The thumbing system was initially built to help moderators with an increasingly out of control Kitesurfing forum. It worked - it culled the idiots, and help moderators keep the forum civil.

Along came the SUP forums, where a few people abused the reds, but not to much great degree.

Then came the Longboard/Surfing forums.

Some members in these forums have used the red thumbs to a whole new level.

Due to feedback in here, we built some analytics to help us look deeper into the usage of thumbs.

And we were shocked at what we found.

I couldn't actually imagine that somebody would abuse the red-thumb system to such a degree as they did.

Specifically, using at least two logins this person dished out 2000+ red thumbs to 300+ individual logins, versus giving 45 green thumbs. Even after triple checking the numbers, I struggle to fathom this happened.

With that level of dissatisfaction, we're left wondering why they visit the forums at all?

These logins have been suspended, and changes are afoot to address things so this can never happen again.

No doubt there are people who say "discard the thumbs altogether", and this is a possibilty, and some people are eager for Seabreeze to become like Google & Facebook where they only have a +1 or "Like" button

Numerous other sites (i.e. YouTube, and most forums) have a +1 / -1 system to help administer things - too bad it was abused here, but we're now addressing this.

By all means, please throw your 2c in here, and be assured it will all go into the mix...

Imo there should be a + - system or a red and green dot. Or keep the thumbs and only let the first three or four people use then then they stop working.

May I enter the shortboard room

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62mac said...
May I enter the shortboard room

NO

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doggie said...

62mac said...
May I enter the shortboard room

NO

That's a shame,soon you'll be talking to yourself,have a great day

love from mac:)

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62mac said...

doggie said...

62mac said...
May I enter the shortboard room

NO

That's a shame,soon you'll be talking to yourself,have a great day

love from mac:)

CYA

Why not have it so that you can click onto the thumb tab and it brings up a list of who has dished out the greens and who's dished out the reds?

+1 ^

^ Who cares, I got a bucket load of thumbs for a one word reply that was "Bunnings".

I thought it was funny as alot of people out there musnt like Bunnings lol

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62mac said...

doggie said...

62mac said...
May I enter the shortboard room

NO

That's a shame,soon you'll be talking to yourself,have a great day

love from mac:)

Yep and thats it in a nutshell for me..I actually go over to the long board room as its more interesting as more people post..Simple IMHO

We all should really make an effort..

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jbshack said...

62mac said...

doggie said...

62mac said...
May I enter the shortboard room

NO

That's a shame,soon you'll be talking to yourself,have a great day

love from mac:)

Yep and thats it in a nutshell for me..I actually go over to the long board room as its more interesting as more people post..Simple IMHO

We all should really make an effort..

But there is less crap in here, generally......

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doggie said...

jbshack said...

62mac said...

doggie said...

62mac said...
May I enter the shortboard room

NO

That's a shame,soon you'll be talking to yourself,have a great day

love from mac:)

Yep and that's it in a nutshell for me..I actually go over to the long board room as its more interesting as more people post..Simple IMHO

We all should really make an effort..

But there is less crap in here, generally......

Yeah but there's less surf talk, less board talk, less travel logs, less people really. Hell i even noticed Tux (i think it was) posted his boards his just shaped in the long board room. There both short boards but i guess they seemed interested and he maybe felt they'd get appreciated better in there then the SB room. I could be wrong but its just seems that way

Me i ride a short board, i don't live on that side of the Australia but there's still more interesting things over in the LB room..

Everyone might say we only have shark threads, well really that's almost it..

Short boarders are replying to Long board threads, becuse they have an interest in surfing, not all the personal attacks that seem to frequent the SB room..

Hell im almost over it and i need something to fill my day..I've had three really cool chats today via PM's that you would never put online. Why must people only be friendly behind closed doors

Laurie I can't fathom it either. As I have said, it is offputting for noobs as they ask a question and some very good expert replies have red thumbs and it makes no sense. I'd love to see the stats not just for total number given out by person A, but what percentage were targeted at certain people.

It is disgraceful conduct.

I think your implementing a cap on the number of thumbs that can be given in 24hrs was very good - I find I can't give out enough greens at times but geez small price to pay.

As to new things to fix it - I hear what you're saying but my IMHO I think mods need to ban more, simple as that. The serial redthumbers uually talk trash and make no meaningful contributions anyway.
Other forums I frequent would have banned at least 3 or 4 people here long long ago. Sheesh, one of them I can think of has banned people after less than 10 posts, repeatedly.

BUT this site is fkn awesome, it is yours and you do what you wnat and I will love it regardless it is cos it is awesome.
No I don't want a free t-shirt.

I do.

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Mark _australia said...I'd love to see the stats not just for total number given out by person A, but what percentage were targeted at certain people.

I can answer the latter - 95% towards suba in this forum. 95% split evenly between doggie and mac in longboards (and 95% dished out by each of them). 80% towards OG SUP in the 666 forum (at least that's how it used to be) and 15% towards any shilling.

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Mark _australia said...It is disgraceful conduct.

Who cares? It's the freaking internet.

Well guy's we in the Longboard room have worked out who this person is, too easy to figure it out.

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Mark _australia said...

BUT this site is fkn awesome, it is yours and you do what you wnat and I will love it regardless it is cos it is awesome.

^^^+1

Free T-shirts? YES PLEASE!


