The forums are a great place and I feel everyone here has learned something, even if they don't know it! However I do understand the influx of new people is starting to kill the forums and I have some points which I would love to express, and that is the key word.. express! I am not moaning as I have been here for a year now (close enough to a year anyhow) and when I first stepped onto these forums was about 2 and half years ago. Infactions - Hmm I know someone will post that darnit image of the "Oh not this again" but infractions are starting to kill how I feel about Digitalpoint, the forum is really a community and I understand moderators need to do there jobs, and I understand they don't have much time, but is it really right to 'punish' someone for making a real mistake? Sure it don't matter if they don't have above 10 of them, but in the eyes of anyone new joining the forum it really sucks, they see it as a attack on them. Forums are normally freindly places, and while I have been a moderator on few forums I do understand you get idiots, but it is better to teach and explain to them what they have done wrong. Now sure I know the moderators here do a amazing job without getting a penny, and I know we can't expect them to write to the user, however other users CAN. For example if I see someone breaking the rules or posting in the wrong area I will PM them and explain and point them in the right direction, that way they have learned. So do what about infractions? Ask the moderators to not give them the first few times they see a mistake by a user, sure the mod has to keep up with who is who, but I should think this is easy enough, however I am not sure... there are alot of new users here... which brings me to my next point: RepuForum I and I am sure many others feel we should get a forum new visitors can not enter, in which we can activly talk about the users. This does not mean Joe Blogs posts the topic "PeterX is a Gay1!!!!111!", it does mean that as users we can help the newer users and talk about which users need a little help along the way (in the sense of how to be a good forumer). This forum I know would create problems, and for that reason I am sure Shawn thinks this is a dumb idea, but DP should not force the moderators to do all the work, users should HELP other users. This forum could be done by either post count or reputation. I have no idea if Moderators have there own hidden forum, but it would kind of be like that.
Couldn't agree more. Infractions are ruining this forum. I couldn't care less about infractions, aslong as I don't accumulate enough to get banned. In one of my threads which I put in the wrong section, I even said in a post after someone pointed out it was in the wrong section "oh I thought it went here" or something similar, yet I still got an infraction (this was way back when I was still a n00b). I would have much rathered a quick "this thread belongs in the such and such section, because of this reason. Next time I will have to give you an infraction" PM. How much more time would that take? Not to mention how much more friendly is it than from a random mod who goes unnamed? Infractions should be reserved for people who try and scam others (what is worse, thread in wrong location or someone being cheated out of money?), swearing and the more "serious" offences. I'm not sure about the RepuForum idea though... I can see too many problems
How does all this change the forum for the good? It doesn't. Infractions are there for good reason - it's also incredibly easy to avoid getting them - read and abide by the Rules of the Forum. Do that and I guarantee you will not receive any infractions. The repuforum is technically possible but unworkable. Why on earth would you want to discuss members of the forum without them being able to see what's being said at the time - only for them to be able to read it later?
I disagree. Some infractions are fair enough, other things (such as scamming) receive too light (if any) infractions. I would rather a bunch of misplaced threads than a bunch of scams. EDIT: By the way TVCokeCan, you are on post 999 at the moment
For what, exactly? You don't get them for nothing so you must've breached one of the forum rules, so what did you get them for?
What a waste of my 1000th post.. Darn it! Ok here are my infractions: Attacking/Harassing Other Members < Created a topic about a time waster who did not buy a item after bidding and doing a BIN, 2 points http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?p=2273756#post2273756 Thread Started In Wrong Category about a Avatar Attacking/Harassing Other Members < Posted that someone is being baised if they stick by one set of rules. http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?p=2190728#post2190728 Thread Started In Wrong Category < http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?p=2190700#post2190700 And a few more.
May be that's a general forum? a video game forum? I come here for business only, no for making new friend or getting my ass kissed. I prefer strict rules and punishment that weed out those wimp who can't stand a "virtual" punishment that doesn't do any harm.
Would you agree then that scammers should be booted out straight away? Once a scammer, always a scammer?
Thanks for the reminder - you are the one who was advocating pedophilia in this thread. I wondered why your name was familiar to me. What part of the forum rules don't you get?
Listen, I don't know how this can be made any clearer for you: Mods/Admins can not determine who is a "scammer" and who is not. If we banned people based on accusations alone anyone could be banned at any time - all it would take is for someone to say "he/she scammed me". And before you say "what if they have proof", that doesn't help. Short of having full time investigators on the DP mod team there's no possible way a group of volunteers have the time or resources to investigate every claim. If you think a member is a scammer write about it on your blog or forum, e-mail everyone you know, do whatever you feel is needed to out them - just don't do it here and don't expect the mod team to do it for you.
If mods are very particular to give infraction to even the slightest mistake anyone commits, then may be there should be some point system to it. Like say for posting in the wrong forum say 5 points, for flaming 10 points, for hijacking someone's thread 15 points etc...And when the total iPoints reach 100 it will result in a ban. In this way it means the severe your act is, the faster you get banned. Based on my sample point system, if will take 20 wrong forum posts to get you banned while it will take only 7 thread hijacks to result in a ban. According to our present system, every "crime" has the same punishment. If the above suggestion is not possible, like someone suggested yesterday, may be the term "infraction" is the problem. Renaming it to something like "Friendly Reminder" wont make the receiver upset.
There already is a point system in place, and, mods do not give infractions for "the slightest mistake". The mods cut people a lot of slack, but the people receiving that slack remain quiet. The only people who really spend time talking about infractions are the people who deserve to get them
The present point system is reputation points in which MODS have no hand at all. The system is pretty good except for some people misuing it. And the latest example of that happened just a minute back. Some coward has given me a red for expressing my opinion about the infraction system in this thread. I am calling him coward bcoz he didn't mention his nick. May be he thought I will reciprocate and give him a red too. Mr. coward I know you are reading this. Infact it is pretty easy to guess who that is, based on the "currently active users" in the thread footer. But I am not very keen on that. And coward, please understand that I am not a looser like you to come after you and reciprocate your stupid actions. You know what is the best part of this? I can call you anything in public and along with you the whole forum reads it. But whatever you want to call me, you can only do that as a PM since you are a born coward who wont dare coming out in public. I just love that
The infraction system is a point system and that's why we use it and that's why it's a great system and that is making this forum a better place to be. If you don't understand what you are saying then why say it? The point system you described is exactly how infractions work.
Actually there is a point system which I also didnt notice until TOPS30 said. Normally it is said 10 infracs will get you banned. So I am not sure if the point itself has any value. Or is it like a total of 10 points of infractions (and not 10 infractions itself) that will get you banned? If that is the case, then forgive me for my ignorance.
Total of 10 points. Some infractions have more weight than others, and some last longer than others. Once you reach 10 points, you are banned until 1 of your infractions expire