@Moderators: A Public Forum Isn't Really in Zazzle's Best Interest

[MarilynR]

I have sworn off posting in the forum but not saying anything about this issue is bothering me. So those, who feel the need to attack this post and me, have at it.

1. Many people don't  seem to realize this.

https://community.zazzle.com/t5/general-zazzle-discussion/about-the-forum-since-it-is-public/m-p/101...

2. So besides potentially finding threads in searches on the internet, customers can read posts on the forum without signing in. I didn't seriously think about this until a post made a few days ago. On many of my jobs, there was an admonition not to talk about my employer, the businesses they do business with, and customers in public.  So customers can come into the forum, and read discussions that the customer had with a creator. It is bad enough that a conversation that they probably took as private is found on the forum and could be found in an internet search but it is worse if negative comments are made. Now, a couple of days ago,  a screenshot of an order was posted. This has been done previously. Zazzle only includes the first name of customers for privacy reasons. The post was a discussion of potential negative intentions by the buyer(s). It was suggested that the people listed were recipients of an item sent by one buyer. I decided to test this theory so I searched the first names, city, and states of the listed "recipients" together in one search. I found businesses in those cities related to the product sold run by a person with the first name listed.  So I searched the names and locations with the business type and saw the name of a website that I seen listed in two previous searches. So I did one more search with the name, location, and the website. I found that each of the persons was part of a couple registered on the website. So the website may have bought the product and sent it to the couple for some reason.  So private information that was in a private sales record is now part of a searchable public forum.

3. Now, a thread has been started discussing a business associate of Zazzle. Granted the majority of the posts in this thread are favorable to the business associate. However, businesses do search the internet to find any mention of their business.

https://www.google.com/search?q=companies+search+internet+to+find+mention&oq=companies+search+intern...

Imagine when this business associate of Zazzle finds negative comments about their business in this public searchable Zazzle forum.

Now, I have done what I feel is the right thing by saying something, so I can forget about it.

[SuzyLeeLo]

I also thought it was strange when the new community board was put up and we no longer had a private forum to discuss things as pro-creators.

[MarilynR]

1. I am not saying these topics shouldn't be discussed.  I am saying the public shouldn't be able to see them.

2. Another topic the public shouldn't see is that the colors aren't printing right. It  will be on the forum forever and wasn't marked resolved. However, even if it was marked resolved, a customer may not read that far before they decide not to buy.

[waterart]

The one thing I'm happy about with this forum is that it is public, and I hope it stays that way. I don't like signing in just to see what's going on around here

[Scott]

Firstly, we do hope to have Pro-level areas available soon, which will allow Creators to discuss some topics among themselves.

As always, you're welcome to contact us directly if you have a question that's best kept private.

Our community is available to the public, exactly as it always has been. Even when we hid the forums behind a login we still got an occasional question from a customer. This wasn't a huge deal. In the future we may even encourage customers to visit the forums here to learn more about our products and services, and maybe to include them in the Show Me conversations. This would provide Creators with an additional opportunity to show off their products.

We don't have a big issue with imperfect products being discussed. I think it's actually important to have these conversations so that we can continue to improve our products and features. Customers should also know what they're buying, which is why we leave unflattering (but honest) reviews posted on product pages. The one thing I'd suggest is that we have these conversations in a more professional manner. This will provide us with the information that we'll need to proceed forward, and it'll ensure that anyone that reads your post will continue to see your contributions in a positive light. So, please feel free to share your thoughts on how we're doing, but once you've submitted your post remember to step back and allow others the opportunity and freedom to share their opinion. It's important to remember that we're not all going to agree on every topic.

[MarilynR]

I will say that as a customer if I read something that was about me in the forum especially if it was suggesting that I was doing something wrong, I wouldn't be a customer any more. Also, if I placed an order and found information that could identify me, I would be gone and warning others of the risk of shopping at that business. Maybe you need to remove the name and locations of customers from sales reports.

As far as the Disney thread, the OP has now asked for it to be removed. It may have the type of misinformation that Twitter is now trying to remove.  A business associate of Zazzle is being be disparaged. The discussion has went off-topic, and while it doesn't include me, it includes un-Zazzle related discussion about the perceived characteristics of a certain group of people. However, I am sure that it has some Zazzle-related value that I am just not seeing yet. I will keep reading that thread to see what I can learn.

At 68, with a lot of life and work experience, I agree that you continue to grow by listening to others thoughts, experiences, and opinions. Just in the last two years,  I became aware of the issue of walking or driving while black. However, I also am aware that there are people who play politics even on a forum like this one. They selectively target by saying anything in opposition to the people they have decided to target and when you have been around for twelve years, you have seen them do it a lot to multiple people. They also haven't got past the run to mommy or daddy stage as a targeting tactic, but if that is the forum everybody wants, they can have it.

[Polenth]

I've never been comfortable buying stuff from Zazzle that isn't mine, because it gives my name and town to the creator. It wasn't uncommon for people to put that information in the last thing sold thread and that isn't okay. Even if it was thanking people, it was still private information. Also keeping in mind that my first name is very distinctive, so I could face harassment if I cancelled an order because there was a problem, for example. It would very obviously be me.

Name should never be given to creators in the sales reports and the TOS should prevent people posting sales details in public. You only need the ID if there's a problem, not the buyer's personal information.

Honest reviews are great and all, but that's not related to the privacy issue, which has been an ongoing issue at Zazzle all the time I've been here. I'm sure more customers would be put off if they realised what we can see about them.

[buxmontweb]

I do miss the pro level forums that were private and will be glad to see them when they're back.

I must also say I'm glad that the new forums are open to the public and to search. I hope it increases the chances of our products being found in online searches.

Over the years I have learned and always do my best to speak with honesty and respect no matter who my audience is, which is good policy since you never know when you will be quoted. With the advent of the web and the privacy issues it has caused I believe this has become even more important. Although steps can be taken to protect privacy online, it can never be guaranteed.

ETA:

I agree that the customer name - even just the first name - shouldn't be posted in the forums. I'm not sure creators need to have that information, but the location is nice to know.

[A_New_View]

I had just assumed that these forums were private. I didn't realize they weren't until recently. I wonder what would lead someone here who isn't already a Zazzle member/contributor.  I mean, why would anyone even want to visit these forums if they don't have a Zazzle store here? I don't think it's anything to worry about.