Rules of Forum use?

[myrmaad]

I'm posting to clarify the rules not only to you, Maigrets, but for the benefit of all, and although I believe you, personally, would not be abusive via the PM system, believe me people are all the time, and there is a report button available in private messages so that abusive private messages can be reported. And I personally just banned a person who was abusive to me via PM--and that is quite relevant because he was abusive because he thought I had reported him and gotten him banned for "private sharing".

 

Dark0ne said it's not allowed, and that is right but if we don't know about it you can't be banned for it. This is so silly now. The person who was recently banned for it ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTION on the open forum. Come on.

 

 

And, we post the ban thread for the sake of transparency, just so we can be criticized regularly. :D

[Dark0ne]

Please check what Dark0ne himself said about sharing files via PM on the 14th of this month where he stated it would definitely not be allowed. There seem to be mixed messages regarding the issue. How would anyone know unless one of the parties either requesting a mod, supplying it or providing a link reported it if it's supposed to be a secure private messaging system. If they were one of the people requesting a ripped mod they would be a bit silly to report it after getting the file or a link I would have thought.

 

To add some clarity to this, I said you should not be sharing illegal/copyrighted files via the Private Message system here. I don't see what the issue with that is. If the royal mail (or UPS, or whatever postal service you have in your country) were to find out you were sharing illegal material via their postal system they would take every step to ensure you were penalised or removed from their systems altogether. Similarly the Police would no doubt get involved. This is no different. Once again, I fail to see the issue with this.

 

You're quite correct. I guess it is two faced to criticize a site I "used" to like and was a very big part of my online life because I don't particularly like some of the changes that have been made.

 

And yet you don't go in to any detail about the changes you have a problem with and what you would do to fix it. Were you around providing constructive criticism when these changes were made or is that what you're doing now, when it's far too late?

 

I say "used" to like because it's not the friendly open place it was. If I were to criticize you, the site or it's moderators and members elsewhere and if action was taken against me here because of it then it proves a point that there's no privacy or free speech on the Net which we all know is the case anyway. However, to ban or chastize someone because of it is pretty thin skinned if that's their only crime.

 

You clearly haven't properly read what I wrote as that isn't the case at all. If there's two things I don't like it's people not reading what I wrote and people putting words in my mouth. If you actually care about this subject and you're not just here to moan for the sake of moaning, I request you re-read what I wrote, which was offered as a genuine response to your issues, and then provide me with the information that I've requested. Else all this has been is a thinly veiled chance to take a jab.

 

You don't like it here. Ok. What don't you like? Why don't you like it? How can we change to make this place better for you? Those are the questions and I'm yet to get an actual answer out of you.

[Eiries]

Woah, I just woke up and digested way too many wallposts. Or I just ate them, but have yet to fully digest them.

 

Anyway, all I wanted to say is that it's completely normal and to be expected for a growing place to get tighter enforcement and, as issues pop up, more regulations. The same thing happens with a small village that would later become a city. It's just nature.

 

But we actually have the option of discussing and debating these changes; try to remember that, cause that's exactly what we're doing here.

 

Also, I don't know if it's just people exaggerating, but it's been a very rare instance that I ever feared for the safety of my account. And I've done more than my share of complaining. Like, there was only once last year, but there was pretty good reason for it. Luckily, LHammonds chose to rip me a new one in private (I still have the scars from it!)

 

In closing, I'm still really fond of this place. Even if a new restriction is placed on the site, we have a right to talk about it and find a happy medium, and that's pretty cool. So... before you hit the Post button after spending a half hour writing a rage post... remember to include that part about improving the site. Cause we all want the same thing: a rich, safe environment.

Edited April 16, 2011 by Eiries

[BlackBaron2]

It's not necessarily a case of "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all", but more "If you can't say anything that's either positive or constructive, don't say anything". :) You can complain about anything in life until the cows come home, but it won't help if you never suggest an alternative.

[LHammonds]

Like, there was only once last year, but there was pretty good reason for it. Luckily, LHammonds chose to rip me a new one in private (I still have the scars from it!)

I feel kinda bad...I don't even remember what it was about. I hope the scars aren't too bad...but then again, it reminds me of a saying. Wounds heal, chicks dig scars, glory is forever...something along those lines. hehehe.

[ziitch]

Well, thanks to the growing size of Nexus, moderating has gotten impersonal. Problem is that people want moderators that stay personal with other members, but it increases with difficulty as we got bigger. However there was a few bans that I don't think were entirely thought through.

 

One ban (the person has apologized and was unbanned) came from an April Fool's Day joke mod that was taken down due to one complaint. Now, given that time, it's something that had there been a little communication it would've been harmless as long as the description and name was changed the day after, and staff could explain what's going on if they got any more complaints, and if they got too many the mod would have to be taken down to cut off the flow. Personally, I think it's okay to have a little fun with your members and fans on that day instead of being serious the entire year. Sure, maybe it was a violation of upload rules, but it was AFD, and someone wanted to have a little harmless fun that day!

