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Mahalo, thanks for being so forth coming.
Jason, thanks for taking the time to be personally involved in this.
I'm deeply impressed that you didn't just sweep this under the rug given Darcy was the first black belt AND there is no way the community at large would have been able to detect this.
Everybody else; people can not be grouped into black and white categories. Darcy *did* contribute a lot to the community and she probably is as nice as she seemed. I'm sure this is why the Mahalo team didn't catch it before now; she was a key member of the community and was honestly contributing as well.
My brother's a cop and they have a saying; you're seeing people on the worst day of their lives. Darcy's having one of her's now. Forgive her and move on.
My sympathies to the Mahalo team member's who had make this happen.
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That being said, based solely on your explanation I strongly disagree with the decision that has been made.
Innocent until proven guilty rings through my head. The contributions that Darcy has put forth should ensure she is clearly heard before action is taken. I understand withholding a payment until the matter has been fully investigated but accepting "no comment" as "guilty" does not sit well with me.
As strongly as I dislike this decision, I hate that someone would vote up his or her own answers.
Sock puppet or not, I find it difficult to believe that there is sufficient technical data to support what has happened. NAT (network address translation), proxying and various other forms of multi-user network management techniques are used by every major ISP in North America. It is VERY difficult (without generating a unique user id based on teritary information) to identify a single user.
Technically, anyone who knows how to use an anonymous proxy and an alternate browser can "sock puppet" votes securely. It is also possible to misreport IP's and inject cookies to make things at the very least look dubious. These are technical limitations and a inherent flaws in the Mahalo Answers system and the Internet itself. I can't say that any of these things happened, but these things are the reason why "innocent until proven guilty" is ringing through my head.
I don't believe that the Mahalo staff took this decision lightly. Everyone seems to desperately want to foster community and encourage good answers. Thinking with empathy, this must have been a very difficult decision to make.
Mahalo Answers will never be the same. Darcy's contributions will be sadly missed. The quality (and quantity) of both questions and answers will degrade. More than this, Mahalo Answers has sent (what I think is) the first air of distrust across the community that it has worked so hard to build. I sincerely hope that the decision and action is worth this change.
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The only minor concern I have is that people in the same household would possibly vote for each other unintentionally, merely because they think the same, and they would likely have the same IP address. I hope Mahalo continues the policy of confronting the user before making the final decision.
Thanks for being cool, Mahalo!
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I find this pretty shocking. It's pretty hard to believe of Darcy who always seemed to have the strongest ethics, and didn't want people voting for her artiificially ever, even in fun.
It also seems improbable because given the standard of her answers, it's hard to imagine she needed to do anything dishonest to boost her votes.
I'm presuming you have good evidence for your suspicions. I guess it's possible that Darcy's refusal to explain was simply out of hurt that she would be accused, and maybe there is some innocent explanation, like someone who's on the same network, is a friend, and takes an interest in her answers.
But I guess without an actual explanation, you didn't have much alternative but to suspend the account as she asked.
If there are any further developments, please let us know. This is prettty important to the community, and I guess the consequences to the spirit here could be quite damaging.
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I am sincerely shocked by this, and honestly, a little saddened. I don't know what to say other than that I respect the Mahalo team a lot for being so forthcoming with this information. Even though this is a disappointing announcement, I think the way it is being handled exemplifies the Mahalo spirit.
It also makes me happy to see that you guys are so on top of things. If you weren't, this place could be such a breeding ground for low-level scammers. It was a smart move to share this with the community to let those type of people know that you mean business. Keep up the good work!
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I am a little surprised/shocked. Darcy's answers always seemed good enough on their own. The thought that first ran through my head was "would she really need a sock puppet?"
Oh, well... Thank you for being vigilant.
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I'm assuming Jason & team know all her aliases? I'm just a bit curious there.
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Congratulations to the first actual black belt's jeffhoard and easyeboy!
And to easyeboy, it is ridiculous on the things she called you out on (not voting for undecided questions) for your test. At least you weren't voting for your own :) I have learned a lot from your answers. Keep it up!
I know I won't receive any praise for this (and can probably count on unhelpful votes from the darcylogan fan club), but I say how I feel no matter what. Mahalo Answers will continue to function perfectly fine. There is a growing number of great answers coming from new members.
Nobody will remember how many Mahalo Dollars you had when you pass. Don't cheat.
