Some general feedback and suggestions

[NordHep]

Forewords:

This is just some general feedback and suggestions, this is not regarding a personal issue or a case. But on the larger scale, this is about how I have experienced the system of consequences, how administrative deal with situations.

Not only through my own experiences, but from what I have seen from other users and the handling of different cases, the comparison between situations and the equality of consequences.

 

Client Area

 

The client area is a great concept to have, you have something that you would like to appeal for. Or have issues regarding your membership or other problems that you would like solved, posted through this area of the forums so that staff members can review them and place a response.

From my personal experience here, I am a bit disappointed regarding the handling of the different cases. I can understand that there is a lot of situations that users face that might seem of less importance, however, for a case to go over 10 days without any response or not being touched with a single notification is quite hard for people to comprehend. In some topics and threads throughout this forum I have seen those who have had their appeal for personal issues go without response for months. There is no exact timeframe placed to state when a case should be reviewed or resolved, just that it will happen as soon as possible... so in literal sense, one cannot really say this is against promises or rules of the Nexus, but it is somewhat downgrading for the users who have their cases being placed on hold or ignored for a long period of time.

 

This also brings me a bit into the staff members and moderation team when it comes to reviewing a case.

I am uncertain of the capacity that this site has to review cases, how many reviews them and how much time they can dispose for it. But as I understand it, a number of staff members will review the case.

When it comes to cases, some people do not get the proper answers or information from the staff members or moderators, their cases go without notification or response for a long period of time. So they result to making threads about it in the topics section, these topics might not be directly regarding their issues, but regarding potential bugs and errors, questions regarding the functionality of submitting a case... and some go ignored.

Ignoring issues should not be a common thing, moderators/staff members should have to check their inbox regurlary to view messages received.

 

The moderation team

 

When it comes to the moderation team there are those who stands as perfect examples for how a moderator should be, and those who present a less appealing behavior for the users.

Now, I have not witnessed a moderator who has done something completely unjustified or out of place, but I've heard from other users regarding their experiences.

Those who stands as good examples are those who hold onto the rules but still have a sense of what is truly a necessary consequence and understands true disciplinary functions.

The less perfect examples are those who will place extreme consequences upon something of lesser importance. Those who do not quite reflect on a suitable consequence to give, which in turns might not let the receiving part review or reflect properly upon their own actions when they receive a ''grand punishment for a lesser crime''.

 

When it comes to issues from general users, these things should be taken more seriously.

 

Disciplinary system

 

Something I respect with grand value. Discipline is among the most important things in this world as it shapes the behaviour of people and sets standards to how one should commonly be, as it teaches to respect and remain civilized and controlled.

However, I experience that there is a bit of inequality when it comes to the disciplinary system, more in depth regarding variations of consequences.

It seems like a moderator can place a punishment / act of consequence upon a user / member the way he sees fit. As long as it sticks to the slightest breaking of rules. There is lack of balance in consequences.

It makes it seem a lot like the ones casting consequences do it more based on their own personal views rather than abiding to a set of rules, example:

A member of the forum gets a warning for doing something from one moderator. While another user does the same thing, but gets a ban from another moderator. And things like this is something the members of the staff could improve upon.

 

There should be a chance of proving capability to maintain proper behaviour and discipline on the forums if you have received punishment for doing something wrong. To redeem yourself, if you will.

People who generally have a good stand on the Nexus, rarely into trouble, good behaviour, but falls out once and gets banned or something else, should be allowed to prove themselfs worthy again. Given another chance. Maybe this is how it is meant to be, but it seems like it is not taken seriously. But we also face some inequality here, some have been banned multiple times and still gain access over and over again, while others get banned once and they could easily remain so for a very, very long time. I have heard examples of this, I can't properly confirm it, however just because you are a popular mod author it does not mean you should be treated more gently than a regular user.

I am all for banning those who just cause trouble, those who has zero sort of dedication to this.

 

Other things encountered, not by me, but by others is that they claim some moderators back talk banned members etc. If this is true, that is no way to behave as a moderator. As a moderator you are there to uphold the formality and order within the 'Nexus'. The same thing kinda falls in upon general topics and behavior on the forums, the chat is strictly controlled, which is something to respect. But the meaning of it falls a bit apart when you can find foule vocabulary and backtalk through the forums. This could be of topics that highlights and portraits comments from general users in negativity, topics regarding relations between the general users and modders, where the modders talk about complaints from users; where as some might say users should not have the right to complain, but modders should have the right to show complaints from users and complaint about it (makes more or less sense).

 

 

 

There are many cases through other forums and channels that shows this type of experience within the Nexus.

Some have good and valid points, while some have less valid points and just form rants in rage with curse words.

 

But I have found on a YouTube video that there are 127 comments about this.

On another forum, there is an entire topic dedicated to being banned from this place that is over 210 pages.

While on a steam forum there are several topics about it, with 50 comments or more.

 

People claim they don't really get justified help from the moderators / staff members, so they post it somewhere else.

 

This is just a general feedback, just consider these words. I like this site, but not everything is perfect.

[JimboUK]

When a user is sanctioned there are often other considerations taken into account, some of these things are not visible to us mere mortals, what may appear as uneven treatment is usually not. It's also worth remembering the site is moderated by humans, not robots and as such not all act the same. As for banned users complaining, take a look at the bans board, it's mostly pirates or those that think they have to god given right to abuse other people or their work, keeping these trolls away let's modders be more creative without fear of attack and benefits us all.

[NordHep]

I have nothing against banning people who have priated copies of games, who does not have any good intentions on the Nexus at all.

However, things should be a bit better considered. When it comes to a general user or somebody who does not have a history of problems on the Nexus, they should be at least be given proper warnings and chances to show ability of discipline and control again.

Some people just say the wrong thing, and then it is ban. And it happens quite occassionally so moderators can't really go back and forth all the time ubanning people etc.

So it is a fault on both sides, however, moderators should consider situations a bit more. Moderators are humans yes, but when it comes to a moderating position they should not cast consequences and sentences based on their own views.

[Oubliette]

Look at the bans forum, warnings are given. There are also a few things that can result in an instant ban and rightly so. As Jim said there's a lot of things that go on behind the scenes of each decision that we as users don't always know which shed a lot of light on what you see as unfair and quick judgement.

 

The staff here do a wonderful, thankless job of keeping this community a relatively pleasant one to be a member of. Their job is hard enough without us backseat driving.

[JimboUK]

I have nothing against banning people who have priated copies of games, who does not have any good intentions on the Nexus at all.

However, things should be a bit better considered. When it comes to a general user or somebody who does not have a history of problems on the Nexus, they should be at least be given proper warnings and chances to show ability of discipline and control again.

Some people just say the wrong thing, and then it is ban. And it happens quite occassionally so moderators can't really go back and forth all the time ubanning people etc.

So it is a fault on both sides, however, moderators should consider situations a bit more. Moderators are humans yes, but when it comes to a moderating position they should not cast consequences and sentences based on their own views.

 

How many times have they said the wrong thing and to who? it's rare for someone to be banned for a one off unless it's really serious. The moderating was overhauled a while back and now it's far better, the problem is the moderating prior to that was nothing short of atrocious on occasion, that's given the site a reputation and as we all know, it's far easier to gain a bad reputation than it is to lose it, a lot of the hostility comes from the lingering perception that the moderation is bad, not the reality of how it is now.

 

Those who behave like normal human beings and who show respect for other users and content creators have nothing to fear.