'Removed' from a closed FB group

[Daddy-YO]

I was bad, reportedly. The admin person, Caroline Membreño, sent me a message to tell me I've been removed from the closed group "Expats in León, Nicaragua" on Facebook for "offensive comments". I confess I used the word 'screw' in replying to her survey last night and also I didn't attend her group luncheon this weekend, but otherwise I plead NOT GUILTY. It don't matter. It's frontier justice on FB.

Here're our exchange of messages:
Caroline Membreño 3/28/17 Tues 9:47pm I have removed you from the expats group. I see that you have nothing but off color and offensive comments to make. This is not the right group for you.

3/29 8:37am my reply You have the power. Is there an appeal process? Being a gringo - never an expat - living in Leon for 11 yrs now what FB options are there for here?

8:37am C.M. I have been monitoring your comments for awhile and although you might find it to be humorous your comments are offensive. There is another group called Leon List.

9:17am my reply Nothing I ever wrote on your group was ever intended to offend. The finality of your judgement, without a warning note, is unjust. I've read Zuckerberg's guidelines on offensive speech and know I'm right.

No reply from admin C.M. as of 10:10am today.

It would seem that mentioning the Zuckerberg name doesn't give me any clout.

I can't access what I wrote on the site last night, but I can recall enough to defend myself. But I'm not sure it's worth the effort. (Unless someone here wants to know.) The site mostly offers advice to neophyte expats to Leon. A number of business owners (gringos) usually respond. Beyond that there's the stuff for sale that expats going for the emergency escape chute offer.

[KeyWestPirate]

I was bad, reportedly. The admin person, Caroline Membreño, sent me a message to tell me I've been removed from the closed group "Expats in León, Nicaragua" on Facebook for "offensive comments". I confess I used the word 'screw' in replying to her survey last night and also I didn't attend her group luncheon this weekend, but otherwise I plead NOT GUILTY. It don't matter. It's frontier justice on FB.

Here're our exchange of messages:
Caroline Membreño 3/28/17 Tues 9:47pm I have removed you from the expats group. I see that you have nothing but off color and offensive comments to make. This is not the right group for you.

3/29 8:37am my reply You have the power. Is there an appeal process? Being a gringo - never an expat - living in Leon for 11 yrs now what FB options are there for here?

8:37am C.M. I have been monitoring your comments for awhile and although you might find it to be humorous your comments are offensive. There is another group called Leon List.

9:17am my reply Nothing I ever wrote on your group was ever intended to offend. The finality of your judgement, without a warning note, is unjust. I've read Zuckerberg's guidelines on offensive speech and know I'm right.

No reply from admin C.M. as of 10:10am today.

It would seem that mentioning the Zuckerberg name doesn't give me any clout.

I can't access what I wrote on the site last night, but I can recall enough to defend myself. But I'm not sure it's worth the effort. (Unless someone here wants to know.) The site mostly offers advice to neophyte expats to Leon. A number of business owners (gringos) usually respond. Beyond that there's the stuff for sale that expats going for the emergency escape chute offer.

I was apparently dumped from the Nicaragua Expats site some time ago. At least I don't get their updates in my email anymore. If I got a notice,, I didn't see it but I've been busy.

It was kind of a waste anyway,, either newbies asking really off the wall questions,, or someone lurking for real estate sales.

FYL is holding onto the NicaLiving domain,, I check from time to time. I guess it's all gone to FaceBook. I may have to give up the little information that the NSA doesn't know about me,, and join. What's next,, a Kindle?

My plan was to buy the NicaLiving site if FYL ever abandoned it and let you administer it


Take heart, you lasted a lot longer than I would have. Even Bill O'Reilly is getting undeserved flack for saying that Maxine Waters wig looked exactly the same as the one that James Brown wore. What's racist about that?

I liked James Brown,, he was a great entertainer, wore his pants up around his waist, and had a real job.

[KeyWestPirate]

Why not start your own expat group on FaceBook, Leon Expats ??

[Daddy-YO]

Why not start your own expat group on FaceBook, Leon Expats ??

I'm retired.
That sounds too much like work. I dedicate my days to creative loafing and nights to dreamscaping.

[Jonh]

They clearly need to change the name of that group to "Safe Space for Snowflakes of Leon." I have been monitoring your comments on TRN for a while now, and have never noticed a single offensive comment, or anything that even a precious yellow snowflake should be able to take offense at by any stretch of the word. Unless they are composed of 1st Graders who don't need to add the verb "screw" to their vocabulary, then I'd say fuck 'em. TRN is the right group for you!

