Abuse on PurplePort
By Laura SJ FD, written 1521230567
Most members of our PurplePort community are positive and wonderfully creative people who help each other. They participate positively in discussions and inspire others.
As a community we act in a friendly manner towards everybody using PurplePort. Whilst we may sometimes disagree with each other, abuse is never tolerated.
Disappointingly some members have chosen to misuse PurplePort's features and become abusive towards others; including Admin via Support Ticket.
No one on PurplePort should be subject to abuse from anyone.
This applies universally, including areas such as:
- Groups
- Messages
- Comments (e.g. images, events, etc.)
- Shoutbox
- Support ticket
Our policies and guidelines
There are a number of places where we provide information about what is and is not acceptable behaviour on PurplePort. This includes Etiquette in the groups, Group participation suspension and ban policy and How does getting suspended work on PurplePort.
Site Guidelines
We have ‘Site Guidelines’ which are outlined in Terms of use for PurplePort and state (amongst other things):
1. Please do not post an image, write or do anything that is abusive or threatening or needs the police or a lawyer.
2. A cooling off period or immediate removal from the site is a possibility for bad, strange or dubious behaviour.
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5. Please be responsible, considerate and courteous to others. Unless exceptionally inappropriate sort problems out privately between members and not publicly.
6. Never soapbox, rant or name-and-shame as it is tedious and awkward to untangle and both sides can end up feeling aggrieved.
7. Please do not be petty, a bore or test anyone’s patience.
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9. If you feel inclined to be rude or use bad language log off until you have cooled down.
10. If you spot a flaw in the site please report it. Attempts on the site or degrading the service will be treated seriously.
11. Respect one another’s privacy and human rights.
12. Image Comments, Groups and Lists – be constructive and considerate. If you have nothing good to say then leave alone. Private lists should not embarrass anyone if made public. Image Comments are not for critiques nor for asking people to contact you. Do not post sleazy comments or create sleazy lists.
13. Unsolicited critique is unwelcome. You may lose the ability to post in groups for a time, or permanently, if you do it.
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15. We may have to remove or edit postings, comments, groups or anything if it is thought appropriate.
16. Be professional, focused and enjoy.
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18. You accept responsibility for your own actions and will not blame others. You will pay everyone’s bills for clearing up your mess.
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22. If you need our help be concise and keep to the point. We are not a free advice service nor aim to resolve disputes or disagreements. You agree to be reasonable and not pick a fight with us otherwise we get upset.
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Website Terms and Conditions
We also state in our Website Terms and Conditions:
4. VISITOR CONDUCT
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4.4 If we believe your conduct on the site isn't appropriate, we reserve the right to remove your account without prior-notice or prejudice.
Abuse towards other members
If you are on the receiving end of abuse you may choose to deal with it yourself. This can involve telling others to stop sending you abuse, or simply ignoring them.
Blocking members
However, if you feel that things have reached a point where ignoring others is not enough you can choose to block them so they can't interact with you anymore. See Blocking someone on PurplePort - How does it work? for information about blocking.
Reporting issues to us
Sometimes ignoring or blocking others may not be enough. Any members who feel they are receiving abuse from any other member on PurplePort can report this directly to the PurplePort Admin Team via support ticket. This is so that we can investigate and take action if necessary.
We may suggest that you block them, or we may take further action depending on the seriousness of the situation. This could mean sending out a warning, temporarily suspending their account or even permanently removing their account from PurplePort.
Please also see A Quick Guide to Reporting Issues for further information. Remember that if the situation is serious enough then please consider reporting your concerns to the Police or appropriate authority.
Abuse towards admin
Members of the PurplePort Team can be found on our About us page. These people are both members of PurplePort and also full-time members of staff.
The PurplePort Team is made up of two teams: the Development Team and the Admin Team. Both teams will respond to support tickets, but primarily this done by the Admin Team.
The vast majority of support tickets sent to us are extremely positive. We absolutely love and appreciate it when people thank us for resolving their issue, comment on our quick response time, or express their gratitude for the help we have provided them. We never expect this, but it really does feel nice when it happens.
Sadly, we do occasionally experience abuse from a tiny proportion of people. This is not something that we want to experience or put up with. We do not expect our members to accept abuse from others, and the PurplePort Admin Team are no exception to this.
Anyone found to be sending abuse to the PurplePort Team will be immediately removed from PurplePort. This applies across the whole site, but mainly regarding the support ticket system.