Rules for reporting posts - please advise

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  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited June 2011

    'Morning, all!

    I'm back in and I have a question for the moderators that may explain a portion of the problem (not the meat of it):

    Are BCOs servers/IT team located in a time zone that is not the United States?

    And it would be nice if some IT experts could help us out.

    The reason why I ask is because there does seem to be a lag time of several hours between the time things are reported to the mods AND they become aware of them and the time when whatever system glitch is going on has been fixed.

    Of course system glitches take time - I know that - but things that should be fixable with a "stroke of the pen" take ages - that is what I am referring to. Something Melissa said once made me wonder whether the mods don't have easy or immediate access to the actual machinery or to office staff handling the machinery. One indication is that when things happen on Friday MORNINGS it is still too late to fix until SUNDAY US time, whether Pacific or Eastern. I've also seen Melissa post quite late saying that she is working on something.

    Just a thought - or a questions for the mods, really. It's none of our business in some way if you outsource to another country, but in another way we might be a bit more understanding if we knew that there is a timezone delay for certain technicalities.

    I couldn't understand why I was not able to get back in on Friday, but now I wonder. Cheers.

    As for reporting rules. Groan. Been there, done that, agree that the current system is yet another step back, contrary to what we were led to believe.

  • rosemary-b
    rosemary-b Member Posts: 2,006
    edited June 2011

    One step forward 3 steps back

  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited June 2011

    And the possum girl is back. I was 99 percent sure. Now I am 100 percent sure. She "outed" herself via a huge smiley face. Fingerprints are fingerprints, say what one will about nationality and diagnosis. (It was the Agatha Christie character, Hercule Poirot, who always said that murderers usually convicted themselves if you let them talk enough. They don't confess, of course. They just show their indelible mark.) Groan again. Once again, it's deja vu all over again. Again. :-)

  • Texas357
    Texas357 Member Posts: 1,552
    edited June 2011

    Well, I just had a post reported for the first time ever. I'm 99 percent sure I know who did it, and I think it was out of vindictiveness. Seems the people who like to stir things up in the first place can also go back and report the posts that they disagree with.

  • BarbaraA
    BarbaraA Member Posts: 7,378
    edited June 2011

    Athena, I noticed that as well. Sheesh. I still feel (for the dozenth time) that publishing the deleters names will stop frivolous/vindictive deleting, thus freeing the mods up to do important stuff rather than referee a bunch of immature posters.

  • Wabbit
    Wabbit Member Posts: 1,592
    edited June 2011

    It did stop it!! 

    The only other option is to do away with the Report button.  I think we have seen the same thing over and over again for years ... it's pretty obvious that head pats and 'play nice please' is not going to work.

    Sorry you got hit Texas.  You are correct ... it is not what is said but that somebody gets peeved and goes after another poster personally.  

    The ones that are just differences of opinion are an entirely different kettle of fish and if the reporters names are made public the disagreements can be hashed out and understanding reached.  IMO

  • Bren-2007
    Bren-2007 Member Posts: 6,241
    edited June 2011

    Texas .. sorry you took a hit too.  Our club is growing by leaps and bounds!

    Sure wish they would put that feature back on that shows who's hitting the report button.

    Bren

  • Bren-2007
    Bren-2007 Member Posts: 6,241
    edited June 2011

    What the hell .. I just checked and had another one reported.  That's two this weekend!

    arghhh!  Somebody needs to jump in here and take some action!

    Bren

  • rosemary-b
    rosemary-b Member Posts: 2,006
    edited June 2011

    Same post reported again? Well sorry if I crossed a line but I did not know giving my reason for reporting even if I did misinterpret something broke a rule. I guess from now on I say I reported but not why.

  • Bren-2007
    Bren-2007 Member Posts: 6,241
    edited June 2011

    Yes ... it was the same one .. that's twice this weekend.  The email you get from the mods doesn't say what rule you broke.  Duh .. I didn't break any with my post!  Somebody didn't like what I wrote about an old friend of mine in Southern Utah .. geez .. how ridiculous is that!

