The people who make threads keep getting banned!

[Xprimentyl]

Well, I would have recommended the ?sanctuary? as a replacement to Escapist as it started off with promise, but unfortunately, it fairly quickly turned into yet another cesspool where people exercise their free speech for the sole purpose of being vitriolic assholes. Its myriad racist and bigoted thread titles lead me to believe this broken site is by far and away the better use of my free time if interesting, intelligent and/or casual discourse is the aim. That?s a worthy cause you?re ?stressing? over, Arnox; so glad you?ve created a place where ?because I can? trumps basic and common decency because we all know the worst of the internet have so few places left to be themselves anymore?

Trust me, I?m all about freedom of speech and defending people?s right to say what they believe, but I?m a bigger proponent of COMMON SENSE: if they wouldn?t say it out loud, in public, and be willing to face the consequences of their ?free speech,? then the venom they choose to spit from behind the mother?s skirt of anonymity for the clear purpose of inciting negativity and disrespect is a WASTE of free speech.

I feel you're blowing the criticism you got out of proportion here. While I don't agree with some of the things they said to you, they still gave logical arguments to counter yours. Also, we are not actually a total free-for-all. We do have rules. People can't spam a topic nor are they allowed to totally derail threads. Among other things. Yes, they can call you a **** and disagree with you, but they have to say WHY you're a **** or else it's treated as garbage posting and the offending user gets smacked with an infraction.

You may not think that's an important distinction, but it is. The former is useless posting. The latter still contributes something. And though they may be rude about it, why does it matter? You don't even have to acknowledge their posts. And if we were to start punishing people for being rude, then I think we'll end up in much the same shape as the Escapist, rules-wise. The minute you start punishing people for being rude, you open up a huge can of worms, and even if your moderation is perfect, people still will not be happy.

An age ago, I was a teenager and I made a stupid thread that got worse over time and I got flamed for it. I was about to leave but other posters told me to stick with it. So I did. I stuck with it. And to this day, I'm so glad I did. And because I decided to grow up a little, I had one of the best posting experiences I have ever had. I got my reputation back and I became part of that community. And all I needed was some thicker skin.

Don't make the same mistake I did. You may find the posting freedom we offer really suits you. Please join us again. <3

I just gave most of the place a good browse. Eh. Just eh. I kinda see where Xprimentyl is coming from, though I do seriously wonder why you have yet to tell a certain person on there to fuck off and just ban them. Cause if your site's "freedom" of posts allows the kind of crap I just read, then yeah, I'd rather be here.

If you're talking about Infinityshock, he's already been banned for 90 days. lol

What are you talking about? I didn't receive any criticism. I engaged in 2-3 threads and conversation was amicable; I don't engage in arguments or shit flinging online. I'm talking about the last time I logged to see a bunch of threads with the words "n*gg*r" and "f*gg*t" in the title; I logged out and haven't been back since. That kind of environment for all its "freedom" is childish, toxic and beneath decent society. But it's yours to do with and allow what you please. Enjoy.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Oh. Well, shows how much digging I did. Thanks for letting me know! (Still not enough going on in the site for me to wanna come around, but it's nice to see a certain line was drawn at least)

We actually have more active members than you think. But if people keep saying it's not active enough and don't post, then that's how it's always going to be. If you like us, you should post to, if nothing else, help us grow.

What are you talking about? I didn't receive any criticism. I engaged in 2-3 threads and conversation was amicable; I don't engage in arguments or shit flinging online. I'm talking about the last time I logged to see a bunch of threads with the words "n*gg*r" and "f*gg*t" in the title; I logged out and haven't been back since. That kind of environment for all its "freedom" is childish, toxic and beneath decent society. But it's yours to do with and allow what you please. Enjoy.

He was banned for 90 days actually.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I'm pretty sure Ezekial did request his own ban.

He definitely did not because he made a second account to say goodbye after he was banned.

Just sayin' guys, the peeps at intosanctuary.com don't get banned for making threads.

Just sayin' but they don't here either.

I don't think that's entirely accurate. I've seen people banned for making threads.

A cursory look through the first few pages of off topic, gaming and R&P easily found 7 Wolv topics locked upon his request.


Which, unless the topic is an accidental double topic, is totally BS by the way. Once you start a conversation, its out there. If you dont like where it goes, you stop participating, no user should be able to call for the close of a conversation because they feel done with it, OP or not.

I agree, I hate threads being locked. I don't go into R&P though, so I wasn't aware of him doing that. But he still made a lot of good topics in the other forums.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

We actually have more active members than you think. But if people keep saying it's not active enough and don't post, then that's how it's always going to be. If you like us, you should post to, if nothing else, help us grow.

