How We Do Things

[tommy5761]

How We Do Things

After seeing a some posts from a few members about "abuse of power" I decided it was time for some enlightenment as well as not deterring other threads topics .

First when any moderator pops in a thread and asks users not to behave in a certain manner then we have reasons for doing so and it`s best not to keep engaging in that manner .

Also when an official warning is given absolutely no one knows about it except the user of course and the moderators . Now if the user then decides to make it public by advertising in threads then naturally everyone who reads it will know about it . Also at no time will any moderator make it known who receives a warning .

Banning is taken very seriously by us and is not done on a whim by any moderator . The only reason a spur of the moment ban will occur is from ad spam or blatant rules violations .

A few things we do concerning warnings and bans :
In the event that a warning or ban is considered or cordoned it is discussed by the moderators at length and with links to the offending posts so that we can all see the extent of the post . Generally we try to contact the user by PM . Also users usually get at least one official warning before advancing to the next stage . Depending on the severity of the post or posts a user may receive more than one warning before advancing on .

Anyway I just wanted every user of this forum to know what they can expect from us (moderators)

If you`re reading this then thank you for your time and I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay here !

 

[dragonbird]

As Tommy has started this thread, it's probably a convenient place to pull in a guidance post that was made some time ago but is now hidden away deep into the forums.

This is about political discussion. Those of you who are familiar with the Witcher forums will know that discussion of real-life politics is not permitted there. The reason for this was described here as follows:

There are certain types of discussion that come down to arguing about our belief systems - this may include anything from political and religious debate to platform wars. You all know how those discussions go - people argue from their own belief systems and, in doing so, upset those who don't share the same beliefs. Nobody ever changes their mind as a result of the discussion, and the discussion usually ends with a locked thread and, possibly, warnings/bans against some members. "Nation Bashing" definitely falls into that category. Our preference as mods is to intervene BEFORE it gets to that point.

We also realised fairly quickly that as far as political discussions are concerned, there had to be some leeway, given the closeness of the Cyberpunk world to reality. So political discussion is OK as long as it's game related and doesn't stray into the "likely to offend other forum members" category.

 

[Garrison72]

All respect to you both. But I remember discussing politics in the old Witcher forums. Perhaps an aberration or a new development from CDPR.

 

[dragonbird]

All respect to you both. But I remember discussing politics in the old Witcher forums. Perhaps an aberration or a new development from CDPR.

Maybe, that was before my time. And yes, it still occasionally creeps in - we try not to intervene before it becomes necessary.

I think it's a question of keeping things friendly. It's like a bar - it can either be a place where people go to have a good fight, or a place where people go to have a drink and meet up with friends, but it's difficult to be both at the same time. This is intended to be a forum where people can have friendly conversations, not fights.

 

[chriswebb2020.736]

All respect to you both. But I remember discussing politics in the old Witcher forums. Perhaps an aberration or a new development from CDPR.

I believe it comes under the universal law of: "Cover thine own arse, because nobody else will."

 

[dragonbird]

I believe it comes under the universal law of: "Cover thine own arse, because nobody else will."

And this too, if I'm interpreting you correctly(?).
CDPR may be gamers, but they're also a public listed company, and subject to the laws of their own country. Certain topics, certain kinds of posts, are taboo.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

Well, I have a message for you mods as well:

you should feel free to talk to me regardless, and not just if (*when*) I misbehave.

9 out of 10 forum members agree, Dr. Cmdr_Flashheart is a good listener.

 

[Sardukhar]

I WOULD BE THE 10TH PERSON.

I said, SEVEN TIMES, "take off the damn straps". And you refused to listen.



I wub our mods. They are my very favourite tools of authority and power.


Except Gregski. He looks funny. I once saw him eating goat.

And Tommy never talks except in deep booming tones that hurt my head. I suspect him of plagiarism.

Dragon has terrible manners and I don't trust her gait at all.

But I love all the other mods here!

 

[227]

I think something should be added in the rules about trying to understand how what you're saying will be taken. Like... if you're in the middle of an argument and threaten to rip someone's face off, that comes across as more of a real threat than if you're talking about barnyard animals when you say the same thing. A little awareness of when jokes are viewed as more than jokes would have probably rendered this thread unnecessary.

CDPR may be gamers, but they're also a public listed company, and subject to the laws of their own country.

