Here's some answers: *Evago, sorry, we no longer have a function to save searches, got rid of that in last redesign, found that members weren't using it and just weighed down the page.
Melody.. 2 answers here: 1) To set/edit your Match Basics (like age and other stuff of the person you are seeking. These DO APPEAR on your profile page for viewer info and they are used to provide matches for you. But Match Basics do NOT block anything.) : -For directions: click EDIT PROFILE on the HELP page, then "How do I edit my Match Details"
2) To set/edit Mail-Block filters (these do NOT APPEAR on your profile page. These settings block mail to you from some members based on LOCATION, AGE, MARITAL STATUS and RELATIONSHIP TYPE. Many members who complain that they are getting mail from people who are too young or too old have not set up these Block filters.) -For directions: click SETTINGS on the HELP page, then Edit Block Settings.
To get answers to these and other site questions: Scroll down to the footer of any site page and click on HELP. That help page is just chock full of answers... yup, answers, answers, everywhere answers
As you are all aware, we launched new pages several months ago. It was an expensive design by a company (Psd2html.com) that came with promises of being user friendly and responsive. Needless to say it turned out to be neither. :(
Soooo, we are working on new pages to replace them. We have just launched the "All Threads" page as a test.
Please be aware that the change is to ONLY ONE page - the ALL THREADS PAGE.
**The rest of the forums pages (the black pages) were never redone. We will be working on those over the next few weeks.
Changes to the All Threads page include: -The main change is it's responsive so will look better on your cellphone, ipad or desktop -We replaced the icons at the top of the table with buttons that make their purpose more obvious -We made the background light gray to be easier on your eyes -We made the entire cell clickable (instead of just the Thread Title in the blue link)
We welcome your constructive feedback on this page as we work to improve the forums section.
Just to let you know... We are will be upgrading CS equipment, and the site will be down for maintenance tomorrow. You will not be able to login or use the site during that time.
Just to let you know... We are will be upgrading CS equipment, and the site will be down for maintenance tomorrow. You will not be able to login or use the site during that time.
The OP Ban Tools are provided for the OP of a thread to use as he or she sees fit. If you get banned from a thread GET OVER IT!...STOP COMPLAINING...GROW UP... and find another to post in.
Participation in this type of pack attack thread will only get you banned.
If you don't like a poster or a thread... STAY OUT OF IT!!!
FYI... Your thread was removed because it breaks Forum Rule #3 which states: "No soliciting of any kind for websites, charity or petition sites, products or services, or directing people to other websites."
CS does not have staff available to check out the validity of every good cause or petition site that members post, so for safety reasons none can be posted. The reason for this rule can be found on the CS Scam Warning page under the heading 5)Soliciting: Charities, Petitions, and Good Causes Read it here:
Some posters of this thread have been given temporary time out and they are asking why. To make sure it is clear.. here is their answer..
It appears the OP of this thread has become a target for a group who have a goal of disrupting any thread he creates. While the OP remains calm, the pack uses accusation, bullying and namecalling to criticize and provoke the OP and turn the topic into something other than was presented, preventing any good discussion of the topic, stirring trouble, and creating an unfriendly environment in the forum. There is absolutely no reason for a group to continually return to a thread or topic they so obviously dislike and are not willing to discuss with tolerance. It is not their job to judge what topics should be discussed in the forum or decide which members are worthy of discussing them.
’If you do not like a topic or a poster, STAY OUT OF THE THREAD!!’
This is NOT a matter of bias, or staff supporting any political or religious doctrine or idealogy, because they don’t. Controversial topics are interesting and members can learn much from lively discussion by a diversity of views from members from all over the world. It's not up to one group to 'protect' the forum from ideas and opinions of members that they feel are wrong or that they, for whatever reason, do not like.
Members were given temporary time away because pack behavior cannot be tolerated here.
Current upset in the forum appears to be coming from members being banned from threads by OPs and then hostility by the banned member being carried over into other threads, creating an unfriendly environment in the forum.
