Community Announcement Shock Horror

They fail on both scores then

susie19 wrote:

You would think they'd have an English person managing the English site though, or at least an English native speaker to help word anything important

Isn't that a little unfair though...a touch of race discrimination not allowed in recruiting!!!! Plus most Europeans speak very good English!!

I agree with above and why should they neccessarily have someone who speaks perfect English. I found it rather sad that when they finally got around to putting out an announcement suddenly several about me's appeared taking the mickey out of the announcement...............Ok they should have put it out sooner but if people are just going to take the mickey they can't blame them for not putting an announcement out next time !"!!!!

Well it was understandable but funnily worded. The real problem was that the announcement came months after the bugs started and only lasted for a day. Hardly keeping members informed...

But Ciao haven't cared about their members for years now.

You only have to look at the abuse that goes on in the name of Abuse to realise that...

...and then the rest.

I cant see that Ciao spend their time policing peoples about me's...or else i think quite a few of us would have been in trouble by now

Oh no? "Someone" (I've a fair idea who) reported me to Ciao for the heinous crime of advertising in my "About Me" and within my reeviews. Ciao came jackbooting into my Inbox making demands and threats. It was only after they actually did some investigating at my request did they realise that the report was pretty much false.

Someone claimed that my profile picture was offensive because it reminded them of terrorism - it was removed without warning. In my opinion, that was a bigotted statement and Ciao simply went steaming in without thought.

Don't underestimate the muppetry of the average Ciao staff member.

If i remember rightly that was when Ciao then followed up with blanket warnings across the board for advertising !

Advertising for personal gain, I can appreciate should be stamped on.

Showing a link for (example) Saving Macclesfield Town FC from financial ruin...is simple pettiness on behalf of members who have nothing better to do to occupy their time.

Gawd thats terrible...is that why they put those silly "don't" photos in the newsletters?

Averilla wrote:

If i remember rightly that was when Ciao then followed up with blanket warnings across the board for advertising !

helencbradshaw wrote:

Advertising for personal gain, I can appreciate should be stamped on.

Showing a link for (example) Saving Macclesfield Town FC from financial ruin...is simple pettiness on behalf of members who have nothing better to do to occupy their time.

Exactly. I believe at the time I had a link to Optors in my About Me, which is why I was reported. The thing is, Ciao force themselves into these corners by acting stupidly. If they're going to take action against me for promoting Optors, for example, then they have to take action against everyone else whose About Me violates that rule. It's usually someone's interpretation of the T&Cs, often done maliciously and often only applies to one person. I remember looking at the T&Cs when Ciao came knocking and thought it was a ludicrous interpretation.

The same thing applies to the profile pictures. OK, so mine was removed. I'm disappointed that they removed it and I'm angry at the reasons they used to justify it, but at the same time, if showing your face clearly is a requisite for having a picture on the site, they should be removing HUNDREDS of profile pictures, otherwise it's just individual members that are being singled out.

You either deal with everything/everyone consistently or don't take action at all, otherwise you just look stupid, that's my view.

It shows they just act on abuse reports without thinking.

For example, advertising about Optors is not personal gain - not when 95%+ of Optors members are Ciao members (I guess!)

Pictures, yes...the recent newsletter didn't really address the root of the complaint, i.e. it only said "cartoon" style pictures are not allowed...there are a few pictures which are clearly not genuine that are still there...only because no one member has reported them, and no other reason.

But "Consistent" isn't in Ciao's vocabulary, in any language is it ??

I don't understand the removal of the pictures really, after all they have to be approved before they will allow them so if they approve them and then delete at a later date then the phrase "Egg on face" springs to mind.

helencbradshaw wrote:

Pictures, yes...the recent newsletter didn't really address the root of the complaint, i.e. it only said "cartoon" style pictures are not allowed...there are a few pictures which are clearly not genuine that are still there...only because no one member has reported them, and no other reason.

Actually, I mentioned a few pictures to Ciao that are clearly in breach of the T&Cs and a few that are arguably in breach (e.g. pictures where mebmers are so distant, you can barely see what they look like) only to be told that "I have not found this pictures to be in
violation of our rules." They've not yet broached the racism thing, funnily enough.

So, Avril's right, consistency is not a word in the Ciao dictionary.

Averilla wrote:

I don't understand the removal of the pictures really, after all they have to be approved before they will allow them so if they approve them and then delete at a later date then the phrase "Egg on face" springs to mind.

Well yes...very good point...

Have you approached them with that argument Aaron

Averilla wrote:

I don't understand the removal of the pictures really, after all they have to be approved before they will allow them so if they approve them and then delete at a later date then the phrase "Egg on face" springs to mind.

I dont think that they do actually approve them....I changed a picture and the new one came up immediately!

Well in my experience and according to their conditions a picture has always been approved by Ciao before they will allow it !

Averilla wrote:

Well in my experience and according to their conditions a picture has always been approved by Ciao before they will allow it !

That's why you have Jimmy Carr and that old lady as pictures on Ciao. I can almost forgive them for Jimmy Carr, after all, Ciao are a foreign company and if there really is someone sitting there approving the pics then they might not know him but that sample picture they put out should have been spotted.

helencbradshaw wrote:

Well yes...very good point...

Have you approached them with that argument Aaron Rolling Eyes

Yup. I've made comparisons to other pictures where people's faces aren't clear and where the picture is clearly not of the member. They told me the pics didn't break the T&Cs.

I mentioned that the picture had been cleared by Ciao Staff before and that I had made a point of emailling Ciao first for permission before putting the picture forward and that it had been on the site for six years without any hassle.

And I mentioned that using racist statements to uphold Ciao's T&Cs was a silly, insulting and offensive thing to do. I also mentioned my own background in terms of terrorism, but no dice.

*shrug* Ciao are stupid, we all know that. You have to look at the mebmers too because if they didn't report this kind of rubbish to get at someone, then Ciao itself would be a much better place to be.