone is just being that horribly stupid that they need to be publicly reprimanded for it so they can reconsider their behavior.
I like this place because basic fucking intelligence is mandatory. I tend to avoid forums where this is not the case.
This place, for example, G&T is filled with stupidity, but it's not UNREADABLE stupidity. I'm joking with ya, G&T is a generally cool place. D&D is better than most debate forums because getting into a heated argument where you might get a bit steamed and just out of complete habit, toss in an insult, like "You twat", and people WON'T cry "AD HOMINEM YOUR POINT IS MOOT I WIN!" like other forums I've been to. It's nice to have a sense of order, but it's also nice to not have to re-explain my point because everyone decided "Oh he's mean, he can't possibly be right". Which of course frustrates me more...
actually, i hate the fact that "fuck you" seems to be an acceptable retort here, mainly because most people would have the common sense not to do that when talking face to face with someone. i know it's okay to be an asshole on the internets blah blah blah, but starting a response to someone's opinion with "you're a fucking moron" like i see CONSTANTLY here is just childish.
and would probably lead to an ass kicking in real life.
I've only ever seen that in response to trolls and spammers, or in jest.
What I mean by completely hetero thing is..like, well, being just like everyone else. You don't talk with a lisp and think you're "fabulous." You don't walk around with feminine clothes and swagger. You don't try to call everyone's attention to your sexuality because you wear it on your sleeve.
Things like that. I act just like the guy next to me does, and so on, and so forth. I don't take pride in trying to be different, because I'm not really. I'm saying you'll run more into the type that colors the world around themselves pink and rainbow, than you will the guy trying to say "hey, I'm just like you."
That's fucking retarded, though. I know at least two guys with some fairly effeminate characteristics that are also straight. They're not "wearing their sexuality on their sleeves", they're "being themselves".
And do you trash women for "wearing feminine clothes and calling attention to their sexuality"? I don't think so. You're just trying to jam all males into a box of outward appearance that makes you feel comfortable, and fuck you for doing that.
i don't think any of that was warranted by the first post. i dunno. maybe i'm wrong and i'm overreacting. all i know is, i sure as hell wouldn't act like this toward someone i disagreed with in real life, and because of that i don't do it on the internet, or at least i make an effort not to.
I rather like the fact that you can tell someone here to fuck off and die.
Walking on eggshells is annoying, and sometimes someone is just being that horribly stupid that they need to be publicly reprimanded for it so they can reconsider their behavior.
well, if someone is being a clear idiot, that's one thing to call him out and tell him he's stupid. but the problem is when all someone needs to have to be told to fuck off and die is a differing opinion.
and honestly, some douchebag on the internet telling you off isn't going to make anyone reconsider their behavior
Pants Man on
"okay byron, my grandma has a right to be happy, so i give you my blessing. just... don't get her pregnant. i don't need another mom."
I like this place because basic fucking intelligence is mandatory. I tend to avoid forums where this is not the case.
This place, for example, G&T is filled with stupidity, but it's not UNREADABLE stupidity. I'm joking with ya, G&T is a generally cool place. D&D is better than most debate forums because getting into a heated argument where you might get a bit steamed and just out of complete habit, toss in an insult, like "You twat", and people WON'T cry "AD HOMINEM YOUR POINT IS MOOT I WIN!" like other forums I've been to. It's nice to have a sense of order, but it's also nice to not have to re-explain my point because everyone decided "Oh he's mean, he can't possibly be right". Which of course frustrates me more...
actually, i hate the fact that "fuck you" seems to be an acceptable retort here, mainly because most people would have the common sense not to do that when talking face to face with someone. i know it's okay to be an asshole on the internets blah blah blah, but starting a response to someone's opinion with "you're a fucking moron" like i see CONSTANTLY here is just childish.
and would probably lead to an ass kicking in real life.
I've only ever seen that in response to trolls and spammers, or in jest.
What I mean by completely hetero thing is..like, well, being just like everyone else. You don't talk with a lisp and think you're "fabulous." You don't walk around with feminine clothes and swagger. You don't try to call everyone's attention to your sexuality because you wear it on your sleeve.
Things like that. I act just like the guy next to me does, and so on, and so forth. I don't take pride in trying to be different, because I'm not really. I'm saying you'll run more into the type that colors the world around themselves pink and rainbow, than you will the guy trying to say "hey, I'm just like you."
