Poll: New forum rules - Yay or Nay?

[Lawyer105]

I totally agree with of the intention, certainly...

The methods, not so much.

The Escapist claims to be a community promoting games etc. Key word - community. By the very definition of community, it's designed to pull the group together.

A rule like the above simply has no place in modern society. Only in primitive, medieval times did communities practice actions like shunning and exile. This was necessary, as times were hard and a non-conformist could get the whole community dead etc.

Times changed. People grew up. Shunning etc. went away.

Even some criminal records expire these days, and I'd consider that way more serious than an inappropriate comment on an internet forum (oh teh horrorz!). After all... dangerous driving is clearly less evil and depraved than an inappropriate comment on an internet forum. Right?

And ad-blockers on the same scale as pedophilia?? Not to be pedantic here, but there's clearly something wrong when an ad-blocker is listed in the same breath as the vile obscenity that is pedophilia!

And criminal acts inside the US only?? Wait, what? So it's fine to promote criminal activity as long as you do it outside the US?? I'm so confused.....

I've always considered myself fairly uptight, and I know (and have had it pointed out on these very forums more than once!) that I can be more than a little intolerant... but even I understand the virtue of forgiveness and understanding.

As noted previously... 8 strikes is plenty warning. But if you're in a community for years (the way the Escapist is meant to be) they can eventually add up. Surely the most appropriate response is a time-delayed reduction. After all, if you clock up 8 strikes over 10 years, with 15000 posts, surely you're a much more positive influence on the community than somebody who clocks up 8 strikes in 2 weeks with 20 posts. Person A should still be around, Person B should be history. Would seem like common sense to me.

I really think we should push back on this one. The Escapist doesn't exist without us, the participants, and this is one time I think we should stand up and be counted!

 

[Kakujin]

Some yay for me. It is good that there will be a clear and distinct way of keeping track of what you are doing is okay. Non-yay department is the non-reversible nature of the strikes, it has a bad ring inside of me.

 

[Kakujin]

Some yay for me. It is good that there will be a clear and distinct way of keeping track of what you are doing is okay. Non-yay department is the non-reversible nature of the strikes, it has a bad ring inside of me.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Really? Well at least I now know not to misbehave in this fascist dictatorship! /sarcasm/

 

[Legion]

I don't really care either way, I tend to be reasonably behaved on here as it is. If someone starts pissing me off too much I just leave the topic and ignore any replies I get so as not to say anything I will regret.

As Spinwhiz said, it will make things less complicated. I could never understand how some people got a 3 day probation and others 7 days for things that weren't all that different.

So I am now on 'yellow' for accruing far less probations than most users manage in a year?

Oh fuck this noise, way to completely neuter debate! Why should I debate a point when I can be probated for holding a contrary opinion if enough people report me? basically this "forum" is now an agreement machine!

If lot's of people report you but a mod doesn't think you did anything wrong, you realise nothing will come of it, right?

 

[Actual]

And criminal acts inside the US only?? Wait, what? So it's fine to promote criminal activity as long as you do it outside the US?? I'm so confused.....

This is because you need to define a place and as the majority of the user plus the staff are from the US it makes sense to be there.

If we didn't you wouldn't be able to advocate gay marriage because it's illegal somewhere in the world.

So they're saying don't advocate things which are illegal in the US. So you can't encourage raping and murdering in the UK, because it's illegal in the US.

That's my understanding at least.

EDIT: Changed the wording to clarify that you can discuss crimes you just can't encourage them.

 

[Altorin]

hrmm, I have no idea, I haven't read it yet, so I shall and maybe return

 

[zyzzyx]

I have no idea why this place has such strict rules against "trolling". A little smack talk can be good for a community.

 

[ZeroMachine]

... Well... it showed me that I had two infractions, apparently. I remember one...

I'm torn. It sort of gets rid of the idea of "redemption". The least they could do is implement a health pack or regenerating health system.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

Yeah, same opinion as everyone else pretty much. The bar is nice and all, but what if we just get in trouble for some little things every half a year or so? We'll be kicked for accidentally stepping on someone's toes in a crowded room or something.

You can accrue points on your driver's license and you get it taken away at 6 points, but for every 6 months/1 year (forgot which) that you go clean, they drop 2 points from the record. If you run another 6 months/1 year after you totally drain your penalty points, your next offense is treated as your very first one.

It would make a little more sense if the more severe penalties were permanent, but I don't want people to be booted because of small misunderstandings. Maybe minor warnings fade after 6 months, more severe ones go after a year, and huge "you were a major dick" punishments are permanent?

 

[Jack and Calumon]

So long as more serious crimes make you skip a few stages, like posting teh pr0nz for no reason other than to troll people, then I only have one real complaint.

