{{DISPLAYTITLE:Help.com allows visitors to assist each other with problems}}
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: 150 Chestnut Street
: 150 Chestnut Street
: USA
: USA
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==Contact==
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: Finder, Inc
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: <email>8894c0e03e761f2eb7764b72886b60ea</email>
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: 415 344 2000 123 123 1234
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==Additional Information==
==Additional Information==
==Community Review==
==Community Review==
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=== 2007/01/10 ===
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=== 2010/09/16 ===
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As noted below ( http://www.aboutus.org/Help.com#2008.2F01.2F02 ), the discussion in mid-December (which had been closed by the site admins), has apparently been deleted. An archived copy is still available at http://asinine.ws/clearing-the-air.html . I have tried to post the text here, but the discussion is quite long and it is difficult to include it here (because help.com uses rather intricate formatting code).
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A concerned parent who has been trying to engage with those responsible for the moderation of the website posted the following appeal to the users of help.com yesterday (edited and linked to sections of the FAQ / user policy for brevity). The request addressed to the users was immediately deleted and the vast majority of users of the site never had a chance to even read the document. The identity of the author is known, but in order to protect the author from harm, personal details will not be posted here. Other reliable sources have indicated that the witch hunt being undertaken against this concerned parent is not necessarily simply due to the attacking moderator, but is perhaps being directed from the moderator's superiors. It is unclear whether this is in fact the case and it is also unknown whether these superiors are staff or employee's of the help.com team at CNET, CBS or any subdivision of CBS (e.g. CBSi / CBS Interactive).
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Now a new discussion has been started which is related to the censorship issue (primarily focusing on "moderation" (even though that is combined with the issue of "subscription", the primary focus [IMHO] is on moderation).
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= If help.com users care about the future of help.com, then they should read this =
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I have now simply copied the text as of last evening and include a copy of this text (unformatted) here. To see the updated version (including all further edits), please visit http://help.com/post/123552-helpcom (note, however, that this text copy includes some comments which have in the meantime been deleted -- again: due to "moderation" [aka "censorship"]):
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My account has been repeatedly deleted by a help.com moderator.
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Help.com?
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There are 2 relevant sections of the FAQ page to consider:
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~Adjustment~
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What is bad behavior on Help.com? [http://help.com/faq#sect6 FAQ Section #6]
Note that the FAQ clearly states that the “Help.com staff has the final word on what is and is not bad behavior” and that “moderators are not CNET Networks employees and do not necessarily represent our views”.
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If you wouldn’t pay to come here, why?
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In other words, the buck doesn’t stop at a moderator.
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OR
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Documentation that the moderator in question has not only deleted my account for no reason, but the moderator has even violated the “bad behavior” rules themselves has been stored on external data storage and has also been printed out on paper — therefore, whether or not it is deleted from help.com servers is insignificant. The documents clearly show that the moderator is immature, untrained and as inciting youth to subscribe to immoral behavior and/or questionable points of view.
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Would it be better if before you could reply or post anything you had to have a registered account, rather then being able to post and reply like it is at the moment where you do not have to register?
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There is little question that this moderator has no leg to stand on. I am not only concerned on my own account, but also on account of my own children and also on account of innumerable children and adults who use help.com worldwide. I even sympathize with the staff of help.com and the management and owners of the site, even though they seem to presently remain aloof. I expect that if such wanton behavior persists, that sooner or later help.com will have to deal with lawsuits concerning their negligence to appropriately moderate a website where teenagers commonly seek help. A volunteer moderator who displays such wanton, amoral and perhaps even immoral behavior as is supported by the documentation ought not to be overseeing teenagers who are asking questions about a wide variety of topics spanning from homework help to depression and suicide.
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OR
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I would like to give the users a chance to get involved. Please post your questions and concerns in the reply to this post.
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Would it be better to have more mods with more abilities to be able to keep the trouble causers to minimum?
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Thank you for your help!
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**Just random thoughts, No need to panic as this is just pure fiction, just interested to know :)**
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=== 2010/09/15 ===
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This open post was written 10 hours, 41 minutes ago | V/U/S: 217, 91, 21 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | UnSubscribe | Report Post
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New information concerning the poor condition of the community moderation at help.com is becoming available. The problems are apparently larger and more extensive than was initially understood. Some teenagers and youth who are suffering from depression, various addiction problems, etc. and turning to the site in seek of help are not getting the help they need. Allegedly, there are even some cases of suicide that have been linked to the site. We are reviewing the data available and will post an update in the coming days. The situation appears to be somewhat alarming. Please "stay tuned" for updates (in order to subscribe to updates, simply click the "watch this page" checkbox).
