Censor list update now Live - please share feedback
This update was originally announced here.
We know that these updates can sometimes work in unexpected ways in the product and how you all communicate. We are prepared to tweak and make changes swiftly to minimize any frustrations this update may cause.
I don't understand the purpose of not telling us what's the problem. When that happens we just keep rewording the message until we figure out what the problematic word is - I had issues with asleep too and I figured that out on my own. I had to reword things multiple times, at first I thought 'attack' might have been the problem.
So we figure it out, but it's just frustrating getting there.
@AffyAvo the majority of people i talk to struggle with sleep problems its going to be very hard to have any conversation about sleep and sleep is a part every persons life obviously so sleep will come up in normal conversation now im thinking about other words that might have asl in them but the word asleep the censor needs to exclude that it would be much better if the sensor just picked it up and let the conversation continue the people investigating are going to be bogged down going through endless chats related to sleep but theres no point in listeners not being able to carry on a natural conversation its easy to say just dont say asleep but easier said than done if your talking about sleep so asleep should be a word thats excluded in the censor
My understanding of 1:1s was you could be more open than in the chat room but appears we cannot be. I've had msgs censored and told to ring a crisis line and if I wasn't to rephrase what I'd written. How to rephrase when I don't know what triggered the censor. And yes "asleep" was one and "will be done next week" was another censored.
Note to self; This thread when got spare time x
If only it was possible to talk freely.. As a listener I tell my members to express thmselves however they want to tell their story. Some will accidentally curse and then say sorry and I always tell them it's okay. I don't take offence and it's completely normal, harmless. The more we censor the more we restrict natural expression. I'm not saying allow to be verbally abusive just give it a rest with the censoring. It's not kindergarden.
Guys, @Laura herself posted here. I believe they are working on it. In the meantime, I encourage you to use periods to be able to type important words like asleep and skills
Censor list? Sorry not sure why I can see this. Except. Ok. Thanks.
Surely she needs the feedback to know what it is exactly that needs correcting? Its practical to know what have been peoples issues in order to fix them.
Anyway my post, I did post on the other thread but I think that threads "dead" and this one seems alive so it may be relevant here as well (same topic):
Can I just mention, a "less important" issue with the censor but still one none-the-less. Regarding the part of the censor when swear words are censored so F word becomes ****....
I can understand certain words becoming censored into stars but the list has grown so long it has even started to censor very minor "swear" words or very minor words in general, which makes conversations seem more aggressive and provokative than they really are.
Take for example:
Person 1: Guess what!? My Cat knocked a vase off the table today and it smashed everywhere!
Person 2: ****!! That little ****
See how the censor caught some words with Person 2. What kinda things are you imagining Person 2 is saying? It sounds quite aggressive right?
But because the censor is now censoring even little minor words, it lumps them into the same category as more provokative and aggressive swear words. So those little words, when censored, feel like big naughty cuss words, and the person looks aggressive.
In reality.... This is what was actually said: (Highlight to see the text, I've made the front white)
Person 1: Guess what!? My Cat knocked a vase off the table today and it smashed everywhere!
Person 2: Omfg!! That little bugger.
The censor list has become so sensitive to minor words that its perpetuating the very problem that it was intended to prevent -- When minor words are censored, it makes it all sound way more aggressive than it really is.
I've have this issue alot.
I've never heard one person who complains that the censor should have protected them. The censor is not the issue here. Actually the opposite, I constantly hear people complain about how sensitive the censor is on minor words that they feel don't need to be censored. People are actually shocked at some of the words they can't say and can't understand it. Try asking around in chatrooms for personal opinions on the minor words. Go by experience -- Don't go by theory and then just impliment. Experience and feedback will tell you that there is no value in making the censor so so very sensitive, to minor words of which people are not hurt by or damaged by in the first place. The thing I wrote there was just an example but there are far far more examples that are even more mind-bogglingly counter-intuitive and over-protective.
Thanks,
RedMeeko
@RedMeeko
"I've never heard one person who complains that the censor should have protected them." - this is an excellent point. I think there is some value to the censor on the big stuff, and particularly in 1-1 it is a way to flag up instances of someone behaving in a very inappropriate manner (e.g., sex chatting), but it has gone too far if it is stopping the natural flow of a supportive conversation, stopping someone from getting support, or is flagging up the wrong words (e.g., the asleep issue).
Going forward, I think it's imperative that censor lists are better sense checked (perhaps running by ambassadors or another small group of experienced users) for potential issues and that they are focused on the big stuff only, not on little words that are character strings in loads of other words.
@Laura @Kate
I kind of agree, but I think if ambassadors or other experienced users got to know how badly designed the lists are, they would be horrified and question the whole idea.
It's not technically possible to use a censor of this kind to detect sex chatting without interfering with legitimate chats about sexuality. The censor would have to use completely different (expensive) technology to have any chance of being able to do that. The cheap kind of censor we have now will always stop the natural flow of supportive conversations at times.
I'd like to see options for experienced listeners and members to turn the censor off, selectively by subject area. So if an experienced listener is chatting, and the conversation turns to some aspect of sexuality, the first time the censor gets triggered will just be a warning to the listener. At that point the listener can choose to turn the censor off for phrases relating to sexuality in that chat. If the censor remains on, the next time it's triggered it will block the message and send a report the way it does now.
Currently I don't see any more character strings like ASL that could turn up in other words, although I'm not 100% certain the ASL problem is completely fixed yet. And "just jumping to conclusions" looks like it's probably fixed, too. But to "hope your son will never be bullied again" looks like it's still banned.
I notice you tagged @Laura and @Kate but to me the indications are that they really have too little direct influence on the technology, and that issues like these with the censor reflect a more fundamental structural problem that has developed within 7 Cups. I'd prefer to see a more community-driven approach to the technology, in which focus groups of ambassadors and experienced users, as you suggest, are much more widely used.
@Anomalia
This is not a drill! The list was updated and now we can say asleep :D (among others)
@MonBon
Edit: To a member, at least. Listeners still censored when talking to a listener
MonBon edited for clarity
@7cupscommunity are response to this form still being reviewed?
@AffyAvo
Thank you for your question! They should be, but we will look into this and get back to you.
@AffyAvo
Yes, we review this form frequently.
@7CupsCommunity Thanks! Will try to remember to get some of the problematic issues up there next time!