New warning point proposal

[WebSlave]

I am thinking strongly of adding a new warning point penalty to the warning system. Whining to the moderators. What this will be is a warning point for those people who come whining to me or the moderators about what someone else has said about them in a thread. Quite frankly, we don't want to hear it. We are NOT your daddy and are not going to take sides either way in your arguments. We are not going to fight your battles for you. YOU have to deal with it. If anyone here thinks we are going to go and delete someone else's messages or ban someone else simply because you want us to do so, you are sadly mistaken.

Maybe a more politically correct name would be better for the warning, but right now I'm thinking it should be used as an embarrassment to those people who seem inclined to do such things. Maybe seeing multiple instances of being a whiner on their warning record would help break them of that bad habit.

[jenn_jeffery]

I certainly wouldn't blame you for warning them about such things. You all have more to do with your time than read and answer emails from people who probably deserve to have a post about them.

[Sybella]

It seems a little petty...is it really that big of an issue that needs to take up your or the mod's time issuing points?

[DThomas]

Originally posted by Sybella
It seems a little petty...is it really that big of an issue that needs to take up your or the mod's time issuing points?

If you could only read some of the complaints that come our way..lol

I think it's a good idea Rich.

[WebSlave]

I have to take time out of my day to read about these petty squabbles that people try to get me involved in. I just getting tired of telling people I am not going to take sides. I really don't want to hear about the conflict privately, because there is nothing I am going to do about it either way anyway. Perhaps getting warning points will help drive this point home where all other methods trying to get this point across have failed.

Don't get me wrong, now. People can lodge complaints about what other people say, in a third person perspective, that is warranted and needs to be brought to our attention. What I am talking about is when someone complains specifically about what someone has posted about themselves personally or professionally.

[robin d.]

i think its a good idea.....
maybe call it
abuse of privilages?

[Lucillle]

I think it's a good idea. Then they can buy off their points..... :D

[MR_Jungle_Mist]

I'll agree - good idea. I just like the thought of you battling the whining, basically. I'm sure you can have a form letter that you can copy and paste. Something to the effect of..

Hello, My name is ****. I've recently received an email from you and though I've not read it completely I have ascertained (sp?) it to be an email containing any of the following:

Complaint about something said about you on a thread.
Complaint about a bad post concerning you.
A request to delete a post containing negative things about you.
(etc etc)

We here at Fauna have a strick No Whining To Moderators policy. Please see this sticky note on this rule implemented on 12.28.04.

Any further emails on the subject will get you warning points. If you have a valid complaint please take out all the crap in your email and send me what the problem is. I don't rightly care about your entire history of you being a member here.

Please note - "delete those posts about me or I'm calling my lawyer" emails will only succeed in your emails and links to the thread(s) being made public in the Whiners Forum.

Thank you for your understanding.

Then you can do a Moderators only Whiners Forum where folks can go and read about the whiners and laugh and sympathize with you guys.

Of course.....maybe there is a reason I don't have my own forum...

But, whatever, warning points would work just as well. :D

[WebSlave]

Well I can see some obvious nomimees for moderators of the new Whiners Forum right here in this thread. You know I can set it so all new posts in a forum are emailed as a notification to the moderator(s) of a forum.

I think I will call it either The Whine Cellar or The Whinery. :hehe:

[bcfos]

You know Rich this is a great idea. Who has the time to put up with this petty crap anyway. If someone doesn't like what I say about them there is always that PM or E mail option isn't there? I am not the type to bother you or anyone else with such petty crap, and don't like people diong the same to me on other forums where I moderate either. Usually I meet such whiny requests with a nice "So what". But also due to the filters here I can't type what else I usually say because it will just end up in a red censored type. ;)

[robin d.]

i think its a good idea may keep down on the amt of posts you guuys recieve but you might as well just remove the "report this post" button.... it would seem rather odd to give out whining points but have an aveneu in which people are able to post to the mods about a post and "whine"

[robin d.]

or keep the button but take away the privilage to write any comments... that way it brings the thread to the attention to said mods without all the whining... and if the mod gets email and harassed about a thread or private messaged and feels said person is whining then asses points

[Lucillle]

I think the 'report this post' button fulfills a valid role. There are people who try to use the discussion forums for classified posts, there are trolls, all sorts of stuff that may be a valid reason to report a post without whining.

