GoKunming Forums

GoKunming feedback...

herenow (357 posts) • 0

@Adrian

I don't think GoKunming should overreact to the recent hubbub. I think that the forums have been running reasonably well since the changes of a few years ago -- most people have been taking the hint from downvotes.

The recent problems boil down to one particularly nasty troll who was oblivious to downvoting and other negative feedback. It seems clear that moderators should respond more quickly and assertively if such a case arises again in the future. At the same time, to paraphrase @ASatiricalBloke, some light trolling can be useful in keeping the conversation bubbling along, so it would probably be counterproductive to let Miyamoto's unique toxicity lead to overly-aggressive moderation.

If I might, I would propose a couple of heuristic tests for the moderators:

1. Would this thread be easy fodder for a local media story about how terrible the laowai are and/or awful things they say about the good people of China?

2. If an expat refers a Chinese acquaintance or student(s) to the GoKunming website, would seeing this thread later the same day cause them to regret doing so?

I don't recall any threads in recent years apart from Miyamoto's that would meet either of these standards, so I think the adjustment in moderation should be fairly circumscribed.

Regarding feedback about the site more generally:

The news articles are always welcome, so I have been a bit disappointed by their scarcity of late. Regarding content, the one about pollution and brain function was the only one in memory that made me scratch my head -- it seemed like it could be relevant to almost any city.

The News Wire section is also helpful in terms of finding Yunnan-related articles that I would never come across on my own. You might want to feature that more prominently, since it's sort of hidden away at the bottom of the home page such that I often forget it's there.

Finally, finding quality resources for services such as plumbers and electricians is generally not easy here, so it would be great if there were a section with listings and reviews -- sort of like an Angie's List (angieslist.com) for Kunming. [Edit: Or maybe just add a relevant category / categories in the 'Listings' section.]

Having said all that, I generally like the site and appreciate the role it plays. Keep up the good work.

dolphin (509 posts) • -2

"That is to say, something done by a Jew that reflects badly on the Jewish community in the eyes of Gentiles."

By that argument, Bernie Madoff makes all Jewish people look bad. And any bad person makes an entire group look bad if you look hard enough.

Each human being needs to be judged on their own merits, personality, decency.

When you meet someone, you need to size them up ... and it's hard to know who to trust, who not to trust. That's part of life.

Judging an entire group is stupid.

Dazzer (2813 posts) • +2

itmight be stupid but it seems to be a normal human nature thing to happen. maybe that is why they have a name for it, generalization

iTeach (96 posts) • +2

whether or not you believe judging an entire group is stupid yer should take a look out the window and remind yerself of your location,, not only geographical,,but also in time,, social,,political.

almost all native Chinese are being updated on their situation through various propoganda,,students over the last years are being 'told' and recently this is being pushed ever harder. look and read,, learn about the current situation and your current location. websites are being closed,,others censored,, individuals called in. potentially we're a bunch of loose canons,,blissfully unaware in some cases and likely at any moment to bring the house down. running an expat website in this environment,,at this time is thankless,,brave,,even foolhardy adventure. take a keyboard vacation and think about it if yer not sure cus a very nationalistic National Day is just round the corner

cloudtrapezer (756 posts) • -2

If you think running an expat website is thankless, brave and foolhardy - read risky - why are you taking the discussion in this direction?

iTeach (96 posts) • 0

....which direction d'yer percieve i'm takin it?

it's 'bout gkm,,if it broadens it's appeal beyond TOMs (tired old men),, an sticks to everyday mundane issues of interest to everyone,,then no problem,,don't steer it in the way you'd like to 'think' i'm steering it 'cos i ain't

alienew (422 posts) • 0

I may not remember correctly, but I think, when I asked a gokunming staffperson, not long ago, about whether they had ever got warnings etc. from official Media Minders I was told that the Media Minders were barely aware of them.

Gokunming, can you comment on this? Not saying I was told that no caution on your part is/was necessary, but I do suspect that some posters may imagine we are all more important than we are. I think gokunming is more aware of the media environment and its perils than the rest of us.

cloudtrapezer (756 posts) • +2

Alien, my point of view is very simple.

GoKunming is a listings site. We all find it useful. There are many other forums available for discussing Chinese politics. So why use this one even if the risks are small?

ASatiricalBloke (103 posts) • 0

Is it really, though? If it is then maybe the forum section should be disbanded and have only the classifieds to list items of interest?

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