What's the point of DMs?

I’m curious about something—if I send a private message to a moderator because I take issue with one of their posts in a thread, is there any rule preventing them from forwarding my message to the rest of the mod team without telling me? Isn't that a total breach of privacy? If I actually wanted everyone to see my thoughts, I would have just posted them directly in the thread, wouldn't I?

Private messages aren't meant for public consumption, nor should their contents be used in any public correspondence whatsoever. Even standard private messages shouldn't really be passed around privately, though there isn't much anyone can do to police that... and that goes for every user on this board, not just the mods.

The thing is, there's a distinction to be made—private messages still have to follow the rules regarding decent communication, just like public posts, which means they're subject to the same penalties. So if you're using a PM to insult someone, make threats, spam, or push ads... any user, whether they're a mod or just a regular member, can report that message via the flag icon just like a public post, and then it hits the moderators' queue for review.

But when it comes to a normal conversation, there's no way for anyone to control whether Peter secretly sent something to Mark (unless Mark decides to blab)... I can tell you that I've never forwarded a normal message in my life, and I haven't seen any other moderator do it either.

Justin Ortiz said:I want to know if I send a PM to a moderator because I hate how they posted in a thread, can they just pass my message along to other mods without telling me? Isn't that a breach of privacy? If I wanted everyone to see it, I would have just replied in the thread, right?

Private messages regarding moderation duties (and yours counts, since you were piggybacking off a mod's quote in a locked thread) are allowed to be shared with colleagues so everyone stays in the loop.

Yeah, I’ve had a colleague forward a PM to me, and honestly, why wouldn't they? It stays between us sub-mods. We don't just blast private DMs around for fun, but anything related to moderation—especially over at HealthLine—gets passed along. Why? Because sometimes a different mod picks up the shift, and it wouldn't be right to leave someone hanging for a week just because the guy who issued a ban or locked a thread isn't online.

Besides, how do you even know a PM was forwarded?

Direct messages regarding moderation duties—meaning those sent specifically to a moderator in their official capacity rather than just personal chats—are shared among the team to make sure we're all on the same page and moderating as efficiently as possible.

melloworca6 said:Moderation-related DMs—which yours was, since you were just piggybacking off a moderator's quote from a locked thread—are allowed to be passed along to colleagues so everyone stays in the loop.

Exactly. I received a DM from a colleague, and frankly, I don't see why that's considered some kind of "sub-mod" conspiracy. We don't forward personal DMs to one another—ever—but anything involving moderation duties gets shared among the staff, at least over at Healthline. Why? Because it’s simple: if a different moderator picks up the shift, it wouldn't be right for someone to be left hanging for a week just because the mod who issued the penalty or locked the thread isn't online.

Besides, how would you even know if a DM had been forwarded?

I didn't send your moderator colleague a PM regarding moderation matters. I sent him a message asking why he felt the need to belittle me and my struggles with such insulting comparisons. Therefore, I have no idea why you're being dragged into this—it's not as if I was complaining about him locking the thread. If that first response on this thread is accurate, then I expect disciplinary action against velvetmoose9, lello, and Mila Jovovich for violating my privacy.

And how do I know it was forwarded? It's explicitly stated in my inbox.

You sent five sentences in a DM to the Prime Minister. All five of them were just critiques of how things are being moderated. In one part of that first sentence, you even brought up a super vague personal detail. Look, we all try to maintain a certain level of professionalism here and wouldn't dream of gossiping about your private life—your privacy was totally respected. Besides, by posting under a username, you've already got your privacy covered. I honestly don't get why the reaction was so intense...

Casey Palmer5 said:You sent five sentences in your message to the Prime Minister. All five were nothing more than commentary on the moderation process. In one part of that first sentence, you shared a very vague personal detail. We all value a certain level of professionalism here—we certainly wouldn't go around discussing such things; your privacy was always protected. By posting under a pseudonym, your anonymity is inherently guaranteed. I honestly don't see why there's such an intense reaction.

The reaction is intense because velvetmoose9 acted with incredible arrogance—it was frankly humiliating. He shut down the thread without showing even a shred of empathy for the issues I laid out, instead choosing to dismiss my grievances as nothing more than saloon-style bickering.

I am requesting a statement from someone in a management position regarding this matter. Private messages intended for moderator velvetmoose9 should not be circulated among yourselves. Thank you.

