Account restriction of andr3wyong

andr3wyong_was_banned

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So apparently despite:

- Using my HWZ account non-commercially (no direct sales or marketing by post or PM)
- Paying for a deluxe membership
- Not being a VQ staff (I resigned long before this ban to pursue a different industry)

I gather that my name was flagged to HWZ for banning from posting/replying on both IBNC and NGNBN forums as part of a commercial marketing agreement by Singtel.

This is pretty personal seeing as though majority of my help is on this thread, a significant amount of help and advice has also been provided by me in IBNC and NGNBN forums completely non-partisan to ViewQwest.

In any case I re-created my account to continue helping on on Ubiquiti and other infrastructure related questions in IBNC and so if HWZ/Singtel doesn't ban this account too I hope I can continue to offer technical help for some basic questions here.
 

darkmatt

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So apparently despite:

- Using my HWZ account non-commercially (no direct sales or marketing by post or PM)
- Paying for a deluxe membership
- Not being a VQ staff (I resigned long before this ban to pursue a different industry)

I gather that my name was flagged to HWZ for banning from posting/replying on both IBNC and NGNBN forums as part of a commercial marketing agreement by Singtel.

This is pretty personal seeing as though majority of my help is on this thread, a significant amount of help and advice has also been provided by me in IBNC and NGNBN forums completely non-partisan to ViewQwest.

In any case I re-created my account to continue helping on on Ubiquiti and other infrastructure related questions in IBNC and so if HWZ/Singtel doesn't ban this account too I hope I can continue to offer technical help for some basic questions here.


Welcome back....


but do try to get your main account back though
 

gogoala

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andr3wyong_was_banned - ??

alamak mod, why are you making life miserable for VQ sub who come here looking for help
 
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xRenol

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So apparently despite:

- Using my HWZ account non-commercially (no direct sales or marketing by post or PM)
- Paying for a deluxe membership
- Not being a VQ staff (I resigned long before this ban to pursue a different industry)

I gather that my name was flagged to HWZ for banning from posting/replying on both IBNC and NGNBN forums as part of a commercial marketing agreement by Singtel.

This is pretty personal seeing as though majority of my help is on this thread, a significant amount of help and advice has also been provided by me in IBNC and NGNBN forums completely non-partisan to ViewQwest.

In any case I re-created my account to continue helping on on Ubiquiti and other infrastructure related questions in IBNC and so if HWZ/Singtel doesn't ban this account too I hope I can continue to offer technical help for some basic questions here.

It is very obvious that who is behind all those banning.
 

Qubicfactor

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I’m more amused than Henry Ng was not banned from IBNC, he probably discredits Singtel more than the entire VQ staff/fanbase combined :p

Reason? It's called karma :s13:

For a company used to negative marketing tactics, (Gushcloud etc) I am not surprised that they continue to do such things even when being scrutinised by IDA. Then again, a company that behaves like SMRT will probably suffer the same fate sooner or later.

PS: If want to stir, can always cc to Yaacob Ibrahim/IDA and CCS. The can of worms is already open anyway, might as well tip the whole can over.
 
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Dr.Vijay

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You weren't banned - your account was restricted while we conduct further investigation.

I've noticed that you've prominently mentioned that you're no longer a staff at VQ. However a good portion of replies are only in the VQ thread and with posts like these, it's hard for anyone to differentiate if you're indeed a staff.

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/94501913-post1596.html

You've been a valuable contributor, but please also consider how you respond and participate in the forums. Regardless of Singtel sponsoring the forums, we've a strict policy where accounts representing companies/brands aren't allowed to participate in the forums.

If you're fine with our terms, we'll be reinstating your original account.

Kindly PM me for future correspondence.

Thank you.


So apparently despite:

- Using my HWZ account non-commercially (no direct sales or marketing by post or PM)
- Paying for a deluxe membership
- Not being a VQ staff (I resigned long before this ban to pursue a different industry)

I gather that my name was flagged to HWZ for banning from posting/replying on both IBNC and NGNBN forums as part of a commercial marketing agreement by Singtel.

