"Tango, enough with the politics/current events links" Topic

Tango, I can only speak for myself, but can you please stop posting all these links relating to current events/politics and to a lesser extent the defence industry news and history stuff.

Our hobby is incredibly diverse, it brings together people from a wide range of backgrounds and with that a wide range of beliefs. Your posts, especially relating to the middle east and China, are shining a very bright light on what divides us. I'm not here to be involved in arguments about politics and current events – I'm here to be involved in talking about the hobby that brings us all together.

If you were occasionally posting these sort of links I probably wouldn't mind, but for a while now they've often become the bulk of what you're posting. If I want this sort of content, I wouldn't be looking for it on a website dedicated to miniatures gaming.

I know you probably don't mean it, but posting a link to begin a conversation you don't even participate in is akin to trolling or flame baiting.

For everyone else, apologies but I've read posts from members expressing their views on topics that really I'd just rather not know about. I respect everyone's right to their opinion, honestly, but I don't come here to read folks opinions on the middle east and China – two areas that I have serious skin in the game. It's for this reason that it's not easy to just ignore his posts either.

I agree, I can go and look at those sites when I feel inclined. I don't need someone directing me there.

I enjoy Tango's postings, and hope they continue, since they are very relevant to modern, military wargaming, and modeling.

I agree with McWong

Phil

Well said McWong.

There's a huge worldwide community on here with a huge diversity of opinions and some of the responses I've read to some of these posts make quite uncomfortable reading.

Please Tango, If you are going to continually start potentially controversial topics like this then at least have the interest to tell us your own views on what and why you are posting, why it's relevant to you, Otherwise it just looks like you have no real interest in what you are posting and you are just doing it to boost your post count, Theoretically that's tantamount to just dumping a load of potentially volatile spam.

If you don't like Tango's posts then stifle them, or don't read them.

I find it odd someone is allowed to post a dozen different threads a day in a "wall" like that. Some of them with no context other than to provoke it appears.

I tried stifling, but it does not remove them from the list of topics, just the post content.

Hi,
Frankly I'm getting sick of the proliferation of Tango posts on politics or otherwise. Many are inappropriate like the modern or political topics and many more are irrelevant like the duplications of news items already reported or the plagiarism from other people's blog pages. While many think Tango's posts are helpful I think they don't generate much appropriate discussion.
Of course I realise I don't have to read Tango's post's but I can't eliminate them from my front page and if I scroll past them I have to do a lot of scrolling. His domination of the front page means that many more interesting or relevant topics disappear too quickly from the front page, drowned out by the white noise he generates.
Freedom of speech means that I can't stop his postings, nor would I want to, but it also means I may do my listening elsewhere where the loudest voice doesn't dominate the room.
Yours,
George.

Clearly a Tango board is required required. You can then follow unfollow as required ;p (tongue firlmy in cheek)

I am also growing tired of Tango posts. It is not TMP anymore, it is Tango's reading list. I know some people have left because TMP is not what it used to be. I won't go into the many issues that it has but Tango is definitely one.

I enjoy TMP and come here often. However, shotgun posts are one of several reasons I am no longer a supporting member. Rob.

Pay no heed to them, Tango. Viva ! Tango !!

Don't whine, just ignore the posts if you have no interest in them.

I agree totally with Bong67. Giving Tango his own board doesn't help at all; he is polluting the frontpace with all his posts. The same is with stiffling
I regret that I have a 2years contribution but certainly will not renew it.
I have not anything against Tango personally but against his methods.

Tango won't see this. He doesn't read the forum. Just stifle him if he bothers you.

61 posts in two days is difficult to ignore though. Stifled or not. They still show up. This is the problem and I think people have finally had enough.

All we are asking for is a bit more self restraint please!

Example-

Poster A posts topic of a house he's made. then it's quickly swept off the page by dozens of postings about 'Boobies' . How your country's going to Hell in a handbasket , Chinas new sharpened ping pong bats, the threat from Mars and the Iranian Ninja Gnu.

Next day Tango reposts the same house topic, and you all say 'Wow! Cool! I missed that, thanks Tango, you post really cool stuff. Where do you find it all?

Poster B has Tango stifled so he not only missed the possibly helpful original post but now misses the re-post. A double whammy if you like

Remember the TMP FAQ rule

Recent politics are not allowed. [POLITICS RULE] Discussion of political events more than ten years in the past is allowed

If you think the posts link to inappropriate content (like politics) then file a complaint. It is waht I've started doing.

