Chat Room Security - Best Current Practice

[mars]

Hi All

Well, this is my 1000th post, so I might as well try and make it a good one.

Here is a way to make sure you know who you are talking to in the Chat Room.

This will only work with registered members. You can always ask unregistered visitors to register.

Let us say you are suspicious of someone called Bush or Moore, so you ask them to post to the top thread of the moment.

All they have to do is go to the thread and post a full stop, or whatever.

That thread will then reappear at the top of the first forum page, and you can check if the Forum name on the last post is the one they are using in the Chat Room.

If you have 2 internet pages open, you do not even have to leave the Chat Room.

It just takes a few mouse clicks and a full stop.

A second method is to ask them to send you a PM, which would a take a little longer. Or you could send a PM to their Chat Room name, then ask them what you said.

A third method would be to PM them within the Chat Room, and ask them something that only the genuine person would know, and that you also know.

Given the circumstances, I would hope that no-one would be offended if asked to prove their identity. Forum Admin is now aware of the security lack in the Chat Room, and we can hope that it will be fixed as soon as they can.

In the meantime - we have the above when needed.

Safe and pleasant chatting

cheers

Mars

NB If you see my name in the Chat Room, check me out with the first method only, otherwise it may not be me, just someone out to cause trouble.

[The Texan]

After one trip to the chat room, never again, unless Admin does something. What I saw was completely uncalled for, as several thought it funny to "attack" others with no provocation at all. Hopefully someday it will be a good place to meet and exchange info, but not now.

[Madalot]

I'm going to chime in here and suggest that everyone watch themselves in the chat room -- if you dare go in. I hope the administrators put some SERIOUS security in there because there is some strange and scary stuff going on.

The suggestions made by mars are excellent -- be careful if you aren't sure about somebody.

[M.D.Hosehead]

Someone with experience running forums will know: is it a big problem to require the people in the chat room be members and use their own cpap-talk handle?

[DHC]

Hi All

Well, this is my 1000th post, so I might as well try and make it a good one.

Here is a way to make sure you know who you are talking to in the Chat Room.

This will only work with registered members.

Let us say you are suspicious of someone called Bush or Moore, so you ask them to post to the top thread of the moment.

All they have to do is go to the thread and post a full stop, or whatever.

That thread will then reappear at the top of the first forum page, and you can check if the Forum name on the last post is the one they are using in the Chat Room.

If you have 2 internet pages open, you do not even have to leave the Chat Room.

It just takes a few mouse clicks and a full stop.

A second, but longer method is to ask them to send you a PM, which would a take a little longer.

A third method would be to PM them within the Chat Room, and ask them something that only the genuine person would know, and that you also know.

Given the circumstances, I would hope that no-one would be offended if asked to prove their identity. Forum Admin is now aware of the security lack in the Chat Room, and we can hope that it will be fixed as soon as they can.

In the meantime - we have the above when needed.

I think I will now go on holiday until after all this is sorted out.

cheers

Mars

There is an even easier way to implement security/protections into the site - BUT it requires a site owner that is sincerely interested in curtailing the kind of garbage going on here (the troll infestation included).

I am willing to offer suggestions, but only if there is a sincere interest in listening to them. Am not going to waste my time otherwise.

Someone with experience running forums will know: is it a big problem to require the people in the chat room be members and use their own cpap-talk handle?

No - not at all.

As I wrote in one of my early threads, I own and manage fora that are considerably busier than this one and have achieved 'Big Board' status. There are a number of things that would improve this site dramatically - but there seems to be little interest in those things, if previous responses to suggestions is any indication.

[BrownEyes]

my opinion

JUST CLOSE IT

since some people want to act like they attend school with my four and two year old nephews instead of acting like they are old enough to pay car notes and mortages

if you want to chat, go to yahoo, msn or facebook, or just text or call who you want to talk to

[M.D.Hosehead]

As I wrote in one of my early threads, I own and manage fora that are considerably busier than this one and have achieved 'Big Board' status. There are a number of things that would improve this site dramatically - but there seems to be little interest in those things, if previous responses to suggestions is any indication.

I re-read your earlier posts. My take on what happened is that you proposed two suggestions in one post: separating threads according to subject matter and allowing files, e.g. jpegs, to be added directly to posts. There was one affirmative reply to the "jpeg" post and then the thread got derailed, because the subject of using categories was still "warm", having recently been thoroughly discussed. The majority of members don't want categories, so it seems to me that's reasonable justification if the admin doesn't do it.

Your other idea, about attaching files, seems to me to be a useful one; I plan to bump that idea to a new thread.

