AvatarChat Beta | Feedback and Bug Report Thread

[Lethsara]

=3

[Ememiko]

There is a lot of harmful things being said in avichat.

It's kind of like having a discord server without any type of moderation and people will say whatever they want.

If I go into another chatroom (to get away from certain topics), I shouldn't have another user enter that room to see who is in there, and then have them return to the original chatroom and telling people they'd like to hit me with a nail board. That's just an example of the things being said in there. confused

[Bark or Bite]

Ememiko

There is a lot of harmful things being said in avichat.

It's kind of like having a discord server without any type of moderation and people will say whatever they want.

If I go into another chatroom (to get away from certain topics), I shouldn't have another user enter that room to see who is in there, and then have them return to the original chatroom and telling people they'd like to hit me with a nail board. That's just an example of the things being said in there. confused

This is definitely becoming a problem more as of late.

There's also been issues of users stalking other users for the sole purpose of spying on them and bullying them, and it seems like flagging messages isn't accomplishing anything.

I understand that there's a ton of accidental flags - and we've asked repeatedly for the easiest fix (swapping Reply and Thread) - but it's starting to feel like we're being abandoned here.

My friends and I go to avichat regularly, and the bullying, stalking, and sheer lack of real moderation is making it an unbearable wasteland. It seems like we can't go a single day without either someone throwing a colossal tantrum and harassing everyone involved or just saying the most awful, heinous things knowing they'll get away with it because the moderation of Avichat is currently virtually nonexistent.

Who is holding these bad actors accountable, and why is it being allowed to get this bad?

[Addium]

I am deeply disappointed with the current approach that Gaia moderators are taking when it comes to dealing with harassment, trolling, and verbal abuse in the virtual spaces. Innocent users who merely want to enjoy the site are being targeted, and the response from the moderators has been far from satisfactory.

About a week or so ago, an upset individual engaged in harassing behavior for a continuous four-hour period in AviChat, and despite our extensive efforts to address the situation, no action was taken by the moderators. We flagged each offensive comment made by the user, filed reports, and there is even a chat history feature built into the program that clearly documents the abusive behavior. However, none of these measures prompted the moderators to intervene because there was not enough evidence in the report. Unfortunately, chat logs aren't included in the reports and screenshots are not enough proof/evidence.

After this went down, I took a few days to reflect on what happened and why nothing has been done to protect users who just want a safe space to be able to socialize and make friends. It’s frustrating to see that while the moderators have the authority to suspend and ban users, they allow individuals who engage in severe harassment to continue their disruptive behavior unchecked. This inconsistency in enforcement undermines the safety and well-being of the community.

And as of recent, we’ve also been having more users coming in and saying inappropriate/hateful things to each other. Flagged the comments and nothing is still being done about it. It's making several people uncomfortable and now people who were once regulars are now staying away from the platform.

In response to the ongoing harassment issues, I propose the following specific actions for the Gaia Staff to implement:

Immediate Temporary Suspension: Enforce an immediate temporary suspension for users who are flagged multiple times within a short period. This would halt their harmful activities while a full investigation is conducted.

Enhanced Reporting System: Improve the reporting system to prioritize cases involving harassment, trolling, and verbal abuse. Implement a tiered system where reports of severe abuse are escalated and reviewed more quickly.

Clear Communication and Transparency: Provide clear communication to users who file reports, including updates on the status of their reports and actions taken. Transparency in the moderation process will help build trust within the community.

Stricter Penalties for Repeat Offenders: Implement stricter penalties for repeat offenders, including longer suspension periods and potential permanent bans for those who consistently violate community guidelines.

Active Monitoring and Proactive Measures: Increase active monitoring of chatrooms by moderators to identify and address harassment before it escalates. (V, Aura, Leaf, Kloob, and Star pop in the virtual spaces from time to time. Thank you! heart )

Dedicated Support Team for Virtual Spaces: Establish a dedicated support team to handle harassment cases more quickly and efficiently. This team can focus exclusively on resolving issues related to harassment and abuse, ensuring quicker and more effective responses.

As a dedicated member who values creating a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone , I find this lack of effective moderation profoundly disappointing. I know that there are very few moderators on this website these days and this is not a one person job: this is a team effort. I urge the Gaia moderation team to reassess their policies and take more proactive and decisive action against those who violate the community’s standards, ensuring that all users can enjoy hanging out without worrying about being trolled.

Thank you moderators for all that you already do. I appreciate you. Let's work together to create a safe virtual space for everyone.

- Addium

[Lord-Of-Gods-666]

Discord:
GozalKiller#3485

[Emi The Horni]

There is a profound lack of moderation in Avichat. With regularity others will gang up on myself and others to both harass and bully them. There is no way to properly address this besides to just not use avichat as blocking them essentially does nothing. Any embedded link posted by some one you blocked will still show the content they post. Any replies to some one you block will show you the full message from the person you blocked. They are also still able to see what you say in turn. This has led to people still being to harass you as a group despite having the majority of those doing it blocked. There currently just in my case is a group of 5-8 people who will harass me any time I enter chat using; out of context messages that were not even addressed to them, seeing partial messages due to both parties being blocked by the other but seeing slivers of a conversation due to the above mentioned issues with replies, by posting links that automatically embed themselves and then show said content to me directly despite having blocked the user.

We also have members engaging in topics that are well above the pg13 area we try to keep on this website with such regularity that a great deal of people are uncomfortable even being in avichat due to these topics, let alone the actual minors still in chat while they do so.

To any other gaian's reading this unless you knew the other user prior to meeting them on avichat, is has gotten to a point I wholeheartedly suggest that you withhold trusting anyone you meet there. People will be your friend one moment and be one of the people trying to tear you down the next.

