An Historic Date

Welsh General / Questions
#68

Diolch o galon, Gareth - gwerthfawrogi’n arw iawn… :slight_smile:

I’ll try to update this as briefly as possible.

It’s been distressing for everyone involved, I think, and is a model of how quickly things on the internet can escalate from misunderstanding to conflict.

That’s why for the last 8 years I have tried to set the expectations in here so unusually high - unnaturally high, as many have (quite fairly) commented over the years.

Little things can become big issues in the blink of an eye - so I spend much of my time focusing on the little things in order to minimise the amount of serious issues we need to deal with as a community.

Generally, it works well - in 8 years, we’ve given two permanent bans and two temporary bans.

Sadly, the second of those temporary bans is for Pete, for one week - after which he will be welcome to return, if he chooses, and if he’s willing to work within our guidelines.

It hasn’t been a quick or easy decision - I asked Pete via private message to bring any further disagreements to private message, because it’s important for us not to create the expectation that disagreeing with the guidelines is normal behaviour here. Sadly, he didn’t feel willing to do that.

For clarity’s sake, his temporary ban is NOT for saying that Huw was ‘just being sensitive’ - it is for the continued arguing after I asked him not to make that kind of comment, and the refusal to bring it to private messages.

If I ask you to adapt your behaviour, I am entirely willing for you to private message me to tell me that you think I’m being unnecessarily picky - and I’m willing to explain why I’m being picky (although some of it might be cut&pasted by now, I have to admit!).

But I’m very keen to be able to continue running this forum on the ‘quiet word’ model, which means I’m not willing to have Admin requests turned down and/or turned into running arguments.

12 Likes
#69

Aran, you are admirable. You are SO right about how quickly things can get out of hand. It’s a shame that you are right - in a way - in that what you are right about is such a negative thing; but sadly it is also true. I’ve had it happen to me in one way or another on a couple of occasions. One ended up in my calling Dyfed-Powys police. So I’m right with you on everything you say. It’s much easier to stay polite, friendly and steer VERY clear of any remarks that could in a thousand years be interpreted as a personal reflection on another person’s merits… Well done you and thank you for all the hard work you put into the forum and the rest of it

10 Likes
#70

That was a wonderful aside Caroline :grinning:

4 Likes
#71

Now I am starved!

4 Likes
#72

Huw, I don’t think you can reasonably feel responsible for what anyone else posts in response to this thread!

I’m sorry that things were said without intention, I’m grateful to everyone who apologised for them on realising, and I’m very sorry that Aran and Catrin lost an evening to this. I’m very very grateful to Aran (and others) who so vigilantly police the forum and do the needful to keep it a welcoming place whenever it starts to stray. I firmly believe that this stuff is important.

10 Likes
#73

One thing I’d like to add to this thread is that Admins are forum users too.

I know that @aran is going to be far quicker to defend the other forum users than he is to defend himself here, but

you got your back up when saying nothing would have been better

isn’t an appropriate sort of tone to point at Aran any more than it would be at any other forum user. He says he’s willing for people to quibble in private why particular text wasn’t appropriate after he points it out, but a) that should not happen on the forum here (so we don’t promote arguing with admins in our culture), and b) it should happen in a respectful manner. Aran, as everyone else, should be able to expect kindness on this forum.

16 Likes
#74

As a new member of the family I’ve been impressed with the friendly, helpful nature of the posts. Preserving that is a very admirable and long may it continue. Thank you for all your hard work and to the contributors for the generosity of knowledge.

9 Likes
#75

Ah, but @tahl, in Radnorshire-speak, “starved” means cold. Eg: “my feet at starved” = “my feet are cold” ie starved of warmth. Isn’t that just WUNDERBAR?

3 Likes
#76

If you meant about the food ‘angle’ @AnthonyCusack that’s because I picked up the thread at the place where someone was talking about food. There’s nothing like talk of food to get a foodie going. Being half French with a French father who was the most wonderful cook (except when it came to baking which was always pretty disastrous/tantamount to a lethal weapon if thrown) I was spoilt as a child as I got to eat all his cooking and he would take me out to eat in some of the best restaurants London (born and bred, me) had to offer. I think I was very very very lucky to have the father I had. He spoilt me rotten and being an insomniac he would get up at 3 in the morning to cook us all something fantastic for Sunday lunch - cinio dydd Sul. That and the cocktails! I could go on, ond the relevance is getting typin bach doubtful wink:

4 Likes
#77

You try saying “a historic” with a South Welsh accent i.e. “a 'istoric” - doesn’t not flow well.

“An historic” is pronounced “An 'istoric” that why there is an an not an a !!

:wink:

2 Likes
#78

Hi, Huw @hewrop. I’d just like to offer a belated apology, in case I unwittingly added to the problem with my silly comment on an European. I should have had the presence of mind to notice the similarity with your forum name. Although there was certainly no link in my mind, I apologise in case it seemed that there might have been.

1 Like
#79

I din’t pick up anything personal or offensive, @JohnYoung but appreciate your post . No apology needed. :smiley:

2 Likes
#80

I think I was very very very lucky to have the father I had

You clearly were - you lucky. lucky person. :smile:
Don’t worry about departing from the topic - food was an important part of my original post and, if you saw me, you’d realise it is an important part of my life. :laughing:

3 Likes
#81

How about andouilles or, even better, andouillettes? - mmmmm :joy:

1 Like
#82

Confit de canard avec pommes sarladaises - a firm favourite in our house. Sublime. Tried laverbread a few months back; not sure about that. Depending on where you are yn Nghymru, try www.tuhwntirbont.co.uk/ next time you’re up Llanrwst way - best lunches in Wales yn fy marn i, ond my mother once told me never to be influenced by someone else’s opinion about food (ie restaurants), books, films, plays etc as it’s so very personal. Hwyl

4 Likes
#83

I am ever so disappointed that Dutch green herrings (groene haring) aren’t on the menu.

2 Likes
#84

They, of course, will be served as an “amuse-bouche” - smakelijk! :smile:

2 Likes
#85

I’ not :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#86

That was supposed to read “I’m not” - dw i ddim yn siwr beth happened yno

#87

Was it the “Welsh not” perhaps? :wink:

4 Likes