Estoppel Suspensions

[AB Editor]

We've just suspended 13 members who decided to post nonsense in a thread in Law.

I'm making this post as it will hopefully cut down on the number of indignant emails we get... It's a bit of a special case as it's a large number of members and many of them are long serving and much liked members.

I shouldn't have to say this - but there's only one place for nonsense, and that's Chatterbank.

In Law heads roll when you muck about.

But you know that already...

Here is the thread:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question1307583.html

My comment is at the end here, where I closed the question:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question1307583-31.html

Users were suspended for passing judgement, spamming nonsense, being rude, counting the number of answers in hope of getting to whateverhundred, posting irrelevant answers, encouraging irrelevant answers, and generally taking the piss.

Some of these users also gave good answers and then went of the rails. It makes it a little sadder than restraint couldn't have been shown on their part.

I know it's easy to get swept up in a bit of playground bullying.

But they weren't in a playground.

I know sometimes those asking questions can be frustrating, but the lack of empathy and compassion was stunning. If you don't like something, please just avoid posting on it... I have no idea why this isn't obvious.

Apologies to the rest of you - you're probably as bored of this kind of behaviour as I am, and would prefer to not read any more about it.

All the best,

Ab Editor.

PS. I don't care if it's "unfair" in any way. Thanks.

[Saki]

That thread was an accident waiting to happen.......as is this one!

[jno]

mods can only do so much; they have to have time off for eating, cutting toenails etc. Only the Ed can close a thread down, and he probably didn't notice it till too late - why would anyone notice a thread about estoppel in Law? (I didn't, probably just as well.) How on earth did so many people see it and decide to pile in?

[Saki]

Because it was constantly in "latest posts", you couldn't ignore it!

[mccfluff]

yes you could (ignore it that is)

[snags]

''why would anyone notice a thread about estoppel in Law?''

Perhaps because it was almost permanently in Recent Posts for the last 4 days?

[snags]

^ Latest Posts.

[AB Editor]

I don't monitor the site constantly Snags, as you can imagine. Considering I only received a single report on it (yesterday evening) it's not surprising I missed it.

[tamborine]

Hope the OP can return so we know the end result

[snags]

''Considering I only received a single report''

Really? Surprising considering the furore the thread caused.

[AB Editor]

"Really? Surprising considering the furore the thread caused."

I know!

I was quite surprised myself when I actually went to look at the thread. I thought it would be a few pages long at most and that maybe the reporter was helping me nip something in the bud!

My assumption on that last part was a bit off!

[jno]

too many people having fun on the thread to report it maybe?

There's probably a PhD paper to be written on Estoppel and the Art of the Cluster****.

[Mamyalynne]

I managed to ignore it, because guess what - I know nothing of the law regarding estoppal.

Folk must have been very bored indeed.

[AB Editor]

I don't know why it was considered "fun" for those who piled in, but apparently it was!

[snags]

Anyway, it is all done and dusted now... and I'm sure there are dozens of ABers who, until that thread, had no idea what estoppel is, so its not all bad ;-p

[AB Editor]

Ha! Silver linings I suppose.

[jno]

ignorance of the law is no excuse, Mamyalynne.

Actually it does look as though a great deal of useful advice was given there before people started to lose the plot, so hopefully suspendees will be desuspended before spring for adding to the sum of human knowledge.

[gness]

Ed..I suppose the utter frustration of the responses everyone was getting turned into banter.....it happens in life too...

So many people tried to help early on....til things became obvious to most.

My next comment may lead to my suspension too in this climate but....I do think you have been rather childish in this instance.....

[AB Editor]

Yes. We have taken the frustrating context into account.