It hardly active enough for me here. Out of habit I check back 3-4 times a day and it's the same as I left it each time for days on end. I just do it cause I'm clinging for dear life that something will happen, or maybe one day I'll see it just shut off. And unfortunately, I dunno, it doesn't seem like there's much going on there either, and I don't really have good quality thread content worth submitting. If I did, I'd be posting it here. Maybe one day, I dunno. I'm not making any major promises

 

[09philj]

The death throes of the Escapist forums are a beautiful collision between a foetid, socially abnormal userbase, near-total technical failure, inadequate moderation tools, and lacklustre moderation. It's art.

 

[Basement Cat]

We are tightening up the Moderation on this site.

When the Health Bar system was first introduced Moderators tended to be more lenient to those posters with fewer Warnings (taking the nature of the Warnings into consideration, of course) while being less tolerant of posters who collected more infractions. It used to be standard for posters who were on their last Warning bar to have their privileges hanging by a thread. In short--the more Warnings a poster collected the easier it was to collect more.

Last year I decided that we Moderators should instead be more lenient towards posters with numerous Warnings. My thinking was simple: We're a dying community so it's best to retain as many members as possible even if that meant loosening the Moderation standards.

Since then the forums have become more and more toxic. The situation worsened when the Wild West was closed and numerous posters who were accustomed to "Shit Posting" and extremely adversarial commenting were obligated to move to the regular forums if they wished to continue to post on this site. It has become routine for people to comment on how toxic and hostile the Escapist community forums have become.

To counter this we are returning to the original rule set. The fewer Warnings an Escapist has on their Health Bar the more lenient the Moderation team shall be. The more Warnings a poster has the less forgiving the Moderation team will be.

Furthermore posters with nearly full Health Bars can expect their overall presence in the forums to be taken into account. Those who make a practice of baiting and flaming and trolling others while barely managing to stay within the rules shall be held accountable as being considered disruptive trouble makers and shall be dealt with.

Appeals remain an option.

See the Stickied thread at the top of the Forum page--don't try to use the broken automated Appeal link.

There have been signs of hope on Twitter and beyond that the Escapist may survive. Hopefully the rumors are true. Whether the current Moderation team shall remain intact should the Escapist be bought and renewed none of us know. It is a given that I shall not continue to serve as the site's Community Manager because there are others who are far better qualified and more experienced who should rightly take the position.

As such I possess absolutely zero fear of losing my non-paying-entirely-volunteer job.

In summary the moderating guidelines that I relaxed a year ago are being tightened again. The more Warnings a poster has the less wiggle room for committing infractions they'll be permitted in the future. There's absolutely no point in blaming anyone else for this except me.

So please condemn me and only me--the Moderators are innocent of committing any much evil. I am responsible for Wolv's banning and shall ultimately, and rightly, be held responsible for suspensions and bannings of others.

By the future owners of this site--not by its community. ^_^

Spoiler: And now for something completely different.

 

[IceForce]

In short--the more Warnings a poster collected the easier it was to collect more.

...

The fewer Warnings an Escapist has on their Health Bar the more lenient the Moderation team shall be. The more Warnings a poster has the less forgiving the Moderation team will be.

That just means there will be a 'slippery slope', where people with near-full health bars will be treading on a lot more eggshells that other users otherwise aren't. Which also makes reforming a lot more difficult, - one would essentially have to stop posting altogether until their bar cleared a bit, so as to not fall afoul even accidentally.

 

[Zontar]

Since then the forums have become more and more toxic. The situation worsened when the Wild West was closed and numerous posters who were accustomed to "Shit Posting" and extremely adversarial commenting were obligated to move to the regular forums if they wished to continue to post on this site. It has become routine for people to comment on how toxic and hostile the Escapist community forums have become.

This kind of makes me wonder why the Wild West is still closed then given most of the community either liked it or didn't care, and pretty much everyone understood it was a good containment subforum for shitposting and allowed for a place for those who wanted to vent to do so. I mean for god sake I was the primary target of toxicity in that place and I can summarise how things where with one picture.

I've been saying this ever since the place was shut down but I'll say it again, I think the Wild West was an objective benefit to this site. It allowed for a healthier balance of the community's clashing internet subcultures on this site and gave reason for people like me (one of the few active users suspended when Kross gave everyone lifetime Pubs and was thus not granted it) a reason to buy it, which I did while the place was open, and would again if it was reopened.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Just sayin' guys, the peeps at intosanctuary.com don't get banned for making threads.

Just sayin' but they don't here either.

I don't think that's entirely accurate. I've seen people banned for making threads.