Thanx

[Goofproof]

my opinion

JUST CLOSE IT

since some people want to act like they attend school with my four and two year old nephews instead of acting like they are old enough to pay car notes and mortages

if you want to chat, go to yahoo, msn or facebook, or just text or call who you want to talk to

I don't play well in Chat Rooms, to confusing trying to keep up with what's going on. I think there are better ways to get help with Sleep Apnea problems, and for social interaction, better ways to do that too. ICQ is nice, I barely do that.
The best way to get help with Sleep Apnea is to READ the forum and the info at the top, if you can't get it from there, you probably won't get it.

The main thing in the successful treatment of Sleep Apnea is the desire to succeed, the second in knowledge. You can get the second here, the first is up to you. De-Nile is wet and deep. jim

[DHC]

I re-read your earlier posts. My take on what happened is that you proposed two suggestions in one post: separating threads according to subject matter and allowing files, e.g. jpegs, to be added directly to posts. There was one affirmative reply to the "jpeg" post and then the thread got derailed, because the subject of using categories was still "warm", having recently been thoroughly discussed. The majority of members don't want categories, so it seems to me that's reasonable justification if the admin doesn't do it.

Your other idea, about attaching files, seems to me to be a useful one; I plan to bump that idea to a new thread.

Thanx

Yeah - that about sizes it up (the previous suggestions).

From what I've learned since that time, there are other suggestions I would make - and even help with (if asked) - but I have this sense that the good folks who own this site do not prioritize the forum functions/features.

In terms of the chat facility, they are running Flashchat. We abandoned Flashchat (and replaced it with a more secure and robust script) more than a year ago, though for different reasons than the problems recently experienced here. If the owners want to integrate Flashchat with the forum script they are using here (phpBB), the instructions are found here -- http://www.tufat.com/docs/flashchat/integration.html and here -- http://www.tufat.com/docs/flashchat/phpbb.html. With proper configuration this integration will insure that member names are consistent in both scripts - something that is apparently a problem at the moment.

The troll infestation is also manageable. Just requires some attention.

FWIW

[Emilia]

I don't know the platform on which this forum sits, but it does allow for friends..... I wonder if, like on Facebook, there could be a way to have live chats with just our friends. I know I sometimes wish I could just chat with someone on here, but instead I need to PM them and hope they'll see that in a timely fashion. If I see they are on the forum, it would be nice to ping them and chat. Most modern platforms like Ning have this capability. Just my 2 cents worth.....

[DHC]

I don't know the platform on which this forum sits, but it does allow for friends..... I wonder if, like on Facebook, there could be a way to have live chats with just our friends. I know I sometimes wish I could just chat with someone on here, but instead I need to PM them and hope they'll see that in a timely fashion. If I see they are on the forum, it would be nice to ping them and chat. Most modern platforms like Ning have this capability. Just my 2 cents worth.....

This site uses phpBB for its forum (http://www.phpbb.com/) - an open source forum script, and one of the oldest. They released version 3 a while back (which is used here), and it incorporates some of the best features of any forum script in the market - open source or commercial.

Fundamentally, there is nothing at all wrong with phpBB as the forum script. It is one of a handful that are excellent choices. But any of them need attention - and in some instances, they need a lot of attention.

[M.D.Hosehead]

The troll infestation is also manageable. Just requires some attention.

Now THAT definitely deserves its own thread. Please consider starting one.

[DHC]

The troll infestation is also manageable. Just requires some attention.

Now THAT definitely deserves its own thread. Please consider starting one.

The steps that need to be taken are from the forum Admin side. To write about it in the public forum would possibly provide the trolls avenues around the obstacles - although some of them are fairly fool-proof.

One place I would start though - is to reconfigure the script so that no-one other than an Admin or Moderator (if they assign any) is able to delete posts.

FWIW

[amos]

Here is a different voice. I have been a frequent visitor to the chat room for the past four years. I have found it to be an excellent site for information, support, or just chatting with other cpap friends. I have been able to chat with sleep apnea patients from all over the world. To me is comforting to know that what I am experiencing is not just a local problem.

As always there are a few who choose to be disagreeable, just as in the forum. There are several of you who have posted in this thread that I have not had the pleasure of chatting with. I would consider it an honor to do so.

amos

[mars]

Hi Everybody

I hear the Chat Room is still having visits by Calist, and consequently there are still trust problems.

So I am bumping up this thread, as some may not yet read it.

And now for something of a coup -

A Forum member, who wants to remain anonymous, contacted me and said she had managed to video Calist and his alter ego's. She told me that one night she got distracted, and hit a number of keys all at the same time. This must have sent a secret code down the internet, and, for a few seconds, she entered their world ....................... the putrid nauseating world of the CpapTalk Trolls.

She put the video on YouTube, and here it is -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T22unETejo4

Just remember, the new breed of trolls can use politeness and sweet talk just as well as being outright provocative. But they still draw you in with pointless questions and spurious queries.

But also remember what Ozij said in the thread "Beware These Trolls" - scroll down to just over half way.

viewtopic/t56941/Beware-These-Trolls.html

cheers

Mars