Click Farms

[NauticalGent]

Don't ask please.

The answer is in your non-answer. It's no surprise, we ARE a hard pill to swallow. Humility and a courtesy is not in our DNA. We are constantly reminded to not be "Ugly Americans"

 

[Isaac]

In our defense, though, I'd hate for you to ask me which general part of the world I find most annoying when they visit the USA.
When I see an ocean of humans armed with sunglasses, gigantic hats/umbrellas, and unnecessarily complicated cameras simply MOBBING a point of interest in large numbers, I always know.....

So maybe we each come across a bit annoying when visiting other countries.

 

[BlueSpruce]

chinese people here, disguising as call centers, bring those machines to our country for what?
for spamming, texting that you won on some raffle, even use to intimidate people whom they lend
money, to pay or else..
every week, authorities here catch them of their illegal activity.

Google AdSense and several other monetization platforms are able to detect click farms, boiler rooms, and other fake methods. If you want more clicks on your site, earn them the honest way.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Take advantage of jump on Pat day.

When you get riled up, Pat, you can be quite nasty. And yet in the 24 years I've been on this forum, I don't recall this attitude being so intense. I'm serious when I say that I am concerned for the health of a respected colleague.

If you believe someone specific has set off this situation, we still have direct message ability for the moment. Tell Jon what you feel and why. Just understand that at the moment, you have become a lightning rod and there appears to be plenty of lightning to go around. I will ask you to PLEASE back down on bringing political or religious topics into a tech or forum-interest forum section. We have to calm down or Jon will be out of business and a lot of us will be out of a nice place to meet & greet.

 

[BlueSpruce]

I perceive the OP as trolling to fuel toxic controversy. I have noticed this pattern on other threads the OP has initiated or participated in. Everyone needs to lower the tone and volume!

 

[BlueSpruce]

But for some odd reason, in the US it seems like a lot of telephone and web-related scams originate in Florida. Not sure what it is, maybe the heat down there fries people's minds

I have been living on and off in Florida since 1968. It's by design the most lawless unregulated State in America! Other Deep South States are not that much different.

You don't need a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Florida. I lived in New Mexico which is an open carry state and saw many people walking around with firearms in plain view. I have traveled to Belize and the first thing a local told me to do was to buy an AK-47 for US$200. If they see you walking without one, you're open prey. When I left, I sold it back for $150.

 

[Isaac]

I've been learning more about it since my brother moved to the greater Tampa area. I've been interested to learn that it's not always that hot and often includes a nice cool breeze, and that just being about 30 miles inland provides a lot of extra protection/lessened threat from hurricane impacts

 

[Isaac]

Google AdSense and several other monetization platforms are able to detect click farms, boiler rooms, and other fake methods. If you want more clicks on your site, earn them the honest way.

I was going to say, these fake reviewer accounts sound like gold, where do I sign up, I need some traffic on my Amazon KDP books!

 

[Isaac]

I perceive the OP as trolling to fuel controversy. I have noticed this pattern on other threads the OP has initiated or participated in. Everyone needs to lower the tone and volume!

Colin's America-bashing now seems quite tame compared to recent discussions!
Years ago I used to post after throwing back a few cold ones, thankfully I don't do that any more. It always seems like a good idea at the time....

 

[BlueSpruce]

I've been learning more about it since my brother moved to the greater Tampa area. I've been interested to learn that it's not always that hot and often includes a nice cool breeze, and that just being about 30 miles inland provides a lot of extra protection/lessened threat from hurricane impacts

Tampa and suburbs, like Brandon, Temple Terrace, all the way up to Lakeland are just as hot. Pinellas County (Clearwater/St.Pete) are a little cooler because they're on the "Gulf of America". But the Greater Tampa Bay area is not immune to hurricanes. I experienced 3 of them last year. Just make sure you live away from a flood zone and in a concrete house.

 

[BlueSpruce]

It's the only way I post

Lately it seems like some posters have been drinking Testosterone and Adrenalin cocktails.

 

[Isaac]

Tampa and suburbs, like Brandon, Temple Terrace, all the way up to Lakeland are just as hot. Pinellas County (Clearwater/St.Pete) are a little cooler because they're on the "Gulf of America". But the Greater Tampa Bay area is not immune to hurricanes. I experienced 3 of them last year. Just make sure you live away from a flood zone and in a concrete house.

Gulf of America. now that's a great example. Why???
I mean really. Why piss off the world, annoy every writer who now has to change the title in the entire world, and insult mexico, just to be grandiose? I think t-dawg makes a LOT of his decisions after throwing back a few cold ones. At least, I desperately want to hope that's why.

