PM's asking about your Yorkies???
 

With all the recent BS that has been happening here at YT, our home away from home......I have gotten worried about being here. I can't imagine not having YT and the members I have grown close to in my life, but geez.....

How many of you have gotten PM's asking about where you got your Yorkies? I know I have a few times and never even thought about it.

What can we do to make YT a safer place?

Would making it a closed forum for donating members only help?
I truly think it will. I pay a yearly membership to one of my homeschool forums and it seems to not have all this BS on it.

I know, we are NOT suppose to share personal information because this is a website...but this is our home! How can we make it better?????

Aurgh....I am just so greatly PO'ed right now!!!!:thumbdown :mad:

I do think that making this a donating forum would change the amount of crap that has been happening. I wouldn't have a problem with this.

i think remembering that this is the internet is what everyone needs to do
if this was a closed forum there would be alot less member .........i for sure wouldnt be here

:goodpost:

Nor would I. I don't think it's fair to make people pay for people to get information.

I'm pretty sure admin would never do this (as they have mentioned before) though.

I too have received PM's asking about my yorkies, if I have a website, do I have any puppies, do I have any show dogs, stud dogs, etc. I just answer their questions.

If it were a donating forum, I for one wouldn't be here either. Every other forum or list that I belonged to that has turned into a donating forum has diminished in members and/or completely closed down.

I would definitely donate and remain a member but I would hate to see it come to that. I think that would close off a world of knowledge and information to innocent people.

Annnnnnd Nor would I, too. :p Just put them on your ignore list (assuming there is one...) This place has been a blessing for me. I've gotten so much information & help over here and it would DEFINITELY kill to find out it was closed, for only donating members. Not everyone is wealthy enough to donate, or moreso old enough to do so! just my opinion.

Maybe just making some of the more personal sections for donating members? Like leave the general discussion for people to ask questions and get answers without donating, but make the rest of the boards for donating members....yes I know I squalled like a brat when they changed the selling rules to donating members only, but this is a little different in that I feel the safety of our members and our furbabies are at risk here.

I dont think there is anything wrong with asking someone where you got your yorkie from. We don't want them buying from stores or getting scammed and i would see it as a compliment if someone were to ask me. It is just like asking "where did u get those shoes"?
I plan on donating soon and would stay if it were a closed site but people in need of quick answers when something is wrong with their baby @ 2 am, they would miss out on getting to be a part of an excellent site. jmo

I understand why you might want a closed forum, but I would like to make a a few comments here. Less than six weeks ago, I was a new non-donating member just learning about yorkies. Without this open forum, who knows what serious mistakes I might have made with my puppy?

You think of this forum as your family and I have started to feel the same. It's a sad day when I can't access this site and see what the rest of you are up to. I know that I am a donating member now, and this doesn't apply to me, but in a way it does. The me I used to be before YT would not be the knowledgeable puppy owner I am now if not for this site. Thousands of yorkie owners simply look at this site for information, and never post.

I have learned about puppy mills, nutrition, training, how to report abuse of animals, and I have learned that people all over the world can find common ground.

This forum also SAVES LIVES. You have no idea how many yorkies out there have benefitted from this free, open forum.

Thank you for that. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I would like to share my favorite poem with you...by Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one Pain,
Or help one fainting Robin
Unto his Nest again,
I shall not live in Vain.

What could possibly be unsafe? Non offense, but if you guys consider something private information, then simply do not post it for your own sake. But if you think you trust the person enough, simply PM them over here or IM.

There is a bunch of people here who are not donating members (including myself) and they are great people, being excluded for something that can be avoided, imo, is unnecessary.

There are always going to be trolls who post to get a rise out of folks, but this other stuff is way more serious and happening in PMs. Perhaps having the ability to PM only if you're a donating member........you would still be able to get information, make posts, ask questions - just not PM.

I didn't mean to offend. I guess I meant unsafe because a member here was recently reamed about her puppy, made to feel really bad, and just today her baby passed away.

Another member has had a member here contact their breeder and made false accusations to their breeder.

Also, breeders are required to post contact information in the Yorkies For Sale threads...that is very possibly unsafe as it is required for their phone numbers to be posted.

Maybe instead of making it a closed forum for donating members, maybe set requirements for must have a certain number of posts to be able to use the pm function?
Maybe allow breeders to NOT post their phone numbers when listing pups for sale...if anyone is seriously interested in a pup they could pm for more information or the phone number etc.

