Poll: New forum rules - Yay or Nay?

[Spinwhiz]

*snipped*

Hi Spin quoting you because I think this is your domain:

This includes, but is not limited to communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give The Escapist, an individual creator, advertiser, site sponsor, product, group, government or nation a negative image. In short, if you say something you better be able to back it up with fact.

Is that bolded bit there ^^^ just standard legal-ese to disassociate The Escapist with any negativity aimed at America/American government by posters or is it an actionable offence? I infer that it's just for when people are being dicks and saying "Lol.America." to a random news post but I thought it would be prudent to check.

We can't be perverts anymore!? WHAT!? The likely hood of me getting banned in the next few days is very great now.
-image-

That was in the rules? Great, there goes half the forum.

...and the rant rule gets rid of another third


Personally even though these rules were always there unspoken having them explicitly stated intimidates me a bit.

Yup, exactly. We didn't want it to include just The Escapist or just America. Overall, we are asking people just to not say mean and slanderous things that aren't true.

As for rants, people can still let loose in a forum thread, we ask that they have a point, make sure it adds or helps discussion and that the caps and swearing are negated. Some of the best debates have a 3 paragraph "rant" but there is reason and purpose for it. Just blasting out an opinion because of hate or anger does not benefit discussion, it only stops it.

Thank you for clearing that up. I thought that would be the case but better safe then sorry and all.

Sure thing. If people have a problem, they can send in an appeal but honestly, with over 99% of the posters in this forum having less than 2 warnings ever, they just need to keep doing what they are doing because the rules haven't changed, just been updated.

Just out of curiosity but how does that number change when just active members are considered? Or people that have been active for over a year? From glancing at people's health bars from this topic I haven't seen a single person below 2 warnings. Admittedly the people I've picked haven't been chosen purely at random and this could very easily be a biased sample. It could just be that those complaining about the rules are more likely to be the one's on probation.

Also, about that 'no saying negative things about advertisers/governments/escapist etc.' rule. Where is the line drawn on this? A few days ago there was a guy talking about military advertisements being immoral, would he receive a warning? Won't this completely neuter the entire religion and politics board? They love complaining about governments and the like. Hell, are half the posters here in violation of the rules for talking negatively about the escapist's new rules?

Well, we figured most of the people who would be most vocal about the new penalty system would be the ones on the ropes with their accounts (I did say most), so that could be part of it. Part of it also could be that certain people need to appeal to get things in order.

As for the negative things, we just don't want to hear slanderous things. So, if you don't like the military, that's fine. That isn't negative, that is your opinion but you also aren't slandering the military either. If you instead state something slanderous about them killing people in Kuwait, then yes, a warning is going to come out. As this is a games site, we are going to have games advertisers that people will be talking about, much like DA2. If you don't like the game, that is fine but if you state The Escapist is getting paid for a good review, that is where we draw the line, because it isn't true.

 

[CarlMin]

I'm finding it very hard to post on this forum now. Not because of the rules, but because I keep checking everyone's health bars. Whee!

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

The very same. I got suspended last November for a stupid (and ill-advised) joke regarding piracy and I've had two(?) low-content post warnings. Never received a penalty for being a dick to someone or posting anything hateful, though. Of course, that's what it'll look like.

Wonderful.

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

I think thats the highest people have right now, multiple offenders don't seem to be held to anything higher than yellow for there pre bar offenses.

That's not very good...

Don't feel to bad about it, your not alone

Spoiler

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

i do. and now im permanently scared

and i thought my paranoia was bad before, this just adds to it. i like being able to post my thoughts and ask questions and have an opinion, but now they want to punish you for whatever THEY deem to be a "bad" opinion.

seriously. scared over here.

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

I do...and now i am scared to post anything really....

So I'm not alone:3

We should like start a club or something. We with yellow meters. What say you?

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

Apparently, I've been a good little monkey and thus have a clean bill of health. However, this is because I've always been apprehensive to post here with all of my opinion on something. I suppose the trend shall continue. *eyes the now sharper Sword of Damocles and sighs*

 

[Azaraxzealot]

I'm finding it very hard to post on this forum now. Not because of the rules, but because I keep checking everyone's health bars. Whee!

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

The very same. I got suspended last November for a stupid (and ill-advised) joke regarding piracy and I've had two(?) low-content post warnings. Never received a penalty for being a dick to someone or posting anything hateful, though. Of course, that's what it'll look like.

Wonderful.

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

I think thats the highest people have right now, multiple offenders don't seem to be held to anything higher than yellow for there pre bar offenses.

That's not very good...

Don't feel to bad about it, your not alone

Spoiler

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

i do. and now im permanently scared

and i thought my paranoia was bad before, this just adds to it. i like being able to post my thoughts and ask questions and have an opinion, but now they want to punish you for whatever THEY deem to be a "bad" opinion.

seriously. scared over here.

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

I do...and now i am scared to post anything really....

So I'm not alone:3

We should like start a club or something. We with yellow meters. What say you?

i'm down for that.

 

[Spinwhiz]

Besides for the forum health meters, which I agree, are unfair, my main problem is the pedophilia one, actually. Mainly because they're lumping innocent people with scumbags. Pedophilia =/= child molester. There are pedophiles on here, and one actually got a ban or suspension for saying that he was, until they realized that it wasn't actually against the rules, or against US law, so they had to unpunish them. There are plenty of people who are sexually attracted to kids but know better than to actually act on it. I'm not "condoning" it, I'm just saying that there's a difference between pedophile and child molester, despite what the fear-mongering media wants you to think. However, if the pedophilia thing just means CP, fine, but say that.

If we find you being slanderous with regard to any part of The Escapist, you will be penalized. This includes, but is not limited to communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give The Escapist, an individual creator, advertiser, site sponsor, product, group, government or nation a negative image.

