Mass Dispatch: The Latest Happenings On The RealGM Forums

[tsherkin]

inconsistency of moderation is by far the biggest problem with this fourm, as well as mods that target particular fanbases. as stated earlier in this thread, at least half the Bobcats regulars are banned from the general board and the other half ignore it because we are tired of being targeted for suspensions. And its all from the same moderator.

This is inaccurate. As has been the case with other complaints about moderators "targeting" fan bases, what has been discovered is that the users in question were typically problem users to begin with, and almost universally failed to read board policy. They then invented a persecution story to suit their ill fortune, though one without a grain of truth.

Take you, for example.

Ten different mods have given you your 11 warnings, not counting the ban you received for using an alias to evade another suspension. You've had warnings on the PC Board, on the Heat board, on the Raptors board, running into the Knicks mods, and received two warnings on the GB in January of 2012 (before the new policy was in place) from two different mods, the last of which resulted in a 3-day suspension.

It wasn't until October of that year when you received your first strike (though in the interim, you'd received warnings for calling a user a "moron" and for derailing), which was for derailing, backseat moderating and attacking a moderator. That was Strike One, and it was behavior consistent with actions which had previously led to warnings. You caught a 7-day with that particular offense as well, then 5 days later a ban for evading your suspension with an alias, though that was only brief.

You then caught a warning for trolling the Heat board, and then one for bothering the Knicks board which led to a 7-day for personal attacks and derailing. You grabbed a warning for personal attacks on the PC Board.

THEN you finally caught a warning for backseat moderating (again) on the GB, which was Strike Two.

Since then, you've caught another warning for bothering the Knicks board and one for trolling the Raptors board, again.

You have no room for discussion here: you are lucky you have not been outright banned from RealGM for continuous infractions against the TOS. There is nothing "targeted" about the way you've been treated: you make yourself the subject of moderator action with your terrible behavior.

[tsherkin]

Alright not exactly sure where to ask this but,I cant seem to post anywhere I have tried except on the magic board. I assume this is the 100 day waiting period I read about. I also got a PM that I cant reply to, is this something similar to the 100 day waiting period or am I just flat out missing a reply button?

This is a question better posted to the Feedback forum, as it may be policy but it may also be a glitch in your user experience or something else. The Feedback forum will give you access to the design team as well as Howard. dream34 is on there semi-regularly trying to sort out the little hiccups that happen administrating a board of this size and you'll likely get a better answer there.

[Matty]

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Hey tsherkin, I'm not sure if this question has been asked before but can there be a rule - or is there a rule already - for users posting semi-revealing pictures to put it in a spoiler text. I imagine a lot of people who post here are working from their office or workplace, including me.

[Shock Defeat]

if everybody would just relax and chill no one would care about violations. I'm sure half of the violations come from fans getting upset from another team dissing their favorite team. This is the internet. Either adapt or be eaten.

[tsherkin]

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Hey tsherkin, I'm not sure if this question has been asked before but can there be a rule - or is there a rule already - for users posting semi-revealing pictures to put it in a spoiler text. I imagine a lot of people who post here are working from their office or workplace, including me.

There's no official rule regarding photos with revealing clothing. There's one about actual pornography but beyond that, it's really more of a discretionary thing. Spoiler tags are the considerate thing to use when people might be viewing these pages in public, but yeah, no official rule right at this time... unless the image is just out of no where and thus derailing the thread.

[KembaWalker]

inconsistency of moderation is by far the biggest problem with this fourm, as well as mods that target particular fanbases. as stated earlier in this thread, at least half the Bobcats regulars are banned from the general board and the other half ignore it because we are tired of being targeted for suspensions. And its all from the same moderator.

This is inaccurate. As has been the case with other complaints about moderators "targeting" fan bases, what has been discovered is that the users in question were typically problem users to begin with, and almost universally failed to read board policy. They then invented a persecution story to suit their ill fortune, though one without a grain of truth.

Take you, for example.

