Discussion Forum Site Changes - PM taken down.

Saints,

Through consideration and prayer we have decided to remove the "avatar" images from the discussion forums and will be removing them from the user profiles and registration process. We feel this is a good decision though they have been a blessing to reconize people on the site it also can and has been a hindrance in some ways of people hiding behind the image of a great preacher etc. We feel it will be more genuine and honest to see no images this way and allow good godly conversation to happen amongst believers. The usernames seem sufficient to distinguish between different users.

Also we have decided to take down the private messaging functions on the website forums. Though they have been a blessing and used to encourage fellowship we feel as the site has more traffic it is very hard to guard against mis-use of these functions as well as spam, etc. We are encourage saints who want to ensure contact with others to put an email address in their profiles. Also about site issues to email myself or one of the moderators directly.

We are going to leave the private messages at this point on the website for 2 weeks so you can view them but not respond: https://www.sermonindex.net/viewpmsg.php

We encourage you to archive and copy and paste the messages you want to keep and write down the emails of the people in the profiles you stay in contact etc. Thank you for helping us make this site better and also cutting back in areas the Lord is leading in.

Blessings to you all that serve and use the forums.

I hope nobody is missing this announcement.

Would there be any consideration with putting the PM feature back for a few days or a week or something? I am not comfortable leaving my email address on my profile

We are strongly encouraging everyone to connect via email. Most people have their emails visible through their profiles. We are trusting a 2 week grace period should be long enough for everyone to collect messages they want to keep. I am praying this works out well there are some reasons why we closed the messaging abruptly but I know the Lord has a plan in this for good. God bless.

Probably better anyway, I am a Mod on a auto a/c forum and we can view PM's. Now we usually don't go to the trouble of viewing them, because we have better things to do with our time. I have had to view some in the past 6 years because I was asked to, because some folks got some very rude PM's, and they used as evidence to ban the rude folks from the forum. Every forum I have ever been a Mod on we could view PM's, and I know some folks are not aware of this,maybe not here I don't know, but this is why I personally would rather email.

I fully agree with this. I have had private messages forwarded to me that made me very sad. It is amazing how some brothers and sisters in private can speak so rudely and arrogantly but in public appear very godly and gentle. We must not have these type of double lives by God's grace.

I believe to encourage more public interactions will be better and allow for more to "come to the light" instead of hidden private arguments etc.

SermonIndex must not be a place where people have arguments in private but do not want to associate them with their "real" life ie their email. This is not the right use of this forums or any for that matter.

May God give us all the grace to be servants to each other as much as possible. I appreciate you all.

I appreciate for your understanding and having much grace for me in this situation. I do believe it is a better thing to have this happen and I am thankful for everyone's encouragements and prayer as we continue to pray that this website will bring upmost glory to Christ.

And that it would build His Testimony and not hinder it in anyway.

I personally dreaded the PM. Though I have used it only to reply, I would sometimes leave it for a few days before I opened it. I am somewhat timid when it comes to PM because you just don't know what your going to get, a slamming rebuke or a gentle touch. Luckily, all my PM's have been pretty good. But I won't be sad to see it go.

On another note, is the "quote" no longer working or is that too going?

Thanks

has anyone had difficulties using the "quote" option as well? or is this just me..

I am just bringing this thread back up so people can see this and know about the changes that are occouring.

Wonderful!

I've never liked the PM function, though some wonderful folks have used it to encourage - others use it just to be nosey or to gossip or to say what they wouldn't dare say in public.
While I sit here downloading messages, I see the same names come and go all night but no posts and I know they're not leaving comments on sermons, though Many are.
Who's web space are they using to do these things? Are they contributing financially to use the web space for these things?
This is just a discussion forum - if someone wants to remain anonymous on the Internet - they have every right to do so, because there IS such a thing as "being Stalked on the Internet" - right down to someone getting your Home/Postal Address. There are some very nosey or questionable and some even very strange-strangers out there in cyberspace.
It doesn't bother me in the least to call someone by their sign-on name and I surely don't need to know where they live.
Just post your views on whatever --- that's all discussion forums are really actually for. Not to take the place of the television that you may miss. I've seen forums turn into literal Soap Operas for some people and have known people to get rid of their internet connection because of being stalked. There are websites that if you pay enough, you can get a lot of info on folks, just from their email address or phone number or whatever.
That's not what discussion forums are for. If one can't say it in public [even if it's a compliment or an encouragement] on the discussion forum - it shouldn't be said, 99% of the time.
Internet "Friends" [those I've met on the Internet] have my email address, phone number, home address and don't use it to email me borderline-dirty forwarded "joke" emails.
I've met sisters on the Internet who are now lifetime friends, but I also learned within my first few yrs on the Net, just how vulnerable one can become on the Net.
If GOD wants two people to become friends through the Net, He 'always' provides a safe way to communicate.

Thank you!