    Bren

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    BinVA, I may be missing some subtlety here, but suggesting someone has a psychological disorder such as "histrionic personality disorder" would probably be considered cruel and defamatory by the BCO terms of service.

    "Attributing psychological problems to anyone in an email or social media context" falls into the bullying guidelines enforced by my school district.

  • Bren-2007
    Bren-2007 Member Posts: 6,241
    edited June 2011

    July .. I was talking about a friend of mine in Utah .. had nothing to do with BCO, but did have to do with a prior post on histrionic personality disorder.  I was referring to an old friend who was a drama queen.

    Why should that be reported.  I didn't refer to anyone on this board as having a psych disorder.

    I didn't bully another member .. get your facts straight, regardless of your school district policies.

    This is the post that was deleted.  I neither bullied nor defamed a member of BCO.

    http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/84/topic/762855?page=320#post_2453656

    Bren

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    July:

    I just went back and read the post, as well.  I have a couple of theories about these reports and whose doing them.  One of my theories was touched on by someone else yesterday when they said it was almost as if a lawyer was ferreting out things that could be defamatory.  That fits with going back four pages in a Forum to delete something. 

    Speculating on someone's mental health and quoting information from manuals (someone actually did that yesterday and had it deleted) would fall into that category. I think that many people forget that although BCO is a non-profit business - it is still a business.  If I were a business looking for sponsors, I would be embarrassed by some of the things that go on here.

    I'll keep the other theory to myself, for now. 

  • rosemary-b
    rosemary-b Member Posts: 2,006
    edited June 2011

    It seems to me that the interpretation of the rules has been quite liberal by those doing the reporting. You have to stretch the "cruel and defamatory" pretty far to apply it to Bren's post when she was talking about someone off this board.

  • Texas357
    Texas357 Member Posts: 1,552
    edited June 2011

    The bully is the one who is doing  the reporting. Of that, I am confident.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    Whoops - my first theory just fell apart - I just went back to the link posted above and it references another poster who is actually quoting/stating the elements of a particular disorder and her post was not deleted. On to my second theory.

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited June 2011

    Well now that's interesting. So the original post wasn't deleted. The whole thing has me stumped as to why they are being reported. It does seem it's those of us who have been around for a while though!

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    BinVA,

    After looking at the page link again more carefully, I discovered something new, that you are continuing to communicate some diagnosis manual entry (?) that a previous poster, nothinghaschanged, posted on that same thread. Asolutely, that would be considered a pattern of bullying harassment, especially given that you two seem to be escalating the mental disorder accusation with intent to stigmatize.

    If it were your family member who was the recipient of this defamation you would not accept the excuse, gee whiz, I was really just talking about "a friend of mine in Utah."

    I just dropped in here. I'm confused as to why people want rules that they themselves break. Someone else said it earlier: The report this option has failed. Some people always think policing a situation improves character. (shrug)

    edited to add: Yes, nurse-ann, I just noticed that myself. (shrug again)

  • Bren-2007
    Bren-2007 Member Posts: 6,241
    edited June 2011

    July .. once again, I did not break any rules of BCO.  I did not defame, bully or harrass another member.

    You can read my post 100 times and it will still say the same thing.  I said I found Axis II diagnoses interesting (which I do, I work for a psychiatrist), and I related a story about a friend of mine.

    I agree with you, the "report" function has failed.

    Bren

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    July, simple, they think they own BCO and want to rule the world = UTOPIA

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    July:

    I actually went back to read the link a third time.  If you move up several more posts above the one you mention, you will see that the Moderators had visited the thread and suggested that they tone it down.  They didn't.

  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited June 2011
    [Aw, heck. Never mind.  Not worth the trouble.]
  • lewing
    lewing Member Posts: 1,288
    edited June 2011

    I haven't been posting on BCO, except for Konakat's thread, for several months now.  I miss the friendships and interaction, but the repeated deletions and bannings really got to me.  So it's sad to see history repeating itself this weekend.