Ten different mods have given you your 11 warnings, not counting the ban you received for using an alias to evade another suspension. You've had warnings on the PC Board, on the Heat board, on the Raptors board, running into the Knicks mods, and received two warnings on the GB in January of 2012 (before the new policy was in place) from two different mods, the last of which resulted in a 3-day suspension.

It wasn't until October of that year when you received your first strike (though in the interim, you'd received warnings for calling a user a "moron" and for derailing), which was for derailing, backseat moderating and attacking a moderator. That was Strike One, and it was behavior consistent with actions which had previously led to warnings. You caught a 7-day with that particular offense as well, then 5 days later a ban for evading your suspension with an alias, though that was only brief.

You then caught a warning for trolling the Heat board, and then one for bothering the Knicks board which led to a 7-day for personal attacks and derailing. You grabbed a warning for personal attacks on the PC Board.

THEN you finally caught a warning for backseat moderating (again) on the GB, which was Strike Two.

Since then, you've caught another warning for bothering the Knicks board and one for trolling the Raptors board, again.

You have no room for discussion here: you are lucky you have not been outright banned from RealGM for continuous infractions against the TOS. There is nothing "targeted" about the way you've been treated: you make yourself the subject of moderator action with your terrible behavior.

lol I got a suspension
viewtopic.php?f=6&p=33360258#p33360258

biggest joke in forum moderating history. Some kid copypastes a blog as his whole post and Raptors mod gets upset nobody takes it seriously because its about Valancuinas being a superstar, I lose gen board access. Obviously I don't take RealGM moderation team seriously after that. how could anyone? its a joke.

personally I couldn't care less about general board access, I'm just telling you that there is an entire fanbase forum that feels particularly targeted and unwelcome on the general board, whether you feel that its justified or not doesn't really matter. it just is what it is. you don't have to get defensive and flip it on me. I don't deserve general board access going by the rules that Howard has made by any stretch. doesn't have anything to do with what I (and others) have said

[tsherkin]

Obviously I don't take RealGM moderation team seriously after that. how could anyone? its a joke.

Your lack of accountability and your pattern of inappropriate behavior is your issue, not the moderation of the forums here on RealGM, or even specifically on the GB. Your willingness to invent nonsense about fan base persecution is merely an extension of your unwillingness to accept that you routinely commit infractions against the rules of this site.

And again, the Charlotte fan base is wrong. They do not have the appropriate perspective on the matter to form a legitimate opinion, nor is their situation unique, nor are the posters involved typically posters without significant warning histories anyway. As I outlined previously, there are a number of fanbases who came over to the GB in droves, didn't read the GB policy thread, got smacked by the rules they didn't pay any attention to because the environment is different than their team board, and now must deal with the consequences of their actions. The same is true of Raptors fans, Pistons fans, Knicks fans, Heat fans, all kinds of groups. There is no specific focus on any fanbase. The GB is filled with posters from every team context and the mods have no need or interest in wasting time honing in on any one group when there are legions of problem posters, drawn from a pool which includes all of the NBA's teams.

As a general comment, read the rules, don't be a jerk and you won't have a problem on the GB. Stay on the topic of discussion. Don't evade the language filter. Don't be an ass to another team. If you want to have a less restricted conversation, then use the team boards. If you're ever unsure of conduct, ask a mod.

Don't just tromp into the GB with your muddy feet and expect us not to complain when you get dirt on our rug, though. Find out what it's like to post here, because it's different. There's a policy thread and a reminder thread. There are constant reminders of this stuff throughout the forums themselves. Many posters re-offend with the same thing that caught them their first warning. If you get a warning on the GB and you complain that you got 12-hour'd, we know instantaneously that you have been too lazy to even read the policy thread, which means you're given no extra consideration because you didn't put forth the prerequisite effort to understand the posting environment.

Know the rules and don't be a jerk, and the odds on you having an issue are incredibly small.

