Where's Asda gone?

[bluebelly]

mark , i  knew id seen you somewhere before,

[admin]

The Supermarket board has now been returned to its normal status.

Apart from the personal squabbles that got out of hand all posts have been reinstated. Some have been returned to their original threads and others have been placed in the Trivia and Off-topic section of the forum (which can only be viewed by registered members).

I have used my own judgement to decide which should go where. If you feel strongly that one of your posts merits returning from the Trivia bin to the original thread then please contact me by PM and explain why.

I am very concerned that people feel intimidated to post their views on the forum. I would like everyone to think when they are posting a message about how they can express their personal views without brow-beating or intimidating others. I would also appreciate if you do feel this way to report the posts that concern you as it will help us moderators to better understand what works and what doesn't.

Howard, Lisa and I have had some discussions about how we might be able to improve the way that we moderate the forum and we have come up with a interesting idea that we will be trying out over the next few days and weeks. In the meantime, please be nice to each other and try not to be too personal or get drawn into tit-for-tat slanging matches anymore!

[Dave]

I'm with JMC on this: I think the forum can be a very effective way of exchanging information and opinion, and it's a strength, I think, that people with a wide spectrum of views feel able to contribute. We owe a lot of gratitude to Mark, and Howard and Lisa, for their patience when we start behaving like a load of unruly schoolkids!

As for the Asda debate, the issues are constantly evolving as more information becomes available. Having had such a lively debate when there was so little hard information to debate about, it would be ironic if the thread stopped just when the real facts are emerging!

[JMC]

I generally find things pleasant here and am grateful for the site and admins. I have only felt intimidated a couple of times so I just try to avoid those posters directly if possible. They tend to do it to others too and not just me so I know it isn't something personal  It is  like every forum, you get different types and the written word can often be taken the wrong way without the body language etc. to go with it. I think the Asda issue is important as it is what lots of people are talking about and it is a good way to pass on information.

[wheels]

But do we not also have to be careful not to so sanitise debate that it also fails to represent Community.

Community's do have genuine disagreements and vigorous debate.

I think one of the key things to look for is that it does not get so repetitious that it puts other people off.

[Lisa Oldham]

ditto Howard and Mark

Also, I'll put myself in this, though I don't get to moderate very often at the moment, all 3 of us have busy lives, jobs, businesses, children and Mark grandchildren! Moderating is a spare time job but when it becomes very active and vocal on here it is very hard to keep up with everything.  It takes time and concentration.  I understand the frustration when something you are following and commenting on suddenly disappears in front of your eyes but it does become impossible to keep up with continual posts and is the only way to deal with it, otherwise some of you would be responding to posts that may well have disappeared for a variety of reasons and the discussion would be very difficult to follow. 

Lots of people use this forum for information, not necessarily to post, and I think for the Asda section does need to be easier to follow for the regular silent visitors.   Off topic stuff, and condescending offensive comments puts people off, and more to the point it puts a lot of regular posters off posting their opinion.  Its COMMUNITY board but sometimes it really doesnt seem like that!   

Now.. i think we should go back to talking about seventeen windows.. remember the good old days....

[Howard]

when i read your post i have the voice of morgan freeman in my head..

Spooky. This is an actual picture of Mark:

[bluebelly]

when i read your post i have the voice of morgan freeman in my head..
Mark your web site and forum are excellent. my mum lives in oxford now but loves nothing more than keeping up to date, with what goes on in her home town.
keep up the good work its much appriceated.

[admin]

First of all I'd like to thank Howard for his fantastic help moderating the forum while I was away. It was unfortunate timing that I wasn't here when things got heated again over the weekend. It is also unfortunate that last night I was at a meeting and tonight I've just got home after a 14 hour day, so I will not finish reviewing the supermarket threads today.

I can tell you that the supermarket board will be put back on-line when I have finished and the majority of posts will be reinstated. I see that will please some of you but not others. But you can't please all the people all the time, as the old saying goes, and I'm of the school that thinks it is an important topic.

I would like to address a couple of comments in particular at this time:

I only contribute to the "supermarket" thread to illustrate how daft it is.

I think this is part of the problem and urge you not to do this any more. Instead, you could use this forum to publicise community events, promote what resources we DO have and enjoy, celebrate local achievement and support the town in a sensible manner..

Much more productive use of your time don't you think?

I also want to address this particular post:

I have also had posts removed. In the past I have expressed my opinion of work that I have had done by a local firm which was totally unacceptable and I thought I was being helpful by warning people but the post was removed as being offensive. I also would like the rules explained as it seems some people can post offensive posts and others cannot.

Your post was not removed because it was "offensive" as such, but because it was against my declared policy. I have explained many times before that anonymous negative posts about local businesses are not accepted here and it states that quite clearly in the introduction to that section of the forum called "Recommended Businesses & Services":

Are you looking for a good plumber, plasterer or electrician? Ask other members for their recommendations here. Alternatively, use this section if you’d like to recommend a good service you've received. Negative posts or anyone blowing their own trumpet will be removed.

Getting back to the issue at hand, it may be another day or two before I finish looking things over but I don't think it will do anyone any harm to have a little break from ASDA and CAMSFC and talk about something else for a while.

[Heritage]

This post has been removed. Please don't use *'s to replace offensive words as we all still know what they mean and they still offend. Admin

[Miss Marple]

Tina it's true ! I have been known to enter into a bout of flagellation after being ripped apart on this board.  Take it off I say! The yes group has a face book page and the No group have contact numbers and emails if concerned people want the latest updated  information.    it has defiantly run it's time as it only acts as a site where around 10 people post !  I had decided to stop posting just before it was taken off  due to the attitudes of some posters, myself included, I cannot believe I sank so low  .  so let's hope it goes   BFN 

[amazon]

September at the earliest ( what the man from Asda told me at the college )

P.s Amazon, I relayed your comments about Asda wanting to close their Hazel Grove store to the current store manager ,  as you were told its an underachieving store, Im happy to report back to you, that its the number one store in the region for growth in customer numbers etc, , I think I might have mentioned to you, that Hazel Grove store is  the also  number one store  in the region for Asda customer service

I think thats because they employ very, VERY nice people 

Thank you for that this was said six months after it changed over .not recently .

[tina]

There is always going to be a debate about asda and camsfc. How it is debated I think is the problem. Sometimes people only log in to have a row, I log in daily as it is a subject I'm very interested in, However I don't post daily. When I do post its to express a view of my own, but have myself been drawn into tit for tat, for this I'm sorry but sometimes its very hard to bite ones tongue

[simonesaffron]

Howard,

Thank you for your courteous and expedient reply, your comments are appreciated, respected and accepted.

The ASDA issue whilst some may find it tedious is arguably the biggest issue   

[Rachael]

September at the earliest ( what the man from Asda told me at the college )

P.s Amazon, I relayed your comments about Asda wanting to close their Hazel Grove store to the current store manager ,  as you were told its an underachieving store, Im happy to report back to you, that its the number one store in the region for growth in customer numbers etc, , I think I might have mentioned to you, that Hazel Grove store is  the also  number one store  in the region for Asda customer service

I think thats because they employ very, VERY nice people