But the formus may also be a hotbed for activism bringing people together and energising them about a common purpose (no pun intended).

Another interesting development in the Anorak forums is the rise of the ‘Forum Fighter’ - a type of intellectual, gladiatorial, cage fighting. Lol. I know that Anorak is concered with satirising the tabloids but maybe there is an opportunity to set up the new intellectual sport of Forum Fighters by inviting in teams of key proponents and antagonists of important current policies and ideas etc to battle it out in the Forums. Which politicans, journos, lawyers, academics, scientists, teachers etc would dare enter the forum? Who and which ideas would emerge Forum Champion? If Aadvarko’s stats are correct Anorak could capitalise on a growing market.
Hope AGW is geeling well, I see he is back.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
m&a

taxi drivers. don’t forget taxi drivers
-meercat

M and A
(June)

Agenda Wide

He does disappear into the North Atlantic at times, or is it onto? he likes gales and breaking his ribs on those boomy things that hold sails up

Thanks for your response at the end of my post no 98. I appreciate the reassurances given there, and will continue to participate with interest.

Have a good weekend (if you get one)!

I can understand your reasons to end the MM thread as long as there is nothing new in the tabloids about M MC’s disappearance (apart from the fact that you are running the site, and know what changes you want to bring into it, of course). Recently, I haven’t felt like posting much, as it is true there isn’t much to say. Yet, when something new comes up about it in the press, it would be strange not to have a thread about it in Anorak.

Never having posted on a forum previously, - except once, and I wasn’t pleased when I read myself, I should have been moderated, and it still worries me-, I found it very easy to join into Anorak, whose approach I found specially interesting. I didn’t feel shy about adding my views. What I mean is there is something friendly and open, the way Anorak works now. I hope you keep it in your new version of it!

Thank you Mods and Admins for stopping us posters from posting libellous comments.

M and A

Its probably likely if there is news (not a change of earrings) that there would be a thread. We think interest has flared once again as its the anniversary, but with all the apparent stalemate otherwise….All the comments will be there in the new/revised version, but it won’t be an open site as it is now, and we do intend just one user name. The forums are around, too.

Despite your assurances, which I believe, many will assume you have been forced off the topic.

I have to say that, voluntary or not, dropping the McCann case would be an act of cowardice on your part, and would not reflect well on your stated credentials as a “satire” site.

The top of this page carries the motto “Tabloid news for broadsheet readers”, yet you are considering ignoring THE single biggest tabloid story of

this century!

Your proposals for the new layout of the site are also interesting. You appear to be joining the establishment your site was originally set up to

satirise. Who will decide what posts are worth publishing each day? How will bias be avoided? How will allegations of bias be avoided?

I’m not trying to tell you how to run your site, merely giving my own views, which I hope you will not block, but under the new format/regime, is it likely my views would be published?…….I don’t think so…

Mods and Admin
I take it you have just joined Anorak in the past year?
We always used to have the Backlash, why is reintroducing it so wrong?
yes your views would probably be published, you write coherently.
Have I removed your reply?
Allegations of bias can be avoided in quality of literacy presented to us

The editor’s decision will be final on the content of what is news and what is gossip.

It doesn’t actually need testicles to run the MM threads, just unending patience.
We are quite certain that peoples thoughts will be disagree with our reasons to end the MM, we do not seek to control those thoughts but do retain the right to exercise control over Anorak

It’s the anniversary today. Lets take some time to think of Madeleine.
***********
I was going to suggest a gesture
Very often,you “steal” my thoughts

Makes me sad

I’ll reply in the interim.

There is no outside pressure upon Anorak to discontinue the MM threads.
The editorial decision will not be taken lightly, we do appreciate our genuine regular posters.
But the format of the site shall be changing soon, and most postings won’t be on an open site anymore, but a selection of well written posts on every topic will be published daily.

At our core we are Anorak, we are neither a support forum for the McCanns nor a talking point solely about the McCann family whether pro or anti.

We report on the news in the media, the operative word being the news.

Anorak has been around since 1995, and the MM story was just another news item to us, by the end of the first week some paid McCann supporters informed us we were a McCann support forum, this was news to us!! We are not a commercial site, its all run by volunteers.

But the MM yarn is unravelling, Madeleine’s disappearance has spawned many sites, possibly run on a monthly contract, some may disappear into the ether when the McCann lawyers start issuing writs, we have been very careful to protect ourselves and our posters, despite the screams of what about Free Speech. We may be searched, but no libellous posts will be found.

Thus we are under no pressure whatsoever, from any side.

Its would be the Editor’s decision.

Mods and Admin

Justice prevail where there is Gossip?

Well until any legal action is seen to happen, I’m afraid gossip wins the day

AGW, I appreciate the work you and the other mods do on this site. This case, in particular must give you a great deal of grief.

However, I firmly believe that you should see it through. Maybe learn from the McCann case, and deal with the next one a wee bit differently.

If you were to discontinue Madeleine threads, it would be a tremendous boost to the pros, the trolls, and the McCanns themselves. Even if it were your own decision, independently made and without outside influence, how many people would believe you had been silenced?

Most would take that view, I’m sure, and they would not keep quiet about it.

Of course it may well be that you are being subjected to outside pressure, in which case I would expect you to declare that, and if necessary, to conform, depending on the nature and origin of that pressure.

Anorak’s profile has (I believe) risen markedly as a direct result of its activity in the McCann case - you will no doubt have the figures, but it is now in the top 10000 most visited UK sites, according to Alexa.com.

Abandoning the McCann case voluntarily may damage the site in two ways; you may lose much of your traffic, as the McCann case is without doubt the main driver of traffic to your site; and you may lose integrity, as very few would believe you had not simply caved in to outside influences, and thus become a part of the machine which anorak and its posters seem to despise equally.

Please have the courage to continue. I am sure you will have all our support.

For a brief second I feared that his head might detatch from his neck.

BBL

Get the teas in, I will bring the chocci ds!

Gerry spazzed out big time, he was talking about whether shes still alive or not and he does this goofy confused look and a spasmodic shrug! BIZZARE!!!

You would think, he was being asked about was he running for mayor instead or something!

No, is it worth a look?

Did you see the carpark interview on sky?