Hi
We've had a few issues over the weekend with potential fake posts and I've emailed some of the forum users individually with an explanation but seeing as Mum2Monkey raises it again I do want to step in publicly.
One of the problems with running a site like NVN is that it becomes a victim of its own success.
We are now the single BIGGEST local media in Wandsworth/SW London with almost 100k monthly visits (bigger than any local magazine, newspaper etc) and that means some businesses will try and "game" the posts or some journalists or bloggers will try and create stories to stir up a reaction (some of you might remember a few years ago a series of posts ended up being publicity for a book!
)
We try to be really vigilant and stop it when it crops up and we are pretty good.
We tend to delete around ten posts a day and ban people who do try and slip them in but every now and again we fail.
If I see a thread looking suspicious I'll check a number of factors and from three "dodgy" looking threads this weekend (fish, this one and a building one) two were genuine and one looked like it was a spoof.
That's the worst it's been in AGES.
So...I'll try and keep vigilant but please don't take it as a sign that users aren't supportive if they do question a posters motives.
As long as it is done in a polite and courteous way I would hope that's ok because if someone does join on one day and then wade in with a big issue then it can look a little suspicious.
Thanks everyone for using NVN and I hope this goes some way to reassuring users that almost every post is genuine.