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Reciprocity (10) Many thank yous! The poster has helped others since their own post was made.
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=== 2009/11/23 ===
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Since writing this post })i({ ~LazyDaze has helped in 10 other users' posts. })i({ ~LazyDaze is a verified member, has been around for 7 months, 1 week and has 27 posts and 6,770 replies to their name.
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The poor management issues at the website have gotten worse. More updates about the questionable moderation practices are available @ http://fail.blog.com/2009/11/23/another-epic-fail-in-poor-website-management-site-moderation + http://fail.blog.com/2009/09/23/cbs-viacom-website-moderator-i%e2%80%99m-not-going-to-close-this-post-if-you-feel-insulted-leave
Newest Update: Apparently, "arguing" is now also a reason for closing posts. (see http://help.com/post/127082-my-name-is-jason-and-i-am-100-sold#reply-3391401 and/or http://help.com/post/127444-helpcoms-policy-on-religion )
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Replies (91)
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=== 2008/01/10 ===
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Where were you?
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As noted below ( http://www.aboutus.org/Help.com#2008.2F01.2F02 ), the discussion in mid-December (which had been closed by the site admins), has apparently been deleted. An archived copy is still available at http://asinine.ws/clearing-the-air.html . I have tried to post the text here, but the discussion is quite long and it is difficult to include it here (because help.com uses rather intricate formatting code).
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Normally, you'd see a very neat map of all the people participating in this post, but you currently have it disabled.
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Now a new discussion has been started which is related to the censorship issue (primarily focusing on "moderation" (even though that is combined with the issue of "subscription", the primary focus [IMHO] is on moderation).
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If you'd like to turn it back on, enable it in your account settings.
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Anonymous #
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10 hours, 38 minutes ago (2 minutes after post)
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yeah i would pay i suppose im not sure how much i enjoy coming on here to help people and to have people help me
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 10 hours, 36 minutes ago (4 minutes after post)
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Yay…
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I would pay too :)
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I think something like $7 a month, something simple like that, which is about £3 ish.
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I think it would help towards costs of running the place and also keep people who are not serious about this place out, like the people who just come here to cause a fight and then leave, would they still pay to come and do that?
Brookdale, 08, AU | 10 hours, 32 minutes ago (9 minutes after post)
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I would pay $7 a month I guess, but how is the question? I have no credit card and paypal is a mystery to me.
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Help me with: Why do women put up with so much from men?
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pinknfluffy198 online Verified User (4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 Add Friend #
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Belvedere, A6, GB | 10 hours, 31 minutes ago (9 minutes after post)
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I wouldn’t pay because help shouldn’t come with a price. Help should be totally free.
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Why pay for advice? It’s a horrid way of making money!
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Help me with: My past is stopping me from moving on.
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Anonymous #
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10 hours, 30 minutes ago (11 minutes after post)
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yeah but i know where lazydaze is coming from it would keep away the people who just come on here to cause a fight ect….
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 10 hours, 27 minutes ago (13 minutes after post)
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Ahh see I didn’t think of it like that, paying for the help, I was thinking more of paying for the place your in to get the help and keep th place going, thats all… But then i suppose it would be paying for help and that should be free..
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pinknfluffy198 online Verified User (4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 Add Friend #
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Belvedere, A6, GB | 10 hours, 27 minutes ago (14 minutes after post)
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You’d think but people would pay just to have there opinion heard! The problem wont go. That’s what admins and mods are for. They supposed to get rid of people like that. If there was a charge involved there wouldn’t be much the admins and mods could do. After all, all the help.com people are paying customers!
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Help me with: My past is stopping me from moving on.
Dubai, 03, AE | 10 hours, 26 minutes ago (14 minutes after post)
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i think i would pay because before i discoverd help.com on my free time there was really nothing to do so i think i would pay
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pinknfluffy198 online Verified User (4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 Add Friend #
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Belvedere, A6, GB | 10 hours, 25 minutes ago (15 minutes after post)
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pinknfluffy198 wrote:
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You’d think but people would pay just to have there opinion heard! The problem wont go. That’s what admins and mods are for. They supposed to get rid of people like that. If there was a charge involved there wouldn’t be much the admins and mods could do. After all, all the help.com people are paying customers!
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Or rather would be paying customers if a charge was involved :-p
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Help me with: My past is stopping me from moving on.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 10 hours, 25 minutes ago (15 minutes after post)
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You can get banned from anywhere if you cause trouble doesn’t matter if you pay or not, online and reality.
