Implementation of the Infractions System

In an attempt to set up a clear and direct system for the site staff's moderation needs, we've decided to (finally) set up vBulletin's User Infractions properly. The way it works is simple; each type of infraction will give a user a certain number of infraction points that will expire after a given time. If they hit the point cap before this, they will be auto-banned, also for a given amount of time. A warning can also be given instead of an infraction, which will not give any points but rather serve as a reminder. Additionally, for the time being, I've decided to turn on the "Extend" option for all infractions. This means that if the exact same infraction is given to somebody before the first one expires, it will be reset to last its full period in addition to the newly given infraction. I'm not entirely sure how this will work out yet - please try to understand that this is a learning curve for us as well, and so the values may yet need to be tweaked in order to work ideally.

Currently, the point cap is 4, and the various infraction values have been balanced around this. I'm also not sure if the ban specifically happens upon reaching this value, or only when exceeding it; we shall have to see. Either way, breaking the cap will automatically result in a 10-day ban. I believe that anything beyond that should still be handled manually, meaning that ultimately the final call on a ban is still decided by the site staff.

Here is the initial infraction list:

Reason                                                         Expiry    Points
Blatant trolling/flamebait                                     1 month   3
General poor behaviour/treatment of other users                2 weeks   2
Disrespect of site staff                                       1 week    2
Posting inappropriate material/inadequately censored material  2 weeks   1
Pointless double post                                          2 weeks   1
Overly spammy posting/continuing off-topic randomness          1 week    1
Severe lack of cohesion                                        1 week    1
Bumping an old/dead thread w/o due courtesy                    2 weeks   2
Additional redundant posts in a bumped thread                  2 weeks   1
Reposting something after it was deleted (for rule-breaking)   2 weeks   3
Inappropriate personal details/avatar/signature/etc            1 month   2

Remember that these are not absolute, and warnings can be given in their place. I've put a good deal of consideration into all of them, so try to get an idea of where I'm coming from. For example, if some of these values seem unfairly high for a relatively minor offence, it's because a user really has no business doing it more than once, ever (e.g. bumping dead threads and/or having inappropriate personal info). Combined with infraction extensions, this is our way of saying "Please don't do that again". It may appear too 'easy' to end up with an autoban, but you'll find that most of the common infractions only give 1 point, and really a 10-day ban is relatively minor. I think that this way, everyone will always know exactly how much strife they are in, and from there be able to make a judgment call on whether they want to get their act together or whether they just don't give a shit.

I'm leaving this thread open because I want to see if anyone has any genuine questions/doubts/etc, so they can be properly answered and this implementation can go ahead smoothly, but note that this is not the forum for even mild off-topic gibbering. Any such posts shall be subjected to the new system with great prejudice.

 

This seems like a nice and organized way to keep track of bad members! I approve

Should you sticky this, to make it easier to find?

 

I support this experiment, but:

Posting inappropriate material/inadequately censored material  2 weeks   1

Inappropriate personal details/avatar/whathaveyou              1 month   2

Is this because details/avatars/signatures will be displayed across the entire forum? Even so, a month-long ban seems a little harsh for something so subjective, unless it's for goatse-level stuff.

 

Even so, a month-long ban seems a little harsh for something so subjective, unless it's for goatse-level stuff.

That's not what he said.
Doing those two things will give a user infraction points that last for 2 weeks or 1 month respectively (those points expire after that).

There is no 1-month ban. You only get auto-banned if you exceed 4 points at a time, and even then it just lasts for 10 days.

 

I would like to point out how poorly worded "Inappropriate personal information" is. What personal information is inappropriate? I live in Oregon? I'm 16 and am a male?
I understand what you're trying to say, but many users may not.
Try skipping the generalization and go right to "inappropriate avatar, signature, etc." They'll get the idea.

 

That's not what he said.
Doing those two things will give a user infraction points that last for 2 weeks or 1 month respectively (those points expire after that).

