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Moderation of comments on LEB
The question has been raised about moderation of certain comments on LEB.
More and more providers feel discomfort regarding users commenting about bad service in one way or another without giving proof of they actually being a customer or if they ever been a customer.
WHT asks the people giving reviews about a provider for some types of proof that they actually have been or are using their services. Should the same thing be implemented here?
Should the staff of LEB be allowed to give out the IP/email that is stored with the comment to the provider to check their logs, or would that be a breach of privacy?
Whats the community feeling about this? Give me and the rest of the staff some feedback. It is appreciated.
I personally don't think all comments should be held for moderation because that would only delay the interaction between users and providers.
If you find a comment that you feel shouldn't be public anymore, please contact one of the staff as soon as possible.
Use the about/contact page to find information regarding the helpdesk option or you can PM me here on LET or even send me an email. mikho(at)lowendBOX(dot)com
Comments
I agree. Other providers bashing other hosts should be stopped, too.
Unless a provider complains and the IP/email proves to be another provider purposely bashing a competitor, I wouldn't moderate.
I do not see why customers will go out of their way to bash the provider unless they have had a bad experience. There are always problem customers, but if dealt with nicely issues as such should have been prevented.
I don't know how well that would work; many people connect with a proxy of some sort.
I like the community-based regulation of LET instead of the corrupt power-based regulation of WHT. It's generally why I stay here. Yes, I and others have been the target of community lynch mob, but one takes the bad with the good.
FWIW, even pointing out 'bad' things like http://www.lowendtalk.com/discussion/5770/openvz-500mb50gb500gb-3.83-pm#Item_3 go unheeded. So adding additional workload to the moderators probably wouldn't effect much.
Possibly a screenshot of their WHMCS/Billing Software with the Service there?
I know its usually easy to make these but its just to make whoever's faking it take some more time.
Personally, I'd prefer not to have the IP/Email exchange.
Either way though, I'm in favor of community self-moderation (although it does get a bit sketchy sometimes when you see someone spearheading something)
The only point I can think of is where the company gets bashed by a single individual at every opportunity. I think @Jarland is experiencing this?
Additionally, people like @Randy, @Dewlancevps and a few others are allowed to run around rampantly with impunity; a much larger problem.
+1 for this.
Some moderation is required, hosts are getting trolled without good reason.
I am not suggesting a complete WHT style however if posting negative crap without backing it up my opinion is that the post should be set awaiting evidence approval when spotted and the troll is given the opportunity to provide something traceable, order number, invoice number, ticket number etc.
Imagine walking down the street and some guy lets call him LAKid for the sake of argument was outside a shop you like shouting "I would not recommend you go in here, bad shop, bad shop" you ask him why he is saying this and he just shouts the same thing over and over again. That is going to annoy you because you know the shop is fine, and it is understandable for the shop owners to be annoyed bout his presence.
I think there is a fine line between expressing an opinion and just trying to damage a host, an opinion is fine but if you are going to take the time to express it grow a back bone and back it up.
I suppose my pet hate is people who double is size when hiding behind a keyboard, I have no objection to people posting negative things in general but when they hide and do not back things up then my opinion is that they do not deserve to be here.
my 2c
I can not speak for LET, only LEB. I have no "powers" here
Agree to some point, if its pointless bashing it will be removed, but if theres an ounce of constructive critisism I would let it stay. Shameless comments like we have seen recently where other providers places offers in other providers posts will be removed.
As said in the original post, if you see comments like that ... let us know asap.
See my first answer, you have to take that with the LET moderators.
This is part of the problem, these few who may (assuming it is not a pure troll) take service on a 96mb VPS, try to install cPanel then start swearing at a host and open a paypal charge back all in the same hour period because 20 minutes after purchase they "cannot log in to the :2086 site" then come to LEB and write a novel about how crap a host is.
This is totally wrong and should be moderated.
Then you have the trolls like the one I recently had who was using the VPS to DDOS other people, gets caught and terminated and then makes up a name and starts bashing you.
Again totally wrong and should be moderated.
Again totally wrong and should be moderated.
So it goes both ways ? Providers should be able to "report" info to the moderators that they want to "warn" about.
Like in your case Anthony, would you be willing to provide information about this customer to LET/LEB moderators to find out whos behind what IP etc ...?
Would you consider this a breach in privacy policys etc?
I really dislike the idea that my data will be used against my will.
IF the ip/email comparison will be a reality i'll probably leave LET.
I'm positive about active moderation, but not by resigning personal data.