The purpose of the OP Ban Tools is to give an OP the right (and the responsibility) to keep the peace in their own threads. We encourage an OP to use these tools early to prevent their thread from going bad due to fighting and posters who just enter the thread to stir up trouble. An OP ban is a ban from that one thread only. A member banned by an OP is still free to post in any other thread. This is a light-handed way to help keep peace in individual threads before they blossom into more major problems which result in the heavier hand of staff who would ban the member from all threads, not just the one. If you create a thread, you need to be willing to use the tools when trouble arises. When you don't use them, staff will lock or delete a thread that is mainly fighting rather than discussion of a stated topic.
As the OP of a thread, you may use the tools to stop or hide ANY post or poster you feel is disrupting your thread.
As a poster, you have the option to leave a thread you don't like, or not post in threads created by members you don't like. But if you enter a thread and start or are involved in disrupting the thread, expect to be banned by the OP, or eventually by staff.
A thread belongs to the OP (the member who created it). The process is self regulating. An OP who posts good topics, prevents fights, and uses the Tools fairly will have popular threads that many will join in. If not, the OP will have threads that are avoided and not popular. There may be groups of members that choose to post with a certain OP because they like the member or share like opinions on various topics. That’s ok. There’s plenty of room in the forum for many diverse groups to post. But if a group enters a thread to stir trouble, disrupt, bully or belittle the OP or the topic, that is a ‘pack attack’ and that group should expect to be banned by the OP or/and by staff.
If you get banned from a thread, for whatever reason, GET OVER IT! and find another thread to post in. It's immature to carry on in thread after thread about being banned, or to lead a crusade against the OP who banned you for what you consider 'no good reason'. There's ALWAYS a reason! And you're out because of it! So GET OVER IT! If you don't like the OP, you shouldn't enter the thread in the first place.
An OP will post a topic they have an interest and opinion about. It’s just their opinion. Don’t expect the member to be a total expert on their topic, to have all the answers. Responses to the topic should be your opinion on the topic, posted in a friendly way… not a harsh cross-examination of the OP, demanding proof and sources over and over again. Lighten up. Remember the purpose of the forum is to make friends and have fun. FUN!
The OP Tools are good, and when used by mature adults, will make the forum a better place. The Thumbs feature was an extremely good feature which is widely used with success on good sites all over the web. It was well thought out and a programming challenge. But members couldn't handle it here and it was removed. The OP Tools are here to stay! Post with respect and tolerance and they won't need to be used…on you.
I don't think that flooding the forum is the real issue here... and placing a limit on the number of posts will not solve anything. The issue is the constant battles in the threads lately, and keeping this a fun place to make friends and hangout- for everyone... not just a few.
Regardless of who starts a fight, it's up to all of you to end it. If you don't like a topic or a poster, STAY OUT OF THE THREAD!! No one is forcing you to post in any thread. The ongoing displays of self righteous indignation by a small group over threads by members they don't like, are disrupting the forum and this has gone on long enough. The bickering needs to stop now!
CS is an international site with members from a wide diversity of backgrounds, cultures, religions and beliefs, which makes the forum interesting, but makes discussion challenging. You will NOT agree with many who post here, and you do NOT need to... but you DO need to post with tolerance and respect. If you can't, LEAVE the thread, or LEAVE the site and take a break. If you don't, you become part of the problem and should expect to share the consequence.
The forum is not a stage to play out private arguments. It is NOT your job to judge what should or should not be posted here. Continuing to disrupt threads with constant digs and rude posts based on OTHER threads a member posts, will get you banned... as you have seen.
The forums are not monitored here. Staff doesn't sit in the forum and hold hands to make sure you follow the rules. The rules are posted... you're all adults... you're expected to follow them. When you don't, expect to be reported. And don't blame reporters for your ban, your behavior did that.
If you create a thread, the new OP Hide/Ban options give you the tools (and the responsibility) to help keep fights and trouble out of your threads. OP's SHOULD use them. If you're not willing to use those OP tools, don't start controversial threads. Thread posters should not blame/complain about OP's that use the tools. Like the new tools or not, they're for the good of the forum.
