Spam seems to be a rampant part of this forum. I realize that the books attract a young crowd, but many of our members seem to be well below 13 (the COPPA age requirement) as per their posting etiquette.
I dont even visit every forum in the site (typically only the Great Hall and Diagon Alley), but even there the spam is disorienting to see. It's everywhere. There will be a good discussion and someone will simply post "yes," with no indication of what they are agreeing to, why they agree with it, or if there was something unclear in any above post.
Or the random off-topic posts. I understand that often times a topic will gradually evolve from one topic to another, and that is very acceptable (the flow of discussion is always interesting), but to be discussing one thing and have someone post something completely irrelevant in the middle of the topic is rude and, well, immature in the highest regard. It shows a complete lack of respect for the members, the staff, and the site in general.
Perhaps it's because I'm used to older crowds on the other forums I visit, but the amount of spam here is really intolerable. I enjoy this site a great deal and think it has valuable staff and members with great insight to the series, but the flip side is its insufferable amount of useless posts. I understand that younger members may hold great stock in having a high post count, seeing it as a sign of maturity and respect on the forum; however it will always be post content that matters, rather than post count.
The COPPA age requirement is handled by DarMonkey. Legal documents are filed out and sent by the kids parents. As for this spam you speak of, I do not see it as a big deal.
The members of this community are well acknowledged of the Forum Rules and Policy's put into place. It is very important to remember, not every post is going to be on-topic. I, as well as the staff here do our best to remove high priority material such as the daily porn, advertising, infected links, and gambling links by the bots. We do uphold and comply with all U.S. federal laws.
If you feel someone is breaking our Forum Rules you may send a PM to a staff member ASAP. We will do our best to resolve the situation.
I can a sure you the content on this site is well controlled and not an issue you need to worry about. You can't have a community if you go out on somebody for every post that is not up to par.
Thanks for the feedback and concern. Any information regarding this may be sent to webmaster@potterforums.com _________________
So America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez Cuisine!
Last edited by Alastor Moody on October 11, 2008 12:20 pm; edited 2 times in total
Many people do spam for post count, and especially to get rid of Muggle or Squib ranks. It is annoying to see people posting "Yeah," or "That's right," but it's useless on a forum this size for mods to delete the posts. _________________
Yas and Simmy - putting Luna on catwalks since 2008!
I was not insinuating (at least, I did not mean to) that the forum or its staff were breaking COPPA laws. I simply meant it to show the maturity level of many of the posters here. At 13, I think they should be well-versed in how to carry on a conversation, reply to a topic, and post well-informed material.
I also understand the task of removing more harmful spam such as porn, bots, autos, etc. (as I've moderated and administrated several rather large forums myself). However, this type of spam is just as harmful and corrosive to a good community to remain healthy. The promotion of such useless posts (I could link you to several if you need examples) provides a lot of room for exploitation of the rules.
As I said, I understand that a topic will naturally ebb and flow from one discussion to another based on ideas posted in the thread. I do not consider that off-topic, as it remains rather on topic the entire time. Though, I do regard it as off-topic or spam when there is a discussion about, say, whether a Giant or a Centaur would win in a fight, and someone merely posts "die centaur" or "yeah" or "what about this animal and this animal?" Because one could simply start a new thread about that one, and the first two posts are spam because they offer nothing relevant to the discussion at hand. The posts are simply useless.
Perhaps the forum is understaffed for it's size (I cannot see a selection that lists the staff members), but it would be good if there were a specific moderator that could work on clearing such useless material from the forum, as the other moderators are busy with other tasks. I am not asking this forum to become a dictatorship (which technically and legally it is! ), only that the members are educated on what is appropriate, that the internet is not a place where real-world manners, grammar and other such rules do not apply.
This website has enough staff members, thank you very much. These posts you speak of do not break our Forum Rules. When, and if they do, it shall be dealt with accordingly. As for the immaturity of the sites development, this is life.
Like I told you, if you wish to discuss this in a more private and affective manner. Contact our Site Administrator at webmaster@potterforums.com
I don't need members feelings hurt by what you said here, no offense to your opinions.
I have been a part of this community for nearly two years. I do everything I can on a daily bases to keep it healthy. Nothing more important to me then making sure everyone here is happy with the way things go. _________________
So America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez Cuisine!
I was not insinuating (at least, I did not mean to) that the forum or its staff were breaking COPPA laws. I simply meant it to show the maturity level of many of the posters here. At 13, I think they should be well-versed in how to carry on a conversation, reply to a topic, and post well-informed material.
Not everyone is as well versed as you were at 13, I guess.
