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Changes to Forum Warning System


Brandon

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There have been some changes to the forum warning system that we believe will calm tensions among users who are getting warnings or among users who feel the warning system is unfairly setup. Although almost all warnings and automatic actions that correspond with collective point values were properly enforced by moderators and volunteers up to this point in time, we felt it would be good to update the point values assigned to certain types of warnings, and we also changed the automatically-triggered restrictions.

 

First, we should clear up a misconception about warnings. When you receive a warning (with or without points), it is not a form of punishment. You can think of a warning as being a nudge, and almost all warnings are simply used to make the user acknowledge that a certain guideline exists. Warnings educate users who break guidelines and hopefully prevent further rule breaking. The warning system also stands as an efficient logging tool for moderators. Without such a system, it would be difficult for all moderators and volunteers to keep track of which rules a user has or hasn't broken in the past. Likewise, it helps moderators and volunteers when determining if restrictions need to be applied to a user due to past rule breaking.

 

Here are the changes:

  • All warning types come with at least one point. After you receive one point, all you have to do is acknowledge the warning. No restrictions are applied, and nothing else happens.
  • Most warnings expire within 90 to 180 days (no longer up to a year in most cases).
  • If you accumulate more warning points and previous warning points haven't yet expired, the content you post might have to be approved by a moderator, but such restrictions usually last up to a few days at most. Accumulate even more points, and you might be banned, but almost never permanently.
  • It would be highly unusual for points to never expire, so you should contact a moderator or volunteer to verify if the points were meant to never expire if you ever get non-expiring points.
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Please make me have more points so someone has to approve all my posts thank you very much.

 

on topic - its nice to see that they do expire time has been reduced although i don't really care

 

#littlethingsmatter 

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Honestly didn't see a problem with the last system.

 

The user's complaining were the ones who got the points. They've been punished but think they deserve one punishment over another? Interesting. Nonetheless, it's nice to see we are at least trying to please everyone.

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The previous system was fine for the most part, but a few things were going wrong. For example, when a moderator would give a manual warning, meaning a warning that is manually filled out instead of selecting from a pre-defined list, the points would commonly never expire. This was most likely an oversight, because with the previous system, most points were set to expire in a year.

 

A lot of users also felt that warning points were some form of punishment, but this was never the case. We will push the mentality that a warning isn't a punishment itself, but it may lead to punishments due to restrictions that get automatically applied by the forum once a user has a certain number of points. Make a little mistake, and it's no big deal. Make more mistakes, and perhaps you need some intervention. One goal with these changes was to tone down the seriousness of it all.

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12 minutes ago, Brandon said:

The previous system was fine for the most part, but a few things were going wrong. For example, when a moderator would give a manual warning, meaning a warning that is manually filled out instead of selecting from a pre-defined list, the points would commonly never expire. This was most likely an oversight, because with the previous system, most points were set to expire in a year.

 

A lot of users also felt that warning points were some form of punishment, but this was never the case. We will push the mentality that a warning isn't a punishment itself, but it may lead to punishments due to restrictions that get automatically applied by the forum once a user has a certain number of points. Make a little mistake, and it's no big deal. Make more mistakes, and perhaps you need some intervention. One goal with these changes was to tone down the seriousness of it all.

In my opinion, even if points were set to not expire, I would say this was fair.

 

Especially with how the point system is being explained by you. These points aren't used as a punishment or designed to be one, they are used by moderators are other forum staff to judge punishments in the past, and obviously manual judgement can be used if the points were issued a long time ago. I know it's only fair to remove the points after a while as they become irrelevant but I find it highly ironic that people with points and claiming unfair because it was affecting them.

 

I don't want to turn this into a debate or anything but this is just my two cents.

 

It's not like things are easily forgiven around here anyways ;)

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30 minutes ago, Stah said:

Honestly didn't see a problem with the last system.

 

The user's complaining were the ones who got the points. They've been punished but think they deserve one punishment over another? Interesting. Nonetheless, it's nice to see we are at least trying to please everyone.

There are times where people abuse it and give a user more points than needed, or at times, when points aren't even necessary in a situation. 

 

43 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Most warnings expire within 90 to 180 days (no longer up to a year in most cases).

I'm glad this change was implemented.

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1 minute ago, Stah said:

In my opinion, even if points were set to not expire, I would say this was fair.

 

Especially with how the point system is being explained by you. These points aren't used as a punishment or designed to be one, they are used by moderators are other forum staff to judge punishments in the past, and obviously manual judgement can be used if the points were issued a long time ago. I know it's only fair to remove the points after a while as they become irrelevant but I find it highly ironic that people with points and claiming unfair because it was affecting them.

It still wouldn't exactly make sense or fair to be looked at someone who has done something wrong 2 years back... especially on a forum? One small mistake? A warning is defined as being a "cautionary advice". So you take the advice,acknowledge it and move on? You shouldn't have to constantly stare at something you've done wrong from like 2 years ago.

 

All in all, these changes make much more sense. However, what about the users who currently have points forever/year+? 

 

 

 

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This is okay I guess.. However, when someone breaks the rules, and they get a warning point, does a popup come up saying what they did? Or no? If it doesn't it should be implemented so the forums won't be filled with asked questions like "How did I get a warning point? What did I do wrong?"

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3 hours ago, Brandon said:

When you receive a warning (with or without points), it is not a form of punishment. You can think of a warning as being a nudge, and almost all warnings are simply used to make the user acknowledge that a certain guideline exists. Warnings educate users who break guidelines and hopefully prevent further rule breaking.

 

It certainly did feel like a punishment. I wish someone would've just private messaged me saying, 'please don't do this again', instead of staining my permanent record at the first opportunity. As Lemona says, you can be staring at these things for a long, long time.

 

(I have 0 warning points, but had 1 removed previously)

 

 

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Just now, Ygor said:

Banishing forever on the forum should not exist.

 

Whatever the reason, it doesn'tt give the right.

Administrator should take the banishment of this size.

Users are only banned forever for very serious rule violations. If you're just using the forum as it was intended, you aren't going to have to worry about facing a forever ban. But in some cases they are definitely necessary...

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24 minutes ago, Ygor said:

Banishing forever on the forum should not exist.

 

Whatever the reason, it doesn'tt give the right.

Administrator should take the banishment of this size.

As Steven mentioned, sometimes it is necessary. So far though, we have only banned spammers forever.

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