(Image source: Personal - made by me)
Cheating the system and spamming in any form is a big NO-NO in bitLanders. Although joining bitLanders is free, we should consider ourselves privileged. As members of the site, we should act responsibly, treat it as our brand, and be proud to be part of this wonderful innovative community.
Granted that the site probably has its own security parameters and detection team to monitor cheaters and spammers, it is also up to us to be vigilant in safeguarding the site’s integrity – to protect it from abuse and malicious intentions.
Intentionally or Unknowingly – which is which?
(Image source: Personal - edited by me)
There can be two kinds of cheating – those who do it unwittingly and those who do it purposely. Whichever it may be, both are wrong.
New members (even seasoned ones) are advised to read the site's TOS (Terms of Service) and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). In these two areas, a member can read what is allowed on the site and what is prohibited. Aside from these two sections, some members have also wrote or published “tutorial-type” of blogs on how to increase your buzz the right way and without resorting to cheating.
Here are the links on the following important items:
• Site's Terms of Service(www.bitlanders.com/pages/about/terms)
• Site's FAQ (www.bitlanders.com/pages/customer_support/)
• Tutorial blog written by another member (www.bitlanders.com/blogs/bitlanderscom-a-tutorial-for-the-newbies/4067204)
Cheater Spotted – what do I do?
This portion of the blog will give out details on some suggested things to do when you saw or encounter a member who is possibly cheating.
1. Approach the issue in a polite manner
(Image source: Personal - made by me)
Yes, you read that caption right. It is always nice to be nice. As mentioned, a member may not be aware that he or she is abusing the system. If you are not familiar with the member or this is the first instance that you saw him / her doing such a deed – the best way to address the concern is to approach it politely. In a nice manner, inform the person that he (or she) is doing something wrong that can be tantamount to cheating.
Please notice the emphasis on the word POLITELY. Being polite goes a long way in avoiding tension and unnecessary confrontations. Instead of bashing and harshly accusing the member, let him / her know in a nice way of the possible violation.
2. Report Repeat Offenders
If a member is obviously, deliberately, and continuously violates a rule then it would be probably best to report the violation.
Some users may not know this, but In each user-submitted content, there is a so-called "Report" button. I am unsure how this particular button exactly works, but apparently, it is to flag said content and to let the team (bitLander’s staff / admin) know of the particular post or comment.
The photo below is a screenshot of a microblog. As can be seen, on the right side of the user's avatar-head and name, there are two small icons: a bubble-conversation and a downward-pointing arrow.
When a user click on the downward-pointing arrow, an orange box with a label "Report" will appear. Clicking the orange "Report" button will flag the content.
(Image source: Personal - screenshot captured and edited by me)
Some notes on the Report button:
A. The icon on top of the downward-pointing arrow changes depending on the submitted content.
• For microblog, it’s a conversation bubble
• For Blogs, it resembles a note or a page
• For movies, it is a film reel
• For Gallery/Photos, it is a small picture or thumbnail
B. When the user opens the content, the arrow’s appearance, color, and location changes. As can be seen on the captured screenshot of a "blog" below, the arrow is now at the uppermost right corner and is colored blue. Additionally, the background orange color is now white.
(Image source: Personal - screenshot captured and edited by me)
C. Below is another captured screenshot taken from the FAQ it is about flagging inappropriate content and how to do so. The steps provided also describes the behavior of the Report button
(Image source: Personal - screenshot captured by me)
3. Directly Contact the Team or Admin
Going back on what to do when spotting a violation, there is another way to let the team know aside from the Report button. Also seen on the provided photo above (Flagging Inappropriate Content), there is an option to contact the team directly via email -- cs@bitlanders.com.
In fact, sending the report through email has a couple of benefits – listed below are some of it:
• As not to shame the offending member (if you broadcast in the global chat or tag a bitLander’s staff to let them know the member’s name and violation, it could be quite embarrassing to the said member – not to mention it is quite offensive)
• You can attach supporting screenshots of the violation (of course, it is always a good idea to have something that can aid or validate your claim)
• If possible, give a brief explanation or background of the violation
Why should we report violators?
Again, some readers might be thinking, “why should we report violators? Doesn't bitLanders have a team that observes such abusive and malicious activities?”
Yes, perhaps this is true – but to answer this question, one must understand the following:
1. The site has a huge member base from different locations around the globe
2. On a daily basis, active members are likely to submit 3 or more microblogs, one video, and one gallery.
3. Although the site probably has numerous members, it can be presumed that bitLanders has a smaller staff or lesser number of employees compared to Facebook or Google+
4. If Facebook already has a huge team and yet, also has the option of members reporting other members, it can be deduced that FB needs all the assistance that they can get in detecting fraudulent activities.
Even though we are not obliged to report a violator, the above scenario should move us to help and assist the team in detecting delinquent members.
If you SEE something, SAY something!
(Image source: Personal - edited by me)
The best way to mitigate bogus behavior is to prevent it from happening. If a member is not aware that he or she is violating a rule, and it goes undetected, other members may follow suit. They may think that it is ok – when in fact, it is not.
Doing the right thing is everybody’s moral obligation. And since we are members of the site, it is up to us to say something if we see that something is not right.
Nobody likes a cheater (even cheaters hate other cheaters). Cheating the system is unfair to the site, unfair to other members who follows the rules – and may even lead to some serious consequences that might affect everybody.
So do your part – report a violator, be a responsible member, and DON’T cheat the system.
Let's end this post with some of the useful videos. The first one discusses the consequence of cheating while the other one shows the reward of doing the right thing. Please be informed that both videos are courtesy of YouTube.
