'Twitter Taliban'

Richmond Racer

ddraver wrote:

Perhaps it might have something to do with the non-stop criticism he get's off of her and her brethren..?

Classic Twitter Taliban behaviour! I'd get all self-righteous if it was nt so darned hypocritical!

Quite. *shrugs* *rolls eyes*

TMR

So why has Millar stopped using Twitter?

merinotop

Fran Millar's twitter said it was because he was spending too much time there. Cath Wiggins has also left, I hope not due to abuse.

slim_boy_fat

mr_poll wrote:

The twitterati's darling David Millar decided to close his twitter account, who knows why. Within hours this gets retweeted by our favourite female cycling fan:

drhysc: @festinagirl right when cycling needs a strong public voice @millarmind leaves twitter? I don't get it. @omerta

Such loyalty. Love the way that leaving twitter means the end of his views, what did we do before it?

My reply to her.

@festinagirl Maybe if the twitter taliban weren't such c***s it wouldn't happen?

The anonymity of the interwebz is it's biggest failing. Most of the conflict you see around the web probably wouldn't happen if the protagonists were sat down the pub having a few pints. They would probably get on swimmingly.

ddraver

Well, reading betweenthe lines, I would suggest that they started as a quick and easy way to connect with fans like us and to raise ther profile a bit (let's be honest). Instead they ve been met with people picking their tweets apart to the nth degree looking for any possible negative spin they can put on it and they ve got better things to do than argue with an annonomous nobody.

I'm genuinely trying to think which riders now post even semi regularly, and even more so, which riders tweet about cycling. I can think of only Millar and Kittel. Cav just tweets about his daughter, Gee about who he beat at FIFA last, Jens about his kids and their geochaches.

Frankly it's no great loss...

Edit - or what he^ said....

Richmond Racer

Slim Boy Fat wrote:

mr_poll wrote:

The twitterati's darling David Millar decided to close his twitter account, who knows why. Within hours this gets retweeted by our favourite female cycling fan:

drhysc: @festinagirl right when cycling needs a strong public voice @millarmind leaves twitter? I don't get it. @omerta

Such loyalty. Love the way that leaving twitter means the end of his views, what did we do before it?

My reply to her.

[quote]@festinagirl Maybe if the twitter taliban weren't such c***s it wouldn't happen?[/quote]

The anonymity of the interwebz is it's biggest failing. Most of the conflict you see around the web probably wouldn't happen if the protagonists were sat down the pub having a few pints. They would probably get on swimmingly.

Su-bleeding-perb!

shinyhelmut

^ just proves he's an omerta apologist doesn't it :?

Richmond Racer

ShinyHelmut wrote:

^ just proves he's an omerta apologist doesn't it :?

Que?

Richmond Racer

----

Richmond Racer

merinotop wrote:

Fran Millar's twitter said it was because he was spending too much time there. Cath Wiggins has also left, I hope not due to abuse.

I'd imagine that last week was the last straw, with the abuse she got plus the blow-by-blow reproduction of her tweets with the likes of the Torygraph decided qualified as valid journalistic coverage.

There's been a huge surge in both mainstream and niche cycling media trawling and building entire 'stories' around cyclists tweets - or their partners - I'm thinking Mrs Wiggo and Froome's gf in particular. I suspect that this is helping to drive people away from Twitter.

LeicesterLad

For such a bunch of No Marks the 'twitter taliban' managed to get you all talking for 4 pages.

Richmond Racer

LeicesterLad wrote:

For such a bunch of No Marks the 'twitter taliban' managed to get you all talking for 4 pages.

Actually I think it shows that although there are some on Twitter who like to create and spread innuendo and accusation - and others who like to indulge them in this ('ooh, I'm in on some kind of little special community') - there are others who consider them to be infantile, irresponsible and at times verging on defamatory and libellous...

Talking of which, the Lord McAlpine business might actually shine a light on the whole area of tweeting and RT'ing libellous and defamatory statements. Tweeters and retweeters might find themselves liable - right now, they think its a free-for-all and they can say - and RT - what they like. Twitter is a publishing platform, just as much as a newspaper or magazine, and a test case like McAlpine would show this. Oh and blogs too. And, um, internetz forums...

r0bh

Richmond Racer wrote:

Talking of which, the Lord McAlpine business might actually shine a light on the whole area of tweeting and RT'ing libelous and defamatory statements. Tweeters and retweeters might find themselves liable - right now, they think its a free-for-all and they can say - and RT - what they like. Twitter is a publishing platform, just as much as a newspaper or magazine, and a test case like McAlpine would show this. Oh and blogs too.

Article on the possible twitter fallout from the McAlpine affair: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20299551

thomthom

My advice to every human on this planet.

Don't use Twitter. It's horrible.

Turfle

Twitter is fabulous. Some of the people who use it are not. Just like the rest of the internet.

bompington

r0bh wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

Talking of which, the Lord McAlpine business might actually shine a light on the whole area of tweeting and RT'ing libelous and defamatory statements. Tweeters and retweeters might find themselves liable - right now, they think its a free-for-all and they can say - and RT - what they like. Twitter is a publishing platform, just as much as a newspaper or magazine, and a test case like McAlpine would show this. Oh and blogs too.

