You probably ought to see a psychiatrist about that
Also I totally do not believe you
Nice coded message there though
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Iāve only watched FTT from afar since the whole monzosucks thing but it seemed from what I read that the admin was always at odds with his members and he would stoke debate only to shut down anyone that disagreed with him.
That whole statement from him I posted earlier was the end of a thread where basically he separated all the discussion that didnāt agree with him about Starling into a separate thread whilst keeping all posts that supported his viewpoint in the main discussion thread.
Given that the Internet is a place full of random people who donāt know each other or their motives I wonder if all of this a marketing ploy to get sympathy before bringing the forum up in a few days or weeks. After all how many of us would sign up now all this discussion has taken place?
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I think thatās a cynical take on things, and I donāt agree at all. I get tone is hard to convey on the internet, nor am I good at conceptualising it, but Iāve been around enough folk who have struggled with mental health issues to gauge when something is genuine.
The way he snapped in that thread reminded me so much of how things went downhill for my high school friendās mental health. Not something I want to relive, but Liamās post felt very genuine to me because it hit so close to home. He seems to be struggling with the toll that place was taking on his mental health. He kept it bottled up whilst folk kept wearing him down over the editorial. Itās not their fault either though. They didnāt know. Their posts were valid criticism and feedback and were for the most part conveyed constructively and with respect.
I find myself feeling very uneasy speculating over someoneās mental health, so Iāll move swiftly on to other things now.
I donāt think this is true at all. And actually, more accurately describes how I feel about the coral crew on this place at times. I take it youāre referring to the talk on his editorial piece where he split out comments into a separate thread that were discussing the prospect of that style of content, rather than the actual content. No one was ever unjustly silenced, and they were consistently thanked for their feedback. The discussion that engaged with the topic, even from those who disagreed with his opinions and had different experiences, stayed in the thread. I think it was a fair way to moderate things.
I believe that motive or intent rarely, if ever, matters, especially online. Itās the outcome of oneās actions, and how those affect others that should matter most. You could have the purest of motive and the best of intentions still result in something negative. Motive, nor intent, should never justify nor excuse that.
If this were a marketing ploy, I doubt itās achieved the desired result, given how unsympathetic some folk on here have been with his potential state of mind. If it comes back up, and more folk engage to better balance the landscape of fintech discussion so it doesnāt feel too pro- or anti-anything, then thatās a positive result in my book. Especially if people can conduct themselves and manage their differences with grace and respect, itād potentially ease pressure on Liam, assuming folks stop running to him to complain every time they see something they donāt like or agree with.
Based on what he says, I get the impression that for some folk at that place was the new starling forum for them, and anything else was unwanted in that haven. Thatās a notion we need to move past.
And I think we can apply that here too. Yes, this is Monzoās forum, likely designed for Monzoās customers, but the community has grown well beyond that scope now, for better or worse, and thereās so much great variety here. Thatās what I love about it. You can come here to learn about fountain pens, discover new tech, bash Royal Mail, discuss video games, complain about Monzo, engage with staff and provide feedback, discuss stocks, or crypto, get excited about the latest Apple product, discuss your favourite subscription services, learn how to be more environmentally friendly, discuss politics, share experiences with meal replacements, or learn how to hide your PDSA subscription from your spouse. The scope of this Monzo forum is virtually limitless.
I think it would be a shame if this regressed into a place to discuss only Monzo things as some people seem to want at times when itās used as an excuse for hostile reactions that bear ill will towards folks who may have an unsavoury opinion.
Much in the same way, itās a shame the other place at times became a bit bogged down with a pro-starling bias and mantra, however respectful they were with the more dissenting opinions. Which I think is the aspect Liam didnāt like and would have preferred the landscape to have been a more varied balance of opinions across the entire spectrum of fintech. You could perhaps say he was at odds with his members when he would jump into those threads to add some much-needed balance and contrast to the discussions, but to me, they sparked more of what I would describe as a healthy debate.
I have no insight into what went on behind the scenes and elsewhere with private dealings, which made up the bulk of his angst in that post. His treatment in that respect was completely unjustified and undeserved. It portrays an entirely different picture than how things appeared in public discussions.
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I agree with this statement 100%.