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I also understand the task of removing more harmful spam such as porn, bots, autos, etc. (as I've moderated and administrated several rather large forums myself). However, this type of spam is just as harmful and corrosive to a good community to remain healthy. The promotion of such useless posts (I could link you to several if you need examples) provides a lot of room for exploitation of the rules.
Of course links help, we have a whole Report Link thread for you to do that in, too. Al already said for you to pm us if you would rather do it that way.
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As I said, I understand that a topic will naturally ebb and flow from one discussion to another based on ideas posted in the thread. I do not consider that off-topic, as it remains rather on topic the entire time. Though, I do regard it as off-topic or spam when there is a discussion about, say, whether a Giant or a Centaur would win in a fight, and someone merely posts "die centaur" or "yeah" or "what about this animal and this animal?" Because one could simply start a new thread about that one, and the first two posts are spam because they offer nothing relevant to the discussion at hand. The posts are simply useless.
It's not really spam as long as it's on-topic. It's annoying, yeah, but it's not technically spam since it is on-topic.
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Perhaps the forum is understaffed for it's size (I cannot see a selection that lists the staff members), but it would be good if there were a specific moderator that could work on clearing such useless material from the forum, as the other moderators are busy with other tasks. I am not asking this forum to become a dictatorship (which technically and legally it is! ), only that the members are educated on what is appropriate, that the internet is not a place where real-world manners, grammar and other such rules do not apply.
This topic has been brought up before about potterforums needing more staff members. We have plenty of them and we work the hardest we can. If you don't think we work hard enough, then maybe you should stick around and see how many days I go with no sleep or how many things Al gives up just so we can all be here with you.
The fact is this is the internet, so you are going to run into poor spelling and grammar, especially chatspeak. We're not going to force someone to use perfect grammar. We'll leave that to their parents and teachers. We're here to have fun with our favorite online community, not teach a lesson in proper punctuation. _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan
There is no need for me to contact the Administrator, because it's not that large of a deal. And I did not mean to insult or upset you, and I apologize that I have. I did not mean to come across negatively or angry, and again I am sorry that it seems I have. I am simply trying to be constructive in prolonging the proactive attitude of this community.
I also do not think I have insulted any of the members nor given them cause to have their feelings hurt. I am simply stating what I've found to be effective in other large online communities and the problems I've seen arise there. I feel there can be no harm in such suggestions.
I also did NOT say "This site does not have enough moderators." I said that I was unsure how many staff members there were, because there is no function on the forum to check this (I apologize, for I am used to Invision Power Boards). I had gathered from your post, where you admitted that the staff were busy with other tasks, that YOU felt there were not enough staff members. I am sorry, I wish you had been more clear on that point, then.
I also must respectfully disagree that the posts I mention are not spam. I quote from the rules:
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5. Spamming is not allowed. Only make posts that relate to the topic being discussed.
1. No one word posts.
Again, I am not trying to upset you, but I must disagree when misinformation is posted.
What your attitude suggests to me, s an older member, is that I am not welcome here. I understand that this is not true, but that is how you are coming across. That mature and educated opinions are of less value than random pointlessness. If anything, I am insulted by your accusations.
It's not that you aren't welcome here, but it seems to us like you don't want to be here.
We didn't say they aren't spam, because we have no idea what posts you are talking about. Links would be awesome. As I said, there is a Report Spam thread exactly for this purpose. If you want to you can PM us. _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan
Aaron, thank you for posting your feedback. Personally, I agree with many of your observations regarding the content of some posts within our site. Some members like yourself are hear to have serious and mature discussions of topics related to Harry Potter. Other members are here to hang out. We have a very diverse population of members. Different ages, backgrounds, and locations. Unfortunately, in many of the situations you describe, not all posts are going to meet the expectations of all members. Because of this, we attempt to balance the needs and preferences of our diverse membership to find a middle ground of enforcement to make the bulk of our audience enjoy their stay on the forums.
You make valid claims that some of the posts you describe meet our Forum Rules' classification of spam. However, as described by the moderators above, these are not viewed as being as critical to address as other more serious versions of spam or inappropriate content. But, when these posts are identified by moderators or reported by members, they should be handled appropriately. The best tool that we have for this is the "Report Post" button found in the upper right of each post. If you see a post that you feel does not follow the Forum Rules, please submit a report (as you've done recently). This brings problem posts to our attention so that we can address them. We definitely appreciate the assistance of our members in helping report these posts.
To answer one of your questions, you can view the Moderator Team by clicking on Usergroups and selecting Moderator Team and View Information. Alternatively, here is a direct link.
