Private Messages Disabled

[Paul]

Private messages have been disabled due to abuse of the facility. Sorry everyone.

[Nightcrawler]

Any idea when they will be re-established? Is it okay if I ask the specifics on how they have been abused? Just wondering.

[Broccoli]

The people who left the forum started sending PMs with the link to another forum, etc. - that's what I know.

I hope that the PMs will return again though - otherwise it will be hard to contact spammers for example or to help new members...

[pinky p]

notice how paul hasn't told how people were abusing pms? i wonder why? do i hear pointlessly exercising power...

[Gower]

He explains, using one whole line that he is disabling PMs. Now that's what I call good administration

[Scellanis]

Good administration is what he is doing. He is not oblidged to tell you anything and infact to tell you what was in a pm would be a breach of some law or other I believe...I forget....If he feels its necessary to shut down pms he can do it without notice or explanation because he pays for this site and he owns it. I'm sure, however, that once he has finished looking into the matter he will tell you everything you need to know about it.

[Paul]

Exactly. Gower, all you seem to want to do is make provocative posts and wrecking attempts since you decided to "leave". I don't see any point in you being here as you've already stated you've joined the other forum. You've overstayed your welcome here. Go with whatever dignity you've got left or get yourself banned if you post any further at all here at BaO whatsoever (any further posts from you will be removed anyway no matter what they are). No need to make any points with your location either. The same applies (ie a full ban) to further wrecking attempts no matter in what form or scale from any of the active members of TDM and Won's forum. Pinky P has been banned for spamming in other parts of the forum anyway.

PMs will return in due course.

[Gower]

Ban me, it won't have any effect. My location point was valid, there was no reason to delete it.

[Paul]

Ban me,

OK - done.

it won't have any effect

If that means you'll sign up again, you'll be proving that you obviously don't know the meaning of the word "leaving". You'll soon be banned again anyway, so why not just go and enjoy the other forum and don't make an annoying fool of yourself by attempting to wreck this one.

My location point was valid, there was no reason to delete it.

Location: "other forum" - can't be if you were still posting here.

Good luck on the other forum.

[Liquid Ice]

Location: "other forum" - can't be if you were still posting here.

No need to take it so literally Paul, PLENTY of people have locations where they couldnt possibly be if they were here posting yet you didnt delete theirs.

And I somehow think when Gower said he could come back with a different account he meant he could if he wanted to, but, perfectly understandably, he doesnt.

[Paul]

The point is that Gower was obviously making a point with his "location" and with all the wrecking attempts that seem to be occurring on BaO from people who are on the "other forum", his "location" point was not appreciated and further contributed to the wrecking atmosphere. I see you've made a similar point in your location too Liquid Ice. Further such points or wrecking attempts from you or others will result in further bans until this stops.

Liquid Ice, you've already stated publicly on the other board that BaO is not the place for you any more, so stick to your convictions and just enjoy the other board.

[Nightcrawler]

I have a few questions.

What happens to all of the PMs that were sent prior to this new rule, but due to the rule were never recieved? For instance, if I sent a member a PM, but they hardly ever logged in, and by the time they finally did log in, PMs were disabled.

Is there, like, a PM pergatory where the "floating" PMs are in suspended animation until they are reinstated? Or do they just dissapear?

Does this rule affect the sending and recieving of PMs or just the sending?

And Paul, did you get the PM I sent you a few weeks ago?

Thanks.

[Paul]

Currently, both sending and receiving is turned off. Don't worry though - all of your the existing messages are safe and well. They're just having a nice holiday in the sun. All of the existing ones, whether read or unread, will be back in their respective in/out/sent boxes once their holiday is over.

Once things are back I'll check to see if I have your message, Nightcrawler, and will be sure to reply as soon as I can.

[Nightcrawler]

Currently, both sending and receiving is turned off. Don't worry though - all of your the existing messages are safe and well. They're just having a nice holiday

Ok, thats great to hear.

Once things are back I'll check to see if I have your message, Nightcrawler, and will be sure to reply as soon as I can.

Cool, I appreciate it.


Also, if I may I would just like to point out that it quite a gray area between spamming and regular PMs. I mean, if I PM a friend to let them know about a website that they may find humerous, or that may be of interest, I wouldn't consider this as spam.

If I PM a bunch of strangers, telling them about my company's latest deal on used microwavew, then this would most deffinetly be spam. Anything in between is gray.

From what I gather, the guys who left the forum, and PMed a group of friends about their new forum. Nobody is forcing anything on anybody here, just providing information and an alternate forum should they feel inclined to check it out. The concept of human choice requires a positeve option and a comparitivly negative option to exist. If the negateve option is gone then so is choice. People will always know about other forums, and if someone decides to leave BaO, there is really no way to stop them, wheter you censor PMs or not.

Besides, would you really want someone around if they would ditch BaO at the tip of a hat? I see no reason why people can't be active in both forums.

BTW, I'm not siding with anyone on this issue because I don't know the whole story, and I'm trying not to offend either side here.

On the other hand, if people have been sending abusive and profane PMs then I can totally understand why PMs would be disabled.

[Paul]

Without going into specifics, unsolicited PMs were sent, some including anti-BaO propaganda. Also, bear in mind the other forum contains numerous anti-BaO posts (unless they've removed them) and effectively may be considered to be in direct competition with BaO, unlike a microwave site (although, yes, I agree, sending unsolicited PMs regarding a microvave site would also be spam). Other serious non-PM related occurrences also happened. I therefore decided that a temporary lock-down was necessary.