The OWC/GAA Board Peace Initiative

[Evil Genius]

Do the posters on this OWC forum discuss this Forum as much as some of the posters here talk about them

Who knows - they have the relevant part of their forum rendered 'invisible' to us non-paid up members of the local lodge.

Hardly. AFAIK, the explanation is much less "sinister" than that. Amongst all the Football/Sporting Sections which comprise over 90% of the Board and its contents, there was also a "General" Section, where posters discuss all sorts of issues, both political and non-political (just like the non-GAA half of this Board, in fact).

However, some of the more controversial political threads were getting inundated by trolls, from both sides of the divide, who had no interest in football and never contributed to any other area. Invariably, their posts were blatant wind-ups and/or extremely offensive.
In addition, with several thousand members, bandwidth, and the cost of maintaining it, began to become an issue.

In response, a lot of the regular posters wanted politics to be banned from the Board entirely.
Instead, however, the Moderators took a different tack. For a one-off subscription of £5.00, members could become "Patrons".
As such, this accorded three main privileges:
1. The ability to start threads (Non-Patrons may still post on threads which others have started);
2. Access to the "Current Affairs" section of the Board - where posters may argue politics to their heart's delight;
3. Early access to the "Away Travel" section, where Patrons share tips and travel arrangements (cheap flights, meeting points, ticket availability etc) as they plan their away trips. (Soon before the relevant match, these threads are opened to general access)

So there you have it: if you're really desperate to see what "themmuns" are up to behind your back, there are no funny handshakes or solemn oaths involved*, just send off your fiver and you're in!

* - You won't be committing yourself to the furtherance of the National Identity of Our Wee Country within a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, either! Like our football team, the list of Patrons includes Prods and Taigs, Unionist and Nationalists. And yes, there are  GAA fans as well    

[Square Ball]

He has been asked a few questions and has never answered them, cant be him then?

[Evil Genius]

Lads whats with all the "fat" jokes being directed at T Fearon?
By all means ridicule his posts, and disprove his "facts", usually not too difficult, but Evil Genius, you were the one telling us to "play the ball not the man"
I'm not denying I have done this before, but you cant tell others to adhere to this while indulging a little yourself.
I know you OWC guys have issues with Tony, but thats a bit below the belt.

At the risk of sounding like Tony Bloody Benn, you're confusing "Issues" with "Personalities".

Where Fearon opens a thread to debate an issue (or rant, in his case), you will find that I generally try to stick to the point in question. An example of this is thread concerning Paddy Kielty in the Jones play where, despite my efforts to be specific in addressing his allegations, I still got people questioning me and my integrity, rather than what I actually posted - "playing the man".

However, it is wholly different where he starts, or contributes to, a thread about personalities -  invariably his own, along the lines of how great/clever/successful he is. (This thread is a perfect example). When that happens, he's fair game for anything that is thrown at him, since he becomes the issue - "play the man".

Of course, there are occasions where I lapse in distinguishing between the two - Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa - but whilst it is entirely legitimate in a debate on an issue to call him a bigot (i.e. for making bigoted points), I accept that to call him a fat bigot is below the belt.
And Fearon can't be held accountable for what is below his belt, if he can't even see half of what's  down there...

[ONeill]

For the last time, this is genuine Fearon. Jaysus lads the tell-tale signs are obvious. I could offer proof but I think the general refusal to accept him as the real big lad is rather amusing for now.... 

[Evil Genius]

For the last time, this is genuine Fearon. Jaysus lads the tell-tale signs are obvious. I could offer proof but I think the general refusal to accept him as the real big lad is rather amusing for now.... 

Latest Member to join: "100% Real Tony Fearon" 

[saffron sam2]

Do the posters on this OWC forum discuss this Forum as much as some of the posters here talk about them

Who knows - they have the relevant part of their forum rendered 'invisible' to us non-paid up members of the local lodge.