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Perhaps they could have simply done it like my company, where a person simply disappears and you see the typical email,
"All - I have had a wonderful time during my time at Mahalo Answers. I have learned much and had a lot of fun in the process. Unfortunately, this is my last day. Thanks for everything, and if you'd like to contact me personally, you can at xxxxxx@yyy.com."
Was this done simply to use her as an example?
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Thanks, Mahalo, for presenting the reasoning behind this decision, and for not simply keeping mum on the subject. To do so would invite rumor and suspicion, which is destructive to any community.
Looking at the response of this community, I'm very proud of the members. Nothing mean, no sour grapes, just a last sad salute from the regulars.
Once again, bravo for you, gang. It makes me feel good to be part of this community.
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I swore that I wasn't going to do this. However, I feel that Mahalo's version is not quite accurate. First, I did have a second account. I never tried to hide this (given that the name was DarcyL and I used my email address). It was an account I had long before Mahalo Answers began. I used it in the beginning to play around so I could see both sides of things. I never did anything in an effort to intentionally win best answer.
I resent Mahalo's implication that I knowingly did, although I can see how they might perceive that. However, perception is not the same as reality.
Mahalo never asked me for an explanation. I honestly don't think they wanted one. The only email I received from Mahalo was very vague and stated that they were investigating and would let me know. I received it nearly six weeks after I requested a payment--two days before payment was due to arrive.
Why I left
I did not leave because of the accusation. My activity at Mahalo has slowly been declining over the past month. I had a very stressful Good Friday nearly getting pummeled by a tornado, not knowing if my house was still standing, and ended up spending the weekend helping my neighbors piece together their lives. That changes your perspective on things. I felt that all this happening at Mahalo now was a sign from above that I needed to focus my attention on other priorities.
I am sorry if people feel that I have let them down. I knew that the pedestal I was perched on was bound to fail eventually. I am only human and am bound to make mistakes. I am not perfect, even when I try to be.
I want to thank everyone for their support and wish everyone the best. Hopefully, this will put this all to rest so people can focus their energies on things that really matter. Be well and happy.
Darcy Logan
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Answered Question
April 15, 2009 12:11 AM
Mahalo Response to Recent Inquiries
This past week, one of our long-time top users, Darcy Logan, requested a pay-out of some of her Mahalo Dollars. As her money was being processed, our team noticed that many of her questions had been voted up or selected as "Best Answer" by a different Mahalo Answers user with a similar name. These votes occurred between December 20, 2008 and February 10, 2009, and stopped when Mahalo Answers began revealing votes publicly.
Further investigation revealed that this second user was using the same computer as Darcy, and was most likely Darcy herself using a "sock puppet." Voting for yourself, of course, is a direct violation of the spirit of Mahalo Answers, and could be considered fraud, as it artificially inflates the support for a user's answer and makes it more likely that he or she will receive extra points and tips. Fraud is very serious issue and the community can not function properly if people create multiple accounts to out-vote their fellow community members.
We presented our findings to Darcy and, rather than offer an explanation or appeal, she chose to simply close her Mahalo account. We accepted her decision.
According to our terms of service, Mahalo's policy is to suspend or terminate any user account that is suspected of fraud: "Mahalo may suspend or terminate your account if we suspect, in our sole judgment, that you (by conviction, settlement, insurance or escrow investigation, or otherwise) have engaged in fraudulent activity in connection with the Site or have engaged in activities in violation of the terms of this Agreement." The Mahalo Dollars Darcy earned illegitimately during this period will be recirculated back into the system in the forms of tips on new questions.
We are sorry to lose Darcy, who has been a major presence on our site since its very inception. But we owe it to our other users, earning points and money in Mahalo Answers in good faith, to identify and investigate anyone who is taking advantage of the system and attempting to cash out unearned tips.
Further investigation revealed that this second user was using the same computer as Darcy, and was most likely Darcy herself using a "sock puppet." Voting for yourself, of course, is a direct violation of the spirit of Mahalo Answers, and could be considered fraud, as it artificially inflates the support for a user's answer and makes it more likely that he or she will receive extra points and tips. Fraud is very serious issue and the community can not function properly if people create multiple accounts to out-vote their fellow community members.
We presented our findings to Darcy and, rather than offer an explanation or appeal, she chose to simply close her Mahalo account. We accepted her decision.
According to our terms of service, Mahalo's policy is to suspend or terminate any user account that is suspected of fraud: "Mahalo may suspend or terminate your account if we suspect, in our sole judgment, that you (by conviction, settlement, insurance or escrow investigation, or otherwise) have engaged in fraudulent activity in connection with the Site or have engaged in activities in violation of the terms of this Agreement." The Mahalo Dollars Darcy earned illegitimately during this period will be recirculated back into the system in the forms of tips on new questions.
