A new warning system

[Zoop 8,384]

In the past, if you were to ask us 'what are warning points for? how do I get one?', you'd most likely be given a very vague and non-specific response; not out of any desire on our part to remain coy or evasive on the matter, but because we've never really had a clear policy in handing them out. What one moderator might consider grounds for a warning point might be considered merely worthy of a PM and/or slap on the wrist by another. Because of this, consistency was, sadly, often the exception rather than the norm.

 

As was originally outlined and discussed in this thread some time ago, we have decided to move toward a standardized warning system in an effort to increase moderation consistency, and to minimize potential perception that individual moderators might be biased one way or another toward specific members and give them lighter punishments as a result. Moving forward, everyone, regardless of join date, post count, or user rank, will have the same punishments applied to them when they have broken a rule.

 

Without further ado, I'd like to officially pull the curtain on our new warning system - even though it hasn't actually changed since the last proposal I posted in the original thread.

 

---

 

All posts that are hidden for violating our board rules will carry, depending on the nature of the post, one of the following warning point values:

 

• Pointless/Off-topic posts: 15 points

  Posts falling under this category are largely harmless, and made with no ill intent; despite this, they serve no purpose beyond cluttering up discussion threads and/or driving people away from the original topic at hand. The fifteen point weight is not intended to be overly punitive; rather it is intended as a gentle reminder to people that they should mindful of what they post, and where.

• Backseat moderating: 25 points

  Backseat moderation is the act of replying to a thread solely for the sake of calling another user out for infringing on our rules; this behavior is not smiled upon, regardless if any rules were infringed upon or not. Most instances of backseat moderation are harmless, and stem from a desire to help newer members understand the rules that govern the forum - regardless of this however, such posts contribute are often completely off-topic, and rarely contribute anything to the discussion at hand. When a rule is broken, it should be reported - not called out in public.

• Character minimum violation: 100 points

  Most of the boards on this forum require your posts to be of a certain length before our forum software will accept them. The standard minimum is one hundred characters, whereas the Life Advice and Roleplay boards carry with them a two hundred character minimum; Cloudsdale, meanwhile, has no such limit.

   

  One hundred points may seem a steep punishment for making a post that goes against the character minimum - but there is a very good reason for it to carry so much weight. Our forum has a number of automated systems in place to prevent posts that do not meet the minimum character requirement from being accepted; people who receive this warning have willfully and knowingly added nonsense filler text to their posts in order to sidestep the systems we have in place. In doing so they have shown a complete, utter, and direct disregard for our rules. Like the minimum or not, this forum has rules that must be followed while you are here.

• Advertising: 100 points

  Unsolicited advertisements - be it via private message or forum posts, are not permitted. You are allowed to link to your own website in your profile and/or your signature, however if you wish to advertise something beyond those two areas you must seek direct permission from Feld0.

• Abusive behavior: 250 points

  This should be fairly straight forward, I think. Abusive behavior is, quite simply, the act of being a prick. There are many ways in which one can be a prick, to such an extent that attempting to list them all out here would be an impossible feat. If you need to know how to avoid getting this warning, you're probably on the wrong forum.

• Borderline NSFW content: 250 points

  Sometimes something gets posted that isn't flat-out pornographical, but still manages to exist completely outside the comfort zone of the forum. This category is primarily intended for material that might not be quite Rule 34 material, but is still beyond what most fans would be comfortable with.

  If you're uncertain if an image would qualify as being borderline NSFW, contact a moderator and let them make the call.

• NSFW Content: 800 points

  Some may say that the internet is for porn, and while that may often be the case, it does not hold true for this particular community. Pornography and/or images of extreme real-world violence are not tolerated here.

---

Users that accrue large amounts of warning points will find the following restrictions placed on their accounts:

 

• Two day suspension at 400 points
• Seven day suspension at 800 points
• Permanent forum ban at 1,000 points

Twenty five warning points are removed from one's account every week.

 

Given the change from the present warning system to the new, all existing warning points are being wiped and reset. Consider it a clean slate and a chance to move forward without worrying about what may have happened in the past.

 

---

It is important to note that this system exists primarily as a guideline. The forum administration may, at their discretion, overturn and/or modify the point value of any warning if they feel that there is sufficient ground ground to do so.

