Thread deletion, proboards ToS, and you

[Hellfury]

Haven't checked my messages in quite awhile, mostly because you have to check the bottom of the home page for them since proboards revamped some of their crap.

I only bothered because Elle mentioned messaging Malfred and I in a post.

So I check my messages and I have 2 dated back to late 2011 from "Proboards abuse department". Sep 11th and Oct 28th to be exact.

In each message the following was said:

ProBoards does not permit the posting of adult material. Your forum appears to be in violation of this policy. We ask that you please remove all offending content from your forum within 48 hours.

Examples of offending content includes but may not be limited to:

The following is a list of the threads from both messages combined:

otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=2491&page=1#43226
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=2548&page=6#44223
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=3175&page=2#55697
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=3240&page=1#56810
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=3240&page=1#56815
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=3277&page=1#57650
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=3355&page=1#58774
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=models&thread=5145&page=2#92062
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=models&thread=5123&page=1#91931
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=2491&page=1#43226
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=4047&page=1#70218
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=4047&page=1#70220
otzone.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=3178&page=1#55748

the messages then go on to say:

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with our policies so that there are no issues in the future.
Terms of Service: www.proboards.com/tos
Community Guidelines: www.proboards.com/community_guidelines

If you have any questions, please contact our Abuse Department at [e-mail].

ProBoards Abuse Department
[e-mail]

Now if you match the numbers in the end of each of those links to hover over the "Link to post" link in each post you will notice that the offending messages have either been deleted by proboards or another mod here. It wasnt me as I just now noticed them.

So I guess the answer to Malfred's question of "Are we still in violation of adult material stuff? " is a Yes, but not with the list they sent.

In the spirit of attempting to be as democratic of a community as possible in how content is handled, how do the users want to progress in the future when such alerts are given?

Because the very nature of this board is a huge violation of proboards ToS.

Delete offending posts as they are alerted?
Or just ignore them and risk possible board closure, continuing as we always have?

I care not either way, but it would be good to get a community consensus in how to handle that in the future, and to alert users that if the board goes "Poof" without warning suddenly that that may very well be the reason why.

[Just Lorek]

Maybe we should look at finding another solution. I could always resurrect Lost Gamers (maybe with new software) and we could use that. I'm not one for risking the entire forum because we post what we feel like, and I really like the fact that we can post without fear of censorship.

Let me check my ISP's terms of service on this, and go from there.

-=Edit=- It's looking good! There can be no copyrighted material, but everything else looks good (although seriously, nothing illegal, you perverts).

[Toromalfred]

Oh noez! Our dinosaur cosplay is making the OTZone extinct!

[Pellegrinisaurus]

I got that message, too, but seeing the date I presumed someone else had already dealt with it... :/

I say if we have to stay then it's a case of self-censorship and deleting posts, but the time could be ripe for the next migration.

Out of interest, how are we in breach of the ToS by default?

[Whirl]

May 22, 2012 9:45:34 GMT -5 Pellegrinisaurus said:

Out of interest, how are we in breach of the ToS by default?

Cause we're a bunch of dirty fuckin' perverts.

[syaireba]

I'm cool with migration. The scene isn't what it's been, and it's old and over now.

[Megadarkalosaurchild]

A sad day indeed.

Darkchild

[Hellfury]

May 22, 2012 12:37:06 GMT -5 Whirl said:

May 22, 2012 9:45:34 GMT -5 Pellegrinisaurus said:

Out of interest, how are we in breach of the ToS by default?

Cause we're a bunch of dirty fuckin' perverts.

Basically what he said.

The ToS basically wants you to act like every forum is to be peopled by 5 year olds.

Since the entire purpose of this forum is to act like a 5 year old, yet not have to be constrained like a 5 year old... well you can see where that road lies.

But then again, this board has been here for 8 years. It should be no secret tat we were in violation on day #1. This is just the first time that proboards has ever remarked upon it.
While it has been the longest iteration of OT, perhaps it may be time to call it a day.

As a mod, my own interest in the site is not what it should be. Plus, I am not able to access true administrative capabilities due to IGSniper not being around to sort that out. So I can only do so much with the boardware as a secondary mod.

I also say let the board stand until proboards tears it down. No reason for 8 years of history to be deleted (though going through a lot of threads it appears that Proboards already has) just because of cranky people.

Remember, proboards do not go pricking about, they react to reports made by users.

[Rygoth]

I'm all for migration. Fight The Man I say!

[Dickfor]

Damn the man!

(I say this being a relative newb to The Wasteland)

[Hordini]

I say we stay until they throw us out, but we should definitely have a preplanned rally point if/when that happens.

[Just Lorek]

I'll be working on setting up an alternate forum site again.

We just need a sassy name for it.

[Hordini]

What would we be up to now? OT Mk. VI? VII?

[fellblade]

Migrate if we have to (keeping a weather eye out for Sharptooths), and in the meantime continue as we have been. After all, it's the Dino-American way to ignore long-term consequences for short-term pleasure.


And if proboards only reacts when alerted, why, we just need to figure out how to disable that pesky 'alert' button. So they'll never know.

[Pellegrinisaurus]

May 23, 2012 20:07:46 GMT -5 fellblade said:

And if proboards only reacts when alerted, why, we just need to figure out how to disable that pesky 'alert' button. So they'll never know.

Aha! You thought you had us fooled, but it was only a matter of time before you let your guise slip... Kid Kyoto!

May 23, 2012 18:22:09 GMT -5 Hordini said:

I say we stay until they throw us out, but we should definitely have a preplanned rally point if/when that happens.

This.

As for a name (since no one's made any suggestions yet), the first few times I lost the bookmark for this place I'd put 'The Wastelsnd' into Google and end up with loads of pages about the T.S. Eliot poem, before learning to add 'malfred' to the search terms (damn you, Malfred!). Perhaps we could draw inspiration from that...?

My suggestions are (not very good, but perhaps they'll generate discussion):
Rats' Alley
Hypocritical Readers (according to Google Translate, one of the French parts of ther poem means 'hypocritical reader - my equal/fellow, my brother')
The Empty Chapel (too religious?)
This/The Red Rock
The Hofgarten (Wikipedia tells me it was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt...)
The Change of Philomel

Or what about a dinosaur-based name, given we're all currently dinosaurs? I couldn't find any sites of paleontological significance that weren't far too specific, other than possibly 'Moody's Corner'?

The Great Valley (I think this one is especially lame)
The Oasis (I was looking up 'The Land Before Time' on Wikipedia and it referred to 'The Great Valley' as an oasis, and since we're leaving the inhospitable Wasteland it makes sense to go to somewhere more inhabitable...?)
The Mountains That Burn (yeah, I'm really scraping the barrel here...)

...come to think about it, how did this place get its name, anyway?