This is pretty personal seeing as though majority of my help is on this thread, a significant amount of help and advice has also been provided by me in IBNC and NGNBN forums completely non-partisan to ViewQwest.

In any case I re-created my account to continue helping on on Ubiquiti and other infrastructure related questions in IBNC and so if HWZ/Singtel doesn't ban this account too I hope I can continue to offer technical help for some basic questions here.
 

Qubicfactor

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You weren't banned - your account was restricted while we conduct further investigation.

I've noticed that you've prominently mentioned that you're no longer a staff at VQ. However a good portion of replies are only in the VQ thread and with posts like these, it's hard for anyone to differentiate if you're indeed a staff.

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/94501913-post1596.html

You've been a valuable contributor, but please also consider how you respond and participate in the forums. Regardless of Singtel sponsoring the forums, we've a strict policy where accounts representing companies/brands aren't allowed to participate in the forums.

If you're fine with our terms, we'll be reinstating your original account.

Kindly PM me for future correspondence.

Thank you.

Then what about Sineoji? Or other similar accounts from other companies, which are still active, even though VQ is "being investigated"? Something isn't right, and I am concerned that the playing field isn't even. If there is a policy, it should be stated outfront, not quietly triggered at someone's whim.

Advertising and Promotion
All posts that have advertising and promotion content nature ARE not allowed with the forums. They will be removed with prior warning by our Moderators. External links to commercial websites with the intent to profit and/or promote a commercial entity are not allowed.
Repeated offence by any member will be deemed as an act of purpose violation of our Terms of Use and www.hardwarezone.com® reserves the right to ban offenders from using this forums without prior notice.

www.hardwarezone.com® aims to build a knowledge base of valuable information contributed by our community.

Parties who are interested in reaching out to our community should contact our media sales. Our media sales executives will be most happy to craft out an effective marketing campaign best suited for your needs.
You may send in your advertising enquiries at the below mentioned URL.

http://advertising.hardwarezone.com/

From the above, I really don't understand why VQ is being targeted even though most of their staff posts are more of providing unofficial support, which is not explicitly forbidden, rather than marketing and advertising.

Is there even an official public listing of which companies are allowed to have accounts representing their brands as part of a marketing agreement with HWZ?

There is probably some truth to someone at ST complaining about VQ staff in HWZ forums. It is sad that in the real world, money always comes first.
 

kira86

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give us back the hwz that it was when it first started out.
good old days with the black and white vbb...
now ? company pay money can advertise. look at hardware clinic, its becoming like a asus forum.
where are all the old birds who are really interested in discussing about hardware issues and stuffs ?
come on Vijay, dont tell me nothing has changed..
am i gonna get banned for this ?
 

andr3wyong_was_banned

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Restricting me from posting in the only forum and sub-forum I participate in is tantamount to a ban on my books.

Many other VQ subscribers generally post only in this thread because that's all we are qualified to comment on. There are different deployment aspects to MR/ST/NC/M1 networks that make it hard to give good support to anyone in the other respective threads.

I've only been a VQ staff between Aug 2013-Apr 2015 and even before/after employment I've generally only contributed here as my first and only RSP has been VQ since NLT wired my home in late September.

You can also see my nickname &d00 at VR-Zone where I've been answering queries on almost only Ubiquiti, MikroTik and VQ related queries since 2011, before I became an active member of HWZ.

If you look at M1 and MR threads there are also enthusiasts which have specific experience to provide community support to other customers on the same RSP and rarely outside of those specific threads.

If you want, I can submit a CPF statement to prove the cessation of my employment at VQ.

I think the point I'm trying to make is that there is no clear policy on this and furthermore I've been arbitrarily suspended without justification when my behavior is in line with many other community-minded members. And the suspension is highly specific and targeted too.

I have no objections to agreeing to a policy that is clear and fairly enforced but I'm really doubtful of that right now.