Hardly. AFAIK, the explanation is much less "sinister" than that. Amongst all the Football/Sporting Sections which comprise over 90% of the Board and its contents, there was also a "General" Section, where posters discuss all sorts of issues, both political and non-political (just like the non-GAA half of this Board, in fact).

However, some of the more controversial political threads were getting inundated by trolls, from both sides of the divide, who had no interest in football and never contributed to any other area. Invariably, their posts were blatant wind-ups and/or extremely offensive.
In addition, with several thousand members, bandwidth, and the cost of maintaining it, began to become an issue.

In response, a lot of the regular posters wanted politics to be banned from the Board entirely.
Instead, however, the Moderators took a different tack. For a one-off subscription of £5.00, members could become "Patrons".
As such, this accorded three main privileges:
1. The ability to start threads (Non-Patrons may still post on threads which others have started);
2. Access to the "Current Affairs" section of the Board - where posters may argue politics to their heart's delight;
3. Early access to the "Away Travel" section, where Patrons share tips and travel arrangements (cheap flights, meeting points, ticket availability etc) as they plan their away trips. (Soon before the relevant match, these threads are opened to general access)

So there you have it: if you're really desperate to see what "themmuns" are up to behind your back, there are no funny handshakes or solemn oaths involved*, just send off your fiver and you're in!

* - You won't be committing yourself to the furtherance of the National Identity of Our Wee Country within a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, either! Like our football team, the list of Patrons includes Prods and Taigs, Unionist and Nationalists. And yes, there are  GAA fans as well    

Unfortunately and quite deliberately you have left out the fourth privilege of being a Patron.

4. Having your personal / work / contact details (email address etc.) splashed all over the site if you post something that the moderators disagree with and in at least one case, being contacted directly at work.

That is the main reason why few people here will register on owc (well, apart from the Cavan ones - they won't spend the fiver). There is also a justifable reluctance on the part of many to provide members of the british armed forces with personal information. Your usual themmuns and ussuns crap is another smoke screen.

I'm with Donagh on this one. there are aspects of that site and the posters on that site that do not fit in with the all-singing, all-dancing FFA campaign and as such these aspects are not suitable for the general populace to read. Given that you need non yahoo / hotmail type address to register, it would be every bit as easy to ban these trolls. To any right thinking person it is obvious why the 'Patrons' option was chosen.

Shame.

[dec]

Well Mac has confirmed that the meeting mentioned in this thread actually took place. http://ourweecountry.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=17899

[full back]

What the fcuk is up with cordial?
Did you 2 agree on both using it in your 'statements'
Good to see you dont mean anything you say Tony
I see the Dowie has a soft spot (or should that be hard) for yourself O'Neill as he was enquiring about you
Meanwhile it seems MD HNISC is quite a lurker indeed

[An Fear Rua]

you can register for an account and get access to the "Current Affairs " section, no fiver needed. But by all means if you need reminding on how to use EasyJet or the BMI Baby website pay up ;-)

[SammyG]

you can register for an account and get access to the "Current Affairs " section, no fiver needed. But by all means if you need reminding on how to use EasyJet or the BMI Baby website pay up ;-)

Correct the only patrons only section is the away travel one and even it is opened up a few weeks before the relevant match. But sure you can't beat a good conspiracy theory.

[saffron sam2]

you can register for an account and get access to the "Current Affairs " section, no fiver needed. But by all means if you need reminding on how to use EasyJet or the BMI Baby website pay up ;-)

Correct the only patrons only section is the away travel one and even it is opened up a few weeks before the relevant match. But sure you can't beat a good conspiracy theory.

Seriously but, can I register using a yahoo or gmail account?  I don't want people turing up unannounced at my place of employment.

[Evil Genius]

Unfortunately and quite deliberately you have left out the fourth privilege of being a Patron.

4. Having your personal / work / contact details (email address etc.) splashed all over the site if you post something that the moderators disagree with and in at least one case, being contacted directly at work.