That's fucking retarded, though. I know at least two guys with some fairly effeminate characteristics that are also straight. They're not "wearing their sexuality on their sleeves", they're "being themselves".
And do you trash women for "wearing feminine clothes and calling attention to their sexuality"? I don't think so. You're just trying to jam all males into a box of outward appearance that makes you feel comfortable, and fuck you for doing that.
i don't think any of that was warranted by the first post. i dunno. maybe i'm wrong and i'm overreacting. all i know is, i sure as hell wouldn't act like this toward someone i disagreed with in real life, and because of that i don't do it on the internet, or at least i make an effort not to.
There's a difference between 'fuck you' as a response and 'fuck you' as a part of a response.
so what, "fuck you" is bad but "fuck you for saying that" is okay? whatever. this is getting off topic, so i'll shut up.
i do like how these boards are set up, and i like the fact that big subjects like football or whatever are constantly bumped and talked about. that's nice to have that constant feedback
i also like the debate threads a lot, for real time hilarity
Pants Man on
"okay byron, my grandma has a right to be happy, so i give you my blessing. just... don't get her pregnant. i don't need another mom."
I like the people here. The rules and administrative staff are conducive to having the good posters stay and keep posting while the trolls and whatnot are filtered out.
I think we just had a lesson in why D&D is awesome.
The mods know how to handle a bad situation. I mean, it started with poo flinging, then someone lit the poo on fire, and next thing you know, there's flaming poo all over D&D. And Jeffe cleaned up the mess appropriately - he gave everyone who deserved it a firm smack.
Posts
Yeah, the admins know who really loves them.
*Wide range of topics to discuss.
*Strong, sensible rules; people who ignore the rules get reminded of them and quickly banned if they continue to ignore them. Also the fun in the threads they start/contribute to once they start being a dick.
*Stalking my boyfriend, who also uses these forums.
Generally, PA's the only place that I have actually registered and posted where it isn't for 'work' purposes and I don't already know everyone who posts.
same reason I like it.
because Fallout is the best poster.
It really is the best poster! ;-)
Jokes aside It's impossible to say that it's just the mods or just the admins or just this or that. It's the combination of all these things that make the PA forums not suck. Like one big machine if one of the parts falls out the whole thing would stop working.
I never asked for this!
The vast majority of PA people actually seem to be in America, with a few Australians and Europeans sort of hanging around the edges. So, I haven't met anyone here and I'm unlikely to in the near future, but I still find it a great forum. The posters are intelligent (except for a few big exceptions) and the rulers are fair.
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
I think thats partly why I loved my other forum so dearly - we had a couple of forumers in New Zealand, 2 or 3 in Australia, and some from the UK. That rather put a damper of any plans we had to all meet up eventually, something we seriously considered.
*Does a merry jig while drinking Jamesons*
Also, to woo the Queen.
I mostly post when I am at work and it is a slow day. To me, nothing makes a day where you've got all of your objectives complete and the mother-grabbing clock won't MOVE (CLOCK....I KEEEEEEELLLLLL YOU!!) by quicker than honest, well-reasoned discussion on a message board.
I've tried other forums and I can completely relate to what some people have been saying in previous posts. So far, PA has been the best forum experience I've had. I got so annoyed with the previous board I was posting at (I won't name it but it is one of the LARGER game-related message board sites) and I just absolutely got fed up with the frothing-at-the-keyboard 12-year old fanboys. SO...I said "F' THIS" and went looking for a new place to post. I've been reading and enjoying PA since about 2002, so I decided to stop in and see what the forums were like. I wasn't dissaopinted. Great moderation and good well-reasoned (for the most part) discussion here.
:omegablush:
I like the PA forums because it's got a large, fairly interesting and diverse userbase and because I've been here longer than almost everyone.
basically, there's tons of goofy shit, but also a nice bit of subtance too. plus, i've known 75% of the people who post on it for like 7 or 8 years now irl
We have a good mod squad (zing!) at the boards, but we're restricted by unclear rules, favoritism, constant second-guesisng, and a set of admins that never visit the site but somehow can determine what's best for it.
