I'm going to answer everyone in one big post here, so things are going to be combined. But rest assured, I have read all of the responses. Gus, bring it on. :wink: ebrown, I like your encrypted post but really, I think the designated hitter rule has its place in modern-day baseball.
First off, I agree with those who said I should not have taken things personally. Of course that is correct and I apologize for that. And if that led to any piling on, on any member here, then I doubly apologize for that. And, I will not get into discussions about motivations.
Second, I cannot and will not share much about our security situation, particularly out here on the 'net. That is, re encryption, etc. etc. No sense in handing out information that can be pulled by hackers and others who wish the site ill. I will clarify. When I said, the Admins cannot read your PMs, it was and is absolutely true. This is because the site is one large database. There are certain levels of view and write access. Admins do not have view access to the areas of the database devoted to the members' PMs. Craven de Kere, like any other site owner on the planet, has full and complete access to all areas of the site. Why? Because he pays the bills, that's why. If this setup is not acceptable to anyone, then I'm sorry. So be it. A person with privacy concerns can change their communications from PMs to emails. And then, of course, they can be concerned about that, and ask Yahoo! or BTInternet or AOL or whoever about how private their emails are. Want to really be concerned about privacy? See how private your emails are at work.
It should come as no great shock that the Internet is not as private as a message written in invisible ink on a tuna fish sandwich that you then swallow. Perfect privacy? We make no such warranties. The site can, of course, be hacked, just like any other on the Internet, so keep your truly personal information, such as surname, phone number etc. off the site. But ultimately you are the guardian of your own privacy.
We do our best to prevent hacking but it is not impossible. But
in the ordinary course of dealings, we in the Mod and Admin groups are not reading your PMs. And we're not reading them in the out of the ordinary course of dealings, either. One thing I do want to point out, though. If we were presented with a legitimate subpoena, we would comply fully with the law.
Third, changing the title from "Private Message" to "Personal Message" or the like would involve a change in the templates for all of the views of the site, as I understand it. Such an overhaul is not planned for the site.
Fourth, as has been indicated above, all PMs have a report button (as do all of the posts on the site). And, like everything else electronic out there, anyone can right-click, select copy, go to a notepad document or email or a second instance of Internet Explorer and just paste anything in anywhere. Copy and paste don't stop working just because it says "Private Message". Your private message is only as private as the faith you have in its recipient.
Fifth, thanks for the appreciation all around, but please, thank the hamsters. We keep their names on the QT so that they can post freely and enjoy the site. I know that what I say can sometimes be interpreted more closely than the Zapruder Film, because I'm the known Admin (other than CdK). In many ways, they have it good because they can speak freely. But give 'em some love. They deserve it more than you know. And if you feel that's kissing up, you're entitled to your opinion in that area. I'm certainly not in the business of making anyone thank anyone for anything if they don't want to.
Sixth, I think two questions were asked here. Or, rather, a question was asked and then a statement was made. But the inquiry was certainly legit and, like any other question, deserved a response.
Seventh, as before, I welcome a chance, if it will be given to me, to investigate this matter. If there is a security leak of any sort, I want to plug it. The Help Desk is the place to go. See:
http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=89566 for, er, help on how to use the Help Desk.
Eighth and FYI, the avatars are for fun. Some people post their own photo. Many do not. I imagine the younger women may not post their photos if they don't want to be hit on. Me, I really am a sleeping dog, so I post my own photo.
Finally, let's move beyond this, mmmkay? However it all started, and however it all unfolded, let's end it here.