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Anonymous #
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10 hours, 24 minutes ago (16 minutes after post)
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lazydaze have you had trouble on here then?
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Anonymous #
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10 hours, 24 minutes ago (17 minutes after post)
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i will say i have been on here for about 7mths and have had none.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 10 hours, 23 minutes ago (18 minutes after post)
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A little trouble with people who come in and abuse the site and then never come back, had a few call names and try to start arguments etc but thats about it, I have seen worse happen to other people and thats where I think a fee would eliminate most of the trouble makers
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Anonymous #
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10 hours, 19 minutes ago (21 minutes after post)
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yeah your probably right…
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Anonymous #
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10 hours, 13 minutes ago (27 minutes after post)
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please dont say wed ever have to pay lol id die literally die lol cause i hate payin for anything and i love this help site lol
Falkirk, U9, GB | 10 hours, 11 minutes ago (30 minutes after post)
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Wouldn’t it also keep away people who really needed the help, but didn’t have the ability to pay. There seem to be rather a lot of kids come on here looking for help and advice. As well as keeping away the troublemakers, it would also things more difficult for some of the people who need help the most. Not everyone on here has a credit/debit card or a paypal account, after all.
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You’re always going to get a**h*les on here, fee-paying or not. Just as in life outside the computer screen. Ignore them, don’t try to chase them off with the introduction of fees.
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(1) Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators
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Wouldn't it also keep away people who really needed the help, but didn't have the ability to pay. There seem to be rather a lot of kids come on here looking for help and advice. As well as keeping away the troublemakers, it would also things more difficult for some of the people who need help the most. Not everyone on here has a credit/debit card or a paypal account, after all. You're always going to get a**h*les on here, fee-paying or not. Just as in life outside the computer screen. Ignore them, don't try to chase them off with the introduction of fees.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 9 hours, 22 minutes ago (1 hour, 18 minutes after post)
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Yeah can see what you are saying, not everyone can pay no matter the price, also not everyone would be willing to have it on a bank statement…
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Ok, bad idea then, was just a thought.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze edited this post 9 hours, 21 minutes ago. Read the previous text »
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Help.com?
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If Help.com was no longer free, would you pay?
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How much would you pay for a monthly fee?
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If you wouldn’t pay to come here, why?
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**Just random thouvghts, No need to panic as this is just pure fiction, just interested to know :)**
Tamworth, 43, GB | 9 hours, 9 minutes ago (1 hour, 31 minutes after post)
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})i({ ~LazyDaze wrote:
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OK, how about another look on things…..
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What if help.com satyed free, but you could not post or reply to anything unless you registered?
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If you had to register to make a comment or post somthing that would stop the people who come to mess around?
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not sure…when i first found this site i didnt register till after my first post…which is lost in time somewhere now lol. but sometimes people are desperate…and find help.com and just want to tell their story. and when they do a lot of people register…and some people leave..so im not sure..
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sometimes i take part in things and then it asks you to register and im like….”cant be aaaaaaarrrrrrrssssssssdddddddd” lol. so i close it. so im undecided on that one. what do you think?
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 9 hours, 5 minutes ago (1 hour, 35 minutes after post)
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See I agree, I can see how others may have a problem with whatever way it works out, the thing is that the aim is to clean up the site and make it that little bit less uninviteing for the bullies to want to join in. I see it everyday on many posts, someone who has never been here before and willmost likely not come back wil say something to hurt someone else, that one thing they say may be forgotten in an instant to them but to the person they say it to could leave a wound that takes a lifetime to heal.
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Just wanted to think of ways to make it harder for bullies to get in but the honest to be safe… Get what I’m trying to say?
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If this site was made safer from attack I would pay anything, but thats just me and I know others have it different, it was just a fictional question for a fictional answer really.
Tamworth, 43, GB | 9 hours, 1 minute ago (1 hour, 40 minutes after post)
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if i had the money i would completely. but there are a lot of young people on here too and that may pose a problem.
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I am sick to death of people who make personal attacks or try to start an argument. i believe at least half the members on here are here just to cause arguments.
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like im in a big discussion in lil_bit_shi’s post…and someone comes moaning at what she’s saying, and i said ‘everywhere i see you you seem so negative and make negative comments’ and i then went on to say how we were trying to turn the bad experiences she has had into positive by doing something proactive. and then this person goes on and on and on…
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things like that make me mad. now i tell people ‘Take it up with my shout box if you have a problem and have the curtisy* to leave this post for the discussion it was intended for’
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(ps, i cant spell curtisy* lol, my minds gone blank!)