[Fairy Maker 2]

Bark or Bite

Ememiko

There is a lot of harmful things being said in avichat.

It's kind of like having a discord server without any type of moderation and people will say whatever they want.

If I go into another chatroom (to get away from certain topics), I shouldn't have another user enter that room to see who is in there, and then have them return to the original chatroom and telling people they'd like to hit me with a nail board. That's just an example of the things being said in there. confused

This is definitely becoming a problem more as of late.

There's also been issues of users stalking other users for the sole purpose of spying on them and bullying them, and it seems like flagging messages isn't accomplishing anything.

I understand that there's a ton of accidental flags - and we've asked repeatedly for the easiest fix (swapping Reply and Thread) - but it's starting to feel like we're being abandoned here.

My friends and I go to avichat regularly, and the bullying, stalking, and sheer lack of real moderation is making it an unbearable wasteland. It seems like we can't go a single day without either someone throwing a colossal tantrum and harassing everyone involved or just saying the most awful, heinous things knowing they'll get away with it because the moderation of Avichat is currently virtually nonexistent.

Who is holding these bad actors accountable, and why is it being allowed to get this bad?

I completely understand and share the concerns expressed by Ememiko and Bark or Bite. The situation in AviChat has indeed become quite problematic due to the lack of effective moderation. Recently, I witnessed abusive behavior by a user that was allowed to continue for hours in AviChat and when I reported it, the focus was more on the method of my report rather than the harassment itself. This approach left me feeling unheard and unsupported.

The ongoing issues with bullying, stalking, and harassment are creating a toxic environment that is driving away genuine users. Despite flagging messages and reporting problems, it seems like nothing is being done to address these concerns. This lack of action is allowing negative behaviors to continue unchecked.

Many of us have repeatedly asked for simple fixes and better moderation. It feels like our concerns are not being addressed, and the current state of AviChat is becoming increasingly difficult to tolerate. We need a more proactive approach to moderation that ensures a safe and respectful environment for all users.

I hope the administrators can take these issues seriously and implement effective measures to improve the situation in AviChat. We all want Gaia to be a welcoming and enjoyable community, and better moderation is key to achieving that.

Who is responsible for addressing these issues, and what can be done to prevent them from escalating further? We need clear communication and effective solutions to ensure that AviChat remains a positive space for everyone.

[Ema Nymton]

Looks like I'm a little late to the party here (I've been SUPER busy!), but seeing as how this isn't one of our typical events, I think I should still be in time to have a look at this. > w <; So then, what do we have here....?

admin

FAQ

How often can I collect Platinum?

Once every hour

Will my equipped flair appear next to my username?

Not yet. Support for flairs is coming in a future update!

Does Avatar Chat support animated items?

Animated Items are not currently supported in Avatar Chat. We are currently working on adding support for Prisma Items.

How do I report another user's message(s)?

Hover over the offending message and click the three dots on the right-hand side. Select "flag" to report the message.

How do I stop seeing another user's message(s)?

If you no longer wish to interact with another user, you can add them to your ignore list.

^_____^ Okies, with all that in mind, let's take a looksee at this new little icon thingie:

How interesting ~ a live chat feature, with a platform game built in! I'm not sure I really see the point... but it's still fun! The way jumping works seems to be a bit... janky, though ~ sometimes the movement is smooth and free, but other times my avvie jerks wildly through the air, which looks a bit clumsy, and is hard to control. I do like the different background graphics in the two rooms (the nighttime scenery, which really makes my avvie pop, being my personal favourite). Sometimes I'm able to drop down through the bridges by pressing downward on my keyboard, but others I'm not ~ is this a glitch? The platinum coins are a nice touch, but barely ever appear in my experience (are these still being worked on?). I don't get the big snowball... but it's still fun to see. Maybe some kind of team sport thingie will be developed for this in future...?

I think it would be nice to introduce some basic emojis, like in the classic zOMG! MMORPG, like a wave, for when you see someone you know and want to interact in a quicker fashion than typing a message (a bit redundant in a CHAT engine, maybe, but I think it would be a nice addition). ^ w ^ Just a thought.

[Kasumi DoII]

Will it become more like towns? So you can explore a map rather then super Mario Brothers style? 

[This House Is Haunted]

I believe I saw somewhere that Platinum is supposed to be achievable every hour, but so far I was only able to collect it once upon my first launch. I'm on Chrome. Also, something definitely needs to be done better to handle the situation of people acting terribly. Just had someone come in and spam that they wanted to unalive themselves in every chat. I'm sure it's only trolling, but that can be potentially triggering to anyone, and simply a nuisance. Would be nice to have moderators who could boot people like that from the chat client.

[teajoy]

''Long-term Goals: ..customizable maps,..''

Customizing board-game rooms in avichat would be cool + having a roll dice option (like snakes and ladders).

[Adelgirl]

Madam Sushi UwU

Here are some suggestions I have!  cat_4laugh
Sorry if they're repeats!  cat_sweatdrop

• If you scroll up in the chat, the chat should stay in place even if a new message appears.
  
• Get rid of the thread option. No one uses it.
  
• Make the reply, flag, and reaction buttons separate from each other, bigger, and more distinguished. (People try to use the reply and accidently flag people)
  
• Add a feature that when you flag a message you can add a note for reporter feedback or pick from a pre-set of multiple choice options so people can go more in depth about the reason why they're flagging the message.
  
• Fix the sliding and bumps on platforms.
  
• Add different rooms for more options of different backgrounds to pick from.
  

I agree with removing the thread option. It makes it confusing, no one wants to make threads- they could just go to the forums for that. Or, at least switch the thread and reply button since more people are going to want to reply more-so than create threads