[KembaWalker]

well if your counter is that "Charlotte fanbase isn't unique in feeling targeted by moderators, lots of fanbases feel targeted by moderators!" I guess I can't really argue with that. can't really believe thats the environment that Howard would want to be fostering, but hey, you've moved up the ladder pretty quick with that perspective so maybe thats how he wants it to be. good luck with the forum

[Revived]

The appeals process will be the subject of The Mass Matter later this month when our Strike Amnesty Period starts.

What is the "Strike Amnesty Period"? And who is on the appeals committee? All the moderators of the GD?

[tsherkin]

The appeals process will be the subject of The Mass Matter later this month when our Strike Amnesty Period starts.

What is the "Strike Amnesty Period"? And who is on the appeals committee? All the moderators of the GD?

Strike Amnesty period refers to the periods during the year, usually two, where posters with a single strike and no violations since can appeal to Howard for that strike to be removed. The committee reviews and votes. The committee is a panel drawn from the GB mods.

Edit: Should add, Howard announces when the period is upon the GB. It isn't a quiet loophole that people might miss.

[tsherkin]

well if your counter is that "Charlotte fanbase isn't unique in feeling targeted by moderators, lots of fanbases feel targeted by moderators!" I guess I can't really argue with that.

More, bad posters who don't want to accept reaponsibility complain the loudest. And some fanbases complain when there happens to be a run on posters who favor their team, but that isn't reflective of targeting, so much as posters ignorant or inconsiderate of the rules. Most of the posters who got banned were long-time problems on more than just the GB, and the fanbases who complain never seem to want to a knowledge that. It takes the sting out of their complaint when bad posters broke the rules and suffered the consequences.

Not quite the same ring to it as "the evil mods are targeting our fanbase!"

Like I said: know the rules and don't be a jerk, and like thousands of other posters, no problem. We do a lot of informal warnings, we offer strike amnesty, appeals, there are reviews and votes with multiple mods. Sometimes, mods sill support an initiative to bring a good poster back before their appeal. Liver_Pooty made it back that way, for example. And the whole premise of the strikes is so posters don't get board-wide suspensions/bans as often, and those have certainly gone down in number precipitously.

Again, mods don't target fans from specific teams, we just look for posters who aren't following board policy.

[Revived]

The appeals process will be the subject of The Mass Matter later this month when our Strike Amnesty Period starts.

What is the "Strike Amnesty Period"? And who is on the appeals committee? All the moderators of the GD?

Strike Amnesty period refers to the periods during the year, usually two, where posters with a single strike and no violations since can appeal to Howard for that strike to be removed. The committee reviews and votes. The committee is a panel drawn from the GB mods.

Edit: Should add, Howard announces when the period is upon the GB. It isn't a quiet loophole that people might miss.

So the strike amnesty period does absolutely nothing for those who have ROA since they have 2 strikes right?

[ReturnofMVP3]

What is the "Strike Amnesty Period"? And who is on the appeals committee? All the moderators of the GD?

Strike Amnesty period refers to the periods during the year, usually two, where posters with a single strike and no violations since can appeal to Howard for that strike to be removed. The committee reviews and votes. The committee is a panel drawn from the GB mods.

Edit: Should add, Howard announces when the period is upon the GB. It isn't a quiet loophole that people might miss.

So the strike amnesty period does absolutely nothing for those who have ROA since they have 2 strikes right?

You can't I believe. You can appeal your ROA every 60 days (baring you have no infractions in those 60 days). If they allow you back after the appeal then you could attempt to amnesty one of the strikes during the amnesty period.

[PaulieWal]

The appeals process will be the subject of The Mass Matter later this month when our Strike Amnesty Period starts.

What is the "Strike Amnesty Period"? And who is on the appeals committee? All the moderators of the GD?

Strike Amnesty period refers to the periods during the year, usually two, where posters with a single strike and no violations since can appeal to Howard for that strike to be removed. The committee reviews and votes. The committee is a panel drawn from the GB mods.

Edit: Should add, Howard announces when the period is upon the GB. It isn't a quiet loophole that people might miss.