 

Users that feel that they have been given warning points inappropriately may submit a moderation dispute in our support area. All moderation disputes are reviewed by the forum administration alone, and are not visible to the moderation team. All moderation disputes are given significant and thorough review.

 

This system exists as a tool for the betterment of the forum, not as an invisible tyrant that serves no purpose beyond binding the hands of the site staff. Members that are found to be exploiting the system in one way or another, or that are found to be disruptive and/or detrimental to the community as a whole will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately, regardless of how many warning points they have accrued.

 

---

We hope that this system will enable us to provide much more consistant moderation and rule enforcement, while at the same time providing us a great deal of assistance with keeping track of repeat offenders. Please note that the values listed are not set in stone, and may be changed in the future as a result of our experience with the system moving forward.

 

As always, we welcome any feedback you might have on this change.

[Starshine 16,335]

 

Questions!

 

• Character minimum violation: 100 points

 

How's about the Character minimum violations that happened before this? With a simple search I can find like dozens of it, and sometimes there's even three different violation from one user. Will he get a whopping 300 points?

 

• Abusive behavior: 250 points

 

How about those who spam commenting on someone's notification? Is it abusive enough?

 

Why the godawful huge gap between borderline NSFW and the actual NSFW? I rather afraid what one mod might see as a borderline, other mod will see it as an actual NSFW one.

 

And which kind of staff who got the authority to give out these points?

[Marceline 187]

This is probably a silly question, but I'm truly wondering about the character limit.

I've had multiple situations where I've said all I wanted to say, but I'm short of the character limit by five characters or less. In these cases, I've written in small font, as a note, that I was short about, literally two characters of the limit. Now, in incidents such as this, is it possible that users may still receive warning points? I ask because it's not as if we're trying to skirt the filters at that point, but we are trying to meet them.

[Flicker Sweet 3,391]

I am in full support of this!

when will it take effect?

do you think you could add new badges next please? :3

I like the badges.........

[Doctor XFizzle 8,670]

Huzzah, a model that should result in less confusion and discrepancies. Won't solve every issue, but is a darn good step in laying out what not to do.

[Lord Pretty Pie 64]

I'm glad that this is finally getting cracked down on. I've really not been with the forums too long, but it is by far the best I've yet encountered, and I'm glad it's getting more assertive, so as to KEEP it the best.

[Crispy 5,563]

Oh, this is just starting now? I thought this was implemented back when you suggested it.

 

Ah well. Borderline has me going 0_o now, best watch what I throw in that Shipping thread from now on.

[Marceline 187]

 

Questions!

 

 

 

How's about the Character minimum violations that happened before this? With a simple search I can find like dozens of it, and sometimes there's even three different violation from one user. Will he get a whopping 300 points?

 

 

 

How about those who spam commenting on someone's notification? Is it abusive enough?

 

Why the godawful huge gap between borderline NSFW and the actual NSFW? I rather afraid what one mod might see as a borderline, other mod will see it as an actual NSFW one.

 

And which kind of staff who got the authority to give out these points?

 

Yes, this is one issue that is based on opinion. I believe some sort of guideline can be set in for everyone to know what is considered NSFW/borderline, but they'd have to discuss and come up with one first. I believe it would be a good idea, that way, both users and mods know what they can and cannot post, and what sort of warning points to hand out, if any. Edited September 11, 2012 by Twi

[NavelColt 22,883]

Hmmmm, certainly a much better outline guide than what the rough draft for this idea was, all those weeks back. It's nice to see that it's been combed through and edited by staff/member collaboration. I don't have any real issues with it, it looks fairly well-accomplished enough. Like Oop #1 says, it's a guideline more than it is a strict paddle for handing out rough discipline, so as long as the points are reasonable, like they seem to be now, I'm good with it.

 

Hope it works out with moderation, guyz.

[Killian Jones 2,655]

I would say to anyone wondering, this only counts for everything ex post facto, I doubt the team will go around perusing the entire forum for infringing posts in the past, it's pretty much from now on.

