New Infraction System

[echo226]

Every time I review the rules I find something new. New to me that is, and not necessarily that the rules have changed. It's more that I see something I've forgotten or that perhaps didn't sink all the way in.

I think it couldn't hurt to review the rules at least as often as we change the batteries in our smoke alarms. ( Much better than scouring the rules to find where you messed up. ) Daylight Savings Time starts March 11, by the way.

[11sstephanie]

Every time I review the rules I find something new. New to me that is, and not necessarily that the rules have changed. It's more that I see something I've forgotten or that perhaps didn't sink all the way in.

I think it couldn't hurt to review the rules at least as often as we change the batteries in our smoke alarms. ( Much better than scouring the rules to find where you messed up. ) Daylight Savings Time starts March 11, by the way.

Yeah, same day as my Nickelback concert, which, conviently, runs until Midnight.

And I know that it's required for you to read the rules before joining this wonderful website, but I'm neeing more and more newbies Posting With Every Word In Capital Letters, aLtErNaTiNg LeTtErs, or using racial slurs. do these things get infraction points too, or is it just something that we (mostly) law-abiding citizens report out of the goodness of our hearts?

[Marleybone]

Stephanie, you can use the "report post" button under your used ID info to alert us to those types of posts. It's the little red and white triangle.

[John]

I'm on the site every day, and I'm not seeing what you're seeing, Stephanie. But if you are, then report them. But don't assume we're not doing anything about what other people are doing wrong. We've got it under control.

On the other hand, if reporting posts is too much trouble, then don't. We'll see it eventually and deal with it.

[11sstephanie]

No, it's not trouble, and I'm not seeing it a lot, but I didn't see it at all when I first started coming here. I think I've reported 1 or 2 people in the last couple of weeks alone, and in the 6 months I've been here, I can tell you I've only had to report a post 1 or 2 times.

I guess it's just bugging me. I work so hard to not use Chatspeak here, and then I see people here who don't even seem to care. I'm probably just over-reacting, though.

[Amanda]

Stephanie, we checked, and you've only ever reported one post in your entire tenure here. Maybe you're doing it wrong?

[11sstephanie]

Well, I said 1 or 2, but it was a very disturbing post that I reported, as I PMed Hepcat about. I don't know why I'm suddenly freaking out about rules so much, you all can just ignore me now.

[Grisabella]

Hi 11stephanie, if you click on your own profile it will tell you when the infraction expires.

...

... No one but you can see that you have an infraction on your profile, and it expires soon. There really isn't any point to getting into a "defend yourself" discussion with every infraction. Do you plan on posting more fan site articles? Then you don't have to worry about the infraction points.

That's what was confusing to me, Hepcat. I got an infraction for typing a short version of "because" (when I usually err in the direction of being too formal or pendantic ) and another for using a word that a mod took as a put-down to someone even though it was not at all meant that way. Both infractions have "expired," but the points still show up, so I've been trying to find an explanation of the point system and how it works, e.g., how long points stay on your "record," etc.
I know you can ask for an infraction decision to be reviewed, but if both the infractions and the points truly do expire (the record cleared) after a while, I'm not sure there's much need for that.

BTW, what happens when you type a lingo-laden song title like "Since U Been Gone" or "I Don't Wanna Be?"

[John]

Depending on the lingo, it would get caught in the moderation queue for manual approval. A mod would approve it if it's a song title.

BTW, your points will always show in your User CP, it's more of a history of all prior infractions, but since they aren't active any more, they don't show under your posts like active ones do, and mods don't see them either.

[Leftcoaster]

Importing quote from Lingo List thread:

The only time it would be outright deleted would be if the entire post were a big lingo-fest (and there are forums where this is a common occurrence). Normally, the FA or mod would make a quick edit and issue an infraction. You didn't get an infraction, which makes me think it disappeared into the ether somehow. I can't find any record of your post, and it would show up in the moderation queue at least if it were caught by the word filter.

I had an offending post apparently disappear into the ether yesterday.

The reason I bring it up is curiousity about how long someone ought to wait in anticipation of the post reappearing or receiving an infraction before moving on and reposting without including what ever triggered the filtered moderation queue process.

I don't know for certain, but these days I'm inclined to assume any glitch originates on my end due to my machine or sluggish connection.

I probably attempted to submit the post in question three or four times before it finally appeared on my screen, leaving me when it finally did appear with one word highlighted in red several times imagining a moderator observing the multiple attempts to offend and therefore concluding 'This clown must TRULY be aching for a doozy of an infraction'.

The page hung there for awhile, before diappearing for good when I decided to save it for referal in a PM message to a mod. Sent a message after several hours had passed anyway inquiring about reposting, or would have, I should say if hitting submit didn't instead close the site on my screen. (Like I said above, gremlin behavior I attribute to MY end)

At any rate, my question for future reference is how long a poster ought to wait to see what possibly occurs following a moderated queue before concluding the dog or the ether ate the post and its time to try again or otherwise move on?

Assuming that it is a time of day when mods connected with the forum in question are present, I'll clarifyingly add.