@MikHo: So....
But I do think the exchange of IP/e-mail should be carefully done (if implemented).
We do need another WHT so no. Not this way.
You could easily get someone to put in the IP of the server they host with that particular host & grab the ASN information for that IP to make the connection. We do something similar as part of our verification process.
Yes, there needs to be a better way than IP comparison. I'm guessing VPN usage is not exactly rare here, so the privacy violation is there, but at no benefit. Also, considering how often we've seen providers lying here, I don't see how any "proof" could be taken seriously from either side.
I don't know about risking user information, especially not host initiated, but a report button for the host who's offer it is would be good but maybe a little complex to implement.
However if someone has something to say they should grow some balls and back it up or be silenced imho, maybe that sounds extreme but trolls never help a community grow.
Not sure why anyone would think it is OK to publicly attack someone (internet or not) and say they did XYZ or express a negative opinion of them without backing it up or even being prepared to back it up in any way shape or form, I guess this school of thought comes from sanity though.
How would you like a complete stranger in a mask standing outside your house telling people that walk past that you are crap at your job, you are not a nice person and you are a con man?
I am guessing you would not smile and say "It is only an opinion" day after day after day.
But I do think the exchange of IP/e-mail should be carefully done (if implemented).
I was talking about LEB ... not LET .. here is the FLAG link to report a post but thats not available on LEB (as of now)
That stranger with his scraggly beard has no credibility. However, if the mayor or someone else from the neighborhood you've seen around before says the same you stop to listen. Basically the same on here.
Does not make it right in my opinion.
Yes required
You can use a plugin so if comment flagged for more then "x" times then add comment for admin review but comment will be visible until admin remove flagged comment?
Only Customer can bash host but customer need to post a ticket id or customer id?
I like this idea. Most (all?) of us providers don't want to sell crappy service, and most (all?) of us don't have a good handle on exactly how our services are performing, because we don't use them like that.
So having customers post "LOL THIS SERVICE SUCKS" when they didn't bother to contact the provider for resolution should reduce their credibility.
Are we suspecting random hosts bashing other hosts in disguise? And these same hosts then would be trusted to confirm customer data in other cases of posts unfavorable to them? And they couldn't actually sign up as a customer and spend the $2 for extra credibility?
This reminds me of the TSA. A lot is spent on security theater, many people are inconvenienced and some morons feel safer, but no actual security is gained.
Edit: I forgot the possibility of idiots who can't find the ticket button and post here instead, so maybe there is a use case after all.
By providing a ticket number, is there a issue with reprisal from the provider? We already had one threatening to do bad things to someone's family simple for bad-mouthing them.
An extreme case admittedly, but some of the people who run hosting companies appear to be, for want of a better term, completely fucking mental.
@MikHo
Just make people confirm the comment via e-mail first and make the e-mail public so that providers can check if that e-mail is in their administration.
I think LEB giving out the IP of comments to providers is beyond tolerable. Any review without proper proof should just be deleted.
I do not think any kind of moderation to protect hosts will work. Other hosts know how to avoid it and "proof" of service can be faked. As for policing with emails, screenshots and IPs that is so utopic that is not even worth the discussion. Doing quiet background checks is a different thing, sooner or later someone will make a mistake, especially if they think that is not monitored and one exposure liket hat will serve as an example.
I am fully opposed to the kind of moderation proposed here, LEB/LET are consumer sites and hosts bashing reveals some problems, we do not want boring presentation of plans, but a real commenting about them, sooner or later ppl get some reputation, some comments will be more heeded than others.
We do not try to protect hosts here, but consumers from predatory practices.
M
I hope not or I'm losing my mind and missing it every time :P
This ^
I'd implement that for all strongly negative reviews, suspiciously positive reviews, and otherwise possibly suspicious things. Don't think it's needed for your run of the mill review.
Absolutely not. How would you feel if you made a genuine critical remark towards a provider (for example, about them using WHOIS protection), and then having your IP and e-mail address passed on to them at a whim? What if said provider had someone like Constantinos behind it? Comparing IPs within LEB itself may be useful to find people pretending to be other people just to bash a host, but in no way should the IPs or email addreses be given out to anyone outside LEB staff.
It always worked that way, we always had false reviews and "this host is bad" comments and it worked so far. If someone posts a comment like that they usually get asked for proof by the community itself, and if there is no proof provided the poster just sits there looking like an idiot.
I don't see the need for stricter moderation unless things get out of hand (and I don't think that happened yet).