Choosing Sane Bigfoot Groups On Facebook and Avoiding the Bullies


There are a lot of people on Facebook who hope to join groups of interest. If your interest is the subject of Bigfoot, I would suggest you be very cautious.

I have had literally hundreds of complaints from others who were bullied, attacked, even threatened with bodily assault. This field particularly is a seriously thug-filled atmosphere, but if you know how to weed through it, you can learn about groups you can join that are free with sharing knowledge, being patient, answering questions, and never ever allowing personal attacks (taking them down immediately and banning members who do so).

Play nicely in the sandbox that is Bigfootery!

First, don't let the title of the group tell you anything about the group. There are groups that use words like "sanity" and "science" and "discussion" in their names and that has NOTHING to do with the content or the members.

First, if you are into the field of Bigfoot research, you will want to know the names of people that you have had problems with before. If you see them as admins or even members of the group, step away. I keep a blacklist in the field so I know the names and groups I should avoid. 

People's actions and their associations say much about their true agendas.

If you don't know anyone in the field, look through the page and see what kind of subjects and discussions are going on and the dialogue between the members. 

Look for warning signs of people who scream, rant and point fingers at others who are not present to defend themselves or if they are ranting at another member on the wall and downgrading to just name calling without supporting their intellectual issues with the subject. There is no need to tear someone down to get your point across. 

Just know that, if they do this to others on the wall, they will do it to you! I guarantee it. It also shows a lack of ethics in general to allow the page to deteriorate to rants and name calling.

See if subjects shared have to do with open discussions about the subject. Are people allowed to differ on their opinion of what a photo content is? Can they discuss without it deteriorating to playground language? Are people sharing information, allowing new information, encouraging discussion? 

Being a good host of a site is critical to its survival

One site on Facebook recently allowed someone I don't even know to rant about me and show photos of me on the posting. I am angry, not for me (I can handle bullshit), but for all the women that might have their photos posted and someone they don't know stalking them and ranting in public about them without them even knowing it! That is disgusting and has nothing to do with "sanity" in the field.

So, I suggest that you give the site a good read before you join up because your name on their wall is a tacit way of agreeing with the content. If you can't stand up for someone not represented or give your own valid opinion with logical reasoning, then leave and share the knowledge with others of what group to avoid!  

The hope is that these groups, that become nothing more than popular cliques for bullies and loudmouths with no intellectual substance, will be beaten down and die from scaring people off.

You can support open discussion in the field of research while forcing these Facebook pages/groups to exercise logic, reasoning, and consideration for other humans and their opinions, by simply blacklisting the bad ones and sharing the knowledge with others of who these bad groups are. 

When you find a good group and you are confident about its content, members, and supportive atmosphere, please share it with others! We need to reinforce positive research and discussion while letting the bullies die from atrophy. 

If you are curious about the group that allowed that rant on the wall, please email me and I'd be happy to warn you. 



Just so you know, this was posted today on one of those pages of bullies and thugs and encouraged by the admin. I will happily divulge more names and the group's name to avoid them. 







Comments

  1. The Real Bigfoot Community is the best group I found. What a great group of people with many open discussions.

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  2. That image above was posted by one member of that group, and then deleted within minutes of its posting when admins told the poster it was inappropriate. You can't blame an entire group or its admins for one guy who crosses the line, especially when that one guy was subsequently banned from the group for making such posts.

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    1. Actually, the admin has a history of harassing and badmouthing folks in the field quite openly and is greatly disliked. That member was not removed from the site, even though he has done this kind of thing to many, and his cohorts also. The admin is keeping them on there and that shows the priorities of that site, to allow open harassment and intimidation.

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    2. No, Sharon. Those two guys are GONE. I was the one who told Diamond that his post was highly inappropriate. It was promptly deleted. You are distorting the truth, and now you yourself are doing the very thing you are supposedly speaking out against here.

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    3. They remained for some time until others pointed out that they were still remaining there. There are people monitoring the page and taking screen captures should this kind of antics start up again. It had been going on long before this photo of me came up. I talked to over a dozen people who said they were bullied and verbally attacked by the regular posters on there who are allowed to belittle and demean others. They did not feel safe being on there. Some, even fear for their own safety. That is not a healthy atmosphere for discussion. If you can keep up a healthy discussion and not allow people to repeatedly bully folks away, then that is being a good admin, but they were not kicked off after this incident, until it was pointed out. I want to see people able to discuss Sasquatch openly on safe sites and that is why I wrote this post. I have heard too many times people being scared out of the field, afraid in their personal lives when these things cross the internet line into real life. This posting was about what to look for, to observe the conversations, to see what kind of things are being allowed. If you believe your page is a healthy one, then you have nothing to fear for people being informed on what to look for.

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    4. NO SHARON. That Photoshop of you made by Michael Diamond was deleted as soon as I saw it. It did NOT remain up on the group page. Such images are not tolerated in our group. Michael Diamond was given one more chance in the group to behave, but eventually had to be removed when he refused to admit that such a post and image are wrong.