One idea might be to have a brief post FAQ at the top of each forum, highlighted, which includes:

I) Rules having to do with post content
a) No classified posts in discussion forums
b) A prohibition against trolling posts
c) Content
i) Prohibition against cussing etc.
ii) An outline of what a whine-o-gram is
(this is important because in general, it
is always better to provide a road map
ahead of time delineating unacceptable
behavior on the theory that clear
roadmaps may actually prevent some
unwanted behavior).

II) Official stance on whine-o-grams:
a) a clear definition (See (I)(c)(ii), above
b) Clearly posted consequences
(the newly proposed warning points).
i) point breakdown for various kinds of whines
ii) repeat whiner consequences
iii) final disposition rule so people do not
whine about how you handled their whining.

[WebSlave]

Lucille, what you are proposing is certainly logical and would be certainly appropriate and suitable. If we were living in a perfect world. Unfortunately, we are not. I can post FAQs, TOSs, guidelines, suggestions, warnings, and threats until I am blue in the face, but the major underlining problem to ALL of them is that people have to READ them. Which most will not.

Just look at the rules thread I posted on the BOI and compare the number of reads of that thread with the number of registered members here. Bearing in mind, as well, that many people who have read it have probably read it more then once.

So, therefore, I am forced to use the cattleman's solution to dealing with the problem: Electric fences. If you are dealing with a crowd (sorry if this analogy offends anyone) that will not listen and learn the boundaries beforehand, then you have to put the boundaries in place and they will learn about them when they hit them.

And Robin, I believe you are misinterpretting what the "report this post" link is there for in relation to the reason I started this thread.

[bcfos]

I say start tagging these whiners with say 3 points for every time they whine to you and waste some of your time. Cause when you really get down to it having you time wasted looking into a matter that would have been better taken care of via a pm or an e mail to the party which offended the other party is something we all would like to avoid.

[Lucille]

Cattle!! I can do cattle, I'm from Texas!!!!!

Brand 'em!!!! Oooops; maybe not (after all, I got a point).

I still (with all due respect) think a highlighted sticky would be good at least somewhere on the site, so you do not have to deal with people who will whine that they didn't know not to whine. Just my 2 cents.

[MR_Jungle_Mist]

You know I can set it so all new posts in a forum are emailed as a notification to the moderator(s) of a forum.



Well...then let me propose a read only forum where moderators can post and the masses can only read.

In all seriousness, I think you should go with the electric fence idea. I was aiming more towards cattle prods, myself. I'd go with the first initial email warning (....am sorry about your situation but we are not here to police negative threads on any one person nor are we here to act as post deleters. There is a reason the forums have been set up as they are....further emails on the subject will only result in visible warning points. Please read over our terms by clicking here....) and then just stick them some warning points.

It would save you and the mods some time by only having to copy and paste a form letter in reply to emails.

Although I don't want this to go in the direction of other forums where the moderators are regarded as egotistical high and mighties, it's not fair for you to have to hear and deal with every single whine someone has because another person is making them look bad. If they can't deal with this stuff on their own then perhaps they need to get their helmet on and go play outside for a little bit to cool off.

As for me...I'm still going to come here and interact because I think it's a great place to be. I'll take my warning points. I'll take my bad rep points. I'll take the insults others have to fling at me and take it like a big boy. And I'll be thankful you have it here for me to enjoy.

[bcfos]

I am all for shocking the piss out of the little cry babies myself. Plus a little bit of public humiliation would be a good thing also. :) ;)

This might curb the need to run crying to a mod because someone hurt their feelings. Come on it is just the frigging internet people, don't wear your emotions on your shirt cuffs.

[robin d.]

As for me...I'm still going to come here and interact because I think it's a great place to be. I'll take my warning points. I'll take my bad rep points. I'll take the insults others have to fling at me and take it like a big boy. And I'll be thankful you have it here for me to enjoy.
but umm you dont have any warning points :hehe: but you can take some of mine if you want LOL :dgrin:

[MR_Jungle_Mist]

No, no warning points (knock on wood) as of yet because I know the rules. Not only that but I know how to control myself (most of the time) and not go off into childish name callings or little tantrum posts.

Then again, I have more than enough time to make up for it all. I'm guessing it only takes one thread that I'll take too personally and the points will be going up like a jerry lewis telethon board. But I won't bitch about it! :)