Ethics of requesting board members to supply lists of email addresses

[spookieyme]

i was speaking of the one that stirred up this rediclious mess . not e1 eles, please read again

[spookieyme]

i was speaking of the person who started this REDICLIOUS MESS, PLEASE READ AGAIN

[pgaming]

Yes I would agree the practice goes contrary what I believe in. But again is not so severe to warrant a good ass kicking. I have seen far worse JMO.

greek39

[spookieyme]

i was speaking of the one that stirred up this rediclious mess . not e1 eles, please read again

yes just be be just that for me a good azz kickin it is

[Boris303]

I regards to this topic Rhonda is being very disrespectful, she has plenty of chance to discuss this on a private level here and at another forum she visits, so Slotmom and Rhonda know each other and it should have been kept private and we all should not be discussing this.

But as we are, i feel i should say this,

Our emails are being bought and sold all over the gambling world, i know because each and every gambling site/casino i sign up with i use an individual email address (examplesite@mysparedomain.com) so i know which sites pass on my email and which don't, luckily for me i can blackhole an address i don't want to to receive emails from any more.

And as long as Slotmom sent a request to join her forum, then i don't see the difference between that and a player sending out refer a friend invites from for example a Rival Casino.

[Betpartners]

Time to close this thread

How many more "new" members are going to join just to take sides in this localized dispute

[Boris303]

Taking sides, perhaps it may seem that way, but im just calling this the way i see it, and thats that, i didn't join to just make that comment i have been a member for a while, it just this happens to be my first post, well this is my second, i promise to make my third more constructive than the previous two.

I agree, lets close the thread, pretend it didn't happen, sweep it under the carpet and move on happily from now on

[Betpartners]

Well considering all the different industry topics, hundreds of them in fact since february, this is indeed a strange entry to posting on GPWA.

But of course you are entitled to post when you want and how you want but i doubt that there has been a single thread on here that has had so many posters with so few posts between them all apparantly knowing each other.

And i never said sweep it under the carpet, no need to be patronising, but this thread has run its course, everyone that wants to has now given their opinion and all we are left with is insults backwards and forwards from the usual subjects

That said i look forward to your third post and it being constructive as you say

[livefree247]

Well considering all the different industry topics, hundreds of them in fact since february, this is indeed a strange entry to posting on GPWA.

But of course you are entitled to post when you want and how you want but i doubt that there has been a single thread on here that has had so many posters with so few posts between them all apparantly knowing each other.

And i never said sweep it under the carpet, no need to be patronising, but this thread has run its course, everyone that wants to has now given their opinion and all we are left with is insults backwards and forwards from the usual subjects

That said i look forward to your third post and it being constructive as you say

Hi Betpartners,

Boris is just replying because he knows me from another forum and we have had our own issues, this is very indeed a personal dig on boris's part. the other members are just friends of sandy. I'll leave it at that. I will be requesting to have this thread locked and closed

[Betpartners]

Hi Betpartners,

Boris is just replying because he knows me from another forum and we have had our own issues, this is very indeed a personal dig on boris's part. the other members are just friends of sandy. I'll leave it at that. I will be requesting to have this thread locked and closed

Oh Boris

[slotmom]

Rhonda I don't even know some of these members you know you did me wrong and now you have to live with it .

[Boris303]

I do, well i did (shes not a member anymore from today) know her from another forum i think i already made that clear in my first post, and yet despite what i know already about this and other situations that have occurred in the past i would never say something i did not believe to be true or wasn't my opinion at that time.

Clearly i made a mistake posting what i thought here, but thats not a crime, and it is exactly what i think.

Not that constructive, better make my forth post totally magnificent if i can at all.

[shar61]

Ok, i have to step in here. Livefree is my business partner. She is not a bad person and only posted as a warning about this contest about having 3rd party addresses sent to Sandy so she could send it to other members friends to sign up at her forum. Now, i was just at Sandys forum and seen this:

Email Contest For $30. Closed
« Thread Started on Jul 19, 2009, 9:40pm »
A winner will be Posted by the end of the week . This contest was closed because of a bad person giving me a problem with this contest . If you wish to read the problem with this contest read this thread . Just to let you all know beware of this person .And if my forum gets wiped out I know who did it and so will you . Hugs slotmom . PS I am not a bad person I always try to be honest with all of you .
https://www.gpwa.org/forum/warning-slotmo....ils-182210.html

Sandy, Rhonda is not out to get you or wipe out your forum, are you kidding me!? Enough is enough. Now you are slamming her in your post at your board.

