The ATS Issues Thread

Hi,

Since I can't email a mod on my issue.

My U2U application on the top of my screen, is missing. How do I get it back?

Thanks.

reply to post by mind is the universe

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You can click MemCenter at the top and on the left it has a link to private messages.

reply to post by mind is the universe

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You'll get your U2U application back the very instant the rest of us do.

reply to post by mind is the universe

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U2U's are currently unavailable for use.


Hopefully wil be back up and running soon.

reply to post by Mirthful Me

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No worries.

Thanks a mill.

I sent this in the complaint forum, but since u2u's are down I can't get an answer.



That happens every time I try to read a page. It's really annoying. It'be been happening for a while.

reply to post by enjoies05

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Have you tried another browser? You might want to give that a whirl... I'd suggest Safari... It really zooms on ATS.

reply to post by Mirthful Me

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Why would it have to do with using Internet Explorer? It's an ad that isn't loading.

reply to post by enjoies05

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Because the "Big Guy in Spandex" uses a Mac... I thought the same thing, but I put Safari on my lappy just for ATS, and now life is much better.

I'd started a new thread about it, but it got shut down, prematurely in my opinion...

Until last week I could view the profiles of banned users by clicking on their names. This is handy when trying to determine who wrote what, etc, or looking through the history of an argument... Good for a variety of reasons, to be honest.

Like I said, it's worked fine for the 6 months or so that I've been a member. Heck, I even started a comment thread in my profile to list various adversaries I'd run up against in the forums who'd been banned.

But now any of those clicks get a plain white page with a single word "error" in the corner. Not a shiny new "Hey, you don't belong here" type of ATS error that I'd expect, but more of a "Oops, someone forgot to change something in the code, and for some reason the database isn't returning the result you expected" type of error.

In the thread I started on this, a Super Mod claimed it was a mod-only function, and apparently it still works for mods. But there's been no explanation as to why it used to work for the rest of us and doesn't work now. I suspect it really IS a code bug, but my thread was shut down before any actual coders came along and saw it, or any of the big bosses acknowledged "Yep, we changed policy and now general members can't see profiles of deleted members."

Either answer is valid (though please redirect to a more explanatory error page it it is, in fact, intentional...)

And this seemed to start happening around the time U2U went down. Not that the issues are necessarily related (but they might be, if it is, in fact, a code bug...)

Reposed here, with more detail, in hopes THIS thread doesn't get closed.

Edit: Never mind. Just realized this thread is supposed to be about issues relating to board drama and ATS issues/conspiracies- not tech problems and glitches... I think.

Disregard.

[edit on 6/25/2008 by AshleyD]

Is it? My bad. Where am I supposed to report bugs then?

reply to post by JoshNorton

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Oh, I think you're fine. Your question pertained to something all non-staff members are experiencing. My question was specific to one member who is having technical issues.

JoshNorton, your concerns were already received. If you feel it's important to re-express them or my u2u wasn't enough you may file a complaint through the member center.

Thanks

reply to post by AshleyD

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If you could re-post your question for I wanted to know the answer as well. I think your question got looked over by the multiple responses in this thread.

reply to post by jhill76

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Ah, it was nothing. A member was simply having difficulty getting an avatar to work even though we tried everything. After looking through this thread a bit more, I realized my comment was more of a 'glitch' concern and not so much an 'issue' in the sense this thread seems to be referring to issues. Or are you referring to my question on the previous page? Yes, I think that one got buried so I just let it go and decided not to worry about it if the staff doesn't consider it an issue, either.

reply to post by AshleyD

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AshleyD...

A "forum gang" is a group of members who conspire to to derail, harass, make look foolish, silence, over power or otherwise "gang up" on any member(s) who has/have an opposing point of view or belief, or someone who they just don't like.

These "groups" typically start out using the u2u system and alert each other to any new posts/threads the "target" starts or replies with and then plan a coordinated attack on the post/thread and or advise each other on what to reply with.

They sometimes escalate to "off ATS" communications i.e. AIM, Yahoo IM, etc... (I have actually heard about people being on Skype conferences roaming the site for target opportunities in Real Time) to facilitate their planning and conspiring.

I guess the difference between people who have a like minded interest and seek to do research together and a forum gang would be the whole "target thing". People involved in passive, collaborative research don't generally cheer each other on while taking a person who has an opposing perspective on in a public thread. They usually don't ALL jump in every thread the "target" posts in and rebut, ridicule or "attack".

We've learned over the years that when we see the same few members having a go at a member who has an opposing perspective almost EVERY SINGLE time the member posts it means they, as a group (or gang) are targeting this person.

People involved in innocent, collaborative research just don't act like that. They don't magically happen to appear in almost EVERY SINGLE thread a certain person posts in, railing against them. It's pretty obvious when it occurs.

Many people have been part of a forum gang without ever realizing what they were actually doing, we have always allowed those people back on the site because we understand it may have started out as innocent collaboration, between like minded people, and just got a little out of hand.

Not the end of the world or even that big of a deal, just needs to be dealt with and stopped when it happens.

Hope that clarifies it for you.

edit to add: Many times the "target" has brought the heat down upon themselves, that doesn't mean it's okay, but it does help us to forgive the "gangstahs".

Springer...

[edit on 6-25-2008 by Springer]

reply to post by Springer

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Great. Thank you very much. That does help clarify. I think most people know what it is but were confused about how it is determined. Thanks again.

[edit on 6/25/2008 by AshleyD]

This was a temporary thing until we modified some more complicated code. There were a few who had posted inappropriate comments in the profiles of banned members (more to do with insulting the banned member for being banned), as well as some other profile issues of those who were banned. The code has been refined and limited profiles of banned members are now available for review.

Is there somewhere we can adjust the appearance of the page (ie: background colors and such)? Since yesterday my ATS has switched to a sliver-gray golor around each post. I believe it was black prior to that, but I can't say for sure. I just know it was a whole lot easier on the eyes to read before this change happened.