People aren't banned for "making threads", they're banned for making threads that violate the CoC in some respect.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

snip

In summary the moderating guidelines that I relaxed a year ago are being tightened again. The more Warnings a poster has the less wiggle room for committing infractions they'll be permitted in the future. There's absolutely no point in blaming anyone else for this except me.

So please condemn me and only me--the Moderators are innocent of committing any much evil. I am responsible for Wolv's banning and shall ultimately, and rightly, be held responsible for suspensions and bannings of others.

By the future owners of this site--not by its community. ^_^

Spoiler: And now for something completely different.

Really don't agree with this in the slightest but I truly respect your willingness to take the heat and stand by your own decision.

which I did while the place was open, and would again if it was reopened.

It's not gonna happen I'm afraid. Mod team has made it very clear it's not going to be reopened now or ever.

 

[Red Sentinel]

I've seen people banned for making threads.

That's nothing. I've seen people banned for making posts.

Can you believe it?!?

 

[Drathnoxis]

Since then the forums have become more and more toxic. The situation worsened when the Wild West was closed and numerous posters who were accustomed to "Shit Posting" and extremely adversarial commenting were obligated to move to the regular forums if they wished to continue to post on this site. It has become routine for people to comment on how toxic and hostile the Escapist community forums have become.

I disagree, I think the atmosphere on the site had only improved from the abysmal level it had been during the GG days.

I still think the permaban is a poor fit for the warning system. The whole thing would be better if it just resulted in a month long ban, with permabans being reserved for spambots. Then you wouldn't have to worry about not handing out punishment and we wouldn't be constantly hemorrhaging active contributing members.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I've seen people banned for making threads.

That's nothing. I've seen people banned for making posts.

Can you believe it?!?

That's nothing. Why is Gamora?!

...wait I did that wrong...

 

[IceForce]

So, the take-away from this is that WolvDragon's ban was deemed to be correct/legit?

 

[EvilRoy]

So, the take-away from this is that WolvDragon's ban was deemed to be correct/legit?

I guess? No clue what it was actually for though. His post was fairly even handed, didn't even call anybody a shit tickler. Maybe they're going back and counting up the sins of the past?

 

[Signa]

What are you talking about? I didn't receive any criticism. I engaged in 2-3 threads and conversation was amicable; I don't engage in arguments or shit flinging online. I'm talking about the last time I logged to see a bunch of threads with the words "n*gg*r" and "f*gg*t" in the title; I logged out and haven't been back since. That kind of environment for all its "freedom" is childish, toxic and beneath decent society. But it's yours to do with and allow what you please. Enjoy.

It hardly active enough for me here. Out of habit I check back 3-4 times a day and it's the same as I left it each time for days on end. I just do it cause I'm clinging for dear life that something will happen, or maybe one day I'll see it just shut off. And unfortunately, I dunno, it doesn't seem like there's much going on there either, and I don't really have good quality thread content worth submitting. If I did, I'd be posting it here. Maybe one day, I dunno. I'm not making any major promises

I wanted to say to both of you that I'm glad you checked it out instead of just saying it's not for you therefore it's not for anyone. Now that Infinityshock has been banned, things are a lot more normal there. We've been having gaming weekends when time allows (it's summer right now, after all), and the atmosphere is really chill. I encourage you to give it another chance while IS is banned, because we want people like you there. If not, no hard feelings, but I thank you again for even looking.

 

[Majestic_Manatee]

So like 2 people then? One of which was hasn't been around for a very long time by the looks of it, and the other either must have been a ban jumper, requested own ban or some other behind the scenes tomfoolery. Can't say the melodrama there is sympathetic. Buddies, I take it.

 

[Lil devils x_v1legacy]

Well, I would have recommended the ?sanctuary? as a replacement to Escapist as it started off with promise, but unfortunately, it fairly quickly turned into yet another cesspool where people exercise their free speech for the sole purpose of being vitriolic assholes. Its myriad racist and bigoted thread titles lead me to believe this broken site is by far and away the better use of my free time if interesting, intelligent and/or casual discourse is the aim. That?s a worthy cause you?re ?stressing? over, Arnox; so glad you?ve created a place where ?because I can? trumps basic and common decency because we all know the worst of the internet have so few places left to be themselves anymore?

Trust me, I?m all about freedom of speech and defending people?s right to say what they believe, but I?m a bigger proponent of COMMON SENSE: if they wouldn?t say it out loud, in public, and be willing to face the consequences of their ?free speech,? then the venom they choose to spit from behind the mother?s skirt of anonymity for the clear purpose of inciting negativity and disrespect is a WASTE of free speech.

