Private messages.

Oh OK, I didn't realise the NAS would be liable.  Better safe than sorry.  I'm glad you are being so responsible about it.  It makes me for one (especially after my experience elsewhere) feel a lot safer, it feels more professional too.

Hi Intenseworld,

The anonymity rule is very important to us. Even if we could be sure people would go to the effort of creating a forum specific/anonymous email, we would still be facilitating private conversations without any way to monitor them. If something were to go wrong, we'd still risk being liable. We'd have no way of monitoring abuse. 

We're definitely having these debates, it's just one without any easy answer.

 

Thanks Anil A, I was concerned at the derailment here and attempts to personalise the issue, when all I had done was to give an example why I felt PMs were not such a good idea.

If it could be made so that no-one save the recipient could access PM's I might be swayed, but unless I knew that was categorical I'd rather stick to how it is.

Can people not put their email address in their community profile if they are happy for people to contact them, that way PMs are not required?  They could set up e.g. a hotmail without using their real name in the email address and if they received unwanted emails they can just mark it as spam.  Problem solved.

Just a reminder to everyone here that anonymity is an important part of our community and it applies across the board. This means we'd prefer if issues from other forums did not spill over into our community.

As for the private messaging, it is under consideration, but safe guarding remains an issue we're exploring.

stranger said:

I've just realised who you are and yes, I do moderate that forum. However, I am not one of the mods you're referring too. (oh, and they are trying to help you. Nice eay to pay them back by slagging them off)

I don't know how you think you have "just realised who I am" as I have no idea who you are or which forum you moderate.

You seem to have me confused with someone else.  What happened to me, was in no way shape or form anyone trying to "help" me.  I suffered bullying, vindictiveness and unprofessionalism and those involved should hang their heads in shame.

Clearly we are talking about a different forum and different moderators so I have no idea why you want to get into it with me, or what your problem is.  I am concerned that someone who would post in the way you have is a mod anywhere.  A mod should retain professionalism, no bias and no unfairness at all times.

(ETA: This is all beginning to be a bit strange.  I do not have this username or any other identifying features on any other forum, so it's most odd that you firstly assumed I was talking about "your" forum and that you "suddenly" realised who I am, after that.)

Oh and BTW, it's not possible to slag off anonymous people.  I have neither named or shamed the forum or those nasty individuals concerned (even though they deserve it).  How is it paying people back when I have not done so!  That is a rhetorical question BTW, just for the sake of clarity, as I do not wish to discuss this further with you and will not answer further posts on the matter.  I just came on this thread to express my opinion on the OP and explain why a PM facility is a bad idea when mods can read your PMs.  How are they PMs if that is the case.  If someone was stalked (and I'm beginning to know what that feels like...) they could easily forward any offensive messages to mods, there does not need to be any reasons for mods to have that level of power, as it is clearly open to abuse.

I've just realised who you are and yes, I do moderate that forum. However, I am not one of the mods you're referring too. (oh, and they are trying to help you. Nice eay to pay them back by slagging them off)

Scorpion is correct.  I'm unsure why you thought I knew anything about you or was commenting about the forum you moderate.

stranger said:

eh? Not sure how you'd know which forum I help moderate when you have no idea who I am.

I think he/she was referring to the forum they got banned from, not the one you help moderate, stranger.

The forum in question had some very nasty behaviour by one particular mod, and unprofessional behaviour by another.  Because certain vindictive, sarcastic members were clearly in league with these two mods it meant I was very unfairly treated.  Because of the way I was booted off the forum, not having broken any site rules whatsoever, they had clearly been looking for any excuse to do it.  This makes me sure they were looking at my PMs, as I had discussed the situation with another member by PM (and had forwarded them a copy of the especially nasty mod's PM to me) bearing in mind their other behaviour I would not put it past them at all.  I am not saying this behaviour by mods would go on elsewhere (although everyone is human) but it did there and that is a large forum with a lot of members.

I help moderate a forum and what scorpion said above is true. Admin don't read PMs willy nilly - it's usually if it's advertising or any other unwanted behaviour.

IntenseWorld said:

[quote]It is also usual in most forums, and other similar types of online communication system, for any private messages to only actually be nominally private - that is to say that whilst such messages are not visible to the public in general, they remain visible to the site's moderators and administrators.[/quote]

I had no idea about that, and I'm mortified as I used to use another forum which I regularly sent PMs to a friend I made (nothing dodgy) and I feel invaded now knowing that they were reading my messages the whole time.  I was unfairly kicked off the site as well, by two horrid mods who were in cahoots with a small group of nasty members and I feel they would have deliberately read my messages now.  Just before I was booted off, I had sent copies of some awful PMs one of the mods sent me and I wondered why the recipient didn't reply, I now believe they were deleted before he could.

Well, if they make a PM facility on here, now I know this fact I for one would never use it.

In general, on a well run forum (such as this one), the Moderators don't routinely read people's private messages.

The facility for them to be able to do so exists solely for the purpose of settling disputes between forum members (for example where one member is being harrased via private messages by another).

Unfortunately not all forums are well run, and it seems you found one of those less well run sites.

I'm sure on a site such as this the moderators would in no way behave anything like you describe nor do I believe that they would routinely read private messages.

Scorpion0x17 said:

It is also usual in most forums, and other similar types of online communication system, for any private messages to only actually be nominally private - that is to say that whilst such messages are not visible to the public in general, they remain visible to the site's moderators and administrators.

I had no idea about that, and I'm mortified as I used to use another forum which I regularly sent PMs to a friend I made (nothing dodgy) and I feel invaded now knowing that they were reading my messages the whole time.  I was unfairly kicked off the site as well, by two horrid mods who were in cahoots with a small group of nasty members and I feel they would have deliberately read my messages now.  Just before I was booted off, I had sent copies of some awful PMs one of the mods sent me and I wondered why the recipient didn't reply, I now believe they were deleted before he could.

Well, if they make a PM facility on here, now I know this fact I for one would never use it.

Alex R - mod said:

Hi Goatworshiper,

As it happens we were discussing this recently. We are looking into providing this function. However, we have not taken a final decision to do it. As Jim said before, this is a choice we have to make very carefully. We will be sure to let you know once we reach a conclusion. Thank you for being patient with us.

Alex R - mod

its cool its being discussed

it is a function most forums have nowadays and it seems like a resonable thing to have seeing as its not really permitted to put up personal info on the site, so people can do it of their own choice privately

Ok thank you for the update.

Hi Goatworshiper,

As it happens we were discussing this recently. We are looking into providing this function. However, we have not taken a final decision to do it. As Jim said before, this is a choice we have to make very carefully. We will be sure to let you know once we reach a conclusion. Thank you for being patient with us.

Alex R - mod

Just a bump. What is the state of play on PM's? 

Goatworshiper said:

...you friend some one, they say yay or nay, then PM can be sent...

That's basically the idea being suggested here.

Private messaging is allowed for everyone unless you foe them. But I wonder if the forum can be set up in a diferrent way? So you friend some one, they say yay or nay, then PM can be sent?

Surely the friend/foe system must add a line of code to enable or disable a function?

I see.

More of a blacklist/whitelist type thing, rather than a private messaging system, then.