Whirlpool Forum Is Not What It Was

LDigDigger on 13/09/2023 - 18:08
Last edited 13/09/2023 - 21:28 by 1 other user

…
Every time I try whirlpool forum - the vicious crowd either abuse you outright and call you stupid or the over-eggoed moderator deletes you.
For me, it's a world of thousands of angry cranks and self-righteous boilers.

I even got a question deleted because I asked it for my disabled son… wow - it was about scraping metals. I said my disabled son would like to know… and within 1 minute they deleted it. Lovely people…

The time before that I asked about diesel fuel in alpine weather (I'm from Qld) and the sheer abuse was tremedous because "I" didn't know.

Anyone else experience this outright hate?

Thanks all.

Addition:
Thanks to the nice people on here, but it seems some are challenged like WP

General Discussion

Related Stores

whirlpool.net.au
whirlpool.net.au

Comments

  • Lucille Bluth on 15/09/2023 - 03:54
    +1

    I only used them for the annual Tax Timings Thread, but they removed them from discussion and set up a wiki for people to add their tax return progress.

    Miss reading the entitled, impatient comments that would result in a delayed return and sometimes a manual review, then audit.

  • Aneurism on 15/09/2023 - 04:36
    +3

    I decided to stop using WP when a certain vote was in the news and only viewpoint was accepted by the moderators and all counter points were silenced by deletion.

    • loginid on 15/09/2023 - 09:40
      +2

      I did not know this, it changes my opinion of WP. Thanks for sharing.

  • cybapete on 15/09/2023 - 07:20
    +3

    just some of the gems i've seen on Quora…

    Why don't Australia and California merge?
    Why doesn't New Zealand stop acting special and become a state of Australia? It is clearly 'southern territory' of Australia.
    How dangerous are werewolves in real life compared to how they are portrayed on TV and films?
    Why isn't there a bridge between New Zealand and Australia?
    Are the Irish conspiring to invade Australia?

    • Odin on 15/09/2023 - 13:35
      +1

      Quora's just bots, scammers, and weird Indians posting weird shit.

      I think half the questions and answers are people testing thier chatbots like chatgpt and seeing if real people respond.

  • pn09 on 15/09/2023 - 07:50
    +3

    I joined wp about 20 years ago to get tips/advice on ISPs.

    Have used it on and off ever since but have never has an issue with it personally - I don't get drawn into arguments or try to convince anyone to change their minds, just provide my 2 cents for things I feel I can add value on, and ask questions if I want an answer on something.

    I've found it to be a pretty useful resource and people I interact with have been mostly pretty helpful and decent.

  • Whomastadon on 15/09/2023 - 08:26
    +3

    Whirlpool is great if you're into white guilt, and heavily woke / radical left opinions.

    Everyday there's a post " why is Australia the most racist country " or similar, that always devolves into the most low IQ anecdotal arguments.

    Similar to the weekly tradie bashing threads.

    Similar to the Reddit demographic.

    • nujee on 23/09/2023 - 05:05

      Then you come to the soort page and actually interact with racist idiots calling you a curry bag or something else and you realise there is some truth to it all?

  • infinite on 15/09/2023 - 09:39
    +1

    Whirlpool is just an even lower IQ version of Reddit. Which is an amazing feat to achieve.

    It's basically a place where the rent-a-protester crowd hangs out and cries about things.

    Those losers who sit on the road in the middle of peak hour traffic to "protest oil" - that's Whirlpool.

    • Odin on 15/09/2023 - 13:34
      +2

      It's basically a place where the rent-a-protester crowd hangs out and cries about things

      Something I realised over time. The people who spend 24/7 on Reddit and moderate it for free - who would they be? The jobless losers who have nothing better to do. Of course they're weirdo communists who want free money and complain about everything. No normal person is sitting there for hours and hours unless they're getting paid for it.

      • MessyG on 17/09/2023 - 07:32

        I don't know which forums you're hanging out on Reddit but r/chickens is eggcellent.

    • pufffdragon on 15/09/2023 - 18:30
      +2

      Whirlpool is just an even lower IQ version of Reddit

      Wow, I didn't think anything could get lower than Reddit. And that place is a cesspool.

