I've noticed you've deleted all my answers. Why?

-- Triblett Lunger-Thurd (666@HELL.com), January 21, 1999

Answers

Please email me privately at bwworld@mindspring.com and I will explain. I tried emailing you at 666@HELL.com but the email bounced, address false.

-- Mason Resnick (bwworld@mindspring.com), January 21, 1999.

try tribby1@excite.com will be up for one day.

-- Triblett Lunger-Thurd (666@HELL.com), January 22, 1999.

The Trouble With "Triblett"

Dear folks,

Please accept my apologies for what follows--when a situation arises in the forum where someone abuses the rules (clearly stated at http://www.photogs.com/bwworld/bwforum.html), I always attempt to contact the person via private email and explain the problem and suggest a reasonable resolution.

I attempted this with the person who goes by the name "Triblett Lunger-Thurd" after repeated abusive postings. I discovered, as one might expect, "666@HELL.com" is a fake email address. I then posted a public reminder to abide by the rules. "Triblett" responded by attacking another poster (I deleted it).

Finally a couple of days ago, after yet another typically nasty, abusive post from "Triblett" I decided to delete ALL of this person's posts from ALL of the B&W World forums. (I have never felt the need to delete a poster's entire catalog of messages until now, and hope I will never have to do it again.) That prompted the previous messages in this thread.

I faithfully emailed the address "Triblett" provided; that message and the response follows. I believe the response speaks for itself, and justifies my making this public:

From: "Tribby Brainard" (tribby1@excite.com)
To: "Mason Resnick" (bwworld@mindspring.com)
Subject: Re: Who are you?
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 16:37:38 PST

On Fri, 22 Jan 1999 14:44:34 -0500, Mason Resnick wrote:

> Hi Triblett,
>
> The reason I deleted your postings is that you have been posting messages
> that I felt went against the clearly stated "rules of the house" for B&W
> World's discussion forums. I soon learned that you had a fake email address
> (why are you afraid of revealing your identity or leaving a real email
> address?), and so I simply removed your more offensive posts without
> fanfare as soon as I could after you posted them. That didn't work.
>
> Then I tried to gently but firmly remind you and anyone else who was
> relatively new to the BBS what the rules were in a public post, (see Admin
> Note-Please read) but you apparently didn't take it seriously or didn't
> think it was meant for you.
>
> Your most recent example:
> >Don't you tell me what to do Ashley, I'll do whatever i by-God
> >please. You've gotta be an art student talking all vague and shit.
> >Buzz off, rookie. now do what i say!!
>
> This is just one in an ongoing pattern of abusive posts, and is
> unacceptable. I finally decided that if I removed all of your posts, no
> matter what the content, you might pay attention.
>
> One of the reasons I started the B&W World forums was to create a safe
> haven for serious discussion of issues related to black & white
> photography. "Flames" may be commonplace on Usenet newsgroups, but they
> aren't welcome here.
>
> If you can control yourself enough to contribute helpful, constructive
> information (which I know you are capable of doing) then you are invited to
> continue posting. If you feel you must on occasion abuse other posters,
> please do that on rec.photo, where it's accepted behavior, and leave B&W
> World alone.
>
> B&W World's forums may be publicly available but are privately maintained,
> and as the maintainer of the sites I ask that you respect the rules if you
> wish to keep posting.
>
> Mason
>
> Mason Resnick
> Editor/Publisher
>
> Black & White World
> A Celebration of Photography
> www.photogs.com/bwworld
>

THIS IS THE RESPONSE:

What are you talking about? You have the wrong person!! I have no idea who you are or what you do!! Please do not send me any more mail!!!

-- Mason Resnick (bwworld@mindspring.com), January 23, 1999.

Dearest Mason,

Two years ago I began posting as Triblett Lunger-Thurd, to react and set straight what I had seen as flame mail amongst the forums. I began abusing posters in a reactionary fashion. I hoped it would set a specific example of how not to ask and respond on such forums, any heretofore direct positive examples flopped. I failed miserably in this manner. I was frustrated at that time to see fake postings in this I mean not a fake name and or address but useless, inane, or off-topic questions and wrongful, wasteful or misleading advice. I did this of my own accord and with plenty of malice but it seems my fictional character has run amok. I have not posted under this psuedonym in approximately 6 months. The current postings you are so rightly incensed over have not been posted by me. In fact I'm afraid that over the last year Triblett has become a catch-all of sorts. I believe that there are several individuals posting under that name so be careful. I apologize to you and those abused by the monstrosity I've created. I have not visited these forums in a while and was abhorred to find that some persons in the name of Triblett had written ugly insults and foul language, something I would never do, and had blatantly disregarded your rules and repeated reprimands and indeed basic human decency. I discovered this by accident upon posting an accurate answer in your forum as usual then to find the Why? thread already in place. I then searched for Triblett on my browser only to find reams of material I had never typed, some in the strangest forums and most displaying preposterous attributes I hoped Triblett would never posess. Please accept my apologies. In your service,

Gary Bailey

-- Gary Bailey (gbailey@bigfoot.com), January 26, 1999.

oops, did i say that? quaker guns cap'n, as you should expect, the above is another of my personality splits, a nicer one, but as unreal as i am. I did not post that infantile "triblett brainard" response. I have much more imagination than that. In that vein, I can't imagine an ego on the other hand that would deny sound information and advice to needy photogs on the basis of personal pride. Fake name or not! You need me mason even though you don't want me. May I suggest a column...."Ask Tribby" or maybe "Tribby's automatic insult generator" a column that insults and informs.... Laugh buddy, it's a joke.

-- Triblett Lunger-Thurd (666@HELL.com), February 02, 1999.