That's interesting that some people call 911 because they're lonely! :D My point was basically that abuse can't be removed from any system built to protect or monitor someone. The best you can do is get the system started and HOPE that people give factual information and HOPE that everything works the way it's supposed to so that regardless of whatever negativity there is from system abuse, the positive thing is that one or more people will actually be helped by Zadi's idea and get to keep living. :)
--- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Rey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Here's a report from the DOJ on the abuse of 911 calls: > > http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=470 > > This is not a new problem. > > -Rick > > > > On 12/22/06, Bill Cammack <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Abuse can't be avoided, for the reasons someone stated before. The best > > bet with a > > system like that would be to have the emergency information hidden and > > only accessed via > > a button on the user's page. Even then, as Edmund stated, there's nothing > > stopping > > someone from using the button when it wasn't necessary, not only spamming > > that one > > user, but the system in general that would be used to monitor these > > button-presses. I > > know you're saying the emergency contact people would be contacted > > directly, but there > > would also have to be some sort of system of tracking who "dialed it in", > > especially if there > > are supposed to be penalties for system abuse. > > > > Second, lots of people are going to put in fake information if the form is > > mandatory. If it's > > not mandatory, they're not going to put in information at all. Only the > > people that > > completely buy into the system and trust it will be able to benefit if > > something goes wrong > > with them. > > > > On top of that, having the emails/IMs go to an emergency contact person > > instead of a > > centralized group that's been charged with handling these things assumes > > that A) the > > person on the contact list has immediate access to either IMs or their > > email, and B) they're > > willing/able to do something about it, immediately. That's why people get > > paid to be > > firemen. Their job is to sit around doing nothing until the moment that > > they're needed, > > then they go into action, IMMEDIATELY, and do what they're trained to do. > > Your system > > would need a central location that has these contacts 'on file', and is in > > charge of making > > things happen, ASAP. > > > > I think your idea is a very good one, but implementing it creates > > opportunities for abuse > > and you have to take the good with the bad in order to be able to > > potentially save > > someone's life. > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com <videoblogging%40yahoogroups.com>, > > "Zadi" <karmagrrrl@> wrote: > > > > > > I've been mulling over a few ideas for the past couple of days and I > > > came up with this: > > > > > > What if MySpace (or any social networking site) had an "in case of > > > emergency, contact" form that you had to fill out when you signed up? > > > Just like how when you enroll in a school or go to the doctor's > > > office they always make you fill out that tiny form. What if you had > > > to enter the email address or IM/text message info of an emergency > > > contact? > > > > > > How would usage abuse be prevented? Maybe there is a process. You have > > > to enter your contact info and if you're found to be abusing the > > > system, your account is erased. Also, people are less likely to prank > > > a person they don't know (the emergency contact) than they are the > > > person they are targeting, or the site admin. > > > > > > Thoughts? > > > > > > Zadi > > > http://zadidiaz.com > > > http://jetsetshow.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On 12/20/06, Edmund Yeo <eswiftfire@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > It's not unreasonable, yeah, just that having a panic button > > > does make > > > > > people more vulnerable to pranks. > > > > > > > > > > Like "Wheeeee, I found Britney's Myspace page, now I shall press the > > > > > 'panic button'... once every single hour!" > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >
