My Fellow Deletees and The Cyberbullied Sisters

ADK

Gracie,

I think many of  the deletions we have recently experienced are attributable mostly to new ids created only for that purpose, Lizard being a prime example. Why would a newbie have any reason to report a post?  Some one who has just joined doesn't really know the people or site well enough to determine that some one else's post is unacceptable unless it were spam and believe me, there's enough of us older folks around to take care of that.  I don't use the ignore button, so I can't speak to how well it works.  I'm just too nosy to ignore anyone.

leggo

I do get that Anne, I really do, but it just doesn't sit right with me that a newbie (or even an old-timer) who doesn't post much, be punished for others actions. JMHO, though....I leave it to the mods to decide what's best.

leggo

Do you all really think deleting is the root of the problem? I'm just an observer here, but I really don't think so.

Shrek4

I agree with what Beesie said except for no 2. 50 posts is not enough. Make it like 100 or 200. Seems the best of all.

Anonymous

Other than giving someone whose posts are reported (and their friends) a target for their anger, what does naming the reporter publicly do?  Do you really think that public humiliation is the way to go?

It is already against the rules to report a post because you disagree with the viewpoint expressed.  The moderator already has access to who is reporting what posts, and the ability to take steps to deal with the situation if that reporting is being abused. 

Having to give the specific reason a post is being reported is very reasonable, and may help some reconsider their actions. 

Limiting who can report posts is probably the most important tool proposed.  New members shouldn't need to be reporting posts, and being able to restrict specific members ability to report posts may be an important tool for the moderator if she finds someone who is abusing that function. 

konakat

If someone has reported a post according to the rules what public humiliation would there be?  IMO the humiliation of identification for reporting a post because they just disagree or are a bully sounds like a good deterrent.  It is a sad state of affairs that such a deterrent is needed.  If everyone followed the rules there wouldn't be this problem.

ADK

Gracie,

I don't believe the root of the problem is the deleting, but the deleting is a tool used to incite.  If that tool is as limited and transparent as possible, then it will limit the ability to incite.  Once a post is deleted, the poster then becomes limited in their ability to post or is banned for a certain amount of time.  This is a powerful tool and it's misuse only adds to the underlying issue.  I think the underlying issue is that certain folks simply don't agree and it escalates.   

konakat

Gracie -- I agree that deleting isn't the root of the problem.  It's a symptom.

Medigal

Patmom:  I am not particularly for exposing the reporter to us because it could cause bad feelings if the deletion was felt justified by the reporter.  However, I do want the Mods to know who is doing the deleting so she can see if it is a regular member or someone from another forum just trying to start trouble.  This may put more of a burden on the job of the Mod but isn't that her responsibility to try to help keep our threads running without hostile people purposely trying to start trouble?   The reason I agree that the "reporter" has to have a certain number of posts is to help stop the "quick changes" of Ids and returning to report again almost immediately.  It will be interesting to see what Melissa and her team comes up with to help resolve this problem.

leggo

I really don't think the problem is certain folks disagreeing either, so again, solving the deleting problem is just a band-aid. I agree with konokat, though; if you're not abusing it, why would you have to worry about public humiliation? If you are, well, I'd like to know who you are and make up my own mind as to the reason.

leggo

....and I will always think it's unfair to limit newbies. Just remember how many newbies have a million questions when they're diagnosed, not to mention how they're jumped on if they accidentally post in the wrong forum, or someone "thinks" they used to "be" someone else, or whatever. It happens all the time.

Anonymous

The problem with making things black and white is that there are so many shades of gray. 

Lets say a spammer creates an ID and posts some ads that are blatant violations of BCO rules.  Several members report those ads.  They are publicly identified.  The spammer then goes to the member profiles for the identified reporters, and looks for ways to go after them.  Maybe reporting their posts, maybe going after their real life contacts. 

Anyone who would come onto a breast cancer support board and look to place spam there is not a nice person.  Why give them ammunition?

You are thinking only of what has happened on this thread, but any changes to the board are applied across the board, and we don't want to create new issues in an attempt to solve old ones.

Anonymous

"However, I do want the Mods to know who is doing the deleting "

She already has that information for every post that is reported. 

leggo

I have to disagree PatMom; I think it is pretty black and white and it certainly doesn't happen only on this thread. 

crazy4carrots

All of the suggestions previously mentioned would relieve Melissa of having to patrol through hundreds of threads, check for rules broken, re-instate those posts who were deleted without rules broken, re-instate posters who have been unjustly banned and so on and so on.

I'm sure none of us wants to pile on extra work for the moderators.  At the same time, we want the rule breakers (and rule benders) exposed and winnowed out, so that this can be a safe and productive place for everyone.

Simple, I think, and definitely not beyond the capacity of computer technology.

bluedahlia

Gee, Even Medigal was threatened by the "so called newbie".

ADK

Pat - the problem is that if there really are over 90,000 members, the Mods can't possibly keep up with every report of a post.  They are utilizing an automated system.  Even though the information may be collected, it isn't necessarily reviewed. 

I have no problem standing publically behind any report I have done.  I would hope it wouldn't create hard feelings because I have only reported spam and actual assaults (Lizard etal).

If report this post was not allowed to new members, the spammer wouldn't be able to report the members posts.  So, what other damage could they do? 

Wabbit

If I report a post I have no problem whatsoever with it being shown for everybody to see.  If I don't have a good reason that I can justify I shouldn't be doing it.

Spammers are hit and run artists ... they don't stick around.  Limiting the ability of new accounts to report posts would apply to them also. 

People are hiding behind new IDs to report without being held accountable.  The cure is to not enable the report function for new IDs.  Make it only kick in after a person has a reasonably high number of posts. 

The fact that everybody will know who reported a post will make folks stop and think about whether they have a good reason.  And that can only be a good thing IMO

We do need the tool for spam though. 

Alpal

I've reported many spammers on this site. I always post that I've reported the post because it's spam. I've never been targeted in any way by the spammers I reported.

crazy4carrots

I wonder if anyone has?

Medigal

"Gee, Even Medigal was threatened by the "so called newbie".

 Yep, Blue, I sure was and it was the vicious way she posted it that made me realize she isn't a person who is concerned with other people's feelings.   What gets me is how Lizard (good name for how she acted, imo), could storm in on you and then be ready to delete any one who tried to stop her and "she" gets home free.   When I read "you" and "Althena" were basically punished for something the Lizard did, it infuriated me.  Is her post still on here?  It seems like she is being rewarded for bad actions while innocent people had to pay for trying to stop her actions.  

I am so glad you feel better enough to post again.  Take care.

bluedahlia

Left eye is twitching but I'll be OK.  All those posts are gone.  Thanks.

pip57

Alpal, I too have reported spam but have posted that I have done so.  I've never had a response from the spammer about it.

I think the minimum posts (I like more than 100) is a good idea.  Most newbies don't have a reason to do so.  On the rare occasion that they do, there are usually some 'oldies' around to act on their behalf.  

I am torn about people being able to hit and run.  When they delete their account it messes up our pages.  Not a big deal but still an issue.  On one hand it is good to get rid of their nastiness but on the other hand, people reading the posts after it will not understand references made to the deleted ones.  Perhaps something could stand in its place like "deleted account". 

Wabbit

I'm guilty of the deleted account thing.  I didn't think about the messed up pages ... sorry. 

It was just that things were getting out of control and I knew I had shared some private info that I probably shouldn't have ... and going through 1600+ posts to find what needed to be removed seemed impossible. 

Hi blue!  Hope you get to feeling better soon (((hugs)))

I saw that comment threatening to go after Medigal too.  Forgive me Medigal but I chuckled a little bit ... talk about grabbing a tiger by the tail!  Lucky for her you weren't on here at the time.   And I mean that as a compliment. 

aka - Madalyn

pip57

White Rabbit, I was speaking more about the hit and run posters.  Like Lizard and Sammysmom.  Sometimes there are good reasons for deleting accounts.  They just wanted to cause trouble.

Medigal

White:  I was on here but I knew from past experiences she was not going to be a problem to me.  It was obvious our "forces" were heavily at work zonking her faster than she could zonk us.  I think it was Althena and Bren who threw a lot of "salt"  on that creature and sent her back to where she really belonged.  We're a "team" here on this thread.  They attack one of us, they get the wrath of "all" of us as far as I am concerned.  So thanks for the compliment but I don't think I am the only "tiger" in this group.  My gals all have their stripes as far as I am concerned.   "We ALL have "tigers" in our tanks!"

IHOP

LOL.  Don't they use salt on leaches to remove them when swimming?  Such a good analogy.  Or is that a metaphor?  I gotta say I can't tell my analogies from my metaphores from my similies.  Now don't get me started on oxymorons.  But I'm sure we have a few oxymorons in the bunch as well. 

Anonymous

When you search the Member List there are 5 accounts that someone set up on March, 17, 2009.  They used "moderator" with a different number on each one.  Whoe ever it is have the ability to knock anyone of us off the boards.

Enjoyful

I thought it was salt on a slug?  Maybe it works for leeches, too!

pip57

SeaFoobs, quite the detective aren't you?  Now clearly you would think that should raise a red flag to the real moderators of the site.