“Thank you for getting rid of those threads so promptly. What can you do to keep somebody that gets out of control from posting or returning under another name?”

“And thanks for all your efforts here, you DA MAN!”

“another note of thanks - I appreciate the efforts Matt”

“hmmm... would it help if they had a static IP? They could still go to any other machine at a cyber cafe or the library and it's off to the races again. Most folks don't have a static addr, tho'... I'm thinking that all dialup acct's are assigned a new IP every time a new connection is made. You might be able to block a range of IPs... like all of AOL... ? *VBG*”

“Hey, who killed all the fun???”

“What I miss, what I miss? AGAIN!”

“Violin, you just need to get up before 10:30 in the morning! lol

But you didn't miss a darn thing.”

“OK, folks...please move it along. Nothing to see here. Nothing goin' on. Nope, nothin' to see...move it along.

Thanks for taking care of the problem, Matt. Did you have to block a range of IP addresses?”

“BIG thanks, Mr.Matt!

Now who was it? Got any ideas?”

“Violin, you missed absolutely nothing, trust me.

Somebody (actually I have a theory who) started five or six threads late last night, posting as O. Bin Laden. All those threads were completely crude and crass (even by TT standards) and utterly devoid of any value, meaning, or significance.

Somebody was drinking too much, perhaps.”

“

Thanks!!!

I wonder who you might be hinting at?

hmmm....”

“Oh, and that guy had a static IP (DSL).”

“I think it's someone who has been fluently ripping on censorship, and someone who "Finally, I'm Off" wants us to think that he's gone from TT for 1.5 weeks.

Just my guess!”

“However...it did have a Mr.Tarpy "characteristics". But I think that was a ploy.”

“If I wanted to, I could block IP addresses. But as it has already been mentioned, that person can just go to another computer and start posting again. If this continues to happen, I will have to figure out a good way to block these posts. Does anybody here read SlashDot? What do you think of their karma system?”

“It's too bad he couldn't be blocked. It would be interesting to see which regular poster would disappear along with O. bin Ladin.”

“I know! Lets have a witch hunt! We can accuse and point fingers. I'll go first. (Actually second.)
Is it.......................Rick Steadman? He hasn't been heard from in months!”

“Wow, Matt. If you instituted a 'karma' system like SlashDot, you'd need moderators. Do you propose assigning moderators here?”

“Today O. Bin...tomorrow, Steve Hiker! Moooo Hahaaaaaa!”

“I hadn't heard about it before but have now.

Slashdot Moderation

I think it makes some sense especially if moderating becomes too much for you. I wouldn't want a system with assigned moderators, the system they use now makes sense.

I'd probably opt for no filtering in my viewing but can imagine that if you didn't do any moderating yourself I'd end up reading a lot of doo-doo.

You would have to brace yourelf for a lot of karma complaint emails.”

“I shudder at the idea of some people here becoming a moderator.

The system seems to reward people with vacous postings with positive karma points.”

“oh goody, a witch-hunt! and at the perrrrrrrfect time of the year! How much is white gas by the ounce on the AT? *G* I found my lost Zippo.

Time for a new thread!

"How To Light an All-Wet Trail Talk Contributor"

- Or -

"Everybody Take Five! - Smoke 'Em If You've Got 'Em!"”

“Well, posting regularly and being funny help so I'm not sweating.

Wait a minute! Spelling counts?”

“Oo oo! Mr.Carter! Mr.Carter! Can I be a moderator? It'll take me no time at all to rid this site of all the boring hiking threads! Come on Matt, I can be a good lap dog!”

“*Lurch Noise*”

“Aaaahhhh!

Oh, not a moderator.

We'd end up with something like Jardine.

Most of us have figured out the troll system.

Just ignoreit.

You go to an obnoxious post, or thread, you read it.. you don't post back.
The thing will drop off the radar screen from lack of attention.”

“If I had to lay money in the "witch hunt," I'd say it's Buddha Bear. I figured he was doing Osama posts right from the start. Remember.... he also was Gary Condit...

And someone above theorized drinking might be involved? Hmmmmm... wasn't there a Drinking Bear before Buddha Bear?

Speculation is always fun.......hehehhee”

“Hiking Bear begat Drinking Bear who begat Buddha Bear.”

“lizs = Matt, the webmaster”

“Of course wasn't lizs busted as Svetlana? Hmmm......”

“Missed that one too.

Thanks Matt.”

“Oops! It was Svetlina.”

“Aw, Matt....

Is Ahab politically incorrect?

Ray Stevens wrote that thing in 1962.

That's like saying Tom Sawyer is politically incorrect because it has the "N" word in it.

Pout. Pout.”

“yes, SvetLINA...... thank you, Violin. :-) That was all aimed in fun at Big Foot. And he loved it. LOL”

“Thanks Matt. I think O Bin went looking for a XXX site, and came here by mistake.”

“18”