I shall also read the relevant FAQ sections on what can be considered spam.

"Tango won't see this. He doesn't read the forum. Just stifle him if he bothers you."

If this is true then he really is just a spammer.

The front page doesn't work off volume but date/time of post so Tango is not pushing anything off the front page.

If you have a problem with Tango's posts don't start a witch hunt, go to Bill with an official complaint. If he has broken any rules I'm sure Bill will deal with it.

Personally I find many of Armand interesting, but I pick and choose which I read, nobody is making me click all his posts.

Stifling doesn't remove the posts from the front page nor does it prevent the examples which Tin Hat has made from happening.
As for Tango not seeing this thread because he doesn't read the forums, well that is a major part of his problem. Making an effective contribution to a forum is all about listening as well as talking and discussing a topic as well as simply introducing it. Tango contributes very little to the actual discussion and exchange of ideas on TMP. In fact he actually has a detrimental effect on discussion because his irrelevant posts push posts with active discussion off the front page. He will often post four or more items at a time, very few of which are relevant and many of which ( the modern/politics or more boobies ones) are inappropriate. These posts usually generate no or very short threads but do push more interesting or involved posts with long threads off the front page.
He also seems to sail close to the wind in terms of decent forum behaviour ( whether he breaks rules or not) by posting about issues which could easily become political, images which aren't really work or child suitable or links to web sites which feature content which is clearly breaching copyright ( all those ones with images taken from Ospreys or other sources).
I'm all for freedom of speech but there has to be consideration for others and the community as a whole. What Tango needs is his own blog where he can be as "helpful" as he likes, not take over and spoil a public forum.
All the best,
George.

bridget, you must have a different front page than I do. I have all of the boards turned on. If anyone goes in and posts 50 to 60 new posts, the top 50 to 60 posts I see and the majority of my front page is those 50 to 60 new posts.

A lot of this has been hashed out before, but if I can point out one of the rules:

"TMP's original forum – and now, the main forum among many – is dedicated to discussions about wargaming."

So it is not enough to shotgun "Oh isn't this cool!". I too have access to the internet and Google.

I think if you are going to post, as others have mentioned, you also have to bring something to the table, such as: "Based on current events in the who-knows-where here are the miniatures I would use and here is how I would game recent events." Even if it was just "Anybody make miniatures to game this event?".

Having said that, I think there is a place for the "Gee isn't this cool." But going to a well known manufacturer's web site and shotgunning posts with pictures of items that have long been in production is just a waste of everybody's time.

Rob.

I haven't an issue with the gaming posts Tango makes, they can and often are interesting (though a lot of the times they're rehashes of a post made earlier). I do however think that he's just dumping links more often than not of late.

His posts on politics and current events are getting out of hand, and for the most part they're just causing undue ruckus between members. How can posts about conscription in the US be relevant to modern gaming? How can a press release about the A10 life extension program inform anyone's painting or gaming? How can linking to BBC articles about Iranian influence in Syria be at all relevant to miniatures? How can, what a dozen or more posts in less than a week about Chinese naval programs, equipment and just junk Chinese news be seen as making a contribution to anything?

I much prefer he works out good manners here than me go whinging to Bill. Surely we don't need to call the ref in to make a decision on this, and we can sort it out without going that route? And I very much see this as an issue about manners/netiquette and not an issue of freedom of speech etc.

I just renewed my membership today for two years, but I'm about two weeks away from chucking this place in if he keeps this crud up. Stifling isn't the solution, I can still see all the nonsense even if I can't read his actual post. I can definitely still read all of my peers responses to some of these topics, and as I said I've read a lot not to like from people who normally I've got all the time in the world for around these parts.

Just a quick note of appreciation that everyone has kept this discussion sensible and productive. I've noticed the same patterns, and honestly assumed this thread would devolve into a flame war of some kind or another.

However it turns out, long live the reasonable mainstream.

Well said McWong.

I have all of the Boards turned on and must admit that topics are gone in no time flat due to Tango's prolific posts. The bulk of his content truly has little to do with gaming and miniatures but is mostly along the lines of Trivial Pursuit. I have noticed he never responds to a comment except to say he is glad someone "enjoyed" his post. He never answers a question or posts about his own miniature or gaming interests. His sheer volume of posts in effect stifles many other people by shoving them aside.

