Do You Think This Is Right? Provocative User Names Or Questionable Photos
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
December 26, 2007 8:42pm CST
Okay some might roll their eyes as I'm just going to bring up this issue one last time to make a point. As many know a most cherished mylotter was banned without real due cause--she was completely innocent and due to trolls that attacked her and it has ticked off many of us.
On the other flip of the coin, yes there have been MyLotters that were justly banned due to continuous abusive or attacking behavior toward other MyLotters, so in my mind they were rightly banned.
But then I have to question, why aren't others banned for far worse offenses? A MyLotter privately emailed me and drew to my attention two members here. One had a very, very obvious sexually orientated user name, but because it was combined as one word no doubt slipped through the MyLot censor. Also, I've seen rather provocative avatars of questionable and objectionable taste. One such person with such an avatar had responded to one of my discussions. Out of curiosity being the nosy person I am (LOL)..I checked the person's profile page...yeesh..there must have been about a dozen outright pornographic type photos. Again...doesn't MyLot see this? Doesn't it clearly state in the guidelines that photos of what might be considered any kind of pornographic nature prohibited here?
So my question is...what the heck is going on here? Why aren't these people being censored or even banned? Does one report such things and bring it to the attention of MyLot people with user names that are explicitly and sexually oriented, or of those members who outrightly post pornographic photos on their profiles?? What's your opinion about this? Have any of you come across this?
17 people like this
18 responses
@Katlady2 (9904)
• United States
27 Dec 07
You know I'M not rolling my eyes about this. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Some blatantly obvious violations on this site are being seemingly completely ignored and it's not right. I honestly think that more staff needs to be hired on for censoring the site and the stuff that members post, whether it be discussions, photos, avatars OR user names.
5 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
27 Dec 07
I know it's not right...I mean I couldn't believe those photos I was seeing. I do know they have made a big fuss over at the other place..the "Y" site of questionable photos that were actually tame compared to the ones I saw here at that profile page
4 people like this
@Katlady2 (9904)
• United States
27 Dec 07
I know...they did that at the Z site too. They sent out an email to members stating that a member had been banned because of it and that they wouldn't tolerate it at all. Why can't they take a firm stance like that here? Pam, I know what you mean....ok, so how about they take on volunteers instead? LOL
3 people like this
@betsyraeduke (2669)
• United States
27 Dec 07
I have not come across any of that here yet.
I don't really have an opinion about it in general. Normally I feel that as long as what a person does is not harming me or anyone else; that's their business, if I don't like it, I won't look.
However, I totally agree that if an innocent is banned for no reason; then people breaking those rules should be banned also.
4 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
27 Dec 07
The thing is though, this is supposed to be a PG-13 type community, not "R" or "X" rated site as there are many MyLotters who are using this place that are underage--I mean this is the very thing that has parents outraged at something like MySpace with all the junk that is available for anyone to see
3 people like this
@betsyraeduke (2669)
• United States
27 Dec 07
Ah, I see. I wasn't aware that there were a lot of under age people on the site. I read the rules and guidelines but can't remember them all.
I guess I assumed that since it's a paying site, you had to be 18 because you do for most of my other paying sites.
My bad. You're right.
4 people like this
@SViswan (12051)
• India
31 Dec 07
I have not come across people like that...but most of the time I do not check the profiles before I accept. What I would do if I did see a profile like the ones you have mentioned is reported them to myLot. I'm sure they would be banned (yes, myLot should have screened them before but I guess better late than never).
I feel we should report it and now I'm going to be checking out all the profiles on my friend list.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Sometimes when I get friend request I'm curious so check a person's profile, and yikes some of the discussions the person initiates are all of "mature content"--like this person doesn't have any other subject matter to talk about..
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
27 Dec 07
I think it is up to us to police for myLot and if we see something that we consider objectionable, we are to report it. I must admit, sometimes I will see a question of questionable taste, but then look at a person's profile and see where they may be validly asking a question and this is the only one of this nature, then i see a similar question and see the poster has posted 50 or 60 discussions of a similar nature.
I don't report them because they are not really breaking the guidelines, but i also do not answer their questions, they can go to someone else for their jollies. We have no real guidelines for the person who just keeps pushing the envelope and is just shy of breaking the rules, but I think they should be looking at some of these people more closely.
