@avebae ~ if you're questioning reporting then do it. Though with the info you've given my guess is that they're likely just comparing you with others to see who is most appealing to book with, or they're trying to alleviate whatever hesitations they're experiencing around booking/spending money on a cuddle session. But this isn't about my interpretation, it's about you listening to your intuition. I mean, there's usually a reason things give us the creeps, so even if you can't put your finger on it, you could just give the mods a heads up about it in case there's a pattern of behavior that isn't on the up and up.
@KingsportCuddle @quixotic_life I reported just to make a note of it. I don't mind when people view my profile, it's more that he's viewing it to look at / message my clients. Just found it a little odd. Thank you both:)
@avebae Absolutely - better to err on the side of caution when someone starts acting potentially shady. We want to keep the community safe and comfortable for everyone. 🙂
@sausalito listed some good reasons why I'm not a huge fan of karma...
This happened to me too. Every person will have a somewhat different experience in cuddling because we're different people. The karma is supposed to be a tool to help us know this person understands the rules and doesn't flake out, etc. I like the response that was given and thank goodness he was reported.
I don't know if this would be a good feature idea or not, but I'll throw it out there. As it currently stands, I can go to anyone's profile, see their karma, and click on the names of others they've cuddled with to contact them directly (which leads to potentially awkward scenarios like the one CuddlesToGo, avebae, kindnessleads, and others have experienced).
What if the links were removed so that I can see the karma left by users on other people's profiles but can't directly click on any of the names? Granted, a determined bad actor could work around this limitation by typing in a direct URL to get to someone's profile who left karma, but this would slow bad actors down some.
If there's a benefit for a cuddler to be able to easily click on the names of people who left them karma to communicate with them or whatever, maybe the link could stay "as is" as long as you're accessing karma on your own profile page but would become read only when viewing the profile page of other users. Thoughts?
@KingsportCuddle, I would not be in favor of such a change. I myself often like to click through from one profile to the next when browsing forum posts, search results, my Visitors tab, etc. As you said, this might "slow bad actors down some," but at the price of decreased usability for the rest of us. I think community awareness of the issue is the best antidote, rather than a change in the user interface.
@KingsportCuddle I agree with @CuddlesToGo and believe the links should stay.
The karma system is imperfect at best, and being able to see who it is that is leaving karma and what their karma says about them is one of the ways that we can check the validity of karma that is left. It's also a way to out a whole circle of bad actors or fake accounts who are giving each other fake or excessive karma by following the trail of bread crumbs.
On any rating site, like Google/Yelp/Trip Advisor/etc, you can view a reviewer's profile and other ratings. This is important for multiple reasons, not the least of which: 1) if you find you like a reviewer's tastes, you can see what other positive recommendations they gave and generally trust; and 2) if a reviewer has a pattern of it giving positive or negative reviews, or only reviewing certain aspects or making specific complaints, it becomes abundantly clear when viewed in condensed form and thus you can adjust how you take your advice from them accordingly.
There is no real benefit to removing the links other than making it more difficult for all to navigate the karma system. If a bad actor is going to abuse the system, they're going to do it with or without the links and instead of ruining a perfectly useful feature for everyone the individuals who behave badly should be the ones punished, not everyone else.
@cuddlefaery ~ It's too bad we can't easily see all of the karmas a person has given... because it could potentially be of benefit to those trying to get a broader sense of someone.
"If a bad actor is going to abuse the system, they're going to do it with or without the links and instead of ruining a perfectly useful feature for everyone the individuals who behave badly should be the ones punished, not everyone else." ~ @Cuddlestogo64
Totally!!
@KingsportCuddle ~ My personal reasoning, for wanting to keep the links within the karmas, is it helps me determine how much confidence I can have in their opinion(s). I just like to know something about them first, and visiting their profile helps me decide how much credibility I'm willing to give what they have to say.
I’ve had a couple of people reach out to me about my experiences. On one occasion, an individual mistook what I said and contacted a pro with some vulgar requests. That individual has since been banned and I’ve had to apologize profusely to the very sweet pro.
Most encounters were great though. I’ve also reached out to individuals who left karma rating with no text just to understand their reasoning for the review (they were 1-star ratings).
I think the karma system is good as it is. I'm sure Pros use it to consult with one another, and I don't see a problem with that.
All valid points, thanks everyone for the suggestion feedback!
I'm glad to hear they were investigated and banned right away!
I think it’s good to be able to ask the ones that have left karma some questions if needed. This has helped me in the past.