If you have a report to make... send it to Contact Us and leave it up to staff. Then let it go.. and respect staff's decision.
SO... apparently one man’s ‘truth’ is another man’s insult.
New OP options give thread creators the tools and the responsibility to help keep fights and trouble out of their threads. If there is bullying, fighting and bad language in a thread and the OP is not willing to use the OP tools to prevent it... the thread will be deleted. Members should not start a thread if they’re not willing to take responsibility for it. Don’t blame them when they d
Limited staff time does not allow mods the time to 'doctor' problems and save threads that start out to be good ones, but then turn bad. That's why the new tools were installed.. to give the members who start threads some control over what happens in their threads and the ability to stop problems early before they escalate and ruin the thread.
Get acquainted with and use the OP Ban and OP HIDE buttons so that your topics can be discussed or debated by members who post with tolerance and respect for your topic and other members. If a member doesn't like your topic and is posting to cause trouble, they should leave your thread. If not, you should ban them from the thread to keep the peace. If you're not willing to do this, don't start controversial threads.
You’re all adults. If you are banned from a thread or your post is hidden... accept it, learn from it, and find another thread to post in… instead of plotting to get even or ranting about the OP, the site, or the new forum tool... which will only reflect badly on you.
A great deal of thought has gone into every view, link, option, color, navigation, ease of use, every aspect of the new pages. This is not to say that oversights are not possible. And your feedback is welcome. Just make sure that you thoroughly investigate and use the new pages with an open mind so that your complaints are well thought out and valid... not only that you don't like change and are not willing to take the time to investigate the benefits of something new. It will take time.
If pages and nav feel slightly disjointed right now.. bare with us until pages in all sections of the site are transitioned in. With time and patience we hope you will come to see a lot of small as well as big improvements, some may not be immediately obvious. We're always willing to review things we have missed.
I'm not totally sure about some the complaints in this thread. Basics of the mail and flower boxes have actually changed very little. Here's some info about the new mail pages that may clear up some of this.
-The photos are smaller to save room and allow more messages to be viewable on each page... but MOUSE OVER A PHOTO and it expands and becomes even larger than it used to be on the old page.
-The clock icon can be clicked to view your history of mail with that member. That clock icon has nothing to do with open or unopened mail.
-The "face" of the mailbox DOES have a light background with blue or black print.
-NEW unopened messages have BOLD print and WHITE background- this is the case in both inbox and outboxes.
-Once a mail MESSAGE is OPENED, its background turns GREYish and its print becomes PLAIN instead of bold. This is how you know mail has been opened both in inboxes and outboxes. This process is common.. it should be similar to your offsite emails at hotmail, yahoo, etc.
-When you open a message you have buttons to reply with by mail, or by flower, or to delete the message.
-When you open a message, your entire history of mail with that member is listed underneath the message for your convenience.
-In your FLOWERBOX, a NEW flower simply says "Click to Open". The face of the page has a WHITE background and BOLD print.
-Once you OPEN a FLOWER, your flower appears in the row, and the background turns GREYish and has PLAIN print rather than bold.
-Sidebars are considered secondary to the purpose of the page they are on, so most of them will be darker to maintain and direct focus onto the primary part of the page. Items in the RIGHT SIDEBAR are made dark so it does NOT draw attention away from the message or flower on the mailbox pages. The print used on the sidebar is light to be readable on the dark sidebar background.
-The green/red/grey colors of borders on these pages have been chosen to be bright, upbeat, classy, and interesting. We understand that not all users will like the colors, and that the new look will take time to get used to.
-Scam info is listed everywhere in your mail/flower/card boxes to make it IMPOSSIBLE for you not to be aware of scam, redflags and warnings.
-FILTERED MAIL is no more.. it has been removed because we found that most users didn't 'get' the concept. It was a resource-intensive feature that most members didn't find, didn't use, and just found confusing. So now you have "Blocked Settings", and the criteria you setup there for your communication will block, not filter... it will no longer go into a FilterBox, it will just be blocked according to your choices.
