so tell me what you think of this: wayne comments on one of my "do you have an older account? scammers have made it very hard for anyone to trust brand new accounts blah blah blah" speeches. so i PM'd him, and this is what happened.
dear wayne, i'm sorry, i just didn't want them to think it was for no reason or because of some kind of reddit hazing type ritual. i mean, there is a reason why new accounts aren't trusted. i love you wayne, i think you're wonderful and you do a lot of good. but i don't think it's out of line to say why some people can't trust new accounts. not saying the word "scamming" doesn't mean it doesn't happen. and it hurts people. and i just want to let you know, a lot of people really appreciate what i say and point out here. i've gotten more PMs than i can count thanking me for looking out for the givers. i mean, i very specifically said i wasn't accusing them of anything and i realize that it's not what they're doing, but scammers have ruined having a new account for pretty much everybody else. i'm not really sure how that's offense to anyone. i'm not trying to start a fight or an argument. but i don't think acknowledging the presence of scammers is offensive. otherwise, to new accounts, it really does just look like no one wants to help them and they don't understand why other people are getting help and not them. why is it so bad for me to tell them why brand new accounts aren't trusted?
his reply:
Yea we have had issues with the new accounts. We had the 90 days rule but it didn't work. It hurt more good people than caught bad. 95% of the time people don't help them anyway. It was shame that the good people had to suffer for a rule that really didn't work. The problem is we haven't come up with a policy how to address this yet. SLH has got way too swamped. So until we do, it's best not to try to do that on your own. Bringing up scammers and things on someone's post can be harmful to their chances. Let us come up with a policy before you start implementing you own. I hope you can understand this. Give our subscriber some credit. They can see this too. If they can't they shouldn't be giving. Very few people get monetary help on new accounts. Very few. So you are kind of addressing a problem that barely exists. And the cards for mom have really begun to roll in. I took some to mom today and she was actually reading them herself. Something she has not done since she got sick a couple months ago. It was a very encouraging sign. Though I had given up hope she would get better, she may surprise us yet. :D
my reply:
well, here's the thing: some new accounts are alts by people who don't realize that posting from a new account is working against them, because they feel ashamed of needing to ask for help. and i've had people say "oh my god, i had no idea! should i post from that account? would it help?" and then i say yes of course, being able to prove you're a part of the community of course works in your favor. and if those people really need help, and i get to let even one of them know what's up and assist them in getting the help they need by posting from their main account, then i feel like i've done something good. in most other subs, posting with an alt isn't going to do any harm and sometimes it's encouraged. i just feel like people have the right to know what's up. i'm not trying to implement any policy of any kind, but like i said, i get a lot of PMs thanking me for the things i point out. i feel like that means the community is asking for someone to do things like this. the only people who seem to freak out are the ones who think that even tho their account is zero days old like they're entitled and we're obligated to throw money at them. the people who are on the up and up seem to completely understand where i'm coming from, and often thank me for letting them know how things work and that maybe it's a better idea to put up a wishlist than it is to ask for money (and i'm sure you've noticed---a lot of brand new accounts have been receiving a lot of items off wishlists, despite their account age). i mean, like i said, the people who seem to get most upset when the word "scammer" is used....are often the people who later delete their accounts or are proved to be scammers later on. i am SO happy to hear about your mom! i hope you know i think of you both every day, and while prayer isn't my thing, i'm actively pulling for her to feel as good as possible throughout the holidays and for as long as possible thereafter!
and his:
See you are operating on assumptions that are based on what you feel. Not discounting what you feel, I have to tell you we have been through this and tried so many different things over the past five years. We are ever changing and adapting. But you do not see the entire picture. You haven't seen what we try and how it effects what we do. All of the investigating and problems are addressed behind the scenes. You haven't seen how that works and the problems of what you do can effect that. I can't have someone going rogue and going against the established method we have both in public and in private. You are a very smart and intelligent woman and would some day like to have you on as a mod here some day. But not if I have to keep debating the procedures we long ago addressed. That does not help, it makes things more difficult. I hope that makes sense to you. I am not trying to bag on you. I'm just want to let you know some things you are doing make things more difficult for us and does not have the positive effect you think it does.
see, i just kind of feel like he's being "i know more than you so those things you think are right, that people are thanking you for? yeah, those are just trouble because you don't know what i know." if i was really in the wrong, why would people be PMing me and thanking me all the time? someone i've never even spoken to bought me a hat as a thank you for the things i say here! i don't know how to respond to this, and i really trust your opinion, so i was hoping maybe you could give me a little guidance here.