Super & Global Mods Can Suspend For The Following
#1
Posted 16 September 2004 - 02:13 AM
Both SMods And GMods:
To Stop A Member From Repeated Flaming, Provocation, Or Insults: If a member is repeatedly flaming and it is commonly believed that it should stop, any SMod can suspend a member for one day without warning (although a warning is recommended if possible to notify the member of what will come; could end there). A formal warning may be sent by a GMod or above afterward with the potential for further action if necessary. Keep this action for when a member needs to stop immediately and refuses to do so. This is to STOP a member, not PUNISH a member.
A Real Life Death Threat: If a member posts a direct real-life death threat a SMod can suspend for two days. A GMod can extend this. This includes anything along the lines of "Go kill yourself" in the implementation of flaming.
A Member Breaking A Suspension Or Ban: If a member is suspended and posts with a different account to get around it (must be positive of this, please verify IP), that account can be suspended as well. If the member continues to break a suspension, his/her suspension could be extended by a GMod. This rule can be enforced on anyone in the given situation unless an exception is created by a GMod (such as if allowed in one thread if a subject there). A SMod, after suspending the individual, can send the post(s)/thread(s) to the deletion archive if necessary.
To Stop A Moderator From A "Rampage": I call it a "mod rampage" when a mod actively tries to damage the community. This is not flaming, this is obsessive deletion, editing, or anything else damaging the board. Not a single mistake, though honest attempts to cause problems. Any SMod or GMod can suspend a member for this for three days, enough time that mod rights will surely be removed and further action can be taken. Rylkan or I should be contacted to take complete action.
To Stop A Hacker: If someone posts any obvious (and confirmed) hacking software on the boards, any SMod or GMod may suspend his/her account indefinitely. This also includes an obviously hacked mod account. If it is a hacked mod account the suspension can be removed by myself after the password changes.
In The Case Of Pornography Being Posted: If anyone posts an explicit image anywhere for any reason, any SMod can suspend the individual for any great length of time. Please delete the post (it can be recovered for proof, do not D.A. it) and report the incident to an admin.
THAT IS ALL THAT CAN BE GROUNDS FOR SUSPENSION BY A SMOD! If a member is suspended by a SMod for any other reason, unless to prevent direct harm to the boards, he/she will almost positively lose SMod rights (possibly indefinitely or forever)!
What GMods Can Do:
In addition to the above, GMods have the ability to purely use their judgement. I will trust their judgement, and only commonly trusted members can become GMods. As of now the only GMods are OM, MoS, and Star Jedi, and I don't plan for others anytime soon. If they feel that a situation is severe enough to require instant action, they can take it. If after sending a warning with a proposed punishment a member continues, a GMod can suspend the member for the proposed interval. My consent is not required.
If a member feels that he/she has been wrongly suspended by a GMod (or SMod, for that matter if applicable), he/she may create another account just for the purpose of appealing it in the Mod Appeal Board. This will be taken seriously, and if accepted I will either reduce the suspension or remove it completely.
Members may not appeal for the increased punishment of anyone.
*****************************************************
I know that this will be a source of doubt to some, we tried it before and it did not work as expected. We didn't set forth any real guidelines then. Now, however, if a mod wrongly uses these powers it is very likely that it will result in the loss of modship. Suspensions are very easy to reverse, so if something was done wrongly your suspension will be removed.
I am doing this because members want the rules to be upheld to a greater extent. I am not going to create a strict code of punishments because it will always work out to the loss or benefit of those involved. Without judgement a set of defined rules for flaming and general conduct will simply not be fair. One member posts a minor insult and one creates an entire post devoted to provoking someone, if they are in the same manner they would be treated exactly the same... that is unless we want a 20-page constitution which will be impossible to uphold.
So yes, there is judgement, like our old system. With more capable of taking action, however, action would be taken if someone does something obviously wrong. This seems to be what the majority wants, and frankly there is no difference between that and me being more harsh. Putting it into more hands may even make it fairer, I don't know, but we'll see.
If, again, this does not work out... I will swiftly remove these rights. Don't abuse them, don't use them to one's benefit, and don't sway from the above rules... And be fair. That is all I ask.
REMEMBER! There is a fine line between censorship and maintaining general friendliness. I will not let this system prevent members from speaking their minds, I just hope they do so in a responsible manner.
