Notice to newcomers re trolls.

bank_of_slate

<- will work for chocolate!
...Linda xx

bubbles0169

bump........

Nomad25

........... this way ....... back to the 1st page bump.

fermi

Interesting.

MSE_Forum_Manager wrote: »

Firstly, thanks to *MF* for starting this thread; it's an important discussion and we welcome input on it. For the record, we still believe that the ratio of spam to users on our forum is still relatively low, and our reaction time is usually quite good (admittedly some times could be quicker and we are always seeking to improve). Spam will always exist in some form, and we know that spammers will always "beat the system".

That isn't to say, though, that we don't want to be even better at fighting it. With regard to the restricted ability point made, our biggest concern, as Rex touches on, is new moneysavers, often in problematic circumstances who are quite often new to forums. We don't want to scare these people off by restricting their avenues of help. PM's from new members are more common that you might think, and often a lifeline. For us, dealing with spam is a small price to pay if we are able to reach more new members. I'm sure you can understand our standpoint on that.

As mountainchrisriver also points out, correctly, a minimum post quote is likely to cause the spammer to hit us the set amount of times anyways. In effect, this could make the problem worse to clear up.

On the issue of trolling, this is extremely subjective. You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would!) the amount of reports from threads accusing each other of trolling. It's often hard to find that line and sometimes strong opinion is often labeled "trolling" or "bullying" which appear to be the modern buzz terms. That said, we are aware that there is a growing element of users who seem to want to disrupt and go against our "be nice to other moneysavers" ethos. We are working on further measures to stamp down on this, specifically in the debt free wannabe, bankrupcy and benefits areas, where people are often at their lowest and in need of the most help.

I think it is also worth pointing out that this sites grows exponentially day on day, and the last 6 months to a year, aided by the bank charges campaign has seen a dramatic rise. We often see people commenting that "MSE has gotten worse" "people are more nasty" - it's worth remembering that the sheer number of people on here is now huge, and thus the associated problems will also increase.

We are a limited staff, with limited resources and we work as hard as we can to keep the forum a friendly, informative and lively community.

pania

very interesting!!! and fab to see that measures are afoot to deal with real genuine trolls such as the nasty piece of work that prompted this thread.

Thanks MSE forum manager!!!

Horace

Thanks to one and all. Just giving this a gentle nudge because it has slipped onto page 2:rolleyes:

pania

oops...........................

*MF*

pania wrote: »

Hi everybody.


Over the last few weeks we have had a number of "troll" attacks on the boards.

What is a Troll? A troll is a person that posts deliberately provocative, nasty or hurtful comments on threads. They may be a person with no previous connection to the board or someone that has created a pseudonym to get their point made.

If you should get a comment made on any thread you post asking for help and advice please realise this comment is not directed at you personally.
We really are all a lovely bunch here (oops, modest, sorry) so please ignore these nasty comments and continue to post here as normal.

what should i do if i get a comment made on my thread?

firstly do not respond to the comment as this invariably is what the person wants. At the bottom of the post, on the left hand side is a red "warning" triangle. Click this and then "send" the message that comes up. This will report the message to abuse who will review it's content and delete it.

The person we had this morning was particularly vile and nasty and please believe me is an extreme rarity here.
Above all PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE THE BOARDS. THIS SITE IS AN ASSET TO SO MANY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT FEELS THE WORLD IS FALLING IN ON YOU. THERE IS SUCH A WEALTH OF ADVICE HERE TO BE HAD THAT THE COMMENTS OF ONE MUST NOT DETER YOU FROM AVAILING YOURSELF OF THE KNOWLEDGE HERE!!!!

It is testament to the work that martin has done and continues to do that so many people give their time knowledge and experience freely to others, without judgement, to lift people out of the depths of debt crisis

PLEASE DO NOT LET THE ACTIONS OF THE MINORITY RUIN THAT.


Kind wishes
P
xxxxx

... keeping it moving up ...

bank_of_slate

burhumpety bump
...Linda xx

Nomad25

so what's happening then?