Some ATD-ers are missed on p'bay

From an Opinions OP (wonder if the poster will be next on the email stazi check)-

mike_gss wrote:

No new posts since December 29th.

More shockingly - no new topics since December 4th! (since when we have had NSA/GCHQ surveillance revelations, Nelson Mandella's death, the UN appeal for the Syrian refugee crisis, New Years honours list, relaxation of border controls, continuing levels of austerity, winter storms and flooding to name but some).

Are we all getting more content or less "militant" in our old age?

In my humble opinion it does not help that many of the most interesting, provocative and thoughtful posters (e.g. Babararacucudada, Greenblooded1, Knecht, Penzance Pirate, Penny, Tyhee Slim) no longer post on this site for various reasons.

I also (personally) think that other posters worth reading who are still "active" on this site don't post on Opinions as often as they used to. Are we becoming more fearful of having robust, argumentative debates on here?

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Penny ? Who's that ?  
I'll give Mike an answer, they've all had enough. I understand it's now safe for IJN to venture onto that part of his now sanitised site and give his wonderful and interesting insight on the big questions of the day, like middle lane drivers. If you sleep with a pig's ear, you're liable to get a purse, or something like that.

On the assumption he meant Peggy, four of that six are posters on ATD now - the home of abusive, robust, argumentative debates.

I used to enjoy Opinions. It was a bit like willy waving at times but if you've got it - flaunt it is what I say. We wouldn't ever change the world - let alone other's views but it was sometimes fun. There were some genuinely interesting characters on there.

I didn't tend to use opinions that much, I couldn't help winding Quinny up -like taking candy from a pompous baby.

A bit of abusiveness to wind Knecht up there to boot.   

Iggy wrote:

A bit of abusiveness to wind Knecht up there to boot.   

I'm happy to be called pompous - it's one of the things I'm best at.  

I have this vision in my head of poor old Mike standing lonely and depressed on one of his beloved oil platforms, wondering where it all went.
I got fed up with arguing the toss there way before I bailed out of their football forum. I'm surprised to hear greenblooded has flown the coup. I thought he was there for life.. it certainly suited him.

I think that too many now feel betrayed and are understandably fearful of the private information that they provide to pasoti being abused. You just can't do the things that have been done and expect things to carry on as normal.

I wish somebody would start up a pasoti Mk2, it is very much needed.

Stop banging on about it Gob you know you want to.

They can us ban us if they want or just join us here for what they miss.

GOB wrote:

I think that too many now feel betrayed and are understandably fearful of the private information that they provide to pasoti being abused. You just can't do the things that have been done and expect things to carry on as normal.

I wish somebody would start up a pasoti Mk2, it is very much needed.

So why a pasoti Mk2 ?.......are you saying that ATD doesn't meet all your requirements ?

If not what would you like to see changed.....and are you not in a position to influence that from here ?

ZYPH wrote:

GOB wrote:

I think that too many now feel betrayed and are understandably fearful of the private information that they provide to pasoti being abused. You just can't do the things that have been done and expect things to carry on as normal.

I wish somebody would start up a pasoti Mk2, it is very much needed.

So why a pasoti Mk2 ?.......are you saying that ATD doesn't meet all your requirements ?

If not what would you like to see changed.....and are you not in a position to influence that from here ?

ATD meets my requirement, yes Zyph, hence why I wouldn't want ATD to change its style. But I don't think it meets the requirements for many others that prefer a more bonded relationship with the Club or as Tring would say, Aviva. Something like a pasoti but without the corruption and ownership by Club officials. Personally speaking, I would not be suited to a pasoti styled site, I prefer to rough it a little.

I think there's room for two sites and I think it's needed to finish off Newell's dying, corrupted, self promotion propaganda machine and I am surprised that an "Aviva" is yet to create such a site.

Iggy wrote:

Stop banging on about it Gob you know you want to.

I have thought about it and tinkered with it but it's just not for me Iggy and having done it once and been through the mill with it I really cannot be arsed to do it all over again.

I want to create something that will bring local news stories to the forefront and for debate. The one thing I have learnt from Argyle's shenanigans is how lacking we are in honest, local news coverage and how debate has been stiffed, so if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear it.

Can't argue with any of that Gob.

I just checked the user numbers for both sites,
ATD 97
Pasoti 109
They are on life support, at the rate new members are joining we will pass them by February.
I did notice that although we have 90 guests they have 580? Is that all the Windows open for all the multi accounts? Seems an awful lot?

GOB wrote:

Iggy wrote:

Stop banging on about it Gob you know you want to.

I have thought about it and tinkered with it but it's just not for me Iggy and having done it once and been through the mill with it I really cannot be arsed to do it all over again.

I want to create something that will bring local news stories to the forefront and for debate. The one thing I have learnt from Argyle's shenanigans is how lacking we are in honest, local news coverage and how debate has been stiffed, so if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear it.

the 'this is........'.co.uk sites should have catered for this 'market' but are too aligned to the local newspapers and their bias. good idea mind, call it The Real Plymouth.co.uk for example and you couyld set one up for every major town, city, district, county etc.

I haven't had an a count on there for 5 years im not wanted on the farm.

Interesting thread.

