7 Rules for Building Safer/Saner Online Communities

[Apocalipstic]

Originally Posted by June

Apoc -- I think the "made up personas" part is particularly ugly.

Medusa set the forums so people can't just come in and join anymore, we look at every single person that signs up, checking their email and IP addresses. If they say they are from one place, but their IP shows up as another it raises red flags for us.

This has also helped us ward of most (not all) Spammers.

Some people are so damaged and fucked up that they make a game out of trying to see if they can get in using different names and IP addresses. I feel kinda sorry for them. 1) They lost their community and 2) They can't seem to move on.

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About the warning thing. I hope Medusa comes in and speaks to this further, but while warning your exes potential new lover might not always have the effect you hope for, letting the Admins and Mods know that someone has exhibited bad behavior can be helpful. We keep information on file both in our heads and in our private forum. One person saying someone was abusive, manipulative or crooked might not have much weight, but if several different people who don't know each other well or at all are saying the same thing, we most certainly pay attention to that.

I completely agree about exes, and I think it is important to remember that just because I might not have gotten along with someone, they might be perfectly suited for someone else and it can seem (be) petty to dis our exes to new potential partners, even if we might have concerns. I like the idea of letting the mods know, and stepping back.

I am very happy to see that steps have been taken to cut back on the multiple screen names. This scenario has not only happened to me, but to several of my friends, and few things suck as much as telling a buddy that his/her new love does not even exist. I know its a lot more work for you guys, but I so appreciate the extra effort to keep us safe mentally and physically.

I know there are those of us who would never get sucked into a con and who think everyone should take care of themselves....but it is easier than one might think to get sucked in. People can keep up lies for YEARS.

Please know your efforts are appreciated.