We are sorry to lose Darcy, who has been a major presence on our site since its very inception. But we owe it to our other users, earning points and money in Mahalo Answers in good faith, to identify and investigate anyone who is taking advantage of the system and attempting to cash out unearned tips.
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| April 15, 2009 02:50 AM |
Jason, thanks for taking the time to be personally involved in this.
I'm deeply impressed that you didn't just sweep this under the rug given Darcy was the first black belt AND there is no way the community at large would have been able to detect this.
Everybody else; people can not be grouped into black and white categories. Darcy *did* contribute a lot to the community and she probably is as nice as she seemed. I'm sure this is why the Mahalo team didn't catch it before now; she was a key member of the community and was honestly contributing as well.
My brother's a cop and they have a saying; you're seeing people on the worst day of their lives. Darcy's having one of her's now. Forgive her and move on.
My sympathies to the Mahalo team member's who had make this happen.
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April 15, 2009 12:33 AM
Thank you Lon and Mahalo Answers for providing a response to this issue. Many traditional forums and heck, companies in general would not provide this type of information and rather simply direct everyone to the TOS blindly. It speaks volumes of the staff and management that this statement exists. That being said, based solely on your explanation I strongly disagree with the decision that has been made.
Innocent until proven guilty rings through my head. The contributions that Darcy has put forth should ensure she is clearly heard before action is taken. I understand withholding a payment until the matter has been fully investigated but accepting "no comment" as "guilty" does not sit well with me.
As strongly as I dislike this decision, I hate that someone would vote up his or her own answers.
Sock puppet or not, I find it difficult to believe that there is sufficient technical data to support what has happened. NAT (network address translation), proxying and various other forms of multi-user network management techniques are used by every major ISP in North America. It is VERY difficult (without generating a unique user id based on teritary information) to identify a single user.
Technically, anyone who knows how to use an anonymous proxy and an alternate browser can "sock puppet" votes securely. It is also possible to misreport IP's and inject cookies to make things at the very least look dubious. These are technical limitations and a inherent flaws in the Mahalo Answers system and the Internet itself. I can't say that any of these things happened, but these things are the reason why "innocent until proven guilty" is ringing through my head.
I don't believe that the Mahalo staff took this decision lightly. Everyone seems to desperately want to foster community and encourage good answers. Thinking with empathy, this must have been a very difficult decision to make.
Mahalo Answers will never be the same. Darcy's contributions will be sadly missed. The quality (and quantity) of both questions and answers will degrade. More than this, Mahalo Answers has sent (what I think is) the first air of distrust across the community that it has worked so hard to build. I sincerely hope that the decision and action is worth this change.
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Voted as best: viridicus
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April 15, 2009 12:41 AM
1. She admitted to doing it.
2. We can tell if someone is using a sock puppet... and we're 100% certain of it here.
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2. We can tell if someone is using a sock puppet... and we're 100% certain of it here.
April 15, 2009 12:46 AM
I did agree with @robbrowns arguments there, but it wasn't made clear in the original post that Darcy had admitted to it! That does make it a whole different matter.
However, I'm sure there is no absolutely fool-proof method of spotting a 'sock-puppeting' trend, as Rob mentioned there are numerous methods of spoofing credentials to hide your tracks.
Sorry to see someone go, however under the circumstances I think the right decision was made.
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However, I'm sure there is no absolutely fool-proof method of spotting a 'sock-puppeting' trend, as Rob mentioned there are numerous methods of spoofing credentials to hide your tracks.
Sorry to see someone go, however under the circumstances I think the right decision was made.
April 15, 2009 12:47 AM
Well, that does change the meat-and-potatoes portion of Lon's statement,
"We presented our findings to Darcy and, rather than offer an explanation or appeal, she chose to simply close her Mahalo account. We accepted her decision."
If she admitted it... then yup, this is shocking news and I am sincerely disheartened. It will sound odd, but I just lost a bit of my faith in humanity. If Darcy really is capable of this (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), what are people in general willing to do for a quick buck?
I will not personally comment on this any further.
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"We presented our findings to Darcy and, rather than offer an explanation or appeal, she chose to simply close her Mahalo account. We accepted her decision."
If she admitted it... then yup, this is shocking news and I am sincerely disheartened. It will sound odd, but I just lost a bit of my faith in humanity. If Darcy really is capable of this (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), what are people in general willing to do for a quick buck?
