The Banhammer and You: A User's Guide to the Forums Pages 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 . . . 24 NEXT | |
The Banhammer and You: A User's Guide to the ForumsIntroductionTaking your first steps into a new forum community, like any real life community, is a tough one. You don't know what to do, what to think and who to model yourself as in the eyes of others, but you do know that first impressions will influence the way people judge you later on in the life of your pseudonym. The amount of enjoyment you receive here is dependent on many factors of your environment, including people's opinion of you. However, one of the many factors that people appear to forget is The Escapist's moderation system, the Mr. Fixits that clean up our society, making this forum a great place to These people keep the hamsters running and as such, their word is law. Just as important as the moderators are the Forum Guidelines, the rules as to which this community is founded upon. Take them into consideration, and you will not regret it. However, the guidelines are rather vague, and don't precisely outline the general rules or reasons why one would receive a ban. That is why I created this thread; to show, from an observer's perspective, what to do in a post/thread and, more importantly, what not to do in a post/thread. In this piece, I will be discussing the many forms of moderator wrath that one will encounter, as well as why people receive them. I will also discuss what should (and shouldn't) consist a thread, and why certain ones become locked. Firstly, I will explain the lowest form of moderator wrath: Warnings: Tier 4Warnings are not a form of Moderator Wrath, as such, but a warning that is placed on your user record for further reference, should you break said rule you were warned about again. This can happen on the thread in which you have posted on, or via PM - be advised that these are generally given if the crime was not intentional, or merely an obvious mistake (in judgement or otherwise) made by the user. Be reminded that, if you've been around long enough (or, conversely, if your post count is significant enough to prove you've been around the Forums), you may not receive a warning as you should already know what to do and what not to do (and be assumed to have read the Guidelines, linked to at the bottom of this post. Also remember that once you have received a warning, the Mods will not be so merciful on your next offense. Probations: Tier 3Probations are the lowest form of moderator wrath. They do not hinder your posting ability whatsoever, but merely serve as a warning to a user not to repeat a particular offence. Due to the revised Moderation system, Probations no longer appear under the users name. It will also only be removed after 6 months with no further infractions. Here are some of the main reasons why people receive probations: Suspensions: Tier 2Suspensions are the next level of moderator wrath, a politically correct term essentially meaning 'You've been banned, but only for a while'. This essentially means that the user will be unable to post on the forums for the alloted amount of time given. 'SUSPENDED' appears underneath the username, and; 'User was suspended for: X. (Y Days)' appears on the bottom of every post that the user made. An example of a suspended post can be found here. Here are the most common suspension times that people receive: (3 Days) As with Probations, sometimes the Y value can be filled with an obscure number. However, these are uncommon. Here are some of the main reasons why people receive suspensions (disregarding topics for probations, which also apply): Bans: Tier 1Chances are that if you have received one of these, you won't be reading this. Bans are the moderator's last resort, a way to eliminate a user's foul activity on the forum for good, by going so far as to ban the very IP where the user came from (and thus preventing them from creating a new account). Better known as the Perma-Ban. An example of a ban can be found here. Here is what a ban looks like: 'BANNED' appears underneath the username, and; 'User was banned for: X. (Permanent)' appears on the bottom of every post that the user makes. For bans, Y comes in only one flavour: (Permanent). Few people receive bans, but they are mainly given to people for these reasons: Locked/Deleted ThreadsThis kind of moderation is probably the most common on the forums, but has no effect on the user themselves (unless coupled with a probation/suspension/ban). What it does is prevent a thread from being replied to, thus letting it sink down through the pages to a point of obscurity. There are two kinds of locks out there: Here are some thread categories that are sure to receive a lock: Here are some threads that may or may not be locked, depending on the circumstance: Badges and BanningsOf the many badges you can receive, three of them are dependent on how your actions have reflected on the community:
Please note that once you receive any form of moderator wrath, then these badges will be unavailable to you. Harsh, but fair. Also note that having a thread of yours locked does not result in your inability to receive the badges. Trolling
Other StuffIf, by any chance, you receive a ban, you shall receive a 'Forum Ban Notice' via PM. Inside, it will contain the details of which post was moderated, why and what will happen to your account as a result of the moderator action. Remember that you may appeal to the moderators, but your sentence will likely be raised should you have an irrational tantrum in their presence. If you have any qualms about the topic of moderation, contact Red Guards such as wilsonscrazybed, nilcypher and Alex_P for answers and resolutions. Con-clue-shonIn the end, the moderators are the people that keep the Escapist a great place to be. Don't make their lives harder by causing trouble; embrace the community for what it is (freaking utopia), contribute and participate. We aren't a totalitarian empire, we're a friendly message board devoted to the gaming industry. Moderator Edit: This is not the official rules, but it a damn fine user point of view look and guide to the rules (which can be found here). User was banned for this post. | |
How very helpful of you. | |
Pretty interesting, but the actual "User was banned for" is made using [small][/small] tags, | |
Very interesting and helpful, so well done :) I found this very useful to be honest :D | |
Very nice,hopefully this will stop the threads about how tough the moderators are. | |
This is correct in everything but I would disagree on the Necro thread > Repeat thread, in any case I would say new users should be refered to this. | |
Thanks for the info, this will save lives. Or accounts atleast. | |
