Ways to improve Catholic Answers Forums moderating

  • Thread starter Thread starter Polak
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Ok…
The site detected I was using an adblock and made itself unusable unless I let the ads through.

So I did.

And the first ad I get is for “retro uncensored photos…mature audiences only”

Really…
Catholic answers is giving me adults only smut?

This needs moderator attention.
I used to think my kids could browse here without my supervision…not anymore.

@camoderator

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Thbolt said:
It’s probably due to a Google algorithm based on other things that have been locked at on your computer or from your IP address and has nothing to do with CAF.
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Doubt that.
The only thing this phone is used for is tech support.
 
Whatever ad server they use screws up sometimes. I once got an ad that was basically soft core porn of female golf champions. By “soft core porn” I mean it was called something like “Hot Women of Golf” and the ladies were barely dressed or posed in some way that they were falling out of their clothes. I don’t golf, don’t look at porn, and hadn’t visited anything that would pull that up. I reported it.

I agree with letting the mod know, I’m sure there are blockers that the ad service can put on certain sites (for instance, ones kids might use, religious sites etc).

So far the best benefit of being patron is not having to look at the ads, including the one of some naked lady’s legs sitting on a toilet that came up about 20 times a day.
 
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Polak said:
To people who think the moderating is absolutely fine, do you also agree with posts being edited by moderators?
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I don’t like it, but it’s clearly stated in the FAQ that posts can be edited without warning. CAF’s sandbox, CAF’s rules.
 
DeniseNY said:
I don’t like it, but it’s clearly stated in the FAQ that posts can be edited without warning. CAF’s sandbox, CAF’s rules.
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I agree with this.
There are a lot of things that might happen with online forums and the moderation or lack of moderation that I don’t like. But unless I own or run the forum, it’s not my call to make. I can continue to post there, or I can walk away. So it’s a cost-benefit balancing decision whether I choose to stay around and put up with it, or leave.

I also generally think that 99% of posts are not so important that it’s a big deal if they’re edited or removed. The 1 percent would be somebody sharing something very heartfelt or important to them, like talking about their loved one’s death. In those cases some respect should be shown. But almost always, it’s just a matter of somebody’s opinion or somebody’s remark about politics or whatever got pulled, big deal.
 
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And they should provide that feedback back to the advert company and find out if steps can be taken so people on this site are not being tempted into sin by porny ads.
 
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I’ve just unblocked ad blocker and the first ads popping up are very targeted! We have my mothers house on the market at the moment and I’ve got real estate ads for the exact town the house is in. I’m trying to figure out how that has happened because the only time I’ve mentioned that subject is in FB PM’s with my family.
 
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No targeted ads in my end.

The ad for girly pics is gone, thanks mods.

Now I am getting ads for cars I am not shopping for and gold… because apparently the apocalypse is coming.
 
I think this “forced” (oh, well - strongly suggested) view of ads is not a good idea. Personally, I never click on those links, and if I ever see somewhere what they advertise, I quickly go somewhere else.

But that may just be me.
 
Motherwit said:
I’ve just unblocked ad blocker and the first ads popping up are very targeted!
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the need to unblocked adblocker may be understandable, yet unjust blackmail for posters.
Motherwit said:
We have my mothers house on the market at the moment and I’ve got real estate ads for the exact town the house is in. I’m trying to figure out how that has happened because the only time I’ve mentioned that subject is in FB PM’s with my family.
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Well, if you have done an internet search, for eg, all the data are stocked and can use again to sell targeted advertising.
But Facebook sell private information of his users anyway, so maybe including PM?
 
Motherwit said:
I’m trying to figure out how that has happened because the only time I’ve mentioned that subject is in FB PM’s with my family.
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Not to frighten you, but I imagine Facebook may have no more scruples about enabling targeted ads based on your PMs, than Google has about enabling targeted ads based on your emails written through gmail. And I know gmail famously does that. Or at least, as of a few years ago they did that (it was blatant. Starting one week, if you mentioned fishing in one email, you’d get non stop ads for fishing rods for weeks). Their algorithm (of some kind) absolutely ‘reads’ your private emails. Maybe unless you change something in a privacy setting? Although I’m not sure automatic screening of your emails is fully preventable through any change in official privacy settings.

Online privacy is never truly ‘private’. Something to keep in mind.

And if that’s what’s going on, CAF isn’t really involved. (Nor are other specific sites where the ads appear.) The sites where ads appear have presumably just allowed google (or whomever) to pay for ad space, and maybe set some limitations (like no pornography content, etc). But after that, the advertisers may be able to selectively target specific ads to specific groups of people based on data the advertiser previously gathered. They fill the ad space with, potentially, content that is customized to the individual.
 
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I just want to add that the google algorithm is really pretty awful! I actually don’t mind targeted ads for things I’m interested in. It’s the price you pay for “free” internet content. The problem is, google is so bad at it! 😂. I finally bought my washing machine and THEN I get washing machine ads! I had done searches for days before purchase but when I actually bought one? I saw washing machine ads for weeks after purchase. Same with so many other purchases I’ve made!

And @Tis_Bearself, I get that stupid bidet ad all the time, too! Not here, thankfully as I had an ad blocker long before I was a patron. I even closed the ad numerous times and labeled it offensive. Finally, I stopped seeing it for three whole days…then…yep, got them again! They win…I give up! I just wish I could unsee it!
 
Irishmom2 said:
Do you think it should be “anything goes?”
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No and I didn’t imply this anywhere. I just think a person’s words should not be re-written.
Tis_Bearself said:
But unless I own or run the forum, it’s not my call to make. I can continue to post there, or I can walk away.
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Sure but people can also give feedback to possibly make things better. If enough users on a forum are of the opinion that certain tweaks can make the place better, why wouldn’t the ‘owners’ look at those suggestions? Isn’t that better than most of those users being dissatisfied and walking away, as you said?
 
If the owners here truly wanted people’s feedback, they wouldn’t have made the feedback forum “patrons only”.

Most people here aren’t paying customers so it’s no great loss to the owners if people stay on the forum or leave.
 
It will be interesting to see if you start getting ads for the items mentioned in your post. If you notice any correlation, please let us know.
 
I will! But, I’m unsure if the algorithm can scrape my posts here as I still have my ad blocker on, too. But! If I see washing machines on my Mac again…we’ll know!
 
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