Notice regarding PMs (Private Messages)

[Bill Dozer]

With regards to the Private Message (PM) feature here on SBR Forum, we would like to clarify our position moving forward so that all posters might better understand our policies.

While our intentions have always been to maintain and respect the privacy of users’ private messages, reports of abuse or misuse are investigated. When evidence of wrongdoing is found (abusive messages to other posters, soliciting other users for referral bonuses, attempts to sell picks or any other form of solicitation, etc.), appropriate action will be taken. This includes having PM privileges revoked and possible removal from SBR Forum.

Ours is one of the few remaining sports forums that still have an active PM feature. However, instances of posters abusing this privilege have been reported and follow-up investigations have revealed that this misuse has indeed been ongoing. In order to retain the PM feature for responsible forum posters, from this point forward SBR staff will review PMs on a regular basis to ensure users abide by our terms of service.

[SBR Lou]

I have no dirty laundry, inspect mine all you like I hardly even use them. Only really have to report spam stuff.

[BatemanPatrickl]

Hey Bill, does the rule apply to posters making threats or do you just come down on people who respond to them? Maybe you should have a rule about people posting false information about other members as well?

[Dark Horse]

In order to retain the PM feature for responsible forum posters, from this point forward SBR staff will review PMs on a regular basis to ensure users abide by our terms of service.

I would hope that all 'reviews' would have to be preceded by a complaint. I have nothing to hide, but just based on principle private mail should be private.

[biggamer3]

I really dont get why "other" sites outlaw the PM

kudos to you guys for keeping it

[jjgold]

PM's are a waste, get rid of them.

[biggamer3]

PM's are a waste, get rid of them.

I dont understand that

If you dont use them than ignore them, why the need to make noise to get it removed?

[curious]

Well, I am an adult and I can handle harassers myself, I don't need "big brother" doing it for me. I like the PM feature and am willing to tolerate idiots in order to keep it. But, PRIVATE means private, so unless I send an administrator or a moderator a PM to review, stay out of my PM box. Thank you for your support.

[raiders72002]

The other day Taco sent me a PM with links to little boys. I knew he meant it to be sent to Dozer. He must have had me on his mind. It said,

"Mr.Dozer- I found this site that we would both enjoy. I signed up for the trial basis and it's great. Would you like to split the cost 50/50. It's $80/ month. We can both kick in $40. I think we can get away with two accounts under the same ID."

[Shark79]

The other day Taco sent me a PM with links to little boys. I knew he meant it to be sent to Dozer. He must have had me on his mind. It said,

"Mr.Dozer- I found this site that we would both enjoy. I signed up for the trial basis and it's great. Would you like to split the cost 50/50. It's $80/ month. We can both kick in $40. I think we can get away with two accounts under the same ID."

[SBR_John]

Private Messages are still private. They will be strictcly between you and the person you are PM'ing and SBR .

For a long time we didnt even have a way to get into PM's. They were really private. But the abuse was and is out of control. In an effort to keep the feature we had to develop a way to view them. We have developed that now and starting Monday we will scan all PM's for abuse.

You can still say John is an azz in your PM's or anything you want. But we won't allow an SBR system to be used to hustle players or for angle shooters to conduct business. We see now why no one else has kept this feature. We are determined to keep it.

[curious]

Private Messages are still private. They will be strictcly between you and the person you are PM'ing and SBR .

For a long time we didnt even have a way to get into PM's. They were really private. But the abuse was and is out of control. In an effort to keep the feature we had to develop a way to view them. We have developed that now and starting Monday we will scan all PM's for abuse.

You can still say John is an azz in your PM's or anything you want. But we won't allow an SBR system to be used to hustle players or for angle shooters to conduct business. We see now why no one else has kept this feature. We are determined to keep it.

You mean I have to stop hustling players and shooting angles and conducting business? dang. how will I support all my hos and all their kids?

[kdmfox]

I rarely use the PM but do find it rather intrusive knowing that the "private" messages are now being screened ... I assume pags' PM feature was taken away because of "snooping".

