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Topic: A question about unsolicited PMs - page 2. (Read 365 times)

legendary
Activity: 2254
Merit: 2406
Playgram - The Telegram Casino
May 30, 2021, 11:11:06 AM
#10
Yes, but the question is, what would have happened if I, someone else, 5, 10, or more people reported you for sending unsolicited PMs? Would you have received a temp ban or maybe a permanent one? Or would the admins not have looked at it that way at all or simply warned you to stop?
This is where discretion comes into play. The staffs would not simply react based off the number of reports and but consider the situation before deciding whether or not any punishment is necessary and what it would be.
AFAIK, the content of the message also matters, is it spammy or of no value? Does it advertise a website? etc.

That's what I thought. It comes down to whether or not it will get reported. The consequences will depend on the friendliness or assholeness of the PM receiver and the mod making the call.
As I said above, the consequences would also depend on the content of the message. I have sent unsolicited PMs asking a more experienced user for help on some issues and while it was unsolicited, it was not spammy or annoying. I would assume the mods would consider that if it dies get reported.
copper member
Activity: 1666
Merit: 1901
Amazon Prime Member #7
May 30, 2021, 10:28:18 AM
#9
I would give the following advice regarding sending PMs with “business opportunities”:
The following should be acceptable to send via PM:
*Responding to a PM that is on topic to the PM conversation
*Sending a PM after having affirmative knowledge that a person wants to receive business related PMs, for example they have a statement on their profile or have posted something recently indicating such
*Responding to a post via PM in a way such that the content of the PM would be on topic if the post you were responding to was the OP of a thread

If your PM does not fit any of the above, it would probably be best to not send the PM.
legendary
Activity: 3556
Merit: 7011
Top Crypto Casino
May 30, 2021, 10:14:45 AM
#8
Can he report me for sending unsolicited PMs, and am I breaking the rules?
Anyone can report anything, I assume the Admins use their own judgement.
They do, but IMO that's the problem with the rule--it's way too vague and the penalty for breaking it can be quite severe (up to a permaban if I'm not mistaken).  It would be nice if either the rule was rewritten or was clarified by Theymos as to exactly what is and isn't acceptable, because as it stands it's almost as though he doesn't want anyone receiving a PM from anyone else unless it was "solicited". 

In my own experience, most of the PMs I get are unsolicited and I have no problem with them--but I think technically they violate the rules and who knows what would happen if I reported them.  The spirit of the rule is to prevent PM spamming (I'm pretty sure of that), but it's written in an overbroad manner, just like most laws are.
legendary
Activity: 2730
Merit: 7065
May 30, 2021, 09:59:09 AM
#7
I had to send over 1000 interview invitations in 6 months
Yes, but the question is, what would have happened if I, someone else, 5, 10, or more people reported you for sending unsolicited PMs? Would you have received a temp ban or maybe a permanent one? Or would the admins not have looked at it that way at all or simply warned you to stop?

BitcoinFX, isn't that the guy who donated 100s of bitcoins to Gavin's faucet back in the day? I think I remember that from a thread I wrote some time ago. Thanks for bringing that up as an example of what can happen in such situations.

PM is for something that you don't need to be public and you better be sure that the recipient is not an asshole who would report it and/or publish it without permission.
That's what I thought. It comes down to whether or not it will get reported. The consequences will depend on the friendliness or assholeness of the PM receiver and the mod making the call.
legendary
Activity: 3654
Merit: 8909
https://bpip.org
May 30, 2021, 08:39:24 AM
#6
~

Most of the use cases that you mention would be better fit for a thread (create your own or reply to an existing one). PM is for something that you don't need to be public and you better be sure that the recipient is not an asshole who would report it and/or publish it without permission.

But normally if you want to deal with someone, they would probably have a thread or some other reason why you think they'd be open to that deal, so it's not really that big an issue. I doubt admins would act on a reasonable PM about something the person posted publicly.
legendary
Activity: 2310
Merit: 4085
Farewell o_e_l_e_o
May 30, 2021, 08:08:19 AM
#5
- If I want to advertise a service, is it against the rules to PM that member on the forum and asking if he/she is interested in working with me?
You can but should not. Because the PM receivers have rights to report your PM or simply ignore it. If a report is against you, you might get troubles with moderation per rule.