[Daddy-YO]

TRN is the right group for you!

Thanks Jefe!

It feels good to belong here.

[Little Corn Tom]

Didn't we have a motto at one point in time that read something like...."Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke"?

Or maybe that was just me....anyway....

[bill_bly_ca]

Caroline is a member of my Masya group but not really a poster. If she took time to reply to you, you must have done good

[bill_bly_ca]

Ah... No sunshine and lollypops maybe..

Caroline Membreño

General Manager at León Travel Bureau < No vested interest in a laundered view of Leon there eh???

[Jonh]

We also have been called, "Really clever people chatting away at each other."

[Daddy-YO]

The beat goes on:
9:17am my last reply __ Nothing I ever wrote on your group was ever intended to offend. The finality of your judgement, without a warning note, is unjust. I've read Zuckerberg's guidelines on offensive speech and know I'm right.

Wed 12:34pm C.M. __ You were removed from the group and that is your warning. I understand that your sense of humor might be a bit wry but I find it to be offensive and I try to make sure that everyone in the group is protected from offensive jokes/comments such as yours. IN the past you were respectful but I noticed the last few comments you made to be offensive.

Thurs 6:39am my reply __ Nonsense. How can an actual eviction without prior notice be conceived of as a warning? You keep repeating 'offensive' without saying what offended you. You are more intelligent than that, Ms. Membreño.



6:44am C.M. __ You are an adult and well aware of comments that are offensive. Lets not waste time on this. If you feel you can be a part of the group and not post comments that are offensive (and you know exactly what I am referring to because they are your words.) then you can join us again. Pls click the join button to get back in again.



Should I?

[Little Corn Tom]

I would re-join and post the reasons why I am never posting again including my opinions about the moderator.

[kwah2249]

I would not rejoin. I couldn't tolerate being under the thumb of a moderator that has a clear conflict of interest due to her line of work. Besides FB will start to decline sooner or later. If you haven't been monitoring, Zucker is whitewashing his image and doing a national tour at the moment. He is testing the feasibility of a Presidential run most likely. When that happens a competitor will probably be able to pull half of his U.S. users if we are still at this level of political hostility.

See if you can get Nextdoor.com down there. That's where the real community control is. Its basically a private geo-based community group.

[Jonh]

I would keep messing with her just for the fun of it.

You're convicted without knowing the evidence used against you. Perfect banana republic 3rd world shithole behavior.

[el duende grande]

I think you should log in one last time to tell people if they want really nasty to join Expat Exchange Nicaragua Forum. They love insults and slander because they get their money from the ads and probably don't even monitor the site.

Then tell them what the moderator did and bid them all a grand ADIOS.

[Daddy-YO]

I think you should log in one last time to tell people if they want really nasty to join Expat Exchange Nicaragua Forum. They love insults and slander because they get their money from the ads and probably don't even monitor the site. Then tell them what the moderator did and bid them all a grand ADIOS.

Nasty aside, with the Expat Exchange Forum for Nicaragua, I can enter a goldmine of good info. Thanks for the tip.

Because Expats in Leon is a CLOSED group that C.M. controls, I'm prone to believe that she can & would delete any posting that doesn't suit her purpose. Getting even doesn't suit me. In our divorce my ex got the house & the good car; I moved on with my 401k.

[Daddy-YO]

I would not rejoin. I couldn't tolerate being under the thumb of a moderator that has a clear conflict of interest due to her line of work.

That's how I lean.

I was aware from the get-go that she ran a travel agency. There was a question of entering CR to re-up a Nica visa without having to pay for an exit fare in advance. Done with bogus airfare ticket - which she could supply.

I went to one expat luncheon. Nevermore. She ran it like a kindergarten teacher. A couple of Nicas gave us a sales-pitch on CoolTel wifi. They didn't know tech details. Few expats were interested so we chatted among ourselves. She scolded us for talking during the presentation. My respect for her went to near zero.

Later, on the FB page she asked a survey question. Reminded me of Fyl. I hate surveys. The gist was "How quickly did you adjust to Nica culture?" She offered choices from 'a short while' to 'never'. I added my own choice, writing:
Depends on to what end: to eat, drink & screw = a short while; to raise & love a bi-cultural family - a lifetime.

I'm guessing it was the word 'screw' that torqued her, but it could just as well have been my stepping outside the bounds of her survey.

