Admin Access To PMs

[lupin84]

The age old debate! :)

Personally it's something I'd like to be able to use. I've had an incident on my forum where I suspected a new member was sending abusive messages to other newbies and I had to go looking for them. I was right and they were banned. It's understood on my board that PMs can be read if the need arises and no one has an issue with it as it's just another form of moderation.

I know some people are really against this and some are really for it. Either way I think it would be a valuable admin tool. I'd be interested to hear everyone elses opinion on this...

[bfarber]

I don't see any reason you couldn't have just found one of the several existing topics in this forum on this matter and bumped it to be honest. :)

Basically, I see this as a duplicate suggestion.

[riven3d]

there is currently a mod that does this for you can find it at invisionize

[lupin84]

I don't see any reason you couldn't have just found one of the several existing topics in this forum on this matter and bumped it to be honest. :)

Basically, I see this as a duplicate suggestion.

:unsure: Sorry if I put anyone out. I just had this issue today and thought I'd bring up the subject, I didn't search for previous topics (I didn't see one on the first page though). If there are that many topics on it already perhaps it should be implemented? ;) :P :D

riven3d - I know there's a mod. I just think it should be built into the board as standard.

If this thread's a problem then please close it. I don't want to cause trouble. I'll go and search for one of these other threads to bump up instead.

[Luke]

Yeah this would be a very useful feature. Currently with Dean's PM logs it's basically just duplicated information (really inefficient). I would like to see a built in PM logs system where if a PM is deleted it isn

[=Charles]

I kind of look at it as, if private emails are logged, why not PMs?

I do too. I can understand both sides of the privacy issue and don't really favour either more than the other at the moment. But if you're able to view emails you might as well be able to view PMs (for the very same reason, too).

[Michael P]

I don't see any reason you couldn't have just found one of the several existing topics in this forum on this matter and bumped it to be honest. :)

Basically, I see this as a duplicate suggestion.

Normally old topics that are bumped get locked...

[lupin84]

Wow Cy - great ideas there.

I realise there's a privacy issue but like you say, it's up to the forum admin as to whether they use the system. As long as it's clearly noted PMs are subject to moderation I don't see that there's a problem. I know my forum members prefer it this way to getting abusive/spam messages. I certainly don't make a habit of reading PMs, I really have no interest, but there are times when some people just sign up to cause trouble. I had one today targetting other newbies and telling them (in not such polite terms) to go away and leave the forum. That's not on. No one had reported it but he'd contacted a handful of members. I only got suspicious when I saw him using the members list and PM system for an hour ... and the 3 posts he made were unusual. When I checked, like I suspected, there they all were. They were easy to spot. I had no need to read any besides those. The only thing I would have liked is to have the power to delete these messages before they were read, rather than having to spend an hour this evening PMing these people who were victimised and reassure them it has been dealt with.

No one on my forum has a problem with this moderation, if they wanted to talk privately they'd do so via e-mail.

But anyway, great suggestions!

[Luke]

Yeah, totally agreed. With my forum, it's a tad more critical. I run a site that's population is mostly kids and have a full staff that are dedicated to moderating the site to make it safe. The biggest area where we have the least control is PM's. It's not out in the open so it isnt moderated. But at the same time if we disabled it we would get complaints and we would get a ton of posts saying "______ can you do this for me?", which really doesn

[forums.bd]

Normally old topics that are bumped get locked...

I hope it doesn't get locked. I had the same suggestion to make and I've found few topics that suggest the same. Just didn't want to open yet another one.

So, pretty much everything has been said already.

There is already EMAIL logs, why not add the PM LOG? If admins can moderate "private" galleries, I don't see why PM's should not be controllable?

As far as privacy is concerned, I think every admin has the right to know what is happening in HIS forum. Make sure nothing illegal is going on. I'm sorry, but I will choose security over privacy on this issue.

Hope you will consider it. Thanks.

[Guest]

Yeah this would be a very useful feature. Currently with Dean's PM logs it's basically just duplicated information (really inefficient).

ntd's modification does not have this drawback, you can also down it from invisionize...

[Mark]

Luke's ideas are great, especially the report feature (which we expect to see in the next version of your report centre!). PMs need to be moderated and as IPB currently is, it is very difficult for administrators to moderate them - that needs to be fixed.

[Brandon C]

Luke's ideas are great, especially the report feature (which we expect to see in the next version of your report centre!). PMs need to be moderated and as IPB currently is, it is very difficult for administrators to moderate them - that needs to be fixed.

A big plus for this much needed feature as well.

[Rοb]

A big plus for this much needed feature as well.

I'll second that, this would be a very useful feature for when spammers/troublemakers resort to using the PM system to hide from admins.

[Jenson]

I would support the implementation of such a feature too... The root Admin must have access to everything in the board!

[jimjams]

I agree too. I had one person from a competitor site who constantly ridiculed the main posters into submission. It was weeks before I found out about it and I lost some really good people. I don't want to cheque people's mail to be nosey, but sometimes you know someone is up to something and using your own board for their own ends and having no control over that is unrealistic.

[IM-HO-TEP]

All for it can we have it please! :)

[HDTV]

I have same problem few members talk about illegal subject.
if I have option for can read PM, and if it's actived member have message about that.

Or have robot read PM for found banned word. And if banned word founed change word or send msg to admin and block PM...

at my member I have 14 years to 84 years. I want block at PM links http://... and block word. Like at forums when you write bad word it's changed by other word. Or if use banned word, PM it's stopped and Admin recive links for accept sending...

[Spirix]

I agree, admins should have the option to access all transitions on the forum they own.

[theclub]

Admin already have access to all PMs, and always have.

If this is implemented l'd like to see safeguards, like a message that shows up if admin turn the feature on, this would be in the member's CP and say something like, "The Admin of this forum have the ability to read ALL personal messages and reserve the right to do so."

l'm not against this feature, as long as members are aware, it's the idea that people believe it to be private and say things to certain members they don't wish others, including admin, to know about.

Whilst some admin would use this feature properly, others won't.

:)

[Brandon C]

Admin already have access to all PMs, and always have.

No they don't, and they never have. :blink:

[Guest]

I'm inclined to agree on this suggestion too. I tend not to '+1' things, but this is certainly something that would be useful.

At previous sites I have run, I have had problems of a certain member ( whom many here will be aware of ), claiming to receive PM's from other users abusing him, or apparently breaking the forum rules. We have no way of checking this, as this user deletes his PM's as he gets them.

It can cause a lot of trouble, and there's no way the admin can really ever know what's going on.

[theclub]

No they don't, and they never have. :blink:

Yes they do, twice! They have it through the database toolkit in Admin CP, and they have it through phpMyAdmin.

:)

We have no way of checking this, as this user deletes his PM's as he gets them.

PMs are in the database twice, once for the sender, and once for the receiver, so both of them would need to delete their PMs for you not to find them.

[Millar]

Yes they do, twice! They have it through the database toolkit in Admin CP, and they have it through phpMyAdmin.

:)

PMs are in the database twice, once for the sender, and once for the receiver, so both of them would need to delete their PMs for you not to find them.

But still you cannot rely on this method.

[bfarber]

Yes they do, twice! They have it through the database toolkit in Admin CP, and they have it through phpMyAdmin.

:)

PMs are in the database twice, once for the sender, and once for the receiver, so both of them would need to delete their PMs for you not to find them.

PM's are only in the db for the sender if they mark "Add this to my sent items folder" when sending the message.