issues reguarding placement of rules thread

[AlamoAgama]

i recommend that an announcement be posted or something symilar. so that rules may be visible not only in this section. but above each section in the classifieds area.

i have received in infraction for questioning the pricing of a reptile. thinking this was an open forum. i thought i had the right to ask and discuss this matter.

being such a gross inflation of price i was persistent in stating my reasons why i believed the price was so high. and because of this i received an infraction for : Disruptive posting in classified ad


this is not a post to continue issues about the infraction, since critisism is welcome in this section i am criticizing that the information was not easy to find and that there is no sticky about how to behave in the classified section.


needless to say i was persistent, and i deserved the infraction, but i also feel i should appeal it because the rules for posting in that section was in fact not available in that sub-forum.


with all that said. i would like to propose that this be taken into concideration so that others may see rules clear as day in each section reguarding what type of posting may go on in the classified section, not by visiting this section fo the forum labled " FaunaClassifieds Feedback Forum" but by visiting any section of the forum and being able to see a sticky above the forum posts. "rules and guidlines" or "rules and regulations" or just simple "read rules before posting"

 

[hhmoore]

I'm not sure why you would think it was appropriate to give a dissertation on the appropriate pricing of frilled lizards in the middle of somebody's ad - talk about RUDE

Posting in the classifieds should be a common sense thing, but it seems a lot of people have different ideas on how things should be. Here are a few things that are basically (IMO) the golden rules for responding in the classifieds (no - these aren't written anyplace, I'm teaching them to you now )
1) If you aren't posting toward the goal of a potential purchase (or sale, in the case of a wanted ad), you probably shouldn't post in an ad.
2) If you don't like the price, either close the ad and move on...or contact the seller privately, explain why, and try to negotiate a better one.
3) If you feel a person is misrepresenting an animal/item, you can make a post explaining what you feel the problem is......If somebody else has already done so, don't bother. If the seller chooses not to accept your viewpoint, drop it. At that point, the point is made; and potential buyers will have to consider that information for themselves.
4) If you have had bad experiences with a seller (or good ones, for that matter), the place to post about them is in the BOI - NOT the classifieds. What you can do to warn people about what you feel is a bad seller is post a link to the applicable BOI thread. No commentary, just the link. People will read it, or not.
5) "Nice snakes", "wish I had the money", and similar comments - while well intended - are gratuitous bumps...and are recognized as such. (refer to item #1)
6) If you think for even a moment that you probably shouldn't post something, you are probably right.
A lot of problems could be avoided if people would just pause before submitting a post, to realistically consider how they would feel if somebody were to make that same post in one of their ads (of course, item 5 is the obvious exception - that is a problem for a different reason).

Posting in the classifieds isn't some God given right. Many online classifieds do not allow people to post comments in an ad. If people want that ability here, they need to act accordingly. It's no secret that the classifieds are under a good deal of scrutiny of late...and Rich has already pointed out that the EASY solution to the problems is simply closing them to responses.

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That said, I agree that the rules - or at least a listing of the infractions - should be more readily accessible (not that I particularly think it would have changed anything in this situation. People in general don't look at the rules until they find that they've broken them). Once upon a time, they were both located in the TOS. Now, that is basically a legal statement.
Rich - how about putting something in Quick Links?

 

[Focal]

I think blatantly trashing someones for sale thread is a common "no-no" on any forum.

 

[Mistyck]

i recommend that an announcement be posted or something symilar. so that rules may be visible not only in this section. but above each section in the classifieds area.

I think there should be a sticky in the classifieds or a quick link there as well, but that is up to the discretion of the admin and mods.

needless to say i was persistent, and i deserved the infraction, but i also feel i should appeal it because the rules for posting in that section was in fact not available in that sub-forum.

You antagonized in the thread, but feel that you should not have received the infraction? Now what sense does that make? If you can't accept the consequence then don't do the action that results in such consequence. There is no "appeal" process for infractions, and rightly so.

with all that said. i would like to propose that this be taken into concideration so that others may see rules clear as day in each section reguarding what type of posting may go on in the classified section, not by visiting this section fo the forum labled " FaunaClassifieds Feedback Forum" but by visiting any section of the forum and being able to see a sticky above the forum posts. "rules and guidlines" or "rules and regulations" or just simple "read rules before posting"

I would think that you would read the stickies or the "rules" in the Feedback Forum for the whole site, which includes the "rules" for the classifieds, BEFORE posting. If you didn't, then whose fault is that; YOURS, not the admin or the mods. If you can't bother reading the forum rules, (no matter where they are posted), then that's your own fault, and therefore you should suffer whatever consequences that occur from not reading and abiding by the rules.

 

[hhmoore]

I'm curious, Jessica, did you read all the announcements and stuck threads before participating in that thread? Or did it dawn on you to look at the rules after your infraction?

 

[Dennis Hultman]

i also feel i should appeal it because the rules for posting in that section was in fact not available in that sub-forum.

Everything was well covered by Harald but I would like to ask you a question.

What exactly would you be appealing? The infraction system is a notification to correct actions not allowed on this site. The infraction system comes in play for the moderators to know the track record of events and in the event that someone is continually violating the rules to remove them. The only people that see infractions are the individuals receiving them and the moderators. The notifications do not create any disability of you participating or observing on the forum unless you consistently violate the rules here. At that point, you may have your permission to participate removed. So don't rack up to many infraction points. While the points that you receive with infractions will expire the notation that you have been warned remains for us to review.

So what you are asking to appeal is the fact that you have been notified to not continue in an activity that is currently against the site rules.

OK, if it makes you feel any better, We didn't tell you. I still would advise you not to accrue to many more points.

 

[WebSlave]

Sorry, my fault for certain. It's just that I tend to expect a bit of common sense and common courtesy out of all members here. It's just rather hard to quantify some expectations, so in a lot of cases, I just don't bother to try. Which therefore means that yes, you may very likely get a warning or an infraction letting you know that you have crossed a line, and please don't do it again.

These are NOTICES which let you know that your actions are unacceptable and we are requesting a change in your posting habits. They are NOT penalties. They are warnings that the penalty of being banned is imminent if you do not comply with the requests that these warnings give you notice of. As long as you comply, then there is really no harm done at all to you or your reputation.