Forums » Suggestions & Development Discussion » Hide guestbook comments for moderator review

I'd like to see a feature where you can report abusive guestbook comments to moderators (in case of harassment or spam particularly), much like reporting forum posts. When you report a guestbook comment, it stays in the guestbook but becomes hidden to everyone except the profile owner and the moderators until it's been reviewed.

I've had friends who received really bad guestbook comments (some from unregistered users) and deleted a comment before reporting it. This means the mods can't do anything about it cause there's nothing to trace back. Naturally when someone gets a really bad harassing message in their guestbook they freak out and want to remove it immediately cause they don't want others to see it, but this makes reinforcing the rules difficult too. Hiding comments when reporting them fixes all these problems.

I've no idea how feasible this suggestion is, but it seems useful to me!

I actually agree with you Sanne... this is something that needs to be dealt with. Not sure how it can be resolved, but I do know that something like this can cause a lot of people much stress.

I don't really KNOW what sort of system Kim uses on RPR-- but if there is a SQL database or something similar, even deleted comments might show there for a time? Like I said, I have no idea

That being said, there is a way to toggle it so that only registered users can comment-- but for some people who are always out there meeting new people, that may be a less desirable option.

In either case, I completely agree. This website is a wonderful place to make friends and express creativity- I do not think Kim ever created it with a thought that people would use it to post harmful or cruel things to one another (especially behind the cowards route that posting as "anonymous" is.), but for every ten wonderful people there is at least one person there with a match waiting to start a fire. Having something like that might help.

I support it.

There's a database, but a deleted guestbook comment is immediately deleted permanently. The case that prompted my topic happened between backups, so there wasn't even a backup to refer to. It makes it really hard to find who posted. Even registered users are guilty of being unfriendly sometimes and I know there are people who delete posts in an emotional state and forget to screenshot or remember the name. Even so, having the guestbook comment intact is always better than a screenie to begin with.

I'm glad there's support for this suggestion!

That's the beauty of RPR though, isn't it? Kim and team listen to us, and give us an open forum to discuss and bring to the table what we want or need- she's like a good momma listening to her kiddos and doing what's best for em. It's refreshing.

Since it is most people's instinct to delete a message like that, maybe have a "reason" selector on the delete? Sort of like when it asks "are you sure you want to delete this character" and gives you the option- maybe a drop down that says like "harassing/mean" or "mis-posted" etc. If it falls under the flagged category, instead of deleting have it just remove it from the page and keep it intact in the DB-- alerting mods to the situation and letting the person who it happened to feel better to not have to stare at it or worry others will see and misjudge them?

I support this!

That's true!

And I think that'd be more annoying for people who delete guestbook comments without issues and then people will start to blindly click through it without reading out of habit. I think a separate report button for each message is more use friendly. I'd certainly prefer it that way!

I like this train of thought.

This all the way for the exact same reasons that Sanne mentioned.

I've had friends get really upset and hurt by some really cruel remarks left on their guestbooks and they've deleted them simply so the rest of the public wouldn't see the ignorance that some people have the nerve to express.
Sadly reporting it without the evidence of the abuse/bullying has left moderators in a tough spot to deal with the situation.



Not only would this be good for those being targeted through guestbook comments, but I think a report system would help to stop the bullying that has gone on through RPR at the source.

I support this! As well since we are discussing GB comments, I seem to be leaving two at a time sometimes when I only press it once. How do I fix this?

I totally just accidentally filed a bug report while trying to post here to tell Monteasie to do that:

http://www.rprepository.com/community/contact.php

sorry, kim.

I totally support this. As someone who has received, and had a couple of friends receive, "anonymous" harassing comments from a group of trolls, I think this would be a fantastic idea.

This is very much planned.

Have we told you lately that we love you?

We love you.

I second that, we DO love you.

And I third this. Thank you so much!

Youre soooo beautiful

omg that's awesome