I understand your point, but to post there “can somebody help”, then get in touch is more of a hassle. Some might do it (as some people do it on social media too), but there are a lot of people around going for the easiest way, changing how that topic works might result in more posts elsewhere.
I know (as a person who often tries to help in that topic), I wouldn’t contact the persons asking for help, wait for a reply and then translate (maybe I don’t have time then and I don’t like to let others wait for my reply).
@Cassiopheia. I totally understand. I tried to compare the pros and cons.
Non-forum member Postcrossers haven’t been notified of the official translation thread yet. I feel it’s unfair to them. So I’ve come to the view that banning the posting of postcard writings publicly in the forum is a change in the right direction.
Also, how would you know whether or not someone has already helped that person? It would be a waste of many people’s time to translate something that has already been done.
By the time someone logs on to check their PMs, they may have already received many responses. So, while changing the status would help not receive any more, it would not help the multiple people who took time to translate postcards before the user logged on.
ETA: That’s not to mention the unecessary flood of PMs a person would get.
@varn Why did you changed the headline that @paulo had written?
I have changed it back again and would like to kindly ask you to leave it as it is now.
@RalfH@littlesthobo@Angelthecat The image of postcard writings is meant to be sent through DM. I’ve already addressed this disadvantage (for the translation user group) in the summary as opposed to the expected benefits (for the entire Postcrossing community including non-forum members).
I changed the headline to “Ban of public posting of postcard writings on the forum” because that is the suggestion that I have arrived after the discussions. I summarized the discussion in the OP too. The blanket ban applies to all public posts on the forum, not just for translation/transcription. So can I change the headline as above? @Bille@admins
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I tried to combine the two. Hope now the headline is okay @Bille@paulo
That is not what this discussion is about and the title should stay the same! That is merely one opinion. The discussion is broader than that one opinion
I’m afraid it’s worth repeating. Some have dismissed the potential problem of someone being offended that their postcard message is published on the forum. Similarly, the situation of going for many rounds for a translation may occur. The difference is one of fairness.
Again, it’s your opinion that it is a problem that someone might be potentially offended by having the back of their card without identifiers shared on the translation thread. No one is dismissing your opinion. Many people are, instead, disagreeing. I do not believe that this potential is a problem big enough to necessitate a change.
When people do not acknowledge that you are right, that doesn’t mean that you just keep spamming them with your opinion until they do.
I just keep track of how my suggestion evolved. I didn’t arrive at this at the beginning, but thanks to comments from all of you, this is what I’ve come up with. So any new major points to its pros and cons would be much appreciated.
So many better things can be done instead of maintaining a problematic thread.
This thread has gotten to the point of bizarre. I am not sure why you are quoting yourself but responding to me. I can’t understand where the quotes are coming from. Anyway, I’ve more than said my piece. I’m out. Good luck with your pursuit.
Despite various characterizations – some friendly others not of my pursuit – I’d like to draw attention to the subject topic, how to reconcile the inconsistency between the translation thread and the community guidelines. The issue that I spotted is structural. It doesn’t need “victims” to speak out to make it true. Taking into consideration comments from different camps, I’ve arrived at this proposed measure: Blanket ban of the public posting of postcard writings across the forum. The reasons for my recommendation are as follows:
Whether one agrees or disagrees, all comments are welcomed. However, I would love to see a major point that could be added to my argument, or even a completely different solution. It must be inclusive – not just about the translation/transcription subgroup but all Postcrossers (forum members, non-forum members, moderators, etc.).
Why is it better to send the back of a postcard to another member (or several, if the first can’t help), where the data will be slumbering in the messages forever, than posting it in the topic where it will be deleted in due time? Sorry, but I don’t get your point there.
There is a rule that a postcard"s backside should not be published, and one exception for the purpose of translation (or simply being able to read it), which is under the control of moderation. I can’t see how it is unfair to members not using the forum to not alert them of the translation topic, because the exception only applies to an extremely small amount of Postcrossing cards.
Website owners / enterprises don’t write terms and conditions with the goal of regulating every small detail to cover even unlikely settings; you’ll try to set general rules which will apply to the majority of cases, and state important rules.
If Postcrossing followed up on your suggestion, I’m sure there would be a thing coming up which is equally unlikely, applying only to a few cards out of hundreds of thousands, but expected to be mentioned in the terms and conditions. In my opinion stating rules for every small, unlikely case would be neither helpful, nor legally recommendable.
Edit: Another thought : If you write a card to another member and eather use a language not mentioned in their profile, or have an unreadable handwriting, you have to put up with the possibility that the card is shown to others for help. I agree that posting it in the translation thread is more than just showing it to a colleague at work, but I would strongly prefer it that my data is deleted in time by the moderators, than kept by third persons I’d know nothing about. How can you rule out that the translating member doesn’t post the data elsewhere?!
Sorry, but I don’t get your point there.