Penalties for Pettiness

The Volt

Over the last while I've read threads on the helpdesk and noticed infractions on certain forum rules and today, I had my first infraction imposed on me. I am writing this short piece to open a discussion on what I'd like to call pettiness.

Firstly I would like to state that I very much enjoy being a member of boards.ie and that is largely due to the way in which the admins and moderators run it. You guys run a tight ship and by enlarge it is a job exceedingly well done. However, people like myself seem to get penalized for issues of pettiness and in my own case, misunderstanding. Without naming the forum, thread or moderator (who I discussed this with and we have agreed to disagree) I recieved an infraction for an apparent 'off topic' thread I made. I had read the forum charter and I had posted on it many times before. I didn't think it was off topic and the fact that there was a good 7 or 8 replies before a mod stepped in demonstrates that others were of the same opinion. I've seen circumstances where people's off topic threads are simply just moved by mods. With all due respect to the moderator and forum charter in question, I don't like the idea of an infraction over my head for difference in opinion in regards to whats on topic and what isn't.

I'm sure others online have their own stories of experiences like this and I'd love to hear them. I'm not trying to make excuses for people who deservedly recieve infractions, kudos to the mods who deal with those appropriately.

I would love an open debate on this sort of thing, I feel it would make boards a better place =]

The Volt

Might I add that a few others who posted in this thread were also infracted. I feel that's pettier, also a tad inconsistent as one poster wasn't.

Jack B. Badd

Voltwad wrote: »

I feel it would make boards a better place =]

How?

The Volt

Refer to the body of the post please.

Jack B. Badd

As far as I can gather from the body of your post, this thread is supposed to be an open moan from people receiving slaps on the wrist. Do you have any constructive suggestions as to how it would improve boards?

oscarBravo

I don't see how this thread can achieve anything. People can say "I got an infraction, don't want to say who from or what for, but I thought it was unfair." What will that achieve?

If you feel the infraction was unjust, you could take it up as a specific issue on the Help Desk. But really: it's an infraction. It's not the end of the world.

The Volt

oscarBravo wrote: »

I don't see how this thread can achieve anything. People can say "I got an infraction, don't want to say who from or what for, but I thought it was unfair." What will that achieve?

If you feel the infraction was unjust, you could take it up as a specific issue on the Help Desk. But really: it's an infraction. It's not the end of the world.

I chose not to take it as a specific issue because the mod told me that he had a certain set of rules to follow.

I didn't start this thread spur on an open rant for people who've been infracted. I will go into detail if people want me to but I didn't want to make it specific.

oscarBravo

Again, the pertinent question is: what do you hope to achieve, and how?

The Volt

I think that there could be more tolerance towards people who make genuine mistakes or do nothing wrong at all. Like I said, I'm not trying to make excuses for people who get slaps on the wrist but I don't think it's right that people have infractions held over their heads for the first bracket of users that I mentioned. One of my prime worries is that posters like myself may be looked harsher on in future situations (not saying that I'd be getting in trouble etc) and if it affects even so much as someone's reputation online here then the distribution of infractions on boards.ie should be up for debate in my opinion.

humanji

There's a list of rules at the top of each forum. You're warned that if you break any of these rules you may be banned. The mods show users who break these rules tolerance by giving them infractions. An infraction is a warning that you broke a rule, but that no further action will be taken.

Seems pretty simple to me. If anybody in the world judges you because you had recieved an infraction then laugh at them, because they must lead a very sad and petty life.

ShawnRaven

How i missed this, i've no idea. But here's the deal.

You posted about the price of Sky Box Office PPV's in Pro Wrestling. Now i know a box office PPV is coming up, Wrestlemania. However we have a wrestlemania thread in there, it may have gotten away in there. We also have an off topic banter thread in there, which it also could have been in there.

I felt that if a new thread was going to be started, Rip Off Ireland would have been the better place to put it, as it is pretty much a consumer issue. PW was not the place to start a new thread, period! There are several euro/sterling comparison threads in Rip Off Ireland, to be honest.

As for waiting for a few posts before doing something about it. If you look at my posting times from the last couple of weeks, you'll notice i'm somewhat of a night owl. As a result, my posting won't start until early in the afternoon. That thread was the first one I had touched, and I immedately scrapped it as I felt it had no place.

Incidently Voltwad, nearly everyone else who posted on that thread had sent me a PM saying they understood why I handed out the cards. It seems to be only you that has the bee in your bonnet regarding the issue.

