It was a year ago today that I closed down the BOI and I guess I am interested in feedback concerning how this impacted YOUR use, value of, and/or perception of this site.
This thread has been prompted from the number of BOI-style posts that have had to be deleted from this site, infractions that posters of said posts have incurred as a result of making such posts, and the number of emails, PMs, and comments elsewhere I have gotten concerning people asking about how they can alert other members about the predations of spammers using this site in an attempt to snare victims. MY concern is that this site could be moving in the direction of becoming an attractive haven for scammers because of the rules now in place concerning BOI style postings no longer being allowed anywhere on this site. Basically they can advertise free and clear of anyone calling them out in any manner. Honestly, I'm not sure if I am looking at a tip of an iceberg, or perhaps a molehill that I am too close to that because of my close proximity, looks like it is a mountain.
So I am soliciting feedback for opinions and observations. No, the BOI is not coming back. Nothing has changed concerning the reasons it was closed down. But is there some alternative way to keep the scammers from having their way with the unwary membership via another method? Would allowing warning-based replies to classified ads be worthwhile in this pursuit, or would it just be more headaches than it is worth? Not that I expect anything to be headache-free here, of course. But I am uncomfortable at the thought that this site could very well may have turned 180 degrees from being what was once considered a relatively safe place to do business for the membership.
So please provide some
constructive input, if you can. If there is no, or very darn little, input of any kind, I will just have to assume that everything is just honky-dory here for most people and put this thought behind me, leaving well enough alone. Wouldn't be the first time that what I was thinking I was observing was not actually reality.
And please note that even though I am soliciting suggestions, not everything suggested will be practical or even possible. This is not suggesting it would be a bad idea, just that there are limits to what CAN be done here programmatically, as well as what I WANT here to be sitting on my shoulders as an implied responsibility. I am trying to help as best I can, but not looking for more work to do.
Thanks.