There is no 1-month ban. You only get auto-banned if you exceed 4 points at a time, and even then it just lasts for 10 days.

Okay I misunderstood that, but it's still a disproportionate punishment.

 

Okay I misunderstood that, but it's still a disproportionate punishment.

I explained my reasoning in the first post

Try skipping the generalization and go right to "inappropriate avatar, signature, etc."

Inappropriate personal details/avatar/whathaveyou

Ummm? They're called "Your Details" on the User CP so I think it's clear enough, but I'll add signature in there specifically.

 

Do we really need infractions on these forums? There are less than 30 members here, couldn't we settle for warnings and handling stuff personally? But if you're so determined about it then fuck, go for it. It's not like jokes and innocent spam threads would get many active members banned for long periods of time.

 

This is being done to make things more consistent for everyone. The staff get a proper tool to do their jobs with and the users get specific feedback rather than just generalised fluff.

 

I would like to point out how poorly worded "Inappropriate personal information" is. What personal information is inappropriate? I live in Oregon? I'm 16 and am a male?

They're called "Your Details" on the User CP so I think it's clear enough, but I'll add signature in there specifically.

I agree with cultr1 that these infractions are too vaguely worded.

As for making the wording more specific, I believe that each infraction should be described with a list of example offenses.
Such as...

General poor behaviour/treatment of other users
This infraction could be described as:
-Swearing at other members excessively
-Insulting users for no apparent reason
-Posts that only serve to insult or degrade without making an argument
-Acting angry and harsh towards forum newcomers for not understanding how vBulletin features work yet.

Severe lack of cohesion
This infraction could be described as:
-Using too much leetspeak
-Using too many smilies
-Writing words in overly large fonts, all caps, or otherwise creating difficult to read posts in a similar manner
-Excessive bad grammar, bad spelling, no capitalization, and lack of punctuation. Exceptions may be made for those who did not learn English as a first language.

Inappropriate personal details/avatar/signature/etc
This infraction could be described as:
-Swearing or other offensive language in user title, biography, personal interests, etc.
-Avatar image contains nudity, grotesque depictions of violence, etc.
-Avatar is an animated image that could cause epileptic seizures or is very discomforting to look at.
-Signature is too large (see forum rules for limit) or contains similar inappropriate images.
-Revealing excessive personal information, such as giving out full real name and full address without good reason, etc.

I'm not disagreeing with the infractions system - I am just saying that you should make the rules extremely clear so that members actually know when they are breaking one or not. The rules may make sense to you, or to others, but some people will definitely not get what you mean.

Anyway, I highly suggest making the writing itself more specific. Of course, the decision is ultimately yours, since you are site staff and I am definitely not.

 

I haven't really said anything here yet. But if you were to ever sticky information for this somewhere I think carrotlord has explained all of this very well. It's easy to understand and defines everything. It is almost impossible to misinterpret this.

 

I like this system, it seems good enough to keep the forums in order both now and far in the future.

 

I should point out that there's only really space for one line of description in the infraction setup Additionally, there's an option to send an accompanying PM with any given infraction/warning, so plenty of specific information can be provided if necessary. I'm not convinced that defining everything so rigidly would really help - it would just backfire in a different manner, wherein users might think that they're allowed to do anything that isn't specifically mentioned, and would then have a 'case' for doing so.

 

Although I do agree with DT. What is there on the list that people are gonna do that is going to offend someone, cause trouble etc...?

Maybe if we broaden what carrotlord already has.

 

Can I get infracted for posting art?

 

I don't know why you would be, as long as it doesn't overtly break any rules.
But staff I am not.

 

I heavily support this change

 

I dunno, it seems rather unnecessary.
How many rules violations to we have each week? Not too many, last I checked. Sure, it gives the impression of a strict rules set, but how often must we use the hammer we just crafted?

 

If you all behave yourselves we'll never have to!

 

If you all behave yourselves we'll never have to!

Haha what