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    5. I think you greatly exxaggerated your time frame. When Diamond posted that awful photo of you, it was deleted almost immediaately. Diamond was banned within a couple of days and Sauber soon after him - both due to ongoing bad behavior, which has been discussed openly in the group.

      People may not agree with the fact that this group is highly critical and satirical, but the admins try to avoid personal attacks and poor taste. We members are preiodically reminded of this. Someone posted a gross photo the other day of a victim of a bear attack, and the admins quickly deleted it.

      You cannot blame an entire group for any member's behavior and posts. Nor can you continue to blame the admins, after they did the right thing. Get over it.

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  3. I'm sorry, but you are wrong and spreading misinformation on your blog. The members of those in the meme you posted were banned from that group. I am a member there. I did not encourage or agree with it. By lumping my character in with those above, you are doing the exact same thing you accuse them of.

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    1. those members were still there, quite a while after that incident. If they have been banned now, it does not mean much since everyone knows they use many names. I have people watching that site and taking screen captures just to be sure the admin is dully responsible and is no longer encouraging intimidation, goons, and thugs. Unless you are an admin, you have no reason to be belittled by the truth. The admin has a long history of bashing and using intimidating methods. It wasn't until I went public that he finally caved in and had to make a public gesture and finally remove those people who had allowed to do that behavior for a long time. I am asking people to be careful of the groups they join and watch what behavior is encouraged and allowed. Hopefully this incident has brought to light the knowledge to admins that people are watching the walls and reporting to others when they are being attacked. If we go public with these kinds of sites that create a place to intimidate, we can make them accountable. There is no place in research for these kinds of shenanigans and many others before me had the same problems with these people and the admin. If I had not gone public, it would have continued.

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  4. I won't disagree with you that the 2 people above were trolls. They stayed in the group a lot longer than I would have allowed. However, that particular group gets a bad rap all the time because they ask logical, rational questions. They do not simply agree with the consensus and pat each other on the back when someone shows a blurry pic, or makes an incredible claim that can't be backed up by evidence - or is backed up by evidence that is obviously something explainable (ie. owl calls, etc...). Without using critical thinking skills, we will never learn the truth about this subject. But many don't want the truth. They want attention, or they want to perpetuate the fantasy they have built around the magical forest people. Most in that group are very intelligent people. It's my opinion that it takes logical, rational thinking and questioning if we are ever to find out the truth.

    Now if someone doesn't care about the truth, and just wants a place to go tell stories and read fantastical claims - then you are correct. That is not the group to go to. But you are making the admins out to be bad people, simply because their purpose is different from yours. In my opinion, you are no different than Diamond and Stuber when you announce that the "Group" and their members are bullies. They are no more bullies than the admins in other groups who kick out members who call BS on blurry pics of shadows and stumps, or audio of foxes and owls.

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    1. Obviously, not all members are the issue. The issue is monitoring a site so that people are not being threatened. I was not even a member of that group - as I want nothing to do with that admin's groups I've been in before. There is a culture of allowing talk about others in the field, even those who are not there to defend themselves. Others who have been members of this group have come to me in droves, telling me that they themselves had been attacked, or others ridiculed and it was allowed to remain up, and the members allowed to remain. This is about finding sites where people feel safe to be protected from thugs and allowed to speak. If these groups know that members will take screenshots and report bad behavior, then we can have safe places to talk about the subjects. For now, it's up to the admin to have zero tolerance and that was not shown in this particular group, as these individuals had been enjoying this kind of freedom to attack others at will.

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  5. I appreciate having a group that I can go to where I can say that I don't believe there is any merit to claims of mindspeak, cloaking, or other paranormal claims, without worrying that I will be banned for not "believing". Maybe someday someone will show up with evidence that I am wrong. That's great. But this group simply looks at the facts, not beliefs. THAT is where the problem lies with those who dislike that group. However, we have members who DO believe those things. The difference is, in that group, you can have whatever opinion you want. You do not have to agree with everyone. But if you make an extraordinary claim, you will be asked for extraordinary evidence. It's really that simple.

    You singled out the entire group rather than focusing on the individuals who posted those awful pics of you. You wrote a whole blog post warning other about this group. I have been a member of that group for a long time and have never been bullied and certainly have never participated in any type of bullying. The only time anyone is attacked is when they come into the group to start trouble - perhaps because they have read a blog post like this one that generalizes the actions of a very few onto the whole group.

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    1. This post is what it says - showing people how to single out signs of a group that might be a problem. I am empowering them to seek knowledge without being intimidated. I never once mentioned the name of this group. It is one of many FB groups that have allowed things to get out of hand. I want people to seek knowledge, but to do so watching the kinds of things that are allowed to be posted and how members are treating each other. No one should have to be in a site that makes them scared.

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  6. OH, I wasn't aware there were other Bigfoot groups with "Science" and "Sanity" in the group name. Plus, I'm sure you told the group name to anyone who asked, as you said you would more than once.
    " I will happily divulge more names and the group's name to avoid them."