Im finished on this thread as of now. Sandy you know better than to say that crap, you were a friend but you just don't understand when i tried to help you and you ignored my offerings of help.

[slotmom]

she should have talked to me before she ever started this but that is the person she is .

[Redbush54]

Before this thread gets closed, I'm going to throw in my 2 cents worth.....well maybe its only a penny.

I have worked with GamTrak for one year this month. During the past 12 months I have been given the opportunity to explore my options, try it, learn from it and move on to bigger and better things. At no time during the past 12 months was I ever slammed by Robin for trying something. If I was wrong, it was used as a learning experience.

I think if I were slotmom and did a email contest and Robin felt it was unethical, she most definitely would not have come here and posted a warning. She would msg or call me and say "we need to discuss this". The issue would then be discussed, I would listen to her, she would listen to me, and a joint decision would be made on what we would do next time.

I think as times are all tough for everyone, we all need to work together, help each other and talk among ourselves to reach a solution. Each individual case is different and if we brought all of them here, then I feel the purpose of the GPWA has lost what its meant to be........the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA) is dedicated to helping its members succeed in the online gaming industry. The GPWA was founded in 2001 to provide affiliate members with the means to collaborate with other online gaming affiliates around the world and to strengthen relationships with affiliate programs.

I know hardly any of you, but as a newbie (as I feel I still am), if I were to see my name here in a thread with a warning, it would make me want to change professions due to the fear of what might be said on my next move for the members of my forum.

This is just my opinion and in no way reflects the opinion of my boss or her forum......

[MichaelCorfman]

This thread has gone in a direction that I believe is not appropriate.

I think there are some legitimate questions here, and there is also too much in the way of comments that are disrespectful on both sides here. Please be warned, no more disrespectful comments are welcome in this thread (not that they ever were really welcome).

FAIR WARNING: If I see more disrespectful posts, those posts will be either edited or deleted and the poster may find themselves banned. If anyone observes such a post in this thread after this post, please send me a pm so I can address the situation.

It is fine to question activities or opinions, but it is rarely acceptable to cast those questions into personal attacks on either side of the issue.

In terms of the underlying question about collecting e-mail addresses and refer-a-friend type programs, I do think there are questions worth asking on that front.

First, I do think there is a style of refer-a-friend that is just fine. That is when a person who wants to refer a a few friends identifies specific individuals they want to refer, and a site provides specific services to invite those friends on the individual's behalf who is making the referral.

But, when this is done right way, the e-mail address of the friends are not harvested and placed into an e-mail list to be spammed later. Rather, an invitation is sent out on behalf of the inviting person, and if the folks respond the the request made on behalf of that person, then great, but otherwise the e-mail address needs to go into the trash bin never to be used again.

Now if slotmom is doing a variation of this where folks are providing e-mail address to be used in a one-time mailing to friends, then I think that is stretching things if the person who requested the invite be sent is not identified as the sender, and I think in that case slotmom would be well advised not to take that approach in the future, but I think some leway is appropriate in terms of folks not getting upset with her.

But if slotmom is taking in large lists, or is adding the lists to an e-mail list that is going to have a bunch of e-mail messages sent over time, then I think that is a different matter. But, right now I'm not sure I see any specific evidence in this thread that indicates that is the case. And if that was the original intent, then the issue can easily be addressed by complying with the principles outlined here, and abandoning plans to use the e-mail addresses provided in that way.

Michael

[LuckyBettors - Jamie]

Hi,

I agree with everything you said Michael.

If someone comes here to GPWA and starts a thread about anyone's site being a casino or a fellow affiliate site, shouldn't there be a rule of first contacting the person concerned.

I for one think it is very unfair that Slotmom's site was labled with a warning based on one silly contest.

