Aa
To MedHelp
We're not afraid of constructive debate......why are you? The moderating is particularly heavy-handed lately. By the time you remove a post and it's response, other people have already read that post but aren't able to see any kind of rebuttal or discussion on it and any issues remain unaddressed. People don't come in here to be patted on the head and sent on their way with a lollipop. These are very real gritty issues that get discussed in here by adults. It's time the moderating got in line with that instead of this environment of stars and "Best Answers" that are virtually meaningless. If you continue with the stripping of humanity out of our posts and insist we answer with the most robotic of responses, you might as well come up with a series of FAQ's and have your moderators post those in response to questions on here.
Trish
Trish
If u already done the treatment of hep c genotype3 and the virus again coming back after 5 years then what u do that circumstances
Okay, my two cents-hope I don't make any enemies....
During tx, I was more sensitive than I am now and often became upset at posts that turned into what seemed to be a free for all-attack on someone who would post something controversial. During that time, I would report some threads not to be a spoil sport but because I empathized with the newbie who either didn't have a clue or was simply inappropriate (not the perves, mostly the people suffering post tx who were trying to vent.) At some point, I understood the hostility and just tried to make some sense of it for the person being slammed, then I just gave it up.
The recent thread that was deleted was similar. At the point where ppl were poking fun at him, I felt really disappointed in the many wonderful folk here whom I hold in high esteem. However, I did not "report" I was preparing an appeal to the guy to start a group where the people who need to have a voice can write in and be supportive and vent. I told him that this forum is not the appropriate place for what he was arguing. Just as I went to send it, the whole thing vanished. I thought it was brain fog for a minute then figured it must have been deleted.
I really cannot stand the so called ocd posters and I love to laugh at them..it is really not kind of me but I am no kinder or more compassionate than anyone else on this forum. I can be a real beach. Not proud, but there it is.
IMO, it is fine to disagree and even tell someone off, it is when 3 or 4 ppl jump in and add more fuel to the fire that I think, 'why must we go there?'
I think if we cannot control ourselves that it is appropriate for the Moderator to ask us to cool it. If we don't want to be treated like children, then we need to act like adults. Not easy for me and it really will not be fun to restrain myself from mocking the guy who is worried about HCV from the sludge of his dishwasher.
Part of the support we give each other are the great laughs we have on this forum. I really don't know where to draw the line but I think that overall we should try to hold onto our humanity as much as possible.
The next tome I spit at the sludge man or pincher. feel free to reprimand me.
During tx, I was more sensitive than I am now and often became upset at posts that turned into what seemed to be a free for all-attack on someone who would post something controversial. During that time, I would report some threads not to be a spoil sport but because I empathized with the newbie who either didn't have a clue or was simply inappropriate (not the perves, mostly the people suffering post tx who were trying to vent.) At some point, I understood the hostility and just tried to make some sense of it for the person being slammed, then I just gave it up.
The recent thread that was deleted was similar. At the point where ppl were poking fun at him, I felt really disappointed in the many wonderful folk here whom I hold in high esteem. However, I did not "report" I was preparing an appeal to the guy to start a group where the people who need to have a voice can write in and be supportive and vent. I told him that this forum is not the appropriate place for what he was arguing. Just as I went to send it, the whole thing vanished. I thought it was brain fog for a minute then figured it must have been deleted.
I really cannot stand the so called ocd posters and I love to laugh at them..it is really not kind of me but I am no kinder or more compassionate than anyone else on this forum. I can be a real beach. Not proud, but there it is.
IMO, it is fine to disagree and even tell someone off, it is when 3 or 4 ppl jump in and add more fuel to the fire that I think, 'why must we go there?'
I think if we cannot control ourselves that it is appropriate for the Moderator to ask us to cool it. If we don't want to be treated like children, then we need to act like adults. Not easy for me and it really will not be fun to restrain myself from mocking the guy who is worried about HCV from the sludge of his dishwasher.
Part of the support we give each other are the great laughs we have on this forum. I really don't know where to draw the line but I think that overall we should try to hold onto our humanity as much as possible.
The next tome I spit at the sludge man or pincher. feel free to reprimand me.
OH, we try to take everything into account when moderating, and we have tremendous respect for strength required in the battle you all wage.
