Deleted thread.

I am sorry, Persistentdonor I reported your post, although I did say it sounded lovely.

GN does get frequent commercial advertising and it is usually done in a way to try to make us believe that it is really a long-term member recommending something they have really enjoyed.

An almost immediate example was someone ( a new name to GN) telling us very briefly that she had allergies to scents and perfumes and had found some nappies that didn't need washing in detergent - and that was the post said. It was reported and removed

Your message matched this style of commercial message. I do not think I had seen your name before, which is quite unusual, and then one or possible 2 short paras, the second one the link. It had all the signs of an advertising post.

How could you have done it so that it was accepted? Probably by a more extensive introduction telling us how much you enjoyed needlework, what work you did, that you had been/would love to go on a sewing holiday, like the one suggested and then asking members whether others had been on holidays like this and could they recommend any.

If I see anything that looks like advertising, I will continue to report it. GN admin then reviews the reports and can reject them if they think the post is genuine. With more experience than me, they clearly also thought this was an advertising post.

Riverwalk I did post on the thread that I had reported it.

I do not usually do this because once when I did this the advertiser contacted me and was less than polite (he was advertising).

Why do you feel it is your "job" to report threads? I am interested to know. I thought that is what GNHQ are there for.

I did not describe it as my 'job'. Like many other GN members, if I see something that is clearly advertising I report it. That is why GN provides a 'report' button.

I got it wrong this time, and I am sorry.

Job is in inverted commas M0nica!! I never said you had said that, I was inferring that that is how it appears to me, i.e. you felt the need to do it!!

If a post is obviously obnoxious or sick (I once reported a revolting thread which appeared overnight so GNHQ would be alerted and remove it) then I can understand jumping-in and reporting.

However I don't bother with the chancers, often overseas dental clinics, as they aren't going to get any business from here, also GN is responsible for whatever appears on their site and they should staff accordingly. It's a business not a community service.

I agree with all you say Riverwalk. Such threads do need reporting.

Well done for ‘fessing up MOnica! I would assume that GNHQ must have agreed that it sounded suspicious or they wouldn’t have deleted it.

Now we all know Persistentdonor is genuine so will be taken in good faith in future. Welcome Donor!!

I did not 'fess-up. I am quite happy to say I reported that thread. Many people will have read my comments on it before it was removed. Why on earth should I keep it secret?

I am not sure I felt any 'need' to do it. I clicked on the thread, came to the conclusion it was probably spam and reported it. HQ obviously shared my view that it was and removed it.

Persistentdonor is a familiar poster - a quick search shows she's been a member since at least 2017.

I m sorry but I don’t believe that there had been ‘ lots of complaints’ how many people would have seen it so quickly in the craft section I never saw it and I m on GN a lot I think someone at GN was being over zealous half the time they don’t delete things even when they have lots of genuine complaints about abusive posts
I remember one advertising Russian brides that stayed on for about three days although lots of people complained

'Reporting' is like taking in an apple for the teacher.

I meant when it something you think is an advert. Obviously some things need to be reported. But I say let GN take care of itself.

If there was edit function, the mods could have simply removed the offending link and left the content of the post. I'm assuming mods are no more able to edit posts than we are and can only delete a post or whole threads. I may be wrong on that.

If this thread highlights an issue (other than overzealous reporting) it's that we need an edit function. Any chance a mod could say whether this is being developed and, if so, when we might expect to see it?

I nominate Ravelry as a superb example of how to administer a forum. Mods can edit posts. Copyright infringement by new members is a common transgression. Posts which are considered derailing or offensive are grayed out so that the flow of the discussion may continue.

Users can click to agree or disagree to a post (the latter can be switched off by the end user). Users do often "own" their disagree and explain why as M0nica has done.

Are we agreed now that Persistentdonor could repeat the link. She has pmed me (thank you) to ask if I would like the link but I'd prefer to see it in the public thread.

I report blatant advertising too! I suppose I get cross at companies obviously targeting us old dears.

Sorry folks.
I have been a member for a long time. I scan through the top posts every day, but I don't post very often.

One of the things I have tried to do is start a meet up group in Torbay where I live now.

It was blatant advertising for a knitting holiday. Never been there, so I can't say if it is as wonderful as it sounds, but it sure looks enticing to me.

Do I gather we are now ok for me to post the link again?

p.s. You can add to my CV that I love all hand crafts, and help to run a "knit n natter" group, (also a Scrabble group,) at my local library where I am Chair of the Friends of the library too.