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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jcd offline Verified User (3 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 Add Friend #
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Atlanta, GA, US | 8 hours, 59 minutes ago (1 hour, 41 minutes after post)
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I, personally, wouldn’t pay. I mainly come here to help other people, and why should I pay to do that? I understand about keeping the ‘bullies’ away, but I think it would also keep some legitimate helpers away as well.
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Help me with: Is it just me, or do most of the mods here seem a little power mad and full of themselves?
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 8 hours, 54 minutes ago (1 hour, 46 minutes after post)
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So the haveing to register before you can talk thing is a better idea then maybe? Rather than paying a fee?
Tamworth, 43, GB | 8 hours, 50 minutes ago (1 hour, 50 minutes after post)
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probably. because those who are serious about actual ‘help’ will be more likely to register i guess
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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jcd offline Verified User (3 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 Add Friend #
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Atlanta, GA, US | 8 hours, 48 minutes ago (1 hour, 52 minutes after post)
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Registering instead of a fee would be better, but there is a problem with that too. Some people with legitimate (possibly embarassing, at least to them) problems won’t post their problems and ask for help if they couldn’t be anonymous.
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Help me with: Is it just me, or do most of the mods here seem a little power mad and full of themselves?
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Happiness Is a Warm offline Verified User (3 weeks, 2 days) Shouts: 5 Add Friend #
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Frankfurt Am Main, 05, DE | 8 hours, 47 minutes ago (1 hour, 54 minutes after post)
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Original on YouTube.com
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:)
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Help me with: The Real Truth (the real story about Help.COM :)
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jcd offline Verified User (3 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 Add Friend #
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Atlanta, GA, US | 8 hours, 44 minutes ago (1 hour, 57 minutes after post)
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Basically, you have to ask what is more important to the site:
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Limiting access to keep out the ‘bullies’, but also keep out some people who need help with legitimate problems,
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or
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Open access so the site can help as many people as possible, but also have to put up with ‘bullies’ every once in a while.
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Personally, I think the second option is better.
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Help me with: Is it just me, or do most of the mods here seem a little power mad and full of themselves?
Whitehouse Lower, T1, GB | 8 hours, 37 minutes ago (2 hours, 4 minutes after post)
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lol i completely ended up on this beautiful site m=by pure accidentas i was trying to override the proxy advoidnce on my colleges comp and i thought help.com sounds likea helpful address lol i thinki would pay now knowing how good it is but froma new person coming on of the info highway i wouldnt as i wouldnt know what to expect
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Help me with: ok can people help me i currently have pinkish bits in my hair and i dont know wetehr to go pink again ,electric blur,or
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 7 hours, 22 minutes ago (3 hours, 18 minutes after post)
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jcd wrote:
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Registering instead of a fee would be better, but there is a problem with that too. Some people with legitimate (possibly embarassing, at least to them) problems won’t post their problems and ask for help if they couldn’t be anonymous.
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The anon function is not in question, you can be anon unregistered or registered so that would still be the same as it is now, just the fact is that you can still be on the site and look around just that untill you register an account you can’t reply or post…
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SARAH! offline Verified User (6 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 213 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 7 hours, 2 minutes ago (3 hours, 38 minutes after post)
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If I HAD to pay I would. But I don’t think it would be a great idea, neither do I think registration would work. What I think this site needs is more mods with more permissions, so that we can kick the trolls off before things get out of hand (as I’ve noticed they have been lately). But then you have the problem of people getting power hungry.
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(1) Quote this reply Report this reply to moderators
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If I HAD to pay I would. But I don't think it would be a great idea, neither do I think registration would work. What I think this site needs is more mods with more permissions, so that we can kick the trolls off before things get out of hand (as I've noticed they have been lately). But then you have the problem of people getting power hungry.
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Help me with: This is sad.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 7 hours ago (3 hours, 40 minutes after post)
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Yes Sarah, that is a much better idea, more mods with more abilities, maybe do like a weeks trial and see if they get power mad or not lol But yes, I agree with that idea totaly.
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SARAH! offline Verified User (6 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 213 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 6 hours, 56 minutes ago (3 hours, 44 minutes after post)
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I think you would make a great mod here, since you are a decent person and are here most of the time :)
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I’ve offered to be a mod, but no reply so I take it as a no :(
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Help me with: This is sad.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 6 hours, 52 minutes ago (3 hours, 48 minutes after post)
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Aww thanks Sarah, many people have said the same, but Im just to scared to ask lol, I don’t like rejection but then I don’t think anyone does. It’s a shame you never heard anything back I think you would be great too, maybe ask again, I know they are looking for mods at the moment so you never know :)
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Xeno Dragon offline Verified User (8 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 214 Add Friend #
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Phoenix, AZ, US | 6 hours, 13 minutes ago (4 hours, 28 minutes after post)
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To see the updated version (including all further edits), please visit http://help.com/post/123552-helpcom (note, however, that this text copy includes some comments which have in the meantime been deleted -- again: due to "moderation" [aka "censorship"]):
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This dragon would be here no more. I can’t afford it.