 

[BlueSpruce]

Gulf of America. now that's a great example. Why???
I mean really. Why piss off the world, annoy every writer who now has to change the title in the entire world, and insult mexico, just to be grandiose? I think t-dawg makes a LOT of his decisions after throwing back a few cold ones. At least, I desperately want to hope that's why.

T-Dawg is a teetotaler. Next up he will probably teardown the Statue of Liberty and erect the Statue of T-Dawg. He wants to make sure he's remembered when he leaves on 1/20/2029. It's an ego thing.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I can probably count on one hand the number of political topic threads I've personally started and I can never remember starting a religious one.

I do not dispute this statement. But participation can occur without being the original poster in a thread.

My posts are almost always attempts to educate. Arguing with people is pointless, especially once cognitive dissonance has set in

In a classroom, repetition is the key to learning. In a public forum, however, it is the repetition of the educational lesson that leads to the appearance of an argument.

There are a couple of trolls who do seem to be able to suck me into these idiotic exchanges but they shall remain nameless.

Oh, do I ever know that feeling - but we have to be aware that yielding to temptation wasn't so good for Adam and Eve either. This forum might not be the Garden of Eden, but it is a home away from home for many of us. We ALL have to learn to step on the brakes now and then... ME included, Pat, because I know there have been times I have hurt more than I helped. It is that point of overreacting that we must all learn to recognize and to step back from it.

 

[Isaac]

geographical features, schools, etc

Renaming a part of an ocean ?? A bit different than the local school

 

[AngelSpeaks]

Renaming a part of an ocean ?? A bit different than the local school

The part that is mostly part of the US.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Arguing with people is pointless, especially once cognitive dissonance has set in, but I find it utterly impossibly hard to believe that people actually support Hamas' position.

Insertion of political "hot topic" in a thread not related to politics by referencing Hamas in the middle of a different subject.

And we, in turn, find it hard to believe that you cannot seem to separate Hamas from the rest of the Palestinian people

Escalating on a political topic in a non-political thread.

You are basing your opinion of Hamas on "feelings" and false reports and photos rather than any actual facts.

Continued engagement in political topic - although you DID state you were going to back it off after this quoted sentence.

THIS is how things get out of hand. BOTH OF YOU! Let it go. This thread had NOTHING TO DO with the Middle East and their problems. They are trying to make peace. Let's hope it lasts longer than the cease-fire in this forum.

At the minimum, this is "thread-hijacking" and when it takes this political turn, the risk factor goes up. I'm doing this out in the open because folks need to see how it starts. I am also going to edit or delete the posts that led to this exchange.

If anyone thinks I'm being heavy-handed here, remember that Jon has asked us to cool it. I'm just reminding folks that our situation is not what it used to be.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Ah, and the moderator is now our masked censor.

I'm an unmasked censor operating on my own account name. But you might also know me as Richard. I am hiding nothing and that picture that is my avatar is really me (except maybe from a few years ago...)

Pat, I quoted the post in which YOU sneaked in the Hamas reference, which started the fishing expedition that almost hijacked the thread. Isaac took the bait. You responded. I tossed in a reminder and did what Jon said would be necessary - watch the threads for other flare-ups and shut them down.

I will state for the record here and now that I got no pleasure from being heavy-handed for that moment. I am like Jon in that I firmly believe in free speech - but as Jon has pointed out, this forum is no longer quite as free as it once was and we have to acknowledge that. We all have to adapt to the "new normal" until/unless the Reform party comes in and tosses the Online Safety Act into the trash heap of questionable ideas.

Until Jon has selected a moderator's moderator, it is up to all moderators to watch out for topics that get out of hand. I will back down a little now, because the point has been made. But I ALSO think it is on ALL of us to realize that there is a risk here. I reminded you this time. Perhaps next time this type of topic injection happens, we can keep it from heading towards another storm.

If anyone feels I was wrong, tell Jon. Trust me in this limited statement: If Jon thinks I did wrong, he WILL let me know.

 

[Isaac]

I can be a bit of a bait-taker. My bad

 

[Isaac]

But in my defense, I actually might have been mistaken. I did not think that 100% of politics was off the table. I thought we were just supposed to avoid being offensive and violating the OSA. Me saying Pat can't separate this vs. that is offensive per the OSA? I guess count me out as a potential moderator, this isn't making any sense to me at all any more. I thought we were supposed to catch and avoid offensive, racism, phobic-this or that stuff - not all politics. and 'click farms' isn't completely non-political in the first place.