I have recently heard that not everyone believes the supposed attack on the forum was a hoax.  Please recall that those who were accused of the misdeeds have always been in favor of an independent, thorough investigation, by the forum host or even by police.  They knew that it would not show any involvement on their part in letting in banned members, deleting posts or threads, changing names or any other nonsense that went on last July because they did not do it.   I believe the Admins must be aware of this by now. 

It seems clear that the events of mid-July were a planned response to the “attack”.  Did the perpetrators really think they could protect the forum from the supposed attack by causing mayhem?   One well-recognized member shared a private  message on Lorias’s blog asking for help in defending the forum.  This message, from a long-standing member of staff, was sent prior to any sign of disruption on the forum.  And from their posts, it was clear that many of the staff were singing from the same hymn book.   They had obviously discussed it.  Ironically, the accused were among the last to know what the story line was.

In spite of the fact that staff may have been involved in the hoax attack, I believe that they were victims of the cyber-bully, too.   Because they believed the lies, some did and said foolish things in a misguided attempt to protect the forum.  Some members were allowed to post similar accusations.  But the attack was a hoax and they need to “man up” and take some responsibility for their actions.  One is only a victim as long as they are an unwitting accomplice in perpetuating the lies.  Once it is revealed to be a hoax, how can anyone of integrity refuse to acknowledge that?

It appears that it is not only the same few people who want to know the truth.  There are others who want to know what happened and were starting to speak up.  But the thread was closed before many had the opportunity to express their opinions. 

I do not understand what would be sooo terrible about coming out with the truth.  Yes, some people were fooled by the lies of the cyber-bully.    Most of us were at one time or another.  But it is past time to clear the air. 

I am not insisting on retractions to punish or embarrass those who believed and repeated the lies.  In that respect, they were victims, too.  The purpose of the retractions is to clear the names of those who did not do the things of which they were accused.  The false accusations should not be allowed to stand.  The forum will never be able to move forward until this is cleared up.  Ignoring it means the bully has won. 

I think Citroenlady has set an example in her post where she apologized and said, “ I can even see now that some of the things I genuinely believed to be true were lies perpetrated initially by our cyber-stalker troll. I can only hope that I am older and wiser now....

Bullying and stalking can take many, many forms. No-one must ever, ever, be afraid to report anything they feel goes beyond their comfort zone, either online or in real life. Each time we hesitate, another bully wins.”

A Hoax on a Susan Boyle fan site

Note:

This blog is about what happened in a popular Susan Boyle fan site.  When I started the blog, I could only speculate.  I knew what did NOT happen, because I was among those falsely accused.  But I did not yet have access to the database to determine what DID happen. 

Once I was able to access the database and research the facts about the events of July 2010, I began posting reports.  Those reports began on March 29, 2011 with An Introduction to the Admin Log .  I suggest that anyone who desires to learn the facts about those days in July begin there and read forward.

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In July 2010, a hoax was perpetrated on the largest Susan Boyle fan site.  Staff were convinced that members of two other fansites were going to try to “take over” and/or destroy their forum.  It was not true. 

But staff believed it and did some unfortunate things.  They posted publicly, accusing certain members of being liars and of being involved in the supposed plot.  They accused them of letting in banned members. They let a member start accusatory threads.   But the accusations were not true. 

The members of the fansites named have always known it was a hoax simply because they did not do the things of which they were accused.  But raising the subject of retraction of the accusations was met with hostility and claims that the “same people” keep bringing up “the past”.

Of course they keep bringing up the subject.  They know it was a hoax and want that fact made public.  The staff has, so far, refused to do so.  I have a hard time understanding why.  Do they still believe the lies?  Are they embarrassed at being fooled?  I don’t know.

I strongly suspect that the hoax originated with a cyber-bully that has been very active on Susan Boyle fansites.  When Miss Boyle introduced the subject of bullying, some made the connection with  events on the forum.  It was suggested that those concerns be taken to the Board. 

I had already tried that approach, with no results, and posted to say so.  The post was deleted and I was told the reason was because of point #6 in the Statement from the Board.  I was considered a member who only posts on “contentious matters”.  I consider that insulting.  I brought up past issues because they remain unresolved. 

To illustrate how absurd it was to claim I only post on contentious matters, I asked that the Project Doorway thread be closed.  It has previously been the practice that the original poster on a thread could have the thread closed by requesting it be done.  The staff have refused to do so this time, thus illustrating my point for me.

The issue of the staff behavior in July will not go away.  It must be made clear that the supposed plot was a hoax.  Refusing to do so only empowers the cyber-bully that started it.