Safety for teen users of The Ledge

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by daniellaaarisen

I have no idea what happened with a Ledgie minor.... is in appropriate to ask?

EDIT: Miranda... got it. I agree that minors should be protected on here, but was it really an issue of Miranda posting anything inappropriate? Or were her parents just uncomfortable with the entire situation in general?

Well, nothing happened, really. Personally I would hate to see this incident (caused by some overzealous parents IMHO) set a precedent for turning this place into even more of a nanny state. Yes, everyone here should adhere to a self-regulated, rational code of conduct, i.e., don't be an ass. But I would hate to see this place become all Disney unicorns and amber waves of grain just to assuage the irrational overreaction by a couple of skittish parents. If you are a minor and you are joining this board, you (or your parents) should have already received an education on the basics of online safety and conduct. If you haven't and you unwittingly or intentionally do something stupid or self-destructive on here, then that is something that needs to be addressed by yourself- don't drag others down with you. There can only be so many safeguards. I think the Ledge as it stands already sufficiently promotes a non-hostile, safe, friendly environment.

I do feel bad for Miranda, and I can only imagine that this will only further strain an already strained relationship with her parents. But as others have mentioned, perhaps there is another side to the story that we haven't heard. There are three sides to any story- one side, the other's side and the Truth. The only good news is that she will only have to endure this kind of suppression for a few more years...

[tilthefirefades]

Most forums don't allow guests to come and go as they please. Perhaps The Ledge should hide all posts unless you are registered.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by tilthefirefades

Most forums don't allow guests to come and go as they please. Perhaps The Ledge should hide all posts unless you are registered.

I'm not sure if michelej1 would be equipped to handle the surge of new registrations in a timely manner!

[LikeAWillow]

Originally Posted by tilthefirefades

Most forums don't allow guests to come and go as they please. Perhaps The Ledge should hide all posts unless you are registered.

I really like this idea, although I'm sure implementing it would be tough. I've gotten a few somewhat creepy PMs over the years, but at least I then had a username in mind to stay away from. Also, though I never received anything blatantly report worthy (just the sort of messages that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, even if you can't say why), it was always nice to know that if something really made me uncomfortable, I could report that person. If there's any way the board could become members only without crashing the server and causing Michele a lot of undue hassle....I think it would be a fantastic idea.

Somewhat side-note: I'm not a fan of the teen board either, although to clarify, I think the idea holidayroad had in mind was to have a board that only teens had access to in addition to their access to the rest of the forum. Then it could just be a place where they could feel more comfortable about opening up a little more and sharing details about school/life/etc without worrying that everyone on the internet could see it. I'm sure it would be difficult to manage, though, and even more difficult to patrol (verification, etc.) Having younger kids here and having them be able to mix with the older posters is great. I wouldn't be half as interested in politics as I am if it weren't for how active the political threads were when I first joined the board. 15 year old Marissa gives a belated thank you to disention, irishgirl, strand, etc, though none of you post any more.

[nailatixela]

Originally Posted by LikeAWillow

I really like this idea, although I'm sure implementing it would be tough.

It would be really easy, actually. You could make all the forum sections viewable only to registered users. Or just Chit Chat. Of course there are pros and cons to doing this - even without considering user safety. But still, anyone can register and just lurk.

But I think the Ledge is a safe place. Even though Miranda isn't allowed on, it's not like anything horrible happened which caused her "banning." I think the safest way to be safe anywhere on the internet is limit the amount of information you put out there. I know if I was a parent, I wouldn't want my child to post their picture on a forum, or give any information such as their city - or anything more detailed than that. In the end it's up to the parents to decide what they want to allow their kid to do online.

[LikeAWillow]

I meant tough in that there would be a ton of new registsrations over a very short period of time

Originally Posted by nailatixela

But still, anyone can register and just lurk.

But at least you know there's a name attached to everyone viewing somewhere and that said name can be banned (and the ledge's registration rules make it more difficult than usual to have multiple accounts.) Let's say right now, OnlinePredator23434 sends me a message saying "Hey there, you seem like fun. Let's meet up." I say, "Sorry, buddy, I don't meet up with strangers on here." He says "Like that's going to stop me? You go to Wellesley College. [enter malicious threats here.]" I report this to Michele. Michele is kind enough to ban him. Well, OnlinePredator23434 can still view the ledge and all its happenings as a guest even after he's banned. Change the system and you have a better shot at keeping out people who have proven they need to be kept out.

[nailatixela]

Originally Posted by LikeAWillow

I report this to Michele. Michele is kind enough to ban him. Well, OnlinePredator23434 can still view the ledge and all its happenings as a guest even after he's banned. Change the system and you have a better shot at keeping out people who have proven they need to be kept out.

I agree with your points. But I don't think banned users can actually come back as guests? If you ban their IP - I thought that computer cannot access the site at all? I'm not sure how the ledge is set up.

[LukeA]

Originally Posted by nailatixela

I agree with your points. But I don't think banned users can actually come back as guests? If you ban their IP - I thought that computer cannot access the site at all? I'm not sure how the ledge is set up.

Yes, you can ban an IP, but not everyone has a static IP address. Would be very easy to use another computer, or simply use a proxy of some sort.

I'm all for rendering The Ledge & all of its forums (except maybe the one pertaining to technical questions regarding the operation of the board) visible only to registered users.

[LikeAWillow]

Originally Posted by nailatixela

Even though Miranda isn't allowed on, it's not like anything horrible happened which caused her "banning."

Nope, not at all! Miranda was just the spark that started this discussion, she isn't the topic of it.

[holidayroad]

Originally Posted by LikeAWillow

Somewhat side-note: I'm not a fan of the teen board either, although to clarify, I think the idea holidayroad had in mind was to have a board that only teens had access to in addition to their access to the rest of the forum. Then it could just be a place where they could feel more comfortable about opening up a little more and sharing details about school/life/etc without worrying that everyone on the internet could see it.

That is exactly what I had in mind. I should have posted it more clearly when I first said it.

[iamnotafraid]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Personally I would hate to see this incident set a precedent for turning this place into even more of a nanny state. Yes, everyone here should adhere to a self-regulated, rational code of conduct, i.e., don't be an ass. But I would hate to see this place become all Disney unicorns.

Whoa......Stop the world and let me off, we actually agree on something!!!

I think there are enough filters already in place:

1. Parents (If they are doing there job)
2. Common sense
3. Moderators

And I agree with the other Ledgies that it would be a bad idea to make the
forums only available to registered users. I'm a member of another fansite
that makes you sign in to see some of the post. It just makes it a pain in the
a$$. And I think the Ledge would have less members, at least new ones if
it goes that way. I doubt I would have become a member here if you had to
be registered/sign in to read the posts. Hey....wait a minute, that might be
the reason to change things here.

[GypsyBlueEyes]

I kind of like the idea of the forums being private. As members, we are the ones that keep the forum going by contributing to it with our posts, pictures, info, demos, art, etc. Meanwhile, anyone coming through can take advantage of all this without putting any effort into keeping the forum going themselves which takes away from the community effort. Anyway, that's just a thought