Update from Obesity Help

We released several additions to the site yesterday and I wanted to take a minute to cover some of them with you. 

Profanity Filter
The profanity filter will simply replace profanities with with asterisks (****). I am sure some of you have noticed the addition of this feature already. Is the profanity filter perfect? NO, but it will take care of the most obvious profanities and unfortunately, will sometimes include words and/or phrases that are not profanities. 

A prime example of this occurred last night with the series of words, "let it simmer." The profanity filter saw the word "tits" in the sentence and replaced the word with ****. 

let it simmer

While this situation was resolved, there are and will be other situations where this occurs. All profanity filters cause some unexpected results but for the most part the filter will work well if you choose to use it. You can select whether or not to use the profanity filter by adjusting you User Settings which can be found by looking in the left navigation column of this message board for the User Settings link.

Adding Friends
On your "My Friends" page you may now invite a new friend simply by entering their username. Of course the member you invited will still have to approve the invitation.

and last but not least.......

Move or Bump Post Feature
This feature will allow us to move message board posts which we deem to be "flaming," completely off topic, or disruptive, to a more appropriate area of the site. Now, I know none of you believe that the message boards get out of hand, but believe it or not they do :) This feature will enable us to better handle some of the problems we have had on the message boards, ensuring that ObesityHelp remains a place of support and encouragement.

In conclusion, here is a summary of how you can help better the OH community:

Don’t respond or participate in “flame wars” -Report them, don’t support them!

Don’t interact with “internet trolls”; they feed on your attention– Your best recourse is to ignore.

Don’t take other member's photos and use them to harass or mock. We do not condone this and when it is reported, removals will be made.

Don’t forget this is an all ages’ community. Flag your images appropriately and select your privacy and adult content settings to best suite your personal user experience.

Do respond to message board posts in an encouraging, informative or supportive manner. Keep in mind each person has his or her own interaction preferences.

Do utilize the block tool when need be. This is an enhancement that many requested; utilizing it is your choice. We encourage you to take the opportunity to create your own personal desired atmosphere.

Do Blog, Blog, Blog! The words you write may help to inspire and educate others. Posting your opinions there will allow people to comment to you directly.

Do submit B&A photos. Take part in sticky posts such as Post-Op Wow Moments and Who Inspires You. These are opportunities for you to share your successes.

Do enhance your profile with your experiences, add your photos, and build up your personal support network by inviting people as friends.