Anything Goes : Why? by Patricia Poulos

huh? o.O

Exactly as Patricia Poulos says. People with no bio's that want you in their network, people advertising services that have nothing to do with film, stage, screenwriting, etc., etc. I find and report an average of two a month.

well im an actor tho

Patricia, they are not welcome. Spammers are suspended. Most are caught. If you receive a canned spam message through private messaging please report it through "Contact Us." Thanks. :)

It's spam Patricia. Gets through every so often and is a common irritant when one uses the internet.

If Spam, why are they welcomed by RB etc. before getting to me?

What are you talking about "welcomed by RB?" Anyone can join here.

There is a preset "welcome" when someone joins and creates a membership. These spammers create memberships, therefore the "welcome." When discovered they are promptly suspended/removed. Patricia, Stage 32 is a free, open platform. And sometimes spammers get in. They just do. But they are booted out. Spammers are a common nuisance on the Internet.

New members posts aren't moderated, so spammers are free to do as they like. Doesn't have to be that way though...

Oh good God. Let's just build a wall while we're at it.

No one has to accept invites to connect. I decline on a regular basis, especially if they don't have a bio.

JD, not true. Thank you for reporting spammers. Always appreciated. But with all due respect, and to be fair, you are not fully aware of how the site is managed and operated. And, Patricia, just "decline" any network request that you do not wish to accept. You can also click "report as spam" on any canned spam messages you receive through private messaging — the exclamation icon next to "delete."

A "report" button in the jobs section could be useful. There was a battery charger thing yesterday there, today there is a transport company ad in Serbian.

lol Jody. But I agree to Patricia, there are indeed much more of these members who obviously have no relation at all to film business today than at the time I joined Stage32. So, it's great you ask this question.

Beth already explained how to block members and report respective e-mails as spam. On the other hand, Jody is right, how can Stage32 identify these members? Build a (fire)wall? Scan every new members and ban people because they don't fill their bio or occupation? There are so many people who dream about breaking into the film business with all kind of educational background and so fantastic diversified biographies that I think it's impossible to ban anyone.

But maybe the smart computer freaks (IT specialists) at Stage32 will find a way how we could report such members and then they can check, decide and reduce members who really have nothing to do with film business.

1) Decline the connection + 2) report it as spam. Thank you for reminding everyone, Beth, about how easy it is.

Sorry Beth Fox Heisinger, I don't believe you. I may not know all the interior working of this site, but I see spammers registering and creating spam topic on the same day. So there appears to be no moderation of new member's posts. The spammers don't just pop up through networking requests, they posts, advertise things like Astrology, dating, investing, etc., etc. Pretty obvious who they are.

Yeah JD that's why you report them so they can be removed/blocked. Spammers are on every social media site, and even if S32 tried to somehow "vet" potential members (truly a ridiculous notion) the spammers always manage to find a way through.

So do your own due diligence, don't accept connection requests from anyone you aren't sure of, report posts that are spam, etc.

So how do we report a fake profile? Cause I think I just spotted one...

JD Hartman, that's certainly your choice. But appearances are not facts, nor give a complete picture. Let's just say there is much that you are not seeing—efforts made behind the scenes. ;)

Maroun, you can let me know if you see something suspicious, or send a message through "Contact Us" found at the bottom of the site. Extra watchful eyes from the community are very much appreciated. :)

I will add... often the biggest spam "offenders" are actually members who are related to filmmaking. Some people spam the site with their ad-like, self-promotional posts about their Kickstarter campaign, or film service, or project, or whatever. Those members who exhibit spam-like behavior are often suspended as well.

Anyway... Patricia, I hope all this answers your question! There are many tools, options, and choices available on S32 which enable you to connect with whom you choose. ;) Best to you!

Hi Beth, and thank you all for your responses. These were not messages but Network Requests which had been (even perhaps automatically) welcomed by RB prior to finding their way into my Network Requests. Yes, I do ditch them. But in growing, the stringent rules which made Stage32 the secured success appears to have been watered down in the upgrades. It was more than a year before I was accepted by this site because I did not have a photo to upload. Since then I have encountered 'child' photos, cartoons and numerous others which have been accepted and which required me to notify you. I think we should go back a little and reinstate some of the rules in which all felt secure.

Hi, Patricia. You're welcome. :) Yes, I understand that you are referring to network requests. But, sorry, you seem to have some misconceptions about S32 and the site... So let me see if I can help clarify a few things. :)

Network requests are not automatic. Never have been. Network requests must either be sent and/or accepted by a member — a member's decision and choice.

The automatic "welcome" I previously mentioned only occurs when a new member joins S32 and creates a membership. So when a new member looks on her/his brand new profile page they will automatically have two people in their network: RB, the CEO, and another staff member, usually Amanda, the Managing Director. That new member will also see a "welcome" greeting message on their profile wall from RB and Amanda. That's it. ...Of course any visiting member looking at that brand new member's profile page will see that "welcome" as well.