We don't take deletions lightly. We really do go through threads for context, frequently consulting with the rest of the mod team so that we can make the best decision possible. Like everyone here, we're human, and we're accessible via PM for any in-depth discussion if any of you feels we missed something.
flcyclist -- the "child behavior" reference was to the post that you may have seen earlier today in this thread, in which a mother asked for help with her 11 year-old's behavior. Since it's unrelated to hepatitis C, I removed it from this discussion. As this is the only post removed from this discussion since August, I assumed this is the post you were referring to when you mentioned deleted posts. I apologize for not being clearer.
The only topic recently moved back and forth in the past few days is "Best Answer?". I can see why it might have belonged in either place, but it seems to be back here now, and it's visible (as is your post), further down in the Hep Social queue.
If other posts/threads were removed for Terms of Use violations, or moved elsewhere, their authors were notified privately.
One thing that may not be immediately apparent is that when we remove the first post in any thread, the rest of its posts also go away automatically. It's a function of both the software and necessity -- after all, responses to a post that's not there would make no sense.
We do notify members when we specifically remove a post that runs afoul of our rules (whether it's an original or a reply), but it's not likely that we'll go down the line and notify everyone who responded. If your post goes missing and you're not notified, this is likely what happened. If your post was removed because of a Terms of Use violation, you'll hear from us.
We don't, however, talk about the specifics in the forums because it violates your privacy, and because members who are sick or just aren't interested shouldn't have to wade through off-topic posts to find answers to their medical questions.
But if you have questions or problems with a decision we've made regarding one of your posts, we're always available via PM.
Claire
We don't take deletions lightly. We really do go through threads for context, frequently consulting with the rest of the mod team so that we can make the best decision possible. Like everyone here, we're human, and we're accessible via PM for any in-depth discussion if any of you feels we missed something.
flcyclist -- the "child behavior" reference was to the post that you may have seen earlier today in this thread, in which a mother asked for help with her 11 year-old's behavior. Since it's unrelated to hepatitis C, I removed it from this discussion. As this is the only post removed from this discussion since August, I assumed this is the post you were referring to when you mentioned deleted posts. I apologize for not being clearer.
The only topic recently moved back and forth in the past few days is "Best Answer?". I can see why it might have belonged in either place, but it seems to be back here now, and it's visible (as is your post), further down in the Hep Social queue.
If other posts/threads were removed for Terms of Use violations, or moved elsewhere, their authors were notified privately.
One thing that may not be immediately apparent is that when we remove the first post in any thread, the rest of its posts also go away automatically. It's a function of both the software and necessity -- after all, responses to a post that's not there would make no sense.
We do notify members when we specifically remove a post that runs afoul of our rules (whether it's an original or a reply), but it's not likely that we'll go down the line and notify everyone who responded. If your post goes missing and you're not notified, this is likely what happened. If your post was removed because of a Terms of Use violation, you'll hear from us.
We don't, however, talk about the specifics in the forums because it violates your privacy, and because members who are sick or just aren't interested shouldn't have to wade through off-topic posts to find answers to their medical questions.
But if you have questions or problems with a decision we've made regarding one of your posts, we're always available via PM.
Claire
Well, I am out of the loop, concerning recent posts/members removed, but I definitely think we have a great crowd here, and yes, as far as Internet Forums go, we are quite well-behaved :)
I am on another Hep C Forum, without a Mod, so I have the opportunity
to compare the differences. There seems to be a war at the other site, between those of us who refrain from drinking alcohol, and other members who still drink alcohol, and seem to enjoy posting about it. I never speak up about it (I dont enjoy conflict) but yeah, I wish they would go to an Alcoholism Forum to talk about their drinking problem.
Luckily, on here, we are right on topic...and I do think having a Mod helps. The only other websites I have participated in were a YouTube channy I ran for 4 yrs, no Mod, and yeah, I ran into problems there. There were people on that site with nothing better to do, then ruin innocent peoples' lives. One woman had the chan name of "RuinerGirl"...bragging about her troll activities. The Internet can be vicious, folks
I am on another Hep C Forum, without a Mod, so I have the opportunity
to compare the differences. There seems to be a war at the other site, between those of us who refrain from drinking alcohol, and other members who still drink alcohol, and seem to enjoy posting about it. I never speak up about it (I dont enjoy conflict) but yeah, I wish they would go to an Alcoholism Forum to talk about their drinking problem.
Luckily, on here, we are right on topic...and I do think having a Mod helps. The only other websites I have participated in were a YouTube channy I ran for 4 yrs, no Mod, and yeah, I ran into problems there. There were people on that site with nothing better to do, then ruin innocent peoples' lives. One woman had the chan name of "RuinerGirl"...bragging about her troll activities. The Internet can be vicious, folks
Claire, thank you for your response.
