editing reviews at the request of SPs

[drbone]

I have a question to ask about the editing of reviews at the requests of SP's.

I was reading an escort review board in the states, and there was a debate about whether or not a board moderator or admin should edit a review at the request of an SP.

For example, there was a review posted where a hobbyist mentioned that in the session he had with an SP, she provided him greek. The provider contacted the moderators and stated that wasn't the case, and asked them to edit the review at her request. She said that if that was left in the review for everyone to see, then those who read the comments would expect and ask for it, when that in fact is not what she provides.

On the escort review board in question, the moderators decided that they would not edit the review at the request of the SP, and informed her that if she wanted the review edited, to contact the reviewer herself. The mods stated that the review was the property of the "reviewer", and therefore would only edit the review at the reviewer's request.

What is your opinion on this...should reviews be edited at the request of an SP if she claims what was mentioned in the review was a YMMV sort of thing or says it never happened? How do the mods on MERB handle such issues?

 

[naughtylady]

Mods should not edit reviews.

IMHO; In the cited case she should either take a NRP or write a reply to the post. If according to the boards rules neither of these options is available, then the mod should include a notation saying that the SP in question has contacted him and made the following clarification.

My reasoning: If we let mods edit reviews at the SPs request then it follows that within time all negative reviews will end up being edited which goes against the premise of having a review board in the first place.

Ronnie,
Naughtylady

 

[Mod 8]

Hello everyone,

Moderators do not edit reviews unless there has been personal information revealed in the post or the post goes against MERB posting rules and guidelines. We will not remove a review unless the SP has requested a NRP as well as the removal of reviews, in which case all reviews, good and bad, are removed. Other posts mentioning the SP may also be edited to remove reference to her if the post is mainly dealing with another subject instead of removing the post completely.

Mod 8

 

[Rodster]

A Further Suggestion

I agree Mods should not edit unless personal info is revealed or Board rules violated.

Something that has worked well for myself and fellow hobbyists is using enough courtesy and respect and to:
1. First ask the Lady's permission to post a review;
2. Second, PM her a copy before posting shows respect for her and your time with her.

#2 is especially useful if someone is uncertain of what the Lady would appreciate being posted perhaps because it was a first encounter.

If a big difference of opinion or preference is revealed then, best to take care of it in private between hobbyist and SP not openly.

 

[metoo4]

Review editing by the Mods isn't done per se, but it's done in a more drastic way with the NRP done after an SP get a few (or even one!) bad review. All the SP have to do is ask a NRP and POOF! No bad words about her were ever written! That's review editing in disguise.

 

[Regular Guy]

My take on it!

First off the NRP should take effect only at the point at which it was requested. Negative reviews which the MODS deem to be in poor taste or simply expressions of unwarranted vindictiveness should be removed prior to the enactment of the NRP. Otherwise they stand. A warning that an NRP policy is in effect should appear whenever the search function is used for any thread or any search, period. I don't think the sticky is enough. An NRP should be enough of a heads up for any merb member to book the SP with caution. So I believe if the terms above are followed the policy should stand. I think that it goes without saying that there should be no NRP for any agency.

 

[Lily-Rose]

À propos des NRP

Bonjour,

Permettez-moi ici d`ajouter mon commentaire sur les NRP s`il vous plait.

Ce n`est pas parce que quelqu`un demande une NRP qu`il a forcément des intentions malhonnêtes.

Peut-être qu`il y en a qui utilise cette politique à des fins douteuses, mais peut-être aussi qu`il y en a d`autres qui ont de bonnes raisons de le faire.

J`ai moi-même demandé une NRP (maintenant levée) il y a quelques temps et c`était pour des raisons personellis importantes. La vie de chacun est intime, privée, et heureusement, il y a des choses qui n`ont pas à être expliquées ou justifiées publiquement.

Je peux cependant comprendre qu`il y a des gens qui doutent et qui se méfient de ceux qui ont recours à la NRP, mais il ne faudrait pas juger trop vite et mettre tout le monde dans le même bateau.

Merci!

Lily-Rose

 

[Regular Guy]

Slight modification................!

Lily makes a good point. I stand by my original post but suggest that an SP be allowed to briefly express her reasons in the sticky. As far as the veracity of using that from the git-go, one will just have to rely on backchanneling and the willingness of the members to take a chance on an unreviewed escort.

 

[Mod 8]

There are many reasons for which a NRP is requested. It is rarely a result of a SP receiving bad reviews on the board. At times the lady is retiring from the business and wishes to erase all traces of her involvement. Other times it is a result of harassment or a violent incident with an ex boyfriend and is a matter of personal safety. All these reasons are taken into consideration when a NRP is requested. If an SP wishes to have the reason for the NRP included when the NRP is posted, we will do so. By the same token, we will not publish any reason when it is a matter of personal safety or if requested not to do so.

As for past reviews being removed from MERB, this is only done when the person requesting the NRP also makes a request to have them removed.

I would also like to add that anyone with a NRP in effect cannot be promoted or post advertisements on MERB.

Mod 8

 

[drbone]

Lily makes a good point. I stand by my original post but suggest that an SP be allowed to briefly express her reasons in the sticky. As far as the veracity of using that from the git-go, one will just have to rely on backchanneling and the willingness of the members to take a chance on an unreviewed escort.

I would think that backchanneling could be difficult (unless if you have your own private email list) since questions about NRP providers aren't allowed on the board from what I understand, since the responses to the 411 could lead to review-like comments? So, basically, hobbyists who may be interested in visiting with an NRP provider could be walking into the situation blind.