 

I would say, this thread needs pinning, or mentioning or atleast having its entire contents copied to the board rules. To permanentify it for everyone.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Tich

[Pinkie D Pie 1,036]

Wait this is just now getting implemented. I thought this was in use a while back but I guess not. Seems reasonable enough to me and definitely good to know that certain things will get you punished. Guess I need to be careful what I post in the random chat thread from now on.

[Marceline 187]

I would say to anyone wondering, this only counts for everything ex post facto, I doubt the od team will go around perusing the entire forum for infringing posts in the past, it's pretty much from now on.

 

I would say, this thread needs pinning, or mentioning or atleast having it's entire contents copied to the board rules. To permanentify it for everyone.

 

Extracted from the original post:

"Given the change from the present warning system to the new, all existing warning points are being wiped and reset. Consider it a clean slate and a chance to move forward without worrying about what may have happened in the past."

 

So . . . yep, this is all for the new posts. Anything before this doesn't count anymore, it seems.

[Whiteshade 1,426]

So where is the line for diplomatic immunity applications? I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who can do real good favors for you mods.

 

Anyways, let's see how this goes...

[Starshine 16,335]

I would say to anyone wondering, this only counts for everything ex post facto, I doubt the team will go around perusing the entire forum for infringing posts in the past, it's pretty much from now on.

 

 

 

Aw... So any previous attempt to violate the rules will be forgiven for now? :<

 

Just when I had enough list of character limit violation. There is a lot of cases where some character limit bypassing gone unnoticed, lots of people seemed to think it was okay because everyone else is doing it.

[Finesthour 7,289]

Given the change from the present warning system to the new, all existing warning points are being wiped and reset. Consider it a clean slate and a chance to move forward without worrying about what may have happened in the past.

 

 

Holy shit bruh.

 

You mean I no longer have the most warnings on the forum?

 

Fuck yeah, I got a clean slate now.

 

Now time to go make me some more 50 shades of Zoop and Lrp.

 

Not NSWF, right? c:

[Zoop 8,384]

How's about the Character minimum violations that happened before this? With a simple search I can find like dozens of it, and sometimes there's even three different violation from one user. Will he get a whopping 300 points?

We're mostly concerned with things moving forward from this point on, to be honest.

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How about those who spam commenting on someone's notification? Is it abusive enough?

Outright spam would be considered abusive behavior, though it is sometimes the nature of status update discussions to move ridiculously quickly.

 

Why the godawful huge gap between borderline NSFW and the actual NSFW? I rather afraid what one mod might see as a borderline, other mod will see it as an actual NSFW one.

h well. Borderline has me going 0_o now, best watch what I throw in that Shipping thread from now on.

Examples of borderline NSFW content:

 

• Images that contain strongly implied sexuality, without any actual sex acts/genitals displayed, rather than very mildly suggestive/cutesy stuff like this.

• Sexual text in posts

 

when will it take effect?

Right now. The previous thread was just a preview, and a call for feedback.

 

So where is the line for diplomatic immunity applications? I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who can do real good favors for you mods.

YOU AIN'T GETTIN SHEEIT MAN, I'M UNCORRUPTABLE WHEN IT COMES TO ALL OFFERS VALUED LESS THAN USD $5,000,000

 

I would say, this thread needs pinning, or mentioning or atleast having its entire contents copied to the board rules. To permanentify it for everyone.

We've got a FAQ entry already. :3

 

This is probably a silly question, but I'm truly wondering about the character limit.

We're mostly concerned with things like

 

• BLAH BLAH BLAH CHARACTER LIMIT

• FIOERJHRT90T

• OMG STUPID LONG POST JEEZE

• Etc

 

Honestly, if you're that close to the limit, just throw a strategic "Hmm..." or something someplace.

 

You mean I no longer have the most warnings on the forum?

There is actually one user who had several million points. It's a long story.

[Mindrop 412]

ME LIKEY AND TOTALLY SUPPORT! (Aww crap, that's only 24 characters, until I put this parenthesized sentence in.) I also like the clean slate. Yeah, that's pretty much all I have to say! Oddly. Its been a long day of school.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Mindrop

[Finesthour 7,289]

There is actually one user who had several million points. It's a long story.

 

LEMME REPHRASE SIR ZOOPS A LOT.

 

The member with the most points who is ACTIVE.

