A Few Issues aka My Rant

Hi Guys-

I have been super busy and was not on GF that much recently, however a few issues have been brought to my attention.

Chat Issues

Our chat program automatically logs each and every word that is typed in the chatroom. Subsequently, I receive a complete chat log emailed to me each evening. I am the only one who has access to these logs and frankly, I do not have the time or interest to read them but I do have a folder in my Outlook Express that they are saved in. That's a good thing too because when a couple of people made me aware of what was up I was able to open up the logs and see for myself.

Some of the things that are going on in chat are not going to be tolerated here. The GF TOS applies not only to the website but also the pm system and the chat rooms, and it seems that some members here are choosing to ignore that fact for some reason. The thing that burns me up about it is that most are longtime members that know better.

I'm not too concerned about what goes on in private chat between two people (as long as it's not a problem ie. an older guy talking to a younger girl in an inappropriate manner etc.) so this applies to the public chat.

Here are some random things I saw earlier today when I briefly looked over the chat logs from the past few days. All are TOS violations:

-extremely foul language and very suggestive sexual talk

-people changing their usernames to impersonate another member or changing the name to anything other than your GF username (I know it's supposed to be funny but this could turn into a big problem if I allow it). PLEASE STOP DOING THIS!

-negative and hurtful remarks about another member's sexual orientation (of course while the member(s) in question was not in chat

I am going to be very clear and very blunt on this. If this crap does not stop, I will be banning those that are doing it. No warnings, no infractions, just - you will be banned from this website. Those of you that are doing it (and it's really only a few) know who you are, and so do I.

Let me also say that I am no prude in any way shape or form. I am a 15+ year listener of the Howard Stern radio program so obviously I find humor in sexual and racial issues. That being said, I have to base my TOS on all GeckoForums members, not just those that are over 18 years old.

Classified Ads

On a side note, something else I noticed while looking over some of the logs was some people complaining about receiving an infraction for violating the classifieds rules and how "stupid" it is to have a limit on the amount of bumps or ads that can be posted in a day. I had to laugh at them! I mean, I am offering them a place to post ads for free and they have the nerve to complain about receiving an infraction because they either A.) decided not to take the time to read the Classifieds TOS or B.) decided to ignore the Classifieds TOS. Of course complaining isn't against the rules but i just thought it was kind of funny.

OK so if you are going to post ads here, please follow the rules. :main_yes:

Username Changes

I am not going to be changing anyone's username any longer. It's getting ridiculous, and there are some people on here that are actually on their third username. I just don't get it. Anyway, choose your username wisely because from now on once you pick it, it's yours for as long as your on GF.

Thanks for reading!

bump

Read it... :main_thumbsup:

Kelli, I'm glad you shared your feelings and posted this. You have made this website for ALL of us to share and learn, and the chat is a place where members can get to know each other on a personal level. I think the biggest thing that pushes my buttons is that there are consistently a few people who have little or no concern or respect for you, the Mod Squad, and the members of GeckoForums.net. Having this community is a privilege, and it's a shame that because a few people seem to feel like they are entitled are ruining it for the rest.

It's a good thing I don't own this website. I would make a point to have every chat log scrutinized, and simply ban these people permanently.

also read it

I actually took time to read this, top to bottom, yesterday. I definitely sympathize with you, Kelli. I know it can't be easy trying to cater to a cast of many.

As per my take on the topics at hand:

1.) I chose to not visit or hang out in chat. I just find my life to be much easier that way. :main_laugh:
2.) The TOS governing the classified section has been in place for a long time, so that's nothing new. If the folks griping didn't take the time to read and understand the rules prior to posting, then shame on them! :main_thumbsdown:
3.) I'm glad I got my name change out of the way when I did! :main_yes: And, shouldn't one time be enough? What's with the two and three requests? Make up your mind already.

Sunrise Reptile said:

I actually took time to read this, top to bottom, yesterday. I definitely sympathize with you, Kelli. I know it can't be easy trying to cater to a cast of many.

As per my take on the topics at hand:

1.) I chose to not visit or hang out in chat. I just find my life to be much easier that way. :main_laugh:
2.) The TOS governing the classified section has been in place for a long time, so that's nothing new. If the folks griping didn't take the time to read and understand the rules prior to posting, then shame on them! :main_thumbsdown:
3.) I'm glad I got my name change out of the way when I did! :main_yes: And, shouldn't one time be enough? What's with the two and three requests? Make up your mind already.

Click to expand...

I have read it, and agree. =]

Read it and agree :thumbsup:

Read It, Totally agree....... I'm glad you posted!

I also agree with everything you mentioned. Everyone needs to read this

Although i agree with the fact that it's ridiculous to keep changing your user name, i'm bummed that this got abused by others and those that didn't abuse it have to suffer. I was hoping to get a website up and running soon and was looking forward to changing my user name to my buiseness name to help better promote my site, like most that have sites do. I completely understand the MODs frustration with this and reasoning for changing this, but think it would also be reasonable and fair to those that haven't abused it to get a chance to change your userer name once as a geckoforums member. Aside from my reason above there are other cases as to why someone would want to change their name, i know i can think of a few. So maybe this can be reconsidered.

I had been "away" (sort of) from these forums, and breeding my Leos, for awhile, just dropping in every so often. I had also hoped to change my user name, but because I changed the name of our site. I completely missed this during my hiatus.