Wrongly infracted

Hilly Bill

Hi, sorry for taking up your time but here goes.

I received an infraction over on commuting and transport from Monument, i feel this infraction was unwarranted.
I posted a reply to a thread that was asking if there was anything more that can be done to prevent a bike being vandalised or stolen from an unmanned station.
I basically said that the only way to make sure is to not park it there in the first place.This was basically the opinion of another poster as well but monument after receiving a report about my post fro the OP deemed my reply unhelpful and off topic and offered his own opinion as to what the topic was about which had nothing to do with it. I sent a pm to him asking how my comment was off topic but he ignored my pm, i understand that mods cant reply in any given time frame but i had posted again on the thread after another poster had commented .
Monument again issued a mod warning on the thread saying he had already ruled my comment off topic yet he had not responded to the pm i had sent earlier where i asked why it was off topic. Seeing that at this stage it seemed that he wasnt going to answer me i asked on thread why it was off topic , he issued the infraction . If i had asked on thread without asking via pm then i wouldnt be taking up your time now. Im aware there was some issues with the site last night but even allowing for that he still should have engaged via pm instead of being short with me on thread saying basically he's deemed it off topic so there type of thing.
Here is the thread in question http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057481523
Note my suggestion on not leaving it there in the first place is not the only one but the only one thats deemed off topic.
Ive pm'd him but all i got was the generic response of you can appeal if you want but still no response as to why he thought my comment was off topic.
Thanks in advance.

The Hill Billy

Hi there. Thanks for confirming that you have attempted to engage with the mod via PM.

Can you please forward me a copy of the PMs that you have sent & I will look into this for you.

tHB

Spear

You can't post links to PMs like that, as no-one, not even admins, has permission to view them.

DRP rules allow you to post the contents directly on the thread, or you can post the contents into a separate PM to The Hill Billy.

Hilly Bill

O right sorry, didn't know. I'll remove them.

Hilly Bill

Sent to THB.

The Hill Billy

PMs received. Thanks.
I'm pretty busy in RL at the mo, but will review this over the weekend.

tHB

Hilly Bill

No rush.

The Hill Billy

Hilly Bill, you were given two very clear on-thread warnings by the moderator. You are around here long enough to know not to argue with a mod on-thread.

As there is some validity to your argument, I would usually look for a mitigating factor with a view to reduce this to a warning. However, I see that you have quite a history of ignoring mod warnings in the C&T forums. To be honest, you're lucky not to have had a harsher sanction applied at this stage.

Infraction upheld. You may appeal to the Admin if you wish.

tHB

Hilly Bill

2 clear warning for what? what exactly was the moderators instructions that i ignored? Monument decided that i was off topic when i clearly wasnt and refused to say why either on thread or via pm.
I asked him via pm but was ignored but he then added to the topic by making a statement which had nothing to do with the topic. Surely a moderator cant make a statement on a thread then add a mod warning so that you cant reply.

Please show me where i was off topic as opposed to the thread topic or even disruptive. If the warning was for going off topic then its wrong as i wasnt not even once in the thread. There are plenty of threads in the C&T forum that have gone off topic without any warnings issued especially if the topic is in favour of the moderator. Monument is a cycling fan and took personal offence that i suggested that the best way to make sure that your bike doesnt get stolen or vandalised is to not bring it in the first place. Its not having a go at a cyclist but stating the obvious which i also suggested using a bike locker when possible but that was also ignored. Like i said , the subject was how to prevent your bike being stolen or vandalised when leaving it outside an unmanned station, now please enlighten me how suggesting for the OP not to park the bike there in the first place is off topic? It was also mentioned in post number 2 of the thread yet it wasnt off topic until i also suggested it as part of my post.
If you agree there is validity in my argument then you cant uphold the infraction based on the past. I didnt even argue with him on the thread like you mention, how is asking How is it off topic? worthy of an infraction especially when the moderator refused to answer via pm? a harsher sanction? How do you work that one out?

I'll appeal to the admin please.

Gordon

Paraphrased, this is the discussion:

OP: How to reduce risk of bike being vandalised at unmanned station?
You: Don't leave it there
Mod: That's unhelpful and off-topic
You: Don't leave it there or put it in a locker
Mod: I've told you, this is off-topic, unhelpful and unconstructive, last warning before infraction.
You: Why?

That last post was your infraction.

Personally I wouldn't call it off topic, but it's certainly unhelpful and flame baiting in my opinion. I'd expect you, with the amount of warnings you've received, to know how to interact here, how not to flame bait, how not to drag the thread off-topic (which is what I believe is what monument may mean by 'off-topic').

It looks to me like you wanted to stick the oar in and when the Mod popped up to ask you to stop, you just kept on.. oarin..

Infraction upheld, please try to keep the oars out of the conversation, as it allows for a smooth, constructive discussion as opposed to one that veers off topic with bruised egos.