Visitor Messages

[ScottishCanary]

Hey guys,

I recently realised that everyone's VMs are moderated until they reach 250 posts and they have been on the forum 3 months. The rule for being able to use the private messaging feature is to have simply 100 posts with no minimum limit on time on the boards. My question is this I guess. Is there really a need for VMs to be moderated for that long? I mean I see more chance of abuse of the PM system than the VM system but PMs are allowed to be sent (unmoderated) before VMs are. In fact you need to be trusted enough to technically run for a mod position on the site before you can send a VM without a mod OKing it. Bottom line question: Is this not a pain for mods to have to OK so many VMs, could the threshold not be brought down to say 100 posts and 1 month's membership?

[backjruton]

I agree with this because there are some people I want to talk to and I'd like it if they got the message at the time I actually sent them it, and I think privately speaking in a way is worse for me but I'm really not sure why.. almost every part of my emotional issues was caused by random times in school and mostly thanks to one person; it's got to the point where I can't bring myself to speak to old friends over the internet because it'd be with private messaging as when I told him something I wanted to KEEP private it got around the whole yeargroup and everyone laughed at me quite a lot because of it... I just don't like to think it affected me more than I act it did, but I really want to speak to these 2 girls again (I almost went out with them before... both of them... just a romantic attraction :P) and I can't bring myself to do it because of what he did. Things have been known to affect me a lot worse than they affect others.

This is why I sometimes yap in threads too, because I don't want anything to be completely private, I've ignored I think 5 PMs and 2 VMs because of this. But I would be willing to VM more (as long as I don't get asked what I'm doing or how I am because I don't really like being asked this kind of thing) if I could post them without having to wait for moderation. I've done over 1,000 posts in 2 months and if they can be seen as good there shouldn't be a longer limit than what there has been already.

[Croconaw]

I agree with this. It was pain having to wait that long when I was a new member. The virtual messaging system should definitely be changed. The private messages are more likely to be abused. Why would members abuse the virtual messaging system? The messages are displayed publicly. If there are any rules being broken, then we can simply report it. I don't really see a reason for the rule to be this strict. There shouldn't even be a time limit either. Can this be lowered to just one hundred posts? I feel like this would work better. How likely do these spam attacks even happen? They would happen much less on the virtual messaging system. The members know what they post on here becomes visible to the public, or just members on this site.

[ScottishCanary]

I agree with this. It was pain having to wait that long when I was a new member. The virtual messaging system should definitely be changed. The private messages are more likely to be abused. Why would members abuse the virtual messaging system? The messages are displayed publicly. If there are any rules being broken, then we can simply report it. I don't really see a reason for the rule to be this strict. There shouldn't even be a time limit either. Can this be lowered to just one hundred posts? I feel like this would work better. How likely do these spam attacks even happen? They would happen much less on the virtual messaging system. The members know what they post on here becomes visible to the public, or just members on this site.

Yup my thoughts exactly. I would have thought Private Messaging is where most opf the abuse of the system happens and VMs are more public and can be seen by most people. I would imagine with this community if any bullying occurred over VM it would be seen by others and challenged. Ultimately like everything on the forum if you do feel you have been sent an innapropriate VM you can always report to a mod who can reactively moderate. In my opinion moving the VM limit down to PM levels would free up moderating time to fight the endless bumping and interesting threads on the puberty section that just shouldn't be there :)

[Emerald Dream]

I understand where you are coming from with this, because when I was just starting at VT I felt the same way. Even after I got 250 posts, I had to wait out the rest of my three months. I hated it.

But here's the thing - seeing the amount of bullying, perverts, pic requests/sharing, offsite contact information, etc...that I have seen as a moderator - I wouldn't want this changed or lowered. Trust me when I say this....you guys have no clue how much that is inappropriate that you don't see, and that's because we have the VM moderation to protect you. You probably wouldn't believe some of the stuff we have seen if we even told you.

The limit is where it is to deter a lot of the members who join this site with the sole intention of being inappropriate or fishing for offsite contact information. The fact that VMs are public, means we certainly don't want any of that displayed on member pages.

I know what you are thinking, though. These people are just going to be inappropriate in PM anyways once they get their 100 posts. This may be true, but there are many cases of things in PM being reported to staff members. Also, if members' behavior, VMs, or otherwise seems a bit sketchy...the administrators have the ability to check PM messages (and that is only with good reason, not randomly). We DO take this seriously. We can also tell who is spamming to 100.

Finally, I'll let you in on something :lol: - suggesting something like this with the intention of "helping staff save time" doesn't really apply, because:

- it literally takes seconds to lock/move a thread
- it literally takes seconds to merge posts
- it literally takes seconds to approve VMs

[ScottishCanary]

Alright Allison thanks for that. I had a suspicion that there were more dodgy VMs than I thought and that's why the limit was there. :)

[DerBear]

After being on staff for over a year and witnessing what some folk sign up and say I can safely say......Yes there is need to have the three month limit.

[ksdnfkfr]

Trust me when I say this....you guys have no clue how much that is inappropriate that you don't see, and that's because we have the VM moderation to protect you. You probably wouldn't believe some of the stuff we have seen if we even told you.

Wow. That's something I never thought of before. I don't even remember the 250/3mo thing. I figure anyone who visits my profile to this day can monitor my VM's and probably do. Like ppl who have nothing better to do then read other's messages.

[NeuroTiger]

Wow. That's something I never thought of before. I don't even remember the 250/3mo thing. I figure anyone who visits my profile to this day can monitor my VM's and probably do. Like ppl who have nothing better to do then read other's messages.

Probably that's why I prefer to PM because some people might want to spy...
...those spies

[DerBear]

Probably that's why I prefer to PM because some people might want to spy...
...those spies

Even PMs aren't as private as you think. Admins can read them if they have reasonable doubt that something suspicious is going on.

[NeuroTiger]

Even PMs aren't as private as you think. Admins can read them if they have reasonable doubt that something suspicious is going on.

At least it's not the mass reading everything. ;)