  • capslock janitor on 15/09/2023 - 09:42
    +4

    Some sensible answers on the forum itself

    But I shall always partake in shitting on WP modss in general

  • newjerseydamo on 15/09/2023 - 11:34
    +2

    I stopped using WP and social media as a whole a while back, did me wonders for my overall mental health. A lot of points raised here I agree with.
    I went back this week out of interest. Yeah, hasn't changed. Reminded me why I stopped visiting it.

  • freekay on 15/09/2023 - 12:58
    +1

    I remember when WP was for finding the best ISP. At least that's all I used it for.

  • Cluster on 15/09/2023 - 13:27
    +1

    I've been using WP for a very long time and had some posts censored, but the vast majority of questions and responses get through.

    It would be interesting to see just what the OP posted about scrapping metal. I cannot think of any reasonable reason as to why a question on the topic would be removed, unless the OP was asking how to get past reporting laws for copper wire or catalytic converters…

    I would like to see the question about alpine diesel as well. People should be reasonable and realize not everyone knows everything. If someone asks a question about precious metals, coins, banknotes, etc on there I'm happy to answer. Doesn't matter how basic it is.

    • ThadtheChad on 15/09/2023 - 14:54
      +3

      Definitely think there is a lot more to it than OP is letting on.

    • valuer on 17/09/2023 - 11:50

      No it happens a lot. There is a very narrow band of topic that is permitted. Other posts disappear so you won't always know how heavily (and arbitrarily and inconsistently) the forums are modded.

      I suppose that is why so many threads just go on and on and round in circles. The referendum thread is a classic for that.

  • Odin on 15/09/2023 - 13:32
    +2

    Internet sucks in modern times. Everything is super moderated, everything is incredibly serious. People are just too uptight.

  • frugalftw on 15/09/2023 - 14:14
    +1

    Gotta move to private matrix servers.

  • zombie hunter on 15/09/2023 - 15:47
    +3

    I hear a rumour it is calling to be called whingepool.com.au

  • wetsandwich on 15/09/2023 - 15:52
    +5

    Yeah the moderators are horrific with personal agendas against anyone they don't like. But what can you do..

    • Lichen6420 on 16/09/2023 - 19:31
      +1

      Just do exactly what everyone else did and quit showing up.

  • Bid Sniper on 15/09/2023 - 16:00
    +2

    It always was a toxic echo chamber

  • Switchblade88 on 15/09/2023 - 16:06
    +5

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/ozbapi/node/799563/listcomments…

    Normally I'd give the OP the benefit of the doubt, but their post history here has been so badly rated by us that I suspect the problem is not Whirlpool. I've not seen so much red!

    • Ravensbane on 15/09/2023 - 16:55

      Yeah thinking the same.

  • dono2 on 15/09/2023 - 16:41
    +3

    Whirlpool mods are the biggest POS out there. All have the mall cop syndrome.

  • Ravensbane on 15/09/2023 - 16:54

    Personally had no issues and been using it for 17 years. Each section has its own moderators so maybe the sections you frequent, and I dont, have overzealous staff or something.

  • kaleidoscope on 15/09/2023 - 17:20
    +1

    You don’t have to be too religious about things… Just get to the point of why you’re there and get out 🤷‍♂️

  • Mumbles on 15/09/2023 - 17:38
    +7

    I've had the opposite experience. I've had way more troubles posting on OzBargain forums and zero problems on Whirlpool.

    In the past OzBargain moderators have contacted me regarding complaints against my posted comments. The OzBargain moderators always found in my favour, the complaint was unfounded and that I was probably trolled.

    As others pointed out that Whirlpool members are less emotional but in my case thats fantastic. Its the OzBargain trolls that discourage more participation on OzBargain and make unnecessary work for the moderators.

  • figarow on 15/09/2023 - 19:20
    +2

    cesspool Yep, so toxic. A long long time ago I would frequent there, it was bearable but just got worse and worse. It's been a couple of years and I'm not missing the place.

  • FitzChivalry Farseer on 15/09/2023 - 19:20
    +4

    Whirlpool is a whingefest and the most over-moderated 'open' social media platform in Australia.

    Some of the more senior mods are on a power trip and Simon just couldn't gaf anymore.

    It's relevance for any critical thinker ended decades ago.

    • mrdean on 15/09/2023 - 19:27
      -2

      lol. i'm sure you'll be getting upvotes for this….