The following statement appears to be addressed to me. Could you elaborate what I said to imply I'm interested in the child behavior forum?
"If you're interested in answering questions about child behavior......."
Regarding the deleted threads, there were a couple threads in the last few days that were moved or deleted. One was regarding "Censorship" which began in the HCV Social forum, was moved to the "Improve MedHelp Suggestions", moved back to the HCV Social forum, then deleted. I received an email to tell me "a forum I recently posted in was moved" and thought it was very odd to move it to the Improve MH forum, since almost no one goes there or posts there. Once moved back to the Social forum it only stayed a brief time, then was gone. I know I made comment in this thread, and I can't find my comment in my profile, hence the thread was deleted.
The other recentlly deleted thread was one asking what happened to Ladyhep. Many are concerned about her since she is still undergoing tx. Although I 've not been spending much time here, it was clear her issue with censorship has caused her departure from the forum.
These could be issues you are unaware of and have nothing to do with. I do understand there could be a concern of perception of new members visiting the forum, but these deletions are being noticed by the regular members. We respect your time and efforts, but ask that you respect the members who contribute to make this forum the valuable resource that it is. Without them you have no forum. Just my opinion.
The following statement appears to be addressed to me. Could you elaborate what I said to imply I'm interested in the child behavior forum?
"If you're interested in answering questions about child behavior......."
Regarding the deleted threads, there were a couple threads in the last few days that were moved or deleted. One was regarding "Censorship" which began in the HCV Social forum, was moved to the "Improve MedHelp Suggestions", moved back to the HCV Social forum, then deleted. I received an email to tell me "a forum I recently posted in was moved" and thought it was very odd to move it to the Improve MH forum, since almost no one goes there or posts there. Once moved back to the Social forum it only stayed a brief time, then was gone. I know I made comment in this thread, and I can't find my comment in my profile, hence the thread was deleted.
The other recentlly deleted thread was one asking what happened to Ladyhep. Many are concerned about her since she is still undergoing tx. Although I 've not been spending much time here, it was clear her issue with censorship has caused her departure from the forum.
These could be issues you are unaware of and have nothing to do with. I do understand there could be a concern of perception of new members visiting the forum, but these deletions are being noticed by the regular members. We respect your time and efforts, but ask that you respect the members who contribute to make this forum the valuable resource that it is. Without them you have no forum. Just my opinion.
"those doing treatment are not always in their 'right' mind."
Hey girl I resemble that remark and I'm not treating.
I am in my second childhood because I prefer to be not because some think me is one........
Hey girl I resemble that remark and I'm not treating.
I am in my second childhood because I prefer to be not because some think me is one........
I was on vacation from Monday until Thursday. Since then I hear that during that time a number of posts and/or threads were deleted and some members booted off.
I didn't see the posts that were deleted.. What I do know is people here are angry about being censored.
Hep C is accompanied by various side effects which range from mild to severely advanced cirrhosis which can cause death.
The current treatment is incredibly difficult. Side effects include irritation and depression to name only two of the potential mental side effects.
It's important therefore for the moderators to understand that especially those doing treatment are not always in their 'right' mind.
I felt like an evil twin had taken over and received several warnings during the time I was doing treatment.
It is really hard for anyone who has not experienced the effects of these meds to fully empathize.
I'm upset about one member who is no longer here because she brought so much humor to the forum, something we all need.
Another said he was booted off without any explanation whatsoever.
The people here come to feel like a family. Yet, many of us feel we are being overseen by a big brother who is not truly interested in our best interests.
I didn't see the posts that were deleted.. What I do know is people here are angry about being censored.
Hep C is accompanied by various side effects which range from mild to severely advanced cirrhosis which can cause death.
The current treatment is incredibly difficult. Side effects include irritation and depression to name only two of the potential mental side effects.
It's important therefore for the moderators to understand that especially those doing treatment are not always in their 'right' mind.
I felt like an evil twin had taken over and received several warnings during the time I was doing treatment.
It is really hard for anyone who has not experienced the effects of these meds to fully empathize.
I'm upset about one member who is no longer here because she brought so much humor to the forum, something we all need.
Another said he was booted off without any explanation whatsoever.
