Giveaway of the Day Forums » Topic: Why are my comments being deleted?

Giveaway of the Day Forums » Topic: Why are my comments being deleted? http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345 Giveaway of the Day Forums » Topic: Why are my comments being deleted? en-US Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:18:47 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/search.php Whiterabbit-uk on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345/page/2#post-71913 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:22:50 +0000 Whiterabbit-uk 71913@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Hi Packett, the giveaway team do test each software to make sur eit runs and also pu each program through a through portfolio of malware testing to make sure the programs are safe to post. To Serenity, there appears to be no rhyme or reason for various comments being deleted. I've had lots of comments disappear from the giveaway side of the project. and even some from the game giveaway side despite me being the main moderator for that side of the project. Though I iknow why my posts from the games side have been deleted - usually because i have several hyperlinks attached to the post. I can assure you all comments from the game giveaway side will be posted unless they break any posting rules or as I mention above have several hypelinks (though only one can also cause the posts to be filtered off to the spam bin automatically), and even then they may just be edited. sually delete any innappropriate comments but will post a reply letting the offender know why their post has been deleted. all the moderators are volunteers not paid employees of the giveaway project. Serenity on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345/page/2#post-71910 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:27:23 +0000 Serenity 71910@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Seriously though, my last comment for Online Armor ++ (Anti-Virus and Firewall Protection) was also deleted. It was a Very positive comment. I guess my support is not needed. I will stop commenting in future. *walks out sobbing* Packett on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345/page/2#post-71800 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:15:00 +0000 Packett 71800@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ I find it ironic that many posts just don't make it past the moderators but, the descriptions for offers often contain so many grammatical errors it's nearly impossible to decipher what the developer is trying to say. Does anyone at GAOTD read the descriptions before they're posted? Does anyone at GAOTD test installations before they're posted? .... Is GAOTD simply a robot with no human presence? An uncontrolled robot sure would explain the boatloads of problems users are having these days with GAOTD offers. It's getting to the point where it's just not worth my time dealing with all these problems at GAOTD lately. The powers that be should really take a look at how things are being done before all credibility is lost. Whiterabbit-uk on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345/page/2#post-71787 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:45:08 +0000 Whiterabbit-uk 71787@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ If you've posted any links the comment may go straight to the spam bin. Otherwise I can't see any reason why your comment isn't getting through. Assuming the moderation console for the giveaway project is the same as for the game giveaway, there is always an indicator telling themoderator/admin that there are comments to be approved. so either you comment isn't getting through poperly 9though i appreciate you saying that you're getting a message saying duplicate comment, so it must be getting to the site), or a moderator is not approving your comment for some reason. I can only guess at this though because I only have access to the game console. W.R. Serenity on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345/page/2#post-71785 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:08:26 +0000 Serenity 71785@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Finally I found a thread by GAOTD members complaining about deleted comments. First of all.. gmon, recommend me the shrink you're going to. I have posted a few positive comments and a few questions related to the software offered, but all of them seemed to disappear. Are there any keywords that are not allowed in the 'comment' section? Just curious. Thanks watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345/page/2#post-70168 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:40:42 +0000 watcher13 70168@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Just as an illustration of what I said, just tried to post a late comment on today's software, Inpaint. Got 2 "Bad Gateway's" (am using Firefox) and then the notice of duplicate comment. So it apparently went at least partially through when I got one of the bad gateway notices. Whether it will every get posted, only time will tell. That kind of thing convinces me these are often technical glitches. (I'm just saying this stuff for general purposes for everybody, Bigun. Most of it hasn't been directed at you, so I hope you won't think I'm harping at you.) watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345/page/2#post-70159 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:37:55 +0000 watcher13 70159@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ I appreciate that, Bigun, but let me clarify because I don't want to mislead you. It's been the consensus opinion here that the Bad Gateway message was caused by server congestion on GOTD's end. However, if you're only getting it when you use IE, you might be on to something. That may be a valuable clue, though that's the first I remember hearing that. Not to beat a dead horse too much, but, again, GOTD has stayed quiet on this problem. I, of course, was referring to the original topic of the thread, comments not being posted on the comments page. In that case, my suspicion that it's technical on their end was based on a number of factors. 