Spam/Nuisance Posts

Mon, 7 July 2008, 12:26 pm

jeffhansen24 posts in thread

This is an open post to the administrator of the site. This site used to be a valuable tool for those of us in the theatre community to find useful information and share our thoughts with others. Of late, it has become a bitchfest. I would like to see posts retricted to signed up and verified members only. While this wouldn't stop completely the post hijacking that is currently destroying this site, it would mean that you would need to take the time to sign up a membership, which could subsequently be revoked if site rules are abused. Obviously this is not a panacea, but I think will help this site grow. I'm fed up with the crap! Jeff

Moderation and removal of posts

Mon, 7 July 2008, 08:38 pm

Grant Malcolm

I'm happy to revisit this discussion again, as always...

Jeff wrote:
> I want people to have to put their name to their comments,
> and those who continually abuse this forum to be removed.

I'm not sure that I agree with either of these, nor are they realistic goals.

Short of requiring that people use a passport, driver's license, credit card or some such to register on the site - and it doesn't take much to guess what impact this would have on contributions - on the Internet no-one knows if you're a dog:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/idog.html

If we can't identify people, we can't effectively remove them. They'll simply re-register.

Terrible thing, I know. But somehow we have to all learn to get along together.

:-)

> So, who gets to judge what's OK? Well....I'll put my hand up. I'm game.

Indeed.

Quite apart from being entirely impractical, given the volume of traffic on this website, I have had legal advice from a number of very well qualified, independent sources that judging what should and shouldn't be posted on the site would expose me, the individuals involved and others to unreasonable risk of liability.

This site accepts contributions from the public without any form of approval or moderation. Postings are the responsibility of the person posting, not my responsibility or the responsibility of any organisation associated with the site. If I, or anyone else, gets involved in removing even a single post on a personal whim, we become liable by extension for everything that we allow to remain on the site - all 60,000 posts.

I'd hasten to add this doesn't mean we simply lie down and accept that trolls can run amok. The moderation systems in place on the site, while not as good as they could be (will be, later this year!), do allow the community to vote posts up or down.

In your follow up post you mentioned "administrators of this site", I'd encourage every registered member to recognise that deciding what is worthwhile or rubbish is not something determined by some omnipotent anonymous figure/s. Your votes count. Please use them.

Regards
Grant

--
Director, actor and administrator of this website

Thread (24 posts)

Threaded Flat

Spam/Nuisance Posts— jeffhansen7 July 2008

We've already had this— Na7 July 2008
- I suspect the admin people encourage nusiance post— Walter Plinge10 July 2008
  - Did we encourage you to— Na10 July 2008
  - I suspect Wake Up is a troll— jmuzz10 July 2008
I'm not in any way wanting— jeffhansen7 July 2008
- "I'm not in any way wanting— Na7 July 2008
- Worthwhile sentiments...— Grant Malcolm7 July 2008
Forum rules— jeffhansen7 July 2008
- Digging around— Na7 July 2008
  - Just throwing around some— jeffhansen7 July 2008
- Moderation and removal of posts— Grant Malcolm7 July 2008
  - Couldn't say it better than that— Na7 July 2008
    - I'm all for "why can't we— jeffhansen7 July 2008
- "Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me" etc...— Bass Guy8 July 2008
Previous thread— jeffhansen7 July 2008
A couple of thoughts.....I— jeffhansen12 July 2008
- You may not see 'nuisance'— Na12 July 2008
- Dealing with nuisances— Grant Malcolm13 July 2008
  - Well said Grant— Logos13 July 2008
Well....I shall await the— jeffhansen12 July 2008
This site has absolute no— Walter Plinge13 July 2008
spam/nuisance posts— Walter Plinge14 July 2008
- What's obscene? You're— Na14 July 2008

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