Pm Bans

[Wills]

Hi all, I have had an email from Tolak telling me I have had my Personal Messages removed due to me recruiting for an other forum using the personal messages system. This is not true though - I want to see exact messages, times and dates as to why I have been accused of this.

I will admit I am members of about 5 other forums but thats not against the rules is it? I can also categorically say I have never used the message system to recruit people - I have used it maybe twice to mention an other site to someone though that was months ago and I have already been "punished" for that.

Although I would hardly call it recruiting I have told a few people who are members on here among other forums one inparticular friend had already received an (as usual) uncalled for ban.

Finally I would invite someone from the moderating team to discus this with me rather than just locking the topic and forgetting it.

Wills

 

[walkers101]

also agree i would also like to see proof of where i had invited a member of this forum

 

[BigC]

We are currently going over the regulations we have in place to protect the integrity of this forum board.
The current sanctions imposed are a temporal measure whilst ongoing investigations. their subsequent implications and other infringement matters are being looked at.
Please bear with us at this time whilst we get to the bottom of this problem and it is hoped that this interlude hasn't spoilt your enjoyment of this forum.
Regards
BigC

 

[Wills]

Wills,

Tolak has sent you this email from http/www.fishforums.net/index.php.


Due to recruiting members from TFF for other forums the Moderating Team has decided to restrict your Personal Message privileges. This decision was reached after discussion by all the active Moderators and Administrators, as a team decision.

Looks like a real temporal infringement

I would still like to see some evidence at least on my part. Especially since this recent dispute has come to light in a period where I have been active here for 2 days. Surely a glance over my most recent topic in the NW section would show that people want me here - same goes for the discussions about other members involved in this on the open forum.

Also if you dont like members from here viewing other forums/ acknowledging their existence perhaps you should tell all of your moderating team to stop visiting them - by visiting them I mean hijacking and posting nonsense. We checked the IP addresses At least we can say that all of us have only contributed in a positive manor for many months/ years rather than childish behavior in a matter of minutes

Wills

 

[BigC]

As will become apparent over the comming days, These are not the only infringements to our specific set of forum rules and regulations. Rules and regulations that have been formulated and updated over many years to protect and the integrity of this board. So as folks can enjoy what is on offer.
Many folks will feel disgruntled at this moment in time, as to be expected,and if they know they have done nothing wrong then they have nothing to fear. There are other aspects that need to be investigated. It has not been entered into in a light hearted manner as so many will be led to think. If other forums offer a better experience I/we have no problems with anyone going elsewhere to find what they need to further their hobby.
Let me pose a question, if the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, then why such a commotion.
As I say all ongoing investigations are current and ongoing, anyone not implicated in dubious matters will have their full privileges returned forthwith when completed.
Regards
BigC

 

[markp2067]

Blimey, this all seems a little OTT. I am a user of many forums, one of which am i part of the admin team but not once have i heard about this. Does this mean that it is against the rules to promote this forum through other forums, after all it is a double edged blade after all. Many a time i have recommended one forum through another on the live board. Not once have i been punished for it.

 

[Wills]

Let me pose a question, if the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, then why such a commotion.

BigC

If I take this question as if you have found somewhere better to post why come back here. Simple there are people here whos opinion I value for my tank who are not on the other boards.

I also enjoy helping new people with their tanks, setting up, avoiding problems etc and since this site is number 1 in the google rankings for now then I do get drawn into helping out people here as this is the easiest site for them to find.

Wills

 

[minxfishy]

What the most concerning thing is, who gave any one here the right to read personal messages that have nothing to do with them. There are privacy issues involved in this, I for one, object strongly to having my personal conversation read by anyone other than the person they are intended for! Now whilst Im not one of those with a PM ban (that I know of - yet) I was in daily contact for months with one of the people who has had their PM function removed, so this means you have been reading our conversations, none of which pertained to anything about this current nonsense in them, our addresses, phone numbers, information regarding our children have all been visible apparently to mods/admin of this site. If this is the case, Im disgusted, nothing gives anyone the right to read personal messages of other members and frankly members of this forum should have known this was possible a long time ago, allowing us the right to choose whether to use this facility or not.

And I suppose because Im a member of other forums, I shouldnt be allowed to continue to use this one. The commotion isnt about the grass being greener, its about privacy and the apparent dictatorship of the mods/admin here to allow members the freedom of joining/being a member of another forum, which is truly ridiculous.