Is this amnesty only for strikes on the GB or can you also request amnesty for strikes received on other boards like PC?

[spearsy23]

Since this thread seems to be about having slightly more transparency: I asked HM about appealing Read Only Access a couple of months ago since it's been something like a year and a halfish since I was suspended, he said 'it's unlikely an appeal would be successful at this time, I'd advise waiting til fall.' He wouldn't say why that is, so I'm curious, since tsherkin seems to be okay with airing the dirty laundry, what's the deal with that? I haven't received any warnings or even informal talking too's since then, but he seemed to indicate there was something 'in my file' that made it unlikely for the next few months

[tsherkin]

What is the "Strike Amnesty Period"? And who is on the appeals committee? All the moderators of the GD?

Strike Amnesty period refers to the periods during the year, usually two, where posters with a single strike and no violations since can appeal to Howard for that strike to be removed. The committee reviews and votes. The committee is a panel drawn from the GB mods.

Edit: Should add, Howard announces when the period is upon the GB. It isn't a quiet loophole that people might miss.

Is this amnesty only for strikes on the GB or can you also request amnesty for strikes received on other boards like PC?

That is correct, it is only for single strikes.

What is the "Strike Amnesty Period"? And who is on the appeals committee? All the moderators of the GD?

Strike Amnesty period refers to the periods during the year, usually two, where posters with a single strike and no violations since can appeal to Howard for that strike to be removed. The committee reviews and votes. The committee is a panel drawn from the GB mods.

Edit: Should add, Howard announces when the period is upon the GB. It isn't a quiet loophole that people might miss.

So the strike amnesty period does absolutely nothing for those who have ROA since they have 2 strikes right?

There are no strikes on other boards, only warnings.

[tsherkin]

Since this thread seems to be about having slightly more transparency: I asked HM about appealing Read Only Access a couple of months ago since it's been something like a year and a halfish since I was suspended, he said 'it's unlikely an appeal would be successful at this time, I'd advise waiting til fall.' He wouldn't say why that is, so I'm curious, since tsherkin seems to be okay with airing the dirty laundry, what's the deal with that? I haven't received any warnings or even informal talking too's since then, but he seemed to indicate there was something 'in my file' that made it unlikely for the next few months

Warnings for baiting and personal attacks, and especially posters with a fistful of warnings, don't get great reception from the committee. The committee looks for signs that a poster won't continue to be a problem and consider input from other mods about a poster's behavior, etc, etc. it's not really a secret, arcane process: if they think a poster is likely to continue to be a problem, then the vote will likely not go in the poster's favor.

[PaulieWal]

Strike Amnesty period refers to the periods during the year, usually two, where posters with a single strike and no violations since can appeal to Howard for that strike to be removed. The committee reviews and votes. The committee is a panel drawn from the GB mods.

Edit: Should add, Howard announces when the period is upon the GB. It isn't a quiet loophole that people might miss.

Is this amnesty only for strikes on the GB or can you also request amnesty for strikes received on other boards like PC?

That is correct, it is only for single strikes.

Sorry, tsherk I didn't understand you. To clarify the amnesty is only for "strikes" on GB? I don't have any warnings or strikes from the GB, have a couple on the PC board. Those are considered warnings and not strikes? What's the difference? Sorry for all the questions.

[RIPskaterdude]

I think you're all doing a great job

[tsherkin]

Sorry, tsherk I didn't understand you. To clarify the amnesty is only for "strikes" on GB? I don't have any warnings or strikes from the GB, have a couple on the PC board. Those are considered warnings and not strikes? What's the difference? Sorry for all the questions.

That is correct; the Strike Amnesty Period is specifically for users who have a single strike on the GB and want to appeal it. The period does not apply to other boards or warnings received thereon.

Strikes only exist on the GB, and only back to September 4th of 2012. Anything else (warnings on the GB before then, warnings any time on another board) are not "strikes," they are just warnings and move a user along the usual ban scale in the typical manner. That is to say, progressing eventually to 3- and 7-day suspensions before a ban, in most cases.