  • dimes on 15/09/2023 - 20:34
    +5

    Unfortunately I find a lot of forums to be like that now - people don't read your post carefully but will find a way to attack you anyway. Then you spend another few minutes explaining that if they had just read your post properly, then their comment was uncalled for, and then they find another way to attack you.

    The other one I like are the ones who go through your post history and attempt to mock your question or enquiry because of something you said x years ago.

  • jaimex2 on 15/09/2023 - 22:59
    +3

    I haven't been to WP since covid.

    They were suspending anyone questioning lockdowns.

    Can't say I miss it. The value it once had just isn't there.

    • mrdean on 16/09/2023 - 06:50
      +1

      Yes, they were certainly doing that. It was inevitable, given the way they were censoring people on various topics for many years prior.

  • deek on 16/09/2023 - 01:53
    +3

    I have encountered a couple of questionable moderations of my posts on WP, but I've had some positive experiences as well.

    One time, I posted some opinions that rubbed a couple of people the wrong way. I guess they decided to wage a passive-aggressive campaign against me, as after that, I regularly received dismissive or derisive replies to my posts. At the time, I was shrugging it off with the rationalisation that some people are just asses, but to my pleasant surprise, a mod stepped in and started taking down their replies. Didn't experience any more harassment from them after that.

    Anyway, you take the good with the bad. Nothing is perfect, but on the whole, I find WP to be a pretty decent place to express your two bits worth.

  • edshays on 16/09/2023 - 03:38
    +7

    A few years ago I wasn't in a very good financial position. My wife had lost her job and was very stressed about a dental bill for my daughter. I had asked a question on whirlpool about what options were available to me re gov help as I was very overwhelmed.

    Simultaneously, I had a big interest in projector technology. I wasn't buying any of course, but enjoyed engaging in discussions/seeing 4K projector tech becoming more affordable. It's a niche interest and enjoyed discussing it. I had some c#nt publically reply to a comment of mine regarding my financial situation along the lines of "you can't really complain about finances considering how often you post in projector forums" (paraphrased). Looking back, I probably saw my contributions on the tech forums as some sort of escapism. However, that really soured whirlpool for me.

    I felt quite humiliated and tried to set up a new account but mods quickly deleted my new account as I already had one.

    I didn't use whirlpool after that. It's a good reminder to me kind to people online. A hurtful comment you post can have an effect on others.

    • Windows7forever on 16/09/2023 - 08:43
      +2

      Wow, that's harsh. Sorry one a hole ruined it for you.

      • Lichen6420 on 16/09/2023 - 19:41

        Same.. better of without whirlpool though.. all for the best in the end.

  • david1371 on 16/09/2023 - 11:17
    +4

    Whirlpool went downhill a long time ago.
    I put it down to it being overrun by overzealous moderators on their individual power trips.
    It's a moderators free for all rudely interrupted by members. I don't bother posting much anymore.Don't even bother posting in the news section.
    I can never figure out who would waste their time moderating an internet board? You want to spend your whole day wading through strangers comments to delete them when it offends you? Who has the time for that?
    It's still good for technical info you may seek, but as a communty back and forth? Forget it.

  • Dack Smith on 16/09/2023 - 12:22
    +2

    It is a whirlpool sucking people down into the depths of depravity and faecal matter

  • skimp on 16/09/2023 - 12:58

    Only about 2% of replies from my recent post here yielded some useful answers, and the majority of early responses were quite useless. The trick I found is to not get too invested in people's responses and wait for the good ones to come in. I assume it would be the same on WP.

  • Homr on 16/09/2023 - 13:56
    +4

    I'm a whirlpool refugee and was part of the 10k post club

    Became a member there in 2001 when searching for a dial up ISP before I got perm banned in around 2015 for giving an honest opinion

    It was pretty good in the early years and extremely helpful with the ISP reviews. Sorta went downhill when they expanded and opened up other forums like Lifestyle, in the news etc

    Luckily I found a new home here in Ozbargain where I can be myself and not get castrated

  • 2025 on 16/09/2023 - 14:13

    Honestly, it is disgusting when people see the need to leverage a family member’s status with different needs in posts and comments online.

    It’s a behaviour I just can’t understand and it is not necessary, decent or caring in any way.