 

[BigC]

Hi Mark,
There is a difference between recommending and blatant recruiting.
I too like others visit other forums, specialist or otherwise in the thirst for knowledge.
We are always learning and we are all here to help others. Some have different agendas.
We will put things to right shortly and all parties concerned will be fully exonerated.
n.b.We cannot read personal messages, we have no right, nor would we wish to (that is an invasion of privacy). we have suspended some PM functionality whilst a range of aspects are being discussed and dialogue has been opened by all parties concerned on a much higher level.

 

[minxfishy]

So if you cannot read personal messages, how and why have you chosen these members to have a PM ban, without any evidence, its just an indiscrimate ban on those you know are on another forum, again ridiculous.

 

[ian]

As BigC states, it's only while we look into things a bit further, Wills. A lot of things go on behind the scenes on this forum Wills, things that i didn't realise went on when i was a regular member. I have personally seen a lot of forums fade away, forums i have belonged to. This one is still top in the 'google' rankings for a reason, because of the way it's run. As stated before these sanctions are only in place while we look into it further.

one in-particular friend had already received an (as usual) uncalled for ban.

These bans are not taken lightly Wills, as you probably already know. As above a lot of things go on behind the scenes, and I can wholeheartedly say that no ban is ever uncalled for.

Ian

 

[BigC]

If I take this question as if you have found somewhere better to post why come back here. Simple there are people here whos opinion I value for my tank who are not on the other boards.

I also enjoy helping new people with their tanks, setting up, avoiding problems etc and since this site is number 1 in the google rankings for now then I do get drawn into helping out people here as this is the easiest site for them to find.

As far as I'm aware you can still do that Wills.

OK,
As I said earlier, this goes beyond what you are seeing.
and all will become apparent should you wish to wait.
I'm only a fishkeeper, I'm a Mod not a God, but by doing so I have agreed to abide by the forum rules by taking on such a role.
We try to make decisions that further and promote the longevity and well being of this site and its ownership.
I will try to give you some of the answers you seek but for certain reasons I cannot provide all of them.
So instead of trying to have a pop all the time, be patient and things will get back to normality asap.
This will be my last response to this topic
Regards
C

 

[markp2067]

Hi BigC,

I am part of the admin team for a huge car club and frequently recommend another forum for users searching specialst info on a certain type of car. I'm not saying the club i'm in specialises for all Vauxhalls but at times a more direct group is recommended. Likewise whilst on other forums i recommend the club i administrate for being better. Every forum has its good points and bad and likewise a hive of precious information can be found on every forum. Whats one mans poison and all that.

The more people that know about a club, recommending or recruiting, which ever way you put it, surely the better it is?

 

[Bignose]

Mark,

It isn't a question of "better" or "worse". It is a simple matter of respecting this forum and the resources that have been put into it. Specifically, William has spent his own money on paying for a domain name and hosting server. To date, he hasn't accepted any money from advertising at all.

And that's really what it comes down to: advertising for other competing forums. When links or recommendations to specialist forums are made -- in particular when they contain information that isn't available here -- there is zero problem with that. But, when it is just a link to another general fish forum or recruiting members for another general fish forum, it is the advertising attempting to entice people to spent time away from this forum that we ask people not to do.

Think of it this way:

If you owned an independent coffee shop, and someone came in just to ask you "Where is the nearest Starbucks?" what would you do? Most people would probably say "I can sell you whatever kind of coffee you want right here, cheaper and better than them!"

Or take a look at www.ford.com -- do you see any advertisements for GM cars there?

I think in both cases, the coffee shop owner and Ford Motor Company would say that it is indeed good for their business as a whole that people are buying coffee and cars, respectively. But that doesn't mean that they are going to directly help someone to a competitor's product.

In short, William has stated that he doesn't want his resources used to advertise for other general fish forums. Not only is doing so a sign of respect for this sites admin and owner, and not only is it doing what pretty much every other entity does in not actively leading people to competitors, but finally it is also in the rules that every single one of us agreed to when we became a member. If at any time you decide you don't agree with those rules anymore, you may resign your membership by telling any of the mods. Or, if you intentionally break those rules, the mods may be forced to take away your membership.

I we all just respect what William has created for us here and respect the rules, there really aren't any issues at all.

 

[markp2067]

Sorry bud, wasn't so much as questioning your reasons but concerned that it seemed a litte "Communist". I'm all up for supporting a forum and going by its rules.