1. It occurred to some of the biggest backers of the project, like Whiterabbit, who even, I believe, had trouble accessing the new page at one time. 2. Most insisted that their comments were not critical. Many even said they were positive. 3. A very sharp decrease in the number of comments and often very few in the first 2 or 3 hours of the giveaway, when the posting's usually the heaviest. That couldn't possibly look good to developers and it's steadily been going up, which hints to me that GOTD is working on it. 4. Reports of occasional problems even before the redesign, which I suspect were attributable to the spam filter, which is actually not static but a "live" detection service provided by bbPress. Of course, it all may be attributable to Bubby's recent suspicion that a moderator was throwing away a lot of comments because they just couldn't be bothered to take the time to read them. I suspect that's been fixed, but there's been so many reports since the redesign that I'm still convinced it's a number of factors and many of them are technical. Mainly, though, as you and so many have said, there has always been ton of crap that snuck through - Bubby once joked that you could post "banana, banana, banana" and it would get through - that there just didn't seem to be any pattern that would point toward censorship. I know you didn't say that, either. I'm just saying that the evidence to me points to just another example that GOTD is working on it, but is afraid to admit they're having a problem. Just like with the "unfixable" email notification problem that, nevertheless, got fixed. Anyway, I'm glad you had some success with downloading. Bigun on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-70156 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:04:27 +0000 Bigun 70156@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ I appreciate the comments. I my situation may very well be a browser issue. I noticed a large number of comments today concerning a "bad gateway" error. I got the same error when I tried to download today's offer. I tried to download several times using Internet Explorer 7 and I consistently got the 502 bad gateway error. When I switched to Firefox 3 I was able to download today's offer, Inpaint, without any error message or problem. "Happy Person", I believe about a month ago you were having similar problems and WhiteRabbit posted your reviews for you. If you found the problem was a browser issue, I will to agree that I am having technical problems as well. watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-70134 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:52:42 +0000 watcher13 70134@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Hi Bigun, I was semi-out of touch or I would have responded earlier. I hope it's working better for you now. First, please remember there are different moderators for the forums than there are for the comments page. With one exception, all the moderators on the comments page (not counting the games page, which is all Whiterabbit) are GOTD staff. The opposite here is true. With, I believe one exception, all the moderators on the forums are volunteers. Really, the two aren't related. It's apples and oranges. I say this because, we've found you can't assume that GOTD will react to anything in these forums. We think they read at least some of the forum threads, but we've had very little evidence of this, because GOTD prefers to play "that man behind the curtain" and keep most of what they do a closely guarded secret. Unfortunate, but I believe true. I posted to say that I believe GOTD is working on the comments page. Of course, they won't admit to it. LOL. As I said in another post, I believe the litmus test was the TINY number of comments that got through for a short amount of time. Less than 20 in more than one instance. That's just not normal. That strikes me a as a technical problem. The software on those days couldn't be THAT bad. I'm not sure some of it wasn't better than average. We've certainly had worse. I believe the more message getting through now indicate that they're working on it. And some of the comments getting through contain negatives. Also, Bubby pointed out some questionable moderating practices - not related to censorship, but just plain laziness - and that might be what they've corrected. Or maybe both that and what I'm convinced are glitches. I'd say, "hang in there". HappyPerson on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-69975 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:50:26 +0000 HappyPerson 69975@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Hi Bigun and others, hope you are all doing well. First of all, I wish everyone (and your families) a very happy, healthy new year. Second, with respect to comments not being posted - I know that when I try to post comments via AOL, it does not work sometimes, and also, the "awaiting moderation" queue message does not show up at all, so I'm not sure whether my comment went through successfully (and it's just a problem with the message) or whether my comments did not go through at all. You may want