The people here come to feel like a family. Yet, many of us feel we are being overseen by a big brother who is not truly interested in our best interests.
his3707, that's pretty much how it works -- a member alerts us, we read the posts, we make a determination. We send a PM or an email if we have to remove one of your posts, but as you can see from the stats flcyclist posted, this is a pretty busy site, and we don't have the time, resources, or inclination to "monitor" this discussion.
flcyclist, I agree that the members here are good at self-moderating. I'm not sure what you're referring to with regard to "deleted" posts, though. From what I can tell, there was only one other post in here today, which apparently bumped this discussion to the top of the queue. And yes... it was indeed removed and placed in the proper forum. If you're interested in answering questions about child behavior, please let me know, and I'll send you a link to the post's new location.
Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.
Claire
flcyclist, I agree that the members here are good at self-moderating. I'm not sure what you're referring to with regard to "deleted" posts, though. From what I can tell, there was only one other post in here today, which apparently bumped this discussion to the top of the queue. And yes... it was indeed removed and placed in the proper forum. If you're interested in answering questions about child behavior, please let me know, and I'll send you a link to the post's new location.
Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.
Claire
Even the mods have acknowledged the high level of self moderation on this forum. We are for the most part very well behaved. Heck, most are either too tired, or too deep in their brain fog to stir up any trouble :-)
This is a two way street. Treat us with respect by not deleting our posts/threads unless someone intentially attacks or belittles another member. In return, we share information, click away, generating more revenue to make the advertisers and medhelp happy.
This is a two way street. Treat us with respect by not deleting our posts/threads unless someone intentially attacks or belittles another member. In return, we share information, click away, generating more revenue to make the advertisers and medhelp happy.
Could someone tell me why we need a moderator? Cant the members just report something that looks out of wack? I havent had a moderator or monitor since I was in elementary school in the bathroom ......
I hope this post doesn't get deleted again without explanation, since it's just presenting a few simple facts, not opinion.
Medhelp Daily Visitors: 144,644 visitors/day
Monthly Ads Revenue: $121,067
Net worth: Approx $1.30 Million
Medhelp.org receives 2.71M pageviews from search engines monthly through keyword searches. Medhelp.org's search engine traffic could be evaluated as approx. $1.30M (this means the sum of money siteowner would pay for such traffic if it's bought in PPC systems).
http://www.topdomainstats.com/site/medhelp.org/ect
Medhelp Daily Visitors: 144,644 visitors/day
Monthly Ads Revenue: $121,067
Net worth: Approx $1.30 Million
Medhelp.org receives 2.71M pageviews from search engines monthly through keyword searches. Medhelp.org's search engine traffic could be evaluated as approx. $1.30M (this means the sum of money siteowner would pay for such traffic if it's bought in PPC systems).
http://www.topdomainstats.com/site/medhelp.org/ect
Emily,
I did not presume you lied. My example was presented not as an accusation but as a demonstration of why the method remains obscure to me; what I see here isn't consistent with what was presented, and oftentimes intent fails when the method isn't understood.
My intent was not to accuse or offend you, Emily, nor suggest any hidden meaning, but to provoke some thought and honest discussion. It's just my observation that there IS a method here -- some are angry about it, and some aren't -- but the bottom line is no one understands it. I believe people are just seeking clarity.
I truly am thankful for this forum and all the people like you who work hard in trying to improve it. Please accept my gratefulness for your time and patience; I never meant to my words to offend, only to make impact.
Happy Thanksgiving likewise to you and yours, and to all those who celebrate.
Respectfully,
~eureka
I did not presume you lied. My example was presented not as an accusation but as a demonstration of why the method remains obscure to me; what I see here isn't consistent with what was presented, and oftentimes intent fails when the method isn't understood.
My intent was not to accuse or offend you, Emily, nor suggest any hidden meaning, but to provoke some thought and honest discussion. It's just my observation that there IS a method here -- some are angry about it, and some aren't -- but the bottom line is no one understands it. I believe people are just seeking clarity.
I truly am thankful for this forum and all the people like you who work hard in trying to improve it. Please accept my gratefulness for your time and patience; I never meant to my words to offend, only to make impact.
Happy Thanksgiving likewise to you and yours, and to all those who celebrate.
Respectfully,
~eureka
Eureka -
I'm sorry you think I'd lie, but I don't. You can choose to believe what you'd like about the stars, but there really is no hidden meaning behind them. I don't know the algorithm, but I do know the intent.
In any case, I hope everyone in the US has a Happy Thanksgiving, and if you aren't, have a great day.
Emily
I'm sorry you think I'd lie, but I don't. You can choose to believe what you'd like about the stars, but there really is no hidden meaning behind them. I don't know the algorithm, but I do know the intent.
In any case, I hope everyone in the US has a Happy Thanksgiving, and if you aren't, have a great day.
