All Newbies Read This Before Posting

[zixi]

I read the rules before I joined and some of the posts to see what the forum was like. I've had enough of forums where egos rage. And I've read them a few times since because I was curious if the rules prevented people from behaving badly. I run a forum at a university so it's very controlled and I can 'warn' people in person if I don't like what they do but we get very few problems - most are of people wandering from the point but I use split, merge, lock and warn to deal with that (in that order). I found your strike system really interesting and if I had a problem with the uni forum I think I'd try something like it.

 

It's pointless trying to get people to read before they download because they just want that mod but anyone who is serious about being in a community will read - just as people here are reading and having clearly defined rules makes it easier on everyone. I don't think you should be sad that the thread has only been read N times... you should think it has been read N-1 times more than you expected :whistling:

[headsss]

Very helpful for the younger, less-understanding TesNexus forum members.

Kudos. ^^

[xenxander]

Concerning IX...

 

I've posted a link to this thread for others to read, as I was certain they hadn't read or read very clearly some of the rules. (i was guily about the necromancy one initially).

 

I don't feel this violates IX; I don't want to flood mod boxes with reports just to say "this person has bumped thread" or "this person is steering the topic on a tangent.

 

for instance I did this here:

http://thenexusforums.com/index.php?showtopic=50786

 

and stand by my resolve that I haven't violated IX.

IX is very "gray".

[lcimolino]

I don't want to sound like a total n00b ,if it has been more than a month since someone last posted and I post my reply and it is something like "I loved your mod. It was really useful, thanks.", is that thread necromancy?

[Abramul]

If it's the bot-spawned comment thread, probably not.

[Carah]

It's nice to see a forum with guidance. I'm very intimidated by them in fear of being criticized. No one's opinion is wrong, and there is no such thing as a stupid question.

 

I'll get off my soap box now.

 

~Carah~

[LHammonds]

We need a new item for clarification:

 

Chapter X - Constructive Criticism

 

Constructive criticism is voicing your concern about an idea or implementation of a mod as well as providing a possible solution.

 

The basic breakdown is this which requires both parts:

• Constructive = Providing a solution
  
• Criticism = Voicing concern
  

Constructive criticism is NOT directed at any person or group of people. Any comments that are directed at people can fall under vigilantism, flaming and trolling.

[Glue]

Absolutely needed LHammonds, even if those that most need the clarification don't read, remember or care about this forum's guidelines. But anything the admin and mods can offer by way of guidance to those that simply need a little steerage in this area is a good thing. Especially at the present time when it seems good modders are being brow beaten into submission by ignorance of what is critique and what is abuse.

 

 

My own personal feeling is that a mention of post placement would not be a bad thing either. Just a simple word on taking a moment to note where you are before starting a thread like, "HELP!!! MY FACE HAS TURNED BLACK!!' in the Feedback&Suggestions forum etc..

[Wheel83]

I think it is very interesting that we have over 500,000 members and yet fewer than 8,000 have read this thread. Is there no way to increase this number? It probably sounds draconian not to let people post until they have (because it is) but it seems to me it would reduce your workload...

 

You have to read and agree to the EULA before you can play a new game, but do you actually do it, or do you just skip to the bottom and put a mark in the box? Making people visit the rules thread will not accomplish anything other than making that number increase. If 3 of every 50 new members is a flamer/troublemaker, forcing them to look at the rules is not going to make them better people, it will only give them one more thing to be a jerk about. Their first thread will be "WTF why did I have to read the rules before I could post?" except it will be written in horrible grammar and every word will be abbreviated in internet retard-speak.

 

Well, I am one of those people that didn't read the rules. I honestly didn't even realize they were there. I just zipped on down to what I was looking for and posted. I believe that in a case like mine it would have been really nice to have those rules and consequences for breaking them pop up the first time i made a post. I ended up getting 2 strikes for swearing in a topic called "Is swearing Ok"?

I personally believe swearing is ok, for me, not for everyone and not in every situation but I sure wouldn't have swore if I had the rules/consequences shoved in my face before i posted. Yes there will always be "trouble makers" that break the rules regardless, "written in horrible grammar and every word will be abbreviated in internet retard-speak" (does that quote not break some kind of law, "retard-speak"?) No disrespect intended, not trying to be a "tattle tale", but sometimes the amount of different rules someone has to abide by can be a little overwhelming, and sometimes ends up ruining it for good, honest members. I believe a lot of this could be avoided by having the rules appear before the member's first post. No not everyone will read it, but that is their loss and there would be no excuses.

