How To Lose Friends and Alienate People

With apologies to Dale Carnegie.

I am unhappy, very unhappy. After a long time with unfettered access to all of this site I am, without warning, restricted. I have been labelled “Not Trusted” which hurts and which I take personally. You can dress it up all you like but whatever your motive that is in reality what you have done. Why am I so unhappy? Let me put this in context.

I have been registered on this site for a number of years (yes YEARS). I have advertised on this site. I subscribe to Model Engineers Workshop (print and digital) and access the archive through this site. I don’t just casually browse this site I actually log-in almost every day. I have even asked Neil for help when I could not access my account.

So in summary this site and Mytime Media should know my activity on this site, my email address, my full real name, my “stage” name, my gender, my full postal address, my telephone number (landline), my contact preferences, my bank details and, as far as it relates to my subscription direct debit, my credit history! However this is not enough apparently to make me trusted. I am obviously considered a potential spammer, scammer, phisherman or any of the other low lifes out there. My crime is that I have not posted.

Well dear Mods, like millions who buy a daily newspaper and the less than millions that buy printed copies of MTM publications I am by preference a reader not a writer. I log-in to read the posts and to browse the classifieds.

As far as posts are concerned I have (until now!) never had an overwhelming urge to ask questions or comment on others. I leave that to others far more knowledgeable than me and who can express it more eloquently than I ever could. Indeed there are some on this site who seem to have made a career from posting (you know who you are) and good on them. I enjoy READING the posts. I have learnt a lot and laughed a little.

I also browse the classifieds hoping to see something of interest. Now suddenly without warning, despite my history, I am barred from viewing contact details because I am not trusted. Contact details of course include location which is most important. If interested in a Bridgeport 3 miles or 300 miles from where I live could be a deal breaker, less so if it was an end mill if you get my drift.

I know it says I can go cap in hand to a Moderator if I want to see contact details but why should I have to? Before I do can you Mods please answer some simple questions.

1. What in-depth critical analysis of my character will you undertake, over and above that information MTM already have about me that will convince you to trust me?
2. Are you telling advertisers not to rush and accept the first offer as there may be people like me who may be willing to pay the asking price but it may take a few days to make contact?
3. To be trusted one appears to have to post regularly. If I HAVE to post regularly just how regular is regular? If I forget to post will I be untrusted?
4. How many people are registered on this site, how many have been affected by spammers and what percentage are not now trusted? Am I the only one?

If you want to protect advertisers there are ways to contact a seller without disclosing their email address and without upsetting existing users and with better PR! Have a word with a well know auction site!

Hello Satchll,

The long answer is that for data protection and security issues all your payment details are kept separate from your forum profile. Anybody could set up an account and enter your details, and we would be none the wiser.

The fact is that if you search for threads with the word 'scammer'; in the title you will see that several site users have been targeted through the classified ads. having contacted all advertisers about a month ago with a warning it transpired that several more had been targeted. That's a lot of people and not somethingI could let pass.

The scammers were people who set up accounts just so they could contact forum users.

As we can't do identity checks on each new forum member (there are tens of thousands of registered users) we had to do something to try and stop this.

We decided that bona-fide model engineers wouldn't have any qualms about making a few postings on the website, while scammers probably wouldn't bother and would head for an easier target. Also, we have to moderate each first posting - and spammers & scammers are generally easy to spot as they don't really know what the site is about.

Setting up an alternative communication route might get a message through without email, but it woudln't solve the issue of scammers being able to contact forum users easily.

I must admit it has been a bit of a shock to realise how many people read the classifieds without participating in the forums; It may seem a bit harsh to force people to participate, but please blame the scammers not us.

Ultimately it is the choice between helping stop forum users being ripped off or inconveniencing a few people who are not active forum participants.

I believe the latter is the lesser of two evils.

Neil

Satchll,

Where have you been all this time ? with such elegant posts you could have been a major contributor to the magazine instead of some of the rubbish we have to put up with.

Your command of English is a credit to you, I'll bet you don't spell Worden as Woden do you ? No never, it would be a sin only redeemable by three hail May's a Mitutoyo and a Moore and wright's.

Please write some articles for Neil and then possibly he can kick that scruffy erk, Stub Mandrel into touch.

Edited By John Stevenson on 07/08/2016 16:25:13

Fair enough Neil. I've got it off my chest. I still think it's a sledge hammer to crack a nut but I can live with being part of the disadvantaged majority if it helps a few stay safe online. You didn't tell me however how regular I have to post before I am trusted!

I do think though that people must take responsibility for their own actions. The examples of scams referred to on this forum are not that hard to see through. I get phishing emails almost daily from banks I've never dealt with and some I have. I report them all but it doesn't stop them coming.

As for you JS I don't know whether to be flattered or deceived. I like reading your posts but I also like reading your Stub Mandrels posts. Almost as much as Bodgers Lodge.

JS on a serious note I cannot log in to Homeworkshop on my PC. My well known anti virus blocks it stating it is "blocked by Web Anti-Virus. Reason: phishing URL". It then invites me to click on a link if I believe it is safe. I haven't. No such problems on my iPad.

I've just realised! You've turned me into a bloody WRITER when all I ever wanted was to be a reader. What is the world coming to?

That's because I am not sure! The best advice is to try an ad and see what happens. There does appear to be a delay built in.

Stub deserves all the stick he gets

Thanks

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 07/08/2016 18:04:47

It looks like being "trusted" and placing an add can have a problem Satchill. I placed one and some how it seems to have gone.

Could be I am not trusted either.

John

-

"Where have you been all this time ? with such elegant posts you could have been a major contributor to the magazine instead of some of the rubbish we have to put up with."

The "rubbish" even finds its way onto this forum does it not?

Rik

I can't find your ad to see if it has a problem or not!

Neil

That's my problem too Neil. I can't find it either. 25mhz digital scope. It did show up when I posted it.

John

-

.

True ... I saw it.

MichaelG.

Can't see it, no sign of it being deleted.

Sorry...

Neil

...or Sieg as Seig, as so many ignorants do here?

Regards, HansR.

.

... or even SIEG as Sieg

MichaelG.

No problem really Neil as it would probably have finished up on ebay anyway. It was around long enough for people to see.

John

-

Not as many ignorant people as there are pedants. They say ignorance is bliss, which is like a silver lining, whereas being pedantic is just plain annoying for everyone involved, even the pedant. 

I wish i could be ignorant. Blessed is the mind too small for doubt.

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 08/08/2016 14:41:48

For an example of friends being lost:

See this thread: **LINK**

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=119485&p=2

MichaelG.

Challenge accepted, see what was all the fuss about? people gotta bitch and moan just because a guy wants something made..

Now you know why people don't want the hassle of going to local works, they don't want their custom to be treated with contempt. 

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 08/08/2016 16:43:15