Emily
So you present the postulate: stars = experience
and the comment "and some of these things really work on other[forums]"
---------------------
I'm a member of several forums on MH, and several months ago I had responded to a poster on another forum. Because of the lack of activity in that particular forum, there isn't much opportunity to share 'experience' there. However, lo and behold, one day my three stars as a member of that forum jumped to five stars, though I hadn't posted there in weeks and weeks. The only thing that had happened was a post from months ago got clicked Best Answer.
No offense Emily, but what I gather from my own experience here at MH is that the above postulation is an inaccurate representation of whatever algorithm is being used to add or subtract stars.
To be perfectly honest I don't really care about the stars one way or another; however, I do care that when MH take the time to explain their methods to us, it should at least reflect something close to truth and fact.
and the comment "and some of these things really work on other[forums]"
---------------------
I'm a member of several forums on MH, and several months ago I had responded to a poster on another forum. Because of the lack of activity in that particular forum, there isn't much opportunity to share 'experience' there. However, lo and behold, one day my three stars as a member of that forum jumped to five stars, though I hadn't posted there in weeks and weeks. The only thing that had happened was a post from months ago got clicked Best Answer.
No offense Emily, but what I gather from my own experience here at MH is that the above postulation is an inaccurate representation of whatever algorithm is being used to add or subtract stars.
To be perfectly honest I don't really care about the stars one way or another; however, I do care that when MH take the time to explain their methods to us, it should at least reflect something close to truth and fact.
Ahh the stars,---GIGO or a new spin
"Garbage In, Gospel Out is a more recent expansion of the acronym. It is a sardonic comment on the tendency to put excessive trust in "computerized" data, and on the propensity for individuals to blindly accept what the computer says. Because the data goes through the computer, people tend to believe it."
"Garbage In, Gospel Out is a more recent expansion of the acronym. It is a sardonic comment on the tendency to put excessive trust in "computerized" data, and on the propensity for individuals to blindly accept what the computer says. Because the data goes through the computer, people tend to believe it."
Visualize......
Terrified OCD/ foreign/ juvenile/ignorant posters with arms linked while Powerful medhelp members with *many many stars* expert power posters spray them with pepper gas......
Visualize......
Helpless Medhelp members with arms linked struggling to keep free speech alive while under the iron heel of MedHelp moderation, while being sprayed with pepper spray......
Visualize...... Emily.....arms linked with...... oh no..... she is by herself.....alone....exposed.... being pepper sprayed the the members as they walk by one by one.....each giving here a little shot of pepper spray in the face. ....and the increase the hurt.....telling her that the **stars and best answers*** mean /nothing/ to them.
Oh..... the inhumanity.....
It's all a matter of perspective. Who would break a butterfly upon a wheel?
Have a good Thanksgiving, all. : )
willy
Terrified OCD/ foreign/ juvenile/ignorant posters with arms linked while Powerful medhelp members with *many many stars* expert power posters spray them with pepper gas......
Visualize......
Helpless Medhelp members with arms linked struggling to keep free speech alive while under the iron heel of MedHelp moderation, while being sprayed with pepper spray......
Visualize...... Emily.....arms linked with...... oh no..... she is by herself.....alone....exposed.... being pepper sprayed the the members as they walk by one by one.....each giving here a little shot of pepper spray in the face. ....and the increase the hurt.....telling her that the **stars and best answers*** mean /nothing/ to them.
Oh..... the inhumanity.....
It's all a matter of perspective. Who would break a butterfly upon a wheel?
Have a good Thanksgiving, all. : )
willy
"Have/had experience" - you don't have to have hcv yourself to have experience with it. If a loved one has it, I'd say that's experience, and you can offer support to other loved ones, and a perspective that those who have hcv don't have (and vice versa).
"Making a connection" doesn't always mean "getting advice". It also doesn't mean that MedHelp endorses any member over another. It could just mean reaching out and knowing someone else gets it. We have forums where this happens a lot. When considering these things, keep in mind that the hep C community, while very important to you all, isn't the only community, and some of these things really work on others, and other members actually like them.
I like the idea of "info" and "support". I'll pass that on.
Emily
"Making a connection" doesn't always mean "getting advice". It also doesn't mean that MedHelp endorses any member over another. It could just mean reaching out and knowing someone else gets it. We have forums where this happens a lot. When considering these things, keep in mind that the hep C community, while very important to you all, isn't the only community, and some of these things really work on others, and other members actually like them.
I like the idea of "info" and "support". I'll pass that on.
Emily
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