Dear God...

Delicate_Torture · 01-20-2007, 04:47 AM

Well... I never thought that I would actually ever see anything on this board be Moderated, but apparently there is someone who exists out there.

If you don't let us post our messenger ID's and email addresses (which is surely our right to do if we choose to...) then how are we meant to communicate with each other seeing as the Private Message Service that was once provided by this board no longer exists?

c130 · 01-20-2007, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Just a note to express my astonishment that it's 2007 and apparently some people on the internet seem to think that posting their email address on a public forum with the @ sign replaced with a clever {at} and the period replaced with a {dot} or whatever is actually going to prevent your address from being picked up and buried under loads of spam and such. Please be smart, don't post your email on public boards.

Then let us use PMs, for fuck's sake. How the fuck are we supposed to keep in touch if we can't talk privately to other people?

Frankenscott · 01-20-2007, 06:27 AM

Hi Admin... Nice place you got here

Where's the bathroom?

Crying_Crimson_Tears · 01-20-2007, 06:45 AM

They exist??? Oh my God.

Having the PMs sounds nice.

DarkHeartedDemoness · 01-20-2007, 07:13 AM

I'm not really up on how harvesting email addresses goes... What's the difference between putting my email address in a thread and putting it in my profile? Is putting it in my profile safer, for some reason?

(This is an honest question, not a dig at anyone anywhere)

Delicate_Torture · 01-20-2007, 07:27 AM

I didn't think that there was a difference, but I don't really know how it works either. I do know that I've posted my messenger ID's and email address on message boards before and am yet to be attacked by the dreaded Spam Monster.

I have a friend who is a Software Architect and is a guru of all things with buttons. So I'll ask him when I phone him in the morning and see what he knows about email harvesting.

It sounds rather horrific... email harvesting.

Godslayer Jillian · 01-20-2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkHeartedDemoness

I'm not really up on how harvesting email addresses goes... What's the difference between putting my email address in a thread and putting it in my profile? Is putting it in my profile safer, for some reason?
(This is an honest question, not a dig at anyone anywhere)

Actually there is a difference which can go from slightly better to much better, depending on how desperate are the spams. Many of them rarely look into profiles for emails.

Clockwork · 01-20-2007, 05:12 PM

Silly, this is why I keep several email and messenger accounts. The ones I post in public for ordinary use are spam fronts... I have others that only close friends know of. I don't really care how much spam an address I post here gets, unless it's spam to test my adherence to that statement.

But honestly, private messages should be allowed. It was frustrating, being unable to send PMs when I could not register my account, nor tell anyone about it -_- They're good to have for these things.

Circle V · 01-20-2007, 05:22 PM

The admins cut off our means of private communication in order to make it more difficult to organize against them.

There's a good chance that isn't true, of course, but I'll stick to it until I have sufficient reason to believe otherwise.

Catch · 01-20-2007, 07:45 PM

I think you are correct. They would probably say that it is to protect us; but it is really a conspiracy.

Delicate_Torture · 01-20-2007, 08:17 PM

If they stop us using Private Messaging to talk with each other it means that our only way to communicate here is to post in threads. If we are all constantly posting in threads then that pushes this site higher in the search engine lists which means more new members who will hopefully click on the advertising links within the site and make more money for the site.

Show your disdain for this--don't click on the advertising links.

Circle V · 01-20-2007, 08:22 PM

I adblock them. Thank God for Firefox.

Last time I posted something like this it was deleted. Wait for it...

Catch · 01-20-2007, 08:42 PM

I don't ever press the ads anyway.

Delicate_Torture · 01-20-2007, 08:44 PM

Oh, ever since I posted this thread this morning I've been waiting for either a suspension or a banning.

What ever shall I do if I'm banned from the site. I think that I shall have to slash my wrists... or I could just register another ID. Hmm..

Circle V · 01-20-2007, 08:59 PM

Generally speaking, the admins don't ban people who are trying to get banned. They also don't ban people other people are trying to get banned.

LaBelleDameSansMerci · 01-20-2007, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicate_Torture

I have a friend who is a Software Architect and is a guru of all things with buttons. So I'll ask him when I phone him in the morning and see what he knows about email harvesting.

It sounds rather horrific... email harvesting.

That just made me think of the Matrix. The Architect.

Anyway... yeah, the e-mail I posted on here is a decoy. My real e-mail is....
Just kidding. :P

Actually I get quite a bit of spam as it is, but my spam filters seem to be pretty good. I rarely get any spam in my actual inbox.

*sings* Spam, spam spam spam spam spam spam spam spametty-spam!!! Spametty-Spam!!!!
Come on, all ye Monty Python fans!

Gothic.net · 01-21-2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicate_Torture

Oh, ever since I posted this thread this morning I've been waiting for either a suspension or a banning.

So you are just trying to be a problem? That's kinda not cool. Abusive people who are here for the sole purpose of causing problems and disruption and drama are the principal reason the PM's are turned off. At least now your selfish antagonistic martyr games are out in the open. The community here has been being moderated fairly effectively lately. Problematic and/or spammy posts are removed before most people notice, most of the time. But you persist in trying to paint a worse picture and that's really not fair to all the people here that actually do use this site for pleasant interactions and exchange of ideas.

We don't think it's a good idea to post your email addresses in threads. This is not an unreasonable view. You will find that this feeling is reflected on a great deal of community boards and sites. You know it's a problem and that's why you encouraged it. That just seems kind of out of line.