That is the main reason why few people here will register on owc (well, apart from the Cavan ones - they won't spend the fiver). There is also a justifable reluctance on the part of many to provide members of the british armed forces with personal information. Your usual themmuns and ussuns crap is another smoke screen.

I'm with Donagh on this one. there are aspects of that site and the posters on that site that do not fit in with the all-singing, all-dancing FFA campaign and as such these aspects are not suitable for the general populace to read. Given that you need non yahoo / hotmail type address to register, it would be every bit as easy to ban these trolls. To any right thinking person it is obvious why the 'Patrons' option was chosen.

Shame.

I have no knowledge of the incident, or anything like it, to which you refer. Was it done before the Patron system was introduced? If so, that immediately makes your attempt to link the two look silly. And if it was since the Patron scheme, if the Moderators wanted to abuse their position by revealing a poster's personal details, would it not have a greater effect if done where everybody could see it, rather than on a closed forum?

As for your dig about providing personal details to "members of the British Armed Forces", I will put that down to juvenile paranoia. If the Brits want to know what individuals who post on the Internet (any site) are up to, do you really think they have to resort to contacting/using the Moderators of a Football Website?

For f**k's sake! They have some of the most sophisticated electronic eavesdropping technology in the world, listening posts, CCTV cameras, plus mobile phone intercepts, driving licence, TV licence, Inland Revenue records etc  right down to your Library Ticket, if they want. But hey, now that they can't "run" the Internal Security Unit of the Provos any longer, they've switched their resources to using "Our Wee Country". Christ you're good, I'll give you that!

And as for their banning policy, I'm pretty certain that the Mods have actually banned more "Loyalists" than "Republicans"; more of the former attempt to join, so that they can abuse the assorted "hand-wringers and fenian-lovers"* they seem to imagine make up the body of posters on OWC.

As for "Football For All", the vast majority of Members approve of, and support, that campaign, even though it actually run by an official body (the IFA), whereas OWC is simply an unofficial Message Board for people who have an interest in the NI football team, "have an interest in" being the appropriate term, since not everybody who posts is actually a supporter of the team.


* - Actually "Hand-Wringers/Fenian Lovers" is one of the milder terms they use (along with the usual "f's and c's" and threats of violence!

[his holiness nb]

What about turning up at Fearons place of work unannounced?

Surely bad form?

[Evil Genius]

you can register for an account and get access to the "Current Affairs " section, no fiver needed. But by all means if you need reminding on how to use EasyJet or the BMI Baby website pay up ;-)

Correct the only patrons only section is the away travel one and even it is opened up a few weeks before the relevant match. But sure you can't beat a good conspiracy theory.

Seriously but, can I register using a yahoo or gmail account?  I don't want people turing up unannounced at my place of employment.

Just seen this, after composing my last response to SS2. There you go, you learn something everyday! (I had thought that the Patron's system actually accorded greater privilege than it does!

Still, it certainly tears the arse out of yours (and Donagh's) latest Masonic-type theory!

And to answer your parting attempt to retain credibility, afaik, you can no longer register using yahoo or g-mail accounts. However, I'm pretty certain that this is not a means of allowing a hit squad to find out where you work; rather, it is to stop trolls simply re-registering under a new account after they've been banned.

But you probably won't believe that explanation, either...

[SammyG]

you can register for an account and get access to the "Current Affairs " section, no fiver needed. But by all means if you need reminding on how to use EasyJet or the BMI Baby website pay up ;-)

Correct the only patrons only section is the away travel one and even it is opened up a few weeks before the relevant match. But sure you can't beat a good conspiracy theory.

Seriously but, can I register using a yahoo or gmail account?  I don't want people turing up unannounced at my place of employment.

No problem with hotmail/yahoo/gmail accounts unless your email is BillyBoy1690 or RebelsrUs1916 or you're registered in Russia or Nigeria, then you're free to register.