I personally have my own set of rules: Be nice, respect others, and stress the positives rather than the negatives towards people.

I understand that not everyone accepts "swear words" and some people are offended by it. I am willing to sacrifice my freedom of speech for certain situations, but some of these rules are a little bit broad and very easily misunderstood or broken accidently. Such as the dont post if no one has posted in a month rule, don't post short words like "Yes" or "No" or "Thats cool", etc..

I sincerely hope no one has been kicked out for saying "Thats cool".

A little warning would be nice for your first offense. If it continues after that, then start issuing the strikes.

I honestly feel like I did not deserve the 2 strikes I got for swearing, but whatever, i'm not gonna cry about it, i guess i should've been more careful. But it would have been alot easier to be careful if someone showed me exactly what i was to be careful of.

[LHammonds]

Well, I am one of those people that didn't read the rules. I honestly didn't even realize they were there.

Hmmm. You were presented with the terms of service and was required to read and agree before creating your account. Let me quote a line in the general section of the TOS with specific parts highlighted in regards to the strikes you earned for excessive use of profanity:

 

"Through your use of any Nexus site you agree that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, threatening, related to piracy, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of UK law."

 

And here is a hint to some of the kinds of "punishment" to expect although I do think a link in the TOS should include a link to the this rules topic to make it uber-easy to find, it is generally understood that most forums on the net have a rules section on their forum somewhere that say what is not allowed and what to expect when you do it. This is a pinned topic and easily found in the "News, Rules and Feedback" section.

 

"Nexus sites and the forums are staffed by un-paid volunteers (known as “moderators”) who work hard to insure the smooth operation of Nexus sites and encourage a healthy community. The moderators and other admin on the site have been given specific privileges by Robin to keep the site clean of the articles listed in these terms and use their own personal judgment, which Robin trusts, to come to decisions. These moderators have a right to carry out their task without harassment, insult or hassle. Members who believe that a member of staff is not conducting themselves properly should get in contact with Robin via the forums or email. Know that if Robin receives word of any members harassing or being rude to Nexus site staff then he will take every action possible to permanently remove them from his sites."

 

I ended up getting 2 strikes for swearing in a topic called "Is swearing Ok"?

The topic was a question...not an affirmation. You should have known better and this is a ridiculous ground to stand on.

 

(does that quote not break some kind of law, "retard-speak"?)

Nope. He is not personally attacking another member. This person is expressing a frustration with a subject matter, not an individual.

 

...some of these rules are a little bit broad and very easily misunderstood or broken accidently. Such as the dont post if no one has posted in a month rule

Read that rule a little better and you will understand that you can revive ANY thread that has been dead for a long time AS LONG AS you add relevant and new information. Reviving a dead thread to say "ya, this will be great when done" adds absolutely nothing to the thread that anyone wants to read. Adding something like "hey! This game is going to be released tomorrow!" adds new information that might not have been mentioned before...but you would need to read the posts to make sure it wasn't already mentioned.

 

don't post short words like "Yes" or "No" or "Thats cool", etc.. I sincerely hope no one has been kicked out for saying "Thats cool".

I don't know of anyone being banned for spam. It is one of the lesser evils and is usually corrected with an informal warning. You can get banned immediately for harassing / attacking a moderator....well, with the new TOS for the files section, you can be insta-banned for harassing / attacking a mod author.

 

A little warning would be nice for your first offense. If it continues after that, then start issuing the strikes.

Read the Strike Rules to understand how things work. You will notice that there is a lot of room given to a moderator regarding the dealing-out of punishment. Depending on the situation, the offending member can be given an informal warning, an immediate strike or even multiple strikes for severe situations. Keep in mind that these rules apply to members that normally post directly in these forums. We have tried to apply these same rules to members making comments on the mod uploads area but have found that it was inadequate in many cases since accounts are commonly created for the express purpose of publicly trashing mods, skewing the ratings and generally attacking mod authors...one of TESNexus' primary content providers. Many of TESNexus members never post on the forums and only post comments on the uploaded mods so we have implemented a new and separate terms which is displayed when voting/commenting and informs the members that certain behavior can result in an instant ban (insta-ban)

 

It is surprising how many accounts we are now banning but it is even more surprising how VERY little in terms of pleas we get to lift the ban on those accounts which only affirms our suspicion they were made for the purpose of trashing TESNexus and upsetting members.

 

Before this policy change, it was fairly rare that we banned accounts but it was normal for those members to ask for the ban to be lifted...thus "trying" to adjust to the community rather than just trying to assassinate it.

 

LHammonds