Questions on ProZ.com forum moderation and scope (title edited by staff)
Simone Linke Germany Local time: 08:27 English to German + ...
Jan 5, 2011
Ok, sorry about venting but it's getting more than just a little frustrating how these forums are censored these days.
Yesterday, I made a post without any specifics about a scamming outsourcer explicitly asking where/how I could post a warning on Proz given the fact that I am not allowed to post something to the agency's BlueBoard and that I am not allowed to discuss anything in the forums in order to find others who may be able to confirm or deny my suspicion.
No answer from Proz.
Today, some other nice members pointed me to other forums threads in other languages where people had bumped into the same scammer.
Given all the facts I've found, it seems obvious to me now that this is an elaborate scam. Hence, I posted everything that has happend into my thread without giving the name of the agency. I simply posted the names of people that had contacted me, just like many people have already done in other threads here.
My posts have now been censored without any further comment. Ironically, I've received an automated e-mail telling me, and I quote:
"Please note that the ProZ.com Blue Board ( http://www.proz.com/blueboard ) was created as a place to review or solicit experiences with clients. Posting of such topics in the public forums is prohibited."
Well, doooh!
Here's a quote from the Proz Rules for the Blue Board
"Certain conditions must be met before Blue Board entries can be made. Entries concerning the Likelihood of Working Again (LWA) with given outsourcers are allowed only when (1) commissioned work has been completed in full and delivered on time, and (2) there have not been complaints related to quality shortly after delivery. Entries may not be made on the basis of negotiations, test translations, or other preliminary or non-commissioned interactions."
So, does that mean I have to get scammed and lose money before I am allowed to warn others???
This is outrageous!
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2011-01-05 12:53 GMT]
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What about freedom of speech? There should not be censorship in the forums.
The forums are limited in scope and subject to rules. It is important to know that the site rules and scope have been in place for some time now, and they are there and enforced precisely in the interest of maintaining a positive, results-oriented workplace. The only way for this to happen is for those rules and the scope to be enforced consistently, and that is what moderators and site staff do.
This said, it should be noted that, within the framework of site rules and the aim of those rules, not everyone is going to be able to say whatever they want at ProZ.com. Keeping a positive, results-oriented translation workplace means that posters will not be able to swear, or to talk politics, or make offensive remarks in the forums, for example. There are other places to do that. Everyone has valid opinions, views and statements; but it should not be assumed that ProZ.com can be used to advertise these.
If you feel you have received rules enforcement action which was not rules-based, please report this to site staff through the support system, where the issue can be properly reviewed. The forums are not an appropriate channel for discussing individual rules enforcement issues.
As a side note, if you need help from site staff with an issue related to the Blue Board (or most anything else on the site), the most efficient way of getting it is by using the online support system.
I am locking this particular thread since the topic is outside the scope of the forums. Thanks for your understanding.
Jared
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