Ok....this is CRAZY!!!!! Who are we dealing with???

This has gotten ridiculous.  According to OH "moderators"....whoever they are.....or at least how I'm interpreting it.....we CA board members are not allowed to plan any outings/events that will cost members money.  If we do....we are then "asking for money"....and our posts will be removed.

What has this website come to?  CRAZY!!!!!!

The full email thread has been posted below.  I am waiting for a response.


THEM:
Dear Kirsten :-),
A moderator has moderated your post.


The moderator left these comments:
Your post on the ObesityHelp Message Board has been moderated because advertising is against the Terms Of Services. You can post this information in your blog but not on the boards. Thank you, Member Services

Your post is currently unapproved.


ME:
On Sun, Aug 2, 2009 at 9:47 PM, wrote: I would like to know why this post has been removed????  Kevin (my boyfriend) and I have been active members of the CA board for over 3 years now.  There have been CA group trips and cruises posted in the past and we have joined in the fun.   Kevin and I have a lot of friends on the California board.  Many of us from the California board have been talking and agreed that it was time to put together another cruise (has been over a year since we all took our last one together).  Instead of being "cliquish" and leaving potential people out that m ight want to travel with some of us "oldie" members, we decided to post this so nobody would be feel left out.  This is NO different than any of the other cruises that the California board have arranged....it is open to all and is a celebration for a members 40th birthday!!!!  He chose to celebrate his birthday by taking a cruise.  Had I thrown him a party on land instead, would it be wrong to post the details on the board and invite everyone?  Please look back in the posting history...other members organized cruises in October 07 and March 07.  Those posts were not removed!  There is currently a camping trip next weekend that is being posted through the board.  Those posts were not removed!!!!  Why is this any different?  This is not "advertising" as you claim.  We have no personal benefit from this...we are not travel agents.  We are simply planning a cruise with other OH20members, friends, and family. 

Please allow me to put the post back up.

Thank you,
Kirsten



THEM:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ObesityHelp Staff <[email protected]>
> To: [email protected]
> Sent: Mon, Aug 3, 2009 6:16 am
> Subject: Re: Moderated Post (Username:Kirsten :-), Topic:Cruise!!!! Details
> and Travel Agent contact!)
>
> Good Morning,
>
> You had a post on the Cali forum pulled this weekend concerning your
> cruise.  When these posts are pulled we send notices letting you know they
> are being removed and why.  We also asked you to not continue posting about
> this subject.
>
> When posting about cruises this violates the Terms Of Services and we get
> members reporting this as advertising.  They are then removed from the
> board.
>
> Terms Of Services concerning Advertising and Selling....
>
> *Advertising and Selling*
> Unsolicited advertising or other forms of solicitation, including but not
> limited to monetary donations for personal profit, are not allowed. Members
> who are affiliates/referrers for a company may not advertise or push a
> product or company on the message boards or in their signature lines.
> Members found to be receiving financial gain or kickbacks for this type
> of advertising *may* be removed for abuse of the system. Paid Advertisers
> are allowed to post a simple link to their advertised website. For details
> on how to become an advertiser with ObesityHelp, e-mail
> [email protected].
>  Since *money* is involved we do not allow postings of this nature.
> Perhaps you can contact Support Group Leaders in these areas and speak to
> them about your cruise information and they in turn let their members
> know, via meetings and group event notices.  If there have been other
> postings of this nature that were not pul led then it was due to no one
> reporting it.  We try to cover all the forums regularly but with over 600
> it's hard to do so.  We depend on our members as well as us monitoring the
> forums for issues that need reviewing.  If you see cruise postings, please
> click the report button and we will review and take them off the board.
>
> If you have any questions, please contact as [email protected] and we
> can discuss further.
>
> We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
>
> Thank you,
> Member Services

>
ME:
On Mon, Aug 3, 2009 at 10:42 PM, <[email protected]> wrote:

> I have not violated any of the Terms of Service you listed.  I am NOT
> "soliciting monetary donations.  I am NOT "receiving financial gain or
> kickbacks".  I am NOT "advertising or pushing a product or company".  Please
> explain exactly how I have violated any Term of Service as I have not done
> anything you referred to.  I am simply planning a CA board outing.  The CA
> board often plans events and unfortunately no events are free.
>
> You say to contact support group leaders to pass the information along.
> This would defeat the purpose as I am not soliciting anything....I am
> planning an event with my CA Board OH family.
>


THEM:  THIS IS A GOOD ONE!!!!  LOL
-----Original Message-----

From:  ObesityHelp Staff <[email protected]>
Subj:  Re: Moderated Post (Username:Kirsten :-), Topic:Cruise!!!! Details and
Travel Agent contact!)
Date:  Tue Aug 4, 2009 6:17 am
Size:  4K
To:  [email protected]

You are asking members for money, cruises cost money.  These posts are not
allowed.

Thank you,
Member Services

ME:
I am not asking members for anything.  I am planning an event....an event that
was talked about on the board BEFORE I checked into the rates.  Any event
planned costs money whether it's last suppers, trips to amusement parks, lunches, dinners, train rides to the beach, nights out at a club, theater shows, 5k runs,  skydiving in
Vegas, birthdays in Vegas, kayaking outings, camping trips, picnics (group
rental fees) and cruises.....ALL of these are things which the CA board has
planned in the past.  Unfortunately nothing is free.  

You might not understand how the CA board is....or should I say "used to be". 
In the past we did these things all the time.  Members have been talking about
"the old days" and how much fun we used to all have together....and we want it
again! 

I am not a travel agent and I am not asking any member for money.  I am planning
something for us to do!  Are you stating that it is against Terms and conditions
to plan any type of event that will cost a member money to do?

I will be awaiting your response.  The CA board and I would like your answer to this.

Dear OH Hall Monitor,

The California board is an active community, we support each other, develop friendship and spend time together off the board.

We go to lunch/dinner together, go dancing, go on cruises, run races, sometimes we just have coffee together.  All of these events often involve spending some money. When they are posted on the boards they are open to everyone to attend.

Kirsten does not profit if someone goes on a cruise with her. It's very odd that you have chosen to single out this one event.  It has not violated the terms of use for OH and you have yet to clearly state why they have been removed.

Please provide the community with a clear explanation as to why the posts are being pulled.

 

Thanks

 

Thank you , Monica.  I could have not said it better myself.

Howdy! It is great to see all the newbies and so nice to see some sweet familiar faces around here.

This is getting so ridiculous. Apparently we can not talk about our surgeries either....even with great insurance there are still costs incurred. Oh no, our doctors may be profiting from our postings!

I say we all meet at the Library!

Take care, have a great day and blessings to you all!

Chele

Hi Chele,

I like your style.  I love your response.

Kim

Hi Kim...

I have missed y'all around here. I would love to cruise with you (again)...maybe we can discuss it in the self-help section or maybe NON-fiction!  LOL 

Blessings!
Chele

Do you have a blanket and some smoke?  We could communicate via smoke signals.

OMG This brought my sister Chele out a posting whoa! Love ya Chele
Let's cruise
Hey, I say we all meet on 'another' site and see how they like all of us leaving this site stepping down off my Norma Rae soap box J/K
Love y'all

I was thinking the same thing about Chele!!!  I'm glad she came out of hiding for a minute!  LOL


Hope to you see you Lynnie at the top of the US Bank Tower!!!!!  :-P

Hello!