 

Is that better? c:

 

Also, I like how you ignored my comment xD

[Marceline 187]

@Zoop;

 

Okay, thank you. Would rather have it cleared up than just blindly post like a moron.

 

And several million warning points?! wat. I just don't even. What. How - augh.

[Starshine 16,335]

 

Outright spam would be considered abusive behavior, though it is sometimes the nature of status update discussions to move ridiculously quickly.

 

Well, there was this one time when someone spammed nonsense on a status update until it reached the dreary 100 comment limit. There is also another case where someone keep brohoof and un-brohoof one post until the target swamped with notifications.

 

So, are those examples abusive enough to warrant some points?

 

 

Examples of borderline NSFW content:

 

• Images that contain strongly implied sexuality, without any actual sex acts/genitals displayed, rather than very mildly suggestive/cutesy stuff like this.

• Sexual text in posts

 

 

Sweet! I guess it's time to continue posting sweet flank

[Swoop 2,278]

Well, there was this one time when someone spammed nonsense on a status update until it reached the dreary 100 comment limit. There is also another case where someone keep brohoof and un-brohoof one post until the target swamped with notifications.

If the content is insulting, rude, vulgar, offensive, disparaging, belittling, derogatory, disrespectful, denigratory, pejorative, defamatory or generally unaccommodating and impacting negatively on the community - regardless of its form, and regardless of the original posters intent - we will consider the content as abusive behaviour, and act accordingly.

 

[/thesaurus]

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

 

 

Pretty good, actually. No matter what kind of system you implement there will be those who take exception to it, but I think you have a solid plan. What it all really comes down to is having some manners and following any instructions blatantly posted before you. No problem. Thanks for all the time and effort you guys put in to this and everything else that keeps this place in business.

 

 

One question regarding the advertisement section: I occasionally find myself plugging a particular medical research project that has a brony team. It's already mentioned in my profile. Being a non-profit entity, I make no money for turning people on to it, and the organization makes no money from any of the participants. How do you feel about organizations, projects, etc. of that nature getting mentioned around the site? I'm not talking about conspicuously working it into posts of questionable relevance or the outright derailing of threads. Just as an aside when an opportunity legitimately presents itself, such as a member lamenting a cancer prognosis or a political discussion regarding the dispensation of healthcare. Of course, I'm just using my medical thing as an example, but insert whatever charity/community effort may be relevant to you or another member.

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

Few Questions.

 

If arguments about a certain subjects (not personal ones) get a bit heated to a point that we are questioning eachothers opinions (I had one of these in a Scootaloo thread not too long ago) is that considered abusive behavior?

 

Also, is posting sexual text, but not for the intention of posting NSFW related things but for, so say, an argument, considered borderline NSFW? Because, if we are talking about a certain topic, it will be sure as hell be a burden to post a substitute word for every "sexual" text that I might need to say.

 

One more thing. Would posting a youtube video on music or something be considered advertising? Since, technically, you are advertising a person's song which could lead to them getting more money, but I wouldn't want to not be able to post some favorite songs in the RCT

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,529]

Aw... So any previous attempt to violate the rules will be forgiven for now? :<

 

Just when I had enough list of character limit violation. There is a lot of cases where some character limit bypassing gone unnoticed, lots of people seemed to think it was okay because everyone else is doing it.

 

If you have a list already, we'd kindly appreciate it if you took the time to file a report on each post in it (or, alternatively, submitted the entire list as a support ticket). Although we don't plan to apply the new warning system retroactively, we would really prefer to clean up every character minimum violation we can. Someone could stumble across an old post with "100char!grfafdsafdsafdsapjuip" in it and go, "ooh, so THAT'S the way to get past the minimum!" and only earn themselves a warning later on.

[Crispy 5,563]

Examples of borderline NSFW content:

 

• Images that contain strongly implied sexuality, without any actual sex acts/genitals displayed, rather than very mildly suggestive/cutesy stuff like this.

• Sexual text in posts

 

Ahem.

 

 

http://mlpforums.com...100#entry407395

 

 

I haven't been in the thread for a while, but like I said. Gonna have to watch it. Skirting that line was easier when it was blurry, heh.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Crispy