Care to clear the air on this?
 

darkmatt

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You weren't banned - your account was restricted while we conduct further investigation.

I've noticed that you've prominently mentioned that you're no longer a staff at VQ. However a good portion of replies are only in the VQ thread and with posts like these, it's hard for anyone to differentiate if you're indeed a staff.

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/94501913-post1596.html

You've been a valuable contributor, but please also consider how you respond and participate in the forums. Regardless of Singtel sponsoring the forums, we've a strict policy where accounts representing companies/brands aren't allowed to participate in the forums.

If you're fine with our terms, we'll be reinstating your original account.

Kindly PM me for future correspondence.

Thank you.

Not taking sides here. But is it wrong to post maintenance schedules? After all, even with him/whoever posting about it, there will still be many people raging over the issue should their internet go down.
 

lobo76

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we've a strict policy where accounts representing companies/brands aren't allowed to participate in the forums.

May I know where the line regarding the above policy may be found? Went to FAQ... couldn't find it. Used the search engine for 'company', 'staff', 'commercial' with no success either.
 

sadboy

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Forums belong to them, they can any how flip the switch they like. Lolz..

Anyway Business is like tat.... who rich who win.
 

Dr.Vijay

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Thanks for your clear clarification - I've un-banned your old account.

The restriction we've applied was based on a set of posts being reported that seem to indicate you're a staff of VQ - most of which are old. But it's just yesterday that I personally trawled to find that most of your recent posts are as per what you mentioned - that of other like minded enthusiasts who share a common concern and discussion.

It's also about the same time you've voiced out your official position and thus I've come in to clarify the situation.

We should have contacted you further on PM after the restriction to check/notify but unfortunately it wasn't carried out and that's our fault.

I apologize on behalf of the admin team for the lapse.

Please resume forum usage back to your old account.

Restricting me from posting in the only forum and sub-forum I participate in is tantamount to a ban on my books.

Many other VQ subscribers generally post only in this thread because that's all we are qualified to comment on. There are different deployment aspects to MR/ST/NC/M1 networks that make it hard to give good support to anyone in the other respective threads.

I've only been a VQ staff between Aug 2013-Apr 2015 and even before/after employment I've generally only contributed here as my first and only RSP has been VQ since NLT wired my home in late September.

You can also see my nickname &d00 at VR-Zone where I've been answering queries on almost only Ubiquiti, MikroTik and VQ related queries since 2011, before I became an active member of HWZ.

If you look at M1 and MR threads there are also enthusiasts which have specific experience to provide community support to other customers on the same RSP and rarely outside of those specific threads.

If you want, I can submit a CPF statement to prove the cessation of my employment at VQ.

I think the point I'm trying to make is that there is no clear policy on this and furthermore I've been arbitrarily suspended without justification when my behavior is in line with many other community-minded members. And the suspension is highly specific and targeted too.

I have no objections to agreeing to a policy that is clear and fairly enforced but I'm really doubtful of that right now.

Care to clear the air on this?
 

Dr.Vijay

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Not at all.

It would have been clearer if the post stated the notice was taken from VQ.

Currently, the message reads as though he's representing VQ and it's his own messaging.

Not taking sides here. But is it wrong to post maintenance schedules? After all, even with him/whoever posting about it, there will still be many people raging over the issue should their internet go down.
 

andr3wyong

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Not at all.

It would have been clearer if the post stated the notice was taken from VQ.

Currently, the message reads as though he's representing VQ and it's his own messaging.

Thanks for your clear clarification - I've un-banned your old account.

The restriction we've applied was based on a set of posts being reported that seem to indicate you're a staff of VQ - most of which are old. But it's just yesterday that I personally trawled to find that most of your recent posts are as per what you mentioned - that of other like minded enthusiasts who share a common concern and discussion.

It's also about the same time you've voiced out your official position and thus I've come in to clarify the situation.

We should have contacted you further on PM after the restriction to check/notify but unfortunately it wasn't carried out and that's our fault.

I apologize on behalf of the admin team for the lapse.