You sent over 100 PMs with the same format: clear unsolicited bulk PMs. 4 people reported it, making it unwanted & unsolicited bulk PMs = spam. Most others would've been banned much longer.

Quote
- If someone sends me a PM saying: "Cool site. If you want, I can advertise/write about it on my blog for a fee", is he breaking the unsolicited PMs rule?
- If I see a gambler who posts excellent tips on the forum, and I PM him saying: "Do you want to cooperate and join forces in finding value bets"? Can he report me for sending unsolicited PMs, and am I breaking the rules?  
Sure. It breaks that rule but depends on receivers (report or ignore), the senders will get different endings, ban or no consequence at all.
legendary
Activity: 3290
Merit: 16489
Thick-Skinned Gang Leader and Golden Feather 2021
May 30, 2021, 07:45:01 AM
#4
- If I want to advertise a service, is it against the rules to PM that member on the forum and asking if he/she is interested in working with me?
I wouldn't do that, unless the user posted something that indicated he might be interested. So if someone has an (old?) topic selling his services, I would quote that topic into the PM.

Quote
- Is it ONLY against the rules if I send 5, 10, 100... PMs with the same content to multiple recipients. That would then be considered flooding.    
- If someone sends me a PM saying: "Cool site. If you want, I can advertise/write about it on my blog for a fee", is he breaking the unsolicited PMs rule?
It depends: I wouldn't report a PM from a genuine real user asking a real question, but I would report it if it looks like mass spam.

Quote
Can he report me for sending unsolicited PMs, and am I breaking the rules?
Anyone can report anything, I assume the Admins use their own judgement.



I recently had a Newbie asking for a "merit donation". I didn't report it, it's not worth Admins time and said Newbie can't send more than 2 PMs per day anway.
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 4715
May 30, 2021, 06:41:09 AM
#3
If you want to communicate with the user, then you do not need to write links to resources in the first message.
You can ask the user if he is interested in cooperation.

I had to send over 1000 interview invitations
in 6 months
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/interviews-with-bitcointalk-members-5262967
Check out my trust.

I believe that you should not send commercial offers to unfamiliar users if you don’t share the same topics.
legendary
Activity: 2072
Merit: 4265
✿♥‿♥✿
May 30, 2021, 04:45:58 AM
#2
I have already asked a similar question regarding the letters of PM.
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/--5315374
As far as I understand, you can complain about a letter that you would not like to see. And only you can decide whether you need it or not. For example, I often receive letters in which users ask to remove negative tags, and their requests do not always seem friendly. Probably you can complain about such letters to the moderators.
But if you understand that the content of the letter is interesting to you, I think there will be no problems with the sender.
legendary
Activity: 2730
Merit: 7065
May 30, 2021, 04:35:13 AM
#1
According to Rule #29 in the Unofficial list of (official) Bitcointalk.org rules, guidelines, FAQ, sending unsolicited PMs, including but not limited to advertising and flood, is not allowed.

I am interested in the forum's interpretation of the term unsolicited. It's something you haven't asked for, but are the rules really that strict? How do you make business connections and collaborations with other members on the forum privately if you can't send an unsolicited PM? If I don't want to state my intentions publicly, why can't it be done via PM?

A few examples:

- If I want to advertise a service, is it against the rules to PM that member on the forum and asking if he/she is interested in working with me?
- Is it ONLY against the rules if I send 5, 10, 100... PMs with the same content to multiple recipients. That would then be considered flooding.     
- If someone sends me a PM saying: "Cool site. If you want, I can advertise/write about it on my blog for a fee", is he breaking the unsolicited PMs rule?
- If I see a gambler who posts excellent tips on the forum, and I PM him saying: "Do you want to cooperate and join forces in finding value bets"? Can he report me for sending unsolicited PMs, and am I breaking the rules? 


I could think of more examples, but I am just trying to determine where the admins draw the line. If I were a dipstick and reported such PMs of people willing to offer or use a service or got reported myself, what actions do the mods take?
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