Call The Waaaambulance, I Have A Boo-Boo.
I've been a member of TWOP since 2004. I tend to agree with the rules and have never had a problem with the way things have been handled. I've never really posted in the super-active threads that are always being shut down. I stay on topic. I type in English. I stay away from 'boards on boards' and the word 'um' even though some posters are ridiculously stupid. I like reading the commentary on episodes and discussion of characters and motives.

I've noticed since the Bravo acquisition that the general level of discussion in the threads I read have started dipping from 'interesting and academic' (or at least as academic as discussion of television gets) to 'fans squealing or complaining loudly'. They also started sneaking ads past my Adblocker Plus which drives me crazy. And the new site design is crazy ugly. But I just figured, well, a dip doesn't mean a downward spiral, you know?

Lately, I keep having my posts deleted by a particular mod. The one thread in particular is about a certain super-huge ultra-religious television family. So you would think that, as the family is religious and discusses their religion, it would be cool to discuss their religion. Not religion in general, since that would be off-topic, but this particular family's religion and how it affects the children. Apparently, a post about how they are religion X and forbid A, B, and C which will likely cause psychological issues for the children is not allowed. It's about an issue that is discussed ON THE SHOW and therefore is ABOUT THE SHOW, right? A post about how they are religion X and believe in "traditional" gender roles and do not allow women to pursue education is not allowed and what that will mean for the daughters in the family: not allowed. Never mind that it's discussed on the show, therefore posts about the issue are about the show, therefore not breaking any rules.

Rules. I guess they make 'em and break 'em as they go.

I know, I know, I should get some cheese for my whine, blah blah, the Internet isn't serious business. But it's incredibly annoying to completely support the rules and to follow the rules and still have your posts deleted indiscriminately. So I guess I'm done with TWOP. I'm packing up my toys and going home!

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Moderators at TWOP, especially Ms. Barnes.
(Anonymous)
2008-06-10 05:28 pm UTC (link)

alwaysday, fret not. The moderators enjoy being called 'Nazis' (check out Ms. Barnes's blog if you doubt it), so you can't win.

They are still allowed to rule with jack boots, even after NBC bought them.

The posters back them up, threatening those who don't tow the line via private emails, so they're all one happy circlejerk.

Be proud you were deleted, it's a sign of stupidity to be allowed to stay amongst the inbred.

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	mi_nion 2008-06-22 05:52 pm UTC (link)
	Which family would that be? The Duggers or the Kat & Jon plus 8? (Reply to this)

Do something about it/them
(Anonymous)
2008-10-09 01:47 pm UTC (link)

Got banned by Jacob/TWoP Bayliss in a way that pretty much implied I had rubbed him the wrong way, but not anybody else in the forums. Tried to explain myself and ask a question of him, got banned.

Been there over six years and never had such a problem.

Most of the complaints about a Television Without Pity moderator (from both banned and not-banned members) are aimed squarely at TWoP Bayliss.

Instead of taking their ban and just slinking away quietly, or signing up under a different username, how about we try doing something about it.

Call NBC. Ask for Lauren Zalaznick, Bravo TV President (Bravo owns TwoP).

212-664-4444 is the New York number.
818-840-4444 is the LA number.

A former member and prolific blog member by the name of Marjorie wrote NBC a letter and has now called as well.

Her story is here:
http://marjorie-palimpsests.blogspot.com/2008/04/abridged-version-of-infamous-letter-to.html

I know that in the grand scheme of things it's just an internet message board for talking about TV shows, but for some it's a community they'd grown to like and, more importantly, we shouldn't let overzealous moderators get away with extreme a$$hole behaviour. Yes, TwoP does state in their FAQ that their mods are strict, but from what I've read of others' experiences (and there are a LOT of complaints out there if you search "TwoP" and a negative adjective, or just "TWoP Bayliss") and from my own experience, this just goes beyond.

End it. Call the parent company, voice your grievance(s), and hopefully they'll discipline. Don't allow someone else to ruin something that you like and that was working fine before.

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Re: Do something about it/them
(Anonymous)
2009-01-26 02:48 am UTC (link)

Thank you for printing this; I was banned from TWOP because I did not put a space between my paragraphs! WTH?! They claim that they have warned me several times about this but that is not true. ITA that it is power that they are after. I am going to go to the top about this...you are right, if you try to reason with them, it makes them angrier at you! I am a forty-somethingyearoldwoman & they made me feel like I was in grade school. Their words were "You've been warned more than once about formatting and staying on topic, and you seem unable or unwilling to abide by the site's rules as explained in the FAQ. Banned." I have no idea what I did to go off topic, it was a show about celebrity addiction and I talked about heroin addiction treatments...but, I admit, I did not put a space between the two paragraphs. SHAME ON ME! All they need to do is simply send a quick note to remind me to put a space between paragraphs. I will do as Marjorie suggests on her site; thank you.

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Re: Do something about it/them
(Anonymous)
2009-03-08 09:12 pm UTC (link)

I sent Bayliss a PM, since he got his little-girl panties in an almighty wad about a discussion that was ongoing, posted one of the rudest things I have ever seen in a thread, used his recap to repeat his nasty little opinion, and oddly, that same day? A nasty, profane troll showed up in my LJ, and held sway for a while. Luckily, the troll amused the heck out of my friends, so I let it rant for a while, but general consensus is that it was Bayliss, a sock of Bayliss, or a friend of.

Anyone want to try and get me pooky's ISP? Be a fun experiment.

And now I am clearly on the "going to be warned to death by other mods" list.

TWOP used to be such fun for smart discussion.

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