I will not personally comment on this any further.
April 15, 2009 01:18 AM
@robbrown... There's nothing odd in this incident taking away some of your faith in humanity, and getting you disheartened about what people will do.
The only thing I'd say about that is don't get *too* disheartened. While people are capable of a fair amount of sleaziness, the selfsame people are capable of a great deal of goodness too. There aren't too many that are entirely one thing or the other. Go figure, but that's the way it seems to be.
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The only thing I'd say about that is don't get *too* disheartened. While people are capable of a fair amount of sleaziness, the selfsame people are capable of a great deal of goodness too. There aren't too many that are entirely one thing or the other. Go figure, but that's the way it seems to be.
April 15, 2009 01:27 AM
She admitted to it? When I talked to her on the phone, she said she was surprised about the lock-out herself. She never admitted any wrong-doing to me. Not that she couldn't have snowed me, but that would be a bitter pill to swallow.
I don't mean to sound incredulous... Jason: Are you SURE she admitted to it? Are you absolutely sure the communication wasn't misconstrued or misinterpreted? Did she admit it to YOU? Or did you get this from one of the staff members (a possible filter of misinterpretation)?
Just checking in... thanks.
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I don't mean to sound incredulous... Jason: Are you SURE she admitted to it? Are you absolutely sure the communication wasn't misconstrued or misinterpreted? Did she admit it to YOU? Or did you get this from one of the staff members (a possible filter of misinterpretation)?
Just checking in... thanks.
April 15, 2009 01:42 AM
@drmatt I have not been briefed on what type of communication she has had with Jason or the rest of the in-house staff, but I spoke with her for well over an hour yesterday and she did admit to me that she created an alternative account and used it vote on her answers, she appeared to not know that it was wrong.
The ideal solution I had was to simply remove the points/cash she earned during her gaming period, having the account closed was Darcy's decision and she wishes to leave the community we can do nothing more then wish her the best in her future endeavors.
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The ideal solution I had was to simply remove the points/cash she earned during her gaming period, having the account closed was Darcy's decision and she wishes to leave the community we can do nothing more then wish her the best in her future endeavors.
April 15, 2009 01:59 AM
@jeffhoard... I guess she must be feeling it would just be too awkward and embarrassing to stay. That's a shame
If she'd made an apology I think most of us could have forgiven her, and we'd have prefered that to her leaving.
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If she'd made an apology I think most of us could have forgiven her, and we'd have prefered that to her leaving.
April 16, 2009 02:38 AM
@robbrown
"If she admitted it... then yup, this is shocking news and I am sincerely disheartened. It will sound odd, but I just lost a bit of my faith in humanity. If Darcy really is capable of this (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), what are people in general willing to do for a quick buck? "
Yup , my sentiments exactly , when i saw this i was sick to my stomach because i talked with he off mahalo and she didn't seem like the kind of person that was even capable of doing something like this.
I am definitely in total shock over here.
But if she really did do this she really doesn't deserve any of the money for the second payment.
I mean my god, wasn't it her that was preaching all that time about people "gaming the system" .
Total shock. wt*
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"If she admitted it... then yup, this is shocking news and I am sincerely disheartened. It will sound odd, but I just lost a bit of my faith in humanity. If Darcy really is capable of this (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), what are people in general willing to do for a quick buck? "
Yup , my sentiments exactly , when i saw this i was sick to my stomach because i talked with he off mahalo and she didn't seem like the kind of person that was even capable of doing something like this.
I am definitely in total shock over here.
But if she really did do this she really doesn't deserve any of the money for the second payment.
I mean my god, wasn't it her that was preaching all that time about people "gaming the system" .
Total shock. wt*
April 15, 2009 12:53 AM
I am sorry to hear about these events. It is sad. On the other hand, I am so glad that this site is policed against such things. It is frustrating for those of us trying to follow the rules when other people are gaming the system. The only minor concern I have is that people in the same household would possibly vote for each other unintentionally, merely because they think the same, and they would likely have the same IP address. I hope Mahalo continues the policy of confronting the user before making the final decision.
Thanks for being cool, Mahalo!
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April 15, 2009 01:43 AM
This worries me a little. My son really wants a Mahalo account--he has one and has used it maybe twice, only to answer a couple of gaming-related questions. So it worries me a *little*, because his writing style is different than mine, and his interests are different.
I'd like Jason to address this at some point: how will MA handle when multiple people in one household have accounts?
