PMs
- Thread starter Hawgwash
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Tom.B
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2009
- Messages
- 5,839
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Skinny Dippin'
- Vessel Make
- Navigator 4200 Classic
(Former Mod talking) PM's are absolutely private. It's what the "P" stands for. 
Neither mods nor admins can see them unless you report them by pushing the ! red triangle in the lower left. Then the content is sent to the mod team for discussion.
Neither mods nor admins can see them unless you report them by pushing the ! red triangle in the lower left. Then the content is sent to the mod team for discussion.Sorry to you too Tom, I must be speaking Canadian...(Former Mod talking) PM's are absolutely private. It's what the "P" stands for.
The "P" for Private I understand.
I'm asking if the to/from is tracked somehow.
Like I said to sunchaser, if I send you, Tom, a PM will anyone know it was sent; never mind it's content.
Tom.B
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2009
- Messages
- 5,839
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Skinny Dippin'
- Vessel Make
- Navigator 4200 Classic
You can be notified by email (that is an option in your account settings) plus, the next time you come to the forum, you will be notified via a pop-up window that you have a PM. Finally, in the upper right corner of the page, under your sign-in name, there is a 'Notifications' line. That tells you how many unread PM's you have.
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2007
- Messages
- 7,331
- Location
- Texas
- Vessel Name
- Floatsome & Jetsome
- Vessel Make
- Meridian 411
No we will not. Like Tom said, if you report the PM by clicking the "!" red icon, then it will in fact send the PM to all moderators for discussion. Other than that, NO, we cannot see or know if you send a PM
Thank you, that answers my question and adds a valuable bit of info to the "reporting" process.
Well now, you just grabbed the edge of the table with both hands and flung it in the air didn't ya?
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2008
- Messages
- 13,731
- Location
- California Delta
- Vessel Name
- FlyWright
- Vessel Make
- 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
I specifically asked that question when I became a mod and was told they (the admins) cannot read them. I know the mods see nothing of PM traffic....either content or counts.
I think the subtlety of what is being said now is as follows:
No, the mods of this site cannot read the pm's and do not know when they're sent.
Yes, there are add on's that would allow them to do things they don't currently have the ability to do.
There is also an underlying database. Someone with access to it could access pm's that had been sent. The mods of the site don't have that ability or access. The person to ever do that would likely be an IT person with server and database access and doing it to find out why there was an issue with the site.
So, for all practical purposes no one is seeing who PM's who or what they say. However, keep in mind it is all recorded words. Given the right situation and need it is possible to access. The most common example would be if you were considered a terrorist and there was reason to believe you were communicating terrorist ideas by pm.
Personally, I feel free to communicate in any way by PM. However, I would never put information there that I normally protect, such as credit card numbers or other personal information. But then I'd have no reason to do so. Still if I was about to buy something from Hopcar, as an example, I wouldn't send him my credit card information by pm.
At a certain point, there is nothing posted on the internet that is 100% protected and/or private.
Still there is nothing here that should keep any of us from normal pm communication.
No, the mods of this site cannot read the pm's and do not know when they're sent.
Yes, there are add on's that would allow them to do things they don't currently have the ability to do.
There is also an underlying database. Someone with access to it could access pm's that had been sent. The mods of the site don't have that ability or access. The person to ever do that would likely be an IT person with server and database access and doing it to find out why there was an issue with the site.
So, for all practical purposes no one is seeing who PM's who or what they say. However, keep in mind it is all recorded words. Given the right situation and need it is possible to access. The most common example would be if you were considered a terrorist and there was reason to believe you were communicating terrorist ideas by pm.
Personally, I feel free to communicate in any way by PM. However, I would never put information there that I normally protect, such as credit card numbers or other personal information. But then I'd have no reason to do so. Still if I was about to buy something from Hopcar, as an example, I wouldn't send him my credit card information by pm.
At a certain point, there is nothing posted on the internet that is 100% protected and/or private.
Still there is nothing here that should keep any of us from normal pm communication.
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
Again, a great summary that all members would do well to read and heed. The most personal information that you should ever share via the forum pm system is an email address or contact phone number.
cappy208
Guru
@Hawgwash There is a particular thing about the messaging system that is funny. When you are in your home page, and click on messages, and click on someones screen name it will display a message board that says: (paraphrasing) visible message. This seems to be an issue that makes messages sent in that way public. Sort of like a 'bulletin board' But if you click on someone name in a forum post, and click 'send private message' you don't get that same message format.
I have not tried to read anyone else s messages, but the warning is pretty obvious.
I will send you one now. Maybe one of the moderators could try to read it, to confirm or dispute the concept.
I have not tried to read anyone else s messages, but the warning is pretty obvious.
