Quote:
Originally Posted by Carol
Title/ Points/ Expires/ Warning
Inappropriate Language 1 10 Day(s)
Signature Rule Violation 1 10 Day(s)
Spammed Advertisements 1 10 Day(s)
Insulted Other Member(s) 2 30 Day(s)
Spreading Negativity 3 30 Day(s)
Pornography 100 Never
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I hope this clarification that I am posting does not make things worse
The category names are not definitions of the rules. Please don't infer that because there is a "Spreading Negativity" category that this means we will suppress debate. Our main guidelines are the forum guidelines and what is important (ie: on-topic) for the Avalon mission.
Some elaboration:
1) A moderator can give an infraction with 0 points, this is called a WARNING.
2) Those "Day(s)" you see in the quote from Carols post can and usually are overridden. When an infraction is given the moderator can set an expiry date. At the expiry date the infraction is removed from the count and no longer counts as an infraction. This is important because, since we fixed things, if you were to accrue three active unexpired infractions, you get a ban for 7 days (more on that later).
3) The infraction categories or titles are completely discretionary. A moderator can choose one of the above categories or make up their own that is more in tune with the situation. Our aim is not to insult, and some of the default ones can be insensitive. That is in fact what I normally do, because I don't always agree with the wording of the classifications. For example: I have posted infractions/warnings for posting "Naked Links" or "Multiple Duplicate Postings" with very limited expiry times - so as not to be too harsh. Also, that means if I want I can give an infraction for "Spreading Negativity" for 1 point and make it expire in 1 day. See how it works ? It is flexible and lets us compromise where we can. We love you all really, so thats why it is the way it is.
4) Infractions for very serious causes can be permanent.
5) Infractions are reversible - so in the case of an error of judgment (it can happen, we are human, I know I screwed up one already and I am sorry - you know who you are), or other special cases, infractions can be removed as if they had never happened. This can be done by anyone capable of issuing infractions or the site administrator.
Certain unexpired points thresholds and/or certain quantities of unexpired infractions trigger a ban[1]. The ban always has a reason associated with it, and bans are reversible by the site administrator if needed. The length of an automated ban is rarely more than 7 days, more usually it is 1 day. This gives the administrator time to review and either lengthen or shorten the ban as required. When auto-banning happens, the administrator is notified and can review the situation and fix things if they have gone wrong. Usually an administrator ban, one that is done outside the infraction system is for a serious reason and is almost always permanent.
A..
[1] This is a complex and potentially confusing table, so I don't want to post it - I cant see how it will help anything. Also note that if we get time, we can edit the current infraction defaults and auto-ban parameters, so what Carol posted and what I quoted could in fact change as we tune the system later.