This, especially the bolded part, disturbs me. Exactly how far are they going to go to make sure that the advertisers and governments aren't being "slandered"?

So wait? I am never going to go from yellow to green again? Or was that just poorly written?

No, that's what they're saying.

snip

Hey GeorgW, nice to talk to you again. I'm quoting you to get your attention. Now that I have it, I'm sure you've read the rest of my post, but I'd like you to clarify, what does the pedophilia thing mean? Does it mean that people like LegendaryGamer0 can expect a banhammer visit soon, or is it just anti-CP?

Exactly, thank you! So if I say "Apple you suck!" I get banned?

I'm going to take a wild guess and say "only if they're paying to advertise on here when you say it".

So the Review forum goes to Hell in a handbasket? Escapist is advertising Duke Nukem Forever. A random poster posts a review: "Duke Nukem SUCKED!" BAM! The Banhammer smites him!

No, not at all. If you say The Escapist is only previewing it because they are advertising, then you are going to be penalized, because that is slanderous.

 

[mireko]

Don't feel to bad about it, your not alone

Spoiler

Wait, what?!

It's real too. WTF.

We should like start a club or something. We with yellow meters. What say you?

Best not, we'll get banned~

 

[CarlMin]

Regardless of what some of our content creators may say, do or provoke within their videos or articles, this does not give members the ability to act in the same way. They are entertainers and if they brought their language or flaming into the forums, they would be held accountable, just as any other forum member of The Escapist would be.

Firstly, are they admitting that there are Escapist contributors that are just flaming?

Secondly, this impassable wall between the content and the community annoys me a lot. Why are there automatic comment threads on every article and video if we're not going to be as free to express ourselves as those articles?

I agree. These new rules will only serve to hammer the debate spirit that is keeping this forum interesting.

 

[Canid117]

How many people have a health meter that looks like this? (or worse)

It is what mine looks like. I refuse to fear the health meter! You wont scare me with your fancy color coded bars Escapist! You hear me!!

 

[SilverHammerMan]

I've gotta see this.
EDIT: interesting, seem okay, I'm not heavily involved in the forum-culture (It that a word? It should be.) here so this probably won't affect me all this much.

 

[Leviathan_]

I must investigate


Edit: Well, why the heck not? I didn't read everything, but they seemed to be good to me.

 

[Dastardly]

So, there´s been an update to the rules. If you haven´t seen it, it´ll come up when you try to post.

So anyway, what does the Escapist think of this new set of rules? Yay? Nay? Don´t care?!

Personally, i think the rules are just as good as usual, but the whole forum health meter thing sounds a little unfair. I mean, you can NEVER get strikes back? That sounds kinda impractical.

Let´s be hypothetical here: Let´s say a poster reaches the last zone before a ban, but decides he/she doesn´t like to be banned and stops acting like a twat. 9 months pass with plenty of posts and not a single infraction, but then, this poster makes one post that could be classified as offensive/jerkish etc. And they´re banned. I dunno. Just doesn´t sound fair to me.

I voted "Some yay". If they got rid of the "Forum health meter" i´d be good. I don´t think infractions should be measured in this way.

But bear in mind you're also getting, what, EIGHT warnings or something?

Yeah, the "strikes never go away" thing is harsh, but is it really that hard for some people not to be douchebags? If it is, perhaps they need to find some other experience that might help them get a handle on that, and this forum just isn't for them.

When you create a system of expiring strikes, you set up a micro-economy. "I can be X much of a dickcheese each month." And guess what? That guy? He's going to be X much of a dickcheese, because that's his "allotment." And he knows that it eventually refreshes, allowing him to repeat the cycle as he wishes.

Now? The cheese has a shelf life. Learn your lesson and stick around... or don't, continually relapse to "cheese status," and take a hike. Not hard at all. And on a forum like this, I'm sorry, there's no "too harsh" a punishment. You know the rules, you know the penalty, anything beyond that is just choice-consequence.

 

[drisky]

Don't feel to bad about it, your not alone

Spoiler

Wait, what?!

It's real too. WTF.

Yep they used to post first on some of there own comment threads as a joke.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

New forum rules? OK, I'll just post this to make them appear, then I'll edit in an actual response once I've read them.

EDIT: The new penalty system does seem unnecessarily strict. In my experience, any trolls here on The Escapist have been dealt with quickly and efficiently. This whole "permanent probation" - deal strikes me as less likely to help deter unwanted behaviour, and more likely to hurt inexperienced newcomers who haven't yet discovered the "Posting Guidelines" - section.

Of course, if the rules can be made to appear automatically to anyone who opens a new account here, such as what happened when I posted that top paragraph, that would be a different story. That way, anyone violating the rules would be doing so knowingly. (I'm pretty sure this didn't happen when I signed up - but it's been so long, I can't really be sure.)

I also think it would be a better idea to end the probation period after a year. Within such a period, any actual troll would easily commit enough additional offences to get perma-banned, whereas a well-intentioned member would not risk a permanent stain on their record for the occasional innocent slip-up.

 

[Sun Flash]

Testin'...

EDIT: Tested. seems a bit harsh, but I'll bite. I was wondering why the red text was saying warning lately. I'll just be lurking more than usual.

Plus I've only got one warning in the two years I've been here. I feel like such a square compared to you yeller bars...

 

[JoJo]

Don't feel to bad about it, your not alone

Spoiler

All those first jokes probably don't seem as funny to them anymore.

That is absolutely hilarious!

OT: Overall I like these new rules as the last weren't that specific and apparently the "not advocating acts illegal in the U.S." doesn't covered actually debateable stuff like gay marriage or cannabis, just piracy/drugs etc.