I'll freely throw my hands up in the air and say I can be a little heavy handed in my moderating duties in PW.
I'll also admit that the forum has been a lot better for it in the last month since I started the position.

But i stand by my actions. In that particular forum, there was no place for cost of box office. It's a wrestling forum, and not a consumer affairs forum. Which is exactly why everyone who posted in there got infracted. Because it took one to start the thread, but the ones who responded should have known better than to keep it going.

ShawnRaven

Voltwad wrote: »

I feel that's pettier, also a tad inconsistent as one poster wasn't.

He was infracted for something similar earlier in the week, I sent him a PM with a warning.

The Volt

humanji wrote: »

If anybody in the world judges you because you had recieved an infraction then laugh at them, because they must lead a very sad and petty life.

Ok then, I've misunderstood the seriousness of an infraction, fair enough.

ShawnRaven wrote: »

In that particular forum, there was no place for cost of box office

It had to with the biggest Pro Wrestling event of the year, call it difference of opinion but I don't think it was off topic. Like I said, I've seen many a circumstance where people have simply had threads moved. That's what I meant by inconsistency. Like I said in the PM, Shawnraven. I've nothing against you at all, you said we'd just have to agree to disagree which is fair enough. But people here seem to think it's wrong that I disagree.

ShawnRaven

Voltwad wrote: »

Like I said in the PM, Shawnraven. I've nothing against you at all, you said we'd just have to agree to disagree which is fair enough. But people here seem to think it's wrong that I disagree.

Nothing personal taken. I just needed to be exactly clear on my actions. We already have 3 threads on that, there was no need for a forth, especially when it was primarily about consumer affairs.

Playing the inconsistency card won't work, different moderators have different views and ideas on things. Probably because they're not robots.
I could have moved it. But the example that sets is that it's perfectly alright to start threads that didn't belong because after all, the moderator will just move them over. In my opinion, that's a wrong one to set. PW is busy enough as it is. ESPECIALLY at this time of year.

Anyway, that's my final word on this, unless needs be of course.

The Volt

ShawnRaven wrote: »

different moderators have different views and ideas on things.

You told me that mods all have a set list of rules to follow though..

ShawnRaven wrote: »

I could have moved it. But the example that sets is that it's perfectly alright to start threads that didn't belong because after all, the moderator will just move them over. In my opinion, that's a wrong one to set.

That's a fair point but it's not like I started a thread about Soccer or the Lisbon Treaty. I thought I was starting a thread that belonged.

ShawnRaven

Voltwad wrote: »

You told me that mods all have a set list of rules to follow though..

We do, but that doesn't mean they're going to be followed through the same way. PW went through an absolute nightmare for months last year, some people felt that was because the moderating was a little lax (thats no disrespect to those who were modding btw). Go through some posts in that forum during last summer and you'll see what I mean.

As a result of it, a few people left and the board went really quiet leading up to the biggest show of the year, with the only active thread being the Mania 25 packages thread.

So you can understand that since i've been placed on board, i'm not exactly in a hurry to let that happen again.

This really is my final post on this thread, if you'd like me to answer anything else on this matter, i'll be more than happy to do so via PM, otherwise i can't see any reason why this topic should even be left open, nevermind a reason for me to keep posting on it.

The Volt

I stated before that I didn't want to make this personal on any forum or moderators, I was kind of hoping to get input from people with similar experiences to myself. Given that I haven't gotten that then I can't see any point in continuing.

AckwelFoley

Infractions on boards lapse after a certain time. Many internet forums operate a 3 or 5 strike rule and you are out, and considering on these other forums an infraction never lapses it can be rather easy to get in bother.

Its an infraction on a pro wrestling forum on the internet. Hardly something to topple the recession as misery.

faceman

I havent seen the threads in question so i cant comment on the individuals in this case.

IMO, if a regular behaved contributor makes an error of judgement in posting a thread that the mods believe is suited to another forum, then by moving the thread to the appropriate forum should be a sufficient enough message to the Poster that the thread didnt belong there.

Although infractions dont mean anything unless you are are regular offender, its very easy to see how it could leave a sour taste in someone's mouth. The argument that ah sure its only an infraction doesnt really wash with me. They are either to be taken serious or they are not.

Like I said, Im not specifically referring to this case as I havent read the thread in question nor am I familiar with the forum in question.