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I'd like Jason to address this at some point: how will MA handle when multiple people in one household have accounts?
April 15, 2009 03:53 AM
Bear in mind, before any of this became public, we had a behind-the-scenes conversation with Darcy. If, occasionally, one of your answers was voted up by an independent actor who happened to share your IP address, we might ask you about it (although unless it was happening consistently, this is unlikely). But if you said, "Oh, that's my son's account," and this seemed reasonable based on the history and behavior of the account...nothing would happen.
This situation, on the other hand, was pretty open-and-shut. And even so, we really wanted to avoid having to entirely remove Darcy from the system. Ceasing her involvement with the site was Darcy's decision.
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This situation, on the other hand, was pretty open-and-shut. And even so, we really wanted to avoid having to entirely remove Darcy from the system. Ceasing her involvement with the site was Darcy's decision.
April 16, 2009 03:22 AM
Thanks for the good possible scenario, Ion. In that case I might let him use MA once in awhile as a privilege. But I think he's more interested in answering questions and reading than in voting at the moment.
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April 15, 2009 01:01 AM
Thanks for letting us know what happened. I find this pretty shocking. It's pretty hard to believe of Darcy who always seemed to have the strongest ethics, and didn't want people voting for her artiificially ever, even in fun.
It also seems improbable because given the standard of her answers, it's hard to imagine she needed to do anything dishonest to boost her votes.
I'm presuming you have good evidence for your suspicions. I guess it's possible that Darcy's refusal to explain was simply out of hurt that she would be accused, and maybe there is some innocent explanation, like someone who's on the same network, is a friend, and takes an interest in her answers.
But I guess without an actual explanation, you didn't have much alternative but to suspend the account as she asked.
If there are any further developments, please let us know. This is prettty important to the community, and I guess the consequences to the spirit here could be quite damaging.
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April 15, 2009 01:03 AM
Wow. I am sincerely shocked by this, and honestly, a little saddened. I don't know what to say other than that I respect the Mahalo team a lot for being so forthcoming with this information. Even though this is a disappointing announcement, I think the way it is being handled exemplifies the Mahalo spirit.
It also makes me happy to see that you guys are so on top of things. If you weren't, this place could be such a breeding ground for low-level scammers. It was a smart move to share this with the community to let those type of people know that you mean business. Keep up the good work!
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April 15, 2009 01:21 AM
I agree that the way Mahalo is handling this exemplary.
It can't have been easy for Jason & the staff. Probably even more shocking for them than the rest of us.
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It can't have been easy for Jason & the staff. Probably even more shocking for them than the rest of us.
April 16, 2009 02:27 AM
That/THIS is so screwed up, if she (if she is really a she) did do this stuff, then by all means she should be paid a single dime, and mahalo should contact paypal and be like "well wtf this troll tried to screw us, we are a big customer and we WANT OUR MONEY BACK"
I can't believe this, I'm totally shocked right now.
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I can't believe this, I'm totally shocked right now.
April 15, 2009 01:47 AM
Tritto. The explanation shows the people involved here are top-notch.
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April 15, 2009 01:43 AM
As stated by many above, thank you for informing the community of this. I am a little surprised/shocked. Darcy's answers always seemed good enough on their own. The thought that first ran through my head was "would she really need a sock puppet?"
Oh, well... Thank you for being vigilant.
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April 15, 2009 01:44 AM
This really saddens me. For some reason I never saw many of Darcy's answers. I don't know if we just weren't interested in the same kinds of questions. About the only overlap was questions that pertained to MA as a whole, or the silly/goofy kinds of questions or questions on personal preferences. I'm assuming Jason & team know all her aliases? I'm just a bit curious there.
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April 15, 2009 02:21 AM
Well I think it's time to see her removed from the All Time Top Members area. I don't want to see Barry Bonds in the Baseball Hall of Fame just as I don't want to see darcylogan in the "Top Members" area. Maybe the Hall of Shame? Congratulations to the first actual black belt's jeffhoard and easyeboy!
And to easyeboy, it is ridiculous on the things she called you out on (not voting for undecided questions) for your test. At least you weren't voting for your own :) I have learned a lot from your answers. Keep it up!
I know I won't receive any praise for this (and can probably count on unhelpful votes from the darcylogan fan club), but I say how I feel no matter what. Mahalo Answers will continue to function perfectly fine. There is a growing number of great answers coming from new members.
Nobody will remember how many Mahalo Dollars you had when you pass. Don't cheat.