I just looked, and yesterday Tango started 21 new topics in 97 minutes, or one every 4.6 minutes. Earlier the same day he made a post just over every five minutes, I think 13 in 67 minutes.

I wonder if members would be so prolific if there was no chart table to record their exploits?

That goes for stifles as well.

Tango's Media Page is getting old.

I appreciate and envy the time and effort Tango1 puts into gathering information for our hobby. Not only does he find some fantastic reference material, but he also find this information and pictures over a wide and diverse spectrum of periods and topics.
McWong75, if you do not like to see the world about you, then do not read the postings that you do not want to see. Not posting topics we prefer not to face does not make them go away. This goes for all who have subjects that they would rather not be reminded about. I too have some topics that either irritate me or just do not take my fancy. So I ignore these, pass them over and move on to other topics. I can not recall any time when the author of a topic was what caused me to read or ignore that posting. Everyone has something to contribute so enjoy the ride and ignore the bumps.
Greg Principato

"His posts on politics and current events are getting out of hand, and for the most part they're just causing undue ruckus between members. How can posts about conscription in the US be relevant to modern gaming? How can a press release about the A10 life extension program inform anyone's painting or gaming? How can linking to BBC articles about Iranian influence in Syria be at all relevant to miniatures? How can, what a dozen or more posts in less than a week about Chinese naval programs, equipment and just junk Chinese news be seen as making a contribution to anything?"

Yes I agree on all points I'm suprised the 'no politics' rule has not been invoked by the editors. It's not good for TMP in my opinion.

I've no issue with Tango's wargames related stuff but all this politics-no.

OMG Requisite anti-tango thread. just stifle him and move on if it bugs you. If he violates board rules in Bill's opinion Bill will do something.

I agree with Mako11 on this. and stop whining.

Oh – and stop reading this thread.

We don't have to read it.
He doesn't have to post it, and you don't have to respond.

BUT WE ALL DO. It's not going to stop either.

It's the biggest problem that's caused no end of divisions between the membership and needs sorting a bit more diplomatically-Read Longshots post above- so never mind the gung-ho patronising approach thanks.

Stifling him doesn't remove the threads.
I'll repeat that- Stifling him doesn't remove the threads.

This is the problem. I'd better repeat it later on when someone else doesn't understand….

Cant see a problem with tango really, the type of posts or the amount of posts.

Yeah, getting really sick of Tango's strewn all over TMP. His drive by trolling is old, and has been for too long. Even his "useful posts" is stuff I have seen before or was something posted earlier by someone else that contributes more to the site. His sychophants are annoying. But like always. We will complain. They will defend him. And Bill will do what he has always done: ignore it.

He is the very definition of a troll.

I vote we set up a Committee of Public Safety that can decide what is appropriate to post, and in what amounts each member is allowed to post.
Then we can set up user-specific boards where we can send those who dare post too much to some sort of Elba, because as you all know, posting is the major source of irritation on this site. Soon then everyone will have their own board, and none of us will be forced to actually scroll down (good heavens!) to avoid unwanted and emotionally traumatic posts. And then we can successfully confine our TMP experience to merely the front page, and not have to do any of those unsightly clicks to move to the boards we so favor.

Not that I´m being sarcastic or anything.

What is making me reconsider my position on Tango01's prolific postings is the introduction of the word SPAM to describe it.

It's all very well postings hundreds of things of interest but surely one should have some personal interest/expression of interest in what they are bringing to other peoples attention. State it or reduce your input?

In the world of TMP, how does The Editor interpret a spammer, should spamming constitute any offence, and (undoubtedly) will we have to propose a poll and vote on it?

It's really that he is posting these on the wrong forum. If he wants to post these types of stories, he should join the Blue Fez and post them over there. It really is about netiquette and posting them where they belong and where he can defend his positions… if he has any.

I love Tangos miniature related posts. I dont have time to frequent 20 forums so I have often found miniatures that I have purchased thru his posts.

But I agree about the non miniature posts. They should be in tmp plus or the fez I would think.

Maybe we should have a limit on daily posts by anyone. MOre than 20 is too much, maybe even 15. How much do you really have to say on a board. One should to some degree babysit their posts as well. Especially if they are politically motivated. News is available on many sites, I dont see that stuff we cant turn into a game is relevant here.

I'm with McWong, Iron Ivan Keith, and similar. I've had enough already and as a result have been visiting a lot less if late.

If that's what the membership here wants then fine. But the miniatures content and war gaming content is WAY down and as a result TMP is a lot less useful for me.