None of that matters now. It's history.

[Daddy-YO]

... FB will start to decline sooner or later. If you haven't been monitoring, Zucker is whitewashing his image and doing a national tour at the moment. He is testing the feasibility of a Presidential run most likely. When that happens a competitor will probably be able to pull half of his U.S. users if we are still at this level of political hostility.

There isn't enough whitewash in the world to remake Zuckerberg's image, IMO.

"The Social Network" pegged him for me. A multi-billionaire surrounded by an army of sycophants (los q besan su culo) who believes himself to be in the process of remaking global media, journalism & the world news industry, is to be feared, not worshipped.

Let's hope you're right about a competitor deflating his ambitions.

[Jonh]

I'm guessing it was the word 'screw' that torqued her,

I see what you did there.

[MizBrown]

If you're retired, I have Retired Retirees in Nicaragua (volunteering is okay, part-time residents who are retired are okay, people who don't talk about their businesses are okay if they're interesting long term residents otherwise. I even have some people from Granada and San Juan del Sur and Ira Stephenson (who booted me from a group he moderates for calling someone yammering about tourism in the north central mountains unimaginative). No ads, ever. Most of the posts are from Andrew Colluci.

[MizBrown]

IThe site mostly offers advice to neophyte expats to Leon. A number of business owners (gringos) usually respond. Beyond that there's the stuff for sale that expats going for the emergency escape chute offer.

I get pretty tired pretty quickly of people glooming on to wannabes and trying to sell them something. Most expat groups have someone running them with a financial agenda -- promoting tourism and retirement communities is the most common one. I am only a member of a few groups (Kevin Marshall added me to the Expats in San Juan del Sur group and there are some interesting and not predictable people there.

[bill_bly_ca]

I had read a piece where it was stated compellingly that a closed group is the first signs of a slow cold death of a group - Have not stumbled upon one yet (Closed group) where I did not get that feeling. In all I see a closed group shows a desire to hide content at best and become a clique..

Da Faze book tells me it will be 10 yrs on Apr 17 - 1/5 of my life to be data mined.

Really they (FB moderators in a closed group) are thinly veiled self brand building attempts.

The best one I have seen so far is a happy go lucky former construction worker called Ira Stevenson.

A bit brash, a bit aloof. He has had 3 or 4 of those matress thrashers AGV talks about in another thread. He galavants all around Nicaragua in the spirit of Aaron the great of years past taking pictures and rambling on. Quaint and harmless.

The SJDS group is fractured and awash in ads. Granada group is dry and sparse posting.

The managua group is OK as well . Andy from Waslala is a co mod on that one.

[MizBrown]

I had read a piece where it was stated compellingly that a closed group is the first signs of a slow cold death of a group - Have not stumbled upon one yet (Closed group) where I did not get that feeling. In all I see a closed group shows a desire to hide content at best and become a clique..

Da Faze book tells me it will be 10 yrs on Apr 17 - 1/5 of my life to be data mined.

Really they (FB moderators in a closed group) are thinly veiled self brand building attempts.

The best one I have seen so far is a happy go lucky former construction worker called Ira Stevenson.

A bit brash, a bit aloof. He has had 3 or 4 of those matress thrashers AGV talks about in another thread. He galavants all around Nicaragua in the spirit of Aaron the great of years past taking pictures and rambling on. Quaint and harmless.

The SJDS group is fractured and awash in ads. Granada group is dry and sparse posting.

The managua group is OK as well . Andy from Waslala is a co mod on that one.

I think that both open and closed have points for and against (and my experiences with social groups on line go back to Usenet and open and closed hierarchies). The trouble with open groups can be that you get swamped by newbies who can't do searches and by advertisers who are so sorry and will take their posts down sometime in the future and repost on Friday. Basically, Ira's group is about Ira mostly; Jewel Hoff's group is about Jewel Hoff. They're open groups.

Some of it is the group dynamic -- if it doesn't take off, it doesn't take off. Also, if the group is mostly about one person, it's generally better to read and not comment.

[el duende grande]

Hello, Orchid lady, good to see you are still alive and kicking.

[cookshow]

As said above, the Open Groups often get flooded with questions like "can I buy toothpaste there" (Actually saw that on a SJDS group). the Closed Groups get stagnant. The Open Groups do provide some entertainment value. I look at the SJDS Open Group now and then, and for the most part it is the same questions, over and over for the past 10 years.