I feel you're blowing the criticism you got out of proportion here. While I don't agree with some of the things they said to you, they still gave logical arguments to counter yours. Also, we are not actually a total free-for-all. We do have rules. People can't spam a topic nor are they allowed to totally derail threads. Among other things. Yes, they can call you a **** and disagree with you, but they have to say WHY you're a **** or else it's treated as garbage posting and the offending user gets smacked with an infraction.

You may not think that's an important distinction, but it is. The former is useless posting. The latter still contributes something. And though they may be rude about it, why does it matter? You don't even have to acknowledge their posts. And if we were to start punishing people for being rude, then I think we'll end up in much the same shape as the Escapist, rules-wise. The minute you start punishing people for being rude, you open up a huge can of worms, and even if your moderation is perfect, people still will not be happy.

An age ago, I was a teenager and I made a stupid thread that got worse over time and I got flamed for it. I was about to leave but other posters told me to stick with it. So I did. I stuck with it. And to this day, I'm so glad I did. And because I decided to grow up a little, I had one of the best posting experiences I have ever had. I got my reputation back and I became part of that community. And all I needed was some thicker skin.

Don't make the same mistake I did. You may find the posting freedom we offer really suits you. Please join us again. <3

I just gave most of the place a good browse. Eh. Just eh. I kinda see where Xprimentyl is coming from, though I do seriously wonder why you have yet to tell a certain person on there to fuck off and just ban them. Cause if your site's "freedom" of posts allows the kind of crap I just read, then yeah, I'd rather be here.

If you're talking about Infinityshock, he's already been banned for 90 days. lol

What are you talking about? I didn't receive any criticism. I engaged in 2-3 threads and conversation was amicable; I don't engage in arguments or shit flinging online. I'm talking about the last time I logged to see a bunch of threads with the words "n*gg*r" and "f*gg*t" in the title; I logged out and haven't been back since. That kind of environment for all its "freedom" is childish, toxic and beneath decent society. But it's yours to do with and allow what you please. Enjoy.

What I am not understanding is why they are being allowed to advertise another site on the escapist forums, it isn't like advertising Stormfront on here would be okay, and I am not seeing them pay the Escapist for such advertising or recruitment so not sure why anyone would think this acceptable. If people want to go read racist, sexist garbage that is being spewed under the guise of "Free Speech" larger and more active sites such as Stormfront already exist. I would not wish to visit those anymore than I would want to visit a site where insults, hate speech and other diarrhea that has no beneficial use to society and only serves to cause great harm by cultivating noxious ideas is being allowed to run rampant. That should no more be considered a "legitimate political position" any more than "serial killers should be allowed kill more people" would be and should be treated as such.

I personally am tired of seeing the site advertised on here, and not only have they been actively advertising and recruiting members from the site publicly, they are sending out private messages to members as well. I did not sign up to the Escapist so that I could receive advertising for a competing site. If people want to talk about where they are going in the event the escapist goes down, that is fine. THEY ALREADY DID THAT Now, it is just blatant advertising and recruiting and has grown tiresome.

 

[Elijin]

Basement Cat's explanation does very little to put this to rest.

Even in a world where people who are habitual rule breakers walk a finer line, and attract mod wrath more readily, the flagged post still fails to meet any critera for a warning.

To keep it clear in everyone's mind, this is the post which caught him a ban, under the newly defined "Get a lot of warnings, then we'll give you some more" ruleset:

Now money laundering is something I believe he could've committed as there's evidence to suggest he laundered money through panama. If the press was really looking to pin Trump on a crime it should be this, but for some stupid reason it's the whole Russia thing.

There is a still a huge disconnect between Basement Cat's breakdown of viewing habitual offenders with a harsher eye, and that post earning any user a warning.

 

[Signa]

Basement Cat's explanation does very little to put this to rest.

Even in a world where people who are habitual rule breakers walk a finer line, and attract mod wrath more readily, the flagged post still fails to meet any critera for a warning.

To keep it clear in everyone's mind, this is the post which caught him a ban, under the newly defined "Get a lot of warnings, then we'll give you some more" ruleset:

Now money laundering is something I believe he could've committed as there's evidence to suggest he laundered money through panama. If the press was really looking to pin Trump on a crime it should be this, but for some stupid reason it's the whole Russia thing.

There is a still a huge disconnect between Basement Cat's breakdown of viewing habitual offenders with a harsher eye, and that post earning any user a warning.

And while what I did was rude, I did get a warning for speaking truth to power, and they aren't going to repeal it either. It's ok, I deserve it by the rules, but it does show the state of things.