Hello, I couldn't think of a fitting title for this problem but I think there should be a tweak in the way users post to prevent them from posting as the wrong person.
I'm currently in a group as this character only and basically I didn't realise I posted as my user account (which isn't listed as a member in it) which would be bothersome for anonymity, to say the least. I assumed it would automatically select this character from the drop-down menu or something but it didn't. Luckily it's a slow moving forum so I caught the mistake immediately but if people were keeping an eye on a thread in real time they would have noticed it. Isn't it slightly strange to be able to post under my user account or any of my characters if they aren't in the group anyway? Seems like an oversight.
I'm currently in a group as this character only and basically I didn't realise I posted as my user account (which isn't listed as a member in it) which would be bothersome for anonymity, to say the least. I assumed it would automatically select this character from the drop-down menu or something but it didn't. Luckily it's a slow moving forum so I caught the mistake immediately but if people were keeping an eye on a thread in real time they would have noticed it. Isn't it slightly strange to be able to post under my user account or any of my characters if they aren't in the group anyway? Seems like an oversight.
Those with adequate ability to edit groups can actually set a group to be able to post as only an accepted profile, or as any profile belonging to an accepted member. So that part, at least, has actually be thought of. That setting exists so that a user has the ability to join a group and post as any of their characters without group staff having to approve every individual character to be used.
Were you created a new topic/thread? New topics always reset the list to either your user account or, if that's not an option, the top of the character list by alphabet. Same thing if it's your first time posting in a topic. In either case, it doesn't know which of available accounts to use yet, so it's just guessing. If you were replying to a topic you had posted in before as this character and it still changed it on you, there's a chance it was a selection oops (I know that occasionally, I'll have the wrong box selected; if it's the Post As, then trying to type would make it go through the list instead), but if you don't think it's that, then you should probably send a bug report.
That said... I'd support something like this. Having it always check might be annoying, but, hm... I'd see a basic thing being, at least in groups, having the pre-selected Post As be a profile accepted into that group, even if that group allows posting as any of your profiles. Wouldn't be a help to someone in a group with both their main user profile and characters, but it would be helpful to folks like you who are only in the group as an anon.
I also think it'd be good to have some warning that "hey, you're about to post as something other than the anon you've been using!" but since 2nd and onward posts in a topic pre-select the last profile you posted as in that topic anyway, I'm not sure what that would actually accomplish (and trying to have it count a whole group still seems like it'd be a whole lot of programming work for very little benefit to very few people). I... sort of wonder if it'd be reasonable to, like, color-code the Post As box though? So user profile is one color, public characters are another color, and anon character are a third color, just for some small increase to awareness. I know I've posted as the wrong profile plenty of times (though I try to be extra careful to double-check anons), and when it's in a PM, there's only a short time to catch and change it before it's locked-in. Although for something like color-coding, I'm not sure how to make it sufficiently visibly distinct for all sighted users regardless of color vision (nor how to accommodate non-sighted users) - bearing in mind that the point is to be noticed when it's not being looked at, though maybe the Reply box could change color as well to help with that a little? - without it becoming too much of an eyesore. So that'd take some real planning besides whatever programming adjustments would be needed to support such a thing.
...Don't mind me, I just talk too much sometimes.
Were you created a new topic/thread? New topics always reset the list to either your user account or, if that's not an option, the top of the character list by alphabet. Same thing if it's your first time posting in a topic. In either case, it doesn't know which of available accounts to use yet, so it's just guessing. If you were replying to a topic you had posted in before as this character and it still changed it on you, there's a chance it was a selection oops (I know that occasionally, I'll have the wrong box selected; if it's the Post As, then trying to type would make it go through the list instead), but if you don't think it's that, then you should probably send a bug report.
That said... I'd support something like this. Having it always check might be annoying, but, hm... I'd see a basic thing being, at least in groups, having the pre-selected Post As be a profile accepted into that group, even if that group allows posting as any of your profiles. Wouldn't be a help to someone in a group with both their main user profile and characters, but it would be helpful to folks like you who are only in the group as an anon.
I also think it'd be good to have some warning that "hey, you're about to post as something other than the anon you've been using!" but since 2nd and onward posts in a topic pre-select the last profile you posted as in that topic anyway, I'm not sure what that would actually accomplish (and trying to have it count a whole group still seems like it'd be a whole lot of programming work for very little benefit to very few people). I... sort of wonder if it'd be reasonable to, like, color-code the Post As box though? So user profile is one color, public characters are another color, and anon character are a third color, just for some small increase to awareness. I know I've posted as the wrong profile plenty of times (though I try to be extra careful to double-check anons), and when it's in a PM, there's only a short time to catch and change it before it's locked-in. Although for something like color-coding, I'm not sure how to make it sufficiently visibly distinct for all sighted users regardless of color vision (nor how to accommodate non-sighted users) - bearing in mind that the point is to be noticed when it's not being looked at, though maybe the Reply box could change color as well to help with that a little? - without it becoming too much of an eyesore. So that'd take some real planning besides whatever programming adjustments would be needed to support such a thing.
...Don't mind me, I just talk too much sometimes.