I will send you one now. Maybe one of the moderators could try to read it, to confirm or dispute the concept.
markpierce
Master and Commander
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Messages
- 12,557
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Carquinez Coot
- Vessel Make
- penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
Don't understand why one posts a public notice they've sent a private message when the recipient will receive a notice they've received the message.
Last edited:
Mark--- Your logic is correct but the notice function is user-controlled, or it used to be. So if you didn't know to turn the notice function on you would not receive the notices when you signed onto the forum.
markpierce
Master and Commander
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Messages
- 12,557
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Carquinez Coot
- Vessel Make
- penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
Well, private should be private.
CPseudonym
Moderator Emeritus
Me thinks there may be some misunderstanding of forum functions creeping in. There is a huge difference between a PM (private message) and a "profile comment" which can only be done from a "profile page". Profile comments are readable by anyone that visits the profile page where they've been left until such time that the user deletes it.
I've done that at times when, for example, someone has offered something to give away or sell. I'll post that I've sent a PM so that others on the forum can expect that the item(s) are already spoken for.
Sheesh, guys! Some of the fora on which I participate--that use the same format is this one--offer the option of sending a PM or an email. And Fwiw, I HATE private messages ...I much prefer receiving private communication via email. Reason: It's FOUR steps to read and reply to a PM--1. see the email telling me I have one...2. log into the forum...3, click on the link to my PM inbox...4. read the message. Otoh, all I have to do to respond to an email from a forum member--whose email address is hidden, btw--is hit "reply" to his/her message. That does reveal my email address to the sender, but not to anyone else. Any reply to my reply reveals the senders email address, however the conversation is now taking place via email, totally private.
Cruisers.com, which uses the same software this forum does, offers the choice of PM or email, so I don't THINK it should be that hard to add that option here.
Cruisers.com, which uses the same software this forum does, offers the choice of PM or email, so I don't THINK it should be that hard to add that option here.
Last edited:
cappy208
Guru
I believe there is confusion about PMs and the public comment which can be seen by all. Look at your messages on your profile. There's comments there.
I think they both have their place. I like pm's better for people I don't know that well or are just doing a single communication with. For those I talk to regularly, I exchange email addresses and switch to it.
Why in the world would any person place something on a PM or email that should be kept REALLY Private. Once you place anything into the ether of the world wide web... it is there forever and can be found by others... if they really want to.
Ask HRC!
Ask HRC!
People don't grasp that sometimes. Every day thousands of people lose their jobs or ruin their chances of jobs or college by posts on social media. Sometimes it's not even them posting but a "friend" posting on their timeline or to their twitter or other.
PM's here aren't automatically public like facebook. However, if it's someone you don't know well and in person, you really don't know that they'll keep it private. I'm not being distrustful in saying that as I think the vast majority you can trust. It's just that one you find sometimes than you can't.
And some of us don't always notice if there is a PM. The way I use this brand of site software means I do not look at the top of the page very often so it is easy to miss a PM, sometimes for weeks, if not months.
Later,
Dan
And some of us don't always notice if there is a PM. The way I use this brand of site software means I do not look at the top of the page very often so it is easy to miss a PM, sometimes for weeks, if not months.
Unless you never check email either, it's hard to miss a notice that you have a PM...unless you've somehow managed to turn off the function in your profile preferences that notifies you via email that you have a PM.
sunchaser
Guru
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2008
- Messages
- 10,194
- Location
- usa
- Vessel Name
- sunchaser V
- Vessel Make
- DeFever 48 (sold)
The issue is not a good, bad or indifferent setup for PMs that TF utilizes. It is in this day and age nothing on the internet is sacrosanct. A read of the business pages finds a major breach or two is a common event in even presumably safe sites.
To state PMs on this forum are safe is merely a statement that nothing economically or politically is worth hacking into here. That is good enough for me.
But once you have been hacked or had your identity stolen it will hit home as to how any "general" internet site is vulnerable. Some here have experience in dealing with internet security and fraud. My musing are pale in comparison to their insider knowledge. But by knowing a few major corporate CIOs, the challenges they face are constant and getting ever more clever.
To state PMs on this forum are safe is merely a statement that nothing economically or politically is worth hacking into here. That is good enough for me.
But once you have been hacked or had your identity stolen it will hit home as to how any "general" internet site is vulnerable. Some here have experience in dealing with internet security and fraud. My musing are pale in comparison to their insider knowledge. But by knowing a few major corporate CIOs, the challenges they face are constant and getting ever more clever.
Last edited:
Some websites using this software do not have email notifications turned on for PM. While I check my email frequently, I do not read all email and delete quite a bit of it, especially website email. A PM email would be easy to miss, if sent at all.
For TF, I have notifications turned on but I am seriously thinking of turning it off since it clutters up my in box.
Later,
Dan
Similar threads