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=== 2008/01/08 ===
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Help me with: Don’t be afraid.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze edited this post 5 hours, 58 minutes ago. Read the previous text »
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Help.com?
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If Help.com was no longer free, would you pay?
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How much would you pay for a monthly fee?
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If you wouldn’t pay to come here, why?
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**Just random thoughts, No need to panic as this is just pure fiction, just interested to know :)**
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Xeno Dragon offline Verified User (8 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 214 Add Friend #
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Phoenix, AZ, US | 5 hours, 53 minutes ago (4 hours, 48 minutes after post)
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Hm. More mods, if the mods could be trusted. Other than that, having users register would likely limit the idiotic posts and the anons. Registering sounds good.
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Help me with: Don’t be afraid.
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SARAH! offline Verified User (6 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 213 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 5 hours, 36 minutes ago (5 hours, 4 minutes after post)
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How should I contact about becoming a mod?
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Help me with: This is sad.
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Xeno Dragon offline Verified User (8 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 214 Add Friend #
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Phoenix, AZ, US | 5 hours, 35 minutes ago (5 hours, 5 minutes after post)
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KT1 or Rocky.
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Help me with: Don’t be afraid.
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SARAH! offline Verified User (6 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 213 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 5 hours, 24 minutes ago (5 hours, 17 minutes after post)
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Rocky has left and KT1 is leaving soon. There are new admins, but I don’t know who they are :S
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Help me with: This is sad.
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Ken online Verified User (10 months, 3 weeks) Help.com Volunteer Moderator Long Term User Shouts: 384 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 5 hours, 19 minutes ago (5 hours, 22 minutes after post)
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The way it worked for my group was they contacted you, not the other way around. Just be yourself and if the admins like how you behave here, you may be chosen.
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Help me with: Computer help needed.
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Xeno Dragon offline Verified User (8 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 214 Add Friend #
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Phoenix, AZ, US | 5 hours, 18 minutes ago (5 hours, 22 minutes after post)
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Rocky left?! When? Why?
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Help me with: Don’t be afraid.
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SARAH! offline Verified User (6 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 213 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 5 hours, 15 minutes ago (5 hours, 25 minutes after post)
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Ken wrote:
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The way it worked for my group was they contacted you, not the other way around. Just be yourself and if the admins like how you behave here, you may be chosen.
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Coolio :)
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Xeno Dragon wrote:
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Rocky left?! When? Why?
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At first I heard that he was just on honeymoon, but now I’ve heard that he’s left. I hope that it’s not correct as I really liked Rocky. He always helped me with my silly adminy problems :) I really like KT1 too, so it’s a shame to her her go.
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Help me with: This is sad.
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Xeno Dragon offline Verified User (8 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 214 Add Friend #
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Phoenix, AZ, US | 5 hours, 12 minutes ago (5 hours, 28 minutes after post)
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I don’t want them to go…
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Help me with: Don’t be afraid.
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Ken online Verified User (10 months, 3 weeks) Help.com Volunteer Moderator Long Term User Shouts: 384 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 5 hours, 11 minutes ago (5 hours, 30 minutes after post)
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To my knowledge they are not completely leaving, they just have other projects to work on so they won’t be on as much.
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Help me with: Computer help needed.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 4 hours, 55 minutes ago (5 hours, 46 minutes after post)
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Nope, they are leaveing, I heard that too :(
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Ken online Verified User (10 months, 3 weeks) Help.com Volunteer Moderator Long Term User Shouts: 384 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 4 hours, 50 minutes ago (5 hours, 50 minutes after post)
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})i({ ~LazyDaze wrote:
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Nope, they are leaveing, I heard that too :(
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Maybe. Not what I heard tho. Since when do the users get to know more than me? haha
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Help me with: Computer help needed.
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-Little Angel- offline Verified User (7 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 4 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 4 hours, 10 minutes ago (6 hours, 30 minutes after post)
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I wish users that com on this site every day and put up very few replies, if any would go to another site.
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They just seem to use the shout pages or the chat room. When they do make replies to posts they quite ofthen rude or start arguments.
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Is this Help.com or Chat.com?
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I would like to see the chat room go.
