FORUM MODERATION: THE ADVANCED WARNING SYSTEM (AWS) EXPLAINED
DO NOT SAY YOU GUYS AND GIRLS WEREN'T WARNED!
DO NOT SAY YOU GUYS AND GIRLS WEREN'T WARNED!
As of 20/08/2007, all [R-MOD] and [R-DEV] team members have access to the Advanced Warning System. This system supercedes the previous manual punishment and banning of users and the old 'warning bar'. It is in use to enforce the PR FORUM RULES. Now is a good time to reacquaint yourself with these rules to ensure you don't find out how effective the AWS is in future!
This system automates the vast majority of 'mundane' tasks, like typing up reports for the moderator forums and PMs to the user being punished.
We estimate around 6bpm (bans per minute
), as opposed to the manual 0.5bpm (that's a joke by the way). The system not only speeds up the process, it regulates how bans are performed and logs all the information we could ever ask for in regards to holding records of previous punishments. You are automatically sent an email (to the email address used to register your account) and a private message to inform you of the warning. The old system didn't do this, but AWS does. If your email junk folder blocks the email then that's tough.
CURRENT WARNING LIST AND VALUES
GENERAL INFO
- Infraction points of users can reach a max of 10.
- Where an incident does not quite warrant points, it may be given a warning, which serves as a reminder of the rules
- If a user reaches a limit of 10 points on their infraction level within a set 'rolling' time period (known as maturity), then that user is temp banned for 7 days.
- The temp bans are incremental. The first temp ban will be 7 days, the second time will be for twice the number of original days, and so on.
- Upon the advent of a user's 5th temp ban, the user is then banned permanently.
- When a user is added to the 'banned' usergroup temporarily, their User Title shows 'BANNED'. This is automatically removed by the system upon the ban auto-lifting to ensure no confusion.
- The term 'Maturity' is the value IN DAYS until a specific infraction matures and auto-removes itself from a user's account. The system also notes previous warnings that have been issued but has matured and the warning points have been automatically removed.
EXPLANATION OF THE VALUES GIVEN IN THE ABOVE TABLE
- A warning with a 'Points' value less than 10 will be added to a user's rolling 'tally', and lasts for the duration of the 'Warn Maturity'. See the above WARNING LIST GENERAL INFORMATION for details.
- A warning with a 'Points' value of 10 and a 'Warn Maturity' value of less than 99999 is added to the Banned list temporarily. The length of the ban is noted in days by the 'Maturity'.
- A warning with a 'Warn Points' value of 10 and a 'Warn Maturity' value equal to 99999 is added to the Banned list permanently.
That's about as plain as we can put it, although not the easiest thing to understand or explain!
NOTE: The values may be adjusted at our disretion at any time, and without notice. Additional standard warnings may be used in various subsections of the forums. Where this is the case, a Moderation Policy will be in place for that subforum.
USER NOTIFICATION
Here's a copy of the email that a user recently received as a result of a warning. Italics have been used to censor identifiable info:
Warning: User: user - Warner: [R-XXX]Team member - Date: date at time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear user,
You have been warned for one of your posts, which violated Project Reality Forums Rules. The reason you have been warned is because:
For when a user only posts 'IBTL' or similar
(Warning type - "Useless/Unhelpful Post Content")
For this violation, you have been given: 2 points.
The points will remain in your account for 60 days.
After that, they will be removed automatically.
The post for which you are warned can be seen here:
=======================================
Offending post quoted here
=======================================
The admin/moderator who warned you, entered this comment:
=======================================
Moderator comment here
=======================================
Your total warning level at the moment is: xx points.
If you reach the maximum of 10, you will be banned from the Forums for 7 days.
To see details about all the warnings you have received, until now, please click here.
Please reply back if you have a dispute.
--------------------------------
Project Reality Forums Team
CHECKING YOUR ACCOUNT'S WARNING LEVEL
If a user's warning level is clear (ie - 0) then no details are listed on your public account. If you currently have or have had a warning level greater than 0, then you will see the record on the top right of your public user profile.
You can only see your own warning level, unless you're an [R-MOD] or [R-DEV], in which case you can view any user's warning level.
Specimen user with no current or past warnings:
Specimen user with current or past warnings:
So, please follow the rules and here's hoping you don't ever receive a warning from the system.
Regards,
Masaq
Lead PR Forum Moderator