Question

Is there any way that we can try to minimize the controversial questions that consistently come up? Such as males and females seeing this as a dating site? The purpose of this site is not to 'find love'. I understand that there are many moderators and such, but, I feel as though there need to be many more. Also, if possible, I think it would be best to try and make it so other users could not message you without fanning you. This may see irrelevant, but, I think that it will help lessen the attempts to start romantic relations on a learning website.

Answer 1

parenting begins at home ....

Answer 2

You can ignore all the dating site crap in the conversations, because the mods don't really have tools right now which can deal on it in a manner as they wish they could.

You actually can put your messages on so people YOU'VE fanned can only send you messages, or you can turn it off totally. Click on settings -> notifications settings, and then you can control your messages and mentions. http://puu.sh/9QNHk/8a1b956cce.png

Answer 3

Thank you @iambatman

Answer 4

as to the second part; theres no way to stop people from fanning you.

Answer 5

@amistre64 That wasn't necessarily the problem. It's that everybody has the ability to message you.

Answer 6

right, and restricting it so that only people who fan you can message you is moot; since anyone can fan you and thereby send you a message

Answer 7

persoanlly, i think the messaging system is a complete and utter liability for the site and should be removed. but thats my own opinion.

Answer 8

I think it's good enough as it is, you can pick from having anyone message you, people who you've fanned message you or you can turn it off entirely, I don't think this should be messed with.

Answer 9

Understandable and agreeable. And unfortunately parents these days don't seem to care, let alone 'waste their time' monitoring their children's activity online. I see people as young as 13 posting questions on here such as 'Who thinks i'm sexy?'. These questions are a waste of time and highly inappropriate for a study-based website.

Answer 10

@iambatman I see where you are coming from, but the problem is I have fanned people who may be able to help me or who tend to need my help. If I turn it off to avoid the immaturity that I present than I am denying those who I help the ability to be helped with multiple questions at once. In more than one case, I have had somebody ask a question which I cannot help with. They had another question in mind so they messaged it to me and kept the other question open for others who can assist them. Do you see why I feel as though the capability to message others is not only an asset but also a detriment to the purpose of this site?

Answer 11

Some of us are here to learn or to assist others in learning. Meanwhile it seems like a good amount of the users are stuck on using this minimal restriction site as a social media outlet.

Answer 12

"You actually can put your messages on so people YOU'VE fanned can only send you messages"

Answer 13

It's only determent if you pay attention to it. You can also block users.

Answer 14

I understand. I will now use that application to minimize the problem. But it still stands that indeed there is a problem. And I thank you for helping me with this. It is just quite chaotic when this occurs on top on the crashes. Hopefully the site will become stable (:

Answer 15

As an adult, I'm offended by all the children on this site trying to proposition me. I am not a pedophile! I just like doing math and helping people.

Answer 16

@wio Exactly my point! This is mot eharmony or meetpeople or any of the other dating sites...this is a site to learn and to help others. I do not understand why that is a problem?

Answer 17

detriment*

Answer 18

As @amistre64 mentioned before, it's a result of bad parenting, not the sites fault.

Answer 19

And I'm sure that we all understand that. It's just a matter of how to prevent it in the future since we obviously cannot parent them ourselves.

Answer 20

since we cannot parent them ourselves; then there is nothing we can do to prevent them from making bad choices. As a mod, Ive seen very distrurbing notices from a parent who tells us that such so-and-so and their child are sexting and whatnot. I wish I could prevent such behaviour.

Answer 21

i have a niece that likes the illusion that online interactions gives her. she 'falls in love' and thinks that her parents 'just dont understand' .... time and time again. Some things in life seem to have to be learned the hard way :/

Answer 22

Do mods listen in on messaging?

Answer 23

mods dont listen in on anything. we can only react to reports or anything that can be readily seen in the open.

Answer 24

Well, there has to be a way to prevent it on the site. Obviously kids will be kids and act on impulse and what they do off of the site is not the mods problem. But, there must be a way to prevent the occurrence of sexually based conversations on the site.

Answer 25

duct tape ... works on fingers as well as mouths :)

Answer 26

@iambatman I just got this weird thought in my head were you went around pretending to be a teenybopper, hitting up some of the older members of this site, and when they take the bait you sit them down Dateline NBC style.

Answer 27

@wio Well, if it gets serious to the point where laws are broken then technically they can't do anything about that. They have to hand it over to the police who will then investigate the safety of the site.

Answer 28

we could try sending subliminal messages like the movie theaters are accused of ... small imperceptible images flash across the screen and brainwash them :)

Answer 29

He is the Batman. He waits for no police officer. @kaylamarie101

Answer 30

Lmao @wio

Answer 31

Chris Hansen style

Answer 32

Tbh I know many mods who date here :p Also,also if you want a person to message you only when you're fanning them. It's possible,change your settings.