Stifling him doesn't help; the threads still appear on the front page and push the other more useful threads off the board.

I appreciate Tango's posts. He obviously loves this hobby and part of it for him is to share what he comes across.
It's not hurting anyone and gives exposure to many different things.
Just because he refuses to respond to his critics or negative posts doesn't mean he isn't reading. He responds to positive posts. Good for him, to not get drawn in.

If modern topics don't interest you then turn off the modern boards.

I'm not a fan of Tango01's posts but don't bother complaining as you are ignored and/or attacked for being 'over sensitive' and advised to 'grow a pair' etc. As said above, if he actually took any interest at all in what he posted it would be a different matter.
Kaoschallenged and Druzhina both post links regularly to topics they are interested in (WWII and Medieval respectively) and involve themselves in any ensuing discussion. Tango01 just dumps stuff at random and pops back occasionally to thank people.
He is the primary reason I come here less often. I just can't be bothered to wade through his crap. I dread the day he discovers LAF.

I won't repeat myself: I already expressed my views on how annoying Tango can be with his never-ending flood of postings. A few of them can be interesting, but the noise-to-signal ratio is off the charts, and most of what he posts does not really contribute to any intelligent conversation about the hobby -- in fact, most of what he posts doesn't contribute to any conversation at all, and anyway, he would not be part of it.

As for the Editor, he should realize that too many times, when checking TMP on my smartphone as I am on the road, this is all I can see:

link

link

This is not a discussion board anymore: this is the personal board of one individual. Something I am not very interested in following, and even less in supporting financially.

Adolfo

I generally enjoy Tango's posts, and if there are some which don't interest me, I either ignore them or close them just as soon as I realise what they are about.

However to be fair to all sides, I do sympathise with those amongst us who don't want to read his messages, but can't avoid them on the homepage.

The obvious answer to this is, as has been proposed by others on several occasions and I am only repeating now, for Bill to modify the stifle system so that when a member stifles another, no notification of that person's postings appears on the other guys's homepage.

Is this not possible? If it is then really there is no excuse for these threads constantly having to appear on TMP every few months. Why Bill doesn't introduce this system baffles me, especially as this issue seems to be costing him cash.

And yes, I am also visiting TMP less in recent weeks. It seems ironic that the Editor is expanding the staff hiring three additional editors and yet lack of guidelines about one individual's excesses is alienating more and more people from this site. And it is not that there is no alternative forum on miniature wargaming out there.

Tango, I can only speak for myself,

You are right. You do NOT speak for me.

I find it odd someone is allowed to post a dozen different threads a day in a "wall" like that.

You can if you want to. So can I.
"Allowed" implies special permission. Anybody can do it.

Until it becomes TMP policy to limit ANYBODY's posts to …5?… per day, anybody can post as many as they like.

I remember a Poll one time to limit Connard Sage's posts. It was SHAMEFUL that such a "personal attack" Poll was started in the first place.

I suggest to anyone whose nose is out of joint by the sheer volume of Tango01's threads to start a Poll Suggestion to limit ANYBODY and EVERYBODY to …5?… threads per day. Singling out Tango01 is what I would consider a "personal attack".
I am thin skinned about this for obvious reasons, if anyone remembers events here 2-1/2 years ago.

Agree with McWong, Iron Ivan Keith, et al. It's the main reason I don't participate as much anymore, and also why I will no longer pay for supporting membership.

And yes, I am also visiting TMP less in recent weeks. It seems ironic that the Editor is expanding the staff hiring three additional editors and yet lack of guidelines about one individual's excesses is alienating more and more people from this site. And it is not that there is no alternative forum on miniature wargaming out there.

I think a lot of people are thinking the same thing DestoFante.

It used to be a valuable source of wargaming reference on here with some great discussions but now lethargy seems to have set in as people have got frustrated with the unchecked prolific postings and have wandered off to other sites.

Interestingly this time though there is an overwhelmingly large percentage of members who find spam posting antics annoying. It seems that the membership has finally got sick and tired of such postings.

Some of us do indeed remember the events of 2 1/2 years ago John. A disgraceful episode in the history of TMP which I hope will never be repeated again (even to people I don't particularly like).

@ john the OFM
I actually agree with you (this doesn't happen very often, neither am i compelled enough to write a comment)

I certainly wont be cancelling my subscription just because someone posts alot of threads

Now would be a good time to hear from the Editors. Any of them.