To Stop A Member From Repeated Flaming, Provocation, Or Insults: If a member is repeatedly flaming and it is commonly believed that it should stop, any SMod can suspend a member for one day without warning (although a warning is recommended if possible to notify the member of what will come; could end there). A formal warning may be sent by a GMod or above afterward with the potential for further action if necessary. Keep this action for when a member needs to stop immediately and refuses to do so. This is to STOP a member, not PUNISH a member.
A Real Life Death Threat: If a member posts a direct real-life death threat a SMod can suspend for two days. A GMod can extend this. This includes anything along the lines of "Go kill yourself" in the implementation of flaming.
A Member Breaking A Suspension Or Ban: If a member is suspended and posts with a different account to get around it (must be positive of this, please verify IP), that account can be suspended as well. If the member continues to break a suspension, his/her suspension could be extended by a GMod. This rule can be enforced on anyone in the given situation unless an exception is created by a GMod (such as if allowed in one thread if a subject there). A SMod, after suspending the individual, can send the post(s)/thread(s) to the deletion archive if necessary.
To Stop A Moderator From A "Rampage": I call it a "mod rampage" when a mod actively tries to damage the community. This is not flaming, this is obsessive deletion, editing, or anything else damaging the board. Not a single mistake, though honest attempts to cause problems. Any SMod or GMod can suspend a member for this for three days, enough time that mod rights will surely be removed and further action can be taken. Rylkan or I should be contacted to take complete action.
To Stop A Hacker: If someone posts any obvious (and confirmed) hacking software on the boards, any SMod or GMod may suspend his/her account indefinitely. This also includes an obviously hacked mod account. If it is a hacked mod account the suspension can be removed by myself after the password changes.
In The Case Of Pornography Being Posted: If anyone posts an explicit image anywhere for any reason, any SMod can suspend the individual for any great length of time. Please delete the post (it can be recovered for proof, do not D.A. it) and report the incident to an admin.
THAT IS ALL THAT CAN BE GROUNDS FOR SUSPENSION BY A SMOD! If a member is suspended by a SMod for any other reason, unless to prevent direct harm to the boards, he/she will almost positively lose SMod rights (possibly indefinitely or forever)!
What GMods Can Do:
In addition to the above, GMods have the ability to purely use their judgement. I will trust their judgement, and only commonly trusted members can become GMods. As of now the only GMods are OM, MoS, and Star Jedi, and I don't plan for others anytime soon. If they feel that a situation is severe enough to require instant action, they can take it. If after sending a warning with a proposed punishment a member continues, a GMod can suspend the member for the proposed interval. My consent is not required.
If a member feels that he/she has been wrongly suspended by a GMod (or SMod, for that matter if applicable), he/she may create another account just for the purpose of appealing it in the Mod Appeal Board. This will be taken seriously, and if accepted I will either reduce the suspension or remove it completely.
Members may not appeal for the increased punishment of anyone.
*****************************************************
I know that this will be a source of doubt to some, we tried it before and it did not work as expected. We didn't set forth any real guidelines then. Now, however, if a mod wrongly uses these powers it is very likely that it will result in the loss of modship. Suspensions are very easy to reverse, so if something was done wrongly your suspension will be removed.
I am doing this because members want the rules to be upheld to a greater extent. I am not going to create a strict code of punishments because it will always work out to the loss or benefit of those involved. Without judgement a set of defined rules for flaming and general conduct will simply not be fair. One member posts a minor insult and one creates an entire post devoted to provoking someone, if they are in the same manner they would be treated exactly the same... that is unless we want a 20-page constitution which will be impossible to uphold.
So yes, there is judgement, like our old system. With more capable of taking action, however, action would be taken if someone does something obviously wrong. This seems to be what the majority wants, and frankly there is no difference between that and me being more harsh. Putting it into more hands may even make it fairer, I don't know, but we'll see.
If, again, this does not work out... I will swiftly remove these rights. Don't abuse them, don't use them to one's benefit, and don't sway from the above rules... And be fair. That is all I ask.
REMEMBER! There is a fine line between censorship and maintaining general friendliness. I will not let this system prevent members from speaking their minds, I just hope they do so in a responsible manner.