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April 15, 2009 04:21 AM
I am totally shocked by this. Regardless, I am very surprised that Mahalo is airing out dirty laundry. I really appreciate it, but I almost feel that this type of transparency may disrupt Mahalo a bit too much for it to be worth it, especially to new users that may think, "Wow, this place has some serious issues if its own best people are cheating," or worse, "I can just make multiple accounts and game the system! Awesome!" Perhaps they could have simply done it like my company, where a person simply disappears and you see the typical email,
"All - I have had a wonderful time during my time at Mahalo Answers. I have learned much and had a lot of fun in the process. Unfortunately, this is my last day. Thanks for everything, and if you'd like to contact me personally, you can at xxxxxx@yyy.com."
Was this done simply to use her as an example?
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April 15, 2009 07:54 AM
We could have swept this under the rug, but because it was the top users there was no way to not answer the communities request for information. We did struggle over both disclosing why this happened and, in fact, turning off Darcy's account.
This is very sad for us as well as the community. We loved Darcy's participation. If she wanted to come back, and the community and our editors came to an agreement under which that could happen, I would be ok with that.
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This is very sad for us as well as the community. We loved Darcy's participation. If she wanted to come back, and the community and our editors came to an agreement under which that could happen, I would be ok with that.
April 15, 2009 09:47 AM
"I almost feel that this type of transparency may disrupt Mahalo a bit too much for it to be worth it, especially to new users"
I think the opposite is true. I think that this type of transparency will stop "gaming the system" as it evolves.
Also, I think that DrMatt and myself are good examples of why this is important. Without clearly knowing what she did and that she admitted to it, her actions are left completely to speculation and gossip.
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I think the opposite is true. I think that this type of transparency will stop "gaming the system" as it evolves.
Also, I think that DrMatt and myself are good examples of why this is important. Without clearly knowing what she did and that she admitted to it, her actions are left completely to speculation and gossip.
April 15, 2009 04:32 PM
@jasoncalacanis... I think you did the right thing to inform us. After people started asking "Where's Darcy?" and even calling her up to check on her, there was no way to not give a proper explanation.
Also, this sends a clear message to any one tempted to try to game the system.
I would also be ok with Darcy coming back after a suitable apology and explanation. Providing of course Mahalo and the other members of the community were ok with it too.
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Also, this sends a clear message to any one tempted to try to game the system.
I would also be ok with Darcy coming back after a suitable apology and explanation. Providing of course Mahalo and the other members of the community were ok with it too.
April 15, 2009 07:07 PM
Guys, I didn't see the earlier question and the "Where's Darcy" stuff. In retrospect, I totally agree that this was the best way to approach it. This definitely reinforces the idea of "community."
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April 15, 2009 07:18 PM
There is no reason to sweep this under the rug. It should not be taken lightly, Mahalo lost valuable members of its community because she always got the best answer, and they were not able to.
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April 15, 2009 07:37 PM
@easeboy.... I think there might be some retrospective changing of the Best Answers going on. Unless my memory is playing tricks, Darcy got the Best Answer through voting on this question originally, but now it's me:
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/politics/what-were-george-bushs-biggest-accomplishments-in-office
I was orginally surprised not to get best answer as I had so many helpful votes, but I figured people just sympathised with Darcy's politics.
Don't know if the points and tips are being altered as well. I don't think so, but it's not that easy to tell.
EDIT:
I misread. Darcy's answer seems to have been deleted, so there is no Best Answer. Mine just appears at the top as the most helpful.
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http://www.mahalo.com/answers/politics/what-were-george-bushs-biggest-accomplishments-in-office
I was orginally surprised not to get best answer as I had so many helpful votes, but I figured people just sympathised with Darcy's politics.
Don't know if the points and tips are being altered as well. I don't think so, but it's not that easy to tell.
EDIT:
I misread. Darcy's answer seems to have been deleted, so there is no Best Answer. Mine just appears at the top as the most helpful.
April 15, 2009 04:50 AM
This turn of events saddens me, but I'm very impressed that Mahalo is keeping everything out in the open. I'll miss Darcy - she was fun to banter with and I thought her answers were top notch. I wish her all the best. Thanks, Mahalo, for presenting the reasoning behind this decision, and for not simply keeping mum on the subject. To do so would invite rumor and suspicion, which is destructive to any community.
Looking at the response of this community, I'm very proud of the members. Nothing mean, no sour grapes, just a last sad salute from the regulars.
Once again, bravo for you, gang. It makes me feel good to be part of this community.
