Topic: A way to denote an account has been involved in a BTR

A recent BTR left me thinking. I don't want to discuss any particulars, but despite the outcome, I think myself and others who read BTR's like this one, would probably like to be aware of how a person conducts themselves.

Has any thought ever been given to marking on the account, similar to feedback, if/when an account has been involved in a BTR? Most of the time a BTR is harmless, and doesn't result in any account action or negative feedback, but sometimes it might be nice to know. I think anyone that reads that BTR knows that no matter what the outcome, unless it is some account action or negative feedback, that someone is going to trade with one or both of those users again and some people may not want to if they knew what all was said in that thread. I hope I'm making my point while I'm trying to be non-specific about the BTR in question.

Last edited by jassi007 (2014-02-11 21:00:41)

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Re: A way to denote an account has been involved in a BTR

The purpose of the BTR is to provide a place for mediation of issues in trades, some as a result of less than upstanding behavior and some as a result of circumstance (sometimes things just go wrong).  The problem with what you propose is that it would essentially penalize someone for seeking mediation in resolving a dispute similar to giving negative feedback, which is clearly not dished out lightly.  There really doesn't need to be any mechanism for flagging people like that as it'd tantamount to punishing them for following the proper channels to resolve things.

As you'll note the BTRs are publicly viewable, providing transparency for all parties involved.  To that end, if you're worried about being in a trade with someone involved in a BTR, which you're certainly entitled to be if that's your prerogative, then I would suggest looking at the BTR forums and going from there.

Personally, I view the BTRs as a place where things can be resolved, not as a place to create new issues.  So to that end, I don't think it's really worth stressing that much... but again, it's entirely up to you if you choose to weigh them more heavily.  But I do think it would be a shame if people allowed this community to devolve to the point where we're all trying to do background checks and god only knows what before we trade.

That being said, is the user in question animated/angry/disgruntled?  Sure, but wouldn't you be if you were on what looks like the short side of a trade?  We just all need to remember that cooler heads prevail and patience is a virtue.

Oh, and as one last point, it really doesn't make sense to link to the BTR thread and then try to be non-specific in your post... I would actually advise removing the link from your original post.

Re: A way to denote an account has been involved in a BTR

TyWooOneTime wrote:

The purpose of the BTR is to provide a place for mediation of issues in trades, some as a result of less than upstanding behavior and some as a result of circumstance (sometimes things just go wrong).  The problem with what you propose is that it would essentially penalize someone for seeking mediation in resolving a dispute similar to giving negative feedback, which is clearly not dished out lightly.  There really doesn't need to be any mechanism for flagging people like that as it'd tantamount to punishing them for following the proper channels to resolve things.

As you'll note the BTRs are publicly viewable, providing transparency for all parties involved.  To that end, if you're worried about being in a trade with someone involved in a BTR, which you're certainly entitled to be if that's your prerogative, then I would suggest looking at the BTR forums and going from there.

Personally, I view the BTRs as a place where things can be resolved, not as a place to create new issues.  So to that end, I don't think it's really worth stressing that much... but again, it's entirely up to you if you choose to weigh them more heavily.  But I do think it would be a shame if people allowed this community to devolve to the point where we're all trying to do background checks and god only knows what before we trade.

That being said, is the user in question animated/angry/disgruntled?  Sure, but wouldn't you be if you were on what looks like the short side of a trade?  We just all need to remember that cooler heads prevail and patience is a virtue.

Oh, and as one last point, it really doesn't make sense to link to the BTR thread and then try to be non-specific in your post... I would actually advise removing the link from your original post.

I understand that point. I guess my thought is, if someone knows I've been in a BTR, reads it, they can judge for themselves whether or not it is a problem. I was in a BTR, I opened it, it was something that the moderators did need to make a decision on, and I wouldn't mind if someone read it.

Perhaps I'm just frustrated because this is a pretty good community and when someone negative comes a long it can be a big drag. You remember Morph? I adore this site but lets be honest, he was allowed to stink this community up longer than he should have been. I don't want that to happen again.

Please feel free to delete this thread, it was probably not well thought out on my part.

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Re: A way to denote an account has been involved in a BTR

There's no need to delete the thread as it's a valid discussion worth having.  My point is just that people can view and weigh the BTRs as they will.  They're made publicly viewable although I'd imagine that could be changed easily enough if they cause problems.  Personally, I think it's good that they're open for everyone to see as it provides a means of transparency and demonstrates that, when patient, solutions are worked out.

As for the number of people who are flaming or just being incendiary, well, those folks just need to stop.  I'm on this site a lot, I use it to kill time between tasks.  I'll openly admit that I don't read every post (good lord I only wish I had that kind of time), but just today I've had to put out fires in two different spots... people need to just relax, calm down, and act more maturely.