I have not gotten PMs asking where I got my Yorkie. I think closing this site to non-donating members could seriously hurt the health and safety of many Yorkies. Some people just cannot afford to donate. I think making the PM function and perhaps some of the boards like the breeder talk board open only to donating members might curb some of the bad stuff that has been going on of late. However, if someone really wants to go after a member, they would probably pay to become a donating member. I can't remember when I donated, if I had to give my personal contact info. If not, perhaps that should be a requirement so we can report offenders to the authorities if necessary?

I have gotten several PMs asking where I bought Livi...I guess because she's a parti. :confused: I never thought anything about it until a couple of days ago. I felt bad because I had someone that seems very sweet ask me and I just kind of went around the subject instead of telling her. :( I am sad that the board has changed recently and that I don't feel comfortable like what I did. And for the person that I did not answer your question (you know who you are)...I apologize, I guess I am just paranoid after all of the drama lately. :(

I am not a donating member, at this point, so I guess if it changes to donating members only...I wouldn't be here either.

Tammy

Anyone want to know what petstore I got Baby at? :p Just PM me. :p

I have gotten pms before about where I got my dogs and have given that info out. I know there is alot of bad stuff going on here right now but I would still hate to see this become a closed forum.

Personally, I find it exteremy flattering when I get PM's with questions about where I got my girls. It's like the ultimate complement!

I don't see what's wrong with it.

It's up to you to give the information or not.

I agree 100%. btw your girls are gorgeous:)

Change
 

I am not a donating member only because I cannot afford to be as of yet.
But I feel that shutting things off to people who cannot donate is harsh. Alot of us have obtained alot of important information about our little ones health and care on this site.

I can relate to the sadness ref to the pm to the little angels mom about her care of her little one. Those of us who have seen her posts and some of you probably know her personally know that she was a great mommy and lavished her little one with love and care.

I am shocked at what some people post on this site but as it is everywhere in life there are good people and there are bad people. Why make all of us suffer for the stupidity, insensitivity and crassness of others.

It postings and other areas are limited to donating members then alas I too will be not be able to continue my yorkie education and that makes me really sad.

Just my opinion

Jay

:aimeeyork

:thumbup: :thumbup:

I belong to a pay forum and BELIEVE me people can be just as rude as people that dont pay...yes people will pay the 12.00 a year and still be there to cause trouble...I dont think it will change anything EXCEPT giving help to true yorkie lovers that are here for true help and knowledge..

I have had a few pm's about where I got my dogs...I havent given that information out but have named the city where I got them...my own personal choice..as everyone has that choice. I dont think its a good idea to make YT a closed forum...jmo..

I do agree that no one should have to post their phone numbers though...that is a bit too much information...

Dawn

Thank you!:p So are your two! Dior is turning into a knock out!

Aww TY. She sure acts like it:rolleyes:

I probably wouldn't be either, I would like to donate, but I never have the extra cash.

Another thing is, anyone can donate, just because someone donates doesn't mean they won't start BS

How would making the site pay-to-view only do any good? If people wanted to access it that badly, they'd just pay. All that is going to do is decrease the membership here and drive people away.:(

I think the key should be to be a little wiser about the information you make available. Seriously, these are things they teach and preach to middle school aged children. I agree this feels like a family of sorts, but bottom line is, it's still the INTERNET.

I just think in general sometimes we all really need to consider what information we so easily offer up without a second thought.

Sometimes when tempers flare and insults fly and the worst of people come out, it can be hard to feel safe. The key is to remember that the good of the community far outweighs any bad.

I like to live by the assumption that all people are basically good. Some are better than others, and there are certainly the select few that are truly bad. I have been fortunate that all the in-person introductions that I have experienced as a result of contacts from the internet have been have been positive experiences. Until I am given a reason otherwise, I am confident that I have been a pretty good judge of character.

A few trolls here and there can dampen the mood of our cyber-space communication, but it really doesn't seem to present any danger. Don't give them the power to take away your fun. They are but little black bits and pieces of text, and they have no power over you unless you give it to them.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :yeahthat: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I get so many PMs about where I got Marcel - and I've never thought twice about it, until recently. Someone just PMd me today, and because they only had 1 post count - I'm hesitating. And I feel really bad about it!

I brought this very same thing up a couple months ago about YT making breeders post their phone numbers, names, and addresses. I didnt get much response on it. I dont think it is necessary and if a potential buyer wants to know what it is they can pm me. I dont give that information out on my website for a good reason and I dont think they shoud be required to do it here either. Too many thiefs out there just waiting to get ahold of a yorkie for free.