[SBR Lou]

Nobody will have a problem if they follow the rules. And if you really want to talk privately that badly, use AIM.

[tblues2005]

Private Messages are still private. They will be strictcly between you and the person you are PM'ing and SBR .

For a long time we didnt even have a way to get into PM's. They were really private. But the abuse was and is out of control. In an effort to keep the feature we had to develop a way to view them. We have developed that now and starting Monday we will scan all PM's for abuse.

You can still say John is an azz in your PM's or anything you want. But we won't allow an SBR system to be used to hustle players or for angle shooters to conduct business. We see now why no one else has kept this feature. We are determined to keep it.

SBRJohn,

Excellent point and it will keep the abuse down, I did have some spam of some people before that tried to advertise and have me pay for picks and I don't come in here to pay for picks that is for sure. I like to express my idea's on certain games and get everyone else's opinions also. I sure see where you are coming from on wanting to keep this feature. I think once you are established here for a while you should be able to use it and I think you guys are doing the right thing here. I think though the issue with Pags you guys need to work something out with him, there is some in here that like him and I do enjoy him, so I would try to work something out with him and that would stay at that. I hope that you take my advise and we don't want to lose someone that has been here for a while and has been a good poster.

[jjgold]

So Mods are reading PM's now? They are like Nazis now

[OrionSky]

It's called Echlon...

[imgv94]

Truth is SBR wants all of the referral bonuses.

Nonetheless having Private Messages are a privilege not a right.

[pags11]

I believe they call this C.Y.A. where I come from (hmm this message goes out a day after my PM's are mysteriously taken away but then somehow granted back to me immediately?)...nice work as usual SBR... ...truly, truly unbelievable...

[pags11]

john,

or you could make up/ stretch the truth a long way regarding "abuse" stories to take private messages away from a poster respected by many who you were concerned about poisoning other posters, trying to take them elsewhere (which would have never happened)...I guess even though in the real world you need warrants for this kind of stuff, in SBR land anything flies right?...just when I didn't think I could get anymore disappointed in SBR, my disappointment grows greater...

[jjgold]

I want them all disabled today

use e-mail if you want to hook p with other guys here

[SBR_John]

Pags you are one of 7000 memebers. This has been a problem for two years. I dont know anything about your situation other than what you type. If you dont like it here, well I'm sorry it didn't work out and good luck to you.

If you guys dont like the PM feature because it will be monitored then don't use it.

[tblues2005]

SBRJohn,

My only complaint is you guys should have done something about this abuse before the football season started so we weren't getting this spam during the season. I am glad you guys are doing something now but it should have been done earlier, then we wouldn't have these problems that we have currently have had. I enjoy it here and I hardly ever use the pm's unless it is to a moderator about something and that is about it. I really believe that you should make the pm's only available to moderators, so if there is a problem then you can contact them if there is a problem.

[Willie Bee]

I want them all disabled today

use e-mail if you want to hook p with other guys here

JJ, et al - - - When you report a post and you're using a bogus e-mail address with the report, don't expect a lot of action regarding said report.

[jjgold]

I am reporting every post that SBR John makes because of him reading all my documents.

[pags11]

john,

I was not made aware until yesterday that any conversations over private messaging regarding referral bonuses had been deemed "illegal" by SBR...if you haven't noticed, I haven't spent a lot of time in the players talk forum lately because I've been handicapping my ass off and making the whole forum money (so I'm not up to any new policies by SBR, especially ones that pertain to me)...not once was I contacted by Bill or anyone else that this had become a "problem", and then all of a sudden I'm accused of 21 cases?...I'm even calling bullshit on the mystery poster who allegedly reported me this week, because as I've said before I haven't had time here lately to do anything else besides cap games (especially the past two weeks with me trying to handle college football and college basketball)...it would have been impossible for me to be reported legitimately in the last two weeks...