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April 16, 2009 04:05 AM
Message from Darcy Logan I swore that I wasn't going to do this. However, I feel that Mahalo's version is not quite accurate. First, I did have a second account. I never tried to hide this (given that the name was DarcyL and I used my email address). It was an account I had long before Mahalo Answers began. I used it in the beginning to play around so I could see both sides of things. I never did anything in an effort to intentionally win best answer.
I resent Mahalo's implication that I knowingly did, although I can see how they might perceive that. However, perception is not the same as reality.
Mahalo never asked me for an explanation. I honestly don't think they wanted one. The only email I received from Mahalo was very vague and stated that they were investigating and would let me know. I received it nearly six weeks after I requested a payment--two days before payment was due to arrive.
Why I left
I did not leave because of the accusation. My activity at Mahalo has slowly been declining over the past month. I had a very stressful Good Friday nearly getting pummeled by a tornado, not knowing if my house was still standing, and ended up spending the weekend helping my neighbors piece together their lives. That changes your perspective on things. I felt that all this happening at Mahalo now was a sign from above that I needed to focus my attention on other priorities.
I am sorry if people feel that I have let them down. I knew that the pedestal I was perched on was bound to fail eventually. I am only human and am bound to make mistakes. I am not perfect, even when I try to be.
I want to thank everyone for their support and wish everyone the best. Hopefully, this will put this all to rest so people can focus their energies on things that really matter. Be well and happy.
Darcy Logan
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April 16, 2009 04:36 AM
Thanks for the explanation Darcy.
If this is accurate, then you have been unjustly treated by Mahalo. Though perhaps through misunderstandings and miscommunication rather than intentionally.
It seems they thought you refused to explain, while you felt they never gave you a proper chance to explain.
Certainly a second id called DarcyL doesn't sound like anyone trying to mislead or game the system.
I wonder what Lon meant when he said:
'many of her questions had been voted up or selected as "Best Answer" by a different Mahalo Answers user with a similar name'
Just how many?
If he's talking about a dozen votes then that certainly sounds like playing around and testing how things work rather than any attempt to cheat the system. Hopefully Mahalo can tell us the stats which should shed some light on this.
Anyway, as you can tell from everyone's response, we were all shocked as what we heard seemed so out of character for you.
I guess I would now like to hear exactly what evidence Mahalo had, so this can be put to rest once and for all.
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If this is accurate, then you have been unjustly treated by Mahalo. Though perhaps through misunderstandings and miscommunication rather than intentionally.
It seems they thought you refused to explain, while you felt they never gave you a proper chance to explain.
Certainly a second id called DarcyL doesn't sound like anyone trying to mislead or game the system.
I wonder what Lon meant when he said:
'many of her questions had been voted up or selected as "Best Answer" by a different Mahalo Answers user with a similar name'
Just how many?
If he's talking about a dozen votes then that certainly sounds like playing around and testing how things work rather than any attempt to cheat the system. Hopefully Mahalo can tell us the stats which should shed some light on this.
Anyway, as you can tell from everyone's response, we were all shocked as what we heard seemed so out of character for you.
I guess I would now like to hear exactly what evidence Mahalo had, so this can be put to rest once and for all.
April 16, 2009 06:12 AM
"I never did anything in an effort to intentionally win best answer"
So why did you vote for your own answers with that account? Such a "top level" member during those months would surely know what clicking the vote for best answer button would do.
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So why did you vote for your own answers with that account? Such a "top level" member during those months would surely know what clicking the vote for best answer button would do.
April 16, 2009 10:29 AM
"I felt that all this happening at Mahalo now was a sign from above that I needed to focus my attention on other priorities."
Good for you. Take the high road. This whole thing is blown open because you were an important part of Mahalo Answers to a lot of people. Don't let this affect your life, Darcy.
No one will ever know for sure what happened here. The answer lies somewhere in the middle. So, move on. I wish you well and know that whoever you choose to help next is lucky.
If for some reason you were voting up your answers because you really needed the money - please send me a direct question and I will transfer my earnings from this month to you.
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Good for you. Take the high road. This whole thing is blown open because you were an important part of Mahalo Answers to a lot of people. Don't let this affect your life, Darcy.
No one will ever know for sure what happened here. The answer lies somewhere in the middle. So, move on. I wish you well and know that whoever you choose to help next is lucky.
If for some reason you were voting up your answers because you really needed the money - please send me a direct question and I will transfer my earnings from this month to you.