3 people like this
@Modestah (11177)
• United States
30 Dec 07
I absolutely agree with you on this issue. actually there is one in my friends that has a avatar which causes me to cringe and my husband believes it may be a scandal to the children. I need to ask her if she is willing to change it, I am worried about back lash - :( shame on me.
I also think that certain questions of a lascivious nature should be banned, I see a lot of these from friend's requests that I refuse.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
3 Jan 08
I often will refuse a friend request after checking their profile page first..yikes the discussions that they start/have...like it's the only thing on their mind--no thanks
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
30 Dec 07
MyLot has a huge user database, so I doubt very seriously that they see everything. It's partly our responsibility as MyLotters to keep our forums clean. I haven't seen any lewd profiles myself (I've seen some that are somewhat distasteful, but not particularly offensive), but I would report them if I ever did. There are minors here, and we should all do our best to protect them from perversion and worse...predators.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Yes, you bring up a good point...one tends to think that there could be predators at places like MyLot, but there could well be some here as well
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
3 Jan 08
Yes, I agree that people that do post offensive materials should be reported
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Dec 07
Yes, they definitely should be reported..thankfully I haven't come across too many of these
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
9 Jan 08
No I haven't but now you've sparked my curiosity!!
But I don't get around the mylot community much either.
Maybe these people are just not being reported...but they should be. And if I come across them I will do so.
1 person likes this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
11 Jan 08
Nah...I just am almost never on here. And I can't remember the last time I ventured outside of one of my friends discussions. And anymore I usually don't look at others responses on my friends discussions.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Jan 08
Mmmm....maybe I'm hanging out here way too much then to notice this kind of thing..LOL
1 person likes this
@pitstop (15551)
• Australia
27 Dec 07
I think any forum/board should ban obnoxious/obscene/adultish usernames and avatars. But large forums like this find it difficult as members easily beat word censors and pics are not moderated. USers like you (and me) who find it abusive should keep reporting it and try to el;iminate them. Its not a sure-shot or easy or fast way, but little by little we can get somewhere!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jan 08
Yes, you're right, I guess the only way to go about this is to report such objectable material
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
2 Jan 08
Please let me say first that I am generalising and not speaking of any one case in particular when I say that you only have the word of the person involved that they are 'absolutely innocent' and 'haven't done anything wrong'. A lot of people won't ever admit to do anything wrong, not ever, ever under any circumstances.
The other point I would like to make is that the site is owned by myLot and they can run it anyway they like and it's not for us to question how they do that. I've heard mention of the dreadful (and other nasty adjectives) treatment of members and how the members are not being listeded to and so forth . They owe us NOTHING! We owe them our courtesy, respect,loyalty and thanks because they PAY US to be here.
I love this site and I pity the people who have to sit and wade through all the inane questions, remarks, whinges, whines and complaints that must come, day in and day out.
I'm sure someone will now jump on me for stating these things, perhaps my rating will decrease. That will just show that some people don't like hearing the facts...as I see them anyway. Cheers. :)
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
2 Jan 08
I meant to add, (my session dropped out) that if you see anything you think goes against the "Terms of use agreement" you should use the report button for something posted in a discussion or send Mylot a personal message, stating the facts. These matters should not be turned into discussions.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
8 Jan 08
You've misunderstood pye. I'm not making an issue about your banned friend, I made a general comment then went on to respond to the rest of your post. Mylot own this site, not us. They state quite plainly what is and is not acceptable and what we can expect is set out in the terms of use. We've all accepted those terms as a requirement of membership so complaining in anyway about the site is a bit silly.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jan 08
MsTickle as far as the banned person in question, I don't have the word of only that person that was banned but quite a number of other members who noticed the vicious attacks against the said banned person
You're making more of an issue here about the banned person than the real heart of the discussion and that is about questionable material I've seen, and others as well of questionable user names that are downright smutty and of photos that are explicitly and sexually provocative...if anything, by making this as a discussion, which I think I have the right to do, I'm also making other people aware of the problem. This is a PG-13 type discussion panel and smutty content has no business being here--As one responder pointed out, she has an 8 year old autistic daughter that often stays with her mother while on the computer...she has no idea how she would explain such questionable content to her daughter if she came up upon it as the daughter is mentally challenged--so if anything my discussion could serve as a warning to be on the look out for any such content
1 person likes this
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
29 Dec 07
Sometimes I think nothing in life is fair, good people get dumped on or 'banned' and the bad ones just keep going. I have reported to mylot 2 different profiles with 'offensive' avatars and both were removed within 24 hours.