Again, thank you for your suggestions and feedback. I have unlocked this topic for further discussion if anyone else has opinions or ideas. _________________
This topic has been brought up before about potterforums needing more staff members. We have plenty of them and we work the hardest we can. If you don't think we work hard enough, then maybe you should stick around and see how many days I go with no sleep or how many things Al gives up just so we can all be here with you.
ginny, this sounds terrible and is probably the best argument FOR more staff. there is no reason one mod should be going without sleep or another missing out on important things in their personal life. i understand some people will be more dedicated then others, but surely there's something that can be done to alleviate some of this burden from the current staff. _________________ how tough am i? well, i'll have you know i stubbed my toe last week (while watering my spice garden), and i only cried for 20 minutes!
This topic has been brought up before about potterforums needing more staff members. We have plenty of them and we work the hardest we can. If you don't think we work hard enough, then maybe you should stick around and see how many days I go with no sleep or how many things Al gives up just so we can all be here with you.
ginny, this sounds terrible and is probably the best argument FOR more staff. there is no reason one mod should be going without sleep or another missing out on important things in their personal life. i understand some people will be more dedicated then others, but surely there's something that can be done to alleviate some of this burden from the current staff.
I agree with you there. I think we need a new a moderator and prefect for Hufflepuff since The Dark Mark left.
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There is no need for me to contact the Administrator, because it's not that large of a deal.
Then why on earth did you make this topic in the first place?! _________________ "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." thanks to evanesco for the sig, and to JKR for the quote!
I think we need a new a moderator and prefect for Hufflepuff since The Dark Mark left.
I think Dark Mark just left the Moderating team only, but he still moderates/prefects of the Hufflepuff Common Room.
Oh, I didn't know that. *looks for Hufflepuff to say that's true*
I think the only place where we really get a lot of spam(that I've seen anyway) is the help section, because guests can post here. _________________ "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." thanks to evanesco for the sig, and to JKR for the quote!
also, the spam in the help area is an issue that probably won't go away. this is more message spamming. _________________ how tough am i? well, i'll have you know i stubbed my toe last week (while watering my spice garden), and i only cried for 20 minutes!
He is still the prefect. We, as the staff, have found NO reason for more staff. _________________
So America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez Cuisine!
it sounded to me like some of the mods might feel overworked and, possibly, under appreciated. i'm sure there are some trusted forum members here that could at least help with the overworked part. _________________ how tough am i? well, i'll have you know i stubbed my toe last week (while watering my spice garden), and i only cried for 20 minutes!
If you have any ideas or reasons why for more staff members, PM DarMonkey or send an email to webmaster@potterforums.com
This is a more private issue that should be discussed between you and Dar. _________________
So America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez Cuisine!
it sounded to me like some of the mods might feel overworked and, possibly, under appreciated. i'm sure there are some trusted forum members here that could at least help with the overworked part.
I enjoy my work. I actually don't mind the time and effort I put into it. _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan
ok. you guys are all very much appreciated. just got a little worried when i read that. _________________ how tough am i? well, i'll have you know i stubbed my toe last week (while watering my spice garden), and i only cried for 20 minutes!
There is no need for me to contact the Administrator, because it's not that large of a deal.
Then why on earth did you make this topic in the first place?!
It was a minor concern that the moderators are more than qualified to address. I've administrated larger forums than this and I understand the work that goes into it. An Admin simply should not have to deal with every issue that comes up, which is where the Moderators step in. And that is why I made this topic. DarMonkey agrees that it is a good topic, so I don't understand what other concerns you could have.
Just to put in my two cents (Alastor and Ginny can ignore this if they do not agree), but I also feel that the "We have enough staff" argument is fairly weak. The job should not be stressful, nor should it deprive you of sleep or a social life. And while you may enjoy it, I feel that the only reason you do not want more staff is an issue of pride. From Alastor's over-reaction earlier in the thread (perhaps he was just tired; I have made cranky posts in the past), to Ginny's responses in the PMs I sent, I have not seen a valid reason to remain at the current number of staff members. Especially since all of them are general Moderators, it would do well (in my opinion and experience only) to have at least one extra moderator, either for all of the forums or only in a few of them (I believe you refer to them as prefects? I have not mastered your ranking system yet).
There is a high number of active members here, who post quite frequently. I am not trying to disturb or disrupt their posting pleasure, merely to make the forum more pleasurable for all members. I feel it would take minimal efforts to do so.<
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), only that the members are educated on what is appropriate, that the internet is not a place where real-world manners, grammar and other such rules do not apply.