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If this sites administrators and moderators keep the fundamental philosophy that brought this site online and keep it as a help site I would be happy to pay a subcription.
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Help me with: why is it that users cant delete their own shouts and can only report them?
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Xeno Dragon offline Verified User (8 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 214 Add Friend #
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Phoenix, AZ, US | 1 hour, 29 minutes ago (9 hours, 11 minutes after post)
Tamworth, 43, GB | 1 hour, 11 minutes ago (9 hours, 29 minutes after post)
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i’ll ask someone else first then…my laptops broken…and it screws up all the time when i run larger programs or things that require more RAM. it freezes for a while when i get the notices from help.com in the green strip so…
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 1 hour, 8 minutes ago (9 hours, 32 minutes after post)
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I think chat is a waste of time, a function that causes more bad than good, it is pre dated old and pointless, the chat goes slow with no rythem, no one knows who is talking to who and thats what causes the arguments, and if you get in there when there is no one argueing then hang around a min or 2 because it won’t be long before one starts……
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There that si my opinion, I have been to chat about 10 times maybe and each time bar about twice it has been as I have described.
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Xeno Dragon offline Verified User (8 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 214 Add Friend #
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Phoenix, AZ, US | 1 hour, 6 minutes ago (9 hours, 34 minutes after post)
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I’ve been in there more times than I can count, and that’s only happened a few of them. Maybe your timing has something to do with it.
Tamworth, 43, GB | 1 hour, 5 minutes ago (9 hours, 35 minutes after post)
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hmm…im pretty happy with the posts on here anyway…
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i mean i like the discussion. it may not always be really important but its nice to have a ‘theme’.
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if i wanted to talk about meaningless rubbish i would go into a bar on my own and wear a skirt lmao. its guy after boring guy lol. so im quite happy with they way the system works here.
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One thing i like about help.com is that our personal info and profiles are simple. there are no applications. friends in common. top friends. send your friend a drink. superpoke.
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etc etc. i like the fact that it is so seperate to bebo and facebook and myspace. which are ok, but you cant really have the decent discussions on there like we do on here
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 1 hour ago (9 hours, 40 minutes after post)
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Yeah I suppose you are right, it does seem to be original… or unique
Tamworth, 43, GB | 56 minutes ago (9 hours, 44 minutes after post)
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})i({ ~LazyDaze wrote:
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Yeah I suppose you are right, it does seem to be original… or unique
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mmm, i much prefer they way it all works…its a good way to meet nice people too. i know theres a few of us on here who are like ‘the regulars’ lol. well i dont know all of them, im sure everyone has different people on their regular list, but the point is a lot of us have made a few valuble friends.
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 54 minutes ago (9 hours, 46 minutes after post)
Tamworth, 43, GB | 36 minutes ago (10 hours, 5 minutes after post)
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i know, i walk my dog along the beach in colwyn bay, they don’t let dogs on the beach in rhyl, and pensarn beach isn’t very big etc.
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that’s why i said it lol :P
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its like my family’s little holiday thing. its one of those static caravans…you know what i mean cuz there are MILLIONS of them around north wales lol.
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anyway…I’m gona think of something to say related to the topic so i don’t risk it being closed lol….
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OK…i think help.com should install a spellchecker!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people on here criticize people for incorrect spelling and use it to score points, i think it would save a bit of unnecessary argument.
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but as a note…Google toolbar has a spell check! i should use it more often though…my spelling is awful on here…i just cant be bothered to think properly when I’m relaxing.
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
Halifax, NS, CA | 35 minutes ago (10 hours, 5 minutes after post)
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I love this site, but I would not pay, because I couldn’t. I am only 13, and my parents would not allow me to pay money for a site. Teenage years are (most of the time) the time in our life with we inconter most problems. Yet most teens on this site wouldd be unable to pay, so the ones who most need help would not get it.
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Help me with: Anyone know any 100% free software for cleaning Registry-entrys?
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 33 minutes ago (10 hours, 7 minutes after post)
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Lol may bump into you then Barbie if you are about in colwyn bay :D
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And star I know what you mean but there are other options, like registering or more mods, what one would be more effective?
Frankfurt Am Main, 05, DE | 29 minutes ago (10 hours, 11 minutes after post)
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Hi all!
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It’s ME! :D
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I’ve decided to hop aboard since there’s talk that the management is being renewed.
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I want to say how unhappy I was about the fact that the xbox account was banned. I think that was inexcusable and infantile.
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Let’s see if there has been any change in approach to managing the site — if I am gone in a couple minutes, then you will know that very little has changed…
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:) nmw
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 28 minutes ago (10 hours, 12 minutes after post)
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LMAO
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 27 minutes ago (10 hours, 13 minutes after post)
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You didn’t have to announce it so much!
