=][= SITE RULES UPDATE - DISCIPLINARY ACTION =][=

[Brother Tyler]

Note that the below represents an update to our Site Discipline, the addition of consequences to Reputation as a result of warnings. Everything else remains the same, though the post has been rearranged and reformatted. For the sake of brevity, only the addition is shown below. You can see the full updated rules here. The previous version of our Site Discipline rules, previously titled "Corrective Action" can be seen in the spoiler in the post below. Explanations for this addition as well as the two existing axes of consequences are provided in a reply below.

 

If you have any questions or concerns about this update, feel free to post a reply below and we'll be happy to engage in discussion.

 

Update:

 

An additional consequence for misbehavior will affect a member's Reputation points/level. Where the first consequence (Ban period) is based on the member's total active warnings and the second consequence (Rank reduction) is based on the member's total warnings for a specific type of infraction, this consequence (Reputation reduction) is based on the member's total warnings, active and expired, for all types of infractions. The progression below shows the member's total warnings followed by the corresponding consequences, along with two notes:

 

1) No effect on reputation

2) -1 level or down to Outstanding (675), whichever is lower

3) -1 level or down to Excellent (225), whichever is lower

4) -1 level or down to Very Good (75), whichever is lower

5) -1 level or down to Good (20), whichever is lower

6) -1 level or down to Neutral (0), whichever is lower

7) -1 level or down to Poor (-10), whichever is lower

8) -1 level or down to Bad (-20), whichever is lower

9+) Down to Bad (-20) automatically

 

Note 1: If the warning is for abusive behavior and the member has previously received one or more warnings for abusive behavior, increase all of the above by one level of severity (e.g., 4th overall warning: -2 levels or down to good (20), whichever is lower).

 

Note 2: When being reduced in reputation level, the member will lose sufficient reputation points to be at the lowest point value for the new reputation level, which is shown in parenthesis.

 

As with the consequences to a member's Rank, Reputation level consequences are a manual process. Under our standard process, when an official warning is issued, only the Ban consequences occur automatically. The explanation provided to the warned member will include a description of the Rank and Reputation consequences, but those consequences will occur later as they require Administrator approval and action (i.e., the Moderatori and Custodes are not able to impose those consequences). Similarly, the Moderati and Custodes are not able to impose Ban consequences beyond those that the system automatically creates, so cases where violations incur heightened penalties also require Administrator approval and action.

[Brother Tyler]

Here is the previous version of our site rules for Disciplinary Action, sans Reputation Level consequences:

 

On 6/15/2017 at 6:55 AM, Brother Tyler said:

 

return to index

CORRECTIVE ACTION

 

Remember that posting at the Bolter & Chainsword is a privilege, not a right. Those who abuse the privilege will find that privilege revoked. You aren't required to like the rules, but you are required to follow them.

 

Corrective action is taken by Moderatori, Custodes, or Administratum members (the "staff") when a member has broken the rules of the Bolter & Chainsword.

 

Wherever possible, the staff enforces board policy through guidance and example. If violations are identified, the staff will take the appropriate action. This action might be a warning in the thread, editing content in order to remove the violation, or sending a private message (PM) or e-mail. Deletion/hiding of content will be taken only when necessary to keep discussions civil and contructive.

 

Content may also be locked or hidden for a time to allow the staff to discuss whether an issue requires a warning or simple redirection.

 

Getting a PM from a staff member doesn't necessarily equate to a warning. Often, a staff member will contact a member to identify problematic behavior and to provide guidance for avoiding that behavior in the future. Official warnings will ALWAYS be accompanied by a message stating which rule(s) has been broken and the fact that an official warning is being issued for the violation(s). These messages will detail the infraction and the consequences of the disciplinary action. There are five types of rules violations:

 

• Abusive behavior - mistreatment of other members
• Off-topic - discussion outside the scope of the site, deliberate derailment of a discussion
• Profanity - any content that includes either explicit profanity or attempts to bypass the swear filter
• Spamming - repeatedly posting content across site in a disruptive manner, unsolicited messages to members, etc.
• Other - catch-all for infractions not included in the above

 

If a behavior includes multiple types of violations, all types will be described. Only 1 warning point will be issued unless the severity of the infraction is deemed sufficient to warrant more warning points.

 

Active warning points generally expire after 180 days. However, all warnings are logged and will be taken into account when subsequent infractions occur.

 

WARNING CONSEQUENCES

 

BAN

 

A member will be banned from participating in the site based on the number of active warning points, including those received as a result of the current warning:

 

1) no ban (We consider this just a 'nudge.' You've broken a rule. Don't do it again or more severe penalties will be applied.)