  • Morphio25 on 16/09/2023 - 14:23
    +3

    The mods on Whirlpool are retards, especially in the Internode forum. I used to work there and often used to try and help out people who posted on there asking for help.

    I once had some moron threaten to report me to Internode HR basically just because he didn't like me. Jokes on him though, I got a sweet payout when I did leave and that forum is basically dead now.

  • Steamed Hams on 16/09/2023 - 16:42
    +5

    WP is certainly not as relevant as it once was. What was once a central hub for ISP troubleshooting and community engagement, now it has gradually deteriorated into irrelevance. Places like Reddit, Facebook groups, Discord, BigFooty and OzB have cannibalised it.

    Sometimes I'll check in and post but I don't feel compelled to any more as there are so many better, livelier places to engage with. There's a smarmy, self-important feel that the place gives off with the way certain users and mods engage and behave.

    People don't have time to deal with that arrogant, internet superiority low quality BS which is evident there and people think they're more important than they really are. To be fair there's problems, quirks with most social media, forums and message boards but WP's niche has been usurped to the point where its foot traffic and active user base has fallen.

    Still some good tech content and good answers to questions around, but you've generally got to dig to find it. The forum is also toxic by design.

    The interface is muddy and outdated, great that it looks like a piece of work related software but it needs a new lick of paint.

    The moderation process as we know is generally too touchy and by being overly heavy handed with deleting posts it can mess with the context of the thread and drive people away.

    Plus you don't get notifications if someone responds to your post, which can be difficult to follow the discussion. In saying that it is great that the older, linear type of thread stops the duplication you commonly see on Reddit, but the cons definitely outweigh the pros.

    I'd rather a friendly vibe with a bit of banter here then the stuffy structure of Whirlpool though where you feel you are sometimes walking on egg shells.

  • prodrome on 16/09/2023 - 16:45
    +1

    first time online?

  • chops on 16/09/2023 - 17:16
    +1

    Gave up on it 4 years ago

  • Vool on 16/09/2023 - 19:22
    +1

    I've never found the community at Whirlpool to be very good or friendly. I refer to it as Whingepool…

  • Bullion78 on 16/09/2023 - 21:13

    My anecdotal observations are that it's a distinctly mellenial/gen x flavoured crowd that leans more to the left around here, over at whirlpool its the boomer conservative types that seem to permeate the threads.

  • SolitaryMan on 16/09/2023 - 22:40
    +2

    I used to find Whirlpool useful for technical info, but when I returned recently when building a PC I found little useful information and just the same old people who used to post incorrect information and uninformed opinions a decade ago.

    In the end I relied on Ozbargain and Reddit, much more useful.

  • Randolph Duke on 16/09/2023 - 23:42
    +3

    There’s a few power tripping mods around, like any forum.

    Still remember getting posts deleted for questioning someone’s camera recommendation which did not meet the needs of the OP - when I asked the mods about it apparently I was off topic because I was questioning someone around their advice, but the bad advice was fine to post. Clearly the mod was mates with the poster.

  • Empharand on 17/09/2023 - 00:33
    -1

    Wen Ozbargain acquisition of Whirlpool forums?

  • RnO on 17/09/2023 - 09:01

    Hahaha that sounds very similar to OzB to me! Angry and righteous mob in a lot of posts. Sorry to hear about your experience, however.

  • Kamsi on 17/09/2023 - 11:15
    +1

    I don't participate on forums much these days but I do agree whingpool have gotten worse since the passing of the old moderators such as Corey etc. It sad.

  • dji1111111 on 17/09/2023 - 11:23
    +1

    Whirlpool mods are just washed up nobodies in real life that just enjoy wielding some power at least in the cyber world.
    They put me in penalty box because i have a sibling that was also on whirlpool and we commented in the same thread.
    Go to whirlpool for aholes and come to ozbargain forums for wannnabe comedians.

  • ColonialBoy on 17/09/2023 - 12:46
    +1

    In a thread about "The Biggest Loser", I posted an article about what Steve Willis "The Commando" was up to. It as deleted as offtopic.

    I cancelled by account & left. The know-nothing thought police run the place.