I've also reported a long list of members who plagerized discussions or responses. I didn't do this to be mean or vendictive it just is against the rules and really urks me.
I however have also known of people who just didn't like someone because they didn't agree with what they had to say and they have had members deleted or discussions deleted (including at least 2 of my own discussions). Of course I'm sure these people who do this are just not happy with their own lives so want to make others lives miserable too.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
3 Jan 08
I agree with you that it's wrong to delete members or discussions just because a person has a disagreement with someone or something someone has said in a discussion unless of course the person involved is being downright vindictive and abusive--you're also right that some people just must not have much going in their lives to make problems for people
@someonesmom (5761)
• Canada
27 Dec 07
Hi pyewacket,
I must say I've never seen what you've mentioned here, and wouldn't want to either. I agree that myLot is a PG 13 type of site, and this has no place here. I'm sure that some of these things have already been reported, by various members. It doesn't make sense at all, that well loved, valuable members are banned, and this is allowed to remain here.
1 person likes this
@someonesmom (5761)
• Canada
4 Jan 08
Hopefully people will continue to report these things, as they come across them.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
2 Jan 08
Well you're lucky you haven't come across this type of thing...and yes, why something like this slips through the censors really amazes me.
1 person likes this
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
28 Dec 07
I think they randomly check things, and if you are the lucky one you get zapped. I really have not noticed these things before, but will pay more close attention. I think if these names or photo's are offensive people should report it.
2 people like this
@Trace86 (5030)
• United States
27 Dec 07
I haven't seen anything blatantly offensive, but if I did, I would probably report it. As for the censors, it wouldn't let b*tt through the other day.
I could understand them deleting or not allowing explicit pictures and words through, but what would they do for the offensive user names? Make the person choose a new user name that is less offensive? They should have caught the user name in the first place. It is a bit late. They make a big point that you can't change your user name once it is accepted.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Dec 07
Yes, then they should have caught the user name in the first place...weird that something like that would slip through
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
27 Dec 07
I can tell you why.. it is the same thing that happens at other sites I've been at. Some people are banned asap for the smallest thing, others are never banned even after 100 complaints! It's the strangest thing. It's almost as if the site is mad at YOU for complaining about these users and they want to show YOU that THEY are boss. That's how I've felt at other sites where I've pointed out similar things and found the overall response to be that I shouldn't worry about it or it's not my concern.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
28 Dec 07
In other words they tell you to mind your own business, right?
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
27 Dec 07
I haven't seen anything of this nature here but I thought it was against the guidelines....I think that there is not enough policing of the user base, most likely due to no way to do it effectively. I think they depend on the user base to do a lot of their policing for them and that isn't exactly a good thing.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
27 Dec 07
No..you're right I don't really think it should be up to us to police the place, then people will get it into their heads to report every little thing whether right or wrong
1 person likes this
@Perspectives (7131)
• Canada
3 Jan 08
I have not come across the questionable things you have...but I am in support of your question about why valued members are banned while others who are doing what you have observed are not.
VMSK has officially been banned and even though I tried to act as a mediator on his behalf because he asked for my help I received an e-mail for the administration today saying he abused something or other and is banned...period...no discussion...that is it.
So I am with you on this one...maybe we need to form a 'petitions group' and try to alert them to the inconsistencies we are finding. Mooch posted a discussion on her concern about those who cut and paste and abuse things in that area and they continue to do it unchecked.
So there is reason for concern in a couple of areas...what to do about it is still unclear to me.
Anyway, happy new year and all the best in 2008
Raia
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
10 Jan 08
Yes, I know there are several people that will outwardly cut/paste for their discussions, some even copy people's discussions word for word and make it as their own. I often will copy/paste say some part of an article that I'm bringing up in a discussion, but I always make sure that I give a link to the original article and give credit where credit is do. Think a lot of people abuse the system here in more ways than one