-RED mailbox signs in the top nav that stay red have to do with keeping mail counts updated. Staff will try to be more consious of updating those counts more often for you.
-Mail that suddenly disappears has nothing to do with the new design.. it has to do with site abusers being removed from the site for your safety. This may have happened after the auto-mail notice was sent out to you.
-All EDITS to your profile can still be done by by clicking Edit Profile in the top nav. But a cool improvement was added to the top of your profile page. Note all the GREEN quik-links to edit all your 'stuff'. Also, are you aware of the green link there that allows you to change the color of your profile page. I personally like to use the numbers to change the colors rather than the slidebar because is allows so many more color possibilities. Yes, you can still delete comments, shouts, testimonials, etc. Pretty much everything someone can put on your profile can be controlled, accepted, deleted by you.
~poofs~ abound (pages of this thread have been removed to bring attention to the following staff response) - - - - - There are Trolls, and then there are Trolls.. sometimes it’s a matter of definition.
A troll to many members- is a poster that is new, or different, who goes against the grain, who doesn’t conform or agree with the current "think" of the group, or with your political or religious views, or who has become a target of a gossip campaign against them. A troll could be a poster who openly complains about the actions of your friend (who you absolutely know for sure would never do such a thing) or someone who members suspect has reported them.
A troll to staff- is a poster who intentionally enters threads or posts to stir up trouble and inflame others. Staff decisions are based on reports received, and reading posts of the offender. No, we don’t see every case or catch every offender. Yes, staff decisions are impartial.
It’s not the job of the mods to sit in the forum and hold hands with members to make sure they follow rules. It’s their job to keep the peace! We believe that it would be impossible for ANY member or volunteer not to play favorites. So... there are NO MEMBER MODS.. NO VOLUNTEER MODS here... repeat- NOPE, NONE, NADA! Staff is NOT friends or associated with any member here, staff is impartial to any poster. We receive reports suspecting members being moderators or having an "in" with the moderators. Bad excuse! Get over it! It's NOT true!
Mods view threads during site scans as well as when called by reports. Problem threads or posts are removed, censored, or locked. Troublemakers may be banned temporarily or permanently based on offense, intent, or past history... without warning.
Private arguments played out in the Forum will normally result in BOTH members given time-out. It's not up to staff to decide who is right and who is wrong in personal arguments, whether they’re started here or somewhere else on the web. We assume BOTH are right, in their own mind, and that the issue is not going to be solved on-stage on the forum, so both be removed to limit negative effect on the forum and other members. Keep private arguments OFF the site; don’t bring problems here from other places. Disgruntled people who wage/or help to wage wars against CS members from other locations are NOT welcome here and may not return.
SOLUTIONS… You are the Forum... the Forum is You.
Solutions to forum problems are simple… and up to you! 1. STOP COMPLAINING about forum problems, trolls, and people with fake profiles. REPORT them and leave it to staff (you could be wrong). Know that your report will become part of a review, but will not always have the result you request. Staff will respond as they deem necessary and as time allows.
2. STOP BLAMING reporters. Reports don’t get people banned, their own behavior does. Blame the troublemaker, not the solution.
3. If you don’t like a topic or a poster, or if you get angry in a thread to the point you can no longer post with tolerance and respect, LEAVE THE THREAD and find another, or leave the site for a while and cool off. If not, you become part of the problem and should expect your share of the consequence. Remember, the worst thing for a troll is to be completely ignored.
- - - - - We will be posting soon about a few changes that will be made to the forum in the next few weeks. These changes will give members more control of the threads and hopefully prevent some problems before they get a chance to escalate and get out of control. But even so, the info above will still apply.
-Originally, Polls was a separate feature with its own comments, and not connected to the forums at all.
-Later a link to the Forum was added to make the polls more interactive.