A Rusty Knight wrote:
Hello, I couldn't think of a fitting title for this problem but I think there should be a tweak in the way users post to prevent them from posting as the wrong person.
I'm currently in a group as this character only and basically I didn't realise I posted as my user account (which isn't listed as a member in it) which would be bothersome for anonymity, to say the least. I assumed it would automatically select this character from the drop-down menu or something but it didn't. Luckily it's a slow moving forum so I caught the mistake immediately but if people were keeping an eye on a thread in real time they would have noticed it. Isn't it slightly strange to be able to post under my user account or any of my characters if they aren't in the group anyway? Seems like an oversight.
I'm currently in a group as this character only and basically I didn't realise I posted as my user account (which isn't listed as a member in it) which would be bothersome for anonymity, to say the least. I assumed it would automatically select this character from the drop-down menu or something but it didn't. Luckily it's a slow moving forum so I caught the mistake immediately but if people were keeping an eye on a thread in real time they would have noticed it. Isn't it slightly strange to be able to post under my user account or any of my characters if they aren't in the group anyway? Seems like an oversight.
You should submit a bug report.
Kim wrote:
A Rusty Knight wrote:
Hello, I couldn't think of a fitting title for this problem but I think there should be a tweak in the way users post to prevent them from posting as the wrong person.
I'm currently in a group as this character only and basically I didn't realise I posted as my user account (which isn't listed as a member in it) which would be bothersome for anonymity, to say the least. I assumed it would automatically select this character from the drop-down menu or something but it didn't. Luckily it's a slow moving forum so I caught the mistake immediately but if people were keeping an eye on a thread in real time they would have noticed it. Isn't it slightly strange to be able to post under my user account or any of my characters if they aren't in the group anyway? Seems like an oversight.
I'm currently in a group as this character only and basically I didn't realise I posted as my user account (which isn't listed as a member in it) which would be bothersome for anonymity, to say the least. I assumed it would automatically select this character from the drop-down menu or something but it didn't. Luckily it's a slow moving forum so I caught the mistake immediately but if people were keeping an eye on a thread in real time they would have noticed it. Isn't it slightly strange to be able to post under my user account or any of my characters if they aren't in the group anyway? Seems like an oversight.
You should submit a bug report.
Quote:
Same thing if it's your first time posting in a topic. In either case, it doesn't know which of available accounts to use yet, so it's just guessing.
Kim's the admin of the RPR! If she's telling you to submit a bug report, what you're experiencing is probably not intended behavior. 
It certainly depends on the group whether or not that should have been possible! But given that this is an anon character, it seems like further risky business to try debugging it in public!
I'll ask the group owner then report the bug if they tell me it shouldn't be possible.
Did I forget to come back to this? Looks like I have. The group owner says people can post as any character once they're a member so it looks like I didn't hit a bug.
I am the group owner and I'm glad A Rusty Knight brought this to my attention. I have members that post as their intended character and as themselves in OOC. I am still new to this site, is there a way to edit the group so those who wish to post IC and OOC can do so, and those that wish to stay anonymous can maintain their privacy? For instance 'lock' that individual character to the group posts?
WinterBlackDraoi wrote:
I am the group owner and I'm glad A Rusty Knight brought this to my attention. I have members that post as their intended character and as themselves in OOC. I am still new to this site, is there a way to edit the group so those who wish to post IC and OOC can do so, and those that wish to stay anonymous can maintain their privacy? For instance 'lock' that individual character to the group posts?
Go to membership management. One of the tabs is Joining & Applications. In the first section, you should see a checkbox reading "Let approved members post as any of their characters." If it's checked, well, it does as stated. If not, then I believe folks are required to apply with every profile they want to post as. I think that includes their user profile, but I'm not sure.
Down side is having to process a lot more applications.
And I might be wrong. I didn't see anything very clear about it in the Help Documentation, but I also didn't go through all group-related entries.
Thank you for your reply.
I have that already ticked but I've now ticked 'Only people who have invitations can apply to join.'
I would rather process the applications, and keep the group safe.
I have that already ticked but I've now ticked 'Only people who have invitations can apply to join.'
I would rather process the applications, and keep the group safe.
What I meant was if it isn't checked, then an individual should only be able to post using a profile that has already been approved. Although I think that while it is checked, if someone posts with a different profile, that additional profile might already automatically get added. I'm also not sure if it only affects characters, or if a user profile would actually need to be separately approved after a character has already been approved. 
For the clearest, most accurate answer, it might be good to send Kim the question directly, via the Question option (in the "Type" dropdown) in the bug report form. I'm not sure how frequently she looks in here, and with EW, she's been extra busy.
For the clearest, most accurate answer, it might be good to send Kim the question directly, via the Question option (in the "Type" dropdown) in the bug report form. I'm not sure how frequently she looks in here, and with EW, she's been extra busy.
I do wish there was a self-imposed option to only post as __ in a group, I made the same mistake again just now while posting in another thread in there...
You are on: Forums » Suggestions & Development Discussion » Measures to stop posting as wrong person
Moderators: Mina, Keke, Cass, Claine, Sanne, Dragonfire, Ilmarinen, Darth_Angelus