April 16, 2009 02:30 PM
The fact you offerred a rebuttal tells me your willing to fight. You need a champion, but unfortunately on Mahalo, you don't get one. I've been arguing for a black belt board to provide that venue. Hard issues debated by the board.
Darcy, the sock puppet argument is the turn point. TOS allows Mahalo too quietly excuse you. If your excused, you lose all your earnings.
The accusation of gaming the system seems too be the issue. Jason states you "confessed" to the fraudently activity. Your enemies moved quick with that statement insisting on removal of your status and name. Social networks can be hostile places to work.
Good luck.
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Darcy, the sock puppet argument is the turn point. TOS allows Mahalo too quietly excuse you. If your excused, you lose all your earnings.
The accusation of gaming the system seems too be the issue. Jason states you "confessed" to the fraudently activity. Your enemies moved quick with that statement insisting on removal of your status and name. Social networks can be hostile places to work.
Good luck.
April 16, 2009 02:50 PM
Dave, I've been fairly clear about the issue: I'm sad to see Darcy go and I was hoping she would make up with the community and stay. Trust me, we WANT users who give a LOT of great answers like Darcy. We would have LOVED to pay out the Mahalo Dollars she requested, however you we can't let folks cheat by voting for themselves dozens and dozens of times. If we let Darcy create a second account and vote herself up above other folks, well, than other folks will create two accounts.
Everyone here is actually rooting for Darcy. We very carefully "suspended" her account--she closed it. We were hoping she would explain the situation, forfeit the money she didn't earn (or give it back to the community) and move on. Take some kind of a penalty for, essentially, cheating.
That being said, we've already decided we will recirculate her dollars into the system with tips on untipped questions. We're not making any money from this.
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Everyone here is actually rooting for Darcy. We very carefully "suspended" her account--she closed it. We were hoping she would explain the situation, forfeit the money she didn't earn (or give it back to the community) and move on. Take some kind of a penalty for, essentially, cheating.
That being said, we've already decided we will recirculate her dollars into the system with tips on untipped questions. We're not making any money from this.
April 16, 2009 03:17 PM
As I said above, we were sorry to lose an active user like Darcy from the system, but she requested her account be closed out immediately after receiving our first e-mail on the matter (which merely pointed out what we had observed and suspended, not terminated, her account). No explanation that justifies a long-standing and egregious violation of the Terms of Service of Mahalo Answers was offered then or now.
None of the information presented in my initial post above is inaccurate - a second account was created, many more than a dozen votes were cast for Darcy's own answers from this account, and this action violates not only our site's Terms of Service but our sense of fairness. Attempts to hide or not hide the existence of this account are immaterial.
Darcy has now admitted the wrongdoing publicly. I'm not sure what is meant by the term "a proper chance to explain," but we at Mahalo were perfectly happy to resolve this matter in private. Darcy chose not to take that opportunity.
I feel that this matter has played itself out, and there is little more to be said.
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None of the information presented in my initial post above is inaccurate - a second account was created, many more than a dozen votes were cast for Darcy's own answers from this account, and this action violates not only our site's Terms of Service but our sense of fairness. Attempts to hide or not hide the existence of this account are immaterial.
Darcy has now admitted the wrongdoing publicly. I'm not sure what is meant by the term "a proper chance to explain," but we at Mahalo were perfectly happy to resolve this matter in private. Darcy chose not to take that opportunity.
I feel that this matter has played itself out, and there is little more to be said.
April 16, 2009 03:55 PM
"Everyone here {at Mahalo} is actually rooting for Darcy. We very carefully "suspended" her account--she closed it."
"we at Mahalo were perfectly happy to resolve this matter in private."
Those are some pretty stand-up comments there. I'm obviously not one to suck-up at all (see initial answer) ... but I'm convinced now more than ever that Mahalo Answers will succeed. You guys have a great philosophy to back up the system you've built.
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"we at Mahalo were perfectly happy to resolve this matter in private."
Those are some pretty stand-up comments there. I'm obviously not one to suck-up at all (see initial answer) ... but I'm convinced now more than ever that Mahalo Answers will succeed. You guys have a great philosophy to back up the system you've built.
April 16, 2009 09:27 PM
I believe it's good that Mahalo caught this, and took action. Although it's sad to see Darcy go, it's also very sad to see that she unfortunately had to act like this, as there are times when others should have been rewarded the best answer. I believe that Mahalo Answers should give credit where credit is due, and reward those with the best answer who really deserved it. The easy way is to recycle the currency back into the community.
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I agree, best answer right here folks!