Hello. I am writing to you with a concern and a suggestion in mind. Over the past two weeks, the site has seen much toxicity in the name of "criticism." And while the staff had handled things well-enough, and I do not expect them to publicly call out these people, many have made harassing remarks towards the staff that can be seen as a bit alarming. If these users can egg-on and harass the staff publicly without visible repercussions, then a poor precedence is set - one that allows them to getting away with harassing staff AND users alike. Again, I know you cannot talk about bans and suspensions with other users, and deleting their posts and locking their threads will only make the abuse the staff suffer more inflamed. So that is why I (and anyone else who forwards this) suggest a forum ban being implemented.
The ban can be for a day or two, a week, or indefinitely; all at the admin's discretion, of course. I believe this would remedy toxic situations such as these that would arise - for I have seen many users attacked and accused of blindly following the administration's lead for not agreeing with them. While this may seem like a temporary fix, the knowledge of being not able to launch their platform on site, should cull many who are purposefully writing with the intent to harm. These users should not be allowed to control the tone and topics of the forums, because they have proven to create an unhealthy environment.
So I ask the staff to please consider removing these parties from the forum, while allowing them to enjoy other aspects of the site where they cannot harm anyone else with their hateful speeches.
And please remember: even the staff can feel harassed when it is justified.
Hello. I am writing to you with a concern and a suggestion in mind. Over the past two weeks, the site has seen much toxicity in the name of "criticism." And while the staff had handled things well-enough, and I do not expect them to publicly call out these people, many have made harassing remarks towards the staff that can be seen as a bit alarming. If these users can egg-on and harass the staff publicly without visible repercussions, then a poor precedence is set - one that allows them to getting away with harassing staff AND users alike. Again, I know you cannot talk about bans and suspensions with other users, and deleting their posts and locking their threads will only make the abuse the staff suffer more inflamed. So that is why I (and anyone else who forwards this) suggest a forum ban being implemented.
The ban can be for a day or two, a week, or indefinitely; all at the admin's discretion, of course. I believe this would remedy toxic situations such as these that would arise - for I have seen many users attacked and accused of blindly following the administration's lead for not agreeing with them. While this may seem like a temporary fix, the knowledge of being not able to launch their platform on site, should cull many who are purposefully writing with the intent to harm. These users should not be allowed to control the tone and topics of the forums, because they have proven to create an unhealthy environment.
So I ask the staff to please consider removing these parties from the forum, while allowing them to enjoy other aspects of the site where they cannot harm anyone else with their hateful speeches.
And please remember: even the staff can feel harassed when it is justified.
I don't really know what this is about. I guess I haven't seen what you see.
But I don't see a problem with the suspension system. If a user that's been suspended continually breaks the rules again, just ban 'em. Let them cause a kerfuffle somewhere else. If you can't play nice, you shouldn't be allowed to play at all.
I don't really know what this is about. I guess I haven't seen what you see.
But I don't see a problem with the suspension system. If a user that's been suspended continually breaks the rules again, just ban 'em. Let them cause a kerfuffle somewhere else. If you can't play nice, you shouldn't be allowed to play at all.
I'd fully support a silencing mechanism for the forums as strike one or two of the disciplinary system -- it's stronger than a warning, but it's not as severe as a suspension or a full ban, and it would serve as a useful reminder to the dramamongers to keep it offsite if they want to continue.
EDIT: Since some people in this thread seem to have misinterpreted what a forum silence actually is, I'll clarify where I stand on the issue.
Silencing is an extremely common part of many forum-based sites' rulesets. If you break the forum rules, the ability to post in the forums is temporarily removed from your account. Usually silences start at 12 hours and escalate up to a max of 72, depending on the severity of the problem -- and it's a power usually given to the moderators, rather than one that's reserved for the site admins. It's not permanent, and the mods handle it because the admins have an entire site to run. On most of the sites I've been on, a copy of the offending comment is sent to users who get silenced so they know why it's happening.
If a user is silenced and they discover a bug, they can use Contact Us. If they discover a thread that's in the wrong forum, they can PM a moderator about it. All other game functions are available to them. A silence is intended to give people who are getting heated on the forums some time to cool off. If they have valid criticisms or complaints, then they can rephrase it constructively once they're off silence.
I'd fully support a silencing mechanism for the forums as strike one or two of the disciplinary system -- it's stronger than a warning, but it's not as severe as a suspension or a full ban, and it would serve as a useful reminder to the dramamongers to keep it offsite if they want to continue.
EDIT: Since some people in this thread seem to have misinterpreted what a forum silence actually is, I'll clarify where I stand on the issue.
Silencing is an extremely common part of many forum-based sites' rulesets. If you break the forum rules, the ability to post in the forums is temporarily removed from your account. Usually silences start at 12 hours and escalate up to a max of 72, depending on the severity of the problem -- and it's a power usually given to the moderators, rather than one that's reserved for the site admins. It's not permanent, and the mods handle it because the admins have an entire site to run. On most of the sites I've been on, a copy of the offending comment is sent to users who get silenced so they know why it's happening.
If a user is silenced and they discover a bug, they can use Contact Us. If they discover a thread that's in the wrong forum, they can PM a moderator about it. All other game functions are available to them. A silence is intended to give people who are getting heated on the forums some time to cool off. If they have valid criticisms or complaints, then they can rephrase it constructively once they're off silence.
there was something here, but it's gone now.
I would support a suspension of forum rights, especially for people who dance right on the edge of the letter of the forum rules while ignoring the spirit of them. There will always be a few who think it's a clever thing to do and it just makes the forum atmosphere unwelcoming for others.
I would support a suspension of forum rights, especially for people who dance right on the edge of the letter of the forum rules while ignoring the spirit of them. There will always be a few who think it's a clever thing to do and it just makes the forum atmosphere unwelcoming for others.
Support and thank you for making this suggestion.
Support and thank you for making this suggestion.