fine, so SBR played big brother and went through every one of my private messages to try and dig up some dirt on me and this is the best you guys can do?...people that know me around the net know I am a poster with integrity and would never intentionally try to screw anyone over unless they really had done something to piss me off...assuming I was aware of the "situation" was a mistake on your part because I wasn't...it's like the Soprano's, if this is your "territory" and you don't want me to get a referral bonus now and then I'm OK with that...just be clear and have someone communicate that with me directly!...

my other issue I wasn't contacted first before I had my private messages temporarily removed...all I asked was for communication and I got that after the fact...

regarding my "leaving" the site...I have never once said that I would leave (despite what one failed handicapper and a foreign non-handicapper claim)...all I ever said is that I'm not going to post my plays anymore until I feel confident that the moderators will be trained to do their jobs properly...you can take this as personal attack or take it as constructive business criticism (I urge you to do the latter)...I have no personal beef with you, Bill, sean or anyone else...my beef is with the business end of things...

please don't act like you don't care if I don't post my plays because you and I both know come college football season next year people will flock to SBR to see "Pags' Plays" (that isn't debatable), thus generating site traffic and ultimately revenue for SBR...we all do our part around here and I'd appreciate it if you and whoever else is trying to push me away would just stop with the nonsense and really hear my concerns...I'm not going anywhere, but I'm not posting winning picks regularly anytime soon either...take a step back and really evaluate the situation...I will do the same...

[jjgold]

It is best to just get rid of PM's .There is no need for them. All you do is put a feature in to broadcast your e-mail address if you want to contact othjer posters.

[marc]

It is best to just get rid of PM's .There is no need for them. All you do is put a feature in to broadcast your e-mail address if you want to contact othjer posters.

JJgold,

We all know that pm's is a very important feature. Lets say for some reason I wanted to talk specifically to you. Other than pm, how would I send you my contact information.

I guess what I am confused about is why not just tell people that if they recieve any spam they should foward it to one of the mods. Then the mods could decide what action to take. I just don't see what value there is in randomly reading posters pm's.

[jjgold]

Marky .............Walker is a fukkin snake.'

My PM's were banned when he accused me of bookmaking using PM system, I saved data that he thought was a valid reason to ban them forever.


Posters would send me these type PM's. All they were doing was telling me who they were going to bet that day. I had no clue why they even me their picks so Walker thought he was fukkin Ironside and took them away forever. I bet he wanted a fukkin cut if it was indeed real action. This fuk is a snake.


Milwk -133 80x
Boston -190 20x
Seattle -167 40x

[MrX]

...I guess even though in the real world you need warrants for this kind of stuff, in SBR land anything flies right?...

Yeah, they would need warrants to read messages sent within their own privately owned message board. C'mon!

You may not like it, but it certainly isn't a right-to-privacy issue.

[SBR_John]

Pags,
I told you before that you are most welcome here and we do our best for everyone.

The PM problem has been brewing for a long time. Since day one actually. I'm not up to speed with every case but this policy had nothing to do with whatever PM situation you had.

All I can tell you pags and everyone else is that we want to keep the forums open and fun with as many features as we can have. We have tons of new improvements we are working on and hiring more people to help with the growth. And pags, one of the new features is right up your ally. Look for it on Christmas Day .

[tblues2005]

SBRJohn,

Looks like you got some new ideas and that may be great. I cannot wait to see what you have in store with new features. I am glad to hear you are growing even though it has been a little rough lately though with this new law. I will looking out around Christmas Day.

[dodif]

glad u took my advice

i'm smart

[jjgold]

This whole thing is out of control

[pags11]

jj,

man, you crack me up...you are one funny son of a gun...

mr x,

how'd you get that pic of the x key, you take it yourself?...

john,

yeah, I'm sure you haven't been completely clued in on my situation which is why I thought some of your initial comments were a bit off base...I will chalk it up to the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing sometimes, it happens quite frequently in business...not a big deal, but as one of the head guys I just wanted to make you aware of my feelings on this situation on how some of your co-workers and employees were handling things...thanks for letting me know I'm still welcome here and I'll be on the lookout for the new features...thanks...