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You could have gone longer if you had not said so much haha
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Soulsearcher online Verified User (7 months) Long Term User Shouts: 438 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 24 minutes ago (10 hours, 16 minutes after post)
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Yeah I would pay. By the way someone else made a post about this very same thing about three weeks back :)
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Help me with: Yanni live at the Taj Mahal - love is all
Frankfurt Am Main, 05, DE | 24 minutes ago (10 hours, 16 minutes after post)
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I’m still here…
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(maybe I should repeat this until the site management get’s sick ‘n’ tired of reading it? ;)
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 22 minutes ago (10 hours, 19 minutes after post)
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Oh someone already did?
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Trust you to know that Soul lol
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x, why do you want to make people sick of it?
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Are you wanting something to happen?
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Soulsearcher online Verified User (7 months) Long Term User Shouts: 438 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 18 minutes ago (10 hours, 22 minutes after post)
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:) Yep they did. You will never get a patent for anything this way hun :) if you win a Nobel price I am sure you will have to share it with someone else who discovered(whatever it is) it independently from you.
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Having said that, way to go cool mama :D
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Help me with: Yanni live at the Taj Mahal - love is all
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})i({ ~LazyDaze online Verified User (7 months, 1 week) Long Term User Shouts: 491 Add Friend #
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Colwyn Bay, 90, GB | 17 minutes ago (10 hours, 23 minutes after post)
Frankfurt Am Main, 05, DE | 16 minutes ago (10 hours, 24 minutes after post)
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Nah, not at all — it was this:
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})i({ ~LazyDaze wrote:
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You didn’t have to announce it so much!
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You could have gone longer if you had not said so much haha
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So maybe I should just explain that I have nothing to hide — but if I disappear, then you will know that with regard to this nonsensical censorship issue, very little has changed.
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Just in case I’m gone sooner than you can look, let me also say that I think it would be good if everyone was a moderator — and that all moderators had to be fully transparent — so pressing on the red flag would be something everyone would also have to be able to justify (not only with their own conscience, but also to the other participants ussing this site.
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An Undisclosed Location | 15 minutes ago (10 hours, 25 minutes after post)
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Hey I didn’t say that. What I meant was you discover things independently from others, a wee bit late but the idea is yours nevertheless :D
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Help me with: Yanni live at the Taj Mahal - love is all
Frankfurt Am Main, 05, DE | 7 minutes ago (10 hours, 33 minutes after post)
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(sorry to get all “heavy” on ya, but you asked — so I answered; and pardon me for being so direct about it [I still have difficulty thinking about it myself])
Tamworth, 43, GB | 7 minutes ago (10 hours, 34 minutes after post)
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lol thanks. she’s a ‘bichon frise’ which is a bit like a poodle…anyway she hasnt got fur, she’s got hair. so she’s anti allergy. so people who are allergic to animal fur don’t have to worry lol!
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yboy wrote:
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hahaha — raver,
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the xbox account was taken out back and exterminated.
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sounds gruesome, eh? well — that’s what it feels like!
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what xbox account…on help.com or on xbox…sorry but im so tired so if im not getting the obvious you have my permission to point and laugh lol.
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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Soulsearcher online Verified User (7 months) Long Term User Shouts: 438 Add Friend #
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An Undisclosed Location | 6 minutes ago (10 hours, 34 minutes after post)
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Fluffy: that was a huge compliment coming from you Emily. Knowing how you feel about dogs ;)
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Help me with: Yanni live at the Taj Mahal - love is all
Tamworth, 43, GB | 1 minute ago (10 hours, 39 minutes after post)
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lol. she’s not like a dog…she’s like a lil baby lol… she doesnt really act very ‘dogish’. apart from the fact that if she’s not hungry she’ll bury her food lmao.
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she’s nice for a dog. good with children an all that…My bfs lil girl only just turned 1…and she grabs my dog by the eyes and the mouth an the ears and pulls her about…and when my dog wants her to stop she lickes her hand lol. its cute…
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…ok its probably not cute but if you ever get to own a tiny dog you feel a lot differently towards dogs than you did before…
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
Tamworth, 43, GB | 0 minutes ago (10 hours, 41 minutes after post)
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yboy wrote:
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Well it’s been nice chatting, but I feel like I’m knockin on heaven’s door — time for me to go to bed…:) nmw
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nighty night :)
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Help me with: Im worried about my boyfriends daughter.