I wonder, though, if it would be a good idea..for a site that honored NRP's, to create a special forum where hobbyists can post questions about NRP'ers, but responses can only be sent through PM or email. Then again, perhaps some providers with an NRP would take issue with that, especialy if they are being bothered by a cyberstalker(s)

I have been following this board for a while (even though I just registered) and it is news to me that providers who have an NRP cannot be promoted or advertise. I thought Fred Zed allowed anyone who paid him money, NRP or not, to advertise? Maybe that's just on TERB but not here? Thanks for the info, Mod8.

 

[Regular Guy]

I would think that backchanneling could be difficult (unless if you have your own private email list) since questions about NRP providers aren't allowed on the board from what I understand, since the responses to the 411 could lead to review-like comments? So, basically, hobbyists who may be interested in visiting with an NRP provider could be walking into the situation blind.

Just to clarify, yes, I was referring to communication carried on beyond the influence of the board.

 

[Merlot]

Mods should not edit reviews.

IMHO; In the cited case she should either take a NRP or write a reply to the post. If according to the boards rules neither of these options is available, then the mod should include a notation saying that the SP in question has contacted him and made the following clarification.

My reasoning: If we let mods edit reviews at the SPs request then it follows that within time all negative reviews will end up being edited which goes against the premise of having a review board in the first place.

Ronnie,
Naughtylady

Hello NaughtyL,

Agreed. If the lady is worried that future clients may have expectations she does not wish to offer due to details in a client's review, then a conditional amendment should be added.

I agree Mods should not edit unless personal info is revealed or Board rules violated.

Something that has worked well for myself and fellow hobbyists is using enough courtesy and respect and to:
1. First ask the Lady's permission to post a review;
2. Second, PM her a copy before posting shows respect for her and your time with her.

#2 is especially useful if someone is uncertain of what the Lady would appreciate being posted perhaps because it was a first encounter.

If a big difference of opinion or preference is revealed then, best to take care of it in private between hobbyist and SP not openly.

Should one ask a lady permission to post a negative review, or even a positive review? The client should respect the lady's privacy, but when this becomes escort control of reviews then it is wrong.

For several years I have often sent reviews to the ladies and agencies for consultation intended only to avoid creating improper pressure on the lady through client expectations. Clients often foolishly expect that what one client received is automatically what is offered to everyone. Many clients unfortunately try to use reviews as leverage to get what they want. I once posted, in a reply to a review, that an unnamed lady was very generous with her time. Because the post I replied to did have a name this lady was suddenly besieged with requests for extra free time though I never implied that, and never referred to any lady specifically about one lady's generosity.
So, I let the ladies and agencies look at the reviews before I post to make sure there is no risk of improper expectations. Other than that the reviews are accurate and genuine. Input from ladies and agencies are fine for cautionary purposes, but not to the point where they take real control of what is represented. Only once did a lady request that I not review her at all to avoid excessive expectations. I thought that was reasonable.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[Rodster]

Great Points Everyone

I should have added more to my comment of consulting a Lady about a review. I thought of it but for some reason clicked "submit" before typing.

I fully agree with the suggestion that if there was malicious wrong doing such as B&S, theft or just plain ignorant behavior beyond a bad day then no, asking permission to post or for clarity of a review prior to posting is not wise or necessary.

That is still valid information for board members.

 

[drbone]

I find this to be an interesting topic that I'm having to deal with, as I'm someone who just started up an escort review site a few months ago covering Texas. I'm trying to figure out a way to balance the Sp's need for privacy (those who request it) with the hobbyists' need for info, and it's a difficult balancing act.

My thinking on the best way to go would also be to set up a No Review list similar to what is on MERB of SPs who request that info about them be deleted for 'privacy/security reasons', but in the same thread allow members the ability to reply by posting 411s about Sps on the list they have an interest in. And, if anyone wants to respond to the inquiry, they should contact the person who asked about the provider via pm or email, not on the board. But if that is allowed, I should also allow providers with the NRPs to continue advertising to the board, since members can still ask about them, but just in that one thread. Maybe I should also update their profiles, so that way when a member clicks on their username/profile, their profile will clearly state "No Review Policy". Just in case if someone forgets to check the list.

Yes, in a perfect world an escort review site SHOULD allow reviews over any objection of the provider or agency, since the moment there was an exchange of money for services, the whole "privacy" thing should go out the window because that's simply how business should work. However, the whole escort review board thing is a unique dilemma. If a review board is perceived as being too unfriendly to providers by refusing to accomodate them in any way, shape, or form, the board will never get any real traffic. And, despite what most hobbyists state about standing up for "uncensored reviews", well, there's the ideal world and then there's the real world. From what I've seen and observed, hobbyists will not support in large numbers a review site that cannot attract SP advertising. They mainly peruse sites where all the Sps post ads to. Whether or not your review site gets any traffic depends on how well a site can attract advertisers.

As for SPs who have a preference for non-graphic reviews vs graphic reviews....

I recall this one review board in particular where they set up a special forum for the express purpose of non-graphic reviews. Providers were allowed to choose how they preferred to be reviewed....they could choose whether or not to be reviewed in the regular review forum where graphic details and acronyms were par for the course, or they could opt for the non-graphic review forum. The providers were required to indicate their preference in their user signature, and the hobbyists were expected to comply. In the non-graphic forum, the hobbyists could basically state whether or not they gave the provider a thumbs up or thumbs down and could also mention a few other things, but they were prohibited from posting anything too graphic or explicit in detail. Again, no mention of acronyms or anything.

I'm not sure if I'd want to go that way, though, but it is one idea. Maybe having a stickied thread in the principal review forum (instead of a separate forum) for the express purpose of allowing people to comment on whether they give a thumbs up or down to providers who expressed a preference for non-graphic reviews..that might be OK. Creating a separate forum just for non-graphic reviews for providers who have that preference does seem excessive, at least to me anyway.