FOSTA bill was passed... Forums threatened...

[mikeschn]

Okay, I'll be turning off private messaging soon. Everything will be kept in the open. That's a good suggestion!

Thanks,

Mike...

[Tom&Shelly]

Okay, I'll be turning off private messaging soon. Everything will be kept in the open. That's a good suggestion!

Thanks,

Mike...

Thank you Mike, for setting up and administering this site! Can't say it enough: This is a vital resource. I'm sure we wouldn't have even considered building our own camper without this.

And thank you everyone for sharing your experience and advice!

Tom and Shelly

[crttaz]

FOSTA will have no effect on forums such as this, PM's or not, allowed.

Now if these "meets" were advertised as being a nudist or orgy meetup, then their might be issues down the line.



Add in "invites" or "raffles" and it relly gets muddy right now on how things will go forward.

[KCStudly]

Thank you Mike, for setting up and administering this site! Can't say it enough: This is a vital resource. I'm sure we wouldn't have even considered building our own camper without this.

Amen.

I agree, this site is probably not a concern for the "target" audience. But it would be a shame to see it get swept up in over protective legislation.

I can live w/o PM's, but don't regret having that feature in the past. Have never had a "questionable" experience with anyone here, but have also never had the experience or responsibility of running a forum, so will certainly defer to whatever you (big Mike) feel is appropriate.

The key thing is maintaining the shared wealth of trailer building information, and no politics should be able to take that away. It is a just cause.

[Tom Horn]

FOSTA will have no effect on forums such as this, PM's or not, allowed.

Now if these "meets" were advertised as being a nudist or orgy meetup, then their might be issues down the line.



Add in "invites" or "raffles" and it relly gets muddy right now on how things will go forward.

I agree and I would also suggest talking with your local Represenatative or Senator and get the true ins and outs of FOSTA and not a bunch of different internet opinions before making any changes that you probably wouldn't need to make in the first place. I always consider it best to go straight to the source if you want the info on something like this.

[Alice]

Add in my thanks.

More for CYA:

In lieu of moderators that inspect each post before publication, add a "report" button to each post which would hide it until moderator takes a look. Essentially that gives you all of our eyes to spot something inappropriate.

Require moderation for new people until they have made a certain number of posts or behaved well for a certain length of time.

PMs are particularly useful for buying/selling. At a certain point you want to share info such as email or phone or address you probably don't want on the open web. Is there a way to make PMs private except to board management?

If you do reduce functionality of the forum, perhaps have a paid membership option for people who want to retain all functions.

[John61CT]

PMs being private are exactly why they increase liability.

So typically stupid legislation, throwing out the baby with the bath water.

I would just carry on and wait for the courts to strike it down.

[mikeschn]

Yep, I am trying to carry on... We've been doing teardrop discussions for what, 15 years now...?

So any and all suggestions are welcomed...

I turned off PMs today... Let me know if things are working ok... any other ideas about PMs are also welcomed...

So in it's current state, without PMs, what do you think?

Mike...

[pchast]

I generally just used the PM function if I didn't
want to embarrass someone, or myself, with a
question. I, myself, will not greatly miss it.

Could another method be developed to make
contact without spreading personal info? Like
with a unit for sale.....

[Woodbutcher]

I think removing PM's will hurt the forum. I have had several members inquire about building techniques or something they saw in one of my build threads. These conversations, if left in the open will just clog up the forum. Existing threads with legitimate questions will get hijacked by people splintering the original message in all different directions, frustrating the OP. I believe there needs to be an easy way for members to contact each other. I am on several forums like this and NO other forums are reacting this way. Much of what was always discussed here has now moved to FB pages, where open communication among members is encouraged. This was the premier website for tiny trailer builders. I have been here for over 10 years and learned enough to build my first teardrop, having never seen one in person. I would hate to see this forum struggle with a self inflicted wound.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I think turning off PM's is a kneejerk reaction to a perceived threat. No other forum that I'm a member (or admin) of has even blinked at FOSTA.

I've received quite a few PM's over the years asking how I did certain things on my builds, and its a convenient way to communicate. But its your forum and ultimately your butt on the line. If you're feeling threatened then its wise to turn off PM's so you can sleep better at night. All other forums I'm part of are continuing as usual.

[Zomby Woof]

Since I'm new here (but long time lurker) I didn't want my first post to be negative but I agree completely.

I think it's an overreaction to a non-existent threat.

[John61CT]

Yes I participate in 30+ different forums, and no one has ever suggested turning off PMs.

But this one's owner may feel particularly vulnerable for some reason?

I personally keep myself judgement-proof anyway when living in Amerika, but nothing to do with Internet liabilities. . .

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I'm new here

Welcome

[Bill n Robi]

Unfortunately we might be all good and wholesome but there are those who are not. I've come across people exchanging software and porn in corporate environment because someone found a loophole in the system to exploit.

As I learned at an EFF forum many years ago, if you have copy righted material on your system that you don't know about, you can plea ignorance and not get into trouble. If you have child porn on your system that you don't know about - you are still going to jail.