Now, I have been a S32 member for 5 years, and a Lounge Moderator for 3 years. And I have no idea what you mean by "stringent rules." Yes, there are S32 policies and a "Community Code of Conduct," which has and does create a safe, positive environment. Membership is open to anyone, 13 years old and up. Those policies and the "Community Code of Conduct" can be seen in the site's "Terms of Use" found within the bottom menu bar.

Patricia, I am very confused when you say, "it was more than a year before I was accepted by this site because I did not have a photo to upload." Sorry, but that doesn't make any sense? Again, this is a free, open platform. What is generally required to join S32 is an email address.

Sure, including a headshot of yourself is highly recommended because most people prefer to see to whom they are networking with and engaging with in the Lounge. Whether you include an actual headshot of yourself or not is not a hard line, but rather a personal choice. Some members choose to use a cartoon, their pet, their logo, whatever, instead of their own face for their headshot. That alone is not grounds to suspend anyone, nor deny someone membership. Again, membership is free.

Within the site's "Frequently Asked Questions," found by clicking "Need Help?" located at the bottom of the site, it states the following in regards to a headshot:

"I Hate My Face; Do I Need to Upload a Headshot? Don't be shy! Profiles without a headshot will have limited access to the site, not be featured in certain sections ("People Near You", for example), and will rank lower in search results. Also, many Stage 32 members are reluctant to accept a network request or communicate with those who do not post a headshot. Simply put, adding a profile picture will allow you to experience everything Stage 32 has to offer. Put a face to the name!"

It talks about "limited access" because of the site's search engine settings. If you ignore and do not upload an image for your headshot—your face, or an image of your cat (for example), or something—and decide to just leave the generic, blank, S32 image default setting the site's search engines read that as an incomplete profile. Does that make sense?

Now, as far as "we should go back a little and reinstate some of the rules"... S32 policies and the "Community Code of Conduct" have not changed since the site launched way back in 2011. In 2011 the membership started with only a few hundred people, then quickly grew to 10,000. And now has grown to over 500,000—actually, more recent numbers put membership around 600,000. So the aspects that have changed over the years are the continuous growth, the additional services and the expanded site features. ...And, of course, with that growth comes much more traffic and much more activity on the site.

I hope that helps, Patricia! Perhaps read over RB's mission statement, glance through "Need Help?" and take a look at all the information readily available and located within the bottom menu bar. Please let me know if you have further questions. Best to you! :)

Beth

Give yourself a raise. Best Mod ever.

Haha! Aw, shucks, Dan. Thanks. But c'mon now... I've already said (repeatedly) that I really like your fun action spec script "Take Out." ;-P Lol! :)

Hi Beth, Whatever.

O-kay?... I do hope that helped some. Best to you, Patricia. :)

Patricia if your membership showed as having limited access for a year because it took you that long to come up with a picture to put on your profile, that's kind of a "you" problem, not a S32 problem, wouldn't you say?

Beth, good on you for taking the time to try to explain the way S32 works. I never thought it was rocket science but apparently...

Jody, With people putting on cartoons etc. perhaps I could have done likewise. But S32 are fortunate to have you, Beth and Erik in their corner to defend. I have no affiliations. I just, 'tell it as it is' as per my 'Profiler' magazines.

Once again I received a network request from a Dr Chris who describes himself as a 'press agent' then goes on to market his abortion clinic. Is there no one in S32 to filter these? How do they get through to members??

@Patricia Poulos - You can FLAG any weird or inappropriate or suspicious account(s). You can also report it to a moderator in a D.M. Lastly, decline the request. Good luck and happy writing!

Good God. This post has me feeling like I'm trapped in that commercial for Esurance that was airing a few years ago:

"That's not how it works, that's not how any of this works."

Jody Ellis, it's your choice to read or not read a members posts.

I wish I had the choice to block the viewing of your posts.

Sadly S32 has no such option.

Oh good grief it was a joke JD. If you read the whole thread, the way the process works for membership was explained ad nauseum to Patricia and yet she still doesn't seem to understand it. Beth very kindly took the time to explain it and offer some options to Patricia, who responded very dismissively. It has gotten so ridiculous as to be funny in my eyes. But I will bow out, and don't worry you don't have to read my posts. And I won't read yours :-D

LindaAnn, of course I decline the requests but what a waste of my time. Today, another 2!

By the way, I'm so disheartened, I've stopped pitching via this site.

Patricia Poulos --- No, you must NOT let these bizarre characters DISCOURAGE you. They are merely annoying sand flies to be brushed away. Please just keep on your path, Patricia. Coraggio! Forte!