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Forum Forum rules and various other related things discussion

Discussion in 'Forum, wiki and other THD pages' started by Galen, Jun 22, 2016.

Mods: dnmr, Kazaco97
  1. Galen

    Galen Haxor Staff Alumni Donator

    Messages:
    1,262
    A recent incident where moderation was done and users weren't quite clear about why it was done and what actually has happened, has shown that some rules and definitions clearly need fixing. This thread might appear redundant given how there's a "questions" thread in beginner box as well as a second thread which was already about moderation and community management. This thread exists solely for what I am going to mention below.

    I would like everyone to point out vague definitions as well as just straight-out unclear rules, so that we staff members can work on getting that fixed. This is sort of a brainstorming thread, if you will.
    And no, I'm not posting this thread because we're too lazy to look through the rules. We have already done that and we have found a few things that need to be addressed, but there might've been things we may have overlooked or just simply not thought of.

    I would also like if everyone could keep their calm in this thread as much as possible, this thread doesn't exist to call out specific posts/users/etc (giving examples is okay, as long as they're not being used in a rule-infracting way) - it's there to get things moving and fix loopholes so that we can provide more clear limits as to what users are allowed to do, and what not.

    I will also delete any posts that are attempting to derail this thread, as well as everything that doesn't contribute to the conversation whatsoever. Keep it civil. Thanks.
    Also please keep in mind that just because you posted your two cents, it doesn't mean we can immediately fix it. Things will take some time, so please be patient.

    To-Do List: (LAST UPDATED JUNE, 25th, 2016 00:58 CEST)

    - backseat moderation
    - necroing
    - link to spamcam (forum games)
    - specify PG-13
    - fix multiaccounting rule grammar
    - rephrase "full warnings [...]"
    - explain less strongly enforced rules in Misc

    "Rejected" Ideas-List (LAST UPDATED JUNE, 23rd, 2016 01:29 CEST):
    Listings include links to their respective thread replies.

    - multiposting rule definition (re: updating posts [aka bumps])

    • This rule already tells users to use the edit button instead of posting a new post. It exists because thread/conversation watchers receive separate alerts for each post. Which is the main idea behind this concept.
    - One-word post rule definition (examples)
    • I do think this is pretty self-explanatory. By the base definition of this rule, there are no one-word posts that are allowed. Some moderators just enforce this rule more strictly than others, and sometimes posts may be overlooked. UPDATE: Answers to questions which can be answered in one word are excluded from this rule (ie: Is XYZ like ZYX? -> YAY/NAY/<insertanswerhere>)
    - Specific rules for GD and "Questions pages"
    • I do not think that providing an "example discussion" is something that is needed. Also, General Discussion doesn't have it's own specific rules because the normal rules that are listed on the terms page are being applied here. Questions pages also do not need specific rules or examples because there are no "good" or "bad" questions. Also, questions can be asked anywhere. The questions thread in Beginners Box also tells you what the restrictions on this thread are, if you were to read the original post (read: page 1, post 1)
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2016
  2. an_obamanation

    an_obamanation The boss Donator

    Messages:
    392
    Because this forums definition of backseat moderating is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from every other forum in existence, that should be added to the rules section, The definition of necroing should also be added, and where it's acceptable to necro, where it's not, etc.

    The definition of "Off-Topic" needs to be more specific, it should state that even if your post has a chunk that's relevant but another large part that isn't then it is still considered Off-Topic. It should also be stated that when you respond to an off-topic post that is directed AT YOU that you will still get a warning for being off-topic, as that's not very clear.

    Excessive swearing could be a bit more specific, perhaps giving examples of bad and good behavior.

    Double posting needs to be tweaked imo. It states there
    Well if you're updating your post, then you should use the Edit button right? I feel double posting should be allowed if your new post is unrelated to your previous posting but isn't off-topic to the thread in general.

    One word responses should have examples showing acceptable and not acceptable. As I've seen instances where one word posts were allowed as they were showing support for a mod or something, stuff like "Nice mod" or "Cool" have been allowed to stay.

    Where "Forum games are allowed but only in the spamcan" is should have a link to the spamcan itself to show new people where it is and what it is.

    Specify what PG-13 means for the forums, as the definition of PG-13 isn't very specific, and varies from place to place. This could be done with (Again I know.) examples of bad and good.

    And the general discussion and Questions pages could use rules on them. Showing good questions, bad, good discussion, and bad discussion in an example form and telling people what questions should be asked there and what questions should be asked elsewhere.

    Rather tired as of posting this so most things may not make as much sense as i'd like them but in general this is just some things I feel could be better/more specific. As I break rules all the time when i'm not even trying because these rules aren't stated in the rules section, but are still enforced, they're essentially invisible walls covered in spikes.

    EDIT: And maybe add something about shitposting. Thx.
     
  3. PUNK123

    PUNK123 Hella wRangler Staff Alumni Tester

    Messages:
    1,275
    Minus the vulgarity and pg-13 rules ive already talked about.