Hell, just a sticker (or 3) would be well applied.

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Legion said...

Mark _australia said...It is disgraceful conduct.

Who cares? It's the freaking internet.

That is the excuse used by the idiots too and it doesn't make sense to me.

I started on the internet in the mid 1990's when comparatively few people were online - the 'forums' were just the newsgroups where people discussed stuff, then it evolved into this kind of thing. It was mostly people who were right into that sport or hobby and had a great deal to offer so it was mostly Q&A stuff with a bit off p!sstake if you knew the well. Then all of a sudden in the early to mid 2000's with every man and his dog joining in, suddenly it became the place for losers and trolls to be 100 yard heroes or abuse people when they would not do it in real life.
That is a shame and it reduces the chance for noobs to get quality advice

I have said many times I don't give a sh!t what people think about me, I say honestly what I think.

But "it's just the internet" is a cop-out. If I walked up to your mum or sister in the street and called her all manner of vile stuff would you say "it's just life, some people are like that"? I doubt it.
Anonymity does not over-rule manners. Unfortunately anonymity is attractive to some.

Society has had a big wakeup call from social media just recently, so called trolls (misuse of the word, really just abusive fkwits) causing suicides etc.
I think mods on fora like this can have a positive impact by moderating harshly - erring on the side of ban rather than tolerate - and then maybe some of the idiots will realise it is not tolerated. Who else will stop the decline of standards? Their mum n dad don't know what they are writing. If they were all kicked off rapidly from social media and fora like this, they would learn at 13 or 14 that it is crap and to desist.

I don't care if you all redthumb me or hate me but I do care if seabreeze is bypassed by noobs or my helpful posts are redthumbed by a loser with something to prove. Those people need to grow the fk up.

BTW Legion, you are a ****ing dopey ****, **** you are a ****. It's just the internet man.

How about??...if you thumb either colour you are asked to comment on why you did so. This comment is then made available for further discussion between the contributing members.
You red somebody because you think they are an arse, so comment why you think so.

Hey JB... thanks for your help today. If i can help you out with anything feel free to give me a yell.

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62mac said...
Well guy's we in the Longboard room have worked out who this person is, too easy to figure it out.

Who is it pres?

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doggie said...

62mac said...
Well guy's we in the Longboard room have worked out who this person is, too easy to figure it out.

Who is it pres?

You work it out,your smart enough.

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62mac said...

doggie said...

62mac said...
Well guy's we in the Longboard room have worked out who this person is, too easy to figure it out.

Who is it pres?

You work it out,your smart enough.

Oh, so you don't know either.

I get what you're saying Mark, but the very nature of the infrastructure makes the internet anonymous. It's not face to face in the street and never will be. A determined "troll" can wreak havoc if they want. There are very few rules and any artificial rules are mostly easy to overcome. And it's all OK as long as people don't crossover too heavily into real life rules.

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Legion said...
I get what you're saying Mark, but the very nature of the infrastructure makes the internet anonymous. It's not face to face in the street and never will be. A determined "troll" can wreak havoc if they want. There are very few rules and any artificial rules are mostly easy to overcome. And it's all OK as long as people don't crossover too heavily into real life rules.

Unfortunately they do cross over into real life rules. A very full-on troll about 10yrs ago wrecked havoc, and a few of the boys drove a long way at night to let him know what was what.
Not on seabreeze BTW :)
And it is so sad that internet sh!t came to that!

That sort of agro and juvenile behaviour needs to be nipped in the bud. It is about the bigger pic, not what offends me or you or Mr Jones.

Like I said I think mods should be harsher (earlier too), but Laurie owns the sandpit and he makes the rules, period.

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laurie said...


...And we were shocked at what we found...

Hey Laurie,

Can you please give an update on who is receiving the most red and green thumbs.
You did this a few years ago and my 'surfingboyo' (RIP 'boyo') was up there, however I have come 180* and now receive more greenies than red...

I think green/red thumbs are unique to Seabreeze and offer a quick insight to what others think of certain posts... Generally speaking, I do think this system holds true and fulfils its intensions.

Trolls get
Pimps/whores get
Awesome vids get
Witty responses get

Cheers...

This is hilarious.

Un-serious people being serious about un-serious stuff. Wicked


The internet just gets better and better

I want to be a pimp, in a purple velour suit.

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Mark _australia said...
Unfortunately they do cross over into real life rules. A very full-on troll about 10yrs ago wrecked havoc, and a few of the boys drove a long way at night to let him know what was what.

Well that'd be an example of real life rules being broken in response to imaginary rules being broken. The boys were in the wrong. Maybe not morally, but nonetheless.

Friggin heck now we have poll dancers a tea baggers in shortboards, wtf

^^ I agree entirely but it shows how involved some peopel get
Booting the troll may have avoided it.

Do we want out kids to grow up with rules and our influence, but have a place they can go that is do what/say what you want, fk other people, just do whatever?
That is what is happening.

EDIT: that was in response to legion. sorry Doggie but I a sort of trying to learn to surf. I will go back to my place Now don't give me any more lip or I'll red thumb ya ass

Hey, I agree with you. But the internet is largely unregulated and there's nothing that can be done about it. And I would personally disagree strongly with any attempt to do anything about it. <I'm looking at you, stephen conroy>

A reply to lauries original post, all i can say is some people or person must have a ****load of spare time. why bother??