-Currently Polls is a Forum category, but continues to have its own area and it's own following. If you haven't already, click POLLS in the top nav. If you like polls, it's fun to vote on one poll right after another. Also click on POLLS LIST in the left sidebar on that page for a quick-list of poll topics. You can use that list to vote or skip the polls you're not interested in.
-Many members enjoy voting on polls-only without ever taking part in poll discussion or ever posting in the forum.
-As we have stated before, the Forum is only a small part of this site. With so many features, members are able to find their favorite feature, a group of like-minded members, and hang out there.
Get rid of Polls?? No... they may not be scientific, but polls are fun. As with any other site feature or topic, if you aren't interested in polls, simply ignore and don't post to them... no need to bash the feature or those who post or enjoy them.
Well Mrs Tollison, we would be glad to 'clear that up for you', but we’re really busy right now sorting out and getting rid of the extra profiles that some members enter... like the several that you and Mr Tollison have been using.
But hey, you are “good ppl” and we’re sure you’re as justified in breaking those rules as you are in posting this thread.
You probably forgot to send those ‘numerous emails to the mods’ as they never arrived.
It's our goal here to connect singles, and we're very happy to see member meets organized. Although we do not manage or fund the meets, we support them by providing the sign-up threads, posting notices on the Events page, and creating event afterglow threads with event pics sent to us by your organizer after your party.
We are currently making an increased effort to cut down on scam and mass mailers on the site and that system is (unfortunately) removing all mass mailers without distinguishing positive mailings such as meet invitations.
We're sorry if the members were mistakenly removed for mailing meet info. Please ask them to notify Contact Us for reinstatment.
As you were told, your primary (main) photo on the site must be of YOU and must show YOUR face. Photos are an option, not a requirement. No one is forcing you to add one... but if you do wish to have photos with your profile, you need to upload and maintain a primary photo that shows YOU clearly. Your other photos can be secondary photos, after you enter a primary photo of you.
During scans of the site, photos that do not show a member clearly are either cropped or removed by staff. If you added a photo that was not of you, it would have been removed. And yes, some non-compliant photos get missed. But there is nothing personal about this process, simply an effort to maintain a uniform appearance to the site.
We understand that some forum members like to display other primary photos. However, the forum is only a very small part of the site. We find that most site members want to see who they really are communicating with. They don't want to write to a picture of an animal, a cartoon, or a figure far in the distance.
Requiring a real photo creates accountability and adds a more 'real' feeling to the forums and site pages than looking at pages full of avatars, artwork, animals, celebrities, etc. Simply maintain a primary photo that is a closeup, clear representation of you, then add whatever you like as secondary photos.
The IM has been removed temporarily and that's why the green IM bubbles are gone. A new (better) IM system is being worked on and will be installed as soon as possible... but it will be a couple weeks yet. We've been concentrating our attention on the pageload problems.
In the meantime, chat is still available. You can join an existing room or open a new room of your own.
Moderator Forum Posts (153)
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RE: Should I just contact CS with a suggestion or would it get more clout if I started a thread and ..
Yes, we are that...Here's some answers:
*Evago, sorry, we no longer have a function to save searches, got rid of that in last redesign, found that members weren't using it and just weighed down the page.
Melody.. 2 answers here:
1) To set/edit your Match Basics (like age and other stuff of the person you are seeking. These DO APPEAR on your profile page for viewer info and they are used to provide matches for you. But Match Basics do NOT block anything.) :
-For directions: click EDIT PROFILE on the HELP page, then "How do I edit my Match Details"
2) To set/edit Mail-Block filters (these do NOT APPEAR on your profile page. These settings block mail to you from some members based on LOCATION, AGE, MARITAL STATUS and RELATIONSHIP TYPE. Many members who complain that they are getting mail from people who are too young or too old have not set up these Block filters.)
-For directions: click SETTINGS on the HELP page, then Edit Block Settings.
To get answers to these and other site questions:
Scroll down to the footer of any site page and click on HELP.
That help page is just chock full of answers... yup, answers, answers, everywhere answers
Hope this helps...