Article on the possible twitter fallout from the McAlpine affair: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20299551

Indeed. Personally I would love it if there was some way that Macalpine could sue everyone who labelled him online - especially those who were chiefly doing it with an undisguised delight at the prospect of a big Tory being got, as opposed to any particular concern for the victims. And yes, I am definitely thinking about some regular posters on this forum when I say that.

rick_chasey

a guide
Scenario -> Outcome
Rider holds form all season. ->Doping
Rider loses form. -> Was doping
Strong team performance. -> All doping
Great solo performance. -> Doping
Team declare zero tolerance. -> Doping
Team hire ex-dopers. -> Doping
Rider has a doctor. -> Doping
Rider has a trainer. -> Doping
Rider gets ill. -> Doping
Rider stays healthy. -> Doping
Rider admits to past doping, says he’s now clean. -> Liar, doping
Rider doesn’t admit to doping. -> Doping
Rider fails no tests. -> Bio passport doesn’t work
Conti rider goes well. -> Ah but he’s not on the bio passport
Rider wins MTF with solid team tactics. -> Doping, just like Armstrong
Rider wins MTF with solo breakaway. -> Doping just like Pantani
Rider wins, goes to doping control. -> Tests don’t work
Rider finishes outside top places, doesn’t have to go to doping control. -> Convenient
Rider refuses to release data. -> Doping
Rider releases data. -> Doping
Rider won’t speak to press. -> Doping
Rider does speak to press. -> Fans with typewriters
Journalist covers stage race by reporting on what happened on the road not in the hotels. -> Accessory to doping

Richmond Racer

^credit where it's due.

From the twitter pen of @journalvelo

rick_chasey

Richmond Racer wrote:

^credit where it's due.

From the twitter pen of @journalvelo

They're just spitting in the soup, the bastards.

Richmond Racer

Rick Chasey wrote:

Richmond Racer wrote:

^credit where it's due.

From the twitter pen of @journalvelo

They're just spitting in the soup, the bastards.

Where's a dollop of Omertà when one needs it

RichN95.

"Twitter: The Stasi for the Angry Birds generation" - Stewart Lee

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

"Twitter: The Stasi for the Angry Birds generation" - Stewart Lee

Animals? Definitely satire.

thomthom

How come @Ciclismo2005 got over 5000 followers and why is Cyclingnews one of them? What a depressing clown he is on Twitter right now.

bockers

Twaliban are after Froome again this week. His girl friend is taking a lot of abuse too, even the Spanish media have joined in. That tool differforum is as usual at the bottom of this particular cesspit spitting his usual vial abuse and groundless accusations. Wasn't he involved in the fiasco with the Kimmage fund?

One look at the exchange of tweets form this lot and my blood starts to boil. Then I just remember it's twitter and all a load of shite anyway. They are the minority that makes all the noise unfortunately

Pross

I think you'll find the stuff with Froome's girlfriend is of her own making.

r0bh

Pross wrote:

I think you'll find the stuff with Froome's girlfriend is of her own making.

How so? By being Froome's girlfriend? By calling out people who make completely unsubstantiated accusations?

Richmond Racer

Pross wrote:

I think you'll find the stuff with Froome's girlfriend is of her own making.

Pross, whatever her initial tweets, there is absolutely no justification - no justification in the world - for the vile abuse thrown at her which includes rape threats, and the mildest of which seem to be the calling her a twunt.

As you know, I'm the last person to be a signed up member of her fan club - and I dont care for Froome - but this is utterly disgusting stuff.

To say its of her own making, is akin to saying that a woman 'asked for it' by going out dressed in a short skirt.

tom3

A better way for her to support Chris would have been to come off Twitter immediately after the Cath Wiggins spat.

She created the monstor by being seen to be a bit of a gobsh%te on many occassions.

end of.

Richmond Racer

tom3 wrote:

A better way for her to support Chris would have been to come off Twitter immediately after the Cath Wiggins spat.

She created the monstor by being seen to be a bit of a gobsh%te on many occassions.

end of.

I do agree she should have left Twitter a long time ago, because she seems unable to restrain herself. And she's not only his fiancee - she's also his manager. Which should add a huge professional onus on how she uses social media. But I think she's a massive control freak and has no 'control' button.

My previous post re the degree of abuse thrown at her still stands, though.

yorkshireraw

tom3 wrote:

A better way for her to support Chris would have been to come off Twitter immediately after the Cath Wiggins spat.

She created the monstor by being seen to be a bit of a gobsh%te on many occassions.

end of.

Maybe so, but how come idiots like 'Digger Forum', who apparently is a school teacher in Ireland and has no more insight into Pro cycling than my 93 yr old aunt, are able to continually publish libellous accusations and get away with no action being taken?
When Tom Daley was abused on Twitter after the Olympics the Police arrested people - not advocating that but surely twitter should be warning / banning or at least suspending accounts that troll out unfounded accusations. Look at what happened to Sally Bercow.

DF also continually trots about rubbish like 'Froome cam from nowhere' - ignoring any sensible facts like his 34th in the 09 Giro (an absolute dope-fest up front). T0ss3r.