to try Firefox, which is what I use now, and it works like a charm. Not only do my comments go through successfully, but I also see the "awaiting moderation" message every time. That said, if it's not a web brower issue - you may want to contact the GOTD admin staff directly, via the online "contact form." I did this back when I was having problems with my comments, and the GOTD admin staff were very nice and helpful. Maybe they can give you some helpful suggestions. It's just a thought. In summary - wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, safe, successful new year, and may peace reign supreme (all over the world) in 2010. Best, Inas Bigun on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-69948 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:42:32 +0000 Bigun 69948@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ A month gone by - no comment or other action taken by GOTD moderators on this string. I too am disappointed when I spend time to use and evaluate a program, conduct outside research when third-party information could be helpful to understanding my comment, and then write a comment - only to never see it posted on the comments page. I have tried very hard to post a comment only when I believe that the comment help others in their evaluation of the daily giveaway or as an answer to those having specific problems with the giveaway program. If 3 or 4 have already posted answers to a problem, I see no reason to add my answer to the pile. So I do not do that. I am sure that I had never bashed a person and have been as charitable as possible in my evaluation of the given download. When I read through the comments on the GOTD product offering page, I see on a daily basis multiple rule infractions, comments filled with mudslinging and bashing an individual or an individual's idea, totally off-topic remarks, etc. unmoderated comments containing some or simultaneously all the above infractions. My comment, which usually has taken the considerable time to write, gets bumped time and time again. As a veteran bumpie I have been charitable in my words, even if not in my thoughts, to the bumper because my comments usually are made late in the day. Late in the day day comments may be presented to a tired and worn-out moderator so I have given the bumper polite latitude in his actions for cutting my comment. I have done so because I felt that the bumper is probably too exhausted to moderate any more comments. And then, I see a half-dozen more comments posted after the time that I submitted my own comment. I believe that the people that have previously posted comments on this topic would only posts constructive comments. I believe the same individuals make up the core supporters for the English GOTD program. Why disappoint and insult this group? Also, why not have the person or persons responsible for deleting posts leave a reason for their actions. Then we would know that our dumped comments were the result of a deliberate action and that they did not just fall through the cracks. Intermittent reinforcement develops the behavior that is the most difficult of all conditioned responses to extinguish. That is what I have been given - intermittent reinforcement. So I will probably try a comment once again on another day. watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67482 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:31:58 +0000 watcher13 67482@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ I think that's another misunderstanding, hotdoge. I don't think you're on any black list. If you're having trouble posting comments, I assume it's a technical issue. hotdoge3 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67438 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:55:05 +0000 hotdoge3 67438@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ I spend time writing comments and reviews on the software,Me to you talk about GOTD front Page download of the day I guess ? long time no post now ok so far,I did think I was on the black list? watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67093 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:10:17 +0000 watcher13 67093@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Maybe you're right. I thought Graylox primarily meant Bubby. Or maybe she meant moderators instead of full admins. I wasn't aware that she had full admin privileges. The only other full admin I know about is the mysterious "admin" - "keymaster" who pops up ocassionally here. I assume that's GOTD staff. Maybe the head person. Most stuff about GOTD staff is kept a "deep, dark secret" as I've complained about before. Why would they censor themselves? Surely, it's their policies they're enforcing. They can't follow their own policies? I think we're all just misunderstanding one another. graylox on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67091 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:05:17 +0000 graylox 67091@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Sorry, I meant the "administrators" of our forums. The person called "admin" in the PM address bar is one of the "big bosses" behind the curtains - he may and can everything (I assume - besides restoring my "graylox" as it broke, therefore I have two names for one account; maybe he found the name "notblocklox" cooler ? ) *lox HappyPerson on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67090 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:52:12 +0000 HappyPerson 67090@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Watcher13, let me clarify what I meant by my above comments - I was not in any way referring to