Speaking of which, it's kind of strange that it's perfectly legal to grow and possess marijuana where I live, but advocating it on this forum goes against the rules (assuming that it counts as an "intoxicating substance," of course).

Also, MY HANDS ARE SO BIG RIGHT NOW GUYS AND I JUST TALKED TO PURPLE

EDIT: I'm also a little disappointed that this thread isn't called "How We Do." Maybe I've just listened to too much rap music.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

Haha, it's funny you say that because the first thing which came to me was Montell's "this is how we do it".

 

[Sydanyo]

The moderators on this forum seem to be much less BOFH than moderators on most forums, and they seem to allow much more discussion and posts than most.

On some other forums, threads would get locked because they "were derailed", which is something I find completely asinine; moderators can move posts away from threads, and they can even delete posts from threads. There's absolutely no need to lock the entire thread and destroy the entire conversation because of few posts. Yet that seems to be the modus operandi quite often elsewhere. Happily though, it doesn't seem to be the case here. (Having said that, I think these forums are quite civil compared to any I've used, and we have the users to thank for that.)

In fact, I think moving OT posts that are nothing but back-and-forth bickering about something completely unrelated (bickering about the topic is obviously just fine, mind you) should be done always, and as an example it could be done to the turn-based thread right now. Move the posts discussing moderator behavior from that thread to this one, or somewhere else, is what I say.

Anyways, the fact of the matter is, if you come from IRC, you understand that there are no rules in a discussion venue except those imposed by the ops/mods. Therefore it's completely pointless to whine about how something is not fair. It's not supposed to be fair. Forums aren't a part of civil society in that regard. They exist in the Wild West of the online world, and there are pretty much no laws governing how the mods should run the place, bar from some having to do with racism and child pornography and shit like that. Insignificant stuff like banning your IP forever, that's literally up to the whims of the mods.

It all comes down to how you talk to people though, mods. If you tell someone specifically to do something, it might feel like an abuse of power. If you tell everyone to cool down and relax, and remind everyone of how they should act, it might feel more like actual fair moderation of the forums. Diplomacy. If you have no talent for it, you'll be seen as a BOFH. Simple as that.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

Forums aren't a part of civil society in that regard. They exist in the Wild West of the online world, and there are pretty much no laws governing how the mods should run the place, bar from some having to do with racism and child pornography and shit like that.

Well this is not true here, these forums have a very lovely set of rules, and everyone using this space is subject to them.

http://www.cyberpunk.net/forum/en/threads/25-Forum-Rules-amp-Regulations

 

[Sardukhar]

Ha! You may be subject to them, but I exist above them! Beyond them! Over them!

I'm "them" I'm "they". I'm a plural entity in a singular medium! Cue in the Will Smith music!

 

[Sydanyo]

Well this is not true here, these forums have a very lovely set of rules, and everyone using this space is subject to them.

http://www.cyberpunk.net/forum/en/threads/25-Forum-Rules-amp-Regulations

You misunderstood, so let me clarify.

there are pretty much no laws governing how the mods should run the place, bar from some having to do with racism and child pornography

there are no rules in a discussion venue except those imposed by the ops/mods

The rules of a forum aren't a law. Law and rules are two very, very different things. You can break the rules, and not break the law. What I said was that forums aren't governed by any specific laws except the obvious ones concerning racism and stuff like that. There are no laws in any countries saying "you have to do what a moderator says or face two years in prison." And, as you can see, I said forums have rules.

 

[Sardukhar]

Did someone spray the nitpicky aerosol over everyone here? Cruising through I see a lot of clairifcations, term mongering, corrections and general crap we should just shrug and move on from.

When we're discussing the medium and not the message, we really do need new content.

 

[cmdr_silverbolt]

Ha! You may be subject to them, but I exist above them! Beyond them! Over them!

I'm "them" I'm "they". I'm a plural entity in a singular medium! Cue in the Will Smith music!

Haha, that's right buddy, go you :] Hey, did you take your meds today? Just checking, pal.

@ MacL: I thought your post was nice, dude, but you're wrong that we're not subject to any laws here, from the Forum Rules post-

Polish law:

• All acts forbidden under Polish law are also forbidden on www.cyberpunk.net. This shall include but not be limited to the publication of posts:

- advocating or in any way contributing to the violation of copyright laws,
- promoting alcoholic beverages, other intoxicating substances and narcotics, as well as their use,
- the content of which could be considered pornographic, sexist, racist, etc.,
- the content of which could be construed as insulting to third parties or other users of www.cyberpunk.net,
- revealing private correspondence, where publication of said correspondence occurs without the consent of its author or authors.