I banned a guy for trolling for a relatively short time (2000 minutes). He circumvented the ban just to tell me what a dick I was , so I IP banned him permanently. A week later I find someone removed his ban and he's back, and nobody talked to me about it.
I won't lie: With the resources these boards have they could very well be the juggernaut of forums on the internet. I'm talking serious, big-name people. Yet somehow we're languishing behind the fan forums of a comic site in user numbers, poster quality, EVERYTHING. The users here are just incredible, and for years I never peeked under the PA curtain nor realized how deep it goes (I did the first time I read up on PAX and what a friggin event it is, and lurked for a while until I got a better feel for the place). Yet by contrast my site contains instantly-recognizable celebrity yet the forums are a complete shithole.
I'm not trying to kiss ass, but as a fellow mod at another site I really can't get over how well run this place is. Major kudos to everyone behind it and all the posters in this place.
That's the clincher. If the rules are clear and enforced consistently then you end up with a community that wants those rules and abides by them. It's just like raising kids. ;-)
It also helps that the mods come from posters so they know the board/community and the board knows the mods so, when you disagree with a decision, you don't immediately think "bastard mods!" but rather "what rule did I not follow?"
The jailing system is good as well. It gives the mods a way to warn someone in a way that is public so lets people know that rules are enforced, whereas going straight to a ban doesn't do that. Its more effective to have someone posting from jail than to have them disappear completely.
I think that the age range here is pretty large as well. The older posters here have seen the way the rules have helped make the forum what it is so you have a core of people who not only like the rules, but who want to encourage younger posters when they make a good comments and explain to them why the rules are there when they break them.
This place, for example, G&T is filled with stupidity, but it's not UNREADABLE stupidity.
This.
We have admins that know their stuff and pick good mods, and the mods know when rules can be bent a bit to accommodate special circumstances, and this attracts smart users.
The conspiracy thread I started is a good example. I couldn't even name a forum other than PA where that could have worked. Anywhere else, it would have turned in to a crapfest before a full page was covered.
actually, i hate the fact that "fuck you" seems to be an acceptable retort here, mainly because most people would have the common sense not to do that when talking face to face with someone. i know it's okay to be an asshole on the internets blah blah blah, but starting a response to someone's opinion with "you're a fucking moron" like i see CONSTANTLY here is just childish.
and would probably lead to an ass kicking in real life.
I've only ever seen that in response to trolls and spammers, or in jest.
Walking on eggshells is annoying, and sometimes someone is just being that horribly stupid that they need to be publicly reprimanded for it so they can reconsider their behavior.
i don't think any of that was warranted by the first post. i dunno. maybe i'm wrong and i'm overreacting. all i know is, i sure as hell wouldn't act like this toward someone i disagreed with in real life, and because of that i don't do it on the internet, or at least i make an effort not to.
well, if someone is being a clear idiot, that's one thing to call him out and tell him he's stupid. but the problem is when all someone needs to have to be told to fuck off and die is a differing opinion.
and honestly, some douchebag on the internet telling you off isn't going to make anyone reconsider their behavior
One post among millions.
(and this is getting kind of off-topic)
so what, "fuck you" is bad but "fuck you for saying that" is okay? whatever. this is getting off topic, so i'll shut up.
i do like how these boards are set up, and i like the fact that big subjects like football or whatever are constantly bumped and talked about. that's nice to have that constant feedback
i also like the debate threads a lot, for real time hilarity
This is very much the case.
Pretty much everything's been said – at any rate, I'm appreciative that the mods participate frequently in threads.
@Pants Man: Valid contributions. See this piece of the infractions log.
On the black screen
You know that little arrow icon links to the original post, right?
yeah, but since i can't do anything about that i figured i wouldn't go out of my way to call anyone out directly
You... you can remove the number after the semicolon. Example:
[noparse] [/noparse]
gives:
whereas:
[noparse] [/noparse]
gives:
aw, didn't realize that
Also the people here are smart, but not too smart - I've been on forums where it's impossible to enter a debate that you don't know indepth.
The mods know how to handle a bad situation. I mean, it started with poo flinging, then someone lit the poo on fire, and next thing you know, there's flaming poo all over D&D. And Jeffe cleaned up the mess appropriately - he gave everyone who deserved it a firm smack.
Thanks.