E-mail rule?

This is spam and strictly prohibited. Posting the email I received en toto so Admin can deal with it. They are attempting to poach your customer base dog.com. I trust it will be dealt with?

"This email was sent from a user at Dog Community, Dog Pictures, Dog Forum & Information – Dog.community.  Replying
to this email will be sent back to the user via normal
email.

Sent From: lovely dog
Subject: nice to meet u!
__________________________________

hi, i am a new member to this forum, and i am glad to find your information here. i saw that you have been here for a long time and here i am on behalf of our company to invite you to take part in our review activity. We are an online store with many pet products, and we are looking for some members to help us to write a review of our product in the forums, then we will give the one who helps us a gift in our store. if you are interested in it, please reply to me for more details. look forward to your reply, and thanks for your time."

ETA: I also have their email addy if Admin wants it. Or I can forward the entire message to whomever...just let me know.

I got one too -- and sent it (with the email address) to one of the mods -- be sure and report them Lies -- it IS against forum rules and it will get the spammer dealt with.  She was busy tonight apparently *grrr*

Hmmm, I got one a couple months ago and just deleted it.  Never thought of reporting it to the mods.  Will keep it in mind next time....if there even is a next time.  They're likely very random and seldom.

Well, gee, that's not cool.  Soliciting over PM is just as offensive (if not moreso) than in the Forum!  Very much against the rules.  Next time anyone gets a message like that, I know you can't hit a "Report Abuse" button from email, but please post it like Gina has above and report it to the Forum Mods.  I wouldn't have known had I not popped over here.

 I would also add the advice that you should NOT reply to such a message - because then they will have your email address.  When blindly sending an email to a Forum member, they don't have your actual email address until you reply.

Liesje

know the rules do not allow this on the forum but what about people who join just to use the forum to spam people outside the forum? 

11.) No promotions of related sites, please. Occasionally using the name of other sites or even posting a link to a pertinent article, thread or product is not a problem, but referring to competitors' sites is considered SPAM. Links to pet-related retail sites are not acceptable.  Posting links to them, placing them in your signature or profile, private messaging or emailing other members with such information is grounds for disciplinary action.

Liesje

Is there a way to report this?

Copy/paste the content of the email into a PM to the Forum Mods. 

Done.  I find it a serious violation to invade our Forum Members' inboxes with solicitations from a stranger to view a dog-related sales site... or any site, for that matter.

Thank ya m'am!

And for the IT/software people? it is a real shame people are not held back from PM's or messaging members until they have posted a certain amt of times on this forum! That would solve a lot of issues I should think.

Thanks.  I do not reply to them.  I got the same one Gina posted.   I also got a weird one begging for help for some rescue dogs.  It was not a typical rescue help/transport crosspost (did not have any of the normal info, no reputable rescue involved).  I don't think that person ever even posted on the forum.  I deleted that one but if it happens again I will forward it.

I too have gotten that one, and just sent it  to spam.  Is anyone else getting a gazillion emails from an lthorpe with links?  I *think* she used to be on the forum and I got 5 of those overnight.

Unfortunately, as we've seen in the past, if you set post limits, some of these folks are tenacious enough to actually pepper us with dumb posts just to meet that limit.  I honestly don't envy anyone trying to keep the www "user friendly"!

glenmar

Is anyone else getting a gazillion emails from an lthorpe with links?

 I know Linda's email got hacked as have been a LOT of my friends on AOL. 

rwbeagles

And for the IT/software people? it is a real shame people are not held back from PM's or messaging members until they have posted a certain amt of times on this forum! That would solve a lot of issues I should think.

I understand what you're saying Gina but I hope like heck they do NOT do that -- anymore people have to wait SEVERAL days to be approved and I run into the situation MANY times where a dog critically ill with IMHA may not *make* it until they are approved and yet they're trying to get help/input from folks on the board.  The fact that someone CAN email me is a big deal for them and I'd hate to take that away.  I get SOS emails from people with sick/IMHA dogs pretty much every week.

calliecritturs

anymore people have to wait SEVERAL days to be approved

OT, but, I don't think 3 days = SEVERAL.  It's not common for IDs to wait more than that and usually that's because there's something particularly curious about the ID.  Not saying it hasn't ever happened, because it has, but it's not a common thing.

miranadobe

calliecritturs

anymore people have to wait SEVERAL days to be approved

OT, but, I don't think 3 days = SEVERAL.  It's not common for IDs to wait more than that and usually that's because there's something particularly curious about the ID.  Not saying it hasn't ever happened, because it has, but it's not a common thing.

I understand the need for approval but understand I'm posting specifically from the standpoint of people who are panic-stricken so I've gotten my information from them.  I truly don't know *how* long it takes for approval (that post-dates my becoming a member).  I wasn't trying to be snarky -- I would just hope that it would be a voluntary thing to have your email withheld rather than mandatory. 

 Being a moderator is a thankless task and you guys are probably the ones who have to volunteer to DO that approving, so I honestly wasn't trying to point a loaded gun there.  I just know how often people have tried to find me to get information because of the difficulty of that disease and how unbelievably time-sensitive it is. 

The board can't be "run" because of one thread and I'm not suggesting that.  I really haven't often been harassed by spam the way LIes and some others have been (which kinda makes it sound like spammers may target certain areas??) and I try to type out my email address (minus punctuation) so folks CAN get hold of me if they need to. 

I just didn't want to let that slide by and have an edict come down from above making it more difficult for folks with sick dogs to find us.  Way back when the board made it's big transformation what 4-6 years ago, I was one of the ones who mourned heartily the fact that we don't get emails for each post the way we used to but it was a snap decision made by "the powers that be" because of the complaints of  a very few people.  So I decided I'd better speak up.

 Wasn't trying to be critical -- just kinda "guarding my chicks" as it were. 

calliecritturs

I get SOS emails from people with sick/IMHA dogs pretty much every week.

as far as I am concerned the spammers suck...and anything a forum can do to limit their activities is fine with me. If a person is so in demand they can have an non active link in their sig directing to a website with email, or heck even their own email to direct people to. I detest spam and spammers. Cut n paste is easy peasy.

I'm not overly fond of spammers either Gina, but, my dislike for junk mail that I simply send to spam is a bit overweighed by someone with a critically ill animal looking for help.

JMHO

rwbeagles

If a person is so in demand they can have an non active link in their sig directing to a website with email, or heck even their own email to direct people to.

The *only* reason they are emailing *me* is because they can't post.  A link to the thread doesn't do them any good if they can't post.  David & I have our own no-advertising/no-sales website so I do know "spam" (which is why I never 'type' my email so it can't be searched for and read by robots.)

I would just really prefer that the powers that be not make yet another sweeping change because a few people complain (when others may have other views). 

I hate spam too (and the 2-3,000 emails I have logged daily in the past can attest to that) but getting help for a sick dog trumps that even for me. spam-filter is my friend!