Yes, I have slamed the original poster of this topic and appologize, However I will not appologize for sticking up for another site where I feel they have merely made a simple mistake. Slotmom was never given a chance in the way this post was made.

We all contact and scream at a casino if they look like they are being a rouge before posting about them, what makes a fellow affiliate any different.

I do not know slotmom personally and have never worked for her, But i would stick up for anyone in this situation. The Original poster of this topic gave no thought into what she was posting.

Yet we are all suppose to keep the peace, even though the damage that could have been made from this thread is swept under the table.

Does nobody really care about that?

I am not bad mouthing the original poster, I am simpley stating the way i see it all.

I do not know any of the new members that have signed up to post, but i know for a fact GPWA has the ability to track there IP and match them up.

I do think there are solid points raised by both the original poster and the replys, you are right about name calling it shouldnt happen. But we are all human and all the same, we make mistakes.

[Daera]

Hi Betpartners,

Boris is just replying because he knows me from another forum and we have had our own issues, this is very indeed a personal dig on boris's part. the other members are just friends of sandy. I'll leave it at that. I will be requesting to have this thread locked and closed

I'm not a "friend" of Slotmom's. I know her from the forums, seeing her posts. And I said only what I believe, whether it was her or anyone else. I don't agree with collecting emails like that. But I definitely don't agree with the way you went about this Livefree247.

Also, I think when someone uses a nickname on the forums, like I do "Daera" and she does "Slotmom", then we should refer to them on the forum by their nickname. Not everyone wants their real name on the public forums. I personally don't appreciate others calling me by my real name on the forums instead of my nickname.

[Boris303]

Also, I think when someone uses a nickname on the forums, like I do "Daera" and she does "Slotmom", then we should refer to them on the forum by their nickname. Not everyone wants their real name on the public forums. I personally don't appreciate others calling me by my real name on the forums instead of my nickname.

You'd think both parties being on first name terms then none of this should have ever gone further than one or two private messages.

BTW Boris isn't my real name lol

[MichaelCorfman]

Thank you for your post Gamble Stop.

I agree with everything you said Michael.

If someone comes here to GPWA and starts a thread about anyone's site being a casino or a fellow affiliate site, shouldn't there be a rule of first contacting the person concerned.

I for one think it is very unfair that Slotmom's site was labled with a warning based on one silly contest.

While I think that is a good practice, I don't think it should be imposed as a requirement. I do, however, think that when an issue is brought up here first, it is better if it is done more from the perspective of asking about the actions a site is taking, with a somewhat less personal tone to the situation.

Yes, I have slamed the original poster of this topic and appologize, However I will not appologize for sticking up for another site where I feel they have merely made a simple mistake. Slotmom was never given a chance in the way this post was made.

We all contact and scream at a casino if they look like they are being a rouge before posting about them, what makes a fellow affiliate any different.

I do not know slotmom personally and have never worked for her, But i would stick up for anyone in this situation. The Original poster of this topic gave no thought into what she was posting.

Yet we are all suppose to keep the peace, even though the damage that could have been made from this thread is swept under the table.

Does nobody really care about that?

I am not bad mouthing the original poster, I am simpley stating the way i see it all.

I do not know any of the new members that have signed up to post, but i know for a fact GPWA has the ability to track there IP and match them up.

I do think there are solid points raised by both the original poster and the replys, you are right about name calling it shouldnt happen. But we are all human and all the same, we make mistakes.

In my opinion, the best way to support someone who has had a post made against them in a situation like this is to say that you want to understand the facts from all sides before you take a position, and to enumerate the information you would like to understand.

And also to say that our goal should be to focus on helping the webmaster adopt more appropriate postion of responsiblity if the facts show that was not the case.

When there is a thread with some controversy, I believe it is the responsibility of everyone to step back and say to themselves, what can I do to help move this discussion to a place that will make a difference and help members of the community here do a better job, and to try very hard to post from that perspective rather than from the perspective of being agitated by what another poster said. That means collectively working together to focus on the principles behind the issues and not the people involved in the issues.

I try to do that when I see that a thread has gone down a different path. I'd ask that everyone else try to step back and do the same also. The more folks that do that, the better and more educational the forums will be, and the greater the liklihood that they will have a positive impact on the practices of members here.

Michael