Dom. Perhaps the 'powers that be' at AI are reading SFN for guidance on how to properly run a discussion forum...
As an aside, having been banned, the cheeky barstewards at AI are continuing to use my personal data to send me an email about the benefits of their new property portal!!
I know I can click on the link at the bottom of the page to refuse further such announcements, but I thought that under data protection legislation, data users were not entitled to hang on to old or defunct records (except in certain legally specified circumstances). As they are a UK based Ltd company, they should be subject to UK data protection laws I would have thought.
My 'good evening what a beautiful day' has not been removed! If I was malignant...I could...NO, I do not even want to think about it, not worth it. I am happy on SFN.
By the way somebody else thought it was a beautiful day...............I was always told that the English like to talk about the weather.
I'll confirm that. Been there and done it in the Dordogne. Except that they did not like me doing it. Whatever it is. As I said before, I was not allowed say something about something they had on their site that I considered to be prejudicial. When I commented, my comment did not appear. I repeated it several times without success. My politics are definitely wrong. I have never been banned, suspended or anything like that but it struck me at the time of my 'discontent' that there was a contingent of people allowed to moan quite bitterly whereas others put up posts with smilies and nothing harsh in them that disappeared without the hour!
believe me it is not just the suscribers, The furher in the Dordogne is seriously censoring. This is why I have stopped posting there, mind you I am not sure I could post 'good morning' and that it would get through. My husband certainly cannot, apparently our politics are WRONG. Thank you SFN for the shelter you give us.
P.S. I think I will try the good morning caper...............
I think I managed to get a few words in my earlier posting which skipped the spell correction facility lol..... although 'fuddle' seems to get through ok.
I agree though, much better to use more up-to-date software as used on this site - and a facility to edit your posting when the fingers and brain have collided. I really don't understand AI's insistence that it cannot be done on there as they have the facility for subscribers to modify the text in classifieds. Bizarre! But then, that speaks for itself. The Higginsons have done marvellously with SFN and long may this site continue.
Good to have you back aka 'Rumpole'...makes this new (for me) site feel even more welcoming and fuzzy all over!!! A few others I used to enjoy reading still missing, of your 'outspoken' ilk, so the chopper still falling? It's so hard to make a living here in France, so perhaps that's why Stephen G is back in blighty, with what's usually a feasible work solution if in IT, etc, but this particular franchise is at risk, I feel, through its own fault.
Liking this spell correction facility on here, as I fly over the keys before dog-walk...
I think Stephen Garwood of the P-C is probably one of the longest serving. He doesn't now even live in France IIRC. I got banned the first time for pointing that out lol.
I'll second that. It seems that they sell franchises without any format that makes members of what should be a network incompatible. To achieve that they have a humour bypass that is backed up by lack of any sense of proportionality or fairness. Excuse me if I am wrong, but I suspect they are would be entrepreneurs who never quite get the hang of how to run a business so that it succeeds, they make pots of loot if it succeeds but the turnover of new lunatics would imply it don't work...
Stephen G,Hazell M etc, I'm never sure whether they are part of the roll call at St. Cake's or the subjects of a Child Protection Order in the Family Court.
Well done Rumpole; perhaps Hilda will turn a blind eye to the second bottle tonight. You have indeed taken silk by joining SFN. I don't suppose the humourless franchisees of AI ever get the allusions.
Of 'Rumpole' David, I am that very person and I was summarily removed without a by-your-leave or even an explanation. Hilda was most disgruntled.
I wrote to the new lunatic in charge of the asylum (who posted a message announcing his arrival by inviting the little people to write to him directly with their suggestions for the site) who equally didn't bother responding. Perhaps my suggestions where not regarded as in the best interests of the Bar or they really don't care a fying fluck.
My 'offence', I think, was to suggest that the recent issues about poor quality of access to the site was as a result of using low quality programmers (if indeed, that is not a slur on the highly technical ability of some following that profession). I dared to suggest that the whole mucking fuddle had come about by not thoroughly testing their new software in the back office before the nutter who who runs the P-C franchise posted something which purported to be from a member who had 'noticed' a few 'improvements' to the site! How shallow. I pointed that out and also the fact the the link 'StephenG' provided to access the new property portal didn't work - it took you to a page suggesting that people wanting to view properties on their new site would have to pay for the privilege! How crass.
At least the Dordogne franchisee had the common decency to offer an apology for the troubled access to the site. 'StephenG' capitulated in the end and offered a mealy mouthed explanation which served little more than a confirmation of the sheer arrogance shown by that site.
Over time (we have been in France 7 years) we have offered comment on a number of issues on which we have had direct experience, some with an element of humour attached and this has been most unwelcome by the faceless 'keeper of the straight jacket' who I have publicly likened to a prepubescent schoolgirl experiencing her first period. That didn't go down well either, as you can imagine.
So yes, I was hauled off to the gallows David (for a second time I might add) but there will be no third time. Two weeks free from watching the the orange circle on my page loading icon running backwards until a blank page appears adding to my frustration have taught me to 'calm down dear' and I don't miss the crass stupidity of AI any more. Hilda is delighted with the 'new' me!
I found a much calmer place where knowledgeable people are much nicer to each other and tolerant of my ramblings... So now I Survive France Nicely
More and more the P-C AI site does seem to be on a downward roll, even over the last few days...eg before, if a posting was taken down the OP at least was informed of a moderator's decision, but some of my innocuous ones are just summarily removed, and some topics, instead of being marked 'closed' and left on, are now removed completely, with no 'search engine' re-trace....
And yet there are some posts that can be quite offensive left up...what on earth is going on?! Miss input from 'Rumpole' and suspect he has been shown the gallows! Can only hope all the recent glitches are solved soon, otherwise the investment in the franchise will take a potential hit.
I'm sure SFN members are fully aware of the franchise area nture of AI. Lucky you that those in Brittany are so amenable. Poitou Charente seems to be run by humourless individuals who can barely understand the subleties of the English language, Dordogne is somewhat better, but not by much, though it tends to be the subscribers who are humourless and unimaginative.
Readers - do not get the Anglo Info sites muddled - they are run independently across the country and it is just not fair to label them all with the same sins. Our local here in 22 is supportive and they are a very friendly crowd.
The map will show you where they are worldwide. They are there to make money by selling the franchise. Some of the franchise holders seem to play a very strange game with their users. It seems that advertising revenue is far more important than integrity. There have been posts in the past that attest that.
So that is how they operate. That is their business, in two sense. Not here though as far too many people will attest.
As for your picture, somebody will advise. Not me right now, must get some shut eye. I have to get up early for a two and half hour drive to Bordeaux Airport, so up at about 0500 (the clocks change tonight by the way). So ask and somebody will give you a step by step help. We are like that, aren't we everybody?
I see no reason why we can't belong to several forums quite happily, as I now am thanks to David's king input to me before his 'ban'.. Each has a very different feel and membership, although I am rather warming to this one because it is not anonymous (although I don't have the skills to post my pic - frankly all I need are bars down the pic and some numbers across the bottom!) and therefore the abusive or petty trolling found elsewhere tends to be absent. I'm also impressed that when people need real assistance with, e.g, an important letter in french, there are such helpful folks that go to the nth degree to ensure the right note is struck for the OP.
I'm not sure what Theo means on his posting, and would really appreciate if he could expand on things, e.g who's franchise, etc? I do know my postings are now under even more strict scrutiny at AI than normal, even tho' I remain a reasoned and reasonable poster!! I have noticed some of their usuals seem to be missing, so maybe the axe has fallen again...
Off with the others for '9pm' UK TV...for us the sky 116 foreign film season...