There has been an attack on the forum from someone by the username of 'harriettvanders' PLEASE make sure you action this IMMEDIATELY.

To ignore user :

1) Click on profile (profile is safe)
2) scroll on drop down menu to 'ignore user', and click
3) A new screen will appear, click on update.

Done.

Also, make sure you ban any messages from this user, type the username in (harriettvanders), and put the settings on 'no' for message allowance.

DO NOT open any thread with this username as a contributor.

(mods: please remove this thread when all the offending posts have been removed, thanks!)

A reminder to read and action the above.

Any luck with getting hold of Christine Barry?

Thank you, that worked for me

Christine has received our messages and is on the case.

When I have ignored them, can i read the topics which they have posted in, or should i wait untill their posts have been deleted? eg. in the 'Children growing up' thread.

Thanks

You can read the topics - the offending posts are masked.

Whenever one of the posts from an ignored user is in the thread you are reading, it says 'you have chosen to ignore posts from this user' rather than displaying the post, so you'll be okay to read the threads.

I haven't posted in threads after her, though, because I don't want anyone else to think the threads are 'safe' if they haven't put her on ignore first, if you see what I mean. I've just read those threads.

Great, thanks

I posted reported in one, (Market Harbourough Thread) before I realised it was a recurring problem.. However the warning thread is just above it now.

Thanks for that...I didn't see any of the warning posts and had the shock of my life!! :S Will 'ignore' the posts now.

So long as his/her posts stay off the top of the forums, people should notice at least one warning....

I hope so.

I don't suppose there is, but can we not somehow PM everyone on the forum so that they know to ignore this person as soon as they log onto the forum?

:S

Short of pasting all their names in... I suppose if it isn't going to stop anytime soon we could split it up and each do a few pages of the members list?

I'd be happy to help if there is anything like that needs doing (stuck at home ill and nothing better to do ...)

Nice idea, but I don't think it's practical.

The important thing is to make sure people see the warnings and encourage them to block the user.

That's all we can do until the system admin. people can delete it all.

On the other hand, there are 923 pages of users!

Oh, OK, it doesn't seem so doable then!

Plus, there are probably an awful lot of lurkers, some of them children (I know I lurked here for a while before registering, though I'm not a child ..).

Let's just make sure the warning threads are as visible as we can make them.

Weekend moderators? I know this has been discussed before and the mods didn't approve of the idea at the time, but maybe in this situation it would've been a good idea?

Car Expert

Car Expert

I have to admit, though, I'm getting a guilty smile from watching to see if s/he posts in 'ask the chief examiner' ...

Or even just being able to block the user would have made a huge difference. I'm sure there are users whom we could trust to moderate at the weekends, even if it was just for events like this.

I agree. I think having the forum unmoderated at weekends raises child protection issues.

Thanks for the warning Barry. This has happened before at the weekend I think by people with nothing better to do than hurt responsible human beings, not to mention minors who inncocently use these forums in connection with their exams. Surely in this day and age this can be prevented somehow.

It is difficult.. You don't know whether a user will post porn or other undesirable junk until they do. Which is why its important to have weekend moderation.....

I don't think it would be practical given that all members are going to have an inherent bias. In cases like this just about anyone would agree with banning it, but in others it isn't going to be as clear cut and there's a risk of whoever it is just deleting any posts which express views they don't share. The main advantage to having arms length moderation is that we don't need to worry about any favouritism or bending of the rules to suit themselves.

Besides which even if there were appointed moderators they're still going to go on holiday or not be available at certain times. The best solution might be having a temporary probation for new members where their postings are screened before being added.

If we had user mods then we could restrict to clear cut cases such as this one, with a specific response. If say half a dozen people had the ability to block a user and/or delete or their posts, chances are one of them would be contactable. I believe new members do have a validation period, though I'm not sure what that entails...

The problem is that the mods probably thought at the time that the forums would survive without weekend moderators, but now this has happened, it might persuade them to change their mind. This is only going to happen again in the future if nothing is done about it.

