Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of online punting forums ...

In 2001 the bitch levels reached an all time high with moderators unable to control the chaos that erupted amongst forum discussion. Slanderous, rude and derogatory commenting became way out of hand, the Racenet forum was closed for good. A previous member summed up the general feeling of the closure by commenting on another online punting forum. “A few idiots have spoiled it for the rest of us,” he wrote. And he is exactly right.

In general punting forums are a beneficial tool in learning and sharing punting experiences and systems, a place for questions and topics to be openly discussed in a professional, mature environment, to give or receive constructive advice.

But it seems there are many individuals who attack, hassle, name call and get completely off topic for their own pleasure. The immaturity level of these individuals is astounding.

The discussions generally start out with a question or comment but quickly evolve into a contest between forum members. In particular there are many individuals who enjoy having a ‘stab’ at punting professionals where they can and more often than not they have no idea what they talking about. One such example is this:

Drama Queen A: “Racing must be going through hard times; the latest email from the Winform racing club is all about property investment. I await some info on a used Corolla.”

Drama Queen B: “Luckily my computer correctly identified that email as SPAM and put it in with all those offers for cheap genuine Rolex watches I've been receiving - about where it belongs!”

Drama Queen C: “I have a card table with a leg missing and the top is slightly torn, for sale if anyone is interested?”

The amusing thing about the above forum conversation is that the email that Drama Queen A is having a go at was in fact an offer for loyal clients of Winform who were interested in investment properties around Rosehill Race Course.

Drama Queen B has ensured the newsletter goes to his junk mail folder but why is this so when he subscribed to the email newsletter in the first place. All he has to do is unsubscribe if the emails he receives aren’t what he was expecting. Drama Queen C just wanted to say something…anything. Oh the drama of it all!

 Another example of having a stab was this:

Drama Queen A: “Is it just me or would the following have the warning signs flashing big time with some of the rest of you? A supposedly reputable sports tipping agency has sent out a series of bets for the opening round of the NRL with the following comments within the email. Remember this is a paid-for service:

‘ NRL FOOTBALL: We’re going all out on the opening weekend and are predicting some upsets.’ They then proceeded to tip in every single match of the round, and finished up with: ‘ We’ll either win big or lick our wounds but we won't sit on our backside sucking our thumb.’ I hope for their followers sakes that they have a reasonable round but surely you'd have to wonder?”

Thanks to a loyal Winform member who knows what he is talking about, Drama Queen A was put in his place.

“This tipping agency you have doubts about is Winform for the benefit of other readers. I subscribe to this service and it cost me $99 a year and returned me over $1300 on $100 bets last year and I get their Best Bets every day (which I don't follow) and the feature race each weekend including the Melbourne Cup Trifecta which has returned me over $9000 over the last 3 years so for me he can make any comments he likes!”

Winform did not get any feedback regarding Drama Queen A’s opinion. If he had called the office querying the selections Garry would have shed more light on the matter and given him previous years strike rates and results. But it seems that instead of investigating the situation Drama Queen A spent his time ’having a go’ on an online internet forum. It’s so easy to hide behind a username and computer screen and slag off the professionals or put down someone who has a valid opinion or question.

I have even viewed racism where one forum user told another to “go back to where you came from.” I bet if they were in an open forum discussion in person they wouldn’t have the audacity to be as openly rude and volatile to another's face.

In investigating the online forums I found that there was more slagging and immaturity than a High School fight. These are grown men acting like school children who bully others in the playground. Haven’t they got anything better to do?

For all forum users: Use online forums for what they are created for: An open forum to seek professional help, tips and ideas and to share tips and ideas. Not as an open forum to bitch and moan and act like a tool. For all those forum users who are successfully using forums for the purpose they hold, sorry for the idiots who shoot down the integrity you are trying to maintain.

If you think this article is over the top, go and visit an online punting forum today.