    I hope the moderators will step up to the plate.  For what it's worth, here are three specific suggestions, none of them original (seeing as how we've been down this path many times before):

    1. Restore the function that identified the last person who reported a post.  This was demonstrably effective in stopping vindictive deletions.  Then, for reasons I don't understand, it was undone (with no announcement or word of explanation as far as I can tell) - and, not surprisingly, the abuses returned.

    2. Do not allow "newbies" to report posts.  I believe this used to be the policy, but was reversed in the last round of changes.  Returning to the old policy isn't a cure-all, but would make it harder to create sock puppets to use against other posters.  (This is a necessity if suggestion #1, which relies on posters' concern for their community reputation, is adopted.)

    3. Establish and enforce a rule prohibiting multiple identities on this board.  I don't think one can overstate just how destructive it is to the community - to our ability to trust and support one another and grow friendships - when sock puppets and false ids are allowed to proliferate.

    Sorry if this seems like "swooping in."  It's just that what's been going on makes me very, very sad - all the more so in the wake of Konakat's death, since she really exemplified all that's best about this board, and the connections it allows us to make with women (and a few wonderful men) all over the world.

    Peace,

    L

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    Nurse-Ann,

    I saw the moderators official warning paragraph. I've seen that exact wording before. They must insert this boilerplate paragraph whenever there's a dustup. It's toothless. I gather this official paragraph suggests they're paying attention. Or is it a legal thing?

    The moderators boilerplate reminds me of what I yell when I hear my boys fighting: "Stop picking on your brother." But I never look up from the stove, the TV or the computer... It's just not practical and never accomplishes anything. But somebody might actually think I'm paying attention.

  • AnnNYC
    AnnNYC Member Posts: 4,484
    edited June 2011

    Very well said, Lewing.

     Especially in the week of Konakat's death, this is all bringing to mind a horrific example of the abuse of "report this post" -- back at the beginning of March, when someone(s) reported and deleted posts of Konakat's, and she was automatically, temporarily banned.  Many of the same suggestions to the Moderators about how to address such abuse can be found in the 4-page thread (which received "lots of hits in a short time," but all in agreement) from March 2, 2011 entitled "Free Konakat from the Time-Out Room":
    http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topic/765649?page=1

    Please note that Konakat was a dear friend of all on the "You say yes..." thread -- in fact, that's where her non-offending comments were deleted from.  So maybe we're all a little touchy right now about similar deletions happening again.  It really is time to work something out here.

    Thanks, and peace,

    Ann

  • Wabbit
    Wabbit Member Posts: 1,592
    edited June 2011

    Message to the Moderators ... Trying to sweep this under the carpet and pretending it's not so bad is not working.  We have been here toooo many times over several years now.

    The fact that even KK got hit ... when she was not doing well physically at all and really needed the support of her many friends here ... is a sign that this is way out of control and it is harmful to everybody.   

    Because we do not know who is reporting posts and trying to get people banned we are all sitting here and making assumptions.  Getting paranoid and pointing fingers.  Not good for anybody! 

    So please just give us the names.  The chips will at least fall in the right places that way.  What is going on now is much more destructive.

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    Lewing wrote:

    "3. Establish and enforce a rule prohibiting multiple identities on this board.  I don't think one can overstate just how destructive it is to the community - to our ability to trust and support one another and grow friendships - when sock puppets and false ids are allowed to proliferate"

    THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY MODERATORS IF YOU ARE LOOKING IN

    If you don't want your posts reported, there is a more gracious way of expressing one self, it's called Civility

    I would add that, in order to become a member, one would have to provide proof of actually having breast cancer.  Too many phonies on BCO in my opinion.

  • Alpal
    Alpal Member Posts: 1,785
    edited June 2011

    Luan - like a doctor's statement or a pic of your scars? What kind of proof?

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited June 2011

    I'd go with a pathology report with disclaimer for private and confidential info

  • -angel-
    -angel- Member Posts: 222
    edited June 2011

    Luan, you're joking, right?

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