Car Expert

Can you actually get hold of mods at the weekend though. I just looked through My Assistant (sad I know) and none of the mods have been online today. Those who say they are on the case, how do you know? Email?, report function?

Just come across this, thanks for the instructions on blocking - never having had to do so before I might not immediately have known how. Nasty! - but I suppose one of the hazards of internet use which we all (especially parents) have to be alert to.

"I don't think it would be practical given that all members are going to have an inherent bias. In cases like this just about anyone would agree with banning it, but in others it isn't going to be as clear cut and there's a risk of whoever it is just deleting any posts which express views they don't share. The main advantage to having arms length moderation is that we don't need to worry about any favouritism or bending of the rules to suit themselves.
Besides which even if there were appointed moderators they're still going to go on holiday or not be available at certain times. The best solution might be having a temporary probation for new members where their postings are screened before being added."

I agree with this post - the probation period seems to be in wide use.


N

Phone number, possibly? I know the report function doesn't alert the mods at weekends...

Car Expert

I'm still baffled as to why a few trusted members can't have the ability to delete offensive posts. Every other forum I visit has these helpers.

If the AB are not prepared to do something about this problem then the boards should be closed when there's no one available to moderate.

I've only recently registered, and I have to say that the 'screening' didn't seem to be up to much ... I just registered and then about three days later got an email to say my account was activated, that was all.

I think it's a bit ironic that I've seen some very sensible discussions in Teachers about child protection, and that the ABRSM itself takes child protection so seriously, yet it has forums it encourages its child examinees to visit that are unmoderated for long periods of time.

Then you might not be aware that this isn't the first time this has happened at a weekend.

Isn't it at the weekends when most people will use these forums, especially youngsters, so not having weekend moderators seems a bit silly to me?
I don't see a problem with having a trusted member have moderator status, if people think there is going to be a problem with bias then maybe they should only be allowed to delete messages which are pornography or otherwise offensive, and then have to explain to a 'higher' moderator why they deleted the messages?

OK some further research, his profile always seems to show 'reading board index'. Then in a flash another disgusting post appears in some forum. Quick, devious, you name it. He leaves the place making us think he is gone, then jumps back. Very cunning, all the hallmarks there.

Furthermore anyone who has seen the American 'To Catch A Predator' will have seen it is an offence in itself in most places over there to send images harmful to a minor over the internet. Wonder if there is a similar law here governing that behaviour. All we are waiting for is for him to say 'this is the first time I have done this (probably not), I am lonely, it will never happen again'

On a more serious note I hope mods take this latest incident on board looking at their moderation policies.

Good point. Other forums don't accept new posts at weekends, rather than appoint weekend moderators, that's another option.

The user is what is known as a 'spam bot', by the way. It is programmed to wait a random length of time, then pick a topic from a forum at random, and post its message. There isn't actually a person sat there posting this stuff, it's just automated. It will work with any IPB forum, and handles account registration etc. - so all an advertiser has to do is give it the address of the site and away it goes.

Thanks to everyone who warned me about this certain issue!!
Im sure that they will get deleted soon
Hope so
D x

Sorry, but I have to ...

bump

I've just noticed that even the spammer hasn't posted in the new music medals forum - doesn't bode well, does it?

Evidence of it having some standards?

*bump for the thread*

Cheers,

Matt.

Or in the Games Zone, or the New Members!!

There is a post in the New Members forums. It's yet to ask the Chief Examiner, though

Car Expert

I'm glad it wasn't just me who had that twisted thought ...

I can just see that...

'Dear Chief Examiner,

Why pay for porn when your forum gets full of it for free at the weekend?

Yours,

Harriet'

If it's automated, is it possible that a post will appear on this thread, for instance? I hadn't got round to blocking him/her yet, and just got a bit of a ashock in a thread in which he/she/it wasn't the last poster - as my son walked past behind me. He'll probably now report to dad that mum has taken to looking at porn of a Sunday afternoon...

So it would be sensible if nobody replied in any way to one of the threads already contaminated!

It's like one of those zombie films where you're okay if you stay out of the way....