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It does feel a little, and I appreciate this might be a little blunt and harsh, like instead of all this lovely eulogising once the place is gone people should have just made the effort to use it and contribute something when it was there. For all of the talk of the owner and his grief, after a mass exodus of the vast majority of the original members a year or two ago it was, as far as I could tell, down to less regulars than you could count on your fingers, and maybe a couple of toes, by the end. As with anything in life, if you want it to continue existing you have to make an effort and use it. Itās never any good sitting by on the sidelines silently watching as something decays then after the final whistle saying āawww, thatās a shameā, we all have to be proactive in supporting from the outset. I tend to agree with some of the comments that while the owner may have reached the end of his tether, it was dwindling more and more, whole days would go by with no new posts at times, so perhaps it was time to kill it anyway.
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I admit that my comments are slightly cynical. BUT making assumptions that something is affecting someoneās mental health without considering the possibility that they are just an ass makes it very difficult to have a balanced discussion IMO.
@Lhx has an account here. Iāve been very careful about where I name him directly to stay within the forum rules AND not be accusing somebody of something when I donāt know the facts. However heās made statements here before and he could do so again at some point if he wanted to
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As an ex-Starling Guru (I know 
) and therefore an early adopter of the Fintechtalk forum, I was keen to see it succeed. There is certainly room (and maybe a need) for a fintech forum other than this one.
In respect of the timeline leading to its closure, I see reference to a mass exodus some while back. Must admit I didnāt witness that. I am aware of one or two posters who became disillusioned by admin responses to their dissent such that they left.
That was recent - and regrettable as they were of the more thoughtful persuasion, certainly not knee-jerk posters and definitely not the sort that needed to be ever-visible.
Although a small forum, Iād taken the view that itād be healthier if there were more width to the admin/moderation, thereās be less risk of taking dissent personally. The forum was a personal project and it showed. I wish Liam well.
This thread doesnāt need another lengthy post so Iāll simply say that Fintechtalk was a welcome bolt-hole with occasional (but diminishing) entertaining even really funny threads. Iāll miss that.
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Ditto. And those are the reasons that a lot of us are here daily, because if it was alllllll Monzo, well that would be really boring.
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Not to blow my own trumpet, but the very first thing I did as admin on here back in late 2016 was to create the General Chat forum. I strongly pitched to Naji, who was the only other community manager at the time, that it needed places to discuss non-Monzo stuff. Before that, this forum only had Monzo specific sections.
So all these years and topics later, Iām really glad to see this mentioned specifically.
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The sad thing for me is the suddenness of this decision which has prevented users from archiving useful links etc.
In addition, (I suspect) given it was not a bank specific forum, there were staff from both NatWest and HSBC giving some info/insights on their digital plans/app enhancements which I will miss.
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Yes, Iām sure youāre right.
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OK, stop it with bringing speculated mental health issues into the discussion
You donāt know, itās not helping, and it feels like it is being weaponised
This topic is balanced on a knife edge and is likely going to get closed if this continues
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Would someone care to explain why my comment about how being careful upsetting the coral crew and how im going to miss Fintech Talk was put into Removed posts please?
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It wasnāt me, but the community has been told repeatedly, especially recently, that railing against moderation in comments has no place here and can be directed to the admins, so I can understand
Coral Crew is totally unpaid, voluntary and conducting a fairly thankless task - I can certainly get a slight hint of what Liam faced - so the last thing we need is folk running around - and to the other place when it was still open! - taking pops
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Understood, That was not the aim of my comment. I merely was stating not starting an arument over the topic that was just speculation as this would get closed, Plus i was just adding my thoughts on FTT being closed as i was regular reader but not did not have an account on the FTT Community.
Where is the note to say it was removed? Iām not suggesting that it wasnāt, but there should be a note on the thread for the record to say posts had been removed and I donāt see that. 
You are right. And it isnāt said often enough, so thank you!
Criticism of some frustrating actions aside, I genuinely appreciate the coral crew, and how they keep the community running as best they can. Without you guys, I think itās fair to say this place would not be able to exist at worst, and at best, a completely toxic and uninviting space. You do a good service that I believe is appreciated by most of us here, even if it times we donāt always agree with the way things are approached.
Again, thank you, and the rest of the coral crew.
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Yeah, Its strange because there was also a comment from nanos that was also vanished
Edit: I aso had a notification that it was removed which is gone now too. So ā¦ strange.
Must be a superadmin thats coming for me. Regardless im taking this off topic now so no more speculation from me 
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I can vouch it was there, at least 2 comments have moved.
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