Bubby, WhiteRabbit, or Graylox. When I said "admins", I was referring to the GOTD staff - since Graylox said that the "admins" are also censored. So, to me, "admins" means GOTD staff, but maybe I'm wrong? :) Best, Happy watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67089 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:24:49 +0000 watcher13 67089@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Well, Happy, like I've said in other threads, there's really only two that I know of that aren't GOTD staff - Bubby and Whiterabbit - and Stephen doesn't even have full privileges. Really, GOTD staff control the policies and procedures on the main page. Bubby just provides - high quality - volunteer moderation. graylox on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67070 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:26:37 +0000 graylox 67070@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Only BuBBy can help himself and save his comment from the bin. HappyPerson on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67063 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:24:32 +0000 HappyPerson 67063@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ It's rather odd that "admins" would be censored, as I thought (maybe mistakenly so) that they are in charge of the policies and protocols of the GOTD site? Maybe not. Wow, we learn something new everyday. By the way, I am using Typing Assistant to type this message now, and it is working very nicely. I like this program a lot. watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67056 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:51:38 +0000 watcher13 67056@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ You are?!? What have you been saying, NBL? PM me all the censored stuff! Juicy! Just kidding. Couldn't resist. :) graylox on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67051 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:38:48 +0000 graylox 67051@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ If it helps your self-confidence, mods and even admins are "censored" too - not only WRabbit. watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67047 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:43:19 +0000 watcher13 67047@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Thanks for the info., Happy. If you were always logged in when you posted unsuccessfully, then that's obviously not it. But, since you said that you emailed GOTD and they likely have fixed it, I think it just reinforces my belief that most of this is technical problems with the new system. I mean, after all, does anybody really think that they would censor Whiterabbit? Or that Stephen has ever even posted anything that anyone would even consider needed censoring. Yeah, and I believe in the Easter Bunny, too. LOL! Maybe you should just email them, gmon, and say you're having a technical problem getting your comments through. HappyPerson on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67032 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:22:56 +0000 HappyPerson 67032@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Hi all, first, let me say that I am now able to post my comments (thus far) successfully (yippeeee!) on the GOTD site. Also, I always post my comments when I am logged on as Happy Person (both in the general giveaway section and the in the 7-category detailed breakdown comment sections. I'm not sure if this information will be helpful to you (probably not), but I thought I would share with you what my experience (lately) has been. Best, Happy Person (aka - Inas) watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67020 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:04:11 +0000 watcher13 67020@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Let me add that I've been noticing that there have been less comments overall, in my unscientific observations, since the redesign. That's partly because the breakdown section is, not inappropriately, taking commenters away from the general section, but I highly suspect it's more because of the "gremlins" I suspect are inhabiting this new system. Today, for example, combining the sections I count only 9 people who have commented, as I write this. Sometimes that's because GOTD staff don't always pick up the moderating ball after Bubby has done his part. But, usually, that shows in the time. Today, however, those 9 posts where spread out over at least 4 hours, and usually, you get a significant amount more when it's daytime in the Pacific and the Indian subcontinent. Still smells like glitch to me. watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67013 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:27:53 +0000 watcher13 67013@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ I'm sorry, gmon, but I don't think you're being logical. Software IS getting slammed over there, and even personal attacks are sneaking by. Yet, the people who are saying they're getting censored insist their comments are tasteful, and some have said their positive comments are not getting through. Doesn't that suggest anything? I'm sure this is technical and not censorship. Honestly, when it comes to personal attacks over there, more censorship is always welcome, in my view. I'm surprised it's not occurring to more people that this started when the new system was implemented. As an experienced troubleshooter, that tells me it's a technical problem. Notice, also, that we're not getting frequent (are we getting any?) complaints about people being not getting through to the game page. That's because the game page has not been