2) 3-day ban

3) 7-day ban

4) 14-day ban

5) Permanent ban (movement to the + EXCOMMUNICATUS + group)

 

While banned, the member will not be able to log in or participate in the site in any way. They can still view site content as a Guest.

 

MODERATOR PREVIEW

 

An optional consequence for an infraction is being placed on moderator preview. While a member is on moderator preview all content they submit will have to be reviewed and approved by the staff before it will be published to the community. The length of time that a member is on moderator preview will be determined by the staff. If the staff are satisfied that the member has reformed their behavior sufficiently, the member will be taken off moderator preview. If a member is placed on moderator preview, the warning comments will include a note to that effect and will indicate the length of time that the moderator preview will last.

 

LOSS OF ACHIEVEMENT POINTS/RANKS

 

Any warning issued for the abusive behavior type will additionally incur the loss of 1 achievement point. This may result in a reduction in rank (e.g., from Veteran to Battle-Brother).

 

In addition to a potential ban, a member will lose achievement points and/or rank based on the number of active warning points plus the number of expired warnings for the same type of infraction. For example, if a member has 1 active warning point plus 2 expired warnings for profanity and they receive a new warning for profanity, they will have 4 total warnings (1 active + 2 expired + 1 new warning).

 

1) no reduction in points/rank

2) removal of 1 achievement point

3) removal of achievement points sufficient to demote member to lower rank at lowest point value for that rank

4) removal of achievement points sufficient to demote member to lower rank or Battle-Brother rank, whichever is lowest, at lowest point value for that rank

5+) removal of achievement points sufficient to demote member to lower rank or Novitiate rank, whichever is lower, at lowest point value for that rank

 

Note that if a member suffers a rank reduction as a result of the automatic 1-point reduction for abusive behavior, there won't be another rank reduction except at 4 or 5 above, or if the offense was considered severe enough to warrant further reduction in rank.

 

Regardless of the number of active warning points a member has, if they ever accumulate 5 warnings for the same behavior or 10 total warnings for all types of behaviors, they will be permanently banned (i.e., moved to the + EXCOMMUNICATUS + group). Similarly, any member that explicitly declares that they won't follow the site's rules or who makes substantive threats against other members will also be banned. Posting of adult content or links to sites with adult content will also be grounds for immediate permanent banning.

 

When a member is permanently banned as a result of repeated violations of the forum rules, an announcement will be made. This will serve as notification of the ban to head off questions about the whereabouts of a member that has seemingly disappeared, as well as a demonstration that disciplinary action, though normally private between the offending member and the staff, does take place. The strategic goal with this sort of object lesson is to dissuade other members from similarly continuing to violate the forum rules. Such announcements will be pinned in the News, Rumors, and Board Announcements subforum for a period of time, but the topics will be locked to prevent any unseemly discussion or responses. If you have any questions about a banning, you may contact the administrators.

 

Note that our previous disciplinary system simply suspended members instead of banning them, leaving banning as the final measure when a member demonstrated their unwillingness/inability to follow the forum rules. However, we have seen suspended members continue to misbehave during their suspension periods by using reactions in malicious ways. As a result, members will now be temporarily banned instead of being suspended at the lower disciplinary levels.

 

The Administrators reserve the right to take any disciplinary action they deem necessary, including actions outside the chain listed above and banning members with fewer than 5 Warnings as and when they deem necessary.

 

+ PENITENT +

 

Members that are permanently banned may be reinstated at the discretion of the administrators. Any banned/+ EXCOMMUNICATUS + member may contact the administrators after 30 days of being banned to request reinstatement. If the administrators approve the reinstatement, the member will be moved to the + PENITENT + group and demoted to the Aspirant rank. The member will remain in the + PENITENT + group for a period of time determined by the administrators and will be considered to be on probation during that time. Any infraction made during the probation period will have serious repercussions. The +PENITENT+ title is not meant as an insult to the member.

 

If you take issue with official action, you are invited to contact the staff member that issued the warning; and if necessary, you may contact an administrator if you feel a warning was issued unfairly. All official warnings are logged and recorded by the software and are reviewed by the administrators to make sure things are being done properly. This monitoring also ensures proper coaching in the event that a staff member makes a mistake in the course of issuing a warning and to prevent future incidents from happening again.

 

Normally, disciplinary action and communications will be private between the moderators/administrators and the member(s) in violation of the forum rules. While disciplinary action has a punitive aspect, the goal with disciplinary action is rehabilitative - helping the member to adjust their behavior in accordance with the expectations and standards of the community, as articulated in these rules.

