Please do not post the same thing multiple times. The board software automatically flags certain posts as needing moderator attention. This happens the most often for new users. I'm pretty sure this is made clear at the time you attempt to post. Posting the same thing over and over again just makes that many more posts the moderators have to weed through later. This makes us sad. Don't make us sad. If your post/thread doesn't appear, just wait a while. Don't post it again. If it hasn't shown up by the next day, then you can try again. I normally go through posts in the mornings, and try to check a few times throughout the day, but I'm not here 24/7. There will typically be a significant delay before posts are approved. Just be patient.
For the most part, this a relatively trouble-free user base. There aren't too many personality conflicts, lots of good discussions, and really not that much that requires moderator intervention. My biggest headaches are spammers and other advertisers, and that's probably a good thing.
Up to this point, the only discipline tool I've had available is banning, either temporary or permanent. Oh, and public humiliation; I like that one. But, temp-banned users didn't always know why they were temp-banned, and visually did not know that they were NOT perma-banned. This has resulted in something of an administrative burden as these folks try to find out what happened.
In an effort to reduce this burden, increase communication, and provide a wider range of discipline options, the site admins and the moderators have agreed to start using the infraction point system that is commonly available in vBulletin.
Benefits: - Moderators now can hand-slap in smaller ways without banning - Problem users get better notification of issues - A paper-trail of sorts will exist for administrative review
For those not familiar, the infraction system works with points. Say you cross-posted a thread, that's 3 points. Say you posted advertising somewhere that you shouldn't have, that's a bunch of points. There are a variety of point values for various problems, and this list will likely evolve as we go forward.
In addition to that, we define point values at which automatic bans will take place. First ban is 1 month, next is 6 months, last is permanent. Other than blatant spamming or using duplicate accounts, there is currently no offense so heinous that you go straight to being banned. However, the point values on larger offenses like advertising are set up so that you get only 1 or 2 warnings before you trigger the first auto-ban. But you will have been warned, and you will know what you did.
We've also made some changes so that temp-bans are visually distinguished from perma-bans.
Since a significant percentage of our spammer issues involve signature spam, we will be documenting some guidelines in the near future to handle what is and isn't allowed. Violations will then more than likely be tied to this infraction system.
None of this will affect 99% of the users here. By and large you're a good group, and I appreciate that.
Feel free to ask questions or make comments, but keep it civil.
Post edited by Rhade on
Do not quote questionable posts.
Do not post moderator requests in public. Send a PM.
I have a question. I am an affiliate of a company and I get a commission when someone buys after clicking on the link I provide. Is it OK to have the link in my signature? Of course, I will never post just to expose my signature. I am a light poster and will stay that way.
There was a reputation level when I first got here. I don't know why it was disabled. IIRC, it allowed increment and decrement, but might have just been increment.
I've been on other vBulletin boards that have a "Thanks" system. Other readers can hit a button for a post and say "Thanks", and this is noted under the post, but the nice thing is that this does not bump the thread. Posters then have a stat in their profile indicating how often they have been thanked.
Either way, it's out of my hands, as that is an Admin call. The point system here was put into use because it was already available, and because the Admins were getting some traffic from people who had been banned and didn't know why. I've been working on an email covering several topics for the Admins, so I'll mention this request as well.
Do not quote questionable posts.
Do not post moderator requests in public. Send a PM.
I've been on other vBulletin boards that have a "Thanks" system. Other readers can hit a button for a post and say "Thanks", and this is noted under the post, but the nice thing is that this does not bump the thread. Posters then have a stat in their profile indicating how often they have been thanked.
This is exactly the kind of thing I was thinking. Thanks for mentioning it to the admins.
There are options now at the bottom of each post that show when you move the mouse over it, next to the Flag link. You have options like Like, Insightful, Disagree, Dislike... It's not unified nor does it seem to have any global reputation-like functionality, but it's something. The Flag feature is great for fighting spam though. When enough user flag a post it will be hidden automatically, without intervention from moderators.
The one thing that bothers me about the new forum is that it doesn't stretch the whole width of the browser. It looks small and cramped on a near-fullscreen iMac 27".
I can potentially work on that, @baja_yu. I'll add it to the list and see what I can do. In the past I've favored a max-width since reading a massively wide text column can get difficult on the eyes for me... is that something that concerns you?
I'm not sure. I didn't have a problem with the full width layout of the old forum. But now that I look at it, most websites force a fixed width so they end up looking like a narrow column on this screen. Maybe it's just something to get used to.
It depends on several factors. See here. It would be nice if each option produced the same output.
Incidentally, since this is the discipline thread, I don't see how to provide warnings to people for specific posts, and certainly nothing like the point system we were using before. I turned on a Warning add-on, so it is possible to warn people in their profiles, but then I have to manually refer to which post is the issue, and it's not particularly clear what the different levels mean.
Do not quote questionable posts.
Do not post moderator requests in public. Send a PM.
Love the strict approach towards spammers, however there should be a proper warning and claim system so that the user may know in advance that he/she is in some trouble and if banned or warned he/she should have certain way to claim back their profile incase of some misunderstanding.
I have seen several forums in which they just ban the users without any proper email warning and gives no admin support later. Sometimes the intention of user is not to spam and they just post a link with some other mind but they get a full ban, which creates a confusion.
So my point goes for 'email warning' as well as 'claiming option for warned/banned users'!
Rhade
Posts: 560Super Moderators
Replies
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0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like AwesomeDo not post moderator requests in public. Send a PM.
vvvvv----- Use the flag button to report spam.
- Spam
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0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like Awesome- Spam
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0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like Awesome- Spam
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0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like AwesomeI've been on other vBulletin boards that have a "Thanks" system. Other readers can hit a button for a post and say "Thanks", and this is noted under the post, but the nice thing is that this does not bump the thread. Posters then have a stat in their profile indicating how often they have been thanked.
Either way, it's out of my hands, as that is an Admin call. The point system here was put into use because it was already available, and because the Admins were getting some traffic from people who had been banned and didn't know why. I've been working on an email covering several topics for the Admins, so I'll mention this request as well.
Do not post moderator requests in public. Send a PM.
vvvvv----- Use the flag button to report spam.
- Spam
- Abuse
- Troll
0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like Awesome- Spam
- Abuse
- Troll
1 • Off Topic 1Insightful Disagree Dislike Like AwesomeThe one thing that bothers me about the new forum is that it doesn't stretch the whole width of the browser. It looks small and cramped on a near-fullscreen iMac 27".
- Spam
- Abuse
- Troll
0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like Awesome- Spam
- Abuse
- Troll
0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like Awesome- Spam
- Abuse
- Troll
0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like Awesome- Spam
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0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like AwesomeIncidentally, since this is the discipline thread, I don't see how to provide warnings to people for specific posts, and certainly nothing like the point system we were using before. I turned on a Warning add-on, so it is possible to warn people in their profiles, but then I have to manually refer to which post is the issue, and it's not particularly clear what the different levels mean.
Do not post moderator requests in public. Send a PM.
vvvvv----- Use the flag button to report spam.
- Spam
- Abuse
- Troll
0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like AwesomeI have seen several forums in which they just ban the users without any proper email warning and gives no admin support later. Sometimes the intention of user is not to spam and they just post a link with some other mind but they get a full ban, which creates a confusion.
So my point goes for 'email warning' as well as 'claiming option for warned/banned users'!
- Spam
- Abuse
- Troll
0 • Off Topic Insightful Disagree Dislike Like Awesome