Improve Terms of Service

I think the idea of flagging the post when you're entering a FS or WTB post is a great idea.  I've often wondered why that isn't a standard feature since as you say, it's impossible to contact the member without it.

I like it.

This is exactly why virtually all social media systems provide a "private message" feature. It allows members to receive correspondence without having to disclose their RL identity.

I know people don't like to hear this, but in this day and age it is beyond foolish to publicly-expose a real email address.

If this site has a private message feature, it is sure hard to find. User Settings has a checkbox to block them, but I have been unable to figure out how to send one. Perhaps the feature is disabled. If so, I think it is a mistake. Just clicking on a member's name or avatar should get you to a PM option.

Just my opinion...

Excellent suggestion, PRR1950!!!!!

Chuck, your suggestions have merit. However, some of the things you suggest (popup windows, for example) I can't do because I don't have that much control over how the forum software operates. Even so, there may be something we can do that would help improve this situation.

We have just started experimenting with a newly released Crowdstack feature called "Databases." This feature would allow us to format all For Sale and Wanted to Buy posts exactly the same. A poster would basically fill out a form with the item name, description, price, email, etc. The database would then format the post so it displays in an attractive way. All items/posts would display the same, and they would also REQUIRE a seller or buyer to put an email address into the post. I am just getting into this, so I have a learning curve to climb here in order to learn how to implement this feature and make it work.

I'll keep you posted!

@Avanti posted:

I know people don't like to hear this, but in this day and age it is beyond foolish to publicly-expose a real email address.

I have an email for family interaction, one for communications involving sales via places like Epay and here, and a third I use for when I am compelled to write a letter to the editor, the email now used instead of the days when you had to put you name on your letter, and if published, people would look you up in the phone book and call you to tell you how wrong you are.  I use the private message part of OGR when I have a specific thing I need to ask, and everyone I have needed additional info from has always been a great representative of this hobby.  Sometimes open questions or replies in a forum can generate what I call 'forum police' intervention, these are not the very diplomatic official OGR Forum managers, but random folks that chime in with directions.  It is difficult to 'make a deal' when someone posts something for sale and they are not a member and therefore have no private message option, or if they do not include contact info in their biography, and I do not like to dicker with a seller via exchanges in the forum.

....... and they would also REQUIRE a seller or buyer to put an email address into the post.

Requiring pubic display of email addresses might prove problematic.  Might have to take the entire Buy/Sell sections private to be only visible to signed in users/members.

@Avanti posted:

I know people don't like to hear this, but in this day and age it is beyond foolish to publicly-expose a real email address.

Agreed! However, the Display Email is not publicly visible within a post as plain text. It is only visible to members, and then only if they hover over or click on the member's profile link.

If this site has a private message feature, it is sure hard to find. User Settings has a checkbox to block them, but I have been unable to figure out how to send one. Perhaps the feature is disabled. If so, I think it is a mistake. Just clicking on a member's name or avatar should get you to a PM option.

Private Messaging here is available only to Digital Subscribers.

@mwb posted:

Requiring pubic display of email addresses might prove problematic.  Might have to take the entire Buy/Sell sections private to be only visible to signed in users/members.

As I said above, the Display Email is not publicly visible within a post as plain text. It is only visible to members, and then only if they hover over or click on the member's profile link.

I think the new "database" system for Buy-Sell-Trade forum use may just solve a lot of Admin problems here.  Thank you for your efforts in that regard, Rich.

Chuck

@Avanti posted:

This is exactly why virtually all social media systems provide a "private message" feature. It allows members to receive correspondence without having to disclose their RL identity.

Digital Subscribers can Private message each other, other members can't.