50. Reason For Thorn Tree Shutdown?

From an online forum:

(Note: Airbender posted as a Guest, he is not a member)

Dec 31, 2012, 8:09pm, Airbender wrote:
The reason the forum has been temporarily closed is because some adults had a good look at it:

Home in Bali

Jan 1, 2013, 6:58pm, Airbender wrote:
And Gogo, since I can’t use the edit function here, let me just add that resorting to name calling, innuendo and vitriol is not the way an intelligent and mature person handles a discussion. There are plenty of ways to conduct a debate and offer opposing views without resorting to tactics and behavior that should have been left behind in junior high school.

Although we have yet to see what sort of new LP forum emerges after house keeping, it’s likely a safe bet that it will be precisely the kind of conduct you insist upon engaging that will no longer be tolerated. In short, it is very likely that you, and quite a lot of others, will have to find a new venue to host your discussions. In other words, find a new playground, or learn to adapt to the standards that the BBC will clearly insist upon. It’s really rather simple.


If you or anyone else has a problem with any of this, then write to the “powers that be” at the BBC or LP. There is no point in running amok with me to vent your frustration, as quite frankly, I could care less.


Response:
Airbender, it isn't only those who posted on YC that are "frustrated", many regulars are not happy either. I didn't do YC, it wasn't my cup of tea, but the way this whole affair has been handled was a disaster from the start.

The "powers that be" could have closed the YC branch as they did WoS. But no - they didn't do that.

I find it rather strange that this well known writer living on Bali who was preparing an article for the New York Times Sunday travel section. acted solely in the interests of LPTT from the goodness of his heart. Methinks he acted out of self-interest.


Jan 3, 2013, 7:22am, Airbender wrote:
do you honestly think the BBC/LP would temporarily shut down the TT forum without doing their homework and checking the facts relayed in the report?

Response:
Yes.


Jan 4, 2013, 10:12am, Airbender wrote:
As my final post on this worthless forum, I’ll gladly pass on some advice to both you, bystander, and your bonded at the hip twin, gogo.

From where I sit, I don’t give a damn whatever you, or the old dried up hag on steroids and Prozac thinks about anyone involved in writing the article for the NY Times, the report to BBC/LP, or the link which reveals the truth on the home in Bali forum.

When it re-immerges, I suspect that TT will no longer be a bastion for mindless twits and pit bull grandmums amongst a host of other useless trolls out for nothing aside from their own self gratification and their insatiable appetite to connect to other trolls.

Response:
Airbender, you stated this was your final post, yet you made 6 more posts. It is curious that you have posted here as a guest but not a member.

Having now read through this entire thread it does appear to have spiralled into an ignominious fiasco. A pity adults cannot behave in an adult manner instead of acting like a group of 10 year olds.

In my opinion the complete shutdown of the LPTT forum was the wrong decision. The BBC could have closed YC and then taken a look at the other non-travel branches. Why the need to close (for example) On your bike and Older travellers? I didn't post on either of them, they didn't interest me, but there were plenty of other members who did. Same for most of the non-travel branches.

Admittedly the loudest and angriest members are/were the YCers and the WTers, at least at the beginning when TT came back online, but let's not forget, there are many, many posters who did not post on either of those branches and are just as angry, just as frustrated and fed up with not just the way it was handled but the new heavy handed moderation - "You post will have to be approved by a moderator"!? I mean really, people are being treated like children and people do not like being treated like children.

While you are now able to post on a travel branch and it goes through, any post made on the "Welcome back to Thorn Tree" started by Zabba and that other equally useless "Report bugs here" both of which currently have 731 and 217 posts respectively has to be "moderated".

If your post is deemed to be "unsuitable" it will not get posted. And I am not talking about using offensive language, name calling or smut. I asked a question about post counts and why the count was suddenly changing rapidly, but that is deemed "unsuitable".

There are those who believe that TT should not have any chat branches and should be solely travel related, but it was having all those other branches which defined the tree and made it what it was. Sadly because of some pedantic little travel writer with an axe to grind, the whole community is in jeopardy. I do not believe for one minute this writer person acted for the benefit of the LPTT forum - no; he/she acted out of self-interest and for their own selfishness.

Airbender himself "resorted to name calling, innuendo and vitriol" which is not "not the way an intelligent and mature person handles a discussion".
Pot calling the kettle black!