Answer 33

But a creepy mod can always message you cuz they have the power. You can't block them.

Answer 34

I hope they don't abuse their power like that! @uri

Answer 35

Again like @amistre64 said. Depends on how they are brought up.

Answer 36

Wow, mods dating people on this site? Absolutely hilarious.

Answer 37

lol. I know every gossip. :3

Answer 38

Well, that's their problem

Answer 39

Misdemeanor dating may warrant a warning based on a moderator's discretion. My fiancee had an OpenStudy, and so do I. We both dated in real life, but we also used OpenStudy together and made it clear. In these cases, a punishment may not be warranted because the individuals in question have met, and know, one another.

It's different when the individuals meet over the internet. We try to avoid this because you do not know the recipient in question. He may be a predator or offender. It is illegal for a minor, as most of the children on here are, to give out your personal information. It is also illegal if the person in question is: 16, and you are 12 - 15, or you are 16 - 17, and the person is older than 24.

We try to avoid these all-together by forbidding such interactions.

Some cases you may be suspended for include, but are not limited to:

i. obsessive language
ii. foul and vulgar language
iii. sexting

You can, at times, take legal action against the individuals. These require the site owner's approval; they include

i. soliciting nudity
ii. giving out personal information with intent to meet
iii. explicit sexual conduct

Both sending and receiving nudity, or misconduct between a minor and adult are both Class A Felonies. The legal status include:

..........
18 U.S.C. § 2251- Sexual Exploitation of Children
(Production of child pornography)

18 U.S.C. § 2252- Certain activities relating to material involving the sexual exploitation of minors

(Possession, distribution and receipt of child pornography)
18 U.S.C. § 2252A- certain activities relating to material constituting or containing child pornography
..........

Both verbal and imagery can constitute for Class A Felonies and charges may or may not be pressed against the perpetrator

..........

The best way to prevent misconduct is by self-moderation. Set an example so users report such activities. They are not only immoral ,but illegal. .

Answer 40

" Possession of a sexually explicit image of a minor is a crime in and of itself.

Distribution (sending a sexually explicit image of a minor to others) is a crime in and of itself.

Promoting (the act of taking the picture of a minor who is engaged in a sexual act, even if the person taking the photo is the object of the photo) or coercing or soliciting (requesting a minor or tricking a minor into sending a sexually explicit image) is a crime in and of itself.

A teenager who takes a naked picture of themselves and sends it to another teen, has technically committed 3 felony crimes.

They could be charged with promoting, distributing and possessing child pornography and if convicted, could face real jail time.

A teen who receives a sexually explicit image (even if it was not requested) can be charged with possession and if they send the picture to anyone else they are looking at distribution charges if caught.

If one of the children is 18 (17 in some states) they are adults in the eyes of the law and even though they may be in a relationship with another teen, if that teen is under the age of 18 (17 in some states) there is a much greater risk of strict prosecution.

If convicted, the conviction will most likely be a felony and require the teenager to register as a sex offender."

U.S. Sexting Laws and Regulations

http://mobilemediaguard.com/state_main.html

Answer 41

As for the legal ramifications:

Even without the nude pics, there are some related laws for corruption of minors, etc. The more explicit the language is, the more chances that the law may see it as a crime. And if a parent sees some of these messages and makes an issue of it, or someone posts on this or any other public forum about how the message makes them felt and someone else reports that, well, that is all it takes for something to explode.

Google it up. Teens have gotten in huge amounts of trouble over messages they have posted. Minor misinterpretations have become nightmares for several people. It is simply best to avoid some topics rather than risk becoming part of the news.

As for the OpenStudy remaifications:

Some more guys that were looking for internet girlfriends were suspended today. Sorry, but this is just not at all the place to get to know people in that way.

Answer 42

Touching on the legal ramifications again @e.mccormick

Even if both the users are minors, they can still be prosecuted. There are some variations, though, such as child to child, adult to child (which is more severe), and adult to adult. 2/3 can be taken with legal action.

There some very bizarre cases that have popped up in the past with this sexual misconduct between members. Text speech between minors isn't illegal unless they are under 12. Then we have simulated child pornography, which isn't illegal. This includes the misrepresentation that an adult and minor are, in fact, both discussion sexual misconduct but toward each other as adults. The misrepresentation of age is also a white-law that we cannot enforce legally, but we can certainty ban the person.

Answer 43

Yes, it is the OpenStudy policy to land on the side of caution. If it might cause a legal issue, it is simply not wanted on the site. Not WILL but MIGHT. That is all it takes to get something or someone kicked to the curb.