I have been thinking along the same lines as Gob for a while now. With the ever declining interest in Pasoti and it's sanitized approach and it's intrinsic links with PCC, PAFC, the Herald etc. Time could be ripe for a new Pasoti-eseque forum, free from the nepotism and the tentacles of bribery, corruption and bullying that infests the current site.

I'm a firm believer in there being room for both sites i.e 'new' Pasoti and ATD. A bit like the lounge and the Bar in a pub.

As Gob says - who can be arsed to do it? Also, how long would it be before power hungry fans try to infiltrate the new regime with their thirst for fan power?

GOB wrote:

ZYPH wrote:

GOB wrote:

I think that too many now feel betrayed and are understandably fearful of the private information that they provide to pasoti being abused. You just can't do the things that have been done and expect things to carry on as normal.

I wish somebody would start up a pasoti Mk2, it is very much needed.

So why a pasoti Mk2 ?.......are you saying that ATD doesn't meet all your requirements ?

If not what would you like to see changed.....and are you not in a position to influence that from here ?

ATD meets my requirement, yes Zyph, hence why I wouldn't want ATD to change its style. But I don't think it meets the requirements for many others that prefer a more bonded relationship with the Club or as Tring would say, Aviva. Something like a pasoti but without the corruption and ownership by Club officials. Personally speaking, I would not be suited to a pasoti styled site, I prefer to rough it a little.

I think there's room for two sites and I think it's needed to finish off Newell's dying, corrupted, self promotion propaganda machine and I am surprised that an "Aviva" is yet to create such a site.

Maybe the problem is that 'opposition' to such a site might mean too much hassle from the 'original' site to making it worth while ?

I’m guessing you mean our PASOTI cousins?

I really don’t think there would be opposition from ATDers, in fact I think that ATDers would use both sites and conform to the individual sites rules although you will always get the odd plonker.

If you mean our pasoti cousins then that would be a problem Zyph. If Newell had worked the incredibly long hours that he has spent attempting to destabilise ATD he would be a very wealthy man by now and anyone that has served as a moderator on ATD will tell of the incredible effort that he’s made trying to ensure that he and he alone had control over the Internet interest of Argyle fans.

Reputations of being frustrated and corrupt thugs with a few mental health issues have been acquired and Brent’s mob isn’t being taken seriously these days, so it would be much easier for a new site to gain a grip.

It also takes a little backbone to deal with the daily legal threats and even the solicitor’s letters that money friends of Newell like to dish out, even if they do send the letters to the wrong people! But it should also be remembered that any legal situation brought about by these people can be countered with bucket rattling to raise cash for a legal battle and I think that is something that ATDers would dg deeply for if it cropped up. - If you were batting for the ‘mob’ would you want even a fraction of the corruption that you had been up to brought up in a court and spread all over the media? There’s a reason why pasoti has to have a clean-up now and again! - A new 'Green Tinted' site would not be as contentious as ATD providing a less excuse for legal threats.

So it is achievable Zyph and more so now that ATD has done the graft and showed a few characters for what they are and there’s also a wealth of experience in past and present ATD mods to get advice from.

Neither does there need to be the ‘New Site’ v ATD competitiveness that exists between ATD and PASOTI.  That was only created by the ‘Mob’ to back up their control hold that eventually backfired on them.

PL2 actually made a worthwhile comment recently and a comment that I entirely agree with…

“I don't think there's a divide amongst the fans, more like different ways of supporting the club.
After the crap we've had to go through some fans (Green Tints) are really enjoying this purple patch on the pitch and the signing of Banton and are expressing their joy on threads like this, other fans are more pragmatic and take the ups and downs in their stride, other fans (the Politicos) are more concerned with off the pitch issues so won't be seen on threads like this or discussing the signing of Banton, while other fans will criticise everything about PAFC on and on and again won't be seen on threads like this.

It's a broad church of Argyle fans who relate to the club in various ways and want the best for PAFC but express it differently.”

That’s the market..

Green Tints – PASOTI but with discomfort from its users owing to the corruption.

Pragmatics – ATD is filling the void left by a corrupted PASOTI.

Politicos – Shared between PASOTI and ATD but with powerful moral differences. Some on PASOTI have used the Clubs unfortunate position to advance personal interest while others on ATD are attempting to politically change the direction of the Club for the good of the fans.

Critics – ATD with no room for another site to share the pain.

So what part of that little lot would be taken over by a new site? – From my take it would be the ‘Green Tints’. ‘Pragmatics’ would be shared equally by ATD and a new site, ‘Politicos’ would be taken by a new site and ‘Critics’ would remain with ATD. This would leave PASOTI with a small number of ‘Politicos’ with an interest of advancing their own personal interest along with an insignificant scattering of the others.

There is only one big risk in this that I can see and it doesn’t involve Newell and his gang of Internet thugs. The risk for me is the watering down of opinion at a time when ATD provides the only real alternative for countering the opinion of those that seem prepared to forget all moral standards and their support for PAFC for the payment of sitting beside James Brent in the Directors Box or a fancy title.

Whilst it would be a good time to nail home the coffin lid for Newell’s PASOTI, would it be good for the AFT and would it be a good thing for the fans and the shaping of the Club that the fans want? I’m not so sure about that at this time.