    • No multi-posting; i.e. making 2 or more consecutive posts without waiting for someone else to post (The edit button is there for a reason). A plug-in does merge both of your posts automatically, however it will send out an alert to people every time you post. Instead of making a new posts and having it merge, edit your previous post. Only make a new post when you have an important update to add.
    This implies that you should double post if it is important. Eitherway you can edit out the double post thing so i dont see double posts as a plague or anything they just look stupid. Wish xenoforum had a plugin to merge and then delete the double post.

    im nitpicking here but it would be nice if the example for multicounting said making not using.



    • No multi-accounting (i.e. using more than one account). Doing so will lead to your account being banned.


    What is a full warning. Also i would like an a before ban though again im nitpicking.

    Full warnings will give you a certain number of warning points. Getting a certain amount of warning points will result in ban of varying lengths.
    What do you think backseat moderating is? I thought it was obvious across forums. Eitherway you telling someone what they did wrong in a thread might be helpful but it is still off-topic. You can post a msg or pm to them if you want to be helpful. As for necro it is generally ok if you are adding to the discussion(as it is better to use an old thread than a new one imo). In suggestions it is always ok to necro though not ok to break forum rules(like 1 word posts ect). Also i think it is really stupid to make a post off topic if it has a large part that is off-topic and a smaller part that is on. Your entire post is ontopic at that point although you are mainly talking about something that interest you more. It also is very clear that responding to off-topic is off-topic. Also it'd be nice if you showed some real examples with the 1 word post because in places like resources it is generally ok.
     
    an_obamanation and bunnie like this.
  4. Galen

    Galen Haxor Staff Alumni Donator

    Messages:
    1,262
    Updated main post to include fixes and rejected ideas.
     
    an_obamanation likes this.
  5. PUNK123

    PUNK123 Hella wRangler Staff Alumni Tester

    Messages:
    1,275
    Make a thread in the miscellaneous area of the forum saying that things like the pg-13 rule are generally less enforced(though obviously still no pornographic images and if you abuse this leniency you will be punished severely ect.)
    something like this
    Code:
    These are the general guidelines which are to be considered the rules, of the Miscellaneous forum and the subsection inside it.
    
    Miscellaneous is a section of the Transhuman Design forums, to be used for the discussion of topics not covered in other sections of the forum.
    
    Ideally, you will follow the pg-13 rule, but moderation of it in this forum will be more lax. If you abuse the leniency then your punishment will be severe. Also in the spamcan one word posts will not be moderated(obviously).
    
    
    The actual Miscellaneous area, that isn't under a subsection is just a discussion about miscellaneous things and has nothing to do with art or spam.
    
     
    Vamist likes this.
  6. Blue_Tiger

    Blue_Tiger Bison Rider Tester

    Messages:
    899
    Can we change this "no one word post" rule to "no posts that add nothing to the discussion". Because saying stuff like "+1", "cool", etc might be spam (not that I think anyone cares), but replying with a single word "flashbang" to a thread asking for mod ideas is not, and does not warrant a 3 day ban IMO.
     
  7. PUNK123

    PUNK123 Hella wRangler Staff Alumni Tester

    Messages:
    1,275
    Couple new things ive been thinking about lately. Why not either give this stickied thread a facelife or replace it. Maybe an umbrella one that both talks about the irc channel and has the same function that duplolas's old thread had. Having someone who is semi-active be the op so people can add in their input on what is needed would be a bonus. Also for the bug reports i feel like for organization-wise-ness it would be a good idea to have the archive be only for fixed bugs. Make another sub-section for confirmed bugs so that crap can atleast be sifted through and moderators/testers can confirm the bugs instead of having 7 pages worth of threads.
     
  8. Kazaco97

    Kazaco97 Bison Rider Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Messages:
    43
    Wiki:
    I'll look at writing up a new thread sticky, but I'd rather it go in the direction of showing progression if anything. Logically, the thread Duplolas made didn't make much sense as there are easier ways to see if a page is out-of-date and/or missing content. However, a monthly-update of sorts might show that wiki has at least some movement. As sad as it is, most people going to work on something without something in return.

    Bug Reports:
    In general, I've been leaving the "un-fixed" bugs up unless Geti or a tester confirms that the bug has been fixed. However, you should know that this subsection has been moderated by many different individuals over the past 3 years. The past moderators, Kaizo and Gurin, were able to archive and confirm bugs at the same time due to their being an online spreadsheet. This worked at the time because the devs accessed the list and were able to confirm fixes and such. Obviously, this has changed or I'd be doing the same thing. In the future I may add a 'cringey' looking list if it becomes congested again (it was 10 pages), but I'd rather not.

    +What'd I do: I can't touch the Linux or Mac bugs as I'm using Windows 10 (shame) but in regards to that section I'm mostly in favor of just archiving all the files from 2014-2013 and getting new reports.
     
Mods: dnmr, Kazaco97