I have 2 warnings on my Health Bar, meaning that I should not be held back in terms of badges, but I am, because I got those warnings from before the system was put into place. If someone did exactly the same as I did, the same two rule breaks (Low content and wishing an untimely death on Paris Hilton, which I again apologise for) then he could totally get Neo, but when I hit Neo levels, I won't. I haven't even got the one for the 1000 posts. That's the only thing I find to be unfair in this system.

Otherwise, Yay. It's precise.

Calumon: I didn't even know him when he got those! Why should I have them too? >: (

 

[Legion]

I'm sure we've all seen enough biased and overly starch-arsed modding on this site to know that mods do have their opinions and that they'll be pretty damn partisan about them too.

I have seen what I could describe as biased moderation, but you can't really tell who is biased in what way as it doesn't say who did what moderation.

Anyway, that's why there is an appeal system in place.

So long as more serious crimes make you skip a few stages, like posting teh pr0nz for no reason other than to troll people, then I only have one real complaint.

I have 2 warnings on my Health Bar, meaning that I should not be held back in terms of badges, but I am, because I got those warnings from before the system was put into place. If someone did exactly the same as I did, the same two rule breaks (Low content and wishing an untimely death on Paris Hilton, which I again apologise for) then he could totally get Neo, but when I hit Neo levels, I won't. I haven't even got the one for the 1000 posts. That's the only thing I find to be unfair in this system.

Otherwise, Yay. It's precise.

Calumon: I didn't even know him when he got those! Why should I have them too? >: (

I imagine those two warnings were two "probations" under the old system, so you still wouldn't be entitled to the badges anyway.

 

[Fayathon]

I do everything I can to not piss the moderation off, I keep my posts civil and I don't incite flamewars, so the forum rules for posting have never bothered me, and I think that they will continue to not bother me. Well, slot me down for 'meh' then.

Quick edit: Still isn't going to impact me in the slightest, but I don't agree wholly with the not being able to reset your strikes if you've got good behavior for an extended period of time. Perhaps they will amend that at a later date.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I find it rather unfair that there's absolutely no way to clear your record. Everybody slips up now and then. I'm usually the first to advocate harsh punishment for infractions, but this is ridiculous. With harsh punishments should come rewards for good behavior. So if you've not committed any infractions for a certain amount of time, your 'forum heath meter' should go back down.

Nobody should be able to slip up 8 times and being given more chances. If anyone can't learn how to be respectful and follow our rules after what is pretty much 8 infractions, they shouldn't be here.

Not even if the infractions are upwards of 6 months to year apart? Maybe even 2 years or more? 'Cause clearly if that's the case, that's not a person who's out to cause trouble; that's a person who just got a little carried away one day.

 

[Alade]

Don't have a problem with them.

 

[Jodah]

I've not read them yet and will likely put an edit to this but judging by what I have read within this thread they seem a bit too harsh. Punishing people for misdeeds is fine but there should be some sort of timer on warnings. IE if you don't incur any further warnings within a six month period you get a clean slate.

Edit : Yeah, pretty much as I said in the main post. If someone makes a few mistakes early on in their Escapist career should they really be punished for it three years down the road?

 

[Fayathon]

I have no idea why this place has such strict rules against "trolling". A little smack talk can be good for a community.

Trolling can and usually does spiral out of control incredibly quickly, the moderation (I would imagine) has absolutely no interest in dealing with the mess if they don't have to.

 

[Darks63]

As long as it doesnt become like wrestlezone where you have to post a damn thesis in order to not have your post considered low content im fine with them.

 

[keideki]

Honestly the solution to this is quite simple. Don't make offensive or jerky posts. I wish these sorts of rules were not needed, but they are, so the simple solution is be nice. It is not too hard.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

I have a problem with the fact that the "forum health bar" doesn't fall if you've behaved yourself for a while. Otherwise I think that that system is a nice way to show how close you are to certain punishments.

I also don't like how warnings are permanent now. I've gotten two warnings so far and both times I made sure to tread a bit more carefully afterwards so as not to receive just punishment. Now though they are permanent and I've got a bit of a problem with that because one I don't feel was justified (the other I can understand, I felt like I may have been pushing the line when I posted). I made a satirical post which was taken by enough people at face value and so received a warning (they thought it was sexist and it would have been- had I been serious). I didn't appeal against it at the time because, hey, it's just a warning, I'll just try to avoid making satirical posts that require a bit of thought to read. Now though it's permanent and I feel like that's a bit unfair.

I'm also a bit worried about some of the things you can get punished for, but I'm hoping that the mods aren't too draconian about it and look at the context of the post as well rather than just the content.