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=== 2007/01/08 ===
<b>Here we go again</b>
<b>Here we go again</b>
Line 1,121:
Line 92:
=== 2007/12/18 ===
=== 2007/12/18 ===
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There is a great amount of community participation on the help.com website, but unfortunately the help.com site is run be people who seem to be quite intolerant and do not allow free speech.
+
There is a great amount of community participation on the help.com website, but unfortunately the help.com site is run be people who seem to be quite intolerant and do not allow free speech.
The help.com website crashes quite often and the help.com site management seems to be understaffed.
The help.com website crashes quite often and the help.com site management seems to be understaffed.
The help.com website is supposed to be about giving & receiving (in other words: exchanging) help.
It seems to be 100% supported by sponsored links which are placed automatically and targeted to match the keywords contained in the problem solving discussion / comments written by the participants.
Languages
English
Address
150 Chestnut Street
USA
Additional Information
Community Review
2010/09/16
A concerned parent who has been trying to engage with those responsible for the moderation of the website posted the following appeal to the users of help.com yesterday (edited and linked to sections of the FAQ / user policy for brevity). The request addressed to the users was immediately deleted and the vast majority of users of the site never had a chance to even read the document. The identity of the author is known, but in order to protect the author from harm, personal details will not be posted here. Other reliable sources have indicated that the witch hunt being undertaken against this concerned parent is not necessarily simply due to the attacking moderator, but is perhaps being directed from the moderator's superiors. It is unclear whether this is in fact the case and it is also unknown whether these superiors are staff or employee's of the help.com team at CNET, CBS or any subdivision of CBS (e.g. CBSi / CBS Interactive).
If help.com users care about the future of help.com, then they should read this
My account has been repeatedly deleted by a help.com moderator.
There are 2 relevant sections of the FAQ page to consider:
Note that the FAQ clearly states that the “Help.com staff has the final word on what is and is not bad behavior” and that “moderators are not CNET Networks employees and do not necessarily represent our views”.
In other words, the buck doesn’t stop at a moderator.
Documentation that the moderator in question has not only deleted my account for no reason, but the moderator has even violated the “bad behavior” rules themselves has been stored on external data storage and has also been printed out on paper — therefore, whether or not it is deleted from help.com servers is insignificant. The documents clearly show that the moderator is immature, untrained and as inciting youth to subscribe to immoral behavior and/or questionable points of view.
There is little question that this moderator has no leg to stand on. I am not only concerned on my own account, but also on account of my own children and also on account of innumerable children and adults who use help.com worldwide. I even sympathize with the staff of help.com and the management and owners of the site, even though they seem to presently remain aloof. I expect that if such wanton behavior persists, that sooner or later help.com will have to deal with lawsuits concerning their negligence to appropriately moderate a website where teenagers commonly seek help. A volunteer moderator who displays such wanton, amoral and perhaps even immoral behavior as is supported by the documentation ought not to be overseeing teenagers who are asking questions about a wide variety of topics spanning from homework help to depression and suicide.
I would like to give the users a chance to get involved. Please post your questions and concerns in the reply to this post.
Thank you for your help!
2010/09/15
New information concerning the poor condition of the community moderation at help.com is becoming available. The problems are apparently larger and more extensive than was initially understood. Some teenagers and youth who are suffering from depression, various addiction problems, etc. and turning to the site in seek of help are not getting the help they need. Allegedly, there are even some cases of suicide that have been linked to the site. We are reviewing the data available and will post an update in the coming days. The situation appears to be somewhat alarming. Please "stay tuned" for updates (in order to subscribe to updates, simply click the "watch this page" checkbox).
As noted below ( http://www.aboutus.org/Help.com#2008.2F01.2F02 ), the discussion in mid-December (which had been closed by the site admins), has apparently been deleted. An archived copy is still available at http://asinine.ws/clearing-the-air.html . I have tried to post the text here, but the discussion is quite long and it is difficult to include it here (because help.com uses rather intricate formatting code).
Now a new discussion has been started which is related to the censorship issue (primarily focusing on "moderation" (even though that is combined with the issue of "subscription", the primary focus [IMHO] is on moderation).
To see the updated version (including all further edits), please visit http://help.com/post/123552-helpcom (note, however, that this text copy includes some comments which have in the meantime been deleted -- again: due to "moderation" [aka "censorship"]):
There is a great amount of community participation on the help.com website, but unfortunately the help.com site is run be people who seem to be quite intolerant and do not allow free speech.
The help.com website crashes quite often and the help.com site management seems to be understaffed.
All in all, the help.com site (and in particular the help.com website) would have enormous potential, if only the help.com site were run by more competent people.