Delicate_Torture · 01-21-2007, 04:19 AM

Actually, I'm a Moderator on three Australian Gothic sites so I know how Message Boards work. I am not trying to cause a problem here. I thought that it would be nice to be able to communicate with some of the people on this board who seem to be interesting and fun to speak with.

I do find it interesting that you will close a thread that has personal information in it when the board rules state...

Quote:

Can I post personal stuff?
You are welcome to post personal information about yourself. You bought a new coffin-shaped coffee table and want to show it off, that is fine. Your dog died and you want sympathy, post away. You are having a party and want to invite everyone, you can post your home address. It is up to you. But, be aware that once you put that information out there, it is essentially impossible to take back and Gothic.net accepts no responsibility for your personal disclosure choices.

Source : Gothic.net FAQ/Board Rules

And I also find it interesting that as an apparently well-moderated board you will not only turn a blind eye to personal insults made against other members, but that the Admin will indulge in using them as well.

~~Signed,
An Apparently Selfish Antagonistic Martyr Of A Gameplayer

Gothic.net · 01-21-2007, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicate_Torture

Actually, I'm a Moderator on three Australian Gothic sites so I know how Message Boards work. I am not trying to cause a problem here. I thought that it would be nice to be able to communicate with some of the people on this board who seem to be interesting and fun to speak with.

So long as you're not talking to them on this board?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicate_Torture

I do find it interesting that you will close a thread that has personal information in it when the board rules state...

Source : Gothic.net FAQ/Board Rules

And I also find it interesting that as an apparently well-moderated board you will not only turn a blind eye to personal insults made against other members, but that the Admin will indulge in using them as well.[/color]

~~Signed,
An Apparently Selfish Antagonistic Martyr Of A Gameplayer[/font]

There is a big difference between accepting responsiblility for people posting personal information, since obviously it's not wholly in our control, and making an effort to protect them from potential abuse of their personal information, which they have been encouraged to post by people like yourself. The fact simply is that (at) is filtered to read as @ by the email harvesting bots. Has been for a long time. Some people don't know better. Having you here from your other boards or whatever, encouraging people here to post their personal contact info, when it's clearly made not available by the administration of this site on their individual profiles, sounds kind of questionable at the very least. Any reasonable person would see it that way too.

Delicate_Torture · 01-21-2007, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gothic.net

So long as you're not talking to them on this board?

So that is the real issue. We are allowed to speak as long as we speak on this board.

Ever heard of a private conversation? If you gave back the Private Message system people would be able to speak 'on this board'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gothic.net

There is a big difference between accepting responsiblility for people posting personal information, since obviously it's not wholly in our control, and making an effort to protect them from potential abuse of their personal information, which they have been encouraged to post by people like yourself. The fact simply is that (at) is filtered to read as @ by the email harvesting bots. Has been for a long time. Some people don't know better. Having you here from your other boards or whatever, encouraging people here to post their personal contact info, when it's clearly made not available by the administration of this site on their individual profiles, sounds kind of questionable at the very least. Any reasonable person would see it that way too.

You state in the rules that people are free to post their home addresses on your boards, and yet you feel the need to protect your poor innocent users from the nasty nasty Spam Bots. Aww. Isn't that sweet.

If you read my post correctly you would see that I didn't encourage people to post their information with (at) instead of @ to stop email harvesting. I told them that typing out at and dot out would cut down on the chance of having their addresses harvested.

And I resent your implication that I am here from other sites to scalp users of this board. I defy you to show me a single post that I've made that has suggested someone leave this board to join another.

Gothic.net · 01-21-2007, 05:27 AM

I think you are way too aggro about not getting to collect people's emails and AIM accounts, seriously. You are also calling on people to 'show their distain' for you not being allowed to compromise their information, you are even telling them not to support any of the ads running on this site. That's clearly destructive to this community. We don't charge anyone and we hope to potentially cover costs with some fairly unobtrusive banners.

Gothic.net · 01-21-2007, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkHeartedDemoness

I'm not really up on how harvesting email addresses goes... What's the difference between putting my email address in a thread and putting it in my profile? Is putting it in my profile safer, for some reason?

(This is an honest question, not a dig at anyone anywhere)

No dig taken. It's not actually available on your profile either.

Delicate_Torture · 01-21-2007, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gothic.net

I think you are way too aggro about not getting to collect people's emails and AIM accounts, seriously. You are also calling on people to 'show their distain' for you not being allowed to compromise their information, you are even telling them not to support any of the ads running on this site. That's clearly destructive to this community. We don't charge anyone and we hope to potentially cover costs with some fairly unobtrusive banners.

I suggest that you start reading what I actually post instead of referring to what you think I said. When I said to show your 'distain' [sic] I was talking about peoples dissatisfaction at the Private Messaging on this site being taken away as expressed in CircleV, Catch and Clockwork's posts.

Let me know when you want to actually talk about something I said instead of just twisting my posts in a poor attempt to make me look like a trouble maker.

Gothic.net · 01-21-2007, 06:39 AM

Ok, I'll let you know.

Crying_Crimson_Tears · 01-21-2007, 07:16 AM

You know it's ironic that this thread popped up after my dad (being the good father he is) asked me if this site had moderators. I laughed and actually said yes, because apparently THEY DO EXIST!!! Of course you know, they only seem to pop up when things like this happen, when they supposedly want to protect us from the nasty spammers.

I personally think they don't really care. But whatever.