Please resume forum usage back to your old account.

Thanks Vijay.

I understand where you are coming from though and if there is a clearer policy on what is defined as commercial I would happily comply and cease certain aspects of community support if there would be suspicion that I am treading the line.

Just that I have checked and honestly cannot find a definitive policy on this at all.

Once again I have to re-iterate that anyone can follow my digital footprint around and it's not so much that I am biased toward certain communities for support but rather this is just the extent of my expertise, lah.

Thanks again but I do suggest having a clearer policy on such commercial issues as well.

Cheers
Andrew
 

Dr.Vijay

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We're not actively moderating the forums even though there are several moderators. The operational model for the forums is more towards community moderating where the moderators look into the reports and feedback provided - which is quite a fair bit on its own.

As such there is definitely a level on uneven moderation as we don't have the the capacity to monitor it all at same level playing field.

That's our pain point and more so because we've been without a community exec for months until recently. So I hope the community, moderation and other aspects will improve in time to come.

Kindly point out any such inconsistencies in the feedback forum - they will be looked into.

Accounts that are officially endorsed as part of marketing tie-ups have very clear labels on their account which will state what forums they are sponsoring or participating in. It's pretty clear and if there are accounts that do such marketing/support activities without such a formal tie-up, we will have to restrict those.

If you're knowledgeable and helping out other fellow members from your personal point of view - that has never been a issue and it's what the forums has always been about.

Then what about Sineoji? Or other similar accounts from other companies, which are still active, even though VQ is "being investigated"? Something isn't right, and I am concerned that the playing field isn't even. If there is a policy, it should be stated outfront, not quietly triggered at someone's whim.

From the above, I really don't understand why VQ is being targeted even though most of their staff posts are more of providing unofficial support, which is not explicitly forbidden, rather than marketing and advertising.

Is there even an official public listing of which companies are allowed to have accounts representing their brands as part of a marketing agreement with HWZ?

There is probably some truth to someone at ST complaining about VQ staff in HWZ forums. It is sad that in the real world, money always comes first.


Why would I ban you for a point of view? Unless you are admitting that you're a VQ staff or indirectly helping them out.

Anyway, nothing has changed for years. It's a simple agreement where we offer a platform that's for consumers to discuss and mingle. Those who use it for other purposes to provide support, marketing, advertising that represent brands/services - directly or indirectly - they will unfortunately be banned.


give us back the hwz that it was when it first started out.
good old days with the black and white vbb...
now ? company pay money can advertise. look at hardware clinic, its becoming like a asus forum.


This issue has gone off-topic enough and since I've clarified of the situation, further OT comments in this thread will be removed. Should there are be other matters of discussion, please raise it in the feedback forum for follow-up.

Thank you.
 

ceecookie

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You've been a valuable contributor, but please also consider how you respond and participate in the forums. Regardless of Singtel sponsoring the forums, we've a strict policy where accounts representing companies/brands aren't allowed to participate in the forums.

Hi vijay,

If you say accounts representing companies/brands are not allowed to participate in forums, then wouldnt the MR thread be in violation of this since there are some accounts which are representing staff of MR?

I dont see any problems with compaines using HWZ as a platform to provide technical support discussion, unless if its against the policies of SPH management then I'll understand.
 

jackycar

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Hi vijay,

If you say accounts representing companies/brands are not allowed to participate in forums, then wouldnt the MR thread be in violation of this since there are some accounts which are representing staff of MR?

I dont see any problems with compaines using HWZ as a platform to provide technical support discussion, unless if its against the policies of SPH management then I'll understand.

Yes MR has plenty 'resellers' that pop up during the shows and throw all kinds of promises around which are definitely more commercially driven than whatever Andrew has been doing.
 

andr3wyong

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Oops - just realized this thread exists. As I've said before, I would be happy to co-operate and reduce certain types of participation (after all, this is not my home and I do not set the rules) - just that there really isn't a very clear cut policy on such behavior that is enforced fairly.
 
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