Regardless, you were totally spot on that this forum is way more lax than other places, and we do have the members to thank for that.

 

[Sydanyo]

I guess my output isn't quite as clear as I'd hope it to be. Of course all other laws are in effect. I simply meant no country has yet made laws - at least that I know of - which state how people should behave on forums, how they should address the moderators, when they'll be banned, and so on. Obviously all copyright laws and laws concerning all other serious stuff apply.

But that's that.

 

[thewarsend]

After seeing a some posts from a few members about "abuse of power" I decided it was time for some enlightenment as well as not deterring other threads topics .

First when any moderator pops in a thread and asks users not to behave in a certain manner then we have reasons for doing so and it`s best not to keep engaging in that manner .

Also when an official warning is given absolutely no one knows about it except the user of course and the moderators . Now if the user then decides to make it public by advertising in threads then naturally everyone who reads it will know about it . Also at no time will any moderator make it known who receives a warning .

Banning is taken very seriously by us and is not done on a whim by any moderator . The only reason a spur of the moment ban will occur is from ad spam or blatant rules violations .

A few things we do concerning warnings and bans :
In the event that a warning or ban is considered or cordoned it is discussed by the moderators at length and with links to the offending posts so that we can all see the extent of the post . Generally we try to contact the user by PM . Also users usually get at least one official warning before advancing to the next stage . Depending on the severity of the post or posts a user may receive more than one warning before advancing on .

Anyway I just wanted every user of this forum to know what they can expect from us (moderators)

If you`re reading this then thank you for your time and I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay here !

See, this is whats wrong with the way i got banned, you can say "Banning is taken very seriously by us and is not done on a whim by any moderator" all you want, i didn't get a PM and my posts was not that offending.

All i said was, "some suckers want same type of thing over and over again" got my first warning for supposedly insulting people for saying "suckers"....
Then i talked about same people verbally assaulted me before called them "fanatic a-holes". Got my second warning... What else was i supposed to call people who assaulted me? Neither of these two insults were directed to anybody and people said much much worse without any penalty, but that didn't matter... Neither of those are heavy or medium insults, if you can even call it that. What i can't stomach is happened right after. I got both banned AND received an infraction for making a joke to a friend, saying "you are not great on reading side are you" If there is an insult hidden in that joke, i cannot see it, can you? What i see is a convenient excuse for an insult. Did anyone bothered ask that user if he took it as an insult? I mean, we, even you moderators make these kind of jokes ALL the time, right? What made that time different? When i asked Dragonbird said, "you had previous incidents", really? Can you do that? Can you ban someone based on his previous actions? Are you allowed to keep a grudge like that? I'm sure you will refuse to see it my way.. But that doesn't matter anymore.

 

[dragonbird]

I'm not going into the details of your own ban - as has already been highlighted, we do not discuss individual cases publicly. But to answer one general question raised.

Can you ban someone based on his previous actions? Are you allowed to keep a grudge like that? I'm sure you will refuse to see it my way..

Yes, absolutely, and it's nothing to do with bearing grudges. We prefer to warn, in-thread at first, then via PM and/or formal infringement warning, but if there are repeated problems, the next stage is a ban.
Direct quote from the forum rules:

Any user committing one or more of the offenses delineated above may:
• be reprimanded in writing,
• receive a written warning,
• be temporarily or permanently banned from accessing and using www.cyberpunk.net.

Each written warning after the second (if the first was for a slight offense), or including the second (if the first was for a medium or heavy offense) will automatically entail a temporary or permanent ban on access to and use of the forum.

 

[thewarsend]

I'm not going into the details of your own ban - as has already been highlighted, we do not discuss individual cases publicly. But to answer one general question raised.

Yes, absolutely, and it's nothing to do with bearing grudges. We prefer to warn, in-thread at first, then via PM and/or formal infringement warning, but if there are repeated problems, the next stage is a ban.
Direct quote from the forum rules:

So a week before i post cat pictures, a week later it helps me get banned... You are intentionally or unintentionally interpreting the rule wrong as it says no such thing.