# Gfactor: Please explain why you didn't issue a warning **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964 "2009-11-09T23:37:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/81 "2009-11-16T04:17:53Z")
I have my pms set to notify me by email when I receive one. The notice contains the text of the PM. I would assume that the notice probably exists somewhere within the SDMB as well as in my email account. If not, the notice could be emailed to an admin for verification. If the routing stuff is all there, computer wizards should be able to tell if it was faked, right? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/82 "2009-11-16T04:25:09Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I have my pms set to notify me by email when I receive one. The notice contains the text of the PM. I would assume that the notice probably exists somewhere within the SDMB as well as in my email account. If not, the notice could be emailed to an admin for verification. If the routing stuff is all there, computer wizards should be able to tell if it was faked, right? I don’t think the issue is whether computer wizards could tell if something was faked – it is more of a question of how long it might take, and whether it is worth the wizards’ time and trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/83 "2009-11-16T04:26:43Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > When we get a complaint about a PM, we contact the sender and ask for that person’s side of the story. I don’t think we’ve had anybody claim that they were misquoted. Are you aware of any death threats issued in the past? Maybe a better question – do you even consider the PM in question a death threat? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/84 "2009-11-16T04:56:25Z")
I certainly didn’t. Apart from anything else, I am The Incredible Gutless Man- my body goes thighs, waist, shoulders, with nothing in between- so I am quite literally unguttable. ETA: Don’t tell **Gfactor** I posted here! ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/85 "2009-11-16T05:28:26Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Are you aware of any death threats issued in the past? Maybe a better question – do you even consider the PM in question a death threat? 1. I’ve dealt with threats before as a moderator. I’ve explained my approach upthread. I know you disagree with it. 2. Neither the user agreement: > [@](#): > > Do not post \*\*threats \*\*or state or imply that any individual or group is deserving of harm. . . . If we tell you to refrain from behavior that we regard as uncivil, do so or face revocation of your posting privileges. > **[SDMB registration agreement as of 12/29/2008](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=423183)** > > The agreement below spells out the rules by which SDMB users are expected to abide. Changes since the last version are indicated in bold. These changes reflect the change in ownership and switch to free posting. All changes are effective immediately.... Nor the Pit rules: > [@](#): > > Do not threaten harm or wish death on another poster > > **Do not threaten another poster with physical harm** , or wish for their demise. . . . This includes hypothetical statements like “it would make me happy if someone ran you over” or “I hope you say that to [someone prone to stabbing people] and they stab you”. > **[Revised Forum Rules for the BBQ Pit: read this before posting](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=507985)** > > The BBQ Pit is the forum for rants about the outside world or quarrels between posters - often the first turns into the second. Although the standards of discourse are looser than in the other forums, the Pit is NOT a free-for-all - you don’t have to... includes the phrase “death threat.” 1. Please review my previous posts for my explanation of my decision. I’m not going to reconsider it a second time. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/86 "2009-11-16T05:53:04Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I have my pms set to notify me by email when I receive one. The notice contains the text of the PM. I would assume that the notice probably exists somewhere within the SDMB as well as in my email account. If not, the notice could be emailed to an admin for verification. If the routing stuff is all there, computer wizards should be able to tell if it was faked, right? I believe this is right. As I said, we’ve never had to call in the questioned PM examiners because we’ve never had an argument about authenticity. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/87 "2009-11-16T12:38:59Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > …3. Please review my previous posts for my explanation of my decision. I’m not going to reconsider it a second time. Sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest you need a re-do in this particular case. I was asking about frequency of occurence and other stuff to try getting a handle on whether some kind of rule or procedural change might be beneficial for the next death threat delivered through PM. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/88 "2009-11-16T13:28:32Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest you need a re-do in this particular case. I was asking about frequency of occurence and other stuff to try getting a handle on whether some kind of rule or procedural change might be beneficial for the next death threat delivered through PM. Fair question. I’m sorry if I came off as dismissive. To my knowledge, this was our first reported threat of any kind by PM. But these things tend to get reported to the moderator of the forum from which the argument arose. Moreover, it’s possible there are some that didn’t get reported. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/89 "2009-11-16T13:37:32Z")
Retrieiving PMs would be a simple query. Maybe an admin can’t do it, but Jerry could do it in five minutes — if he dawdles. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/90 "2009-11-16T17:14:08Z")
Jerry has other things to do – many, many other things to do. Taking care of the SDMB is a minor additional task for him, not his main job, and we only go to him when there’s an active, immediate problem, like the boards being down. Which is not to say we couldn’t go to him for help with this if we needed to, but the current situation has been resolved, and it’s not at all clear whether this is a recurring problem. Certainly asking a theoretical question about what he can and cannot do, when we don’t know that we need him to do it, isn’t an active, immediate problem. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/91 "2009-11-16T18:37:09Z")
Would it help if we PMed Jerry threatening to gut _him_, too? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/92 "2009-11-16T18:44:45Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Would it help if we PMed Jerry threatening to gut _him_, too? 😉 How guttural! d&r ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/93 "2009-11-16T18:49:13Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > How guttural! > > d&r **Fake Moderator Warning:** Puns belong in MPSIMS or the Pit, and have no place in ATMB, which is for serious discussion of really boring topics. I leave it up to the reader to determine whether Fake Moderator Warning means I’m a Fake Moderator or that I am warning a Fake Moderator, as it were. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/94 "2009-11-16T18:52:23Z")
The stumbling block for many changes to the Dope has always been that Jerry has other priorities, due to the parlous finances of CL. Does anyone have any updates on the financial situation? ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/95 "2009-11-16T18:55:21Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#): > > The stumbling block for many changes to the Dope has always been that Jerry has other priorities, due to the parlous finances of CL. > > Does anyone have any updates on the financial situation? Due to financial considerations, Jerry has been replaced with “Cardboard Cutout Jerry”. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/96 "2009-11-16T18:56:04Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#): > > The stumbling block for many changes to the Dope has always been that Jerry has other priorities, due to the parlous finances of CL. > > Does anyone have any updates on the financial situation? Updates on the financial situation have been cut due to the financial situation. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964/97 "2009-11-16T19:34:16Z")
Essentially, the corporation has been gutted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactor-please-explain-why-you-didnt-issue-a-warning/516964.md?page=4)