"Do not put your email address or phone number in your signature. You can make your email address visible in your profile." This from the message board rules thread in the Introduce Yourself forum.

Are people now allowed to post their e-mail addresses and phone numbers in their signatures? I've hit the alert button about one new person doing this twice and there is another one doing the same thing now and nothing has been done. Have the rules changed?

{ fixing typo }

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pauline,

The rules have not changed. When we get an alert or we notice this - we change the signatures. Hit the alert button if you see any.

Thanks!

I hit the alert TWICE about one person and they still have their telephone number listed!

OK, I'll do it again now.

I love Slow Travel. I love it all the more when it's as commercial free as possible. Thank you for your efforts!

Hi Kathy,

I did the same thing (but only hit the Alert button once) a couple of days ago - nothing happened - but now I see the phone # is gone.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. Let's keep the ST forums commercial free!

With many alerts, we don't reply to the "alerter" because we are lazy and it takes too much time.

We also have a bug with alerts where if someone sends an alert on a post, we get it, but if someone else does, we get the first one again. We usually track these down, but don't always.

But, if we ignore your alert, alert us again. Alerts go to all mods and we usually do a group email to everyone when we take care of an alert, but we don't always. In past years, when the board was not so busy, we were a bit slack about letting the other mods know if it was dealt with - we are just now doing this new system of group emails on alerts.

We get a lot of alerts (mostly people alerting my posts with spelling mistakes) - and I like getting alerts! But we usually read them and chuckle, or do what was asked - and then delete the alert.

Now you know the inner workings of the SlowTrav moderators.

quote:

Alerts go to all mods and we usually do a group email to everyone when we take care of an alert, but we don't always. In past years, when the board was not so busy, we were a bit slack about letting the other mods know if it was dealt with.

A bit slack, eh? (I'm Canadian, OK!)

Sounds like my life most days.

Doug,

It takes one minute on Google to figure out that most of these people are simply marketing schemers that use fake names, and come up with creative stories to try and solicit business. I always love the "I'm a writer doing a story" cover with an email address listed to get travelers stories. I see it time and time again and once you Google the name, lo and behold, it's someone who has a travel business selling gospel cruises!

I have a crazy radar for these people. It's uncanny...

Interesting timing Kathy, we just had one of those, Amy sent in an alert and I deleted the post (and emailed them asking for the name of their newspaper, her full name, etc.).

They pop up all the time.

quote:

I always love the "I'm a writer doing a story" cover with an email address listed to get travelers stories. I see it time and time again and once you Google the name, lo and behold, it's someone who has a travel business selling gospel cruises!

I don't get it though - what's the scam?

OK, the scam.

Poster has a travel business or is involved in some sort of marketing scheme. They come on and say they are a "writer" looking for stories and ask you to email or call them. They then try and talk you into one of their tours/schemes/etc. Or, they take your stories and simply use them for their business as advertising.

I remember Pauline talking about people being paid to try and push a travel business by coming on as a new member and right off the bat raving about said business or suggest an article with a link that then takes you to the business. You can spot them a mile away!