Justin Ortiz said:I didn't DM your fellow moderator regarding moderation issues. I sent him a private message asking why he felt the need to belittle me and my struggles with such insulting comparisons. So, I don't see how you're involved here—it’s not like I was complaining about him locking the thread. If that first response on this topic is accurate, then I’m expecting sanctions against velvetmoose9, melloworca6, and Mila Jovovich. This is a blatant violation of my privacy.

How do I know it was passed along? Because I got a notification in my inbox.

No, I sent it to him as a follow-up to his own quote when he closed the thread. 😁

Go ahead and report that PM. Once an admin or a super-moderator reviews the disputed message, the locked thread, and our internal moderator handbook, they can decide if it counts as private or not.

edit: I already reported the PM. Let's see what those guys have to say about it.

melloworca6 said:No, that’s not it—I sent that specifically to build on the quote he used to close out the thread. 😁

I'm not following this at all.

And while we're at it, who exactly is being painted?

The supermoderators and admins are highlighted in color.

-The reason you couldn't post on that thread is because it’s been locked.
-Since you reached out to the Prime Minister regarding the moderation, we went ahead and passed your message along to the rest of the mod team so they could take a look at everything too.

Honestly, the other sub-mods have already covered all those points in their replies to you.

Justin Ortiz said:I was wondering... if I send a private message to a moderator because I disagree with one of their posts, are they allowed to forward that message to the other mods without telling me first...?

Exactly, because this message concerns moderation itself. Moderators often need to coordinate on specific procedures and stay in the loop regarding how a colleague handled a user inquiry about mod actions found in the PDF...

Isn't that a breach of privacy...

No. I already explained my position above. Honestly, if we strictly followed privacy rules, half the people filing these appeals would be flagged for violations just for including private chats with moderators to prove their case... even though moderators never actually authorize sharing those messages. But I can't resolve administrative issues without seeing the full context. It’s the exact same situation with your message protesting the thread moderation...

If I wanted everyone to see this, I would have posted it in the main thread, wouldn't I...

No, because that would be flagged as discussing moderation in the wrong place—specifically on a PDF that isn't meant for that purpose. This thread is the only one intended for such discussions...

Michelle Evans said:Look, this is about moderation—plain and simple. The mods need to stay on the same page regarding protocol, ensuring everyone stays in the loop when a colleague handles a user inquiry concerning specific moderator actions detailed in the PDF.

No. I’ve already laid this out above. Honestly, half the people hitting this appeal PDF would probably be flagged for privacy violations if it weren't for the fact that they're attaching private chats with moderators just to satisfy some administrative requirement—even though a moderator never asks for, nor authorizes, the sharing of those private messages. But look, I can't handle the paperwork side of things without actually seeing the issue at hand. It's the exact same situation with your message—you're protesting the moderation of the thread, yet you're using the very tools being questioned.

No, because that would be flagged as commenting on moderation in the wrong place—specifically, on a PDF that isn't meant for that kind of discussion. This thread is the only one actually intended for it.

I wasn't actually commenting on the moderators. Honestly, I couldn't care less that he decided to lock the thread. I sent him a private message—just between us—telling him his comments about the swimming pools were hurtful and that he should be ashamed of himself. It was a personal note, intended solely for him, yet somehow he went and broadcasted it to everyone else.

Let’s be clear—this is nothing more than pure demagoguery on your part. You completely disregarded my privacy, and that is the bottom line.

Just because you keep repeating certain things here doesn't mean they'll suddenly become true.

Michelle Evans said:Just because you keep repeating something here doesn't make it true.

I’m repeating them because you all treat me like I’m an idiot—you aren't even bothering to address the actual point, which isn't even about moderation.

I was actually addressing your point about not commenting on moderation in my previous post, which you just quoted...

Michelle Evans said:My previous post—the very one you're quoting here—was clearly intended to address the situation, not to lecture the moderation team.

Not a single word in your rebuttal actually proves that the intent was to comment on the moderators.

Regarding your comments about the moderation team:

patobaby said:What kind of constructive criticism would you even allow? Is stating facts not considered constructive anymore?

It’s only natural for moderators to keep each other in the loop, since it affects everyone on the forum. This is just how things work here, regardless of whether you agree with it...