 

CONTENT LOCKS

 

 

Content may be locked at the discretion of the staff. Reasons for topic locks include, but are not limited to:

 

• Topic poses a question that is definitely answered.
• Topic duplicates an existing topic.
• Rumor/speculation that is disproven.
• News/rumor topic once the product is released.
• Topic has no constructive value.
• Discussion has shifted off topic.
• Discussion has become overly contentious.
• Et cetera

 

When these situations arise, the staff will lock the topic with an explanation and the following image:

 

 

It is possible that the topic may be unlocked later. If necessary, some posts may be edited or hidden by the staff, or the staff may decide that folks have cooled their heels enough to get a topic back on track. You can take it up with your forum moderator if you have issue with a closing. However, please remain civil if you don't agree with what has been done. Flying off the handle will not help bring your point across.

 

THE REPORT FUNCTION

 

 

Inevitably, members aren't going to agree on everything; and, the Internet being what it is, people often act is if it's okay to say whatever they want because there won't be any consequences. Or sometimes someone says something that you find offensive, or that you think is inappropriate in some way.

You'll be tempted to return fire, giving tit for tat or escalating. The community doesn't need that. Remember, the mission of the site is to help each other to enjoy the hobby. It's difficult to do that when we're getting into spats with people we don't know.

 

Use the REPORT button when you see something that you think needs to be addressed. This will allow you to identify a potential problem to the staff, who will then evaluate the situation, discuss whether or not there is an issue that needs to be resolved, and then take whatever action we deem is appropriate. When you submit a report, be sure to explain the problem that you perceive in a constructive manner, no matter how obvious you think the issue is.

 

If you submit a report and don't see any action within 3 days, you are welcome to contact the forum moderators for a follow up. Keep in mind that disciplinary action usually takes place behind closed doors and will remain private between the staff and the offending member. While you may see that content is hidden/edited/locked, you will generally not be told the specifics of any punishment meted out to the offending member.

 

[Brother Tyler]

Some of you may be wondering why we added Reputation Level consequences to our Disciplinary Action progression. After all, Reputation Level, like Rank, is just imaginary Internet street cred.

 

Ultimately, because disciplinary action is usually taken care of privately, members aren't able to see when misbehaving members have been disciplined. This may lead to the misperception that member's infractions aren't dealt with. Negative consequences to Rank and Reputation Level provide a means by which members might recognize that misbehaving members have been subjected to discipline.

 

In addition, it doesn't make sense that members who repeatedly violate community rules might enjoy high rank and reputation (even though those don't really do anything concrete). We've all seen long-standing members who are known miscreants, but who have high rank and reputation, and I'm sure we've all scoffed at the dysfunction that such things imply. People who repeatedly misbehave shouldn't enjoy high rank or reputation level, so we've implemented a progression where members lose both for misbehaving. Both can be earned back, as below:

 

Rank is earned through achievements such as participating in discussions, uploading files, etc. Our current rank structure is as follows:

 

Aspirant (0 achievement points) 

Novitiate (2 achievement points) 

Battle-Brother (4 achievement points) 

Veteran (8 achievement points) 

Venerable Brother (13 achievement points) 

 

Ranks confer neither privileges nor authority. They simply provide a rough indicator of how much a member has contributed to the community.

 

Reputation is earned when other members assign reactions (e.g., Like, Thanks, etc.) to your content. Yes, even when members are using "Haha" to be insulting, those actually help the member who they are targeting. The only reaction that doesn't accrue reputation is the Respectfully Disagree reaction. As you earn reputation points from reactions, your Reputation Level increases. Our current reputation level structure is as follows:

• Bad (-20 reputation points)
• Poor (-10 reputation points)
• Neutral (0 reputation points)
• Good (20 reputation points)
• Very Good (75 reputation points)
• Excellent (225 reputation points)
• Outstanding (675 reputation points)
• Noteworthy (2025 reputation points)

As with rank, reputation/reputation level confer neither privileges nor authority. They simply provide a rough indicator of how much the community has appreciated the content a member has contributed. A member's rank and reputation/reputation level can be seen by visiting their profile.

 

The only way to lose either rank or reputation is through misbehavior and the progression of disciplinary action. Both can be earned back, however, through subsequent participation in the community. Reputation is easy to earn back as it simply requires that other members assign reactions [other than Respectfully Disagree] to your content. Rank is more difficult to earn back, however, as achievements don't have a linear progression (e.g., it takes more and more of the same type of participation to earn each subsequent award) and they max out at the gold level.

 

Of course, the easy way to not lose reputation or rank is to behave in a manner that is consistent with our community rules.