#3
Posted 16 September 2004 - 06:54 AM
This should work well, provided people dont' abuse it. There are situations in which the boards are in danger even though there are Smods/Gmods on, simply because all they can do is fix things as they happen. By giving them the power to suspend when it's really needed, we should be a little safer.
Don't mess this up, guys.
Don't mess this up, guys.

#7
Posted 16 September 2004 - 08:11 PM
QUOTE
To Stop A Moderator From A "Rampage": I call it a "mod rampage" when a mod actively tries to damage the community. This is not flaming, this is obsessive deletion, editing, or anything else damaging the board. Not a single mistake, though honest attempts to cause problems.
Does this actually happen?


Sig by me matey ForsakenMagey
#8
Posted 16 September 2004 - 09:06 PM
QUOTE(Ryl @ Sep 16 2004, 03:11 PM)
QUOTE
To Stop A Moderator From A "Rampage": I call it a "mod rampage" when a mod actively tries to damage the community. This is not flaming, this is obsessive deletion, editing, or anything else damaging the board. Not a single mistake, though honest attempts to cause problems.
Does this actually happen?

Does this happen Often? No... can it happen? Yeah.
Suppose, for example, something happened and I go nuts tomorrow and go on a mass banning spree... you don't want a mod to question wether or not to ban me. So, it's just a precaution, not a rule because this happens often.
#9
Posted 16 September 2004 - 09:32 PM
QUOTE(Ryl @ Sep 16 2004, 04:11 PM)
QUOTE
To Stop A Moderator From A "Rampage": I call it a "mod rampage" when a mod actively tries to damage the community. This is not flaming, this is obsessive deletion, editing, or anything else damaging the board. Not a single mistake, though honest attempts to cause problems.
Does this actually happen?

Remember when Supernova spam warned everyone? Yeaaah..
Admin Csp': He wasn't the only one to do that, I wouldn't remove the system for months over one incident. That's also not exactly what that rule would be over, that rule encompasses suspensions, mass deletion, mass editing, or anything similar to those that cause real damage.
Sam's gay
#11
Posted 16 September 2004 - 10:15 PM
QUOTE(Ryl @ Sep 16 2004, 03:11 PM)
QUOTE
To Stop A Moderator From A "Rampage": I call it a "mod rampage" when a mod actively tries to damage the community. This is not flaming, this is obsessive deletion, editing, or anything else damaging the board. Not a single mistake, though honest attempts to cause problems.
Does this actually happen?

Yes (that the mods should set an example), but as a few members have proven things can change very suddenly and without warning. Someone who was a friend to many could become angry at the clan over something and just go cause problems.
This hasn't really happened yet on any scale, but it definitely could happen (could happen on any board with moderators). I would rather have a rule for it giving mods the power to handle it than have them biting their nails wondering if it's worth risking their mod rights over.
I'm just trying not to leave anything open, because that is what would cause confusion if a situation ever does come up.

#12
Posted 06 October 2004 - 09:46 PM
Added this to the list:
This will not affect previous posts because a stated rule did not exist at that time, but it will be in effect from now on.
QUOTE
A Real Life Death Threat: If a member posts a direct real-life death threat a SMod can suspend for three days (as well as edit the post). This includes any obvious ill wishes which can occur in real life, including things like "I hope you get AIDS" and "I hope you get hit by a car". Flaming is one thing but we do not wish for our community to transcend negativity from the gaming world into reality. If severe, a GMod can extend this.
This will not affect previous posts because a stated rule did not exist at that time, but it will be in effect from now on.

#13
Posted 07 October 2004 - 02:44 AM
Updated the rule so there are two levels:
Please reply with concerns, it can still change.
QUOTE
A Real Life Death Threat: If a member posts a direct real-life death threat a SMod can suspend for three days (as well as edit the post). This includes anything of direct and obvious real-life hostility suggesting suicide for someone else or wishing death upon them. For some lesser and not necessarily serious (though still bad) real-life threats and comments, including things like "I hope you get AIDS" and "I hope you get hit by a car", a SMod can suspend for two days. Flaming is one thing but we do not wish for our community to transcend negativity from the gaming world into reality. If severe, a GMod can extend these.
Please reply with concerns, it can still change.