    I completely understand sharing names of troublemakers among group admins in order to avoid being trolled by them as I am an admin myself and I appreciate knowing ahead of time to be aware of those people. But I think it's wrong of you to blame this group or it's admins for the posts of 2 trolls. That's all I'm saying. You can continue to try to deny that is what you have done, but it's plain to see. Have a nice day.

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    1. So you know, I did not say that the picture remained, but that the individuals remained group members until it was publicly announced they were still in the group. People have continued to follow the group member list to be certain. What you "2" are doing here on my blog shows exactly the kind of tactics used on the FB site. It also forced me to close down my Trolls No More site on FB because of this kind of constant arrogant posting and ganging up. I wrote a post giving healthy guidelines of what to look for in a group and I stand by those guidelines and I stand by people taking screenshots and protecting each other and calling admin's out when they keep members on board when they do vicious things. If the sites keep their noses clean, then they have nothing to fear. And, if y'all want to keep posting on here, I will publish the posts, but I will not play the games that go on in your site here in my blog.

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    2. Those two guys are gone from the group. They were given one last chance, and then removed. What part of that don't you understand? They are not the group, but just two guys on Facebook. It's unfortunate that situations like that arise, but don't further them and make one of your own here just to garner pity. NO ONE is threatening you. No one forced you to take down your "Trolls" page. You are making a tempest in a teapot here. There are no "tactics" being done by us here and now. We are simply telling you the truth, which you force us to do by these unjust and inaccurate accusations.

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  7. Since when is giving an opinion of your assessment of a particular Facebook group a game? I disagree with you. Since when is that considered bullying? I mean, you write a BLOG, not a diary. You post it on the internet... Maybe you should post a notice at the top that says, "If you do not fully agree with the opinion of this blogger, please refrain from posting or I will accuse you of ganging up on me and playing games.

    I've made my point. I'll be leaving your blog now. You have gotten enough clicks from me today and forever.

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    1. Haha, jeez grow up. You look like a fool complaining about a post written last year. Clearly you are starting up trouble by whining about this three months later. Cyber bullying is no joke and will not be tolerated by anyone! I saw it on that site and reported it more than once. You did keep the bullies on your site after people complained. Shame on you!!

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    2. Shame on you. I didn't make those posts. This was on Facebook. Do you realize that I am not the Facebook police? Like I said, the post was deleted, and those guys were given one last chance and then removed. Read what I said above. Us starting trouble? Give me a break. This blog post is what is starting trouble, spreading false and hateful aspersions, abs publishing distorted and inaccurate information. And look, once I booted them from the group they did the same thing to me that they did to Sharon, only much worse.

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  8. Sharon, while you are warning people about the various bigfoot groups, I think you need to address blogs such as yours. Blogs such as yours that disseminate and perpetuate false and misleading information. Why don't you show enough respect to your readers to present the truth and the facts: Fact #1- The disgusting photo of you, was posted by a single member out of a group over 2,600 members Fact #2 - The photo was removed immediately Fact #3 - The group has zero tolerance for "hate speech" and/or photos depicting violence or abuse Fact #4 - The person who posted your photo, along with his associate are known "trolls". They have used various fake FB profiles with the sole intent of disrupting and taking down other bigfoot FB groups Fact # 5 - The perpetrators have their own FB bigfoot group which is currently running a thread with insulting and disrespectful comments about Native American/First Nation people. The thread also includes a photo depicting the group's admins as the "Earp Gang" with the caption - "Coming To A Bigfoot Group Near You". Most importantly, there are posts discussing the infiltration and sabotaging of the group that you are unjustly villifying. Fact #6 - The posting of your photo was sick and repulsive. It was wrong. Your posting of misleading and malicious information is also wrong "Two wrongs don't make a right". If you really want to do a service to your blog readers, report the truth. Lastly - why do readers have to find the name of the group that you are attacking by PMing you? If you are being truthful and have the facts to substantiate your allegations, there should be no problem with you divulging the name of the group. Let me start with the transparency. I posted as "Anonymous" but my name is Bruce Kelley. Now Sharon, let's see if you can be a little more forthcoming and honest.

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  9. There's also ones in that group that know about the "mindspeak", cloaking and other weird shit that goes on. Some are regular mindspeakers that have helped others understand whats going on. But these people don't get nothing said about them cause they have the Meba haters backing them up cause of things that went on while they were involved with Team Melba. People have tried to expose them in that group and Steven bans people who do. I think its complete bullshit that he protects others that feed him info and then calls others crazy that can do the samething as the ones he's protecting. Protecting just cause they hate Melba Ketchum even though they are in the "woo crowd" also. Steven get your head out of the sand....you are being played.

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    1. I'm fully aware of the Ketchum story and the ridiculous mess left behind by that failure. The are ex-Ketchumite people in Coalition group, sure.... they wised up and learned the hard truth. No one is playing me in any way, especially not the Woo Woo crowd. The people in my group are rationalists, even if they might believe in metaphysical things.

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  10. Now you're just making sh*t up entirely. I don't ban anyone unless they are hardcore trolls. In fact, that's what Sharon was complaining about here.

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