redesigned. Please let's not throw the word censorship around when - if you look at what does get through - that charge REALLY doesn't add up. The one thing I've noticed is that the new page registers whether you're logged in to the forums or not. I haven't put any comments into the breakdown section. Is it possible there's problems with the logins? Has anybody that's having problems noticed whether they're being shown as logged in or not when their comments are not going through? I don't know that the problems are that simple, but a lot of the people who are getting through over there are not forum members. Maybe there's some problem, some corruption, with the account login system. When Whiterabbit says he has trouble getting through.... Sheesh! Censoring Stephen? Surely not! Also, I don't have the blind faith in the spam filter many here seem to have. The other thing - in this context it has to be said - since when is moderation over there - Bubby excluded - conscientiously run, anyway? (Actually, it will be interesting to see if that last sentence survives over here.) In any case, sorry folks, but in my 30 some years as at least a part time technician, I can honestly say I've actually heard of that rumored phenomenon: the dreaded "glitch" (gasp!). LOL. rezidue on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-67012 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:14:03 +0000 rezidue 67012@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Hi gmon - same issue here - let me know if you find a good therapist! BTW, I think you made an excellent point when you said "I doubt the participating companies would like it if they knew people are being prevented from presenting opinions about their software." Kind of skews the whole concept... gmon on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-66997 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:59:22 +0000 gmon 66997@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ I hit enter, the comment shows up waiting for moderation, and then hours later it is gone like it never happened. I don't comment on every GOTD, but if I do, it's to say something useful. I doubt the participating companies would like it if they knew people are being prevented from presenting opinions about their software. Oh well, so long, off to better things. gmon on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-66091 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:47:38 +0000 gmon 66091@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Happy Person - From what I saw, I thought someone had posted comments using a name that was similar or the same as the name under which you post, but the comments in question had been deleted before I looked, and all I saw were replies to a complaint made about someone using the name of Happy Person. I doubt there is much I could do if someone chose to post comments using the same name I use. I have seen plenty of comments by people called Mike or Phil, for example, and they aren't all the same person.. Plagiarism is a different matter, but I don't see what GOTD can do about that unless they try to verify every word written by every poster in the comments section. Maybe it's just as innocuous as someone copying a review they liked and reposting it and forgetting to give credit where it is due? All I know is that I can't comment at all! arghh! I did PM Bubby about the spam filter, thanks watcher13 for your advice. watcher13 on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-66026 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:22:40 +0000 watcher13 66026@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ You're probably aware that this has happened before, Happy. Bubby usually deletes them when he catches them, but, of course, he can't be the moderator 24/7/365. As for an automated mechanism, maybe, though it hasn't happened enough over the months for GOTD to have probably thought of it. HappyPerson on "Why are my comments being deleted?" http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/topic/6345#post-66014 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:55:54 +0000 HappyPerson 66014@http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/forums/ Hi all, This is off-topic, but somewhat related (in terms of weird things happening on the GOTD site.) Lately, I've been noticing that there have been some "unknown beings," for lack of a better term, who are plagiarizing people's GOTD GiveAway review comments. It happened to me twice (and I was heavily criticized by many mean-spirited people yesterday) for making a genuine, well-intentioned statement about this plagiarizm issue. People incorrectly thought I was being "snobby" or "superior" in my attitude, which was totally far from my intent - and I was not given the benefit of the doubt. In any case, today also, I notice that somebody has plagiarized (word-for-word0 part of Ashraf's review - so there are "unknown forces" out there who are trying very hard to "hi-jack" the good work being done by everyone on GOTD - and it does not look like it will stop anytime soon, unfortunately. This not only is as serious security issue, but it's also one that will jeopardize the trust that all GOTD community members potentially have with one another - for if dishonest people plagiarize the words of others, then how will we know who said what or meant what, etc. Am I getting my point across clearly? I hope so. Surely, there must be some "editing/screening/monitoring mechanism that GOTD can employ, in order to minimize these plagiarizm occurrences. Just thought I'd share this bit of trivia with everyone, in case you're interested. Best, Happy