 

The other I think is a time lapse issue. Someone used an asset that was likely okay at the time they used it, but now any use of said asset is prohibited by the creator. Except they haven't been on to change it or still get an okay since that permissions change, so they were banned as a result. I think a little more research would've fixed that up by at least trying to contact one of the parties and ask about and inform them of the dates of occurrence, and if they had permission beforehand.

Edited April 16, 2011 by ziitch

[LHammonds]

ziitch, are you "trying" to get yourself in trouble? If you have an issue with actions moderators have taken, you need to communicate privately with that moderator, or Dark0ne.

 

Don't think that just because we are open to hearing what people would like to see changed as some kind of platform to protest prior actions.

 

As Dark0ne has already pointed out, YOU do not know everything that goes on in a ban. The only thing you see are the notices we post.

 

LHammonds

[Thandal]

As the Moderator who banned the user for the "April Fools" joke, I stand by that decision. I had no idea that was the intent, (and no conscious awareness that it was April Fools Day) when I removed the mod and banned the uploader. The situation appeared to be (and, in fact, was) exactly as described in the Report we received; a deliberate attempt to deceive the player into downloading a mod that did not behave at all as its Description implied, and was essentially worthless in-game. That is a clear violation of the ToS, and the Files Section is a No-Strike Zone.

 

How many reports of a deceptive mod do you think we should wait to recieve before we take action? How much "checking" do you think the Staff should have to do for something that is clearly a deliberate violation? If we took the time to inquire as to the motive each time, nothing else would get done.

 

Upon receipt of a politely worded apology, an explanation/excuse, and a request for reinstatement, the ban was lifted. Seems to me that the entire process worked as intended.

[Lisnpuppy]

I see more banning post that anything else.

 

There have been a lot of bans here recently. You'll find that bans tend to increase when a new game gets released (Dragon Age 2 recently) and during school holidays. Right now it's the Easter holidays so that goes a long way to explaining it. Most new comers are not well versed with our rules (or don't care) and don't know we operate a "no warnings" system for most offences.

 

I still think that chat place is nothing but a heartache.

 

I would agree in some regards, it's become a moderating nightmare and increased the amount of bans drastically. The open and real-time nature of the chat has meant that many people get banned for chatting about stuff they shouldn't be chatting about in public. It's amazing how many people will come in to the chat and either ask for links to pirated copies of the game or ask for help modding their pirated copy. You'll find a lot of the recent bans have been related to those two subjects.

 

However the chat has also become home to some civil, mature and respectable regular users and discussion so I would be loathe to get rid of it. Some times the moderators can be a little tough in there, but I would go loopy if I had to moderate that place every day as you tell the same people to stop talking about the same things every 30 minutes.

 

As far as looking over your shoulder is concerned you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Something I spoke to the moderation team about not too long ago was to take in to account the posting history and contributions of a member before they click that ban button. People can have bad days. People can not know and sometimes they can even forget so sometimes we need to give the benefit of the doubt.

 

I've also implemented a new "ban appeal" system for banned members to use to appeal their ban. As it is I review every new ban thread that gets made and if I ever saw your name there I would be quick to question it. It annoys me deeply when I wake up in the morning and see a name I recognise, someone who has contributed to this community. Unfortunately before I can get to the bottom of it I find out they've made a new account and trolled me with the usual verbal abuse, or the staff here, or trolled around the other ES forums which then makes a come back for them untenable.

 

I will almost always stand by the staff here because I know them for who they are, I know I can talk to them reasonably and maturely, I know if I need to I can overturn a decision they've made and they won't throw all their toys out of their pram but most of all I know they've contributed to this community more than anyone else in the Elder Scrolls, Fallout or Dragon Age community. Invariably these banned users end up playing chinese whispers on the other forums out there, what really happened is they got banned for uploading an image of a nude character, or a file with some copyrighted stuff in, or something of similar ilk and then it gets on to the other forums as "Dark0ne banned me because I was better than him and he resented me", or words of similar meaning, and I just facepalm, especially when people just believe it.

 

Truth is a lot of the moderators are on edge right now, we all have RL issues we're dealing with at the moment. Lon, Vagrant and Buddah haven't been around that much although hopefully they'll be making a return soon, I'm not going to rush them knowing how much work they've already done here, I've got lots going on in the background, Myrmaad has lots going on and Dante is a vampire for god's sake....that brings with it all sorts of problems.

 

Hopefully things will get back to normal soon :)

 

 

Dark0ne,

 

I thank for this post and I am very grateful for it.

:)

[myrmaad]

Total Membership this morning- 2,207,502

 

Of course we see a lot of ban posts, there is a huge amount of traffic here.