Very helpful, thanks! | |
Huh. I came in here expecting to get some use out of the shiny red button, but you foiled me! Oh well, I'm sure I'll find a time to use it eventually. Anyway, this wasn't really news to me, but it's still nice to see it all there in writing. Thanks for taking to time to craft such an in-depth post on the subject. Hopefully this will put an end to the recent wave of "banhammer" threads. | |
This wasn't helpful at all Oh noes! D: | |
So far the only moderator wrath I have ever incurred was a locked thread. This information was helpful. | |
This will help give trolls and troublemakers new goals to reach. New lines to dance around. Maybe even force them to be more creative with thier drollings. We'll just have to wait and see. | |
Hah, an enjoyable read even after all the time I've been here! | |
I think letting me know how to use that was probably a bad thing... | |
'tis brilliant. Also posts such as this:
got me a probation for 1 day because "Low content post: Pictures aren't substitute for content." | |
Most of this is pretty common sense stuff, but considering how the internet is an arena where common sense seldom rears its pretty little head this is a pretty good thing to have around. Nicely formatted as well. | |
Great format, my friend. This is a very useful guide indeed. When Inverse comes back, he'll probably add this to his thread. In the meantime. Here's for hoping it does some good | |
i'd like to say that it is perfectly doable to spout your opinion of things here so long as you restrain yourself from flaming. many of my comments have been borderline offensive to a broader audience, but not to a single person at a time. it's the difference between an attack and a belief. | |
I understand the desire to create a thread like this and maybe it's just me, but am I the only one who thinks putting the word "Banhammer" anywhere in your thread (especially the title) makes me think it's going to be completely worthless no matter how much actual content it contains? It makes it seem juvenile to me, and honestly the only reason I looked at it was because I half expected to see something I would deem worth reporting. In any case, it was at least well organized and thought out. I still have this instinctual reaction to ignore everything you say in the post though... Of course, that will lead to previously delimited consequences. | |
Very informative, I thank you for the clarification on these things | |
This is very useful..I always wondered exactly what was required to get a T2 or 3 ban, specifically. Very nice, Krunk. This should be starred on the front page along with the Forum Guidelines, seriously. | |
I was ready for a horrible post about how horrible it is not knowing why a thread got locked, but good job. can we sticky this. | |
That was excellent | |
Good guide, not that I ever needed it... *smugly indicates his coveted Neo Badge* User was banned for this post.(Permanent) well damn... | |
This thing needs to instantly be made into a permathread. Everyone go spam the thread about that, quick! (Note: thread-spamming is still bad :D) Only thing I would have like to see would be a little more info/discussion on necroing(and when it is/isn't appropriate), especially since a wave of necroed news threads seems to have been popping up recently. Also, a mention of BB abuse would likely be appropriate. User was banned for this post.(Permanent) Well, there goes my chances at the Neo... | |
Helpful in a sence that it should be common sence not to be a prick in the forums | |
Thanks, I'll do that.
Yeah, I sort of didn't know what to do there; should have researched Forum Markup first. Thanks for the help, I'll add the small tags in.
Excuse my uninformed-ness, but what does BB stand for? And as for necroing threads, I am not too sure how to say when it's good and when it's bad. Really, I deem it to be good until a month after its connception, but others (like PurpleRain's Quote Thread) tend to survive. Thanks for the feedback though; I'm glad that these few hours of work wasn't a waste of time on my part. | |
What, like a meta thread? | |
I shall be keeping this thread bookmarked so that I can refer others to it whenever needed. Luckily, I already follow all these rules, so that Neo badge is as good as mi-- User was banned for this post.(Permanent) WHAT!? | |
People just have to realize that, if they arn't stupid, they won't get banned | |
Ouch. Lots of words make my brain hurt. I hate to be such a lazy peeve, but I'll just skim read it. Very indepth though. Good job.
It's not that simple. Far from it. I was once banned for laughing at someone's joke, which I didn't think actually fitted the forum rules. But lo' and behold, after I re-read them, I actually came to the conclusion I that the moderator was right to put me on probation (However, it was still quite harsh). If I've read it right, this thread is trying to help people find the where the line is, inbetween voicing your opinion, and being a ban-able jackass. | |
its the Escapists edition of the Wasteland survival guide! :D oh by the way, one thing i've noticed is that people who put the first posts on Yahtzee's video - related threads (the official "thread to go with the video" stuff) tend to be on probabtion or suspended... yet when I check why they've been put on probabtion/suspension (maybe even ban?), a lot of the time the posts are completely innocent... they just happen to be some of the first posts on a yahtzee-video thread. does anyone know why this is? just a curiosity | |
Well made and concise. Also like the poll option to see how many people just can't help themselves. I can happily say I wasn't one of them :) | |
its a thread designed to direct people to some of the best threads on the forums. It's great because rather than needing to bookmark a million threads, you only need to bookmark the one. | |
I learned a long time ago (thankfully through others' rather than my own experience) that if someone makes a tasteless racist or sexist joke, it is perfectly OK to laugh at it, but to quote the post and let someone know you laughed at it? Verboten. Like most of the Internet, the Escapist falls into the trap of politically correct bigotry---it is perfectly fine to rip Acceptable Targets, but go after a pet liberal cause (with a "kitchen/sammich" joke or anything that's racist toward any race other than white people) and you're up a creek. It's not as bad as some sites (I once got a three-day suspension from GameFAQs for---I am not making this up---stating I planned to vote Republican), but it is still ultimately a tilted playing field that makes it a lot less shocking that sites like Conservapedia and Metapedia exist. | |
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