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General discussion

Spam sent via user profile address

May 7, 2007 9:08PM PDT

Should it be reported when one's user profile becomes a spam alleyway? I don't get much but do get some which states "Message from a CNET Member that turns out to be come on offer of some type. I just got one wanting me to sign up for some sort of business opportunity asking for a 15 dollar registration fee. I would think this would be against policy as my member profile should not be available to anyone other than a member who's agreed to abide by the rules. Of course I know there are those who sign up, drop their load, and disappear. Maybe it's not worth the time to bring this up and I should just ignore and delete these. Happy

Discussion is locked

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Yes, let us know...
May 8, 2007 12:45AM PDT

Chances are you are not alone in receiving such spam, especially considering some spammers are paid by the advertisement. Since the Cnet PM system falls under the same usage guidelines as the forums, spammers will be banned, preventing them from reaching countless other members. They may be gone before the first alert is received, but it's better to try in vain than to never try at all. For the most direct route I suggest contacting Lee through the PM system (profile) and including a copy of the message.

Regards,
John

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John,
May 8, 2007 7:11PM PDT
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apology to Steve
May 8, 2007 5:44PM PDT

Dear Steve,

I was sending the information for the purpose of sharing community information about Tech happenings in Central Ohio. I am not attending the meeting, nor am I a member of the group. I only sent it to you because you had some postings that referred to Central Ohio.

I have been an active and respectful member of the CNET forum and I do apologize that this crossed a line.

I will refrain from using the member to member feature in the future. I sincerely apologize for my mistake.

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I received your e-mail of sincere apology.
May 9, 2007 3:24AM PDT

I appreciate the e-mail and reply here. I know your intention were probably good in nature, but because of the amount of cases of unsolicited ads/spam over the private e-mail messages and the frequency of ads/spam posts that litter the forums, members are quick to report these cases before they become out of hand.

As moderators we are only looking out for the best interest of our community members like yourself to provide forums that are clean, friendly, and welcoming. So I appreciater your understanding and cooperation, Jody. Apology accepted.

Cheers!
-Lee

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No harm done
May 9, 2007 3:40AM PDT

It appears the target audience for this event is people who are in....or want to be in....tech oriented businesses. I don't fit that category. The help and special interest forums are open and visible so moderators and members catch policy breeches quite quickly. When I receive your message, I could not be certain as to how many members it was being sent to but, obviously, it would have been of little value to anyone not within the local geography. It looks as if yours was not a mass mailing. Yes, I have mentioned my location in a few posts. I also use my real name and not a truncated version of it or some "handle". My purpose in this is to show some honesty. I don't mind getting email from members but will only respond through their member accounts. I appreciate that CNET offers this sort of privacy. I wish the world was a bit different in many ways but technology has changed where we need to look before taking our next step or responding to any message. I regret that I am too often suspicious of another's benign intentions. Thank you for taking the time to explain. Happy

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What upsets me the most
May 9, 2007 5:30AM PDT

is when I receive email thru CNET email this member, is when the person sending it doesn't have the option open in their profile. I just think it would be common courtesy to allow a reply in the same manner.

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I agree
May 9, 2007 6:23AM PDT

It would be nice if there was some way to require two way street meaning you can't e-mail another member without having a reply path. I don't think it would be simple to do this effectively in the forum software so we must rely on each individual's integrity and sense of fair play. As we see at SE, there's quite a variable in that regard. The best way to deal with abusers, I have found, is just to "consider the source" and only allow yourself to be irritated by those who you respect. Just blow off the rest of 'em. Wink

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(NT) True:)
May 9, 2007 9:53AM PDT