  • OzBrogains on 17/09/2023 - 12:55
    +2

    Been a WP member since 2004 with 20k posts… My biggest gripe about WP is the way discussions are structured. You'll have a 30000 page thread on "bikes" and there's 20 separate conversations going. One person posts a new question and everyone then stops conversing about the previous topic and latches onto the new topic.

    Also tell any joke on WP and 9/10 it gets deleted for being "off topic". I actually wonder if mods get alerted about every new comment made (kind of like a browner plugin) and they review it manually because they have nothing better to do on a Saturday evening.

    • mrdean on 17/09/2023 - 14:31

      mods get alerted about every new comment made (kind of like a browner plugin)

      I believe this does happen for users that are flagged as troublesome.

  • machej on 17/09/2023 - 14:46
    +1

    Whirlpool is a place to find answers to obscure problems I find. Ozbargain is a place to find deals and people who have the most outrageous bees in their bonnet. Since 2008 it's become more the latter but still some good comedy to be found.

  • ratoloko on 17/09/2023 - 20:20
    +1

    To be fair, any Aussie forum is hell.
    Moderators think they are God, the same DOES NOT happen with forums not moderated by Aussies.

    If you go to Whirlpool EV Forum and say one thing about Tesla, you just won 2 weeks ban right there.

  • holdenmg on 26/09/2023 - 16:18

    Candy?

  • perfectlydark on 24/10/2023 - 19:58

    whirlpool has been like that for years. i left about 2015 and it was just the same then. reddit was a good replacement for a while but thats also turned into a dump full of cookers, lunatics and terminally online losers. at least here we can just talk about cheap stuff

  • Ave Maria on 05/11/2023 - 12:17

    They should try banning all moderators for a week & see what happens

  • Ave Maria on 05/11/2023 - 20:42

    Moderators should have only one purpose, ensure that content is not offensive or inaccurate. On WP moderators lack the ability to do either. Instead they take matters onto their own hands to decide who should be allowed to use the forum or not with an all-enpowering authorisation to ban users they dislike for life. I can visualise them having a party "Hamas style" when they assasinate their chosen target (forum users). Most of the WP moderators should be given a full mental evaluation and banned from joining any forum let alone be moderators.

    • Steamed Hams on 04/12/2023 - 15:30

      People get given a shred of power on the interwebz that they do not have in their real lives, get drunk on the power and abuse it. It's been happening for yonks on message boards, Facebook groups, old forums and Reddit. Uppity, gaslighting admins seeing things which aren't there having the highlight of their life being some semblance of control over a sub.

    • tovrin on 08/01/2024 - 08:05

      Been there. Stab marks to prove it. As moderators go, Thor and Tangles are the worst. Express an honest opinion that they disagree with or … GOD FORBID talk back … and you're gone. They care for nothing but their own egos.

      • PeterB666 on 08/01/2024 - 20:18
        +1

        There are a few nasty ones. Every time I post, one or two of them seem to look to see if he can find an excuse to delete the post.

        One who is no longer a moderator but was at the time started deleting my responses to him on Australian politics. I provided the following feedback.

        There should be limitations on the ability of moderators to act on posts in which they are involved. Maybe you should have sought advice from another moderator or just herringed the post for someone else to consider. There needs to be a separation otherwise someone may confuse your actions and interpret as bias or bullying.

        I do note that you have restored the post so I think you for that.

        He did stop deleting my posts after that.

        Another I cannot find but will be in my "Talk with a mod" somewhere I stated his actions were "bordering on bullying". He seemed a bit flabbergasted by that but did stop bullying me.

        Simon gets some flack here and I have messaged him on several occasions. He doesn't seem too bad but clearly does not have control of some of the cowboy moderators.

    • wakeboardandy on 06/05/2024 - 09:58

      Agree some of the Mods on whirlpool are nothing but narcissistic bullies. Also very left leaning and woke which is fine but don't let that influence your moderation. They are very biased in the way they moderate.

  • Ave Maria on 25/11/2023 - 14:43

    What is killing WHP is not just moderators abusing users with a genune interest in using the forum constructively & providing useful information to others, it's is also all the users using the forum as a personal chit-chat. I go to the financial forum to check updates on savings products & I see mostly postings like having over $1 Million to invest on behalf of aunts & parents, mostly irrelevant & off topic (to the forum posted) but the moderators take no notice of that -:)

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